History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 76

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 76

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It was on the 28th day of June, 1861, that the Fusiliers left for camp. In the morning of that day the citizens gathered at the town hall to bid them good-bye and God-speed. Remarks were made by prominent citizens, among them Dr. Jonas A. Mar- shall, captain of the "Old Fusiliers," who exhorted the soldiers to sustain the honor of the " Old Fusiliers", and their native town on all occasions. Captain Kimball responded on behalf of the company. Each soldier was then presented with a New Testament from the clergymen of the town, and a note was read, signed by the clergymen, asking their acceptance of this gift and expressing the hope that the little book might be of priceless value to them in the trying scenes of the future.

After the soldiers had been gratuitously vaccinated by Drs. Hitchcock and Jewett, the company was es- corted to the Fitchburg Hotel to partake of a dinner provided by the citizens. After the dinner the "Old Fusiliers," under command of Captain Marshall and the "Second Edition " of the Fusiliers, composed of younger men, under command of Capt. Eugene T. Miles, escorted the company to the depot. Thus left our first company of Fitchburg men, many of them never to return to their friends and native town.

The Fifteenth Regiment was mustered into service July 12, 1861, and left the State August 8th, arriving in Washington three days later. On August 1st Capt. Kimball was promoted to major and Lieut. Clark S. Simonds to captain.

The first engagement of the Fifteenth was at Ball's Bluff, October 21, 1861, in which its loss amounted to upward of three hundred men in killed, wounded and prisoners.

April 29, 1862, Major Kimball was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and assumed command of the regi- ment, as its colonel was absent on account of wounds received at Ball's Bluff. Under Lieut .- Col. Kimball's command the Fifteenth took part in the siege of Yorktown and in a number of battles, the two most notable being Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862, and Antietam, September 17, 1862. In the first-mentioned battle the regiment behaved gallantly, and the bayonet charges by it at several critical periods during the battle won the admiration of Gen. Gorman, who commanded the brigade of which it was a part. In a private letter to Governor Andrew he asked "that the history of the Fifteenth Massachusetts Volunteers may be made a

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part of the history of the State, as associated with one of the most brilliant exploits of the war."

At Antietam the Fifteenth also distinguished itself, though at the great cost of three hundred and forty- three men, killed, wounded and missing. Lieutenant- Colonel Kimball was recommended for promotion for his gallantry and good management of his command during this terrible battle.

After this the regiment was engaged in a campaign in the Shenandoah Valley and at Fredericksburg, December 12, 1862. Nothing of note occurred until June 25, 1863, when it began a forced march from the Rappahannock to Gettysburg. It was a hard march, but that the members of the regiment per- formed it well is shown by the following order read to them June 27th :

HEADQUARTERS 2D DIVISION, 2D CORPS. June 26th, 1863.

General Orders, No. 105 .- The Fifteenth and Nineteenth Massachusetts Volunteers for marching in the best and most compact order, and with the least straggling from their ranks, are excused from all picket duty and outside duty for four days.

By command of BRIG .- GEN'L GIBBON.

The record of the Fifteenth at Gettysburg July 2-4, 1863, was very brilliant. "The regiment went into action with eighteen officers and two hundred and twenty-one enlisted men. During the three days it lost three officers (Col. Ward, Capt. Murkland, of Fitchburg, and Lieut. Jorgenseu) killed, eight officers wounded, nineteen enlisted men killed, eighty-five wounded, many of them mortally."

In the spring of 1864 there were about three hun- dred officers and men in the regiment, and nearly half of this number were killed and wounded in the bat- tle of the Wilderness early in May of that year. During the next few weeks it took part in all the marches and battles in which the Second Corps was engaged, from the Rapidan to Petersburg, and on the 22d of the following June, reduced to five officers and seventy men, it confronted a large force of the enemy "near the Jerusalem plank road before Peters- burg." Here, by a hidden manœuvre of the enemy, it was flanked, and all, except one officer and four men, were taken prisoners. This officer was wounded the same day, and the four men were placed in another command until more of the officers and men came from the hospitals. Its three years' term of service having expired, the regiment was, on July 12, 1864, ordered to proceed to Worcester, where it arrived on the 21st, about one hundred and fifty strong. The State and city officials gave it a rousing reception, and on the same evening all that were left of the Fusiliers and were able to travel (about twenty men) arrived in Fitchburg and were given a public recep- tion.

