1861.77

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White House Secretaries watch Zouaves play ball

Salience Noteworthy
Tags Civil War, Famous, Military
Location Washington DC
City/State/Country: Washington, DC, United States
Immediacy of Report Retrospective
Age of Players Adult
Text

"When John Hay and George Nicolay drove their rented buggy over to Camp Lincoln to say hello to their friend Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, they found him wearing his “blouzy red shirt” and enjoying that New York favorite: Base Ball. Most New York firefighters played the game, and among those involved was Ellsworth’s aide-de-camp, Captain John “Jack” Wildey.

Wildey played ball before he became a Fire Zouave. He played for the New York Mutuals, named for his own Mutual Hook and Ladder Company Number 1. The Mutuals were formed in 1857 and played amateur ball at the Hoboken Grounds, their home field. Many firefighters and city employees played in a variety of New York teams, but the Mutuals were reckoned the best. It was perfectly normal for a handmade ball, a bit larger and softer than today’s baseball, to be found in the knapsack of an 11th New York Fire Zouave."

Hay and Nicolai were Pres. Lincon's Secretaries, and Ellsworth was perhaps Lincoln's closest young friend. Hay later became Secretary of State.

 

 

Sources

"Home Run Derby Star Captain "Jack" Wildey, The Emerging Civil War blog, July 16, 2018

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Submitted by Bruce Allardice



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