USA > Massachusetts > Record of the service of the Forty-fourth Massachusetts volunteer militia in North Carolina, August 1862 to May 1863 > Part 2
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During the week beginning Oct. 26, 1814, a detachment of the Guards under command of Ensign Pickman did garrison duty at Fort Strong. Charles Tidd and J. Howe, Jr., were the ser- geants, and Abbott Lawrence and Richard Ward the corporals. In the regulations issued for the government of the detachment it is provided that the " commissary will furnish whatever spirit may be needed for the use of the mess." It may be that from this incident the word " commissary " came to be synonymous with a rather well-known article which was sometimes confiscated by our boys, but to which the colonel decidedly objected unless liberally diluted with quinine or supplied under the guise of
1 Mr. Joseph West, who died Oct. 16, 1884, aged ninety-two years.
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FORTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
"orange pickle." It also indicates that social matters received some attention, to find a note saying, " It is expected that gentle- men will entertain their guests at their individual expense."
Feb. 13, 1815, the morning on which was received the welcome news of the declaration of peace, the Guards fired salutes from the Common at noon and at sunset.
The Guards seem to have continued the custom of going into yearly camp (the "summer campaign," as they called it); and although no direct statement to that effect appears in the orderly book, there are many entries which lead the reader to infer that this practice was not common to the other military organizations of the State. During the campaign of 1822 the orderly, in de- tailing the preparations made to receive guests, deems this fact worthy of record: " After dinner the tents were cleared of all rubbish. The members put on clean trousers."
The encampment of 1823 was honored by the presence of John Quincy Adams, who reviewed the corps and highly com- plimented it.
June 14, 1824, appears this extraordinary resolution, especially surprising considering the reluctance with which their successors quitted the " soft side of a downy plank " when reveille sounded on a cold and disagreeable morning: " Voted, unanimously, that the company shall have a drill on Monday of each week at five o'clock in the morning untill the campaign." The experiment was evidently a failure, as the vote was rescinded on June 24.
July 7, a destructive fire occurred on Beacon and Charles Streets. The Guards volunteered to protect the property, and forty minutes after the order had been issued by Captain Lyman two officers and forty members had reported at the armory for duty.
August 24, the company formed part of the escort on the occa- sion of Lafayette's visit to Boston, and were given the right of the line. The following day they went into annual encampment, where they were visited by General Lafayette, Governor Eustis, and a colonel of the British army who had " lost a limb at Water- loo." The latter paid the Guards a very ambiguous compliment when he remarked that he " never saw such discipline in any camp as ours."
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NEW ENGLAND GUARDS.
Feb. 11, 1825, they attended the funeral of Governor Eustis, and on April 8 guarded the property saved from the Doane Street fire, " a destructive conflagration which burned upwards of fifty stores and houses, and in consequence of which upwards of one hundred and fifty people were thrown out of employment."
June 17, they participated in the laying of the corner-stone of Bunker Hill Monument, and ten days later were called upon by the Governor to be ready to aid in suppressing a riot at the North End; but fortunately their services were not required.
Dec. 5, 1829, the buttons were ordered to be stamped " N. E. G." The non-commissioned officers had evidently tired of acting as postmen, as at this meeting a vote was passed authorizing the em- ployment of a suitable person to deliver notices.
Aug. 11, 1834, the convent at Charlestown was burned, and the Guards were on duty more or less from the 12th to the 16th. June 29, 1835, the orderly notes a vote that we " go on the Com- mon to drill by the light of the pale moon ; " whether a variety of artificial light or a new kind of tactics he does not condescend to explain.
On Sunday, July 11, 1837, they were ordered out, and under command of Ensign Bigelow (afterwards Chief Justice of the Commonwealth) performed valiant service during the Broad Street riot. They were the first infantry company that reported for duty.
The annual encampment of 1838 was held at Woburn in June. On one day it is estimated that they entertained over three thousand visitors ; at one hotel more than seven hundred chaises and carriages were taken care of. The Guards were always social favorites, and that their successors were so regarded is proved by the throngs of visitors which crowded the camps of the Second, Twentieth, Twenty-fourth, and Forty-fourth, which were essen- tially N. E. G. regiments.
