USA > Massachusetts > History of Massachusetts in the Civil War > Part 25
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THANKSGIVING IN THE ARMY.
present no facts of special interest, which have not already been made public.
None of the officers of our regiments wrote with more ease and elegance than Major Wilder Dwight, of the Second Regi- ment. In one of his letters to the Governor, written in July, at Harper's Ferry, where the Second was encamped to protect the Ferry and hold the town, he says, -
" It is perhaps worthy of remark, that the guard-house occupied by the town-guard is the engine-house which John Brown held so long, and which is one of the few buildings left standing amid the general ruins of the Government property. Directly opposite to it, from the flag-staff, which lately bore the secession flag, our own banner now floats. Several unavailing attempts were made to raise it, when Sergeant Hill, of Company B, volunteered to climb the tall pole, and adjust the halyards. This he did amid the wildest enthusiasm of the people. There has been a reign of terror here ; and to-day, for the first time, Union men dare to show themselves, and return to their homes. The protection of the flag is indicated everywhere, and many Virginian men and women have said with quivering lip they were glad to see the old flag again. Throughout our march, in every village, and by almost every house, we have made the hills echo again our national airs."
In the Governor's proclamation for Thanksgiving, this year, it may well be supposed the soldiers in the field were not for- gotten. It was read in every Massachusetts camp, and the day was celebrated by the regiments with great spirit and cheerful- ness. Major Dwight writes, "I had the honor and pleasure to receive the Governor's proclamation for Thanksgiving. I give a short record of the day's celebration. Military duty was, by authority of General Banks, suspended. At ten, A.M., we had the proclamation read, and religious service by the chap- lain. The men afterwards sat down to dinner, which may be summed up as follows : turkeys 95, weight 9973 pounds ; geese 76, weight 666 pounds; chickens 73, weight 165 pounds ; plum-puddings 95, weight 1,179 pounds. If you
state the weight in tons, the whole dinner amounts to one and a half, in round numbers. The men had games and dancing in the evening. It should perhaps be added, that they are in fine health this morning."
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
This gallant and accomplished officer was a graduate of Har- vard College, in the class of 1853. He was promoted lieu- tenant-colonel of the Second, June 13, 1862, and was mortally wounded in the battle of Antietam, and died two days after, Sept. 19, 1862. His body was brought home to his father's house in Brookline, and was buried from St. Paul's Church, in that town. The Forty-fourth Regiment, Colonel Frank Lee, then in camp at Readville, volunteered as military escort. The Governor and staff were present at the funeral, and the people of the village followed, with the mourning relatives, his body to the grave, where it rests quietly from the noise of civil life and the conflict of battle.
We turn from these grand but solemn memories to the con- troversy between the Governor and Major-General Butler, which stands in Massachusetts' great record of the war as the only event in which the fulfilment of official duty grew into a protracted personal controversy.
The correspondence would make nearly one hundred pages of this volume. The causes which led to it we shall state as briefly as we can. Massachusetts had forwarded to the front sixteen regiments of infantry to serve for three years; and in August, 1861, was recruiting, in the various camps in the Commonwealth, six additional regiments of infantry, one regiment of cavalry, four companies of light artillery, and one company of sharpshooters. Two other regiments, to be composed of Irishimen, were also soon to be recruited. It was the intention of the Governor to have these regiments and batteries recruited to the maximum as speedily as possible ; and, until they were filled, no recruiting, except for them and for regiments already in the field, would be permitted in the Commonwealth. Some of these regiments had been prom- ised and designated as part of an expeditionary corps, to be commanded by Brigadier-General Thomas W. Sherman, U.S.A.
