USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Our county and its people : A history of Hampden County, Massachusetts. Volume 1 > Part 18
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41
During December, 1863, the men were mounted and trained in cavalry tactics, and the regiment was from that time com- monly spoken of as the Sixth Massachusetts cavalry, though its official designation was never changed. In the Red river cam- paign of the following spring it bore an arduous part, and in the battle of Sabine Cross Roads, April 8, under command of Cap- tain Nettleton, it made a gallant charge against an overwhelm- ingly superior force of the victorious enemy, losing sixty-two men, but failing to more than temporarily check the adverse for- tunes of the day. In the subsequent operations in the depart- ment the regiment was kept constantly busy, scouting, skirmish- ing, and in guard duty, a battalion of re-enlisted men and re- cruits remaining in the service after the expiration of the orig- inal term of enlistment, and taking active part in the operations against Mobile in the spring of 1865. The command was mus- tered out of the United States service September 9, 1865.
During its service the reigment lost 52 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in action, and 3 officers and 150 men died from disease and accidents, making a death loss of 205 from a total enrollment of 1,343.
14-1
(
209 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The Thirty-fourth Infantry .- This regiment was provided for by Governor Andrew's order of May 29, 1862, which directed that ten of the thirty companies then called for should be raised in the five western counties of the state, forming a regiment to encamp on the Agricultural grounds at Worcester. Under this arrangement Companies D and G were practically Hampden county organizations, as the former had ninety-eight and the latter eighty-six enlisted men from this county, while enough Hampden county men were scattered through the other com- panies to raise the total to 217, in addition to the following com- missioned officers.
Captain, George W. Thompson of Springfield; captain, Wells Willard of Springfield ; first lieutenant, Frederick A. Judd of Holyoke; first lieutenant, Charles H. Morrill of Westfield; second lieutenant, J. Austin Lyman of Springfield; second lieu- tenant, Jere Horton of Westfield; second lieutenant, Alfred Dibble of Southwick; second lieutenant, Daniel C. Wishart of Westfield.
The Thirty-fourth left the state on the 15th of August, 1862, and went to Washington, remaining on duty in the defenses of that city until July 9, 1863, when it was ordered to the vicinity of Harper's Ferry, where it remained until late in April, 1864, making occasional excursions up the Shenandoah valley, engag- ing in some skirmishing and occasional fighting, but was not heavily engaged until the advance of General Siegel's forces up the valley and the battle of New Market, May 15, 1864. From that time the regiment was constantly active, suffering seriously at the battle of Piedmont, June 5, participating in the terrible scramble of General Hunter's forces through the mountains of West Virginia, returning to take a heroic part in the subsequent operations in the valley during the following months, winning great credit for its effective work at the battle of the Opequan on the 19th of September, as well as in the later engagements in that region. In December the regiment with its division was trans- ferred to the scene of operations in front of Petersburg, and in the stirring events of the spring of 1865, witnessing the over- throw of the rebellion, it well maintained the prestige won on
( )
210
THE WAR OF 1861-65
so many hard fought fields. The war ended, the remnant of the command was mustered out of the United States service on the 15th of June, 1865. Its record is an especially honorable one when it is borne in mind that its battle losses were nearly all sus- tained within less than a year, and in fact much the larger por- tion of them inside of six months. Of a total enrollment of 1,306 members, the regiment lost 7 officers and 128 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in action, and 2 officers and 132 men died from disease and other causes, making a total death roll of 269.
The Thirty-sixth Infantry .- The Thirty-sixth was a Worcester county regiment, with the exception of Company E, which had sixty-five men from Hampden county, mostly repre- senting the towns of Palmer and Monson, while scattered through the other companies were enough Hampden county men to bring the total up to eighty-four for the regiment, in addition to the following officers :
Captain, Stephen C. Warriner of Monson; first lieutenant, Robert M. Cross of Palmer; sergeant-major, Ostenello Wash- burn of Holyoke; principal musician, Lorenzo C. Strickland of Palmer.