Such is a brief account of the brilliant, though sad, record of one of the best regiments Massachusetts sent out; and Fitchburg has every reason to be proud of the promineut part which the officers and men fur-

nished by the town took in the making of its glorious history.

COMPANY D, TWENTY-FIRST REGIMENT (WASH- INGTON GUARDS). - For some cause or other the Guards were not allowed to go with the Fusiliers, though desirous of so doing; and it was not until July 19. 1861, that the company was ordered into camp at Worcester and became Company D of the Twenty-first Regiment. Their departure was the oc- casion of another public demonstration by the citi- zens, consisting of a meeting in the town hall, a dinner at the American House and a grand parade.

The Twenty-first Regiment left Worcester August 23, 1861. It was first under fire at the battle of Roanoke Island, February 8, 1862, when it acquitted itself nobly and was the first to plant a Union flag in- side the enemy's works. It lost fifty-seven men, killed and wounded, in this battle. Our own Company D was honored after the battle by the presentation to its captain, Theodore S. Foster, of a flag by Lieuten- ant-Colonel A. C. Maggi, commanding the Twenty- first. Accompanying the flag was a note which concluded thus : "You may inscribe on the flag these words : The Officers of the Twenty first Regiment, M. V., to the brave Captain T. S. Foster, of Co. D." The flag and note were sent hy Captain Foster to the Fitchburg Public Library, to be there preserved.

March 14, 1862, the regiment took part in the battle of Newbern, and was highly commended in the official report for its bravery. General Burnside, after the battle, presented to it the first gun (a brass field-piece) which it captured from the enemy. Its loss in this action was three officers and fifty-four men, killed and wounded.

April 19th it arrived at Elizabeth City, and, after a forced march of twenty miles, took part in the battle of Camden.

July 9th it arrived at Newport News and became part of the Army of the Potomac, and, during the rest of 1862, it was almost constantly on the move. It took part in General Pope's campaign, and, in the disastrous retreat that followed, it suffered great hardships. It also participated in the following battles, with great credit to itself, during the latter part of 1862 : Second Bull Run, Chantilly, Antietam and Fredericksburg. The regiment's losses in these four battles were two hundred and sixty-six officers and men killed, wounded and taken prisoners.

During most of 1863 the regiment did picket duty in Kentucky and Tennessee. It was a part of the besieged force that was shut up in Knoxville for some weeks in November, and was on duty constantly and made several brilliant charges during the siege ; and when the siege was finally raised, December 5, 1863, the 'Twenty-first was one of the regiments ordered to pursue the enemy. "From that time the regiment saw weary marches and constant exposure, and was reduced to such an extremity that two ears of raw corn per day were issued to each man as his

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

ration. Thus situated, in the woods of East Tennes- see, on the 29th of December, 1863, the proposal was made to the regiment to re-enlist for the new term of three years, and in thirty-six hours all but twenty-four of the regiment had re-enlisted."

January 8, 1864, the Twenty-first started for home on a "veteran furlough," and received a public recep- tion on its arrival in Worcester. At the expiration of the furlough it returned to the scene of operations, and was in season to take a prominent part in the battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864, but was for- tunate enough to suffer a comparatively light loss,- three officers and twelve men.

June 16th the regiment arrived before Petersburg, having beeu almost constantly engaged in skirmishes and battles with the enemy during their entire march, and having lost upwards of one hundred offi- cers and men within the five weeks preceding. On the following day it participated in a brilliant charge on the enemy's works; and from that date to July 30th was constantly in the rifle-pits at the front.

"On the 30th occurred the explosion of the mine, and this regiment was in the division which rushed into the 'crater,' only to be repulsed with severe loss."

This was the last engagement in which the Twenty- first participated, as soon afterward "it was decided that the Regiment was not a 'veteran regiment,' be- cause of the three-fourths that had re-enlisted, fifty- six had been rejected for various reasons, and it was ordered that the Regiment be broken up, and the officers and non-enlisted men proceed home to be mustered out."

On August 30, 1864, the regiment was accordingly mustered ont at Worcester. This breaking up of the organization was a great disappointment to all who had ever been connected with it, and certainly its history during the three years of its existence reflects much honor and credit on both officers and men. It is gratifying to state here that Captain Foster, who went ont as the commander of Company D, was pro- moted to major May 17, 1862, and to lieutenant-colo- nel September 2, 1862.

