USA > Massachusetts > Massachusetts in the war, 1861-1865 Pt. 1 > Part 7
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It is remarkable that during this time no serious outbreak occur- red on the part of the wronged men. Great tact and judgment were shown by the officers in repressing all tendency to violence and in urging the men to wait patiently until their rights could be secured- in which they were ably seconded by the more influential of the rank and file. In the mean time the governor used every means in his power to bring the authorities at Washington to a sense of their duty ; the matter was eventually referred by the President to the attorney general, Mr. Bates, and his decision, when finally re- ceived, was in favor of the soldiers. Still it was not until the 28th of September, 1864,-more than 16 months after their muster in- that the Fifty-fourth were paid, the Fifty-fifty receiving their due a few days later. It is worthy of note that the enlisted men of the latter regiment sent home by Adams Express company, at this pay- ment, more than $60,000 to their families and friends, while the sum sent North by the Fifty-fourth exceeded $100,000.
While this tardy justice was being secured for the black man, a like process was being wrought out in regard to his right to be made a commissioned officer, and again we find Governor Andrew a prime mover in the matter. Among those who had enlisted in the ranks
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ENLISTMENT OF TIIE EX-SLAVES.
of the two colored regiments from Massachusetts were men of in- telligence and bravery, some of whom the governor was especially desirous of commissioning, but for a long time the secretary of war withheld the necessary permission. It was finally granted, how- ever, and on the 11th of March, 1864, Sergeant Stephen A. Swailes of the Fifty-fourth was commissioned second lieutenant, being sub- sequently advanced to first lieutenant, and thus establishing another step in the upward march of his race. There seems to be some question whether a few commissions had been previously issued to colored men in some of the regiments of United States colored troops ; but it is certain that Sergeant Swailes was the first of his color to receive a commission in the volunteer service of the loyal states.
In addition to the work done at home in raising the three regi- ments of colored men sent from the state, Massachusetts officers had great influence in the matter of enlisting and organizing the ex-slaves and others of the same color in the states partially oc- cupied by the Union armies. The first work of this kind done was by General Butler at New Orleans, where a regiment was organized soon after his occupation of the city; but this was composed of free men and almost entirely of mulattoes, most of whom were almost white. But little was done in that department toward the organiza- tion of the negroes as a class until after the fall of Port Hudson, when General Banks turned his attention in that direction, and the matter was placed in the hands of General George L. Andrews, by whom it was very efficiently conducted, remaining in his charge until after the close of the war. All of these men-Butler, Banks and Andrews-were representatives of the Old Bay State.
The next attempt to form a colored regiment in the South, and the most important step taken in the direction of arming the freed- men, was in South Carolina, under the direction of General Saxton, where the First South Carolina Regiment-afterward known as the Thirty-third United States Colored Troops-was mustered in on the 7th of November, 1862, and the few days succeeding. This was the first regiment formed of ex-slaves and brought to a state of efficiency, though an unsuccessful attempt had been made carlier under General Hunter, and the First South Carolina doubtless owed much of its efficiency to the zeal, ability and devotion of its commander, Colonel T. W. Higginson of Massachusetts, who in his
MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
book, " Life with a Black Regiment," gives a very interesting pict- ure of his experiences and the characteristics of those with whom he had to deal. In this department-that of the South-as that of the Gulf, the principal steps, and almost the only ones that gave valuable results, were taken by Massachusetts men or in pursuance of their ideas.
The same was true of North Carolina, where in the spring of 1863 Brigadier General Edward A. Wild, who as colonel of the Thirty-fifth Massachusetts Regiment had lost an arm at South Mountain, began the organization of " Wild's Brigade," with which for more than two years his name and fame were identified. Like those in other fields who led in this work, General Wild was a thorough soldier and enthusiastically devoted to the cause of the blacks ; it needs scarcely be said, therefore, that he was eminently successful in the organization of his Corps D'Afrique. Nor should we fail to note the valuable services of General Edward W. Hincks, commanding a division of the Eighteenth Corps in the earlier opera- tions against Petersburg, where the organization won for itself and its commander deserved recognition. Thus in these three import- ant southern fields the work of transforming the freedmen into efficient soldiers was practically entirely in the hands or under the direction of officers from Massachusetts.