Aug. 31, 1839, they went to Barnstable and spent five days there during the centennial celebration of that town. Being dis- appointed in the arrival of the steamer they had engaged (it was detained by a heavy storm), they chartered a schooner, and with nearly two hundred members reached Barnstable before the hour appointed for the beginning of the exercises. It was
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FORTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
the first uniformed military company that had ever been seen there.
April 21, 1841, they performed escort duty at the funeral of President Harrison, and on June 17, 1843, joined in the proces- sion incident to the ceremonies at the dedication of Bunker Hill Monument, the corner-stone of which they had assisted in laying eighteen years before.
The records of the Guards up to 1845 have been preserved, and from them inost of the facts in the account thus far given have been gathered. Subsequent to that year it is difficult to obtain full particulars, as all official papers and documents were burned in the great fire of November. 1872. In consequence of this loss the most interesting portion of its history, from a few years previous to the breaking out of the war until the departure of the Forty-fourth, is largely a matter of tradition.
The interest of the members in the success of the Guards grew rapidly during the year or two previous to the outbreak of the Rebellion. The visit of the Ellsworth Zouaves of Chicago had a stimulating effect by showing how much was yet needed to bring the company up to the standard of excellence at which it aimed. As an indication that at that time they had made con- siderable progress in drill and discipline, Ellsworth is reported to have said that he anticipated having to compete with some well- drilled militia companies, but he did not expect to find. one exhibiting so much proficiency as the Guards.
The annual festival in January, 1861, was largely attended, and was a gathering of much interest. It was on this occasion that Governor Andrew remarked that he had always been regarded as a peace man, and that he was so much a friend of peace that he was ready to fight for it.
Jan. 23, 1861, Captain Gordon presiding, Governor Andrew's celebrated Order No. 41 was read. In accordance with its
1 COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, HEADQUARTERS, BOSTON, Jan. 16, 1861.
General Order No. 4.
Events which have recently occurred, and are now in progress, require that Massa- chusetts should be at all times ready to furnish her quoti upon any requisition of the President of the United States, to aid in the maintenance of the laws and the peace of the Union. ITis Excellency, the Commander-in-Chief, therefore order-, -
That the commanding officer of each company of volunteer militia examine with
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NEW ENGLAND GUARDS.
provisions every member, excepting one who excused himself on the ground of serious illness in his family, pledged himself to go to the front immediately should the company be called tipon. A military critic, in commenting upon the Guards about this time, remarks: " The efficiency and improvement of the company in drill is owing very much to the skill and ability of Captain George H. Gordon, a graduate of West Point, who has donc efficient service in the United States Army; and also to the efforts of the excellent orderly, Thomas G. Stevenson."
Just previous to the outbreak of the War the "Tigers " and the "Guards " formed respectively Companies A and B of the Second Battalion of Infantry. March 11, 1861, Company B was set off as Company A of the Fourth Battalion ; a new company, B, was formed, and Captain Gordon elected major.
The first call for troops was made April 15, 1861. As the quota of Massachusetts was filled by the regiments which were selected by Governor Andrew, the battalions were not required for duty, and on April 18 Major Gordon offered his services to the Governor to raise and cominand a regiment of volunteers for the war. This was probably the first offer of the kind received by the Commander-in-Chief. Major Gordon's letter of resignation states so clearly the reasons for his action, and gives so plainly his views of the proper functions of the organized militia, that it has been copied in full : -
In offering to the Governor of the Commonwealth my resignation of the office of Major of the Fourth Battalion of Infantry to assume com-
care the roll of his company, and cause the name of each member, together with his rank and place of residence, to be properly recorded, and a copy of the same to be forwarded to the office of the Adjutant-General. Previous to which, commanders of companies shall make strict inquiry whether there are men in their commands who from age, physical defect, business, or family causes, may be unable or indisposed to respond at once to the orders of the Commander-in-Chief, made in response to the call of the President of the United States, that they may be forthwith discharged ; so that their places may be filled by men ready for any public exigency which may arise, whenever called upon.
After the above orders shall have been fulfilled, no discharge, either of officer or private, shall be granted, unless for cause satisfactory to the Commander-in-Chief.
If any companies have not the number of men allowed by law, the commander of the same shall make proper exertions to have the vacancies filled, and the men properly drilled and uniformed, and their names and places of residence forwarded to headquarters. . . .
WILLIAM SCHOULER, Adjutant-General.
