USA > Massachusetts > Historical sketch of the old Sixth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers, during its three campaigns in 1861, 1862, 1863, and 1864 : containing the history of the several companies previous to 1861, and the name and military record of each man connected with the regiment during the war > Part 1
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01812 0334
GENEALOGY 973.74 M38H
19 of April
1775
1861
OLD 6" REC MASS
رجفي
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HISTORICAL SKETCH
OF THE
OLD SIXTH REGIMENT
OF
J
Massachusetts Volunteers,
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DURING ITS
THREE CAMPAIGNS
IN 1861, 1862, 1863, AND 1864.
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CONTAINING THE HISTORY OF THE SEVERAL COMPANIES PREVIOUS TO 1861, AND THE NAME AND MILITARY RECORD OF EACH MAN CONNECTED WITH THE REGIMENT DURING THE WAR.
By JOHN W. HANSON, Chaplain.
GC 973.74 M38h
ILLUSTRATED BY PHOTOGRAPHS.
BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD. 1866.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by JOHN W. HANSON, 1 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
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Cambridge Press. DAKIN AND METCALF,
1560625
DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS.
THE FRONTISPIECE. At the top of the page is a photograph of NEED- HAM, and under him is his monument in Lawrence. On the left hand is WHITNEY, on the right is LADD, with the Lowell monument between.
COL. JONES, HIS FIELD AND STAFF. Dr. Paine occupies the upper left- hand corner ; Lizzie Jones, the Daughter of the Regiment, is next; and Q. M. Monroe is next. Below Dr. Paine, is Lieut .- Col. Watson; Col. Jones is next; and Maj. Sawtell is next. On the lower left-hand corner is Dr. Smith; Adj. Farr is next to him; and Chaplain Babbidge is on the right- hand lower corner.
COL. FOLLANSBEE, HIS FIELD AND STAFF. Dr. Sargent is at the top of the page; Q. M. Coburn is below on the left of him. Dr. Pinkham, on right of him; and Q. M. Farrar, immediately under bim. On the left, under Q. M. Coburn, is Maj. Allen; and on the right is Adj. Coleman. Col. Follansbee fills the centre of the picture, Dr. Burnham on the right, and Chaplain Hanson on the left. Lt .- Col. Beal is below Col. Follansbee, on the left of the page, and Maj. Stott on the right. Immediately under the colonel, is Q. M. Wise. Dr. Humphrey is on the left-hand lower corner, and Dr. Bass on the right-hand lower corner.
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PREFACE.
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THE author has endeavored to keep pace with the rapid changes that have taken place during the progress of these pages through the press ; and he believes he has recorded most of those relating to the members of the regiment. The rosters have been shown to a large number of officers and men, and he has sought to make them as complete as possible. He has given a plain, unvarnished account of the adventures of the regiment during its three campaigns ; and he believes that it is as nearly a literal record of the transactions it professes to narrate as it is possible to write. Nothing has been omitted that the most careful inquiry could elicit, and no attempt has been made to exercise the imagination. He sends his sketch forth, commending it. with his best wishes, to those whose acquaintance and friendship he will ever value, -the present and past mem- bers of
THE SIXTH REGIMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS.
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The Three Months' Campaign.
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
INTRODUCTION.
N the history of the greatest, as well as most groundless, rebellion that ever convulsed the earth, the part performed by the Sixth Regi- ment of Massachusetts Volunteers will always occupy an honorable place ; for it was fortunate enough to furnish the first hero-martyrs to lay down their lives for their country, and to stand at the head of the long, bright roll inscribed with the names of the brave men who have sealed their patriotism with their blood, during the tremendous civil strife of 1861-5. This honor should not, however, be ascribed to its mere good fortune ; for it was an exalted, patriotic zeal and fervor that impelled it to be first, rather than any stroke of luck, that placed the name of the regi- ment on so bright a page of its country's history.
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
Many of its members had long cherished the military spirit, and that, too, at a time when that spirit was nearly dead in Massachusetts; and some of the company organ- izations were among the earliest formed in the State, and had for years been the propagating nurseries of that pa- triotism which rallied to the defence of Constitutional Lib- erty and Law, when they were assailed by traitors. It was the drill in quiet times ; the holiday show which evoked the derision of the philanthropist, and the op- position of the advocate of peace; the parade and mus- ter, on which too many looked as the mere entertainment of a day, of no practical utility; it was this that pre- pared, and had in readiness, the men and the arms, and the needed skill, when the occasion called for their use in the stern work of actual service.
