USA > Massachusetts > Massachusetts in the war, 1861-1865 Pt. 1 > Part 14
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Receiving fresh ammunition, the regimeut with its brigade was moved to the right where it again advanced upon the enemy, driv- ing them back and holding the ground gained until relieved. Dur- ing this time Lieutenant Colonel Morse commanding the regiment was disabled by a wound in the shoulder, devolving the command of the 116 men that were left upon Captain Brown. Two others were killed and seven wounded, making the loss of the day 24.
The onward movement was resumed the next day, the Fourteenth Corps going to the front and the Twentieth following a few miles in the rear. One division of each was in the rear with the trains, while the others in light marching order followed the retiring Con- federates. Johnston made his stand some miles short of Benton- ville on the 19th, and the battle of that name was fought. He hoped to crush Slocum's forces in detail, and fell furiously upon the divisions of the Fourteenth Corps, but at the sound of the can- nonade those of the Twentieth hurried forward, lengthening and strengthening the Union line; six assaults of the Confederates were repulsed and the Union line was established and intrenched. In this fight the Second was in the supporting lines, and though moved from point to point was not engaged and suffered no loss.
On the 20th the other columns of Sherman's army came up, Johnston was forced from the offensive to the defensive, and on the 21st there was some sharp fighting at other parts of the lines. Early on the following morning a general advance was ordered, but the enemy had retired during the night. Once more the order was " Forward!" and on the 24th the column passed through Golds- boro with music playing and banners flying. A mile or two beyond, on the Weldon railroad, the regiment halted, connections having been reached and the campaign being virtually ended. Camp was established, and its routine, even to drills was taken up.
General Mower took command of the corps on the 3d of April, returning General Williams to the command of the division ; and a few days later, as the Second had a large number of officers, it was decided to send eight of them upon recruiting service, while the regiment was temporarily consolidated in two companies, under com-
135
THE SECOND REGIMENT.
mand of Captain Phalen. The news of the fall of Richmond was received on the 6th of April, and Sherman at once prepared to move in co-operation with the Army of the Potomac. The march began on the 10th, on the 13th the regiment camped at Raleigh, and the following day Johnston made overtures for a cessation of hostilities.
With an occasional march into the surrounding country, a forag- ing expedition or a review, the time passed till the 29th, when the surrender of Johnston was announced, and the following day the march toward Washington began. On the 11th of May the regi- ment passed through Richmond, four years from the day its first camp was established in Massachusetts. Of its original roster only four officers remained, and less than 100 of its 1,000 enlisted men.
The march ended on the 19th at. Cloud's Mills, three miles from Alexandria, when Lieutenant Colonel Morse, having sufficiently re- covered from his wound, returned to the command. On the 24th Sherman's army was reviewed in Washington, and the Second went into camp at Bladensburg; on the 6th of June General Hawley bade farewell to the Brigade, and the next day the Twentieth Corps was broken up. The Second was now brigaded with the Fifth Con- necticut, Forty-sixth Pennsylvania and One Hundred and Forty: third New York, forming the Second Brigade in Bartlett's Division of the District of Washington. The regiment went into camp on Capitol Hill June 14, and a month later was mustered out of the national service, leaving for home on the following day.
At New York it received a cordial greeting from General Hooker, under whom much of its service had been seen, and proceeded thence by steamer to Providence and by rail to Readville, where it remained in camp till the preparations for final payment and dis- charge were completed. During that time a large number of com- plimentary promotions were issued by Governor Andrew, and on the 26th of July, 1865, the organization was dissolved.
THE THIRD REGIMENT.
T HIE Third Regiment of Massachusetts Militia, though its head- quarters were at New Bedford, was one of the first to reach Boston when the call was made in April, 1861, arriving carly in the forenoon of the 16th and being quartered in the hall over the Old Colony railroad station. Like the Fourth and Sixth, it was ready for departure at 6 o'clock that afternoon. The command consisted of but seven companies, with a total of 446 officers and men, the roster being as follows :-
Colonel, David W. Wardrop of New Bedford ; lieutenant colonel, Charles Raymond of Plymouth; major, John H. Jennings; surgeon, Alexander S. Holmes ; assistant surgeon, Johnson Clark ; adjutant, Austin S. Cushman, all of New Bedford; quartermaster, Edward D. Allen of Fairhaven; sergeant major, Albert C. Maggi; quartermaster sergeant, Frederick S. Gifford, both of New Bedford.
Company A, Halifax Light Infantry-Captain, Joseph S. Harlow of Middleboro; first lieutenant, Cephas Washburn, Jr., of Kingston; second lieutenant, Charles P. Lyon of Halifax.