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FORTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
mand of a regiment to be raised for service during the existence of our present unhappy difficulties, I deem it due to the members composing that battalion to state publicly my reasons therefor, as follows : -
Wherever any son of Massachusetts can render the most efficient ser- vice to the State, there, in my judgment, shouldl his efforts be given. Al- though in the first outbreak of war reliance must necessarily be placed on our militia, in whose ranks are found men of the best classes in our com- munity, yet for prolonged and continuous service a composition of forces like that constituting the Army of the General Government is indisputably the most efficient and serviceable, - a composition in which the character and intelligence of our best citizens must be used to organize and drill the bone and muscle of those upon whom we must rely for our armies.
Thus we may with a small body of well-instructed gentlemen impart information, raise into an organization, and render efficient very many large bodies of men, all of whom will in time become soldiers rather than undisciplined mobs of raw militia. Where, as in the present sudden emer- gency, any, even the least, capacity exists to impart information and effi- ciency to a company of privates, we cannot afford to waste precious material that may instruct others by calling it to render individual services as privates rather than officers.
My aim as chief of the New England Guards has been to impart to my command the necessary instruction to enable them to command, rather than to build up a company to serve as privates during the fatigues of a long campaign.
Massachusetts needs to-day military skill, science, and power to in- struct. No man has a right to refuse his skill to drill the body of the militia of our State, even though he sacrifice that ambition, so near to a soldier's heart, to be the first to bleed for his country.
Believing firmly that my duty lies in the direction I have chosen, I have acted accordingly ; and knowing how hard it is for those of my com- mand with whom I have been so intimately associated, and for whom indi- vidually I entertain a respect that can never abate, and whose bravery and patriotism each and every member will show in the right direction, to be kept back from the foremost in this call of their country, I remain, ever devoted to the Constitution of the United States and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
GEORGE H. GORDON.1
This letter shows conclusively what had been his ambition. How well he succeeded, let the fact that his command of but two companies furnished to the army during the war upwards of two
1 General Gordon referred to this letter in his remarks at the tenth annual reunion, Jan. 20, 1586. .
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NEW ENGLAND GUARDS.
hundred commissioned officers and a large number of non-com- missioned officers and privates fully attest. Captain Putnam said at a meeting of the Guard Association held some time after the close of the war, that out of one hundred and sixty-one members who were on duty at Fort Independence in the spring of 1861, before the close of the year one hundred and sixteen had been commissioned and several had enlisted in the ranks. At the same meeting Colonel Hutchins said that of the whole number who were at the fort all but fifteen had gone into the army within a very short time after their return to the city.
That the wives and mothers of the members were as patriotic as their husbands and sons it is needless to say, as women are always foremost in any work calling for self-sacrifice. On the same day that Major Gordon tendered his services, Mrs. J. Thomas Stevenson, the mother of our former orderly, captain, major, and brigadier-general, the beloved and lamented Thomas G. Stevenson, acting as the representative of three hundred Bos- ton ladies who were willing to go to the front as nurses if they should be needed, called on the Governor and offered their services.
April 25, 1861, in accordance with the following orders, the Guards went on duty at Fort- Independence : -
HEADQUARTERS, BOSTON, April 24, 1861. Special Order No. 75.
Captain Thomas G. Stevenson, commanding Fourth Battalion, First Brigade, First Division, is hereby ordered, with the battalion under his command, to report at - o'clock A. M., April 25, at the State House, thence to proceed, after being supplied with the necessary arms and equip- ments, to Fort Independence, on Castle Island, in Boston Harbor, to garrison and protect said fort until further orders.
These troops are charged with this duty in pursuance of their own pa- triotic wishes, and are to be supplied with rations by the State, but to perform the service without compensation.
By command, WILLIAM SCHOULER; Adjutant-General.
HEADQUARTERS, FOURTH BATTALION INFANTRY, M. V. M. BOSTON, April 25, IS61.
You are hereby ordered to appear at the armory of the Fourth Battalion of Infantry, Boylston Hall, to-day at 12 o'clock, for active service at Fort
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Independence, in dark pantaloons and cap. There will be provided by the State, overcoat, knapsack, blanket, two pairs of stockings, two woollen shirts. You will provide yourself with towels, brushes, etc., and one extra pair cf boots or shocs.
Per order,
THOMAS G. STEVENSON, Captain Commanding.
