USA > Massachusetts > History of the Thirty-seventh Regiment, Mass., Volunteers, in the civil war of 1861-1865, with a comprehensive sketch of the doings of Massachusetts as a state, and of the principal campaigns of the war > Part 4
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In the national councils the state was well represented. In the Senate it had Charles Sumner and Henry Wilson, the former holding the chairmanship of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. When the delicate condition of our foreign relations during the whole time of the war is borne in mind, it scarcely needs to be said that in this field the magnificent intellect of Mr. Sumner found an ample task. This position naturally brought him in very close relations to the President, and on the last week of Mr. Lincoln's life he said to Mr. Sumner, during a very cordial interview: "There is no person with whom I have oftener ad- vised throughout my administration than with yourself."
If it be just to give to Senator Sumner the prouder place as a national statesman, it will be equally just to give Senator Wil- son a place closer to the warm heart of the loyal people, especially those of his own state. During the war he was chair-
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
man of the Committee on Military Affairs and of the Committee on the Militia-no man did more faithful service than he, none had a keener comprehension of the national situation. No sketch, however brief, of the part taken by Massachusetts in the conflict would be complete without an appreciative reference to the great work of Mr. Wilson. He had already served upon the Military Committee for four years, under the chairmanship of Jefferson Davis, and with no power to prevent had seen the nat- urally feeble military power of the government manipulated in accordance with the purposes of the conspirators and made still more feeble for the government's protection. When Fort Sumter . fell Mr. Wilson urged the President to call for 300,000 men in- stead of the 75,000 actually asked for, but the magnitude of the numbers was staggering, and the advice was not heeded. When the call was issued he prevailed upon the Secretary of War to double the quota of Massachusetts, and then hastened home to consult with the state authorities. From that hour his duties were multitudinous and unceasing. Returning to Washington. he devoted much of his time to caring for the soldiers, especially those in the hospitals; yet on the assembling of Congress in extra session, July 4, 1861, he was ready with the important military bills demanded by the condition of affairs. At the ad- journment of the special session he returned to Massachusetts to give his personal influence to the promotion of enlistments. and raised by his own efforts, among other troops, the Twenty- second regiment, of which he was commissioned colonel. This commission, however, was soon resigned, and Mr. Wilson, the better to familiarize himself with the service in all its branches and its needs, became a volunteer aide on General MeClellan's staff, which position he held till January, 1862, when duty again called him to active work in the Senate.
His position had now become one of immense responsibility. All the important legislation required in connection with the enormous military service of the ensuing four years was either originated or passed upou by the committee of which Mr. Wil- son was the head and the heart. In the single matter of como- missioned officers, 11,000 nominations of all grades from second
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MASSACHUSETTS MEN IN CONGRESS.
lieutenant to lieutenant-general were referred to them for in- vestigation and report ; interested parties naturally flocked to the committee with requests and complaints, and even the com- mon soldiers felt at liberty to seek out Senator Wilson, "The Soldier's Friend,"-the man in whose great heart there was a warm corner for the humblest human being. Among the mul- titude of bills prepared by Mr. Wilson in person were those for bettering the pay and condition of the soldiers, and all of those relating to the military service of the blacks, freeing the fami- lies of colored soldiers, as well as the men themselves, and abol- ishing slavery in the District of Columbia; for Mr. Wilson never forgot that the rebellion was built upon slavery as a corner-stone; and he wrought unceasingly for its destruction and for the con- stitutional equality of the negro race-a work in which he was the efficient co-laborer of Mr. Sumner, having from his position an influence and an opportunity second to none in the country. ,
In the Thirty-seventh Congress, which began its labors with the special session of 1861, Massachusetts was represented in the House by Thomas D. Eliot, James Buffinton, Benjamin F. Thomas, Alexander H. Rice, Samuel Hooper, John B. Alley, Daniel W. Gooch, Charles R. Train, Goldsmith F. Bailey, Charles Delano and Henry L. Dawes. Two years later Mr. Buffinton was succeeded by Oakes Ames, Mr. Train by George S. Boutwell, Mr. Bailey by James D. Baldwin, and Mr. Delano by William B. Washburn. The faithful service of these men can only be hinted at in this brief sketch. Mr. Rice was chair- man of the Committee on Naval Affairs, Mr. Hooper on that of Ways and Means, Mr. Dawes served on the Committee on Elec- tions, Mr. Alley on Post-offices and Post Roads, Mr. Gooch on the Conduct of the War, and Mr. Eliot on the Committee on Confiscation and that on Emancipation.