Company B, Standish Guard -Captain, Charles C. Doten ; first lientenant, Otis Rogers, both of Plymonth; second lieutenant, Will- iam B. Alexander of Boston.
Company C, Cambridge City Guards-Captain, James P. Richard- son ; first lieutenant, Samuel E. Chamberlain ; second lieutenant, Edwin F. Richardson.
Company G, Assonet Light Infantry -Captain, John W. Marble; first lieutenant, Humphrey A. Francis; second lieutenant, John M. Dean, all of Freetown.
Company H, Samoset Guards-Captain, Lucien .L. Perkins; first lieutenant, Oscar E. Washburn, both of Plympton; second lieutenant, Southworth Loring of Middleboro.
Company K, Bay State Light Infantry-Captain, William S. McFar- lin of South Carver; first lieutenant, John Dunham of North Carver; second lieutenant, Francis L. Porter of New Bedford.
Company L, New Bedford City Guards-Captain, Timothy Ingra- ham; first lieutenant, James Barton; second lieutenant, Austin S. Cushman.
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THE THIRD REGIMENT. .
The Third Regiment was destined for Fortress Monroe, and at 6 o'clock in the afternoon of the 17th of April marched to the State House, where it was equipped, and thence to the steamer at Central wharf, where it at once embarked, but remained at anchor in the harbor till noon of the 18th. It then sailed for Virginia, reaching its destination on the 20th, two hours after the arrival of the Fourth Regiment. Colonel Wardrop was at once directed to report to Commodore Paulding, and was by that officer ordered with his command aboard the United States steamer Pawnee and sailed at 5 o'clock for the Gosport Navy Yard, where the regiment landed late in the. evening. About midnight Paulding informed Colonel Wardrop that the evacuation of the yard had been decided on, and though the latter protested earnestly, the measure was carried out. The regiment was detailed to assist in the destruction, most of the men re-embarking at 4 o'clock and dropping down the river till the firing detachments came off in small boats, after which the vessels made their way down through the obstructions and the Third landed at the Fortress late in the morning of the 21st.
It was made a part of the garrison there on the 22d, and the day after was mustered into the United States service for three months in due form. Four companies enlisted for three years, which after- ward formed part of the Twenty-ninth Regiment, joined the Third during May-Company I, Captain Chamberlain of Lynn, and Company M, Captain Tyler of Boston, on the 14th; Company D, Captain Chipman of Sandwich, and Company E, Captain Doten of Plymouth, on the 22d, when General Butler took command of the Department of Virginia. On the 1st of July the regiment left the fort, crossed the creek and occupied the village of Hampton, in con- nection with the naval brigade and followed by the Fourth Regiment, all under the command of General E. W. Pierce. Some skirmish- ing ensued, but the enemy were soon driven from the vicinity by Union scouting parties.
A threatening movement being made against the village on the 4th by a strong party of the enemy, the regiment with some com- panies of the garrison and four pieces of artillery, under command of Colonel Wardrop, marched out two miles to the junction of the roads and formed line of battle during the night; but in the morn- ing it was found that the enemy had retired. A scouting party of 35 from Company C, commanded by Lieutenant Chamberlain, fol-
138
MASSACHUSETTS IN THIE WAR.
lowed the retiring foe to the vicinity of Yorktown, being absent five days and gaining much valuable information regarding the country and the enemy's position and strength. With this exception the regiment devoted itself to strengthening the fort and fortifying in the vicinity, various details taking part in unimportant expeditions by water, till the 16th of July, when by direction of General Butler preparation was made for the return to Massachusetts. Embarking on the steamer Cambridge on the afternoon of that day, the seven original companies returned to Boston, reaching there the 19th and four days later being mustered out of the national service.
THE NINE-MONTHS' TERM.
The call for nine-months' troops in the summer of 1862 was met in part by the volunteering of the militia regiments of the state, among which the Third promptly offered its services. It was ordered to Camp Joe Hooker at Lakeville, where its ranks were filled to the required standard, though the regiment of ten com- panies and 1,000 men thus organized bore but little resemblance in its make-up to the one of the same name which responded to the first call. The companies began to gather at the rendezvous Sep- tember 16 ; they were all present on the 22d ; eight companies were mustered the day following and the remainder on the 26th. Orders were received on the 8th of October to prepare for departure to North Carolina, but it was some days before the men were supplied with overcoats. The field and staff were principally mustered on the 15th, the roster following :-
Colonel, Silas P. Richmond of Freetown; lieutenant colonel, James Barton of New Bedford; major, John Morissey of Plymouth; surgeon, Alfred A. Stocker of Cambridge; assistant surgeon, Woodbridge R. Howes of Mattapoisett; adjutant, Lucien L. Perkins of Plympton; quartermaster, Bethuel Penniman, Jr., of New Bedford; chaplain, Charles A. Snow of Fall River; sergeant major, Edward L. Robbins of Plymouth; quartermaster sergeant, Theodore A. Barton of New Bedford; commissary sergeant, Arthur Hooper of Bridgewater; hos- pital steward, Eugene Whittemore of Boston.
