USA > Massachusetts > History of Massachusetts in the Civil War > Part 20
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195
DEPARTURE OF LIGHT BATTERIES.
ham," Readville, and left for the seat of war in detachments, - the first being sent forward Dec. 25; the second, Dec. 27; and the third, on Sunday, December 29, 1861. The regiment was ordered to Annapolis ; and Colonel Williams was to await orders from the Adjutant-General of the United States. The regiment remained at Annapolis until the close of the year.
The First Light Battery was recruited at "Camp Cameron," Cambridge, by Captain Josiah Porter, assisted by William II. McCartney, Jacob II. Sleeper, Jacob Federhen, and Robert L. Sawin, of Boston, who were severally commissioned lieutenants. The battery left the State on the 3d of October, 1861, for Washington.
The Second Battery was recruited at "Camp Wollaston," Quincy, and left for Washington, on the eighth day of August, 1861. Its officers were Ormond F. Nims, Boston, captain ; Jolın W. Wolcott, Roxbury, first lieutenant ; George G. Trull of Boston, Richard B. Hall of Boston, second lieuten- ants.
The Third Battery was recruited at Lynnfield, by Captain Dexter HI. Follett, and was temporarily attached to the Twenty- second Regiment, and left the State on the seventh day of October, 1861. Its officers were Dexter H. Follett, Boston, cap- tain : Augustus P. Martin, Boston, and Caleb C. E. Mortimer, Charlestown, first lieutenants : Valentine M. Dunn and Philip HI. Tyler, Charlestown, second lieutenants.
Soon after the battery reached Washington, Captain Follett resigned his commission, and Lieutenant Martin was appointed to fill the vacancy.
The Fourth Light Battery was recruited at "Camp Chase," Lowell, and formed part of Major-General Butler's command to invade Louisiana. The nucleus of this battery was a section of light artillery in the Second Division of Militia at Salem, commanded by Captain Charles H. Manning. When recruited to a full battery, it left Boston in the steam-transport " Con- stitution," Nov. 21, 1861. Its officers were Charles H. Man- ning, of Salem, captain : Frederick W. Reinhardt, Boston, and Joseph R. Salla, Boston, first lieutenants : Henry Davidson and George W. Taylor, of Salem, second lieutenants.
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
The Fifth Light Battery was recruited at Lynnfield, and at " Camp Massasoit," Readville, and left the State for Washing- ton, with orders to report to Major-General McClellan. Its officers were Max Eppendorff, of New Bedford, captain : George D. Allen, Malden, and John B. Hyde, New Bedford, first lieutenants : Robert A. Dillingham, New Bedford, and Charles A. Phillips, Salem, second lieutenants.
This battery was the only one which left the State in 1861 without a complete equipment. Every thing was furnished except horses, which Quartermaster-General Meigs, U.S.A., preferred to have supplied at Washington.
These regiments and batteries of three years' volunteers com- prised, in the aggregate, twenty-seven thousand officers and enlisted men. They had been organized, officered, equipped, and sent to the front, within six months. Including the three months' men, the number of. soldiers furnished by Massachu- setts, from the sixteenth day of April to the thirty-first day of December, 1861, in the aggregate was thirty thousand seven hundred and thirty-six officers and enlisted men. This is exclu- sive of six companies, raised in Newburyport, West Cambridge, Milford, Lawrence, Boston, and Cambridgeport, which went to New York in May, and joined what was called the Mozart Regi- ment, and Sickles's brigade ; nor does it include two regiments which were recruited by Major-General Butler at Pittsfield and Lowell, and which were originally known as the Western Bay State and the Eastern Bay State Regiments, of which we shall speak in the next chapter ; nor does it include three hun- dred men who were recruited in Massachusetts for a military organization at Fortress Monroe, known as the Union Coast Guard, and commanded by Colonel Wardrop, of the Third Regiment Massachusetts Militia, in the three months' service. Including these enlistments, the total number of officers and sol- diers, furnished by Massachusetts in 1861, would be thirty-three thousand six hundred and thirty-six, or more than twice the number of the entire army of the United States at the com- mencement of the war. But, in addition to this large number of men furnished by this Commonwealth for the military de- fence of the nation, it appears, by the enlistment-record of the
197
STAFF APPOINTMENTS BY THE GOVERNOR.
receiving-ship at the navy yard in Charlestown, that seven thousand six hundred and fifty-eight Massachusetts men entered the navy to maintain our rights, and defend the flag upon the ocean. Add these to the men furnished for the army, and the aggregate is forty-one thousand two hundred and ninety-four.