The problems presented in relation to the black man as the war progressed were varied, and in the solution of them no state fur- nished more noted and worthy agents than did Massachusetts. The services of General Rufus Saxton may well be referred to in this connection, not only on account of their importance, but because General Saxton, though serving in the United States Army, was a loyal and devoted son of Massachusetts. He was assigned to duty as Military Governor of the Department of the South on the 29th of April, 1862, entering upon his duties on the 1st of July follow- ing and serving until early in the year 1866. General Saxton was directed "to take possession of all the plantations heretofore oc- cupied by rebels, and take charge of the inhabitants remaining thereon within the department," or whom the fortunes of war might bring into it; and he was given authority to take such measures, and make such rules and regulations for the cultivation of the land and employment and government of the inhabitants as circumstances might seem to require. In these respects he was to be responsible
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GENERAL SAXTON IN TIIE SOUTII.
only to the secretary of war, and various military powers were con- ferred in the exercise of which he was to be subordinate only to the major general commanding the department. His jurisdiction ex- tended over the states of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Under his supervision schools for the freedmen were established, superintendents over plantations were appointed and the people were put at work-at first in gathering the cotton then ripe in the fields, and afterward at raising cotton and other crops. The people with whom he had to do were the slaves and other colored persons who had been left on the plantations when abandoned by their white owners, as well as those escaping from bondage and seeking refuge under the protection of the Stars and Stripes.
This was the first experiment in its line, and it was entirely suc- cessful under the wise direction of General Saxton. The freedmen were at once made self-supporting. Millions of dollars' worth of cotton and other valnable prodnets of their toil accrued to the United States treasury. Thousands of the ablest men were also employed in the army and navy, General Saxton having been author- ized about the last of August, 1862, to organize not to exceed 50,- 000 " volunteer laborers," and not more than 5,000 troops for mili- tary service, the latter to be properly organized and instructed by competent white officers. Several regiments were formed under this order, one of which was the First South Carolina, Colonel T. W. Higginson commanding, as before noted. This order antedated the emancipation proclamation, but an act of Congress had already been passed providing that all men and boys received into the United States service, who had been the slaves of rebel masters, were with their wives, mothers and children to be declared free and so treated by all military commanders.
On the 16th of January, 1865, General W. T. Sherman, then commanding the Military Division of the Mississippi, which em- braced the Department of the South, issued " Special Field Orders, No. 15," dated at Savannah, Ga., which made explicit provisions for the settlement of the freedmen and their families. The. islands from Charleston south, the abandoned rice fields along the rivers for 30 miles back from the sea, and the country bordering the St. John's river, Florida, were reserved and set apart for the settle- ment of the negroes made free by the acts of war and the procla- mation of the President of the United States. After various other
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
specifications, the order detailed General Saxton as inspector of settlements and plantations, to carry out the provisions of the de- cree, furnish titles to the lands occupied, and to enlist and organ- ize such negro recruits as were willing to enter the national service, the families of all such to be entitled to homesteads. Doubting whether the government, after the close of the war, would confirm and maintain in their possessions the freedmen who might thus acquire lands, General Saxton requested the war department to re- lieve him from the responsibility of its enforcement, but this the sceretary of war declined to do. General Saxton therefore settled 40,000 freedmen on lands as provided ; but soon after the close of the war they were dispossessed and the plantations returned to their former owners-General Saxton, who declined to thus cruelly break faith with the poor people, having been removed from his command.