Before leaving for Fort Independence the Guard was presented with a beautiful silk flag by the young ladies of Mr. Caleb . Emery's school. Each member was also given a good service- able fatigue-jacket by Mr. Parker Whitney, of the Cadets.
The battalion went to Fort Independence under command of Captain Thomas G. Stevenson. Company A, Lieutenant Osborn, had fifty-seven guns, and Company B, Lieutenant Otis, sixty- three guns. May 4, 1861, Captain Stevenson was elected Major. On May II the roster was as follows : -
Major .
Thomas G. Stevenson.
Adjutant
Jolın F. Anderson.
Surgeon
Dr. Hall Curtis.
Quartermaster
William V. Hutchings.
Company A, Captain
Francis A. Osborn.
First Lieut.
John F. Prince, Jr.
Second Lieut.
E. M. Dennie.
Third Lieut.
Charles H. Hooper.
Fourth Lieut. Stephen Cabot.
Company B, Captain
R. H. Stevenson.
First Lient. .
William C. Otis.
Second Lieut.
Francis W. Palfrey.
Third Lieut. John Q. Adams.
Fourth Lieut.
J. R. Gregerson.
The complete list of the commanders of the Guards is as follows : -
Samuel Swett elected Sept. 22, 1812.
George Sullivan .
April 2, 1814.
George W. Lyman .
¥ May 6, 1817.
Franklin Dexter
Aug. 22, 1820.
Charles G. Loring .
" May 23, 1823.
William H. Gardiner
May 3, 1825.
William F. Otis .
May 6, 1828.
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NEW ENGLAND GUARDS.
Edward G. Loring .
elected June 8, 1829.
Richard S. Fay .
March 31, 1831.
Thomas Dwight
April 23, 1835.
Alanson Tucker .
May 3, 1836.
H. H. W. Sigourney
April 4, 1838.
George Tyler Bigelow
Jan. 15, 1839.
Charles Gordon .
Jan. 9, 1841.
J. Putnam Bradlee . Joseph L. Henshaw
66 March 20, 1845.
March 16, 1852.
George T. Lyman .
Jan. 28, 1857-
Harrison Ritchie
Dec. 30, 1859.
George H. Gordon
1860.
Thomas G. Stevenson .
May 4, 1861.
Francis L. Lee .
1862.
The following extracts from reports of visitors to the fort, selected from newspapers published at that time, will indicate the opinion which was generally entertained of the organization : -
"Everything looks like business, and West Point Cadets are not put through a more rigid drill by more competent officers."
" . . The first impression which strikes the observer is that of disci- pline. The commander, Captain Stevenson, has risen rapidly from the ranks, evincing peculiar capacity for military discipline and command ; and we may add that he is well supported by an enthusiastic and excellent body of officers and men."
"The Fourth Battalion of Infantry, at present stationed at Fort Inde- pendence, is composed for the most part of sons of wealthy merchants in this city, and on this account they are inclined to be sensitive, fearing that the peculiar service to which they have been appointed will be construed as an indication of their desire to play the gentleman soldier and an un- willingness to be called into the field, which is far from the case. . . . These young men at Fort Independence are by strict discipline perfecting and inuring themselves in preparation for the real hardships of war and active service into which they may soon be called. Let them rest assured that their zeal and patriotism will not be questioned, though they tempora- rily occupy Fort Independence instead of Fort Monroe or Pickens."
"The Fourth Battalion of Infantry, Major Stevenson (without dispar- aging other corps which show as creditable proficiency in their drill), stands at the head of the military organizations of this State for precision of movement, skilful performance of complicated manœuvres, and general discipline. There have been and there are companies which the Fourth
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FORTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
would find hard to beat in rapid and correct execution of the manual ; but there are none as yet that can compare with the Fourth in the other qualities which constitute an incomparable military association."
The term of service at the fort was utilized to the best possi- ble advantage. All of our boys can bear witness to the rare skill of General Stevenson as a commander, and have felt the personal magnetism which affected all with whom he came in contact. He was fairly idolized by his men, and it is doubtful if any one less peculiarly fitted for the position could have maintained as strict discipline.