To avoid confusion, we have given, in consecutive form, the organizing and getting off the regiments during the year 1861, which required great attention and much labor, and rendered necessary the appointment of additional staff officers, and the creation of new military departments. On the twenty-fifth day of May, 1861, General Ebenezer W. Stone was appointed master of ordnance, with the rank of colonel, which position he held until the third day of October of the same year. Al- bert G. Browne, Jr., of Salem, was appointed, on the twenty- seventh day of May, 1861, military secretary to the Governor, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, which position he held until the close of Governor Andrew's administration in 1865. On the thirteenth day of June, 1861, Dr. William J. Dale, of Bos- ton, was appointed Surgeon-General of Massachusetts, with the rank of colonel. Dr. Dale and Dr. George H. Lyman had given their time and professional services in a medical supervision of the troops, and the selection of proper persons for surgeons to the regiments, from the commencement of the Rebellion. Dr. Dale, in a letter addressed to me, says, -
" Whatever of success attended the preparation of the troops, prior to my commission, is attributable to Dr. Lyman, who showed great energy and good judgment. He was constantly in consultation with the Governor ; while I attended to the routine of office duties, and gave such help to Dr. Lyman as my limited knowledge of such matters al- lowed. He is an accomplished man, an able surgeon, and stood high in his profession. He was considered one of the most energetic and thorough officers on the medical staff in the United-States army, until honorably mustered out at the expiration of the Rebellion." ..
The following letter of the Governor to Dr. Lyman shows how well he appreciated the services rendered by him : -
June 14, 1861.
MY DEAR SIR, - I wish to render you my sincere thanks, both personally and in behalf of the Commonwealth, for the constant and valuable services which you have so kindly rendered in our medical ser-
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
vice. and of the faithfulness of which, I beg to assure you, I am deeply sensible.
I shall esteem it an especial favor, if you will retain your connection with the medical department for the present, in order to co-operate with Dr. Dale in the work respecting ambulances, hospital outfits, &c., on which you are now engaged, and if you will also henceforth act as a member of the Board of Medical Examiners, to which I beg you to con- sider this letter as an appointment.
I shall always remember with gratitude - almost beyond any other service I have ever received - the friendly co-operation of those who came to the assistance of the Commonwealth during the anxious and hurried days of April, when, destitute as we were of any efficient mili- tary organization, we were enabled, as individuals working in a common spirit, to effect a result which was creditable to Massachusetts.
Yours faithfully and respectfully, JOHN A. ANDREW. To Dr. G. II. LYMAN.
At the beginning of the war, a memorial was addressed to the Governor, signed by Drs. James Jackson, George Hay- ward, and S. D. Townsend, asking that none but well-qualified and competent surgeons should receive medical appointments. The memorial was favorably regarded by the Governor ; and he appointed Drs. Hayward, Townsend, John Ware, Samuel G. Howe, J. Mason Warren, S. Cabot, Jr., R. M. Hodges, George H. Lyman, and William J. Dale, as a medical commis- sion. Drs. George H. Gay, Samuel L. Abbott, John C. Dalton, and R. W. Hooper were subsequently appointed to fill vacancies caused by death or resignation. This board was charged with the responsibility of examining candidates for the medical staff, and also acted as a board of consultation in sanitary mat- ters, when called upon by the Surgeon-General. Their valua- ble services were in constant requisition during the war ; and, being composed of men distinguished and humane, their opin- ions had great weight. Their services were entirely voluntary, and continued during the war.
The Surgeon-General established hospitals, received and cared for the sick and wounded who returned ; and his labors in the reception and care of these men continued until the establish- ment of general hospitals by the Government, and were exceed- ingly laborious, and of great usefulness.
199
SURGEON-GENERAL'S OFFICE.
Soon after the commencement of the war, as there was no army-surgeon in Boston, the Medical Bureau at Washington appointed Surgeon-General Dale acting assistant surgeon in the United-States army, for the purpose of giving him official responsibility in matters pertaining to the sanitary welfare of the troops. Under these joint commissions, he furnished medi- cal supplies, organized hospitals, received and cared for the sick and wounded, and remained acting medical director in the United-States army, until relieved, in July, 1862, by Surgeon McLaren, of the regular service.