There was one other department of the great common field in which men and women of Massachusetts won distinction, though it would be difficult to separate their work from that of others-the work of educating the freed or escaping slaves, at that time known as " con- trabands." The condition of ignorance in which the black people had been kept in the South was one of the arguments against slavery, and no sooner did the progress of the war bring the possibility than scores of devoted teachers sped to all points where their services could be employed and began the work of education. It were difficult to imagine a more thankless, trying task than was taken up by these devotees of a noble purpose. The imagination will readily conceive that only the most exalted heroism could sustain these teachers- largely women-through the manifold trials which beset their work-the surroundings, the strange character of the masses with whom they had to deal, the prejudice, the sneers and taunts, even the deprecations of well-meaning friends who had not their heroic faith. But all of these annoyances and drawbacks were bravely met as the inevitable concomitants of a necessary and holy work ; if there were discouragements, they were bridged by hope and trust; many of these people had waited long years for the work which was then opening to their hands, and they had no thought of turning from the ripening harvest. Not only children but adults -- even the black soldiers in many cases-became scholars ; if the health of one teacher failed under the trial, another was ready to take the vacant desk-and it is pleasing to record that as these pages pass
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AN HIEROIC BAND OF TEACHERS.
through the press several of those who a quarter of a century since took up the work in this particular direction are still engaged in the same line of duty, educating the colored people to a proper condi- tion to enjoy and appreciate the broader life which the result of the war brought to them. All honor to the heroic band !
While these schools were opened at all promising points-and there were many such, as will be readily imagined-one of the most interesting occasions was the opening of the schools at Richmond. Va. The secretary of the teachers' committee, Hannah E. Steven- son, was at Norfolk when Richmond was occupied by the Union army. With three Massachusetts teachers, Misses Bessy Canedy, Lucy Chase and Martha H. Chase, she hastened at once to the fallen city, called the colored people together in the largest church and began the organization of schools. Great success attended the work there, and the Normal School under Miss Canedy's care proved an admirable institution.
Of the Massachusetts people who rendered notable service in the various departments, the following may be named, though not to the disparagement of others who served faithfully and well. At the various South Carolina stations, Edward L. Pierce of Milton, who organized the educational work in the Department of the South, Mrs. Ednah D. Cheney of Jamaica Plain, who was a power in the work throughout, Laura Towne, Ellen Murray, Elizabeth H. Bottume, Harriet Buttrick, Sarah E. Foster, Selma Wesselhoef, Jane Hosmer, Louise Fisher, Fanny S. Langford, Jane B. Smith, and Arthur Sumner; in Georgia, Sarah E. Chase, Caroline Alfred and Mary A. Fowler ; at Jacksonville, Fla., Mrs. Esther H. Hawkes; at Richmond, Bessy Canedy, Harriet L. Carter, Lucy Chase, Angelina Ball, Martha H. Chase, Anna F. Clarke, Abby Francis and Annie M. Bullard ; at Charlottesville, Va., Anna Gardner and Philena Caskin ; at Washington, Mary E. Pierce ; at Newbern, N. C., Anne P'. Merriam. Many of these taught in various fields, and their work was not, like that of the soldier, ended with the war ; it had then only begun, and for ten years afterward it was carried on by the same organizations.
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CHAPTER VII.
DEFENSE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS COAST-THE CAVALRY REGIMENTS-THE DRAFT OF 1863 AND THE RIOT-THE LIGHT BATTERIES-NAVAL CREDITS- THE "VETERAN" REGIMENTS-THE STATE ELECTION OF 1863-ADDITIONAL CALLS FOR TROOPS-SPECIAL SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE.
T HE matter of the defense of the Massachusetts coast should be explained somewhat more fully than has been done in the casual references to it heretofore, since it was, during almost the entire period of the war, a subject of the most import- ant concern to the state officials. The defenseless character of the Massachusetts harbors, in common with many other portions of the coast, was understood by the Federal authorities at the outbreak of hostilities, and there was a full appreciation of the standing invita- tion thus given to foreign interference by naval means or to a sudden dash by some daring Confederate cruiser, which might work incalculable damage in many quarters and escape unharmed. In recognition of these facts, the department of state on the 14th of October, 1861, addressed a letter to the governors of the states having coast or lake exposure urging that the ports and harbors be put in a state of complete defense, the expense of doing which would be reimbursed by the general government in case the work was done in accordance with the ideas of the United States author- ities. Governor Andrew at once went to Washington, conferring with high engineering authority, and on the assembling of the Legislature brought the matter to its attention. Five hundred thou- sand dollars was voted for the purchase of heavy cannon suitable for the defense of the harbors ; but this sum, liberal as it seemed, was found after consultation with capable ordnance officers to amount to no more than a third of what would be required for an adequate armament. There were other difficulties to be met. The general government, on account of its pressing needs in every
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PROTECTION FOR TIIE HIARBORS.
