USA > Massachusetts > History of Massachusetts in the Civil War > Part 19
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The following is an abstract of the laws which bear upon our subject, passed in this session : -
First. An act to provide a sinking fund. The Treasurer is to report, on Jan. 1, 1863, the amount of all serip, or cer- tificates of debt, of the United States, which shall have been received by this Commonwealth from the United States, under provisions of acts of the Legislature, and the actual market-
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
price of the same at the date of such report ; and the same shall be pledged and held as part of the sinking fund hereby created, the same to be applied for the redemption of the debt. It also provides, that there shall be raised, by tax, twice in each year, commencing Jan. 1, 1863, a sum equal to one-tenth part of the difference found by the report of the Treasurer, as above provided, to exist between the amount of scrip, or certificates of debt, issued under said acts, and the actual market-value of the scrip or certificates, and to be held as a sinking fund to pay the same. Approved May 21, 1866.
Second. An act to enable banks to purchase Government securities provided that loans directly made by any bank to the Commonwealth or to the United States, and notes or scrip of the Commonwealth or United States, held by any bank, and directly purchased by such bank from the Commonwealth or United States, shall not be deemed debts due within the mean- ing of the twenty-fifth section of the fifty-seventh chapter of the General Statutes.
Third. An act to provide for the maintenance of the Union and the Constitution confirmed and ratified all that the Gov- ernor, Executive Council, or any other person, with his or their sanction, had done in furnishing and forwarding troops for the service of the Government. It vested the Governor, with the ad- vice of the Council, with full power and authority, as he might deem best, to provide for additional troops, and also to appoint and commission all needful officers and agents, and to fix their rank and pay ; also, to investigate, adjust, and settle all accounts and matters between the State and the General Government, which might arise under the provisions of this act ; also, to pay, out of the fund created by this act, any of the troops of this Commonwealth which had been or might be mustered into the service of the United States, during the whole or a part of the time of such service, and to settle the same with the United States : also, created a fund, to be called the Union Fund, of three millions of dollars, to be raised by the issue of scrip. The scrip to bear interest of six per cent, to be redeemable in not less than ten, nor more than twenty, years from the first of July, 1861 ; and not more than five hundred thousand dollars shall be redeemable in any one year.
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LAWS PASSED FOR THE SOLDIERS.
Fourth. An act entitled an act in addition to the act for the maintenance of the Union and the Constitution, gave the Gov- ernor, with the advice of the Council, power to issue scrip or certificates in the name and in the behalf of the Commonwealth, for sums not exceeding, in the aggregate, seven millions of dol- lars.
Fifth. An act further in addition thereto authorized the Governor, with the advice of the Council, to pay from the Union Fund any of the troops of the Commonwealth, mus- tered into the service of the United States from the time that they reported themselves for service until they were mustered into the service of the United States.
Sixth. An act to provide for the discipline and instruction of a military force empowered the Governor, with the consent of the Council, to establish one or more camps in suitable places within the Commonwealth, for the instruction and disci- pline of a military force, not to exceed five regiments of in- fantry, and one battery of six pieces of artillery, at any one time ; for which tents, camp-equipage, and other necessary arti- cles, were to be furnished by the State.
The Governor was also empowered to rent land for such camp purposes.
No companies or regiments were to be placed in such camps until all the members should agree to be mustered into the United-States service, on such terms as the President should direct in his calls for volunteers. The entire formation, organi- zation, drill, and discipline of these forces was to conform as near as possible to the regular army, and be subject to the rules and articles for governing militia in actual service.
Each camp was to be under the command of a suitable officer appointed by the Governor, and subordinate only to him. Ile had the power to recommend, and the Governor to commission, such subordinate camp officers as might be proper ; the pay and rank of such officers to be fixed by the Governor. The authority of the officers commanding these camps might be extended by the Governor one-fourth of a mile beyond the limits of the camp ; and certain rules and regulations were to be made for the admission of visitors.
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
The privates, when in camp, were to receive the same pay as privates in the regular service ; and the officers were to receive such pay as the Governor and Council might determine, pro- vided that the pay of no officer should exceed that of a captain in the regular army. The officers and men to be paid once a month.
The Governor, with the consent of the Council, could appoint and fix the pay of a suitable person for paymaster, to pay the men in the camps, he giving bonds and securities for the proper discharge of his duties.
