USA > Massachusetts > The old First Massachusetts coast artillery in war and peace > Part 9
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Eliab Ward of Middleboro was Colonel from July 10, 1844, until April 10, 1850, an unusually long term. Elnathan Wilbur of Middleboro was Colonel from May 4, 1850, till Jan. 28, 1853; Col. Stephen Thomas of Middle- boro succeeded Col. Wilbur and remained in office from March 12, 1853, until Apr. 8, 1858. While companies were disbanded in Plymouth county, the loss was made good by
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the formation of new units in Bristol county. On June 29, 1850, the Assonet Light Infantry of Freetown came into ex- istence-a company destined to go to war eleven years later with only twenty-one enlisted men, equipped with ancient bullets which had been moulded for use in suppressing Shays' rebellion. Yet one of their members was to have the distinction of bringing in, at Fort Monroe, the first three escaped slaves or "contrabands." July 22, 1852, was the birthday of the new City Guards of New Bedford, com- manded by the same Capt. Bourne who led the former com- pany. This organization is today the 4th Company, Mass. C. A. On Feb. 26, 1855, the regiment was redesignated the "3d Regiment of Infantry."
David W. Wardrop of New Bedford, June 26, 1858, John H. Jennings of New Bedford, May 10, 1862, until Aug. 25. 1862, and Silas P. Richmond of Freetown, Oct. 7, 1862, were the war Colonels of the 3d. Col. Wardrop was a Philadelphian by birth, but in young manhood removed to New Bedford. For a time he was a cadet at West Point. During a temporary residence in Boston he had been a member of the Fusiliers. In his home city he served in the City Guards, and was connected with the whaling in- dustries of the port. Following the three-months' service with the 3d, he became Colonel of the 99th New York Vol- unteers; and after the war he was inspector of customs at Boston. Col. Richmond had been a charter member of the Assonet Lt. Inf., and subsequently its Captain. Giving up his farm in 1857, he spent a year with John Brown in Kansas repelling "border ruffians." During the three-months' tour of duty, as we shall see, he was captain on the brigade staff ; under Col. Jennings he was Lieutenant Colonel. At the conclusion of his nine-months' service, he became Colonel of the 58th Mass. and Assistant Provost Marshal General
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of the Department of the South. After the war he returned to Freetown, and continued active in business and political spheres.
Col. Wardrop's regiment received orders to mobilize at Boston on the evening of Monday, Apr. 15, 1861. As the headquarters of the 3d were more remote from Boston than those of any other regiment called out, a severe handicap rested upon the command. Its members were mostly busy farmers or mechanics. Furthermore a cold, spring north- easter was raging and roads were almost impassable be- cause of mud. Yet the energy of the colonel and his staff officers and the loyalty of the men overcame these difficulties, and enabled the regiment to report in Boston on the 16th- as early as any of those residing nearer. Credit must be given to Pres. Horace Scott of the Fairhaven Railroad for free use of a special train on the night of April 15, by which alone the prompt circulation of the order became possible ; but the real praise belongs to the officers and men of the companies, whose patriotism produced the magnificent re- sponse. The six companies of the regiment, together with a Cambridge company which was attached, embarked on the steamer, "S. R. Spalding," April 17, and lay in the har- bor that night awaiting supplies. When on the following morning final drafts of men had arrived, bringing the total up to more than five hundred, the steamer sailed under sealed orders ; and found, when nine miles out, that her destination was Fort Monroe. As communication with Washington was temporarily interrupted, these orders emanated from Gov. Andrew and are a mark of his patriotic sagacity; Gen. John E. Wool, in command of Fort Monroe, had sent a messenger by water requesting help. The officers of the regiment were, besides Col. Wardrop; Lieutenant Colonel Charles Raymond, a former captain of the Standish Guards ;
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Major John H. Jennings of New Bedford; Captains, Co. A, Joseph S. Harlow, who, like his predecessor of 1814, was well over six feet in height; B, Charles C. Doten of Plym- outh (afterwards Captain of Co. G, in the 38th Mass., and today Secretary of the Pilgrim Society) ; C, the Cambridge company, Capt. James P. Richardson; G, John W. Marble of Assonet; H, Lucien L. Perkins of Plympton ; K, William S. McFarlin of South Carver (subsequently Captain of Co. C, 18th Mass. Vol. Inf.) ; and L, Timothy Ingraham of New Bedford. Four new companies were later added to the regi- ment ; and after the expiration of the three-months' service, these became the nucleus of the 29th Regiment. Companies from the 4th Regiment also joined the 29th. As the 4th Regiment was included in the expedition to Fort Monroe, going by boat from New York, and thus both units of the 2d Brigade, Ist Division, M. V. M., were involved, Gen. Ebenezer W. Peirce, of Freetown, went as brigade com- mander; and on his staff was Capt. Silas P. Richmond. The 3d Regiment had worn gray uniforms since 1845, and after the war were to continue the color until 1874. So we may picture them as clad in that dressy yet serviceable garb.
