USA > Massachusetts > History of Massachusetts in the Civil War > Part 16
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Judge Hoar left Washington on or about the 15th of May, to return home ; and his duties and responsibilities were assumed by Charles R. Lowell, Jr., who had been appointed by the Gov- ernor as the agent of Massachusetts in Washington. Before leaving Washington, Judge Hoar addressed a letter to Mr. Lowell, in which the duties he was expected to perform were carefully and concisely stated. He was to communicate with the departments in relation to stores sold, or troops carried on the Massachusetts transports. He was to communicate with the officers commanding Massachusetts regiments ; and every thing wanting by them was to be received and distributed through him. He was to keep an account of his expenses, and report as nearly daily as practicable of all his doings to the Governor. HIe was empowered to buy a copying-press, and " to employ a clerk, if necessary."-"The object of the whole arrangement is," says Judge Hoar, "to have some one responsible, competent agent, who will know all that is done and sent from Massachu- setts, and all that is wanted and received at Washington, or by the troops, wherever stationed ; to take care of property, take vouchers, prevent waste, and to be the sole channel of commu- nication between supply and demand."
This letter of Judge Hoar to Mr. Lowell brings up pleasant and sad memories of one of the best and bravest of men. Mr. Lowell was born in Boston, Jan. 2, 1835. He was the son of Charles R. Lowell, and the grandson of Rev. Charles Lowell. The best blood of Massachusetts flowed in his veins. He graduated at Harvard University at the head of his class in 1853. When the Rebellion broke out, he was in Cumberland, Md. He had charge of the Mt. Savage Iron Works at that place. On the 20th of April, 1861, hearing of the attack upon the Sixth Regiment in Baltimore, he abandoned his position, and set out
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MR. LOWELL APPOINTED AGENT.
for Washington. In what manner he made the journey is not clearly known ; but he reached the capital on Monday, April 22. On the 24th, he wrote to his mother, "I was fortunate enough to be in Baltimore last Sunday, and to be here at pres- ent. How Jim and Henry will envy me ! I shall come to see you if I find there is nothing to be done here. So have the blue-room ready." Mr. Lowell remained at his post as the agent of Massachusetts in Washington until the 14th of May, when he was appointed by the President a captain in the Sixth United-States Cavalry. On the 15th of April, 1863, he was commissioned by Governor Andrew colonel of the Second Regi- ment of Massachusetts Cavalry, a regiment which was recruited by him in this State. It was while raising and organizing this regiment that we became acquainted with him. On the 19th of October, 1864, he was made a brigadier-general of volun- teers by President Lincoln. On the same day, he fell from his horse, from wounds received at the battle of Cedar Creek, and died on the day following, October 20. The writer was in Washington when the battle was fought in which Colonel Lowell was killed. The following is an extract from a letter addressed by me to Governor Andrew, and which is printed in the Adju- tant-General's Report for 1864 : -
"On arriving at my hotel in Washington, I had the honor of an intro- duction to Brigadier-General Custar, of General Sheridan's army. He had arrived in Washington that afternoon (Oct. 22) from the Shenan- doah Valley, having in his custody twelve battle-flags, which had been captured from the enemy the Wednesday preceding. He was to pre- sent them the next day to the Secretary of War, and he was pleased to give me an invitation to be present. From him I first learned that Colonel Lowell, of the Second Massachusetts Cavalry, had been killed, gallantly leading the regiment in the front of battle. This news sad- dened my heart. Colonel Lowell was my beau ideal of an officer and a gentleman. I had seen much of him while he was in Massachusetts, raising and organizing his regiment, and had become warmly attached to him. He was one of our best and bravest. General Custar in- formed me that Colonel Lowell was severely wounded in the early part of the engagement, and was advised to retire to the rear. Ile thought, however, he could stand the fatigues of the day, and stoutly held to his command; in a few hours afterwards, he fell, mortally
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
wounded. It was pleasant to listen to the words of praise which Gen- eral Custar bestowed upon his fallen comrade."