The regimental and line officers were to be chosen and com- missioned as provided for by the militia laws of the Common- wealth.
Seventh. " An act in aid of the families of volunteers, and for other purposes," contained eight sections, and was one of the most humane and admirable passed during the war. It provided, -
1st, 'That any town or city might raise money by taxation, and apply the same for aid of the wife, and of the children under sixteen years of age, of any volunteer mustered into the service of the United States to the credit of Massachusetts, and for each parent, brother, sister, or child, who, at the time of his enlistment, was dependent on him for support.
2d, The sum so paid or applied should be annually re-im- bursed from the State treasury to such city and town, provided it did not exceed one dollar a week for the wife, and one dollar for each child or parent of such soldier ; provided that the whole sum for the family and parents of each soldier did not in the aggregate exceed twelve dollars a month.
The act also provided, that any town or city might raise money by taxation to defray any expense already incurred, or to carry out any contracts heretofore made with any of its inhabi- tants who might have enlisted in the volunteer service, or who may have been or might be called into the service of the United States ; but all other contracts in the militia should terminate in ninety days.
The act also provided, that any city or town, "when danger from attack from the sea is apprehended, is authorized to
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DEPARTURE OF SIX VOLUNTEER REGIMENTS.
organize an armed police to guard against such an attack, and may provide by taxation to maintain the same." Such police might act in any part of the county within which city or town might be situated.
The act provided for the "discipline and instruction of the military forces," and gave the Governor the power to appoint such staff officers as he might consider necessary, which power continued in force until the end of the war.
After the six regiments first called for by the Secretary of War for three years' service had left the State, and ten more had been accepted, a constant demand was made upon the State until the close of the Rebellion, for all the troops that could be raised, which were sent forward to the front as they were organized. Therefore the establishment of a State camp, as contemplated by the act of the Legislature, for drill and organ- ization, was never established ; but, instead thereof, temporary camps were formed in different parts of the State to accommo- date the local demand. Thus it was, that the First Regiment, Colonel Cowdin, which was recruited in Boston and its imme- diate vicinity, was sent to "Camp Cameron" in North Cam- bridge, where it remained until June 15, when it was ordered to Washington. The Second Regiment, which was recruited by Colonel Gordon, and officers under his command, established a camp in West Roxbury, which was called " Camp Andrew," in honor of the Governor.
Governor Andrew determined that the regimental number should not be duplicated ; hence it was, that the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Regiments should retain their own designations, and should not be confounded with the three years' regiments. Therefore the next three years' regiment which was recruited by Colonel Coneh at " Camp Old Colony," near Taunton, was called the Seventh Regiment, The Eighth Regiment, being a three months' regiment, retained its original number; and the next three years' regiment was called the Ninth Regiment, which was composed of men of Irish birth, and their immediate de- scendants, and was recruited and organized under the superin- tendence of Colonel Thomas Cass, at Long Island, in Boston
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
Harbor.' The Tenth Regiment was recruited in the five western counties, and had its camp near the city of Spring- field, until it was fully organized. The Eleventh Regiment was recruited in Boston and vicinity by Colonel Clark, and was placed at Fort Warren, where it was recruited to the full standard, and mustered into the service. These regiments completed the quota under the first requisition of the Secretary of War. When leave was given to send forward ten more regiments spoken of in the letter of General Walbridge to Governor Andrew, measures were taken immediately to consolidate the companies in different parts of the State into regiments. The first of these was the Twelfth Regiment, which was always familiarly known as the Webster Regiment, because it was recruited and organized by Colonel Fletcher Webster, who held command of it until he was killed at the second battle of Bull Run, Aug. 30, 1862. He fell gallantly at the head of his regi- ment, for "Liberty and Union, now and for ever, one and insepa- rable." The Twelfth Regiment was recruited and organized at Fort Warren. It left Boston for Washington, July 23, 1861.
The Thirteenth Regiment was recruited at Fort Independence. The Fourth Battalion of Rifles formed the nucleus of this regi- ment. It had been ordered, on the 25th of June, to garrison the fort ; and, while upon that duty, it was recruited to a full regiment of three years' volunteers. Major Samuel HI. Leonard commanded the Fourth Battalion ; and he was commissioned the colonel of the Thirteenth, the regiment having been recruited by him. It left the State for the front on the 30th day of July, 1861, and was stationed during the year on the line of the Potomac in Maryland.
