Remembering the Defenders of the Aqueduct

They were the unsung heroes of the World War One, but faithfully, every year, their service is honored by a few members of the public and the New York Guard.

These citizen soldiers were the defenders of the Catskill Aqueduct, some 1,300 Americans who answered the call of the nation and state to protect the vital waterways in New York. 

Forty men died defending the Catskill Aqueduct between February 1917 and demobilization in the early months of 1919. Of those men, 32 succumbed to influenza-related ailments, another eight died from gunshots and accidents. 

"The country, then as now, had reason to worry about saboteurs," Maj. John Mangialardi said, citing munitions depots that were destroyed in the Northeast before the US officially entered the war in April 1917. "By early 1917 the country was swept up in an anti-German hysteria and fear."

In Feb 1917, the 27th division of the National Guard was called upon by Governor Charles Whitman to protect the state's waterways. The Guard was later federalized and made into the First and Second Provisional Regiments of the New York Guard. 

While the service of the Guard during World War One may be but a footnote to the larger battles in Europe, those in attendance stressed the importance of remembering the events that happened on home soil. 

"I myself wonder, as time goes by, how many people will really remember," Sleepy Hollow Mayor Ken Wray said. "You are here remembering an event that is beginning to fade from living memory. If we don't keep this kind of stuff alive, the rest is irrelevant to us."

However, the memory was still very much alive for some of the small number in attendance. Guest speaker Byron Merville Harrington lost his uncle who guarded the aqueduct – his uncle was one of the last to die while serving.

Byron's uncle, Merville Harrington, was born Jan. 6, 1901 and was too young to fight overseas during the War to End All Wars. Instead he and three friends tried to join the Guard. When they arrived at the office to enlist, there was only one position left – Merville drew the fateful straw that gave him the opportunity to serve, while his three friends returned home dejected. 

On September 1, 1918 he volunteered to guard the Catskill Aqueduct and took up posts all along its north-south route. His last official duty was aiding in the selection and movement of the boulder from the Shawgunk Mountains that now rests at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery to honor those of the unit that died defending the aqueduct. 

"Little did he know that his name would be honored on that stone," a tearful Byron Harrington said. "His last letter, written just eight days before he passed, gives no indication that he is ill. His war with influenza was very brief... I regret never knowing my uncle,"

The 1918 Flu Pandemic killed an estimated 50 million people around the world. It was the leading cause of death among soldiers at home and abroad during World War I.

"The regiment had successfully protected the aqueduct system from enemy saboteurs," Mangialardi said. "But could not protect itself from another foe, influenza."

Members of the 56th Brigade of the New York Guard gave a ceremonial volley in honor of the fallen defenders of the aqueduct, while wreaths were also placed by members of the Brigade and the Veteran Corps of Artillery, as is the tradition every first Sunday in May. 

While the living connection to these guardsmen may be fading away, attendees promised to continue to support the work of the National Guard and to be mindful of their importance both past and present.

"I support the National Guard, and a lot of people don't know who they are, but they are on call 24/7 in case of emergency," Sleepy Hollow Trustee Tom Capossela said. "And I am here to show my support to them and thank them for their service."