Mr. Lowell was succeeded as agent for Massachusetts in Washington by Charles H. Dalton, of Boston, who was com- missioned assistant quartermaster-general, with the rank of colonel, May 23, 1861. Of his services we shall speak here- after.
On the 2d of May, Governor Andrew addressed the follow- ing letter to Dr. Samuel G. Howe : -
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, BOSTON, May 2, 1861. To Dr. SAMUEL G. HOWE, Boston.
MY DEAR SIR, - The Massachusetts Volunteer Militia now in the field demand and deserve our anxious care, as well in respect to their sanitary condition (including their medical and surgical supplies and attendance, their nursing and comfort in sickness), as also in respect to the departments of the commissary and the quartermaster.
I desire to avail myself of your experience, and good judgment, and energy, to procure a speedy and exhaustive survey of the condition, in those respects, of our men pertaining to General Butler's brigade, wherever they may be, and an early and minute report thereon.
We wish to know what they have received, so as to learn whether what we pay for reaches them, whether it is distributed, and, if so, how carefully and skilfully, and whether it is properly husbanded.
I desire especially also to ascertain how it happens that we hear so much complaint from Colonel Lawrence's regiment about being stinted for food on the voyage from New-York City to Annapolis, when we are advised that Major Ladd obtained fifteen days' rations in New York for the whole command, and shipped them on board the steamers " Ariel " and " De Soto," on which the troops sailed.
Major Charles Devens, major of the Rifle Battalion of Worcester, will be found, among others, a most intelligent person with whom to consult.
Learn and report, if possible, what aid, if any, is needed in the commissary and quartermaster's departments and on the medical staff.
I desire you particularly to attend to the proper distribution of the stores shipped on the steamer " Cambridge," which will be due at Washington, probably on Saturday next. Please advise with Brigadier-General Butler and with Lieutenant-General Scott on this subject.
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DR. S. G. HOWE, SANITARY AGENT.
I annex invoices of the stores belonging to the Commonwealth, which were shipped on board of her.
In all these matters which I commit to your care for inspection and supervision, it must be left to your discretion to obtain the fullest and most accurate information possible, in order to direct your course of action. In all your operations, I do not doubt that you will receive the most cordial assistance and co-operation from General But- ler, to whose kind attention I commend you, and with whom I desire you shall constantly advise and consult. What I desire to obtain is, a thorough comprehension of the position and condition of our troops, in all respects, so as to remedy existing deficiencies and provide against future evils.
It is impossible to convey any such thorough idea to me through written despatches so speedily as I wish to obtain it; and therefore, inasmuch as in the absence of a Lieutenant-Governor I cannot con- veniently leave Massachusetts in person for that purpose, I desire you to act in a species of representative capacity for observation in my behalf.
Your expenses will be paid by the Commonwealth ; and I con- gratulate the service that I have been able to induce you to undertake this duty.
With great regard, your friend and servant, JOHN A. ANDREW, Governor.
Dr. Howe immediately entered upon his duties. Upon his return, he made a report of the 'condition of the regiments. He went by way of Annapolis to Washington. His first im- pression was at the changed appearance of the men. But yes- terday they were citizens ; to-day they are soldiers, five hundred miles from their homes, and ready to go a thousand more. On looking at the actual condition of the regiments, he was sur- prised to find how abundant had been the provision made for their comfort and efficiency. There were some complaints and grumblings about exposure and sleeping on the ground by night, and about hard fare and disgusting food by day ; but on one who had found relish in boiled sorrel, and a luxury in raw snails, these complaints made but little impression. It was evi- dent, as a general thing, there had been an abundant outfit, and a superabundance of what are usually considered luxuries at home. The breaking-in of a soldier to campaign life seems
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