Among the representatives of the United States at foreign courts, the Commonwealth furnished Charles Francis Adams, who at London had the most delicate, difficult and important position in the entire foreign service, J. Lothrop Motley, minis- ter to Austria, and Anson Burlingame to China, the latter doing a work of world-wide importance, though remotely related to
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
the great struggle at home, in opening that country to the com- merce of the world.
The first official act of Governor Andrew after his inaugura- tion was to dispatch trusty messengers to each of the governors of the New England states urging preparation for the worst and a hearty support of the government at Washington. The re- sults of this movement were of the most satisfactory nature. The next measure, and indeed the only one which was in order in the absence of actual hostilities, was thorough preparation for the expected event. In this, as in all the military measures which ensued, the strong right arm of the Governor was Adju- tant-General William Schouler, who had been appointed to office by Governor Banks, and whose indefatigable and well- judged labors did so much for the success of the plans of his chief. The organized militia of the state at this time consisted . of about 5,600 men, divided into nine regiments, seven battalions and thirteen unattached companies. Jannary 16, a general order was issued requiring every company to be put in efficient condition for active service if called upon. Those who from age, physical defect or other cause were unable or unwilling to serve were to be honorably mustered out, the companies recruited to their maximum and held subject to the orders of the Governor. To show the spirit of the officers and men it may be stated that within a week from the issuance of the order Colonel Jones of the Sixth regiment tendered his command for immediate service if required. In the mean time the Legislature had passed a resolution pledging to the general government "her entire means, civil and military," that the President might "execute the laws of the United States, defend the Union and protect national property," which it was declared the universal senti- ment of the people of the state that we should do. Legislation and preparation for the demands likely to be made upon the military forces of the Commonwealth went on with zeal, but it was not till the Stars and Stripes were humiliated at Sumter that the call came.
The 15th of April brought the expected message, the first dispatch being from Senator Wilson asking for twenty compa-
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THE FIRST REGIMENTS SENT FORTH.
nies, but later in the day the Secretary of War sent a formal requisition for two full regiments. Orders were at once issued to Colonel Wardrop of the Third, Colonel Packard of the Fourth, Colonel Jones of the Sixth and Colonel Monroe of the Eighth to report at Boston with their commands, and on the morning of the following day the companies began to arrive, the first to reach the city being the three Marblehead companies of the Eighth regiment. The enthusiasm was something wonder- ful for steady-going Massachusetts. Money and service were offered from every hand in unstinted measure; everywhere the eye rested on the national colors in many a patriotic device.
While the hum of preparation was at its hight on the 16th word came from Senator Wilson that the state was to furnish four regiments under the command of a brigadier-general. General B. F. Butler was assigned to the latter position, and orders were forwarded to Colonel Lawrence of the Fifth to re- port at Boston with his command, the Massachusetts regiments not having the number of companies required for the United States service. On the afternoon of the 17th the Third and Fourth regiments set out for Fortress Monroe, the former by steamer direct, the latter from Fall River by way of New York. The Sixth regiment also left Boston on the evening of the 17th, going by rail to Washington direct. The story of the brutal attack of a Baltimore mob on the 19th, in which Massachusetts gave the first blood and the first lives in the great sacrifice, has given this regiment a fame that will never die. That story needs no rehearsal here.