Fort Monroe, often called "Fortress" Monroe to indicate that it consists of a fort within a fort, is known as the "Gibraltar of America." Certainly it is a tribute to the po- litical power of the dominant "House of Virginia" in the early days of our Republic, that the largest and strongest fortification of all should be erected for the defence of Nor- folk and the James river. Incidentally it affords some pro- tection to Washington and Baltimore; but that was not a controlling consideration in 1819, when construction began, nor in 1830, when the work was completed. Monroe is a five-bastioned fort of masonry work, and accordingly might
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be roughly described as a huge pentagon. The walls sur- rounding it extend for the almost incredible distance of two miles, while the enclosed area is eighty acres in extent. Two picturesque features are the clumps of live oaks growing on the parade, which are not found anywhere farther north, and the sea-water moat in which tide-gates hold the water at a constant depth of six feet.
Such a fort is impregnable when adequately garrisoned- Monroe requires at least fifteen hundred men to render her secure. A Secretary of War with southern sympathies had stripped the fort of soldiers, until little more than a care- takers' party remained. This tiny regular garrison was compelled to keep all its members under arms continually in order to man the guard-posts. Part of the moat had be- come an oyster-bed and was so filled up as to be fordable.
Sailing from Boston on the 18th, the men of the 3d ex- perienced rough weather rounding Cape Cod. The last meal the soldiers had eaten before leaving Boston harbor did them no permanent good. Just as in a rambling conversa- tion, so with landsmen on the ocean-one thing brings up another. On the historic 19th of April, while the 6th was fighting its way thru Baltimore and the N. Y. 7th was re- ceiving an ovation along Broadway, the 3d and 4th were enjoying (?) life on the ocean wave. All things, however, have an end; and the 20th found both transports off Mon- roe, at the entrance of the Chesapeake bay. At first they were uncertain whether the fort remained in loyal hands or not; but the morning gun fired as a salute, and "old glory" ascending the staff, soon reassured them. No troops were ever more heartily welcomed than were the Massa- chusetts militiamen by the regulars of the garrison. First the 4th and then the 3d marched thru the sally-port, and
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bivouacked beneath the live oaks ; America's most important fort was manned by loyal troops.
After barely time to snatch a luncheon and reassure them- selves that such a thing as solid ground existed, the 3d was ordered under arms. Commodore Paulding had just arrived from Washington in the S. S. "Pawnee," with orders to secure soldiers, and proceed to Norfolk for the purpose of destroying the Gosport Navy Yard. Norfolk lay far within the newly established Confederate lines. Across Hampton Roads, up the Elizabeth river, past Sewell's Point where the exposition of 1907 was to stand and where in 1861 the Con- federates were erecting an earthwork, past Fort Norfolk, which was then held by Confederates, the "Pawnee" pro- ceeded in cool disregard of threatened shot and shell. It was nine P. M. when the Navy Yard was reached, and here another peril became imminent. The tiny crew and garrison of the Yard were at their guns, not knowing whether the "Pawnee" were an attacking Confederate or a Union rein- forcement. Presently, however, identity was cleared up, and the principal business of the night was allowed to pro- ceed.
A Secretary of the Navy, a southern sympathizer, had accumulated ships and material at Gosport worth not less than $10,000,000, for the express purpose of allowing them to fall into Confederate hands. It was the duty of Com- modore Paulding and Col. Wardrop to prevent such a disas- trous consummation. Both officers felt that the Yard could be held against hostile attack; but their orders were explicit -to destroy and abandon. History has decided that the destruction might have been avoided. As, however, the leaders of the expedition had no choice, they endeavored to make the destruction complete. The "Merrimac" was set afire and sunk. Everything that would not burn was thrown
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overboard. At 3 A. M. Sunday, the men of the 3d, tired and smoke-begrimed, reembarked on the "Pawnee"; and towing the "Cumberland," with the Navy Yard garrison on board, started down the Elizabeth river, leaving a raging hell of flames behind them. While the regiment had not been permitted to remain and hold Gosport as they desired, they had been the first northern troops to engage actively in military operations within hostile territory.