a rough and hard process ; but it is not a killing one, especially to New-Englanders. In a while, the boys would laugh at what they have complained of. There is a vein of humor and sar- casm running through the report of Dr. Howe, such as might have been expected from a gentleman of his peculiar tempera- ment, knowledge, and practical experience in the rough usage of active military life ; and yet it is full of kind words and wise suggestions. He says, "The invoice of articles sent by the 'Cambridge' and other vessels for our troops, contains articles hardly dreamed of even by general officers in actual war. Hun- dreds of chests of Oolong teas, tons of white crushed sugar, and then a whole cargo of ice !" Besides these regular sup- plies, a vast variety of articles of use and luxury had been sent by the families of the soldiers and the town committees. "Their principal value (and that is priceless) is as a testimony of the patriotism, zeal, and generosity of the men and women, who felt that they must do something for the cause, which seemed to them, not only of their country, but of humanity." He speaks of the reports of cruelty practised in one of the regiments (not named), which are so frequent that they made a powerful im- pression on him. He found only about one per cent on the sick-list, and only two cases of dangerous illness. As to the matter of suffering, he says, " Some soldiers do indeed complain that they have undergone needless exposures, privations, and hardships, through the indifference of officers. It is hoped that the most flagrant cases of the kind arose from over-sanguine temper, which made the officers overlook the great liability to storms, when leading out troops unprovided with tents, and that longer experience will correct this." But, he says, -
" There will be many captains like one whom I could name in the Massachusetts Fifth, - the stalwart man, every inch of whose six feet is of soldier stamp; the captain who eschews hotel dinners, and takes every meal with his men, eating only what they eat; who is their reso- lute and rigid commander when on duty, but their kind and faithful companion and friend when off duty ; who lies down with them upon the bare ground or floor, and, if there are not blankets enough for all, refuses to use one himself; who often gets up in the night, and draws the blankets over any half-covered sleeper, and carries water to any
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ANECDOTE OF CAPTAIN PRESCOTT.
one who may be feverish and thirsty ; the man who is like a father as well as a captain of his soldiers. He is the man who administered that stern rebuke the other day to the upstart West-Point cadet, sent to drill the company. The first day, the cadet interlarded the orders with oaths, - his commands with curses. The men complained to their captain. 'I'll stop that to-morrow,' says he. The next day's drill begins, and the cadet begins to swear at the soldiers. 'Please not swear at my men, sir,' says the captain. 'What do you know about . the drill ?' says the cadet ; 'and what can you do about my swearing?' ' Sir,' says the captain sternly, ' I know this, and you ought to know it, - swearing is forbidden by the army regulation ; and, if you con- tinue to break the rule, I'll order my men to march off the ground, and they'll obey me, and leave you to swear alone.' The cadet took the rebuke, and swore no more at that company. There are many officers of this stamp; and then there is among the soldiers enough of the old Puritan leaven to lighten the lump."
" The stalwart man, every inch of whose six feet is of soldier stamp," was undoubtedly Captain Prescott, who com- manded the Concord company in the Fifth Regiment, as the story is told of him in nearly the same words by Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his address, delivered a few months ago on the occasion of the dedication of the soldiers' monument, erected in Concord in honor of the soldiers of that town who fell in the war. On that monument is the name of George L. Prescott, who, as colonel of the Massachusetts Thirty-second Regiment, fell in front of Petersburg, mortally wounded, on the 18th of June, 1864, while leading his men in a charge upon the enemy, and who died on the field. A brave and generous gentleman !
Dr. Howe's report is too long to quote entire. It contains many wise suggestions in regard to cleanliness and cooking rations, and concludes with this pithy sentence : " If a tithe of the science, skill, and care which are so liberally given to im- proving all the means of killing the soldiers of other armies were devoted to the means of keeping our own soldiers in health, the present fearful mortality of war would be greatly lessened."