The Eighth regiment, accompanied by General Butler, left Boston on the afternoon of the 18th, intending to follow the Sixth. At Springfield they were joined by Captain Henry S. Briggs of Pittsfield with the Allen Guards, completing the organization. Philadelphia was reached on the afternoon of the 19th when news came to them of the assault upon the Sixth in Baltimore. A night of intense anxiety followed. during which General Butler decided upon a plan for reaching Washington. by "flanking" the hostile city ; but Colonel Lefferts of the Seventh New York, whose command had reached Philadelphia,
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
declined to accompany the Massachusetts soldiers, though fol- lowing a few hours later. The ensuing afternoon cars were taken for Perryville, where the regiment was transferred to the large ferry-boat Maryland, which was placed at General Butler's service by President Samuel M. Felton of the Philadelphia and Baltimore railroad, who seems to have suggested the course which was adopted. As soon as the regiment and its property were aboard the Maryland steamed away for Annapolis, where it anchored the following morning near the famous frigate Consti- tution, then used as a school ship, and for the safety of which fears were felt. Two companies of the Eighth were at once put on board, and the historic craft was in due time taken to New York for safety. From Annapolis to the Junction, 22 miles, the regiment repaired the Annapolis and Elk Ridge railroad, which had been destroyed, put the engines and cars in running order, built bridges and opened railway communication between the Capital and the North. On the 26th they reached Washing- ton, much worn by their arduous duties, but having performed a service winning for them imperishable renown.
In the mean time the news of the situation reached Boston and produced the most thrilling excitement, not only in official cireles but among the people of every class. The Fifth regi- ment was rapidly put in readiness and sent forward on the 20th to the support of the Eighth, and on the same day Major Asa F. Cook's battery of light artillery and the Third battalion of riflemen, three companies under Major Charles Devens, Jr., started for the front, joining the Fifth at New York, whence the entire force went by water to Annapolis. Major Devens with his command was soon sent to Fort McHenry, while the Fifth and the battery accompanied the Eighth to Washington.
Thus was met the first call upon the patriotism of Massachu- setts. It came to a people who knew not war, whose lives had been lives of peace and Inxury. Within five days after the call was received the state had sent forward five full regiments of infantry a battery of artillery and three companies of riflemen. -a fourth following a few days later and proceeding up the Potomac to Washington. Wherever they went these troops were
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THE THREE-YEARS' VOLUNTEERS.
the pioneers; the arrival of the Third and Fourth regiments at Fortress Monroe secured to the government the possession of that important stronghold, on which the conspirators were look- ing with eager eyes, while the Sixth, quartered in the Senate chamber on their arrival after the deadly struggle through the streets of Baltimore, gave the first positive assurance of the safety of the national Capital.
On the 3d of May, fearing that the return home of the 75,- 000 who had been summoned for three months would leave the government with an inadequate military force, President Lin- coln called for some 40,000 volunteers for three years' service, and Massachusetts was instructed to furnish six regiments. "It is important to reduce rather than enlarge this number, and in no event to exceed it and if more are already called for. to reduce the number by discharge," was the language of Secretary of War Simon Cameron in transmitting the requisi- tion. Thus cautious and groping were the steps taken by the national government in the early days of the struggle. Even this permission to send troops to the defense of the country was not received at Boston till the 22d, 19 days after the call.
On the 25th the Second regiment, Colonel George H. Gordon, was mustered into the United States service, being the first New England regiment accepted for three years. The other regiments of the quota were mustered during the mouth of June in this order : Ninth, Colonel Thomas Cass, June 11; Eleventh, Col- onel George Clark, Jr., June 13; First, Colonel Robert Cowdin, and Seventh, Colonel D. N. Couch, the 15th; and the Tenth, Colonel Henry S. Briggs, the 21st. The First left the state June 15, marched through Baltimore on the 17th, and was the first three-years' regiment to reach Washington.
Extremely dissatisfied at the meager force called for, Governor Andrew, in common with many prominent men through the country, urged the acceptance of more troops, and a vigorous prosecution of the war-for that there was to be a bitter and cruel war. could no longer be doubted. It was with much satis- faction, therefore, that on the 17th of June permission was received to forward ten additional regiments. Colonel Fletcher
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
Webster, the heroic son of the great orator, had his Twelfth regiment already organized, and it was mustered June 26. Then during the months of July and August, followed, in order of their acceptance, the Fifteenth, Colonel Charles Devens, Jr .; Thirteenth, Colonel Samuel H. Leonard; Seventeeth, Colonel T. J. C. Amory; Nineteenth, Colonel Edward W. Hinks; Six- teenth, Colonel P. F. Wyman, Twenty-first, Colonel Augustus Morse; Eighteenth, Colonel James Barnes; Twentieth, Colonel W. R. Lee, and Fourteenth or First Heavy Artillery, Colonel W. B. Greene.