By the middle of May the four additional companies had arrived and joined the regiment. Gen. B. F. Butler, having completed his task of pacifying Baltimore, came to Monroe as Major General in command of the "Department of Vir- ginia and North Carolina." On May 24, Private Charles R. Haskins of Co. G (Assonet) had the honor of bringing in the first escaped negro slaves who reached the Union lines, Haskins being on guard at the time in Hampton. By one of the happy flights of practical genius for which he was distinguished, Gen. Butler decided that he could not return the run-aways because they were "contraband of war." The north had been waiting in anxious suspense to know what would happen when southern slave-owners
should demand the return of their property. Very much depended upon the decision of the question. Men certainly would refuse to enlist in the Union armies if they were thereby to become slave-drivers. Butler's decision caused a sigh of relief thruout the loyal states. It must not be for- gotten that this first long step toward ultimate emancipation was taken in connection with the activity of the 3d Regiment.
One can scarcely overestimate the importance of these early days at Monroe. The fort has always been the coast artillery headquarters of the United States. During the Civil War it was far more than this-it was the gateway of Virginia. Its possession enabled McClellan and Grant
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to operate against Richmond. Without it neither the Penin- sular campaign nor the siege of Petersburg could have taken place. Nearby Hampton, fanned by the sea-breezes, became the sanitorium of the northern armies. Burnside's expedi- tion, which made possible Sherman's march, depended upon Monroe as a base. When on July 16, five days after the 4th Regiment had departed, the men of the 3d embarked on the S. S. "Cambridge" to sail for Boston, they felt with reason that they had rendered priceless service to their country.
One company of the 4th Regiment, Co. G, which served three months at Fort Monroe, and subsequently for nine months of 1862-63 at New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Port Hudson, became, in 1866, Co. G of the 3d; and in 1878 was consolidated in the Ist. Co. G had been organized at Taun- ton as the "Light Guard" in 1855.
In the fall of 1862 a call came for nine-months troops. The companies of the 3d had maintained their organization, and altho constantly depleted to supply recruits for other regiments, were relatively well prepared for service. They now determined that the 3d should reenter the U. S. service. In order to distribute town quotas more justly, the Assonet Light Infantry was united with the Halifax Light Infantry as Co. A, under Capt. John W. Marble of Assonet; (Capt. Marble was subsequently to command the 22d Unattached Company during the one-hundred-days of 1864;) the Sam- oset Guards of Plympton and the Bay State Light Infantry of Carver were consolidated with the Standish Guards as Co. B, under Capt. Thomas B. Griffith of Carver. The New Bedford City Guards became Co. E, under Capt. John A. Hawes. New companies were organized: C and D in Fall River under Capts. Elihu Grant and Andrew D. Wright (Capt. Grant later became a minister) ; F and G in New
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Bedford under Capts. George H. Hurlburt and William S. Cobb; H in Rehoboth under Capt. Otis A. Baker, who had a notable war record. (As private in the Ist R. I., he had been wounded at Bull Run. Later he had served as Ist Sergeant and 2d Lieutenant in the 44th R. I .; subsequently he was to be Captain of the 18th Unattached Company,) I in Fairhaven under Capt. Barnabas Ewer, Jr., who as Major of the 58th Mass. was killed at Cold Harbor in 1864; K in Bridgewater under Capt. Samuel Bates. Co. D of Fall River continued its existence after the war, and was active until 1876. The regiment was commanded by Col. Rich- mond; the Lieutenant Colonel was James Barton of New Bedford, who had been Ist Lieutenant during the three- months' service; the Major was John Morrissey of Plym- outh, who had been "legislated out" of the captaincy of the Standish Guards by the recent consolidation. Maj. Mor- rissey became, after the war, Sergeant-at-Arms in the Boston State House.
The 3d were mustered into U. S. service for nine months on Sept. 23, 1862. As their numbers were too great for a single transport, two vessels received the regiment, the "Merrimac" and the "Mississippi." Off Cape Cod the men experienced inconvenience similar to that of 1861 ; and many communed with the great deep. Thereafter the voyage was thru calm water, not even Cape Hatteras proving sufficient to stir up trouble. Landing was made at Beaufort, North Carolina, whence trains conveyed the regiment to Newbern. That town was originally settled by Swiss colonists; as, however, it bore small trace of Helvetian thriftiness and neatness in 1862, our men found nothing to admire. But the district was of much military importance as a source of supplies and channel of communication for Richmond and Lee's army. The 3d, under Gen. Foster, was side by side
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with the 43d and 44th Regiments, both of which have place in Coast Artillery history. They participated in the "great march" thru Kinston, Whitehall and Goldsboro, June II, 1863, the regiment embarked for home; and was mustered out June 26.