This regiment left camp at Worcester September 2, 1862, going to Boston and thence by water to Washington, where it was assigned to the Ninth corps, which it joined soon after the battle of Antietam. It participated in the battle of Fredericks- burg, went with its corps to Kentucky in February, 1863, rein- forced General Grant's army before Vicksburg early in June, after the surrender followed Johnston's army into Mississippi, and returned to the old camp in Kentucky in August, having suffered terribly from sickness. Thence the regiment moved with its corps to Tennessee, returning to rejoin the army of the Potomac in the spring of 1864, with which its fortunes were identified from the opening of the campaign in the Wilderness, during the operations against Petersburg, until the close of the war in the following spring. It was mustered out of the na- tional service June 8, 1865.
Of a total enrollment of 1,317 members, the regiment lost 6 officers and 105 men killed or mortally wounded in action, while
( 211 )
*
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
3 officers and 160 men died of disease or accident, making a total death roll of 274.
The Thirty-seventh Infantry .- This regiment was organ- ized at Pittsfield, under the president's call of July 1, 1862, for 300,000 volunteers to serve for three years. It was composed principally of men from the four western counties of the state, Hampden county furnishing 310 enlisted men, in addition to the following officers, commissioned at the organization of the regi- ment, several of whom attained to higher rank :
Colonel, Oliver Edwards of Springfield; chaplain, Rev. Frank C. Morse of Blandford ; sergeant-major, Robert A. Gray of Springfield; principal musician, John L. Gaffney of Chico- pee. Co. A-Captain, Jarvis P. Kelley ; first lieutenant, Eli T. Blackmer ; second lieutenant, Carlos C. Wellman, all of Chico- pee. Co. D-Captain, Algernon S. Flagg of Wilbraham. Co. F-Captain, Eugene A. Allen of Springfield. Co. H-Second lieutenant, Andrew L. Bush of Westfield. Co. I-Captain, Hugh Donnelly ; first lieutenant, J. Milton Fuller; second lieu- tenant, Charles Phelps, all of Springfield. Co. K-First lieu- tenant, John B. Mulloy ; second lieutenant, George B. Chandley, both of Springfield.
The regiment left Pittsfield for the front September 7, 1862, and after a short encampment on Arlington Heights joined the army of the Potomac, then encamped in Maryland, a few miles from the battlefield of Antietam. It participated in the' subse- quent movements of that army, forming a part of the Sixth corps, until July 31, 1863, when it was ordered to New York as one of the four select regiments for duty during the draft. This duty was very creditably performed, and the regiment returned to the army in October, where it served with distinction until the close of the war. Its service was especially valuable at the bat- tle of the Wilderness, at Spottsylvania, at the battle of the Ope- quan, in the final assault upon Petersburg,' and the battle of Sailor's Creek. From August, 1864, it was armed with the Spencer repeating rifle, making it a very formidable organization in active service. The fighting at Sailor's Creek was hand to hand, and rated as among the most desperate of the war. Four
( 212 )
--
THE WAR OF 1861-65
battle flags were captured by the Thirty-seventh during the term of its service, and four of its members received Congressional medals of honor for distinguished gallantry in action.
Of a total enrollment of 1,314 members, the regiment lost 4 officers and 165 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in action, while 92 enlisted men died from disease, accident, or in confederate prisons, making a total death roll of 261. The regi- ment took part in the following battles and engagements :
Fredericksburg, December 11-15, 1862; Marye's Heights, May 3, 1863; Salem Church, May 3-4, 1863; Franklin's Cross- ing, June, 1863 ; Gettysburg, July 2-3, 1863; Rappahannock Sta- tion, November 7, 1863; Mine Run, November 30, 1863; Wilder- ness, May 5-6, 1864 ; Laurel Hill, May 8, 1864; the Angle, May 12, 1864; Spottsylvania Court House, May 18, 1864; North Anna, May 24, 1864 ; Cold Harbor, June 1-12, 1864; Petersburg, June 18, 1864; Fort Stevens, July 12, 1864; Charlestown, Au- gust 21, 1864; the Opequan, September 19, 1864; Hatcher's Run, February 5, 1865; Fort Stedman, March 25, 1865; Fall of Petersburg, April 2, 1865; Sailor's Creek, April 6, 1865.