We have stated in the preceding chapter, that, when General Butler landed with the Eighth Regiment at Annapolis, a rumor reached him that the slaves in that vicinity were on the eve of
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rising in rebellion against their masters ; and that he offered to Governor Hicks the Eighth Regiment to suppress it, which offer was declined peremptorily by the Governor of Maryland. The rumor had no foundation upon which to rest. Governor Andrew was informed that such an offer had been made, by a despatch from General Butler, written at Annapolis. He re- garded it with disfavor, and immediately wrote to the General, expressing his approval of all that he had thus far done, with the exception of this offer to use Massachusetts troops for such a purpose, especially as their first duty was to get to Washington, and protect the national capital from threatened attack. Gov- ernor Andrew said, -
" I think that the matter of servile insurrection among a commu- nity in arms against the Federal Union is no longer to be regarded by our troops in a political, but solely in a military point of view ; and is to be contemplated as one of the inherent weaknesses of the enemy, from the disastrous operations of which we are under no obligations of a military character to guard them, in order that they may be enabled to improve the security which our arms would afford, so as to prose- cute with more energy their traitorous attacks upon the Federal Government and capital. The mode in which outbreaks are to be considered should depend entirely upon the loyalty or disloyalty of the community in which they occur; and, in the vicinity of Annapolis, I can on this occasion perceive no reason of military policy why a force, summoned to the defence of the Federal Government, at this moment of all others, should be offered to be diverted from its immediate duty, to help rebels, who stand with arms in their hands, obstructing its progress towards the city of Washington. I entertain no doubt, that, whenever we shall have an opportunity to interchange our views per- sonally on this subject, we shall arrive at entire concurrence of opinion."
General Butler, on the 9th of May, wrote a long letter to Governor Andrew, in which he defended his action in offering the Eighth Regiment to suppress a slave insurrection. He be- gan by apologizing for delay in writing ; his active official duties pressing him for time, and a slight attack of illness, being his excuses. He acknowledges " the more than usual accuracy " of the despatch received by Governor Andrew, and then proceeds to defend his course. He said, " I landed on the soil of Mary-
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GENERAL BUTLER'S OFFER TO GOVERNOR HICKS.
land against the formal protest of the Governor and the corpo- rate authorities of Annapolis, but without armed opposition on their part." He informed Governor Ilicks that the soldiers of his command were armed only against insurgents and disturbers of the peace of Maryland and of the United States. He received from the Governor and Mayor assurances of the loyalty of the State to the Union. He told the Governor and Mayor, that, supported by the authorities of the State and city, he should repress all hostile demonstrations against the laws of Maryland and the United States ; and would protect both himself and the city of Annapolis from any disorderly per- sons whatever. Therefore, when he was subsequently informed of the probable insurrection, he could do nothing less than make the offer he did, as it came within the pledge he had given. He proceeds, " The question seemed to me to be neither military nor political, and was not to be so treated. It was simply a question of good faith and honesty of purpose." He then speaks of " the benign effect " which his offer had upon the people of Annapolis. The people had returned to their homes, and peace and order everywhere prevailed. "Confidence took the place of distrust, friendship of enmity, brotherly kindness of sectional hate ; and I believe to-day there is no city in the Union more loyal than the city of Annapolis. I think, therefore, I may safely point to the results for my justification." He also says, - the "neighboring county of Washington" had a few days before elected a Union delegate to the Legislature by a vote of four thousand out of five thousand ballots, -This vote "is among the many fruits of firmness of purpose, efficiency of action, and integrity of mission." But, as he may have to act hereafter "in an enemy's country, among a servile population, when the question may arise as it has not yet arisen, as well in a moral and Christian as in a political and military point of view, what shall I do ?" The remainder of the letter we give entire : -
" I appreciate fully your Excellency's suggestion as to the inherent weakness of the rebels, arising from the preponderance of the servile population. The question, then, is, in what manner shall we take advantage of that weakness? By allowing, and of course causing,
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that population to rise upon the defenceless women and children of the country, carrying rapine, arson, and murder - all the horrors of San Domingo a million of times magnified - among those whom we hope to re-unite with us as brethren, many of whom are already so, and all who are worth preserving will be, when this horrible madness shall have passed away or be threshed out of them? Would your Excel- lency advise the troops under my command to make war in person upon defenceless women and children, of any part of the Union, accompanied with brutalities too horrible to be named? You will say, God forbid ! If we may not do so in person, shall we arm others so to do, over whom we can have no restraint, exercise no control, and who, when once they have tasted blood, may turn the very arms in their hands against ourselves as a part of the oppressing white race? The reading of history, so familiar to your Excellency, will tell you, the bitterest cause of complaint which our fathers had against Great Britain, in the war of the Revolution, was the arming by the British Ministry of the red man with the tomahawk and the scalping-knife against the women and children of the colonies ; so that the phrase, ' May we not use all the means which God and nature have put in our hands to subjugate the colonies ?' has passed into a legend of infamy against the leader of that ministry who used it in Parliament. Shall history teach us in vain ? Could we justify ourselves to ourselves, although with arms in our hands, amid the savage wildness of camp and field, we may have blunted many of the finer moral sensibilities, in letting loose four millions of worse than savages upon the homes and hearths of the South ? Can we be justified to the Christian com- munity of Massachusetts? Would such a course be consonant with the teachings of our holy religion? I have a very decided opinion upon the subject ; and if any one desires-as I know your Excellency does not-this unhappy contest to be prosecuted in that manner, some instrument other than myself must be found to carry it on. I may not discuss the political bearings of this subject. When I went from under the shadow of my roof-tree, I left all politics behind me, to be resumed only when every part of the Union is loyal to the flag, and the potency of the Government through the ballot-box is established.