At such a time, - when the military spirit had nearly died out in the State; when the militia of Massachusetts was about obsolete, and the soldier in uniform was looked upon by thousands as a mere popinjay, half fuss and half feathers,-one far-seeing man, in whose prophetic mind the events of the near and fast-approaching future had begun to shape themselves, commenced to revive the State mil- itary ; and by his influence as chief executive, and, also, through the legislature and the people, he resurrected the militia system, and gave it new vitality and force. And it is largely to the influence of Gov. N. P. BANKS, that we owe the re-organization and efficiency of that system that was in comparative readiness, when the great occasion
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
called for it, to stand between the Government and trea- son,-the country and its enemies.
As will be seen in the course of the following pages, the regiment whose history is here chronicled occupies its distinguished position because it had given heed to the injunction of the Father of his Country, and had, in time of peace, prepared for war. It was owing to the cultivation of the military spirit through the previous years, that it was ready when the great emergency came.
THE FIRST BLOW STRUCK.
The latent treason that had been ripening its poison for forty years in the southern portion of the Republic, on the election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency of the United States proceeded to overt rebellion. It was confined to resolutions and words, until April 12, 1861, when it assaulted the flag of the country. The telegraph flashed the tidings as soon as the act was perpetrated ; so that on the same day that the guns of South Carolina were turned on the gallant garrison in Fort Sumter, they found echoes in twenty million loyal hearts. The anxiety and excitement that everywhere prevailed were terrible. A handful of soldiers had been forced to sur- render to thousands of traitors, and the entire people were resolved to punish the perpetrators to the bitter end. Civil war was inaugurated; and the President called for a special session of Congress, and for seventy-
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
five thousand men to " rally round the flag," and rush to the defence of their country and government. The re- sponse was magnificent. The plough, the loom, the ledger, , the bar, the pulpit, all the avocations of ordinary life, were abandoned; and men of all conditions and circum- stances flew to arms, and gave their cheerful response to the call of the nation's Chief Magistrate.
First to offer its services ; first to reach its State's capital ; first to reach the nation's capital ; first to in- flict suffering on traitors ; first to attest its sincerity with its blood, - was the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment of Volunteer Militia.
PRELIMINARY STEPS.
When it seemed probable to far-seeing men that there would be trouble with the refractory spirits in the South, and while the most of people did not foresee the coming storm, a meeting was called at the suggestion of Maj. Gen. B. F. Butler, of the officers of the regiment, to arrange for future contingencies. It was held in the American House, Lowell, January 21, 1861. At that meeting, Major B. F. Watson presented a resolution, pledging the services of the regiment to the Government ; and the proposition received the unanimous support of the officers. It was carried to Boston by Gen. Butler, who was then in the Massachusetts Senate, and was by him read in the Legislature. The resolution reads as follows : -
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN. .
Resolved, That Col. Jones be authorized and requested, forth- with, to tender the services of the Sixth Regiment to the Com- mander-in-Chief and Legislature, when such service may be- come desirable, for the purposes contemplated in General Order No. 4.
This was probably the first act of the volunteer militia of the country to meet the approaching strife.
The readiness of the regiment to meet the danger thrust upon the nation is largely, perhaps entirely, due to Gen. Butler's sagacity. When the time comes to write the history of the war, his name will fill a space second to that occupied by but few others. In devotedness to his country, in fertility of resources to overcome new and trying emergencies, in complete success where most would have failed, Gen. Butler has had no superior, if he' has had an equal.
RESPONSE TO THE CALL.
When at length the call came, telegrams and expresses flew to all parts of the command, notifying the members of the regiment; some of the officers - Col. Jones among them - riding all night on their patriotic errands. The " Middlesex villages and farms" then heard the pounding of hoofs and the alarum cry of danger, as in the olden time they had listened to the midnight ride of Paul Revere. The official call came April 15th, as fol- lows : -
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS,
ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, Boston, April 15, 1861. COL. JONES :
Sir, - I am directed by His Excellency the Commander-in Chief to order you to muster your regiment on Boston Common, forthwith, in compliance with a requisition made by the President of the United States. The troops are to go to Washington.