COMPANY F, TWENTY-FIFTH REGIMENT .- In the autumn of 1861 authority was granted to raise the Twenty-fifth Regiment, and Edwin Upton, of this town, was appointed its colonel. The old Guards formed the nucleus of the company raised in Fitch- burg, of which Charles H. Foss was appointed cap- tain.

Recruits came in rather slowly, and September 23, 1861, a large meeting of the citizens was held at the town hall to help recruiting in town. David H. Mer- riam, Esq., presided, and Hon. Goldsmith F. Bailey made an eloquent address. This meeting had good results, and Capt. Foss had Company F filled in less than a month after he began to raise it.

About October 1, 1861, the company left town for Worcester, and on the day of their departure from

Fitchburg a parade was held, after which the com- pany enjoyed a dinner provided for its members at the American House, through the liberality of Charles T. Crocker, Esq. After the dinner remarks were made by Mr. Crocker, Amasa Norcross, Esq., and Rev. George Trask, and later in the afternoon Com- pany F left us amid great enthusiasm and hearty God-speeds.

On the 10th of October some of the friends of Col. Upton united in the presentation to him of a fine horse and set of equipments as a token of their esteem and regard. The presentation speech was made by Amasa Norcross, Esq., and Col. Upton feelingly re- turned thanks to his fellow-citizens for their splendid gift, after which he invited them to partake of a col- lation at the American House. Earnest remarks were made by Hon. Moses Wood, Hon. J. W. Mansur and other gentlemen present.

October 31, 1861, the Twenty-fifth left Worcester and went to Annapolis, where the next two months were spent in drilling, during which time it acquired snch proficiency that it was complimented officially as one of the best of the large number of regiments gathered there.

As in the case of the Twenty-first Regiment, the Twenty-fifth's first baptism of fire was at Roanoke Island. At this battle it did good service, fighting in the front ranks for three hours, when, their ammuni- tion being exhausted, the regiment was ordered to the rear. Its loss in this battle was forty-eight killed and wounded. A month later the regiment was engaged at the battle of Newbern. Here it made a gallant charge on the breast-works of the enemy, and was the first to plant the State colors on the work. It was also the first regiment that entered the city of New- bern. Its loss was miraculously small,-twenty killed and wounded.

From this time until about December 1, 1863, the regiment was in the vicinity of Newbern, doing picket duty and having occasional skirmishes with the enemy.

On account of poor health Col. Upton was obliged to resign his command of the Twenty-fifth, much to the regret of his men ; and at the time of his retiring he was presented by the enlisted men of the regiment with a beautiful sword, belt and sash, costing one thousand dollars. Col. Josiah Pickett succeeded him in the command.

Early in 1864 a furlough was granted, and the Twenty-fifth returned to Massachusetts, receiving a most hearty welcome in Boston and Worcester. It left Boston for the field March 21, 1864, and early in May was engaged in several sharp conflicts not far from Richmond. In one of these engagements, by a singular coincidence, the Twenty-third, Twenty-fifth aud Twenty-seventh Massachusetts Regiments were directly opposed to the Twenty-third, Twenty-fifth and Twenty-seventh Sonth Carolina Regiments. On this occasion Massachusetts got the better of South

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Carolina. It was a sharp struggle, and among the killed was First Lieut. Charles E. Upton, of Fitch- burg. A week later, while moving towards Richmond, the regiment was attacked by the Rebels, and came near being captured. The official report of this ac- tion says :

"The Twenty-fifth fought splendidly, holding their ground with the utmost tenacity, inflicting on the charging columns of the enemy the most terrible slaughter until surrounded, and with their ammuni- tion exhausted, they were ordered to face by the rear rank and charge the Rebel line in the rear, thereby throwing the enemy into such confusion as to enable the regiment to extricate itself from one of the most perilous positions troops were ever placed in, and completely checking the advance of the enemy."

The losses of the regiment in all these contests during the month of May, 1864, amounted to twenty- six killed and one hundred and fifteen wounded.

On the 3d of the following June the Twenty-fifth underwent its most terrible experience of the war in the battle of Cold Harbor. During the day this regiment made a most heroic assault upon the Rebel lines, and held the position they attained, though at a terrible expense of life. The total loss of the regi- ment in this battle was as follows : 4 officers and 23 men killed; 11 officers and 128 men wounded ; 2 officers and 47 men missing. Among the killed were-James Graham, Jr., of Fitchburg, second lieu- tenant of Company F, and Lieut .- Col. George E. Marshall, of the Fortieth Massachusetts Regiment, who was also a Fitchburg boy.