The Fourteenth Regiment was recruited by Colonel William B. Greene, a graduate of West Point, at Fort Warren. He was in Paris with his family when the Rebellion broke out, and immediately returned to his native State, and tendered his ser- vices to the Governor. On the 25th of June, he was placed in command of the regiment at Fort Warren, and left Boston with his command on the 7th of August, 1861, for Washington. This regiment was afterwards changed to heavy artillery, and during the war was known as the First Regiment Massachusetts Heavy Artillery.
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ORGANIZATION OF TEN NEW REGIMENTS.
The Fifteenth Regiment was recruited in the county of Worcester, at "Camp Lincoln," in the city of Worcester. Major Charles Devens, Jr., who commanded the Second Bat- talion of Rifles in the three months' service, was appointed colonel. It left the State on the 8th of August, 1861 : it bore a prominent part in the battle of Ball's Bluff of that year, which made it one of the marked regiments of Massachusetts.
The Sixteenth Regiment was raised in Middlesex County. It was ordered to " Camp Cameron," Cambridge, June 25, 1861, and left the State, August 17, 1861, for Washington. Colonel Powell T. Wyman, who commanded it, was a graduate of West Point, and had served with distinction in the regular army. He was in Europe when Fort Sumter was fired upon. When the news reached him, he wrote by the next steamer to the Adjutant-General, tendering his services to the Governor in any military capacity in which he might be placed. Without waiting for an answer, he came home, and reported in person to the Governor. His offer was accepted ; and he was commissioned colonel of the Sixteenth, which was recruited at "Camp Cameron," Cambridge, and left the State for the seat of war on the 17th of August, 1861. Colonel Wyman was killed in battle near Richmond, June 30, 1862; having in this short time achieved a reputation for military capacity and bravery not surpassed by any.
The Seventeenth Regiment was recruited at "Camp Schouler," Lynnfield, of which eight companies belonged to the county of Essex, one to Middlesex, and one to Suffolk. Captain Thomas J. C. Amory, of the United-States Army, a graduate of West Point, was commissioned colonel. He belonged to one of the oldest and best families of Massachusetts. He died in North Carolina, while in command of the regiment. The Seventeenth left Massachusetts for the front on the 23d of August, 1861.
The Eighteenth Regiment was recruited at "Camp Brigham," Readville, and was composed of men from Norfolk, Bristol, and Plymouth Counties. The camp was named in honor of Colonel Elijah D. Brigham, Commissary-General of Massachusetts. James Barnes, of Springfield, a graduate of West Point, and a veteran officer, was commissioned colonel. The regiment left
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
the State for Washington, on the 24th of August, 1861. Colonel Barnes graduated at West Point in the same class with Jeff Davis. He was commissioned by President Lincoln brigadier- general of volunteers.
The Nineteenth Regiment was organized and recruited at "Camp Schouler," Lynnfield. It was composed of Essex- County men. Colonel Edward W. Hlinks, of Lynn, who had command of the Eighth Regiment in the three months' service, was appointed colonel. This regiment left for Washington on the 28th of August, 1861. Captain Arthur F. Devereux, of Salem, who commanded a company in the Eighth Regiment in the three months' service, was commissioned lieutenant-colonel ; and Major Henry J. How, of Haverhill, a graduate of Harvard College, class of 1859, who was killed in battle June 30, 1862, was commissioned major.
The Twentieth Regiment was recruited at " Camp Massasoit," Readville, and left the State for Washington on the 4th of Septem- ber. 1861. William Raymond Lec, of Roxbury, a graduate of West Point ; Francis W. Palfrey, of Boston, son of IIon. John G. Palfrey ; and Paul J. Revere, of Boston, - were chiefly in- strumental in raising the regiment : and they were commissioned, severally, colonel, lieutenant-colonel, and major. The roster of this regiment contains the names most distinguished in the history of Massachusetts. The Twentieth bore a prominent part in the disastrous Battle of Ball's Bluff, Oct. 21, 1861. Many of the officers were killed and wounded. Colonel Lee, Major Revere, and Adjutant Charles L. Peirson, of Salem, were taken prisoners, and confined in a cell as hostages at Richmond. We shall have occasion to speak of these gentle- men in subsequent chapters.