Company A-Captain, John W. Marble of Freetown; first lieuten- ant, Charles P. Lyon; second lieutenant, Nathaniel Morton, both of Halifax.
Company B-Captain, Thomas B. Griffith of Carver; first lieuten- ant, Charles A. S. Perkins of Plymouth; second lieutenant, William S. Briggs of Middleboro.
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THIE THIRD REGIMENT.
Company C, Fall River-Captain, Elihu Grant; first lieutenant, Benjamin A. Shaw; second lieutenant, Charles D. Copeland.
Company D, Fall River-Captain, Andrew R. Wright; first lieuten- ant. Thomas McFarland; second lieutenant, George Reynolds, Jr.
Company E-Captain, John A. Hawes of Fairhaven; first lieuten- ant, William E. Mason; second lieutenant, James L. Sharp, both of New Bedford.
Company F, New Bedford-Captain, George R. Hurlbut; first lieu- tenant, William H. Allen, 3d; second lieutenant, Jonathan W. Davis.
Company G, New Bedford-Captain, William S. Cobb; first lieuten- ant, Henry W. Briggs; second lieutenant, James L. Wilbur.
Company H-Captain, Otis A. Baker of Rehoboth; first lieutenant, Robert Crossman of Dighton; second lieutenant, Joseph Gibbs of Somerset.
Company I-Captain, Barnabas Ewer, Jr., of Fairhaven: first lieu- tenant, Solomon K. Eaton of Mattapoisett; second lieutenant, Jabez M. Lyle of Fairhaven.
Company K-Captain, Samuel Bates of East Bridgewater: first lieutenant, Nathan Forbes of Bridgewater; second lieutenant, Charles E. Churchill of West Bridgewater.
The command embarked on the steamers Merrimack and Missis- sippi on the 22d of October, and sailed that evening, reaching Beau- fort the 26th, where they debarked and proceeded at once by rail to Newbern, going into camp on the banks of the Neuse a mile from the city. Three days later the regiment was equipped and armed with the Austrian rifled musket-a very poor weapon. Two companies were soon after detached for duty at Newport Barracks, where they remained for more than a month and a picket station at Creek No. 1 was maintained for three months by details of some 30 men from the Third. A month later Company I went to Plymouth, N. C., where it remained on garrison duty for over five months, during which time it was engaged in the fight of December 10, losing one man killed, several wounded and 14 taken prisoners.
The regiment was assigned to Colonel Horace C. Lee's Brigade, the other regiments being the Fifth, Twenty-fifth, Twenty-seventh and Forty-sixth Massachusetts. An attack of the Confederates on the pickets at Deep Gully on the 11th of November called the Third to arms, and they stood during the night in momentary anticipation of marching orders, which did not come. The first expedition in which the command took part was that toward Goldsboro, starting on the 11th of December, and occupying 11 days. The regiment had a share in the actions at Kinston and Whitehall, though not
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
actively engaged, and at Goldsboro on the 17th assisted in tearing up the railroad track under fire from the enemy, and later, as the main force was retiring, supported the artillery during the repulse of the Confederate attack. Though much exposed during the day the regiment escaped with a loss of but six wounded.
Toward the close of December the Third were assigned to Gen- eral Heckman's Brigade of Naglee's Division, Eighteenth Corps, but at an inspection held soon after their muskets were condemned. As they could not be replaced at that time, the regiment was un- able to participate in the expedition to South Carolina of which the brigade formed part. It was accordingly detached and assigned to Colonel Jourdan's Brigade, with which it remained till the close of its term. On the 26th of January, 1863, the regiment moved to Camp Jourdan, near Fort Totten,-a very unfavorable locality ; but as it was an important point in the defenses of Newbern the regiment by great exertion created a pleasant and healthful camp.
