RIDDELLS Of bedford, NEW HAMPSHIRE, No. 1. 227
members. To the support and maintenance of this lodge, Mr. Riddle
contributed liberally in funds and effort; giving free use of a hall for
twenty-five years for its meetings. He was, in 1874, the only surviving
one of its early projectors. During anti-mason times, this lodge was one
of the very few in the State which kept its "altar-fires alive," and held
regular communications unbroken. He was also a member of Mt. Horeb
Chapter, and a member of Trinity Commandery of Knights Templars.
Amid the varied activities of a busy life, agriculture received no small
share of his attention, owning several farms, which he cultivated with
success, experimenting with crops and giving results to the public. He
was a patron of the State and County fairs, gave much thought to im-
proved methods of farming, and in many ways strove to aid in the ad-
vancement of the best interests of agriculture. The growing of hops was
a specialty with him, and he carried it to highly successful results, estab
lishing theories of his own, and generally improving the grade and quality
of the hops raised in the State.
After the incorporation of the city of Manchester, and when military
interests were dormant throughout the State, General Riddle organized
the Amoskeag Veterans, -a military association composed of many of
the most prominent and enterprising men of the city at that time. This
was in the year 1854. Out of this association a battalion was formed,
and General Riddle chosen commander. The success of this movement
awakened the military spirit of the State, and soon after the whole mili-
tary system was re-established and vitalized. The Veterans uniformed in
Continental style, and upon parade presented a unique and attractive
appearance. Its first public display worthy of mention was in Boston, on
the occasion of a celebration of the Battle of Bunker Hill, at Charlestown.
This assured its reputation.
In the fall of 1855, upon the invitation of President Pierce, the Amos-
keag Veterans visited Washington, and became guests at the White
House, freely enjoying its hospitality and receiving official honors. While
there it made a notable pilgrimage to the Tomb of Washington, at Mt.
Vernon. On its return homeward the battalion created much enthusiasm
in the cities through which it passed; the stalwartness and martial bear-
ing of the Veterans, the quaintness of their uniform, and their soldierly
demeanor, attracted public notice. At Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New
York, it received especial attention and entertainment. During the late
war the Veterans evinced patriotism by volunteering their services to
the Governor of New Hampshire. The corps exists to-day, highly hon-
ored and generally respected as one of the institutions among the “Gran-
ite Hills."
Mr. Riddle, though not a politician, always took manifest interest in
the politics of the country. At first a staunch Whig, and subsequently an
earnest Republican. He believed in advanced party principles, but had
little regard for mere party policies. He ardently supported the Consti-
tution and the Union, and ever upheld the integrity of the country. He
respected the constitutional rights of all sections, and sought to sustain
justice and freedom always and everywhere. Liberty of thought, speech,
and action were fundamental with him. During the late Rebellion he
was an earnest supporter of the government, and welcomed peace and
the results of the war as a harbinger of a redeemed and glorified republic.
In religious faith Mr. Riddle was a Unitarian, though born of Scotch-
Presbyterian parentage, and bred under such influences. His intellectual