The Twenty-first Regiment was recruited at "Camp Lincoln," at Worcester. The men belonged to the central and western por- tions of the Commonwealth. This was one of the five regiments recruited in Massachusetts for special service, designed originally to be commanded by General Thomas W. Sherman, but which command was afterwards given to General Burnside ; but of which more in the next chapter. Augustus Morse, of Leo- minster, one of the three major-generals of militia of the
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SENATOR WILSON'S REGIMENT.
Commonwealth, was commissioned colonel. A. C. Maggi, of New Bedford, who had volunteered as quartermaster-sergeant in the Third Regiment of the three months' militia, was com- missioned lieutenant-colonel. He was an Italian by birth, a citizen by choice, and a thoroughly educated officer. William S. Clarke, a professor of Amherst College, was commissioned as major. The regiment left the State for Annapolis, Mary- land, on the 22d of August, 1861.
The Twenty-second Regiment, known as Senator Wilson's regiment, because it was recruited by him, under special per- mission of the Secretary of War if agreeable to the Governor, was organized at "Camp Schouler," Lynnfield. It left the State, on the 8th of October, 1861, for Washington. To this regiment were attached the Second Company of Sharpshooters, Captain Wentworth, and the Third Light Battery, Captain Dexter II. Follett. Shortly after the arrival of the Twenty- second at Washington, Colonel Wilson, whose duties as Senator precluded the possibility of retaining command, resigned ; and Colonel Jesse A. Gove, of Concord, New Hampshire, a regular-army officer, was commissioned colonel. Colonel Gove was killed in battle before Richmond, July 27, 1862. This regiment was attached to the army of the Potomac during the war. The lieutenant-colonel was Charles E. Griswold, of Bos- ton, who was afterwards colonel of the' Fifty-sixth Regiment, and was killed in the Battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864. The major was William S. Tilton, of Boston, who afterwards became colonel, and, for brave and meritorious services in the field, was commissioned by the President brigadier-general of volunteers.
The Twenty-third Regiment was recruited at Lynnfield, and left the State for Annapolis, on the 11th of November, 1861. The Twenty-third was one of the five regiments of General Burnside's special command. The field officers were Colonel John Kurtz, of Boston, who commanded a company in the Thirteenth Regiment. The lieutenant-colonel was Henry Merritt, of Salem, who was killed in battle in North Carolina, March 14, 1862. The major was Andrew Elwell, of Glou- cester, who was afterwards commissioned colonel.
The Twenty-fourth Regiment was known as the New-England
.
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
Guards Regiment. It was recruited by Colonel Thomas G. Stevenson, at " Camp Massasoit," Readville, and left the State for Annapolis on the 9th of December, 1861, and formed part of General Burnside's command. The Twenty-fourth was one of the best regiments ever recruited in Massachusetts. Colonel Stevenson, its first commander, was a gentleman of intelligence, high character, and sterling worth. For his bravery and effi- ciency, he was appointed by the President, Dec. 27, 1862, brigadier-general of volunteers, and was killed in the Battle of Spottsylvania, Va., May 10, 1864. The lieutenant-colonel, Francis A. Osborne, also rose to the rank of brigadier-general, and served with distinction during the war. Major Robert II. Stevenson, after the promotion of his superiors, was commis- sioned lieutenant-colonel, and served in that capacity until after the death of his brother, General Stevenson, when from wounds received he resigned his command, and returned home.
The Twenty-fifth Regiment was raised in Worcester County, and was organized at " Camp Lincoln," near the city of Wor- cester. It left the State for Annapolis, on the 31st day of October, 1861, and formed a part of General Burnside's divi- sion. The field officers were Edward Upton, of Fitchburg, colonel ; Augustus B. R. Sprague, of Worcester, lieutenant- colonel ; and Matthew J. McCafferty, of Worcester, as major. These gentlemen had held commissions in the volunteer militia, and were possessed of considerable military knowledge. Lieu- tenant-Colonel Sprague commanded a company in the Rifle Battalion in the three months' service, and, before the close of the war, was commissioned lieutenant-colonel in the Third Regiment Heavy Artillery.