The next active service of the Third was on the 6th of March, when with the division commanded by General Prince it went on a five-days' expedition into Jones and Onslow counties, during which the regiment won official thanks for the faithful discharge of its duties. On the 14th an attack by the Confederates on the out- posts at Deep Gully called the Third to arms and they marched out four miles, when demonstrations against Newbern itself caused their return to camp, where they remained under arms till after- noon of the next day. They then joined Prince's Division on a reconnaissance to Pollocksville, returning at evening of the 16th. With the beginning of April large daily details were made for work on the intrenchments, 150 men being furnished when the regiment was in camp, and this labor continued while they remained in North Carolina.
Orders were received on the 5th of April to embark for the re- lief of Little Washington, N. C., then besieged by a Confederate force, but it was not till evening of the 7th that the regiment was transported across the Neuse and next day joined a column under General Spinola intended for an overland diversion in favor of the garrison. A rapid march was made to Blount's Creek, where the enemy were found in some force, a skirmish ensued, and General Spinola's command retraced its steps, reaching Newbern on the evening of the 10th. A more efficient movement was made six
141
THE THIRD REGIMENT.
days later, when the regiment marched to Core Creek, remaining in the vicinity six days and having some slight skirmishes with the enemy, the result of the movement being to cause a raising of the siege of Washington. In consequence of a disaster to the Eighty- fifth Pennsylvania, in which its colonel, Jones, was killed, the Third were ordered in the evening of the 23d to march to the vicinity of Batchelder's Creek, which was done, the command lying in line.of battle during the night ; but it was found next morning that the enemy had retreated and the regiment returned to New- bern, the march being very severe on account of heat and dust.
No further expeditions of importance were undertaken, and after a period of pieket duty the Third were ordered home to Massachu- setts, their time having expired. Taking transports on the 11th of June, they reached Boston on the 16th, and after a very flattering reception took cars for Camp Joe Hooker; but before reaching it the men were furloughed with orders to report on the 22d. They did so, and after remaining in camp four days were mustered out on the 26th by Captain J. K. Lawrence of the regular army.
THE FOURTH REGIMENT.
T HE Fourth Regiment, Massachusetts Militia, had the honor of being the first organization to leave Boston in response to the call of April 14, 1861, for troops for the national defense. Its head-quarters were at Quincy, the home of Colonel Packard, but the companies were scattered through a considerable region, and the individual members were still further dispersed ; yet before sunset of the 16th the command was in Boston, with its head-quarters in Faneuil Hall, and ready for any duty which might be required. It was not till the following afternoon, however, that transpor- tation and preliminaries had been arranged, when at 3 o'clock the Fourth marched to the State House, where they heard a few thrill- ing words from Governor Andrew, to which Colonel Packard made response, after which the regiment marched to the Old Colony rail- road depot and took cars for Fall River, en route to Fortress Mon- roe. The command consisted of nine companies, with a total of 635 officers and men, this being the roster :-
Colonel, Abner B. Packard of Quincy; lieutenant colonel, Hawkes Fearing, Jr., of Hingham; major, Horace O. Whittemore of Boston; surgeon, Henry M. Saville; assistant surgeon, William L. Faxon; ad- jutant, Henry Walker, all of Quincy; quartermaster, William W. Car- ruth of Boston; sergeant major, Alvin E. Hall of Foxboro; quarter- master sergeant. George W. Barnes of Plymouth; drum major, George W. Pope of Quincy.
Company A, Union Light Guards-Captain, Ira Drake of Stough- ton; first lieutenant, Henry U. Morse; second lieutenant, John Mc- Kay, Jr., both of Canton.
Company B-Captain Milo M. Williams, Jr .; first lieutenant, Lin- ton Waldron; second lieutenant, William E. Bump, Jr., all of Easton. (Companies B, C, D, E and G were known as the " Light Infantry" of their respective towns.)
Company C-Captain, Cephas C. Bumpus; first lieutenant, James T. Stevens; second lieutenant, Isaac P. Fuller, all of Braintree.
Company D-Captain, Horace Niles; first lieutenant, Otis S. Wil- bur; second lieutenant, Hiram F. Wales, all of Randolph.
.
143
THE FOURTHI REGIMENT.
Company E-Captain, Charles F. Allen ; first lieutenant, Lewis Soule; second lieutenant, John W. Mitchell, all of South Abington.
Company F, Warren Light Guards-Captain, David L. Shepard; first lieutenant, Moses A. Richardson; second lieutenant, Carlos A. Hart, all of Foxboro.
Company G-Captain, Timothy Gordon; first lieutenant, Zaccheus Sherman; second lieutenant, Frederick A. Harrington, all of Taunton.
Company HI, Hancock Light Guards-Captain, Franklin Curtis; first lieutenant, Edward A. Spear; second lieutenant, Benjamin F. Messervy, all of Quincy.