General Sherman arrived in Boston about the first of Sep- tember, bringing with him a letter to Governor Andrew from Hon. Simon Cameron, Secretary of War, dated Washington, Aug. 27, in which he renews a previous request, that " you,"
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GOVERNOR ANDREW AND GENERAL BUTLER.
the Governor, "will put three regiments, as soon as they can be prepared for service, under the orders of General Sherman, who will indicate the place of rendezvous." The place of ren- dezvous was somewhere in Long Island, N.Y. On the next day after this letter was written, - namely, on the 28th of August, -" Colonel " David K. Wardwell, who had commanded a company in the Fifth Regiment, three months militia, received authority from Secretary Cameron to raise a regiment of volun- teers in this State. He was instructed " to report to His Ex- cellency the Governor of Massachusetts, from whom you will receive instructions and orders in reference to the regiment which this department has authorized you to raise." Governor Andrew was very justly opposed to having these special per- missions given to favored parties to recruit regiments in this Commonwealth, without his knowledge or consent. It inter- fered with previous arrangements, delayed the completion of regiments already partly recruited, detracted from the authority of the Governor, and violated the act of Congress under which volunteer regiments were authorized to be raised, which pro- vided, section fourth, "That the Governors of the States, furnish- ing volunteers under this act, shall commission the field, staff, and company officers, requisite for said volunteers ; and in cases where the State authorities refuse or omit to furnish volunteers at the call, or on the proclamation, of the President, and volunteers from such States offer their services under such call or proclamation, the President shall have power to accept such services, and to commission the proper field, staff, and company officers." It is clear from this, that the recruiting of regiments, and the commissioning of officers, in the loyal States, was intended to be under the exclusive control of the Governors of those States. Neither the President, nor the Secretary of War, nor any State or Federal officer, civil or military, had any right either, to authorize persons to recruit or to commission officers of volunteers, in States which had loyal Governors, who were ready and anxious to do whatever was demanded of them by the President and the laws of Congress. It was only in States having disloyal Governors, who would refuse to organize regiments and commission officers for the
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Union service, that the President could act. Massachusetts was not a disloyal State, and John A. Andrew was not a disloyal Governor.
Captain Wardwell's authority to raise a regiment in Massa- chusetts was not recognized by the Governor. He was granted permission to raise a company for the Twenty-second Regiment, and he was afterwards commissioned captain in that regiment. Having protested to the authorities in Washington against this pernicious and illegal system of granting special permits to raise regiments in this State, on the 28th of August - the very day on which Wardwell had been given authority to recruit a regi- ment,- the Governor received a telegram from the Secretary of War, that "he would not sanction for the future any such irregularities ; " and Quartermaster-General John H. Reed, who was then in Washington, was requested by Governor Andrew to call upon Mr. Cameron, and to " express the pleas- ure" which the information had given him. Innumerable difficulties had arisen in New York from similar practices, which led to the issuing by the War Department of General Order No. 71, which directed " all persons having received authority to raise volunteer regiments, batteries, or companies in the State of New York to report immediately to Governor Morgan." They and their commands were placed under his orders, who would organize them "in the manner he might judge the most advantageous." In a letter dated Washington, Sept. 6, written jointly by General John H. Reed and Colonel A. G. Browne, Jr., to Governor Andrew, they state that they had held inter- views with the President and the Secretary of War the day before ; and both had promised that no more special permits should be given, and that General Order No. 71 should be made to apply to Massachusetts the same as to New York. These preliminary details are necessary in order to have a correct understanding of the controversy which grew up between the Governor and General Butler.
On the seventh of September, the Governor received a tele- gram from President Lincoln, urging him to forward troops as speedily as possible to General Sherman's headquarters ; to which he replied on the same day, "I have written General
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CONTROVERSY WITH GENERAL BUTLER.
Sherman about it during the past week. We are raising five new regiments, all of which I mean Sherman shall have if you will get an order from the War Department to send them to him." This letter was returned to the Governor with the following indorsements : " Respectfully submitted to the War De- partment. A. Lincoln."-" Let this be done. Simon Cameron, Secretary of War."-" I send you the order you desire. William H. Seward." On the 9th of September, General Sherman writes from New York to the Governor, "The public interest requires that the remaining troops for this expedition assemble here at the very earliest day practicable." To which the Gov- ernor answered on the eleventh, "The new regiments are going forward towards completion very rapidly. General Wilson has about nine hundred men in camp to-day." The other regiments were rapidly filling up ; two would be completed by the twen- tieth, "and three more in a good state of forwardness by that time."