The Forty-sixth Infantry .- The Forty-sixth was the most exclusively a Hampden county organization of any regiment sent from Massachusetts to the war. It was recruited under the call of the president on August 4, 1862, for 300,000 recruits for nine months' service, and the rendezvous was naturally at Springfield. The regiment was organized largely through the efforts of Rev. George Bowler, of Westfield, who was made its first colonel. The several companies gathered at Camp N. P. Banks as they became sufficiently advanced, and when filled were mustered into the United States service-the first on Sep- tember 24, and the last on October 22. The field and staff were mustered on the 30th of October, the original list being as fol- lows :
Field and Staff .- Colonel, George Bowler of Westfield; lieutenant-colonel, William S. Shurtleff of Springfield; major, Lucius B. Walkley of Westfield; surgeon, James H. Waterman of Westfield; assistant surgeon, Thomas Gilfillan of Cumming- ton ; chaplain, George W. Gorham of Holyoke; adjutant, James
( 213 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
C. Smith of Chicopee; quartermaster, Henry M. Morehouse of Springfield ; sergeant-major, Joseph F. Field of Westfield; quar- termaster-sergeant, George B. Pierce of Holyoke; commissary- sergeant, Alfred J. Newton of Monson ; hospital steward, John R. Greenleaf of Ware.
Line Officers .- Co. A, Springfield-Captain, Samuel B. Spooner; first lieutenant, Lewis A. Tifft; second lieutenant, Daniel J. Marsh. Co. B, Holyoke-Captain, Daniel E. Kings- bury ; first lieutenant, Henry Wheeler ; second lieutenant, Amos O. Kinney. Co. C, Westfield-Captain, Andrew Campbell 2d; first lieutenant, Joseph C. Noble; second lieutenant, John T. Spear. Co. D, Chicopee-Captain, David E. Grimes; first lieu- tenant, George H. Knapp; second lieutenant, David Bronson. Co. E-Captain, James M. Justin of Granville; first lieutenant, Charles U. Ely of West Springfield ; second lieutenant, Lathrop Lee of Southwick. Co. F-Captain, Russell H. Conwell of Worthington ; first lieutenant, Horace Heath of Russell; second lieutenant, Charles Fay of Chester. Co. G-Captain, Francis D. Lincoln of Brimfield; first lieutenant, George H. Howe of Monson ; second lieutenant, Julius M. Lyon of Wales. Co. H- Captain, Francis C. Cook of Palmer; first lieutenant, William Shaw of Belchertown; second lieutenant, George S. Dixon of Monson. Co. I-Captain, William C. Leonard of Wilbraham; first lieutenant, Reuben DeWitt of Agawam; second lieutenant, N. Saxton Cooley of Longmeadow. Co. K-Captain, John Avery of Westfield ; first lieutenant, Elisha C. Tower of Worth- ington ; second lieutenant, George M. Stewart of Wales.
Of the entire list of officers, only five came from outside the county limits, these being from bordering Hampshire county towns, and of the enlisted men a still larger proportion belonged to Hampden county. Camp was broken on the 5th of Novem- ber, the regiment going to Boston, whence it sailed for Newbern, N. C., reaching that city on the 15th. It was attached to Col. Horace C. Lee's brigade, composed of Massachusetts regiments. Its first active service was in connection with the Goldsboro ex- pedition, which set forth on the morning of December 11, 1862. It supported a battery during the battle of Kinston on the 14th,
( 214 )
THE WAR OF 1861-65
furnished a detail of fifty sharpshooters for the fight at White- hall on the 16th, and was more closely engaged at the battle of Goldsboro on the 17th, supporting Belger's battery during the battle proper, and after the return of the union troops began reinforcing the rear guard-its casualties being one man killed and four wounded during the expedition. A march of three days took the regiment back to its camp.
