USA > Massachusetts > History of Massachusetts in the Civil War > Part 11
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The regiment remained in Washington until the 5th of May, when it was ordered to the Relay House, - a railroad station about ten miles from Baltimore, - where it remained doing guard and picket duty until the 29th of July, when it broke camp and returned to Massachusetts, and arrived in Boston
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
on the 31st of July, after a service of three months and a half.
Distinguished honors have been paid this regiment, as the historic regiment of the war. Distinguished ladies volunteered to nurse the sick and wounded. Poets sung its praises in heroic verse. The loyal ladies of Baltimore presented it with a national flag ; and the citizens of Bergen Point, in New Jersey, with another, as a " slight acknowledgment of their appreciation of its moral and soldierly deportment, its gallantry at Baltimore, and timely rescue from danger of the capital of our common country." The United-States House of Representatives unani- mously voted these soldiers the thanks of the House for their " prompt response to the call of duty," and " their patriot- ism and bravery in fighting their way through Baltimore to the defence of the capital ;" and, in so doing, spoke the sentiments of the loyal men of the nation. .
The Eighth Regiment reached Philadelphia, as we have before stated, on the evening of April 19. There they learned that the Sixth Regiment had been attacked in Baltimore, and compelled to fight its way through the city. This intelligence gave new energy and enthusiasm to the men, and made them more eager to press forward to Washington. They had expected to reach the capital by way of Baltimore ; but that route was now closed, and a new one had to be opened, which served as the military highway to Washington for Eastern troops until sedition was suppressed in Baltimore, and that city assumed a loyal attitude. The new route was by the Susquehanna and Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis, the capital of Maryland. A branch railroad of seventeen miles connected Annapolis with the Baltimore and Washington Railroad. By this route, Washington could be reached without touching Baltimore. It was a flank movement ; and the honor of suggesting and making it successful belongs to Samuel M. Felton, Esq. The honors due him for this ser- vice can only be measured by the important ends which it accom- plished. General Butler was in Philadelphia with the Eighth. His orders were to march to Washington by way of Baltimore. That was now impossible. Mr. Parton, in his " Life of Gen- eral Butler," says, -
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THE EIGHITH OPENS THE WAY TO ANNAPOLIS.
"On this evening, at Philadelphia, there was telegraphing to the Governor of Massachusetts; there were consultations with Commodore Dupont, commandant of the navy yard ; there were interviews with Mr. Felton, President of the Philadelphia and Baltimore Railroad,- a son of Massachusetts, full of patriotic zeal, and prompt with needful advice and help; there was poring over maps and gazetteers. Mean- while, Colonel A. J. Butler was out in the streets buying pickaxes, shovels, tin-ware, provisions, and all that was necessary to enable troops to take the field, to subsist on army rations, to repair bridges and railroads, and throw up breastworks. All Maryland was supposed to be in arms ; but the general was going through Maryland."
The same writer says, -
" Before evening was far advanced, he had determined his plan. His officers were summoned to meet him. On his table were thirteen revolvers. He explained his design to go by way of Annapolis, and took upon himself the sole responsibility. Taking up one of the revolvers, he invited every officer who was willing to accompany him to signify it by accepting a revolver. The pistols were all instantly appropriated."