Veterans of the 4th Regiment residing in Taunton or- ganized the Taunton City Guard on Nov. 4, 1865, thus giv- ing that city a competitor to its older Light Guard. The company entered the 3d Regiment in 1866, and today exists as the 9th Company, Mass. C. A. For a few months there was an exciting rivalry between the two Taunton companies, as each claimed to be the rightful owner of certain military property in the city,-camp equipage and a fund of $800 coming down from war days. The property would be first concealed by one company and then captured by the other. The courts were appealed to ; but finally the matter was com- promised; they divided the money, and the companies be- came joint owners of the tentage and other equipment.
Orders were issued by the State authorities on Aug. 20, 1866, combining the 4th and 3d Regiments in a new 3d Regi- ment, and on Aug. 31, Col. Mason W. Burt of Taunton was elected commander. Col. Burt had been Captain and Major in the 22d Mass. Volunteers from 1861 to 1864. The new regiment consisted of companies in Halifax (A), Fall River (B), Scituate (C), New Bedford (E), Taunton (F) and (G), and Quincy (H). The Halifax Light Infantry, the New Bedford City Guards, B of Fall River, and, a little later, the revived D of Fall River under Capt. Sierra L. Braley, with a new Scituate company, represented the 3d Regiment; while the Taunton Light Guard and Hancock Light Guards of Quincy came from the 4th Regiment. The new Taunton company entered the 3d at this time; but the Standish Guards remained aloof, as the 87th Unattached
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Company, until 1868. At the latter date the Plymouth com- pany came in as Co. M. Thomas J. Borden became Colonel June 23, 1868, and Bradford D. Davol followed on March 9, 1871, both being residents of Fall River. When on Aug. 2, 1876, the regiment was reduced to a battalion, the "3d Battalion of Infantry," its only surviving companies were the New Bedford City Guards (E), the Taunton City Guards (F), the Taunton Light Guard (G), and the Stand- ish Guards (now H). All others had been disbanded. Maj. Daniel A. Butler, former Captain of the Standish Guards, commanded the 3d Battalion. Meanwhile the Cun- ningham Rifles of North Bridgewater or Brockton had been organized in 1869, and named after the Adjutant General, James A. Cunningham. Originally Co. I of the 3d, this command was transferred to the Ist Battalion of Infantry, Lt. Col. Wales, in 1876; and so pioneered the way for the remainder of the "Cape" companies to follow two years later. This company exists today as the Ioth Company, Mass. C. A.
One cause contributing to the disappearance of the 3d Regiment was the fact that it was called upon to perform two tours of duty for the maintenance of public order in Fall River, first on Aug. 5, 1870, continuing three days, and again Sept. 27, 1875, continuing seven days. Such service in connection with industrial disturbance is exceedingly painful to the feelings of the men. Coming as it did when class sensitiveness was acute, and when the old Civil War veterans were ready to retire permanently from active mili- tary service, it did much to break up the command. Happily such a situation can hardly recur today.
The 3d Regiment participated in musters with the Ist Brigade from 1866 to 1871, the final one being held at Lov- ell's Plain, North Weymouth. In 1872 there was a regi-
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mental encampment at their old Civil War mobilization ground, "Camp Joe Hooker," Lakeville.
On Dec. 3, 1878, Major Butler's four-company battalion was consolidated with the Ist and 4th Battalions as part of the Ist Regiment.
CHAPTER IX SINCE 1878
Col. Wales' regiment, when he received his commission on Dec. 30, 1878, consisted of the following twelve com- panies :
I, The Roxbury Artillery or City Guard.
2, The Boston Light Infantry.
3, The Taunton Light Guard.
4, The New Bedford City Guards.
5, The Standish Guards of Plymouth.
6, The Massachusetts Guards of Cambridge.
7, The Pierce Light Guard of Boston.
8, The West Roxbury Rifles.
9, The Taunton City Guard.
IO, The Cunningham Rifles of Brockton.
II, The Maverick Rifles of East Boston.
12, The Fall River Rifles.
The Fusiliers and the Chelsea Rifle-Veterans were tempo- rarily detached from the regiment, and the Claflin Guards were gone, never to return so far as we now know.