So matters stood on the 11th of September. The Governor, every one connected officially with him, the city and town author- ities, were actively at work, and lending all their energies to complete these regiments for General Sherman. It was a great surprise, then, that, after the promises made by the authorities at Washington, and the urgent necessity which existed of complet- ing the organization of these regiments, the Secretary of War should, on the tenth of this very month, give authority to Major- General Butler to raise six new regiments in New England, and to arm, uniform, and equip them. The first intelligence Governor Andrew had that such authority had been given, was by a telegram dated Washington, Sept. 11, and jointly signed, " A. Lincoln, President," and " Simon Cameron, Secretary of War," stating that "General Butler proposes raising in New England six regiments, to be recruited and commanded by him- self, and to go on special service : we shall be glad if you, as Governor of Massachusetts, will answer by telegraph that you consent." On receipt of this despatch, the Governor immedi- ately answered, "Authorize State to raise whatever regiments you wish additional. We will first fulfil engagements with General Sherman, ordered by Secretary of War; then add
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others fast as possible ; will help General Butler to the utmost." On the 12th (next day), Mr. Cameron telegraphed to the Gov- ernor, "Despatch of yesterday received. Massachusetts has done so well in all she has promised, that she shall not be dis- appointed in any thing she requires from the General Govern- ment." This was complimentary, but it was not an answer. A few hours before the Governor received this despatch from Mr. Cameron, he received the following, dated New York, Sept. 11, from General Sherman : "The object of my tele- gram of the 10th was to ascertain if there existed any possibil- ity of being disappointed in the time when the troops would be prepared." Thus when General Sherman was anxiously waiting in New York for the five regiments authorized to be raised for him in Massachusetts, and when every possible effort was being made to complete them, the Secretary of War wrote the following paper. We do not know what to call it : it is not a letter, because it is addressed to no one ; it is not an order, be- cause it is not so designated, and bears no number.
WAR DEPARTMENT, Sept. 12, 1861.
Major-General Butler is authorized to fit out and prepare such troops in New England as he may judge fit for the purpose, to make an expedition along the eastern shore of Virginia, via the railroad from Wilmington, Del., to Salisbury, and thence through a por- tion of Maryland, Accomac, and Northampton Counties of Virginia, to Cape Charles. SIMON CAMERON, Secretary of War.
This document, in effect, gave General Butler authority over every new regiment raised, or to be raised, in New England. He was to have as many troops as he might "judge fit" for his purpose ; and what that purpose was no one except himself and Mr. Cameron knew. The document wholly ignored the Gov- ernors of the New-England States, the act of Congress already quoted, and, so far as this State was interested, the promise made to General Sherman that he should have three of the Massachu- setts regiments then in course of formation. This was not all - indeed, it was only a small part - of the complicated, contradic- tory, and painfully embarrassing position under which this new state of things placed the Governor of Massachusetts. He had
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CONTROVERSY WITH GENERAL BUTLER.
been ordered to furnish five new regiments for General Sherman, he had promised the General he should have them, he had nearly completed a part of them, when, without consultation or previous knowledge, this paper, prepared in the War Office at Washington, and signed by the Secretary, was issued, placing all the troops in New England under the command of Major- General Butler, and as many more as he might "judge fit" for his purpose. Four days after Mr. Cameron had written the paper just quoted, Special Order No. 78 was issued from the War Department.
WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 1861.
All persons having received authority from the War Department to raise volunteer regiments, batteries, or companies, in the loyal States, are, with their commands, hereby placed under the orders of the Gov- ernors of those States, to whom they will immediately report the pres- ent condition of their respective organizations. These troops will be organized or re-organized, and prepared for service, by the Governors of their respective States, in the manner they may judge most advantageous to the interests of the Federal Government.
By order, L. THOMAS, Adjutant- General.