A " Memorial of Plan and Reasons for Proceeding to Anna- polis," written that evening by General Butler, was received by Governor Andrew, enclosed in a letter from Major P. Adams Ames, an officer of Major-General Andrews's staff of the Massa- chusetts Volunteer Militia, who happened to be in Philadelphia at the time. This paper was as follows : -
" I have detailed Captain Devereux and Captain Briggs, with their commands, supplied with one day's rations and twenty rounds of am- munition, to take possession of the ferry-boat at Havre-de-Grace for the benefit of this expedition. This I have done with the eoneurrence of the present master of transportation. The Eighth Regiment will remain at quarters, that they may get a little solid rest after their fatiguing march. I have sent to know if the Seventh (New York) Regiment will go with me. I propose to march myself at the hour of seven o'clock in the morning, to take the regular eight and a quarter o'clock train to Havre-de-Grace. The citizens of Baltimore, at a large meeting this evening, denounced the passage of Northern troops. They have exacted a promise from the President of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail- road not to send troops over that road through Baltimore ; so that any attempt to throw troops into Baltimore entails a march of forty miles,
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
and an attack upon a city of two hundred thousand inhabitants at the beginning of the march. The only way, therefore, of getting commu- nication with Washington for troops from the North is over the Balti- more and Ohio Railway, or marching from the west. Commodore Dupont, at the navy yard, has given me instructions of the fact in accordance with these general statements, upon which I rely. I have therefore thought I could rely upon these statements as to time it will take to proceed in marching from Havre-de-Grace to Washington. My proposition is to join with Colonel Lefferts, of the Seventh Regi- ment of New York. I propose to take the fifteen hundred troops to Annapolis, arriving there to-morrow about four o'clock, and occupy the capital of Maryland, and thus call the State to account for the death of Massachusetts men, my friends and neighbors. If Colonel Lefferts thinks it more in accordance with the tenor of his instructions to wait rather than go through Baltimore, I still propose to march with this regiment. I propose to occupy the town, and hold it open as a means of communication. I have then but to advance by a forced march of thirty miles to reach the capital, in accordance with the orders I at first received, but which subsequent events, in my judgment, vary in their execution, believing, from the telegraphs, that there will be others in great numbers to aid me. Being accompanied by officers of more experience, who will be able to direct the affair, I think it will be accomplished. We have no light batteries; I have therefore tele- graphed to Governor Andrew to have the Boston Light Battery put on shipboarde at once to-night to help me in marching on Washington. In pursuance of this plan, I have detailed Captains Devereux and Briggs, with their commands, to hold the boat at Havre-de-Grace.
Eleven, A.M .- Colonel Lefferts has refused to march with me. I go alone at three o'clock, P.M., to execute this imperfectly written plan. If I succeed, success will justify me. If I fail, purity of inten- tion will excuse want of judgment or rashness.
B. F. BUTLER.
His Excellency Governor ANDREW.
This despatch of General Butler is inaccurate and obscure. When he speaks of Havre-de-Grace, he means Perryville, as Perryville is on the northern side of the Susquehanna, and Havre-de-Grace is on the southern side. When he says, " If Colonel Lefferts thinks it more in accordance with the tenor of his instructions to wait rather than go through Baltimore," he means rather than go through Annapolis; for Baltimore
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GENERAL BUTLER. - MR. FELTON'S NARRATIVE.
was the city to be avoided. Neither the despatch nor the biography gives just credit to Mr. Felton, who had suggested and fixed upon this route on the 19th, when the Mayor of Balti- more telegraphed him to send no more troops through that city, and he promised that no more would be sent. Mr. J. Edgar Thompson, President of the Pennsylvania Central Railroad, and Isaac Hazlehurst, Esq., of Philadelphia, were in his office when the despatch from the Mayor of Baltimore was received ; and to them he suggested the Annapolis route, and they agreed that it was " the only thing to be done." IIe immediately tele- graphed to Captain Galloway, of the ferry-boat " Maryland," at Perryville, to fill her up with coal, and to make her ready to go to Annapolis ; and also to procure a pilot who knew Anna- polis Harbor. These three gentlemen also conferred with the steamboat owners in Philadelphia about getting their boats ready to take troops from Perryville to Annapolis; and, in some cases, they became personally responsible for the pay of the officers of the boats. Some of the men declined absolutely to put their boats at the disposal of the Government; and they were seized by Governor Curtin, who arrived that evening from Harrisburg. A consultation was held that night at the house of General Patterson, in Philadelphia, at which Governor Cur- tin, Mr. Felton, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Hazlehurst, and Mr. Henry, Mayor of Philadelphia, were present. The exciting state of affairs was discussed, and Mr. Felton explained the route to Washington by way of Annapolis. " After considera- ble discussion, the Annapolis route was adopted by the military, and the programme of Mr. Felton and Mr. Thompson ap- proved." I now quote from Mr. Felton's manuscript : -
