130 THE GOLDSMITHS. 



As a four-year-old, while in the hands of his 

 breeder, Volunteer won first premium for stallions in 

 Orange County. His next appearance, at Goshen, 

 was on August 21, 1862, when Alden Goldsmith started 

 him against ^Vinfield, Grey Confidence, and several 

 others, in what would now be termed trials of speed. 

 The track at Goshen was that season changed from a 

 third to a half-mile, and was little better than a 

 country road. Under the conditions of the event, 

 each horse was timed separately, Volunteer driven by 

 his owner, to wagon, winning in 2:39, beat- 

 ing his fastest competitor nine seconds. This show- 

 ing, together with the promise of the colts purchased 

 by Goldsmith, roused the resentment of Hamble- 

 tonian's admirers to such a pitch that for the next ten 

 years Volunteer was almost excluded from public 

 service. As Hambletonian was becoming famous as 

 a sire, Volunteer could not be assailed on that side of 

 his pedigree, the attack being made on his dam, Lady 

 Patriot. She was bred by John Cape, of Orange 

 County, and before reaching Thorndale Farm, where 

 she spent her last days, passed through the hands of 

 John Hetzel, David Seely, Strong Y. Satterlee and 

 William M. Rysdyk. Satterlee gave $125 for her and 

 sold her for $200 to Rysdyk for a brood mare, after 

 one of her shoulders had been injured, and Edwin 

 Thorne had a friend purchase her for him from 

 Rysdyk, when she was carrying the colt afterwards 

 known as Sentinel. When her three sons, Volunteer, 

 Hetzel's Hambletonian and Green's Hambletonian, 

 were attracting notice, W. M. Rysdyk made the fol- 

 lowing contribution to the war upon Volunteer, by 