" Passing the moral and Christian view, let us examine the subject as a military question. Is not that State already subjugated which requires the bayonets of those armed in opposition to its rulers to pre- serve it from the horrors of a servile war? As the least experienced of military men, I would have no doubt of the entire subjugation of a State brought to that condition. When, therefore, - unless I am better advised, - any community in the United States who have met
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LETTER ON SLAVERY.
me in an honorable warfare, or even in the prosecution of a rebellious war in an honorable manner, shall call upon me for protection against the nameless horrors of a servile insurrection, they shall have it; and from the moment that call is obeyed, I have no doubt we shall be friends, and not enemies.
"The possibility that dishonorable means of defence are to be taken by the rebels against the Government I do not now contemplate. If, as has been done in a single instance, my men are to be attacked by poison, or, as in another, stricken down by the assassin's knife, and thus murdered, the community using such weapons may be required to be taught, that it holds within its own border a more potent means for deadly purposes and indiscriminate slaughter than any which it can administer to us.
"Trusting that these views may meet your Excellency's approval, I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, " BENJ. F. BUTLER."
The letter of Governor Andrew was not written for publica- tion : whether the reply of General Butler was written for that purpose, the reader can judge for himself. To the surprise of the Governor, both letters appeared in the public prints shortly after the reply of General Butler was received by him. General Butler gave as one reason for the publication, that the Boston correspondent of the New-York Tribune had referred to the correspondence in one of his letters to that paper; and stated that the correspondent had received information concerning them from the Governor's private secretary, Colonel A. G. Browne. This charge was emphatically denied by the secre- tary, in a letter addressed to General Butler, and he also obtained from the Tribune correspondent a letter denying, in the fullest and broadest sense, that he had given him the information. Copies of these letters are on file in the executive department in the State House.
The letters of Governor Andrew and General Butler are interesting and important as an exhibition of the sentiments of the two gentlemen respecting the proper course to pursue in regard to the slave population in a rebellious State, and also as to what was the proper course to pursue in the exigency which then existed. The Government had called for troops to proceed without delay to Washington, which was threatened by
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
rebel forces from Virginia and Maryland. The troops had been called from their homes and workshops, and sent from the State to perform this duty, not to put down a negro insurrection in Maryland. They had not volunteered for that purpose. They were to go to Washington with all possible despatch, and report to the United-States officers in command of that post. The capital of the nation was in imminent peril. They were to defend it against the enemy. Thus Governor Andrew re- monstrated against their being diverted, in violation of express orders, from the purpose for which they had been called into action.
General Butler, in his reply, does not touch this point, which was the strong point in Governor Andrew's letter. The Gen- eral goes into a long argument upon the question of slave insurrections, illustrating his meaning by references to the atrocities of San Domingo, and the barbarities committed by the Indian allies of Great Britain in the war of the Revolu- tion. It is not our intention, however, to pursue this subject further. The correspondence makes an interesting episode in the war record of Massachusetts, and therefore could not prop- erly be passed over without remark. Nor is it necessary now to criticise the argument used by General Butler, to show how utterly, at that time, he misunderstood and wrongly appreciated the character of the colored race 'in the Southern States.
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