" General Butler arrived in Philadelphia the same evening, with the Eighth Massachusetts Regiment ; and I requested General Patter- son to give me an order to take to General Butler, directing him to go to Washington by the Annapolis route. The general said he had no military authority over General Butler, and could not give the order ; but that I might say to him that he most urgently advised that he should go to Annapolis. I then, in company with Admiral, then Commodore, Dupont, and my brother Frank, called upon General Butler at the Continental Hotel, and told him all I knew about the condition
THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY CHICAGO
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
of things in Baltimore, and of the impossibility of his going that way, as then they had the streets barricaded, and a large force under arms, with artillery, to resist his march through the city. I then advised his taking the Annapolis route, which he at first declined, saying his orders were to go to Baltimore, and he would go that way; and, if they fired upon him from any house, he would raze that house to the ground, by the help of God, or leave his bones and ashes in the streets of the city. We told him he could not get through that way ; that our bridges would be burned that night, if they were not already ; and we could not land him in the city : so the only route left was Annapolis. After some considerable discussion and hesitation, the gen- eral concluded to go by Annapolis, in our ferry-boat, from Perryville, with Captain Galloway, and the pilot whom I had engaged, in charge of the boat. I was to see Colonel Lefferts, of the New-York Seventh, then on its way to Philadelphia, and give him all the facts that I had come in possession of, and urge him to join General Butler. I then went to my office; and at about three, A.M., Colonel Lefferts arrived at the depot, but declined to go with General Butler, saying his orders were to go through Baltimore. Mr. Thompson and myself endeavored to persuade him to join General Butler. He finally concluded to embark on board the steamer 'Boston,' one of the steamers we had secured, and go up the Potomac. I earnestly advised him against this course, as I had heard that the rebels had erected batteries on the banks of the Potomac. I urged his going to Annapolis in the steamer ' Boston,' and then joining General Butler for a march to Washington. as the next best thing to going to Perryville, the Perryville route being quicker than the route down the Delaware and by sea. He finally gave up his Potomac route, and joined General Butler at Annapolis. At three o'clock the next day (Saturday), April 20, Gen- eral Butler started from the Broad and Prince Streets Station, in the cars, to Perryville, and thence by steamer . Maryland ' to Annapolis. I watched his progress from station to station by telegraph with great anxiety, as our bridges had been burnt, as I had expected, the night before, between the Susquehanna and Baltimore, by J. R. Trimble, at the head of a military rebel force of about one hundred and fifty men ; and he was threatening to come to the river, and take possession : of our boat, which was then our chief dependence. I had, however,
so arranged matters on board the boat as to make it impossible for him to capture it, if my orders were obeyed. We also found that our bridges would be destroyed on this side of the Susquehanna, unless we were better guarded than on the other side. Trimble did not succeed in reaching the river and capturing the ferry-boat, being frightened
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FROM PHILADELPHIA TO ANNAPOLIS.
from his undertaking by one of our engine-men, who was on the engine that Trimble had seized, in order to take his force out to the river. This man told him, when he was within about eight miles of the river, that there were twenty-five hundred soldiers on board the ferry-boat, who would give him a very warm reception if he attempted to go to the river. Trimble thereupon concluded that discretion would be the better part of valor, and returned to Baltimore, burning the bridges after passing over them. At six, P.M., the telegraph announced that General Butler had arrived at Perryville. He embarked imme- diately on board the . Maryland,' with his regiment, and started for Annapolis. After this, I went home completely worn out by anxiety, labor, and loss of sleep, having eaten only irregularly in my office, and having neither changed my linen, shaved, nor closed my eyes in sleep, for three days and two nights."
