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HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS CONNECTED WITH WYANDOTTE AND
VICINITY BY DR. E. P. CHRISTIAN
Among the organizations especially and largely represented were the 4th, 14th and 24th Infantry (the latter the Wayne county regiment of the Iron Brigade at Gettysburg), the 1st (Brodhead's cavalry, largely represented from this place and surrounding townships, the colonel himself a resident of Grosse Isle, and also the 9th cavalry, commanded by Colonel David, also of Grosse Isle. From the 24th, among the first to fall was young Asa Brindle, a nephew of Captain E. B. Ward, a young boy just arriving at manhood, who fell at Frederieksburg, and of those 350 killed, Wounded and missing at Gettysburg,
Wyandotte and Ecorse (for Wyandotte was still a part of Ecorse) bore their full proportion.
Wyandotte continued an integral part of Ecorse township until 1866. Then by reason of its rapid growth during and immediately after the war, the increase of valuation in assessment rolls and increasing need of local improvements, she sought and obtained from the legislature a separate municipal organization under a city charter. The township of Ecorse was no less noted in those days for astute and sharp managing political leaders who could always succeed in having the important township officers elected from the outlying townships, such men as naturally had a care for the assessment and expenditure of township taxes after methods which, according to their judgment, would do the most good and which did not accord with the views of taxpayers of Wyandotte. In fact it was the old story repeated of protest against taxation without representation but with resort to peaceable measures for redress. It may be said, too, as having its bearing on the matter, that the political affiliation of the two parts was different; Wyandotte being a manufacturing town was of course republican, while Ecorse township was largely democratic. Under the city charter Mr. John S. Van Als-tyne was elected the first mayor. The writer had the honor of serving as an alderman in the first council.
Michigan
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