The Ist and 8th Companies were directly from the Ist Regiment. The 2d, 6th, 7th and IIth Companies came from the 4th Battalion; the 3d Company came originally from the 4th Regiment and immediately from the 3d; the 4th, 5th and 9th Companies were from the 3d Regiment; the roth was originally from the 3d and immediately from the Ist. A new 12th Company was organized on Dec. 12, 1878, with Capt. Sierra L. Braley in command. The new com- pany speedily forged to the head in efficiency and has always been one of the three or four leaders in the entire regiment.
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Boston celebrated the 250th anniversary of its settlement on Sept. 17, 1880, and along with other features included a magnificent military display. Everyone conceded that, while other bodies presented a fine appearance, the feature of the parade was the twelve-company Ist Regiment. That day, for the last time, the companies wore their original uni- forms-old Ist Regiment, gray with towering bearskin shakos; 4th Battalion, a semi-Zouave costume with low shakos, double breasted blue coats, light blue bloused knickerbockers, and high leather leggins; and the 3d Regi- ment, low shakos, short blue coats, single-breasted but with three rows of buttons, and blue trousers. The regiment was received enthusiastically by the people of Boston and the day was one long to be remembered.
But changes were projected in the interests of efficiency, and first of all, in that very year, 1880, it was decided to adopt the 4th Battalion uniform for the entire twelve com- panies. So satisfactory did this prove that the Common- wealth utilized the same costume as a state uniform, and issued it to all the organizations of Massachusetts in 1884. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery ; but it can scarcely be said that the Ist relished sharing their distinctive uniform with all the militia,-they felt that they had paid dearly for this flattery.
Thereafter the regiment was to be subjected to a continu- ous and intensifying process of military improvement, at the hands first of the state authorities, and presently of the "Department of Militia Affairs" or "Militia Bureau" in the War Department. While it was inevitable that there should be a deal of experimentation whose results were not always satisfactory, it remains true that constant progress was made thruout the ensuing years. National Guardsmen, since they are human, are prone to complain; certainly they greeted
COL. AUSTIN C. WELLINGTON Page 129
COL. THOMAS R. MATHEWS Page 133
U S.V.
COL. CHARLES PFAFF Page 135
V. S. V.
COL. JAMES A. FRYE Page 14I
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almost every innovation with a chorus of "kicks." But as soon as a change had demonstrated its usefulness, it was heartily welcomed. More and more time was demanded of the men; and on the other hand part of this increased ser- vice was rewarded with increased pay by the State or Na- tion. The four days of camp duty required in 1873 had stretched to fifteen days in 1916, the twelve armory drills of early days to forty-eight. State and Federal pay were not an adequate recompense for the labor performed; the service was still one of unselfish patriotism. But the money invested by the authorities in camp and "rendezvous drill" pay did unquestionably testify to the higher esteem in which, with the passing years, the Guard came to stand. One noticeable consequence of the increasing military strict- ness was the gradual lowering of average age amongst the companies. Older men cannot be away from their business or families for so many hours and days, under ordinary cir- cumstances. American armies have always been made up of very young men; and under the stress of increased re- quirements, the National Guard came to be similarly con- stituted.
One company participated in the exercises connected with the funeral of Pres. James A. Garfield at Cleveland in I881.
Nathaniel Wales was elected Brigadier General on Feb. 21, 1882, and on Feb. 24, Austin C. Wellington became Colonel. The Tiger battalion, during the eight years of Wellington's command, had become the most prominent military institution in Boston; now the entire Ist Regiment was to profit by the skill of the same man, a skill truly amounting to genius. Peculiar qualities are demanded of one who is to succeed in highest degree as a National Guardsman. He must be a well-trained soldier and a hard
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worker as a matter of course. He must command respect for his personal character and must be able to impart knowl- edge to others. He must enforce rigid discipline, and must do it without resorting to regular army methods of punish- ment. On top of all, there has to be sufficient personal mag- netism in his make-up to attract men, and enthusiasm enough to overflow and fire others. This description of a model Guardsman is nothing more or less than a description of Austin C. Wellington. No wonder that during his six years of command, the regiment was to register a new high-water mark of success.
Now the old companies began to come back. When in 1883 the Standish Guards suffered disbandment, their place was promptly taken by the company which had originally held it, the Chelsea Rifles. The Taunton Light Guard ceased to exist in 1884, and at first, the vacant 3d number was filled by the formation of a new company in Natick. Four years later the Natick organization transferred and became Co. L of the 9th, and then the Fusiliers returned to their proper place as 3d Company.
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