This was the last regular battle in which the Twenty- fifth participated. June 13th it went to the "Point of Rocks," on the Appomattox River, and two days later made an assault on the enemy's works, carrying the position and capturing two cannon, and on the 18th made another charge which was unsuccessful. The loss in these two assaults was seven killed and thirty-one wounded.

October 5, 1864, the portion of the regiment whose term of service had expired was ordered to Worces- ter and mustered out October 20th. The remainder, consolidated into a battalion of four companies, re- mained in North Carolina, taking part in only one en- gagement (Wise's Forks) during the period of its stay. July 13, 1865, it was ordered to Massachusetts to be mustered out, thus closing the record of the gallant Twenty-fifth.

COMPANY A, THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT .- In July, 1862, President Lincoln issued a call for three hun- dred thousand men, and authority was given to raise the Thirty-sixth Regiment. Fitchburg's proportion was found to be ninety-seven and Captain Thaddeus L. Barker, of the "Old Guards," was appointed to raise a company.

On July 12, 1862, a large citizens' meeting was held in the town hall, at which resolutions, presented by Thornton K. Ware, Esq., were adopted, recommend-

ing the calling of a town-meeting at an early date to take measures for offering a bounty of seventy-five dollars to every recruit. A committee was also chosen to canvass the town for recruits.

A town-meeting was held just a week later at which it was voted to "authorize and instruct our selectmen to appropriate and pay one hundred dollars, as a bounty, to each and every acceptable recruit, when he shall have been mustered into the United States ser- vice and shall have joined the Volunteer Company now forming in this town, or either of the three com- panies from this town, now at the seat of war; not to exceed in all the sum of ten thousand and one hun- dred dollars."

Our quota was soon filled, and on August 1, 1862, the company left town amid cheers and great enthusiasm.

Lieut .- Col. John W. Kimball, of the Fifteenth, was designated as colonel of the Thirty-sixth, but being unable to obtain his discharge from the Fifteenth, Major Bowman, of the Thirty-fourth, was appointed its colonel.

The regiment arrived in Washington September 7, 1862, and on the 20th joined Gen. Burnside's army at Sharpsburg, Md., arriving a little too late to take part at Antietam. For some time it was in various parts of Virginia and witnessed its first battle at Freder- icksburg, but was not actively engaged, being held in reserve, and having ouly two men wounded.

During the following winter nothing of note occurred. Early in April, 1863, the Thirty-sixth was sent to Cincinnati to guard the polls at the election of the mayor of that city. After the surrender of Vicksburg, July 4, 1863, this regiment, with others, pursued the enemy and lost eight men in skirmishes. Then followed their trying campaign in Mississippi, in which the regiment lost one hundred and fifty men by death and discharge on account of disease and exhaustion.

During the autumn it was engaged in several minor battles, losing about thirty men. It was present at the siege of Knoxville and suffered with the rest from lack of food. After the siege was raised the Thirty- sixth joined in the pursuit of the enemy, and during the winter of 1863-64 suffered very severely from lack of food and clothing. At one period the rations were " six spoonfuls of flour a day for seven days and what corn could be picked up from under the feet of mules and horses."

On the 6th of April, 1864, the regiment arrived at Annapolis, where the men received new clothing and good food and enjoyed a much-needed, though short, rest. A month later it took part in the battle of the Wilderness, where "the regiment acquitted itself nobly, charging the enemy three times with a loss of two officers and sixty-two men killed and wounded." The battles of Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor fol- lowed soon after, and the regiment was engaged in both and lost heavily,-one hundred and twenty-six officers and men killed and wounded.

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

June 16, 1864, the Thirty-sixth arrived before Petersburg and on the following day made a gallant charge on the enemy's works, capturing four cannon and four hundred and fifty prisoners; and for the next four weeks it was in the rifle-pits, at the front, and lost some twenty men, picked off by the rebel sharpshooters. It remained in the vicinity of Peters- burg until April 1, 1865.

The regiment was mustered out of the service June 8, 1865, and arrived in Worcester two days later, where it received a hearty public reception by the citizens.

Captain Thaddeus L. Barker, of Company A, was promoted to major, May 6, 1864; lieutenant-colonel, October 12, 1864, and to colonel, November 13, 1864.