By order of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief.
WM. SCHOULER, Adjutant General.
The members of the regiment, when its numbers were fully made up, were scattered over four counties, - Mid- dlesex, Essex, Suffolk and Worcester, -and in more than thirty towns ; and yet, with but few hours' notice, the bulk of them mustered early on the morning of the 16th, and the rest within a few hours after, making in all about seven hundred men and officers, ready at this first call to don the armor of actual war.
PARTING CEREMONIES.
The Groton, Acton, and Lawrence companies received most enthusiastic farewells, the whole of those communi- ties, indeed, being roused to the intensest pitch of excite- ment ; and bidding good-by to their friends, they hast- ened to the rendezvous in Lowell, where, with the four Lowell companies, they made up the original Sixth.
Lawrence manifested its patriotism in manifold ways. On the departure of the two Lawrence companies, the city government made an appropriation of five thousand dollars towards the assistance of the members, and the comfort of their families ; spontaneous mass meetings
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
were held, attended by the people, and addressed by the clergy and the principal citizens ; and resolutions were passed, approving the action of the city government, and pledging the entire resources of the city in aid of the war. The first meeting held after the fall of Sumter was organized by the choice of Hon. Artemus Harmon, President ; Dr. S. Sargent, Hon. Albert Warren, Hon. Daniel Saunders, Jr., Major B. F. Watson, Levi P. Wright, John C. Hoadley, N. W. Harmon, Geo. S. Mer- rill, Geo. W. Hills, and Lamson Rice, Vice Presidents ; and E. T. Colby and John K. Tarbox, Esqs., Secretaries. The spirit that animated the people was one that will ever honor the city in the minds of all who hereafter shall read that page in her history.
As the companies left for Lowell, the enthusiasm of the people knew no bounds. The day was cold and dismal ; rain and sleet were falling : - but the multitude of the population attended the companies to the cars; and, at the station, the largest crowd ever seen in the city bade them God-speed with tears and prayers.
When the regiment had assembled in Huntington Hall, Rev. Amos Blanchard, D. D., read the Eightieth Psalm, after which addresses of a patriotic character were made by the Mayor, Hon. B. C. Sargent, A. R. Brown, Esq., T. H. Sweetzer, Esq., Capt. Peter Hag- gerty, Hon. Linus Child, Col. G. F. Sawtell, and Hon. Tappan Wentworth. All party divisions and distinctions were abandoned ; and those who, during subsequent
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
stages of the struggle, endeavored to embarrass the Gov- ernment, were prompt to urge the citizen soldiery to rally to the capital.
Future generations will find it difficult to imagine the excitement that pervaded all classes and conditions of this portion of the people of the old Bay State. The fires that burned at Concord and Lexington, in the days of '76, had only been smouldering, and they flashed with all their old brightness at the first demonstration of armed rebellion. After the eight companies had been addressed by Hon. B. C. Sargent, Mayor of Lowell, and as they were departing, the entire population of that busy city thronged after them. Never did that city know a sensa- tion more profound.
Men in all positions encouraged those who went. Money was contributed by the wealthy ; professional men proffered their services gratuitously ; and the soldiers and their families became objects of the tender regard of all. Mayor Sargent, on his own authority, assured the sol- diers, ere they departed, that they and their families should be cared for by the city; and the city government promptly responded by unanimously voting eight thou- sand dollars, to be used for that purpose, by a joint com- mittee. Sacrifices were made by men and officers, such as might, before the fact, have been deemed impossible. Not only, like their revolutionary ancestry, did they leave the plough in the furrow, but business and professional men, without a moment's hesitation, abandoned every
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
prospect and engagement. Many instances might be given. Major Watson had but two hours' notice ; but he locked the door of his law office, leaving a large docket to look out for itself, and most important business interests, and for four months saw and knew nothing of them. Nor was he alone. Lucrative positions, profita- ble professional pursuits of the most important character, were counted as nothing, and were abandoned as cheer- fully and with as noble a spirit as men ever carried into their country's defence. In the uniforms of privates stood many qualified to grace any station in life, - the peers of any in high official position, - who had forsaken places of great emolument for a soldier's poor remunera- tion.