In making up the record of this gallant regiment from its departure from Philadelphia until its return, I am under especial obligations to the full and interesting narrative of Captain George T. Newhall, of Company D, Lynn Light Infantry. On arriving near Perryville, the cars stopped, and skirmishers were thrown forward. The main body followed closely. A crowd was at the ferry. The regiment moved by "double quick." Captain Newhall says, "The steamer, a very large ferry-boat, called the Maryland,' being in its slip, was instantly taken without firing a shot." It is evident from this, that neither the officers nor men of the regiment knew that the " Maryland" had been pre- pared, and was waiting to take them to Annapolis. After getting on board the luggage, the "Maryland " proceeded to Annapolis, where it arrived on Sunday morning, April 21, and anchored in the harbor, near the frigate "Constitution." The men suffered from fatigue. Seven hundred persons were on board. The United-States Naval Academy is at Annapolis. The frigate " Constitution " was the school-ship of the academy. It was the most famous ship, in our naval annals ; having, in the war of 1812, won the choicest laurels. It was sup- posed that she would be seized by the rebels : to save her from such a disgrace was the duty of the hour. Two companies of the Eighth were placed on board ; the crew not being strong enough to defend her, if seriously attacked. Cap- tain Rogers, U.S.N., who commanded her, was prepared to
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
sink her, rather than strike his colors. Both the "Maryland " and the "Constitution " were aground ; great efforts were made to float them, and tow the frigate over the bar. This was accomplished with the assistance of the steamer "Boston," which arrived in the harbor in the morning with the Seventh New-York Regiment. Company K, of Pittsfield, was sent by steamer to Fort McHenry, Baltimore Harbor, and did not join the regiment again for three weeks. The "Constitution " was taken safely from Annapolis to New York, having Captain Devereux's company, and a detail of Lynn, Gloucester, and Mar- blehead men on board under command of Lieutenant Berry, of Company D, Lynn, to assist in working her. They afterwards joined the regiment at Washington. The rest of the Eighth was kept on board the "Maryland" forty-eight hours, short of ra- tions, and without water. Captain Newhall says the men were " supplied with pilot-bread from the 'Constitution,' stamped '1848,' the year it was made, and salt pork bearing the same brand, which the men were obliged to eat raw. Salt water only could be procured : this was eagerly drank by some, making them more thirsty than ever." The regiment was not landed until Tuesday morning. The Seventh New York, which arrived in the harbor a day after the Eighth, landed first. Sev- eral communications had passed between General Butler and the Governor of Maryland, the latter protesting against landing the troops, and also between the general and the commandant of the Naval Academy, who rendered him all the assistance in his power. On the day on which the troops landed, a report was brought to General Butler, that the slaves in the city and surrounding country were to rise against their masters, and assert their right to be free. General Butler immediately offered the services of himself and command to put down the insurrec- tion. The offer was declined ; there being no truth in the report, and the masters being able to maintain peace, and sup- press a revolt of their slaves.
The railroad from Annapolis to the Junction, where it con- nects with the Baltimore and Washington Railroad, had, in part, been destroyed, and the engines and cars partially broken. After considerable delay, the track was relaid, and the engines
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THE EIGHTH REACH WASHINGTON.
and cars were put in order by the men of the Eighth. Many of them were mechanics, who had made locomotives and cars. On the 24th of April, the Eiglith and the New-York Seventh marched twenty-two miles to the Junction. The heat was oppressive, and the men suffered for want of food. " On arriving at the Junction, they dropped asleep." On the afternoon of Friday, April 26, the regiment arrived in Washington, eight days after its departure from Boston. The National Intelligencer the next morning, speaking of the Eighth, said, "We doubt whether any other single regiment in the country could furnish such a ready contingent to reconstruct a steam-engine, lay a rail-track, and bend the sails of a man-of-war." General Butler remained behind at Annapolis in command of that im- portant post.
The hard labor of laying the railroad track, and repairing the locomotives and cars, had worn out the men's uniforms. The fact being presented to the President by Colonel Monroe, he ordered them to be furnished with army trousers and blouses. On the 30th of April, the regiment was mustered into the United-States service. The regiment remained in Washington until the middle of May, when it was ordered to the Relay House to guard the railroad. It remained there, with changes of detail, until the 29th of July, when it received orders to return home. It arrived in Boston on the 1st of August, where it was honorably received, and addressed by the Mayor of the city.
These soldiers received the thanks of the United-States House of Representatives, " for the energy and patriotism displayed by them in surmounting obstacles upon sea and land, which traitors had interposed to impede their progress to the defence of the national capital." On the 4th of July, while at the Relay House, the regiment was presented with a new flag, made and forwarded by the ladies of Lynn. On the 12th of May, Colonel Monroe resigned his commission, and Lieutenant-Colonel Hinks was elected to fill the vacancy. In acknowledgment of the long and valuable services of Colonel Monroe in the militia of his State and country, Governor Andrew directed the Adjutant- General to address him the following letter : -
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, BOSTON, May 15, 1861. Colonel MUNROE, M.V.M.