The Twenty-sixth Regiment was recruited at " Camp Chase," Lowell, and was attached to Major-General Butler's division, designed to attack New Orleans. Many of the officers and men of this regiment belonged to the Sixth Regiment in the three months' service, which was attacked in Baltimore, on the 19th of April, 1861. The Twenty-sixth left Boston in the transport steamer "Constitution," on the 21st day of November, 1861, for Ship Island, Mississippi. This was the first loyal volunteer regi- ment that reached the Department of the Gulf. Its field officers
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DEPARTURE OF THREE YEARS' REGIMENTS.
were Edward F. Jones, of Pepperell, colonel ; Alpha B. Farr, of Lowell, lieutenant-colonel ; and Josiah A. Sawtelle, of Lowell, major, - all of whom were officers in the Sixth Regi- ment in the three months' service.
The Twenty-seventh Regiment was recruited at "Camp Reed," Springfield, from the four western counties in the State. It left the Commonwealth for Annapolis on the 2d day of November, 1861, and formed a part of General Burnside's command. The field officers were Horace C. Lee, of Spring- field, colonel, who afterwards rose to the rank of brigadier- general ; Luke Wyman, of Northampton, lieutenant-colonel ; and Walter G. Bartholomew, of Springfield, major, - both of whom were made full colonels before the close of the war.
The Twenty-eighth Regiment was recruited at "Camp Cam- eron," Cambridge. Its officers and men were chiefly of Irish birth or descent. It did not leave the State until January, 1862. Its field officers were William Monteith, of New York, colonel ; Maclelland Moore, of Boston, lieutenant-colonel ; George W. Cartwright, of New York, major. The colonel and major had served in one of the New-York regiments in the three months' service. The lieutenant-colonel had been for many years connected with the militia of Massachusetts, and commanded a company in the Eleventh Massachusetts Regiment, three years' volunteers, from which he was discharged for pro- motion in the Twenty-eighth.
The Twenty-ninth Regiment was composed of seven com- panies originally raised as militia in the three months' service, but which volunteered for three years, and were sent by detach- ments to Fortress Monroe, while the Third and Fourth three months' regiments were still there : on the return of the three months' regiments, these seven companies remained at the for- tress, and were formed into a battalion, under the command of Captain Joseph HI. Barnes. Permission was given by the Secretary of War to recruit the battalion to a regiment, by the addition of three new companies. The field officers of the regiment were Ebenezer W. Peirce, of Freetown, colonel ; Joseph H. Barnes, of Boston, lieutenant-colonel ; and Charles Chipman, of. Sandwich, major. Colonel Peirce, on the break-
13
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
ing-out of the war, was brigadier-general of the Second Brigade, First Division, Massachusetts Militia, and succeeded General B. F. Butler, after his promotion to major-general of volun- teers, to the command of the Massachusetts three months' men at Fortress Monroe. General Peirce had command of the expedition against Big Bethel, in May, 1861. On the return of the three months' men, he was mustered out of service, and remained without command until he was commissioned colonel of the Twenty-ninth by Governor Andrew, Dec. 13, 1861. He lost his right arm in the battle before Richmond at " White Oak Swamp," in 1862.
The seven original companies of this command were among the first three years' volunteers raised in Massachusetts, that were mustered into the United-States service.
While these infantry regiments were being organized and forwarded to the front, a battalion of infantry for three years' service was organized, and sent to Fort Warren for garrison duty. It was composed of five companies, of which Francis J. Parker, of Boston, was commissioned major. It was on duty at Fort Warren, at the close of the year 1861.
Two companies of sharpshooters, with telescopic rifles, were recruited at Lynnfield. The first company, under command of John Saunders, of Salem, was not attached to any regiment. It left the State for Washington on the 3d day of December, 1861, and was ordered to report to General Frederick W. Lander, who commanded a brigade near Maryland Heights, on the Upper Potomac. The second company was attached to the Twenty-second Regiment, and left the State with it. In these two companies were many of the best marksmen in the Com- monwealthı.
The first regiment of cavalry was ordered to be raised on the third day of September, 1861 ; and Colonel Robert Williams, of Virginia, one of the most accomplished cavalry officers in the regular army, was detailed to accept the command. Horace Binney Sargent, of West Roxbury, senior aide-de-camp to the Governor, was commissioned lieutenant-colonel ; Greely S. Curtis, of Boston, and John H. Edson, of Boston, were com- missioned majors. The regiment was recruited at " Camp Brig-
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