The Origin and Services of the 3rd (Montreal)

"US"pitality to the Montreal Field Battery, were Colonel Duryea, Lieutenant-ColonelMarshall Lefferts, and Major J. B. Pond. Colonel Winchester, of the ExpressCompany, was the Quartermaster.The intercolonial trip of 1858 having proved such a complete success theBattery projected another in 1859, and conceived the idea of making a trip to Bostonand Portland, and back by the Grand Trunk. The government intervened to someextent, after the arrangements had been partially made. The previous year themen had taken their side arms to New York. Upon this occasion the Canadiangovernment refused to allow the Battery to take the arms into the United States.But where there is a will there is a way, and the officers determined to go, swordsor no swords. So Colonel, then Captain, Stevenson quietly made arrangements toborrow the required number of swords from Captain Nim s Light Battery of Boston.The Battery crossed to St. Lambert with its own swords and belts, and beforeembarking on the train Captain Stevenson had the belts and swords packed up inboxes and shipped to Longueuil awaiting their return. At Lowell, Mass., there weretwo great boxes awaiting them, and in the boxes the belts and swords of Captain Nim sThey were at once served out to the men, and when they arrived at BostonBattery.the Battery looked quite ship-shape. There was just one draw-back. On the brass"buckles of the belts were the letters and people began asking what theystood for.Captain Stevenson had instructed the men to reply to questions that theletters meant simply what they spelt, Us and the",explanation appeared to bequite satisfactory. Fortunately there were no spread eagles on the accoutrements,or the exact state of affairs might have been given away. After leaving Boston,where the Boston Fusiliers were the Battery s hosts, the corps went by boat toPortland, where officers and men had a very pleasant time, spending one day onone of the islands in the harbour. On the return trip to Montreal Captain Nim sbelts and swords were left in the United States, and on reaching Longueuil theartillerymen got their own equipment again, and crossed in proper form to the city.All this time the Battery had been carefully keeping up its drill, and was in avery efficient state.Somewhere in the Fifties the Battery organi/ecl a series of concerts to raisefunds to put Nelson s monument in a satisfactory state of repair. The Batteryraised a large sum and handed it over to the City on the express understandingthat the corporation would add what was necessary, and place and keep themonument in good condition, as the following letter will show :. . ... MONTREAL, APRIL /th, 1873.To His Worship the Mayor, Aldermen andGENTLEMEN :Citizens */ lke Cit>fMontreal.On behalf of the Montreal Field Battery of Volunteer Artillery, I have thehonor to transmit herewith the sum of $702.90 (seven hundred and two dollars andninety cents), being proceeds (with accrued interest to date) of several concerts given34