At this time Colonel Bowler, who had been too ill to com- mand the regiment on the expedition, though he accompanied it as far as Kinston, resigned his commission, and promotions in regular order were conferred upon Lieutenant-Colonel Shurtleff, Major Walkley, and Captain Spooner. The operations of the spring of 1863 developed considerable activity on the part of the confederates, calling for corresponding alertness on the part of the union forces. In March six companies of the regiment were sent to Plymouth, on the Roanoke river, which was threatened by a hostile force; but they returned to Newbern May 8 without having been seriously engaged. On the 21st the regiment formed part of a force engaged in an expedition to drive a body of confederates from "Gum Swamp," eight miles from Kins- ton, the purpose being accomplished without loss on the part of the Forty-sixth.
Companies A and I, under Major Spooner, were left at New- bern when the regiment proper went to Plymouth, and took an honorable part in the defense of the city. Early in May these companies were sent to Batchelder's Creek to serve on outpost duty under Colonel Jones of the Fifty-eighth Pennsylvania. The place was attacked on the 23d of May, Colonel Jones was killed and most of his command thrown into confusion, but Cap- tain Tifft with his own company and part of Co. I held an ad- vanced redoubt long after the rest of the union soldiers had fallen back some two miles, until finally discovered by a recon- noitering party and relieved. Sergeant A. S. Bryant of Co. A was made sergeant-major of the regiment and received a con- gressional medal of honor for bravery on this occasion.
The command sailed for Fortress Monroe on the 24th of June, 1863, reaching there on the 28th, and prepared for a cam-
215 ( )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
paign under General Dix ; but as that officer did not want troops whose term had so nearly expired, it was suggested that the regi- ment offer its services during Lee's invasion of the North. This was done, and the regiment reported on the 1st of July to Gen- eral Schenck at Baltimore. It remained on duty near the city until the 6th, when it was ordered to Maryland Heights, served there until the 11th, and was then ordered with its brigade to join the army of the Potomac near Funkstown, marching twenty-five miles in sixteen hours, almost without a rest. But the expected battle did not take place, and when the army of the Potomac passed into Virginia in pursuit of the retreating con- federates, the Forty-sixth started on the homeward trip, reach- ing Springfield July 21, and being mustered out on the 29th.
Fortunate in having but a single man killed in action, the regiment was also favored in that but thirty-five enlisted men died of disease, the smallest loss of life of any of the nine-months regiments from Massachusetts with a single exception.
The Eighth Regiment Infantry .- The Eighth regiment, M. V. M., rendered three terms of service during the war of the rebellion-the first at the call for three-months regiments in 1861, the second for nine months in 1862-3, and the third for 100 days in 1864. Originally an Essex county organization, it was necessary at each call to add some outside companies to bring the regiment up to the United States standard. At the first call the Allen Guards of Pittsfield formed one such company, and in 1862 its Co. H was made up of fifty-two men from Hampden county-mostly from Springfield-and forty from Boston. Of its officers, Captain George R. Davis and First Lieutenant Wil- liam J. Landen were from Springfield. The regiment served in the department of North Carolina, being quartered much of the time at or near Newbern, but joined the Forty-sixth regiment in the expedition to reinforce the army of the Potomac in July, 1863, continuing with that army until July 26, when ordered to return to Massachusetts for muster out, which took place on the 7th of August.
In 1864 Hampden county furnished two companies for the regiment-A and H; all of the officers being from Springfield :
( 216 )
-
THE WAR OF 1861-65
Co. A .- Captain, Lewis A. Tifft; first lieutenant, Gideon Wells ; second lieutenant, Chauncey Hickox. Co. H-Captain, William J. Landen; first lieutenant, Charles L. Wood; second lieutenant, John Thayer.