SIR, - I am directed by His Excellency the Commander-in-chief to inform you, that, in assenting to your discharge from the command of the Eighth Massachusetts Regiment, now in active service at Wash- ington, to defend the Union, the Constitution, and the Government of the United States, he is impressed by your long and meritorious services in the militia of the Commonwealth ; that you have earned long years ago an honorable discharge; but by your alacrity and patriotism so recently exhibited in answer to the order to march your command to Washington, where you have taken an honorable and prominent part in the defence of the country, you are doubly entitled to it.
His Excellency takes this occasion to assure you of his high ap- preciation of your services, and expresses a hope that you may live many years in the enjoyment of that peaceful Union to which your services have been devoted.
Major-General Sutton will transmit this letter to Colonel Monroe, together with his discharge.
By order of Ilis Excellency John A. Andrew, Governor and Commander-in-chief.
WILLIAM SCHOULER, Adjutant- General.
To the Eighth Regiment will ever be the honor of having opened the route to Washington by way of Annapolis, and of having saved from possible loss the frigate "Constitution," the " Old Ironsides" of the war of 1812.
The Third Battalion of Rifles, by transport from New York, reached Annapolis April 24, and quartered in the Naval Academy, where it remained until the 2d of May, when it was ordered to Fort MeHenry, where it continued until the end of its term of service. The battalion was drilled in the practice of heavy ordnance, and in infantry tactics. The men were always ready for duty, and by their good conduct and discipline received the confidence and praise of the garrison commanders. They were engaged in no battle ; but the fort which it held saved Baltimore and Maryland from going with Virginia and other Southern States headlong into rebellion. They were thanked by General Dix, post commandant, for their patriotism and good
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CLOSE OF THE THREE MONTHS' SERVICE.
behavior, and, at his request, remained on duty two weeks after their term of service had expired. This battalion was from Worcester, "the heart of the Commonwealth." Company C was originally a local organization, composed of men of Irish birth, who, on the call for troops, offered their services to the Governor, which were accepted, and the company was attached to the Third Battalion. It was the first Irish company to reach the seat of war, and be mustered into the United-States service ; and Company D, of the same battalion, was the first to reach Washington by the Potomac River.
Major Cook's Light Battery, which left New York with the Fifth Regiment and Rifle Battalion, arrived at Annapolis on the 24th of April, and was quartered at the Naval Academy, where it remained until the 4th of May, when it was sent to the Relay House. On the 13th of June, it was ordered, with the Sixth Regiment, to Baltimore, to protect the polls on election day. It remained in that city until the 30th of July, four days beyond the term of its enlistment. Two detachments were stationed in Monument Square, and others at the Custom House. The battery arrived in Boston on the 3d of August, where it was cordially received by the Mayor of the city, and a large crowd of people. The First Battalion of Dragoons, the Second Battalion of Infantry, and the National Lancers hon- ored the corps with an escort to their old quarters.
In the preceding pages, I have sketched the departure, the services, and the return of the first three-months men. They made an honorable record. Speaking of them, the Adjutant- General, in his annual report for 1861, says, -
"They were the first to respond to the call of the President; the first to march through Baltimore to the defence of the capital ; the first to shed their blood for the maintenance of our Government; the first to open the new route to Washington by way of Annapolis; the first to land on the soil of Virginia, and hold possession of the most impor- tant fortress in the Union ; the first to make the voyage of the Potomac, and approach the Federal city by water, as they had been the first to reach it by land. They upheld the good name of the State during their entire term of service, as well by their good conduct and gentle-
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
manly bearing, as by their courage and devotion to duty in the hour of peril. They proved the sterling worth of our volunteer militia. Their record is one which will ever redound to the honor of Massachusetts, and will be prized among her richest historic treasures. These men have added new splendor to our revolutionary annals; and the brave sons who were shot down in the streets of Baltimore on the 19th of April, have rendered doubly sacred the day when the greensward of Lexington Common was drenched with the blood of their fathers."
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