VIII.
 

, N the long list of representative men of the Old Volun-
; teer Department who have won eminent distinction, none
\ perhaps deserves more credit, and is entitled to more
iiJ^J; consideration, than the redoubtable David C. Broderick.
He was a part of the history of the old village of "Greenwich," now
the ninth ward of this city, and as an old-time fire laddie deserves
more than passing notice in this work.

" Dave," as he was familiarly known to old New Yorkers, was
born in the District of Columbia in 1819. His boyhood—as, indeed,
his early manhood—was passed in this city in the occupation of a
stonecutter, and the loss of his father early stimulated him to the
efforts which maintained his mother and only brother, and served
also to fix and form his character even in his boyhood. He was
always noted for his ambition, and when taking his departure for
California, it was with a tinge of pride that he remarked to a gather¬
ing of his friends: " Boys, when you next hear from me, I will be a
United States Senator"; and true to his statement, he did succeed in
attaining that honorable position.

As foreman of old 34 engine, he acquired a popularity that, in
this city, few possessed at the time. His energy at all times was
manifested in the most resolute struggles with poverty and obscurity,
and his ambition impelled him to seek a foremost place in the great
race for honorable power. Up to the time of his departure "to fields
green and pastures new," his life had been passed amid events inci-