direction, was employing to the fullest capacity all foundries in the country capable of casting heavy cannon, and the procuring of such from abroad was attended with great perplexity. There was also difficulty in settling upon a system which would meet the sanction of the authorities at Washington so as to insure the repayment of the expense incurred. Practically little was done during 1862, and the matter came before the Legislature of the following winter for further consideration.
The appearance of the Confederate iron-clad Merrimac in the spring of 1862, her encounter with the wooden vessels of the United States Navy and later with the Monitor, not only produced a tem- porary "scare" along the entire coast, but showed the necessity for a revolution in the methods of harbor defense and naval warfare. The Legislature had authorized the governor to have one or more iron-clads built for the protection of Boston Harbor, but before con- tracts could be made the general government claimed the field, with the assertion that it was ready to employ the utmost capacities of the country in the production of such vessels for its own use. The state authorities, however, were advised to provide for exigencies by a system of harbor obstruction, so that any dangerous visitant might be held at bay. Thus nothing practical had as yet been done, and when the Legislature met at the close of 1862 it was ready to indorse any scheme which promised a reasonable solution of the vexing problem. On the 30th of March, 1863, an act was passed appropriating a million dollars, to be expended at the discretion of the governor and council, and in addition authorizing the inhabi- tants of any town on the coast to appropriate sums on their own account subject to the approval of the state authorities. Congress likewise about the same time made appropriations for assisting in the work, and the summer of 1863 began to see progress made toward practical results. Besides the work on the forts in the har- bor at Boston, earthworks were designed and put in process of con- struction for the defense of Newburyport, Gloucester, Salem, Marble- head, Plymouth and Provincetown, as well as a masonry fort at the latter place. John M. Forbes was also authorized to make arrange- ments in England for the purchase of heavy guns for the manning of the works. This he did, to the extent of contracting for some 20 or more Blakely rifled cannon, nine-inch and eleven-inch guns; but the difficulties of manufacture were so great that the contracts
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
were never filled, though some parts of guns were sent to Massa- chusetts and finished at the Putnam Machine Works at Fitchburg.
In the mean time the English shipwright Laird, at his yards on the Mersey, was constructing iron-clads for the Confederates ; they were nearly ready for sea, and their destination was no secret, though it was still hoped that the English government would inter- fere to prevent their sailing. So threatening was the outlook at this time, and so pressing the need for the heavy guns, that in September, 1863, Governor Andrew dispatched Colonel Ritchie of his staff to England to co-operate with Mr. Forbes in the effort to place contracts, and also to oversee their fulfillment, in which he was assisted by J. C. Hoadley, an engineer of reputation, who went to England soon after. Only seven of the Blakely guns had been delivered when the prospect of an early close of the war led the state to cancel the contract-which the contractor was but too glad to have done. Previous to that time Colonel Ritchie had found op- portunity to purchase a considerable number of smooth-bore 68- pounders, which had with great difficulty been shipped to Massa- chusetts. They were never mounted, however, the efforts of the general government with what the state had been able to assist. added to the arrangements which had been made for obstructing the en- trance in case of necessity, having put the forts in Boston Harbor in passable condition. But it should be borne in mind that all through the war, in addition to the exertions which the Commonwealth was making to raise and send forward men to serve with the armies in the field and to man the United States Navy, there was the con- stant apprehension inseparable from a knowledge of the defenseless condition of the entire coast against anything like a vigorous attack, either by Confederate cruisers or a foreign power in case the outside complications should at any time reach the stage of actual warfare.