The state Legislature, meantime, had been called to meet in extra session, May 14, and no more important session of that body was ever held. The multitude of new and pressing ques- tions which had to be met, the rapidly increasing magnitude of the struggle, the raising, equipping and sending forward of vast levies of men, the provisions for their comfort and for the carc of those dependents whom they left behind,-all joined in demanding the best intelligence and the most unswerving patriot- ism on the part of the legislators. How faithfully those duties were performed history records, but the details cannot be given in a single general chapter. In addition to other sources of anxiety, it was necessary to send an agent abroad to procure arms; a mission which was promptly directed by the Governor as soon as it became apparent that the national government could not arms its defenders.
Boston, too, was open to the mercy of any nautical foe, the forts erected for its protection being garrisonless and in a sad condition of neglect. Pressing representations to the general government of this fact brought no response, and finally, as a matter of self-defense, the state was obliged to take the respon- sibility of ordering details of its soldiery to occupy the works and put them in as defensible a condition as possible-a work for which the Washington authorities have yet made but partial acknowledgment and compensation.
Thus in ceaseless activity the first year of the war rolled away. Before the close of 1861, the Twenty-ninth regiment had been mustered into service, and the new year saw the Thirtieth,
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THE DARK SUMMER OF 1862.
Thirty-first and Thirty-second nearly ready to follow. The anniversary of the first call found 27 infantry regiments from Massachusetts in the field, for three years, in addition to the cavalry and artillery which had gone forward in proportionate numbers. The spring and early summer of 1862 brought a short respite from the work of enlistment and organization. The eyes of the people were upon General McClellan's army on the penin- sula, hoping to see a fatal blow given to the rebellion. That hope vanished, as the shattered army recoiled before the fierce onsets of Johnston and Lee.
An order was received from the President, May 28, 1862, calling for two new regiments-the Thirty-third and Thirty- fourth-and the four companies required to complete the Thirty- second, already in service, as well as six companies to garrison Fort Warren, in Boston harbor. These were being filled when the President called a levy of 300,000 men, to serve for three years, and on the 7th of July Governor Andrew officially asked for the quota from Massachusetts. Every effort was put forth by the state, city and town authorities, and in two months the last man called for had been mustered into service. In addition to the 4,000 men sent to the old regiments, in the field, seven new regiments, in numerical order, from the Thirty-fifth to the Forty-first, inclusive, went in response to this demand.
Following the call for the three-years' men, and only a month later, a draft was ordered for 300,000 more to serve for nine months, and the quota of Massachusetts under this demand was fixed at 19,080. There was no hesitation. no delay. The five militia regiments which had responded so promptly to the first call for three months' service the previous year were about going into camp for the annual state muster. Their ranks were filled, and they again went forward to serve their country. In addition, 12 new regiments, from the Forty-second to the Fifty-third, inclusive, were organized and sent. This ended the work of 1862, so far as the sending out of regiments was concerned.
With the opening of 1863. the Emancipation Proclamation Took effect, and toward the close of January the long-desired permission was given for Massachusetts to raise a colored regi-
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
ment. Before the middle of May the regiment was filled, and on the 28th it left Boston by steamer, for South Carolina. It was ably commanded by Colonel Robert G. Shaw, who fell at its head in the terrible night attack on Fort Wagner, July 18 fol- lowing. This was the Fifty-fourth, and on the 21st of July the Fifty-fifth, also composed of colored men, under Colonel N. P. Hallowell, left for the same destination. The Fifth Cavalry was also a colored regiment. Regarding the part taken by these soldiers, it is simple justice to say, in a word. that wherever they were placed, they performed faithfully every duty which came to them.
With the appointment of General Hooker to the command of the Army of the Potomac, came his recommendation that re- cruits should be sent to fill. the regiments already in the field. rather than that new organizations should be formed, and that. with few exceptions, was the course thenceforward pursued in Massachusetts. In the winter and early spring of 1864, four regiments of " veterans" were organized, and went at once into the Wilderness campaign, where they suffered frightful losses. These were the Fifty-sixth, Fifty-seventh, Fifty-eighth and Fifty-ninth. In July of that year five regiments were sent out for 100 days' garrison duty, to allow veteran troops to go to the front-the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Forty-second and Sixtieth. Nine unattached companies were also formed for garrison duty on the Massachusetts coast. For these forces the state received no credit from the general government. The Sixty-first, for one year, was raised and sent forward by detachments the ensuing fall and winter, and the Sixty-second was being recruited when the collapse of the rebellion ended the long sacrifice.