The regiment left on the 26th of July for Washington, but stopped at Baltimore, and remained on duty in and near that city until the expiration of its term, returning to Massachusetts in time to be mustered out November 10.
The Forty-second Infantry .- The Forty-second regiment, which served during the nine-months' term of 1862-3, again entered the service in 1864 for 100 days. For this term the or- ganization was materially changed and one company (H) from Hampden county appeared on the roster, with these officers :
Captain, George H. Stewart of Springfield ; first lieutenant, Julius M. Lyon of Wales : second lieutenant, Joseph T. Spear of Westfield.
The company was mustered July 16, 1864, the regiment was fully organized on the 22d, and two days later sailed for Wash- ington. With headquarters at Alexandria, its time was passed in guard and patrol duty and the escorting of supply trains to the Shenandoah Valley. the regiment being mustered out of service November 11, 1864.
The Third Heavy Artillery .- This regiment was organized as such in the latter part of the year 1864, being composed of what had theretofore been known as "Unattached companies" of that arm of the service. Of these companies, eight had been raised during 1863 and mustered into the United States service for garrisoning the forts on the Massachusetts coast. In the spring of 1864 they were ordered by the secretary of war to re- port to Washington for duty in the city's defenses, that other troops might be relieved to serve with the armies in the field. Governor Andrew insisted that the companies should be given a regimental organization, and his demand was finally complied with, four additional companies being sent forward to complete the organization. Of these companies. one (I) was from Hamp- den county, entering the service with these officers, only two of whom were Hampden county men :
( )
217
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Captain, John Pickering of Salem; first lieutenants, Oliver J. Bixby and John F. E. Chamberlain, both of Springfield ; sec- ond lieutenants, William F. Merrill of Andover and William H. Dolliver of Gloucester. Later these were commissioned as sec- ond lieutenants: William Holden and Charles H. Ladd of Springfield and Morton W. Fowler of Westfield.
Company I was but nominally a part of the regiment, and it had an experience entirely different from the other companies of the Third, or any other organization sent from Massachusetts. It was mustered at Springfield, February 10, 1864, being origin- ally known as the Thirteenth unattached company of heavy artil- lery, and was composed principally of mechanics who had been employed in the national armory there. It was sent to Fortress Monroe, sailing March 7, and on arrival there was at once placed in charge of the pontoon trains of the army of the James by Captain F. W. Farquhar, chief engineer of that department. The work which devolved upon the men was hard and difficult, but it was discharged in a manner to win unqualified praise. Among the more notable service of the company was the build- ing and maintaining of the pontoon bridges across the Appo- mattox, connecting the armies of the James and the Potomac, the bridges across the James river used'in the frequent crossing of the federal armies during the siege of Petersburg, the pontoon bridge at Farmville by which the Second and Sixth corps crossed in the pursuit of Lee's retreating army, and that across the James at Richmond, by which all the union armies crossed on their way to Washington after the close of the war. The com- pany also ran captured saw mills, supplying lumber for hos- pitals and other purposes, built wharves and roads, and per- formed the many other duties devolving upon engineers. The company was the last of its regiment to leave the service, being mustered out September 26, 1865.
The Thirtieth Unattached Company Heavy Artillery .- This company was recruited for one year's service, leaving the camp at Gallop's Island September 26, 1864. It was almost exclu- sively composed of Springfield men, and was thus officered :
Captain, Samuel R. Bingham of Boston; first lieutenants,
( )
218
THE WAR OF 1861-65
Morrill Prescott of Springfield and William W. Jordan of Bos- ton ; second lieutenant, Samuel F. Siskron of Springfield.
The company served on guard and garrison duty as directed in the defenses of Washington, and was mustered out of service June 16, 1865.