The admirable manner in which General Dale organized his department, and discharged his duties, his humane and tender care of the sick and wounded, will ever be regarded with grati- tude by our people ; in acknowledgment of which, he was ap- pointed to the rank of brigadier-general by Governor Andrew, by General Order No. 24, dated - .
HEADQUARTERS, BOSTON, Oct. 7, 1863.
In view of the considerate, able, and unwearied services rendered the past two years by Colonel William J. Dale, as Surgeon-General of the Commonwealth, his Excellency the Governor directs that he here- after take rank as brigadier-general, and that he be obeyed and respected accordingly.
WILLIAM SCHOULER, Adjutant-General.
Elijah D. Brigham, of Boston, on the thirteenth day of June, 1861, was commissioned Commissary-General of Massachusetts, with the rank of colonel, which rank he held until May 14, 1864, when he was promoted by the Governor to the rank of brigadier-general.
Charles II. Dalton was appointed assistant quartermaster- general, on the twenty-third day of May, 1861, with the rank of colonel. Colonel Dalton did very acceptable services at Washington, as the agent of the Governor, in the early part of the war, which were given gratuitously.
William P. Lee and Waldo Adams, of Boston, were ap- pointed assistant quartermaster-generals, with the rank of first lieutenant, June 14, 1861. The services rendered by these gentlemen were given gratuitously.
Frank E. Howe, of New York, was appointed assistant
200
MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
quartermaster-general Aug. 23, 1861, with the rank of lieuten- ant-colonel. Colonel Howe was a native of Massachusetts, doing business in New York. In the month of May, he had written to Governor Andrew, tendering the use of rooms in his store, and his own personal services, to take charge of the sick and wounded Massachusetts soldiers who might pass throughi New York on their return from the front. On the twentieth day of May, Governor Andrew wrote him the following letter in reply : -
FRANK E. HOWE, Esq., 203, Broadway. May 20, 1861.
SIR, - I have received, with great pleasure, the liberal and patriotic tender of the services of yourself and employees, and the use of your premises on Broadway, for the benefit of the Massachusetts troops, and the general advancement of the interests of this Commonwealth in its relations to the present war.
Expressing to you my thanks, I accept your generous offer. It will be of great advantage to our soldiers to make your premises their head- quarters, so far as convenient, while in New York ; and you may ex- pect, from time to time, to be intrusted with the performance of various offices for their benefit.
Should you fall in with any sick or wounded Massachusetts officers or soldiers, you will please to relieve them at the expense of the State, and take measures for forwarding them to their homes.
With regard to the sundry other duties that we may ask of you to perform, you will, so far as possible, receive specific instructions as they arise.
You will please to make a weekly return of the expenses to be de- frayed by the State to this department.
Yours faithfully, JOHN A. ANDREW.
This was the origin of what was familiarly known as the New-England Rooms in New York, of which Colonel Iowe had charge during the entire war. It became a home and hos- pital for the sick and wounded of New-England soldiers, both in going to, and returning from, the front. Other New-England States, following the lead of Massachusetts, appointed Colonel Howe their agent to take care of their soldiers. These rooms were supported, by voluntary subscriptions, by patriotic and liberal men in the city of New York. We shall have occasion
201
MILITARY STORES AT FORTRESS MONROE.
to speak again of this admirable institution and Colonel Howe in a subsequent chapter.
Charles Amory, of Boston, who, in the early part of the war, had tendered to the Governor his services, free of charge, in any position where he could be of nse, was appointed master of ordnance, upon the discharge of General Stone, on the seventh day of October, 1861, with the rank of colonel. Colo- nel Amory performed the duties of the office until Jan. 9, 1863, when he resigned, there being no further necessity for his ser- vices. He received the thanks of the Governor, in General Orders No. 2, series of 1863.
William Brown, of Boston, who was chief clerk in the office of the Adjutant-General when the war broke out, and for several years previous thereto, was commissioned Assistant Adjutant-General, with the rank of colonel, on the twenty- ninth day of October, 1861, which. position he held until re- moved by death, Feb. 16, 1863. He was a faithful and intelligent officer, and died at his post.
These were all the staff commissions issued in 1861.
We now return to the correspondence of the Executive De- partment.