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In Boston, excited thousands escorted them to Faneuil and Boylston Halls, and, on the next day, to the State House, where they exchanged their old muskets for the modern rifle, and where they were addressed by Gov. Andrew in language glowing with patriotic fervor, and full of faith in their efforts to sustain the government. He then presented the regimental colors to Col. Jones.
On presenting the flag, Gov. Andrew said : -
Soldiers, summoned suddenly, with but a moment for prepara- tion, we have done all that lay in the power of men to do, - all that rested in the power of your State Government to do, - to pre- pare the citizen soldiers of Massachusetts for this service. We shall follow you with our benedictions, our benefactions, and prayers. Those whom you leave behind you we shall cherish in
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
our heart of hearts. You carry with you our utmost faith and confidence. We know that you never will return until you can bring the assurances that the utmost duty has been performed, which brave and patriotic men can accomplish. This flag, sir, take and bear with you. It will be an emblem on which all eyes will rest, reminding you always of that which you are bound to hold most dear.
In reply, Col. Jones said : -
Your Excellency, you have given to me this flag, which is the emblem of all that stands before you. It represents my whole command; and so help me God, I will never disgrace it !
Before leaving the city, the youthful daughter of the colonel, Lizzie Clawson Jones, was adopted as Daughter of the Regiment.
During the day, the companies from Worcester, Stone- ham, and Boston joined the regiment, - attached to other regiments in the organization of the State militia, but , detached from their own regiments for that purpose ; and, at seven in the evening, they took up their line of march for the Worcester depot, where the cars were taken for Washington. Along the route, the firing of cannon, ringing of bells, shouts of people, and all possible demonstrations of applause, were heard ; and at Worces- ter, the military, fire-department, and thousands of peo- ple, lined the track as the train passed along. In New York, the streets were literally packed with soldiers and people to honor them. At noon, the 18th, they left
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
the city, via Jersey City, at which place, and all through New Jersey, similar crowds attended them, making their entire journey one grand ovation, such as no regiment ever before received. At Philadelphia, beyond all other places, their reception was enthusiastic. So dense were the crowds, that the regiment could only move through the streets by the flank. The officers were sumptuously entertained at the Continental Hotel ; and the soldiers were quartered at the Girard House, then new, and en- tirely empty and unfurnished. Worn out with the fatigue and excitement of two days, they were glad to spread their blankets for the soldier's great blessing, sleep.
FIRST NOTE OF ALARM.
The regiment had scarcely retired to rest in Philadel- phia, when the long roll sounded, and they were obliged to turn out, leaving Philadelphia at one o'clock, A. M., April 19, to write the first bloody line in the history of the sanguinary war, the opening scenes of which were distinguished by some of those singular coincidences that have been numerous in its progress. If it had been in the power of the government, for dramatic and patriotic effect, to arrange the programme in the best possible manner, could any other day have been so propitious for treason to strike down its first victims, as the anniversary of the day, on which was
"Fired that shot - heard round the world " -
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at Lexington, April 19, 1775? And is it not remark- able, that some of the descendants of the very men who then shed their blood in the beginning of the first great war for independence, should have been the first to fall in the last, and that, too, on the same immortal day ? The nineteenth of April will, hereafter, unite Lexington and Baltimore on the page of American history ; for each begun a long and bloody war, and Middlesex county was represented in both conflicts.
REGIMENTAL DRESS.
The regimental dress at this time was far from "uni- form." Each company was literally an independent one in apparel. Company A had changed its name to the National Greys, and its uniforms were being made ; but they were unfinished, and they left for Washington with blue frocks and black pantaloons, tall round caps, and white pompons. Company B wore the United States regulation uniform ; that is, dark blue frocks, and light blue trowsers. Company C wore gray dress coats, caps, and pantaloons, and trimmings yellow. Company D, the same as C, with buff trimmings. E and F were dressed like B; and G wore blue dress coats. Company H, gray throughout. Company I, caps, and dark blue frocks and red pants, in the French style. Company K wore gray ; and company L was dressed in blue.
At the instance of Gen. Butler, Gov. Andrew provided
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
all with excellent gray overcoats, so that quite an ap- pearance of uniformity was preserved.