In addition to these organizations which were more or less closely identified with the county, Hampden was represented in other commands by officers and men of sterling character. Many such rendered service to the credit of other states, so that it is an impossibility to give names or their number; those credited on the official records of Massachusetts are as follows :
The First Infantry .- Four enlisted men.
The Second Infantry .- Surgeon, Curtis E. Munn of West- field ; hospital steward, Warren A. Root of Springfield ; fifty-one enlisted men.
The Fourth Infantry-1862-3 .- Assistant surgeon, Edward M. Norton of Blandford.
The Fifth Infantry-1864 .- Three enlisted men.
The Sixth Infantry-1861 .- Two enlisted men.
The Ninth Infantry .- Fourteen enlisted men.
The Eleventh Infantry .- Eleven enlisted men.
The Twelfth Infantry .- Seven enlisted men.
The Fifteenth Infantry .- Captain, Adoniram J. Bradley of Russell; twenty-one enlisted men.
The Sixteenth Infantry .- Twenty-one enlisted men.
The Seventeenth Infantry .- Second lieutenant, Orrin B. Cooley of Longmeadow; sixty-five enlisted men (mostly trans- ferred from Second H. A.)
The Nineteenth Infantry .- Fifty-four enlisted men.
The Twentieth Infantry .- First-lieutenant, James O'Con- nor of Springfield ; seventy-four enlisted men.
The Twenty-second Infantry .- Twenty-six enlisted men.
The Twenty-fourth Infantry .- First lieutenant, Jere Hor- ton of Westfield; thirty-three enlisted men.
The Twenty-fifth Infantry .- Sixteen enlisted men.
The Twenty-sixth Infantry .- Five enlisted men.
The Twenty-eighth Infantry .- Thirty-four enlisted men.
( 219 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The Twenty-ninth Infantry .- Eighteen enlisted men.
The Thirtieth Infantry .- Seven enlisted men.
The Thirty-second Infantry .- Seventy-three enlisted men.
The Thirty-third Infantry .- Two enlisted men.
The Forty-fifth Infantry .- Two enlisted men.
The Forty-ninth Infantry .- Assistant surgeon, Albert R. Rice of Springfield ; four enlisted men.
The Fifty-second Infantry .- Seven enlisted men.
The Fifty-fourth Infantry .- Captain, Watson W. Bridge of Springfield ; seventeen enlisted men.
The Fifty-fifth Infantry .- Captain, Robert J. Hamilton of Springfield ; first lieutenant, Charles W. Mutell of Springfield ; thirteen enlisted men.
The Fifty-sixth Infantry .- Assistant surgeon, Jerome E. Roberts of Springfield ; eighteen enlisted men.
The Fifty-seventh Infantry .- Assistant surgeon, Charles O. Carpenter of Holyoke; captain, George H. Howe of Monson ; second lieutenant, John Anderson of Holland ; second lieutenant, Henry B. Fiske of Springfield; second lieutenant, George . S. Greene of Springfield; second lieutenant, Patrick Gilmore of West Springfield ; 115 enlisted men.
The Fifty-eighth Infantry .- Eighteen enlisted men.
The Fifty-ninth Infantry .- Assistant surgeon, Edward W. Norton of Blandford ; seven enlisted men.
The Sixty-first Infantry .- First lieutenant, Albert E. Dan- iels of Agawam; hospital steward, Austin Moody of Westfield; ninety enlisted men.
The First Battery Light Artillery .- Three enlisted men.
The Second Battery Light Artillery .- Three enlisted men.
The Fifth Battery Light Artillery .- Two enlisted men. The Sixth Battery Light Artillery .- Thirteen enlisted men. The Seventh Battery Light Artillery .- Five enlisted men. The Ninth Battery Light Artillery .- Three enlisted men. The Tenth Battery Light Artillery .- Three enlisted men. The Eleventh Battery Light Artillery .- Two enlisted men.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.