This order was easy of comprehension, and in strict accord- ance with the acts of Congress ; but it was in direct conflict with the paper signed by Mr. Cameron four days before. Upon its receipt, Governor Andrew directed the Adjutant-General of the Commonwealth to issue General Order No. 23, which enumerated the regiments and batteries then being recruited in the State, and the camps at which they were stationed. It also said, that "until they were filled, no recruiting, except for these regiments and batteries, is authorized, or can be en- couraged, by the Commander-in-chief." After quoting the preceding order of the War Department, signed by General Thomas, it proceeds to say, " The Commander-in-chief directs that no new regiments or companies be formed, or ordered into camp, nor any already in camp change their location, with- out orders from these headquarters."
Although the order restricted recruiting for new regiments except those designated, it allowed and encouraged recruiting for
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE REBELLION.
regiments already in the field. It also gave notice that two new regiments, to be composed of men of Irish birth, were soon to be placed in camp, one of which, the Twenty-eighth, "to form a part of the command of Major-General Butler, whose head- quarters is at Lowell."
On the 23d of September, Mr. Cameron telegraphed to the Governor, "Will the three regiments for General Sherman be ready this week? He must be supplied in advance of all other applications for same service. Please reply immediately." To which the Governor answered the same day, and requested the Secretary not to issue an order detailing particular regiments to General Butler, but to leave all such details to him : he could provide for him otherwise and sufficiently. To which Mr. Cameron answered, " Select the regiments yourself for Sherman, and supply him first." Same day, Colonel Browne, military secretary to the Governor, by order of His Excellency, addressed a note to General Butler, in which he proposed to assign to his command an Irish regiment, in the raising of which Patrick Donahoe, Esq., of Boston, took much interest. This was afterwards known as the Twenty-eighth Regiment. The receipt of this letter was acknowledged by Major Haggerty, of General Butler's staff, on the 24th, and information given that Gen- eral Butler had gone to Portland, Me., and that his attention would be called to it as soon as he returned, which would be " to-morrow evening."
A letter was sent to General Sherman on the 23d by the Governor, requesting him to exert his personal efforts to secure for his command the regiments promised him, and prevent them from "being diverted to General Butler or any other officer." The regiments designed for him were the Twenty-second and Twenty-third, in camp at Lynnfield, and known as General Wilson's, and the Twenty-fifth, encamped at Worcester. The letter further stated that the Governor proposed "to assign to General Butler the Twenty-sixth Regiment, being raised by Colonel Jones at Lowell," and an Irish regiment. To this General Sherman replied, on the 27th, that he had immediately called the attention of the Secretary of War to it ; that " five regiments are yet waited for, - three from Massachusetts, one
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CONTROVERSY WITH GENERAL BUTLER.
from Maine, one from New Hampshire; and it is hoped that they will all be pressed forward at the earliest day." While this correspondence was going on, and Sherman waiting for his regiments in New York, the Secretary of War sent orders direct to General Wilson, which he received on the 24th, "to report to General Butler, and form a component part of his pro- posed expedition." The Governor then wrote to Secretary Cameron, "I have been much perplexed and embarrassed during the last few days by contradictory orders and assurances, issuing from your department." To avoid which, he said the regiments in this State should be organized through, and not outside of, its Governor. He also says, "General Butler, it is evident to me, desires naturally to secure to his own command, with or without consultation with me, according as best he may, all the force he can, even to the prejudice of what General Sherman has a positive right to expect from Massachusetts." Mr. Cameron replied on the 27th, that General Sherman was to be supplied first, afterwards General Butler. "It is the in- tention of this department," le says, "to leave to your Excel- lency all questions concerning the organization of troops in your State, and the orders to which you refer were designed to be subject to the approval and control of the Executive of Massa- chusetts. It will be my endeavor to act strictly in accordance with your suggestions." This extract is underscored in the original.