Before coming home, however, they were furnished with a sort of Zouave suit, consisting of gray voltigeur jackets, single-breasted, with full trowsers, and Fez caps with dark tassels for fatigue, and gray hats turned up at the side, with red trimmings, for " dress." Some of the boys thought there was a march of two or three hours inside their trowsers' legs. The officers wore the Mas- sachusetts State uniform, - dark blue frocks, light blue trowsers, with broad white stripes on the sides.
The adoption of gray by the rebels, gradually induced our soldiers to wear the old national color, blue, until it was compelled by army regulations.
DANGER AHEAD!
While the soldiers were seeking repose, Col. Jones 1 had a conference with Brig. Gen. P. S. Davis, of the First Brigade, Massachusetts Militia (afterwards colonel of the 39th Massachusetts, -killed at Petersburg, July 11, 1864), who had been sent forward by Gov. Andrew, to arrange subsistence and transportation, and who had heard the most exciting rumors and threats from Balti- more. Gen. Davis related them to Col. Jones, and also the opinions of prominent Philadelphians, as well as his own, that there would be a stormy time of it when the regiment should reach the Monumental City ; and he
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
declined to take the responsibility of ordering the regi- ment either to go on, or to wait further information. Col. Jones' reply was, "My orders are to reach Washing- ton at the earliest possible moment, and I shall go on." Gen. Davis, extending his hand, replied, " Colonel, if you go on, I shall go with you." The only fear Col. Jones expressed, in continuing the conference, was, that the train might be destroyed by an obstruction on the track, or by the destruction of a bridge, causing a wholesale slaughter, for which the friends of the regiment would hold him responsible; but he added, "My orders are peremptory, and, whatever may be the consequences, I must proceed."
These officers then went to the depot of the Phila- delphia and Baltimore R. R., and had an interview with Hon. S. M. Felton, President of the road, and arranged that he should despatch a pilot engine, in advance of the train, and take every precaution to avoid a casualty. Then the regiment was aroused; and all possible care was taken in embarking the men, so that, if called upon to de- . bark suddenly, they would be in regimental line. The car containing the field and staff was at the head of the train. At Havre-de-Grace, the cars were not run off the ferry-boat in the order in which they went on, and the train for the rest of the way, of course, did not con- vey the regiment in its proper order. This derange- ment, as will be seen subsequently, changed the fate of men, conferring the laurel crown of martyrdom on those
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THE THREE MONTHS' CAMPAIGN.
who otherwise would have lost that distinguished honor. Man proposes ; God disposes.
Company K, Captain Sampson, was to have had the left, and thus, with Major Watson, would have had the post of honor, but for the derangement at Havre-de- Grace, which misplaced the companies, so that, on their arrival in Baltimore, company D occupied the position of company K, and company L, which belonged on the right, was transferred to the left. Thus the projected programme was broken up, so that, on a sudden call, con- fusion would be sure to ensue. This derangement does not seem to have been observed; for, on debarking, Maj. Watson took his position with company K, supposing he was with the extreme left of the battalion.
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ARRIVAL IN BALTIMORE.
At every station, communication was had with the railroad officials in Baltimore and constant assurance was received, that there would be no trouble unless the regiment provoked it. Orders were therefore given to the band, to confine their music to tunes that would not be likely to give offence, especially avoiding the popular air, "Dixie." Quartermaster Munroe distributed twenty rounds of ball cartridges ; and Col. Jones went through the cars, issuing an order, that the regiment should march across Baltimore in column of sections. The reg- iment here loaded and capped their rifles. As soon as
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the cars reached the station, the engine was unshackled, horses were hitched to the cars, and they were drawn rapidly away. Col. Jones was unacquainted with this practice of drawing the cars across the city by horses, and supposed that they had not yet reached the Balti- more station, but that when it was reached, his march would commence. He had not the remotest idea that the cars were thus to be drawn across the city, or he would have compelled them to stop, and have carried out his programme. The railroad authorities had not con- sulted him, but made unusual haste, in order to get across at that early hour, before the mob would be ready to do violence, for the regiment was not expected until about noon. At that time there was no crowd in the streets, and the whole appearance of the city was un- usually quiet. The early arrival of the regiment, at about 10 o'clock, A. M., evidently took the people by surprise .* Of course, under these circumstances, the programme could not be changed, and the cars rapidly followed each other, all but one arriving without particu- lar incident.
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