In addition to the infantry regiments, the state had in the ser- vice 16 batteries of light artillery, three regiments of heavy artillery, numerous unattached companies of the latter and of sharpshooters, and two regiments of cavalry, besides the infantry afterward reorganized as such.
The total of men furnished by Massachusetts for all terms of service reached 159,254-a surplus over all calls of 13,492. Of this number 31,165 served in the navy, 6,039 were colored, and
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SOME FIGURES FROM THE RECORDS.
only 907 were non-resident "foreigners." The last-given figures sre answer sufficient to the imputation sometimes heard that the ranks of our volunteer regiments were filled with foreign hire- lings. To offset the few aliens thus employed, it may be stated that, in the early period of the war, more than 3,000 men from the state enlisted in other states, for which no credit could be received by Massachusetts. Of the officers and men, 3,543 were killed in action, 1,986 died of wounds, 5,672 of disease, 1,843 in rebel prisons, and 1,026 were missing and never accounted for.
In this connection it is worthy of note that the men of Mas- achusetts received from all quarters the highest commendation for the manliness, courage and intelligence, with which they bore the sufferings incidental to soldier life, especially in hos- pital; the cheerfulness and strong rallying power manifested, their prompt return to duty on recovery, and Christian heroism in meeting death when that became the sad alternative. Of those who returned to their homes, it is equally gratifying to know that their after lives gave no indication of general demoralization from the associations met during their soldier days. Where the rarly life gave good promise, it was generally broadened and strengthened by the experience, and if there were exceptions to the rule, so there were unquestionably genuine reformations of character.
The total expense incurred by the state in raising and equip- ping troops reached $27,705,109, and that of the cities and towns as such was nearly as much more, making $50,000,000 in round numbers as the money cost to the state.
Properly a part of the record of Massachusetts, as the work was performed by her mechanics under the direction of the general government, may be counted the production at the Springfield armory, in the five years succeeding July 1, 1860, of -05,636 muskets, with extra parts and repairs equal to 120.845 more. The rifled musket, as there produced, was the standard wrapon of the service, and undoubtedly the best muzzle-loader over manufactured.
The draft riots of the summer of 1863, which in New York were so disgraceful, found a slight echo in Boston, and for a
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
time there was ground for alarm. But the action of the Gover- nor was prompt and efficient. Troops were hastily assembled, and every important point protected. In but a single instance did the mob, which gathered in considerable numbers, venture on violence. The armory of the Eleventh Battery on Cooper street, which contained the only available artillery in the city, with a quantity of ammunition, was assaulted on the evening of July 14 by a mob of several thousand. Major Stephen Cabot was in command inside the armory, and when the mob ventured upon an assault on the doors, the order to fire was given. One volley, which killed several of the rioters and wounded many, ended the trouble in Massachusetts, though the precautions were continued in Boston and other cities till all indications of a riotous purpose had disappeared.
While the outline thus given exhibits a devotion, patriotism and heroism, of which any commonwealth might well be proud. no record of these troublous times would be complete that failed to acknowledge the equal consecration of the daughters of the Old Bay State. No women bore a more faithful part, whether we consider the devotion of those who, as nurses, went into the hospitals, the labors in the great fields of the Sanitary Commis- sion and the Christian Commission, or the Soldiers' Aid Socie- ties, which, in all the towns and cities, labored indefatigably for the comfort of the sick and wounded soldiers, and the welfare. spiritual and physical, of those in the field. No less patriotic in purpose and commendable in spirit was the action of those who. like the teachers in the schools of Boston and elsewhere, voluin- tarily sacrificed a large percentage of their salaries, in order to lighten the burdens of the state and city. Even the inmates of the state prison volunteered to perform extra labor in the cause. The first act in aid of the families of volunteers was that passed by the Massachusetts Legislature, May 23, 1861. The first president of the United States Christian Commission was Rev. A. Rolin Neale, D. D., of Boston; Massachusetts had more delegates in the service than any other state, and furnished the four field agents. In providing for the navy, in this direction, the first and principal work was done by Massachusetts.
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