COMPANIES A AND B, FIFTY-THIRD REGIMENT .- In August, 1862, a call was issued for troops to serve nine months. Fitchburg's citizens took hold in ear- nest, and in a few days two entire companies were enrolled. After the ranks were filled, the town voted, August 30th, to give each of the nine months' volun- teers from this town one hundred dollars bounty. Engene T. Miles was commissioned captain of Com- pany A, and Jonas Corey captain of Company B, both companies being attached to the Fifty-third Regiment.

Lieutenant-Colonel John W. Kimball, of the Fif- teenth, was designated colonel of the Fifty-third, and assumed his command of it November 29, 1862. On that date he received a fine horse and set of equip- ments from a few of his many friends in Fitchburg.

The Fifty-third started for New York November 29th, to join General Banks' expedition. On account of the prevalence of a mild form of scarlet fever among the men, the regiment did not leave for the South until January 17, 1863. It theu went by steamer from New York to New Orleans, and thence to Baton Rouge.

The regiment was first under fire April 12, 1863, at Fort Bisland, and was actively engaged on the follow- ing day. During the next night the enemy evacuated the works, and at daybreak on the 14th, Fort Bisland was in possession of the Union army, and the flag of the Fifty-third was the first to be planted on its ram- parts. In this battle Lieutenant Nutting, of this town, in command of Company A, was killed, as were also thirteen privates.

The regiment participated in the pursuit of the enemy, capturing many prisoners and driving in a lot of cattle. It accompanied the army to Opelousas and Alexandria, and arrived at Port Hudson May 22, 1863, where it remained nntil July 11th, much of the time being actively engaged with the enemy. The first general attack on the works at Port Hudson took place May 27th, and during that day and the next the Fifty-third was at the front, in hot conflict a large portion of the time. Its loss was thirty killed and wounded. From the 1st to the 4th of June the regi-

ment was in the rifle-pits to the front, and from the 5th to the Sth joined in an expedition to Clinton. It was a severe march, and several men in the regiment were sunstruck. The enemy retired from Clinton without giving battle. The Fifty-third returned to Port Hudson on the evening of the 8th, and remained in comparative quiet until the 13th; on the evening of the 13th orders were given for it to join in an assault on the works of the rebels at three o'clock the next morning. Four regiments were designated to make this assault-the Fourth Wisconsin, Eighth New Hampshire, Thirty-eighth and Fifty-third Massa- chusetts-and at the appointed time they moved upon the enemy's works. The rebels opened a murderous fire upon the heroic men, but their line did not waver. It advanced on the double-quick close to the works, but was not strong enough to carry them, and no sup- ports came to its aid. It was a gallant, but most dis- astrous, charge. The Fifty-third lost eighty-six men killed and wounded. One of the killed was Captain Taft, of Fitchburg, the third commander lost by Com- pany A iu two months. The bravery of the Fifty- third in this charge was highly commended, and Colonel Kimball, for special gallantry, was recom- mended for promotion.

Just previous to the first general attack on Port Hudson a most deplorable accident befell the Fifty- third. It happened thus : On the night of May 25, 1863, it was ordered to do picket duty, General Paine, who gave the order, honoring the regiment by saying " he wanted this Regiment, because he knew he could depend upon it to hold the position during the night." Soon after taking their position for the night, the rebels at their front opened fire, which was unwittingly returned by two New York regiments in the rear, thns placing the Fifty-third between two fires. Fortunately the firing was stopped before much damage was done; but it was at this time that Captain George H. Bailey, of Fitchburg, was killed. He was in command of Company A, having received his appointment only one week previous to his death.

Port Hudson surrendered July 9, 1863, and the Fifty-third, after doing picket duty for two days, started for Baton Rouge, and on the 15th went to Donaldsonville, where it was in camp, and engaged in drill and picket duty till August 2d, when it re- turned to Baton Rouge. Its nine months' term ef service having expired, it was ordered to Massachu- setts.

A grand public reception was given it at Fitchburg August 24th, on which day fully eight thousand peo- ple from surrounding towns were present to witness the return of the brave soldiers. An address of wel- come was delivered by Amasa Norcross, Esq., to which Colonel Kimball responded for the regiment. A procession was then formed and marched to the upper Common, where a bountiful collation, prepared by the ladies, was enjoyed by all.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 76

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1576

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576