ABSTRACT
The morning following the issuance of Lincoln's proclamation there was little trace of the anti-war spirit noticeable in the town. Yet it was there. For the time being supporters of the Administration and War Democrats had it their own way. One of the latter was William D. Kennedy, who had recently succeeded James Conner as Grand Sachem of Tammany Hall. Kennedy, in his capacity as head of the Tammany Society, raised a regiment of volunteers composed exclusively of Tammanyites. Tweed, then thirty-eight years old, and with a physique and voice that were alike commanding, declined a commission under his friend Kennedy. Tweed had a battle on at home. He was maneuvering, and successfully, to bring about his own election as chairman of the New York County Democratic Central Committee, the purely political side of Tammany. Kennedy proceeded with his recruiting without Tweed, and in June, Tammany's Grand Sachem, in the uniform of a Colonel, marched the Tammany regiment, known as the Forty-second New York Infantry, for the front. The Forty-second New York made a distinguished record, participating in thirty-six battles, losing 420 by deaths and wounds, and 298 missing. Colonel Kennedy never took part in an engagement, as he died within a week after the regiment arrived in Washington. The command was then taken over by a regular army man.