This appears explicit enough ; and yet the same system of cross purposes was kept up for some time after at Washington, to the insufferable annoyance of the Governor, complicating and retarding recruiting, and delaying the completion of the regiments. On the 1st of October, General Order No. 86 was issued by the Adjutant-General of the army, forming the six New-England States a military department, the head- quarters at Boston, and providing that " Major-General B. F. Butler, United States Volunteer Service, while engaged in re- cruiting his division, will command." In connection with this, the Secretary directed the Paymaster-General to detail an assistant to pay the men enlisted, and to be enlisted, by Gen- cral Butler, a month's pay from date of muster in, which was a
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very proper order if it had been of general application ; but it was very improper, to be applied only to General Butler's com- mand, and denied to General Sherman's.
On the 2d of October, the Secretary telegraphs to the Gov- ernor, "Send three regiments for General Sherman to Hamp- stead Camp, on Long Island, by Monday morning at the latest, earlier if possible." On the 3d, next day, the Secretary tele- graphs again to the Governor, "Send the Wilson Regiment to Washington direct. Give Sherman the next one, as soon as possible."
The name of General Sherman henceforth ceases to appear in the correspondence. He was assigned to another department. The command of the special expedition was given to General Burnside, and five Massachusetts regiments composed a part of it. These were the Twenty-first, Twenty-third, Twenty- fourth, Twenty-fifth, and Twenty-seventh. The camp of ren- dezvous was at Annapolis, and the point of attack was North Carolina, by way of Roanoke Island and Newbern. The ex- pedition was successful.
Major-General Butler, having assumed command of the De- partment of New England, and established his headquarters at Boston, on the 5th of October issued his first general order, announcing his staff, and directing " all officers in command of troops mustered in the service of the United States to report, either in person or by letter, to his headquarters." An official copy of this order was forwarded to Governor Andrew.
On the 5th of October, General Butler addressed a long letter to the Governor, informing him that he had been au- thorized by the President to raise men for "a special purpose," to which, he stated, "your assent was given." He then says, -
" Acting upon that assent, I, called upon you, and you desired that I should wait a week, when the regiment of Colonel Wilson, then being recruited, would be full, before I took any action upon that subject. To this I assented, and have been only looking out for officers for re- cruiting purposes, and have made no public announcement, and allowed no one who had a special corps to make advertisement, which I thought would be fully within the understanding.
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CONTROVERSY WITH GENERAL BUTLER.
" I then shew you an order to take regiments already raised, and not assigned to other officers, for another purpose, and you offered to assign me Colonel Jones' regiment. You also said, that an Irish regiment, now being raised, you would like to be assigned to me; to that I assented, and left for the purpose of organizing recruiting in Maine, and from thence to Washington. On my return, I find that recruiting officers have been making publications injurious to me and the recruit- ing service ; so it becomes necessary to know exactly what is under- stood between us."
He then proceeds, "I desire, therefore, the simple announce- ment, by general order, that I have authority to enlist men for a regiment, to be numbered as you please, also a squadron of mounted men ; these troops to be a part of the volunteer force of the State ; these to be in addition to those already assigned by you." He also says he will make no objections, if the Irish regiment is withheld. These requests granted, he adds, "I see no difficulty in the way of filling up all these regiments at once, save this one," which was the practice here of "recruiting offi- cers offering private bounties for men, of five and seven dollars." This he regarded as vicious, and as " the sale of men," and men- tions other objections.
The Governor replied to the letter of General Butler the same evening, after his return from the cavalry camp at Readville. The letter is of considerable length. In the beginning, he says, -
" I beg leave to say at once, in reply to your remark relating to some supposed promise of mine, that I did not at any time say, that, while we were already raising so many regiments in Massachusetts, I could consent to an embarrassment of the service by additional com- petition for recruits. But while I assured you of my willingness, so far as it lay in my power, to assign to you, out of regiments in progress, our fair proportion, or more than that, of the six regiments you told me you wished to raise in New England, I have constantly declared that I could not concur in a policy, which, by crowding the competition of regiments, would be fatal, or very dangerous, to successful recruit- ing."
The Governor thought that we were overdoing recruiting ; and, until the regiments already ordered were filled, recruiting for new regiments should not be undertaken. Having given his
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