May 26, in accordance with special order No. 249, dated May 21, they were relieved by the Fourth Battalion of Rifles, under command of Major Leonard. On this occasion was performed for the first time the "Fourth Battalion Quickstep," arranged by P. S. Gilmore, which immediately became such a favorite, and to the inspiriting strains of which we have all marched so many times. On reaching the Common they were received by the veteran, Colonel Swett, their first commander, and there gave a dress-parade and battalion-drill, " to the delight of the spectators, among whom was found many a military critic who found no cause for disparagement."
Colonel Gordon's regiment, the Second, drew largely on the battalion for its officers, as did also the Sixteenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-fourth Massachusetts. There was scarcely a regiment raised in the eastern part of this State in which the Guards were not represented, either among the field, line, or staff; and many were commissioned in the service of other States. Of six Bos- ton officers whose portraits appear in the third volume of the " Memorial History of Boston," - General Stevenson, General Bartlett, Colonel Revere, Colonel Shaw, Lieutenant-Colonel Dwight, and Major Abbott, - four received their early military training as privates in the New England Guards, as did the author of the chapter (Francis W. Palfrey), who rose to the rank of brigadier-general, and, subsequent to the war, was for many years in command of the Cadets.
In August. 1861, the battalion volunteered its services; but on the 21st or 22d of the month they received an answer from the War Department refusing to accept them as a battalion. On the
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NEW ENGLAND GUARDS.
29th of that month they voted to raise a regiment, and on the 3 Ist the official authority for so doing was granted Major Stevenson. Most of the line, and all of the field and staff, were selected from the Guards, and several members, who were afterwards commis- sioned, enlisted in the ranks. This regiment, the Twenty-fourth, formed a part of the Burnside expedition, and did not leave the State till the early part of December. Just previous to its de- parture, Past-Commanders Swett, Lyman, Loring, Gardiner, Fay, Tucker, Bigelow, Charles Gordon, Bradlee, Henshaw, and Ritchie presented to Colonel Stevenson a horse and suitable equipments.
In the latter part of 1860, when the prospect of civil war became imminent, there was a general desire on the part of citi- zens, young and old, to learn at least the rudiments of military drill. Clubs for this purpose were organized all over the State. One of the largest and most successful of these was commanded by a Frenchman named Salignac, and at one time numbered , nearly, if not quite, one thousand members. A fencing-club, in which several who were afterwards commissioned in our regiment had for a long time been interested, was the nucleus. Soon after the actual outbreak of hostilities the Government recalled the arms and equipments which had been loaned to the drill-club, and it consequently disbanded. Several who were unwilling to relinquish their military lessons then organized the "Massachu- setts Rifle Club," and engaged as instructor a Mr. Pease, who was a drill-sergeant in the Hythe School, England. Mr. Pease, re- moving to the West, was succeeded by a Prussian officer of artil- lery, named Steffen. Under his tuition the instruction given was extended to embrace field fortification, grand tactics, and various other subjects, the knowledge of which would prove valuable to an officer in active service. They secured the privilege of using the Fourth Battalion armory for drill and for the storage of their arms and equipments. The regiments which had already left for the seat of war had drawn so heavily on the Guards for their officers, and so many of its members had gone to the front, that the corps was completely demoralized, scarcely a corporal's guard remaining at home. In the winter of 1861-1862 the Massachusetts Rifle Club united with the Guards. Major Francis L. Lee, who had been in command of the former organization,
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FORTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
was elected to the command of the battalion, and renewed inter- est was manifested immediately.
In May, 1862, at the time of Banks's retreat, the militia of Massachusetts were called out with the expectation that they would go to the front. (General Order No. 14, May 26, 1862.) The order for them to assemble on Boston Common was issued on the 26th, and on the 27th some four thousand had reported. The Boston and Salem Cadets were mustered in immediately, and were sent to Fort Warren to relieve the companies stationed there in guarding the Rebel prisoners, as the latter were to be sent to the seat of war. Before the rest of the militia could be mustered it was found that under the law they might be held for a period of eight months, and with the exception of the New England Guards, every company that had reported refused to be sworn in for longer than three months. Some of the companies were unanimous in their refusal and others nearly so. Under these circumstances, the Governor telegraphed to the War De- partment for authority to send them for three months. After some delay he received for answer that, owing to certain con- centrations, the men would not be needed, and they were ac- cordingly dismissed. The Fourth Battalion was mustered out on the 28th (General Order No. 16, May 27, 1862), making their term of service just three days, having been mustered in on the 26th.
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