COMPANY B.

This Company was raised in Palmyra, Wayne County. Monday, April 20th, Hon. Joseph W. Corning, Member of the Assembly, who had just returned from Albany, volunteered as a private, for the war, attaching his name to an enlistment roll, and was followed in turn by Josiah J. White and Henry J. Draime. The nucleus of an organization was thus formed, which by the 24th numbered thirty-eight members. Four days later seventy-seven men answered to their names on the roll, and the Company immediately proceeded to organize, by the election of the following officers:

With but few exceptions, the citizens of the place exhibited a lively interest in the formation of this their first Volunteer Company. Every man was supplied with towels, handkerchiefs, et cetera, and many of them furnished with board from the day of enlistment until their departure. A fund of seven thousand dollars was subscribed for the support of such of their families as might require assistance during their absence. A sword, sash and belt were presented to each of the officers. The ladies of the village exhibited their patriotism in the presentation of a beautiful silk flag to the Company.

The 16th of May was designated as the day for its departure. Relatives and friends of the Volunteers, from the surrounding country, began to make their appearance early in the day, and long before the hour of leaving, the streets were thronged with people. The Company, now increased to eighty-two strong, was escorted to the depot by the Palmyra Light Guards, headed by the Brass Band. Following next in order were the Clergy of the place, and citizens on foot and in carriages, constituting a long and imposing procession. Flags, handkerchiefs and bunting of every description were waved from the windows and house-tops, and banners and emblems, with appropriate mottoes, were displayed at the street corners, as the procession moved along. It was a scene which the spectators and participants will never forget. Arriving at the depot, James Peddie, Esq., delivered a farewell address, and the Company was soon en route for Elmira.

Reaching there late in the evening, the men remained in the village until the next day, when accommodations were provided for them at Southport, some two miles distant. They were quartered here until the organization became Co. B of the Thirty-third New York, when they were transferred to the barracks.