Reference has already been made to the formation of the various infantry regiments up to the Fifty-fifth-which at the close of the year 1863 had been the last sent out. During the war the state put into the field five regiments of cavalry. Of these, the First, com- manded by Colonel Robert Williams, a Virginian and a United States Army officer, was recruited in the autumn and early winter of 1861, its three battalions going to the front on the 25th, 27th and 29th of December respectively. The Second Regiment was not raised till something more than a year later, one battalion,
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THE DRAFT AND ITS RESULTS.
largely composed of natives of Massachusetts, being sent on from California, while the others were organized at Readville. The Second was commanded by Colonel Charles Russell Lowell, Jr., one of the most brilliant officers sent from the state, who gave his life in the cause. Five companies under Major Caspar Crowninshield went to the front February 12, 1863, the remainder following on the 11th of May. About a month later the Forty-first Regiment, then serving in Louisiana, was reorganized as the Third Massachu- setts Cavalry, the three detached companies on duty in that state being included in the new organization. The Fourth Cavalry was composed of a battalion which had been detached from the First Massachusetts with eight new companies, the regiment being com- manded by Colonel Arnold A. Rand. It went into service during March and April, 1864. At about the same time a new battalion of four companies was raised and assigned to the First Regiment in place of the one detached, and a regiment of colored cavalry was recruited, known as the Fifth Massachusetts, Colonel. Henry S. Russell, and going to the front by battalions on the 5th, 6th and 7th of May, 1864. With the exception of the battalion of Frontier Cavalry, and some additional companies, raised later, these were all the mounted troops sent from the state.
It becomes necessary now to refer to the only draft of importance which took place in the state during the continuance of the war. This occurred during the months of June and July, 1863, and was in pursuance of an act of Congress passed at the session of the previous winter. Major Clarke of the United States Army was made provost marshal general for the state, with headquarters at Boston, assistants being appointed for the several congressional dis- tricts. All persons between 20 and 45 years of age supposedly capable of performing military duty were enrolled, the total number being 164,178. Of this number 32,079 were drafted, but the actual return of serviceable men was not encouraging. Only 743 went into service, though 2,325 procured substitutes, making a gain of 3,068 enrolled and sent into camp at Long Island. Of these 2,720 were assigned to Massachusetts regiments then in the field, 244 were detailed as provost guard for the camp and 124 deserted. In ad- dition 3,623 of those drafted paid commutation amounting to $1,- 085,800, while the remainder were exempted for physical defects or other cause.
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THIE WAR ..
This draft was the cause of rioting and disorder in the streets of Boston, and of angry demonstrations in other places, but the prompt measures taken by the governor, the mayor of Boston and the authorities in other cities prevented anything like the horrible scenes at New York. Finding that there was danger of an out- break, Governor Andrew on the 14th of July ordered the Eleventh Battery, which had recently returned from a nine-months' term at the front, to assemble at the armory on Cooper Street, and as indi- cations of coming trouble thickened all other troops in the vicinity of Boston that were available were ordered to hold themselves in readiness for duty if needed. Most of these, including the Forty- fourth and Forty-fifth Regiments, reported promptly and remained at the positions assigned them till all probability of further trouble had passed.
Owing to the wise precautions taken and the faithful efforts of the Boston police, there was but one serious outbreak. That oc- curred in front of the armory of the Eleventh Battery of Light Artillery on Cooper Street, where were deposited the only pieces of light ordnance in the city of which the rioters could hope to get pos- session. The armory was occupied by a body of heavy artillerists in addition to the members of the battery, the whole under command of Major Stephen Cabot. During the evening of the 14th an at- tempt was made by the mob to force an entrance to the building, when at the orders of the commandant one volley was fired by the defenders. How severely the insurgents suffered will never be known, but it is certain that several were killed and a considerable number wounded. It is gratifying to record that this single volley was all that Massachusetts soldiers were called on to fire in sup- pression of the riot. There were other disturbances which the police quelled, leaders of the insurrection were arrested from time to time, and the military remained under arms at Boston and in other cities for some days, but there was no further call for ball cartridges. The troops on duty were under command of Brigadier General Peirce of the Second Brigade, First Division, Massachu- setts Volunteer Militia, and not only General Peirce but all the officers and men serving under him received the emphatic thanks of the governor in a General Order issued on the 3d of August fol- lowing, when tranquillity had once more been assured.
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