Company I, Lincoln Light Guards-Captain, Luther Stephenson. Jr., first lieutenant, Charles Sprague; second lieutenant, Nathaniel French, Jr., all of Hingham.
At Fall River the regiment went aboard the steamer State of Maine, by which it was landed at New York on the afternoon of the 18th. There the Fourth remained for 24 hours while the steamer prepared for its ocean voyage, setting out on the afternoon of the 19th and reaching the vicinity of the Fortress early the following morning. At sunrise the unfurling of the Stars and Stripes above the stronghold dispelled the fears which had been entertained as to its safety, and as soon as practicable the command landed amid the cheers of the small garrison, being the first loyal regiment to place foot upon ground claimed by any seceding state,-Virginia having adopted an ordinance of secession three days before.
At once the labors of the regiment began. The Fortress was almost defenseless on the land side-from which danger now threat- ened it ;- there were heavy guns to mount, vessels to unload and many routine duties to perform. The command was mustered into the United States service on the 22d, and for more than a month remained in the fort. General Butler took command of the De- partment of Virginia about the middle of May, and on the 27th the Fourth with the First Vermont and the Tenth New York Regiments were sent to Newport News, some 12 miles distant, to form an in- trenched camp, known as Camp Butler. From that time till their return to Massachusetts the Fourth were engaged almost constantly in fortifying the position thus taken.
Five companies of the regiment as volunteers took part in the expedition against Big Bethel, setting ont on the night of the 9th of June, soon after midnight, under command of Major Whitte- more. The encounter which ocenrred between two regiments of the command at daylight, when each mistook the other for the
144
MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
enemy, was stopped by Major Whittemore, who rode out in front of his line and discovered the true situation. The disorder having been rectified, the movement continued, and the Massachusetts de- tachment with a like detail from the Vermont regiment were ordered to turn the enemy's left, and under a heavy fire had nearly gained the hostile works in their front when a retreat was ordered and on the part of the right wing reluctantly obeyed, the Fourth having suffered the loss of one mortally and one or two slightly wounded. On the return to Newport News, Major Whittemore's command fornied the rear guard, and its conduct throughout, in the first bat- tle in which Massachusetts troops had part, was exemplary.
Camp Butler was quitted on the 3d of July, and the regiment took quarters in the village of Hampton, then practically deserted, save by the negroes. There it remained in quiet till the 11th, when it marched over to Fortress Monroe to prepare for the return to Massachusetts. On the 15th it took passage for Boston on the steamer S. R. Spaulding, reaching its destination on the 18th. Land- ing on Long Island in the harbor, the command remained there till the 22d, when, just three months after its muster in, it was honor- ably dismissed.
THE NINE-MONTHS' TERM.
Under the call for nine-months' troops in August, 1862, the Fourth with the other militia regiments of the state volunteered for duty, and was ordered to Camp Joe Hooker at Lakeville to fill its ranks to the required standard. Company B was mustered on the 1st of September, HI on the 19th, E on the 26th, and the other companies on the 23d, though some additions were made later. The field officers and part of the staff were not mustered till the 16th of December. Some of the companies were nominally the same which had gone out in 1861, but very few names re-appeared in the roster of officers or men. The field, staff and line were made up as follows :-
Colonel, Henry Walker of Quincy ; lieutenant colonel, Eben T. Colby of Lawrence; major, Charles F. Howard of Foxboro; surgeon, James Waldock of Roxbury; assistant surgeons, Edward W. Norton of Blandford and Joseph F. Gould of South Boston ; adjutant, Augustus Crocker; quartermaster, Thomas J. Lothrop, both of Taunton; chaplain, Samuel E. Pierce of Gloucester; sergeant major, Franklin Jacobs of Canton; quartermaster sergeant, Edwin Barrows
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TIIE FOURTHI REGIMENT.
of Norton ; commissary sergeant, Lebaron Goodwin of Duxbury; hospital steward, Charles W. Howland of Abington; principal mu- sician, Nelson Mann of Randolph.
Company A-Captain, John Hall of Canton; first lieutenant, Ira Drake of Stoughton; second lieutenant, Henry U. Morse of Canton.
Company B, Lawrence-Captain, George S. Merrill; first lieuten- ant, John K. Tarbox; second lieutenant, Albert F. Dow.
Company C-Captain, Seneca R. Thomas; first lieutenant, Daniel F. Wood, both of Middleboro; second lieutenant, James M. Sampson of Lakeville.
Company D, Randolph-Captain, Hiram C. Alden; first lieutenant, Myron W. Hollis; second lieutenant, Edmund Cottle.
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