A large amount of valuable stores for our troops had been forwarded to Fortress Monroe, in the steamer "Pembroke," early in the month of May, 1861. ' The following letter, writ- ten by Colonel Lee by direction of the Governor, has reference to these stores : -
May 20, 1861.
DEAR SIR, -The captain of the steamer " Pembroke," just re- turned from Fort Monroe, reports, that several boxes and bales, put ashore for the Fifth and Eighth Regiments, remained as long as the " Pembroke " lay at the fort, exposed to mud and the weather; and that, although he applied successively to the quartermasters of the Third and Fourth Regiments, and to the colonels, then to the quartermaster of the regulars, and, lastly, to Colonel -, he did not succeed in interesting any one to receive and store these goods, or to engage to forward them to the regiments in Washington, or else- where.
Governor Andrew would like to have the whereabouts of these goods discovered ; and, if they have not been delivered, would like to
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
have them sent to the regiments to whom they are addressed. Com- modore Stringham very kindly promised to send them by the first opportunity, but that may not have come.
The Governor would also express his great surprise at the indiffer- ence -almost surliness - exhibited by United-States officers, when applied to as to the reception and care of these comforts for Massachu- setts troops ; also, his astonishment that room could not be found in Fort Monroe for their storage.
As you are obliged to leave Washington, the Governor has commis- sioned for the time, as Massachusetts agent, Mr. Charles H. Dalton, a gentleman of perfect integrity, and great business experience and abil- ity, and he leaves Boston for Washington, this evening ; and any busi- ness you have in hand, when obliged to leave, you will give to his charge.
Your obedient servant,
HENRY LEE, JR., Aide-de-camp. .
CHARLES R. LOWELL, JR., Esq., Washington, D.C.
May 23, 1861. - The Governor telegraphs to Hon. Charles Sumner, at Washington, " Why can't I send a brigadier in But- ler's place ? It is my wish, and is only just to General Peirce. Butler recommends him. He is sound, faithful, and ardent. Answer immediately." Permission was given, and General Peirce was appointed. On the same day, the Governor writes to Professor Rogers, thanking him for eight hundred military hats, contributed by the "Thursday Evening Club ; " also, to Mrs. Jared Sparks, Cambridge, and the ladies with whom she is associated, for presents of needle-books and handkerchiefs for the soldiers.
May 24, 1861. - Governor writes to Lieutenant Amory, U.S.A., mustering officer at Boston, " Whatever rations, cloth- ing, &c., you may want for the soldiers, after they are mustered in, will be furnished upon proper requisitions." The same day, he writes to A. W. Campbell, of Wheeling, Va., inclosing an order passed by the Executive Council, loaning that eity two : thousand muskets. He writes to William Robinson, of Balti- more, Md., -
"I have gratefully received, and desire cordially to acknowledge your very kind letter, concerning the fate and last days of poor Need- ham, of Lawrence, Mass. Allow me also to render to you my thanks
203
LETTERS TO SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.
in behalf of those most nearly related to the young man, as well as in behalf of all my people, for your Christian, brotherly conduct towards the strangers who fell in your way, rendering the offices of a good Samaritan. I have sent a copy of your letter to the Mayor of Law- rence, who will send it to the Needham family.
"I beg leave to add the assurances of my personal respect, and the hope that I may yet see you in Boston."
He writes to Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Trea- sury : -
"I have consulted with the representatives of many of our princi- pal banking institutions, and with our leading private capitalists; and I feel confident, that, if necessary or desirable, $5,000,000 of the $14,000,000 of the next loan can be taken in this Commonwealth.
" If the United-States bonds to that amount should be guaranteed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, they would command a pre- mium probably, and could certainly be readily negotiated at par. Will you advise me what would be the wishes of the national Administration in this respect ?"
He writes again to the Secretary of War, calling his atten- tion to the defenceless condition of the forts in Boston Har- bor ; also to General Stetson, of the Astor House, thanking him for his kindness and liberality to our soldiers in passing through New York ; also thanks Daniel Lombard, Esq., of Boston, who offers to clear "a'cargo of rice, free of expense, for the use of our troops."
He writes to Colonel Dalton, at Washington, inclosing him an extract from a letter written by F. A. B. Simkins, to the effect that a soldier of the Fifth Regiment had told him that the quartermaster of the regiment had neglected his duty. " Mat- tresses that came with the regiment had since lain in a cellar, while the men have slept on stone floors ; tons of cheese from Boston had been there more than a week, before the men could get a mouthful of it; canteens had also been there, for a con- siderable time, and had not been distributed, - thinks some- thing wrong." He also incloses another letter from a gentleman in Washington, giving an entirely different account of the con- dition of the regiment. Colonel Dalton is asked to look into the matter, and report.
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
May 28, 1861. - Governor writes to Jacob F. Kent, Esq., Providence, R.I., that " Massachusetts is allowed six regi- ments, and would be glad to send twenty, if they would let her."
He writes to Governor Washburn, of Maine, -
" If I have a chance to make an appointment of a good man as offi- cer, I make no question as to his age, unless he comes somewhere near Methuselah. I hold that I am not bound to take judicial notice of a man's age, or to enter into any particular investigation on the subject, provided I feel that I have got the right man. Both of us know some people at fifty who are younger than some at twenty-five; yet, on the whole, I like the suggestion of the War Department ; and, if they err in favor of young men, why, that is so uncommon an error now-a-days among Government officials, that I regard it with great charity, as a hopeful symptom."
This letter undoubtedly has reference to a circular letter addressed to the Governors of the loyal States by the Secretary of War, in which the following suggestions are made in respect to the appointment of officers in the volunteer service : -
"1. To commission no one of doubtful morals or patriotism, and not of sound health.
" 2. To appoint no one to a lieutenancy (second or first) who has passed the age of twenty-two years, or to a captaincy over thirty years ; and to appoint no field officers (major, lieutenant-colonel, or colonel), unless a graduate of the United-States Military Academy, or known to possess military knowledge and experience, who have passed the respec- tive ages of thirty-five, forty, forty-five years.
"This department feels assured, that it will not be deemed offensive to your Excellency to add yet this general counsel, that the higher the moral character and general intelligence of the officers so appointed, the greater the efficiency of the troops, and the resulting glory to their respective States."
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May 28. - The Governor telegraphs to Governor Dennison, of Ohio, " If you wish us to buy or contract for any equipments for you, can get two hundred a day made, suitable, if you wish."
He telegraphs to the Secretary of War, " The First Regiment
205
LETTER TO COLONEL HOWE, NEW YORK.
has been mustered in. I want to know whether they shall be sent to Fortress Monroe, as General Butler wants them to be, or what I shall do with them. They are ready to start at twenty-four hours' notice."
May 29. - He telegraphs to Colonel Dalton, Washington, " Urge Government to let me have guns from ordnance yard, and mount them in harbor forts. Merchants here constantly pressing me to obtain them."
He writes to M. C. Pratt, Holyoke, " I have no orders for cavalry. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to fur- nish more infantry and cavalry, but cannot do it."
He writes to Colonel Jonas H. French, Boston, declining to accept his offer to raise a regiment, " as there are troops now under arms in the State sufficient to fill double the quota as- signed to Massachusetts. Nothing would give me greater pleas- ure than to have liberty to send more troops."
In the early weeks of the war, several debts were contracted in the name of the Commonwealth, by officers and others, for supplies for the immediate use of troops on their way to Washington. The commissary and quartermaster's departments had yet to be organized, and a proper system of expenditure and personal accountability established. Many of the bills which were forwarded from New York and other places to the State authorities for payment contained items which were not recognized in "the regulations," and the prices charged were extravagantly high. The files of the Governor contain a num- ber of letters relating to these matters. One of these letters states that in "almost all the New-York bills for supplies bought at that time for the troops, the charges average very much more than Boston prices for similar articles." One of the committee of the Governor's Council, to whom these bills were referred for settlement, remarked that "the purchasers, whoever they were, seemed to have looked for persons who sold at retail prices, and to have succeeded admirably in finding what they were looking for." These bills were, however, paid; and the appointment of Colonel Frank E. Howe as the agent of the Commonwealth to look after the wants of our soldiers in New York put an end to these early attempts to peculate upon the
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
liberality of Massachusetts. The Executive Council also kept a close watch upon expenditures, and scrutinized all bills pre- sented for payment, which relieved the Governor and heads of departments from much of the drudgery of examining and ascertaining the accuracy of this description of accounts.
May 30. - The Governor writes to Colonel Dalton, at Wash- ington, asking him to urge again upon the Government the necessity of arming our forts. "There are plenty of guns at the navy yard, at Watertown, and Springfield, which could easily be put into position. The necessity is urgent."
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