USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Templeton > The story of Templeton > Part 19
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
274
paigns. Unfortunately, the names of these men have been lost. We do know, however, that 61 men set out to join the army at Bennington, Vermont; but they arrived after the bat- tle was over and returned to their homes.
It must be remembered that the American soldiers who took part in the Revolution were all volunteers; and since there were no winter campaigns, they generally returned to their homes when winter set in. For this reason, it is difficult to enumerate the total number of soldiers from Templeton actu- ally taking part in the war. But since the population of the township was only 1016 in 1776, it must be assumed that the percentage of men of military age who actually bore arms was very large.
Meanwhile, the people who remained at home were not idle. Throughout the war, they sent stores to the Continental troops. The women and children took the places of the men in the fields; and the life of the town went on despite the absence of so many able-bodied men. It is also of great in- terest to note that the town was one of the first in America to recognize its responsibility for the families of its soldiers. In a town meeting, held in 1777, it was voted to raise and distribute certain sums of money among the families of the men in the army.
When peace was declared, the soldiers returned to their homes and took up the work they had left in order to help the country gain its independence. According to law, each township was required to support a company of militia; and these companies remained in existence until the outbreak of the Civil War. Annual musters were held on Templeton Common, at which time arms and equipment were inspected, drills held and sham battles fought. These affairs were great social events in the township. The significance of these com- panies of militia was not lost sight of, however; and a plen-
275
tiful supply of arms, together with ammunition for the same, was kept on hand at all times.
The second war with England seems to have had little effect on the town. The militia was not called into action; and while it is certain that a few men from Templeton took up arms, their names have not survived. It is recorded that several men served in the garrisons of the forts in and around Boston. Templeton's seeming lack of participation in the War of 1812 may be ascribed to two reasons: first, it was chiefly a naval war, and the boys of the town being so far from the ocean, did not feel the call to serve in the navy; second, and more important, was the fact that the war was not popular in New England which by this time had become a manufacturing center, and the market was cut off by the Embargo on Shipping. Town records reveal that Templeton raised its proportionate amount of taxes to prosecute the war; and its citizens contracted to send stores and ammunition to the garrisons of the fort scattered along the New England coast.
An examination of the records reveals no mention of any citizens having taken active part in the campaigns of the war with Mexico; and it is therefore not until the outbreak of the Civil War that the town again assumed a military aspect. During the period from 1840 to 1860, one and at times two military companies had been maintained in the township, in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth. Imme- diately after the firing upon Fort Sumter, Templeton's Com- pany A, 21st Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers was sum- moned to duty and departed for camp in Worcester. In August of 1861, the regiment left for the front, being first stationed at Annapolis where it became a part of the Army of the Potomac. The company participated in the Virginia campaigns until 1864, when the regiment had become so
276
reduced in numbers that it was combined with the 36th Regiment and thus lost its identity. In all, 56 men from Templeton were members of the regiment during the war.
In October, 1861, Company I of the 25th Regiment, con- taining 34 men from Templeton, departed for the front and took part in the same campaigns until October, 1863, when the regiment, having lost so many men at Cold Harbor and Petersburg, was disbanded. Many of the survivors re-enlisted and remained in service until the end of the war.
The next contingent, 31 men, in Company D, 36th Regiment, began their period of service in the autumn of 1862. They, too, were part of the Army of the Potomac and remained in service until the surrender.
Company G of the 53rd Regiment numbered 43 men from Templeton, who enlisted for a period of nine months, being discharged in September, 1863. Unlike the other companies, their field of duty was in the campaign to open the Mississippi, and their ranks were decimated more by illness than by battle duty.
These four companies were the only large groups to see service, but many individuals enlisted and were assigned to other units. Templeton sent a total of more than 200 men into the Union armies and suffered the loss of between 25 and 30, either killed or mortally wounded in battle. Of the total number, less than 40 returned unscathed; and the death toll from privation and disease was much greater than that of battle.
Throughout the war, the people at home ably supported their comrades in arms. The women of the town picked lint and rolled bandages in large quantities which were forwarded to the sanitary commission of the army - the forerunner of present-day organizations such as the Medical Corps, Nursing Corps, Red Cross, Salvation Army and similar groups. The
277
farmers increased their efforts to raise crops; and the mills of the town produced large quantities of military stores for the Quartermaster department. As each soldier was inducted in- to service, he was furnished with a uniform provided by the town. Also, his army pay was augmented with funds raised in various town meetings.
During the time the men were at the front, the women of the town sent socks and other knitted articles, together with mending kits and such small things as they could provide for the comfort of their absent loved ones. When news of battle casualties came in, many of the townspeople traveled to the army hospitals to care for and, in some cases, to bring back their wounded men. Throughout the period of the war, every effort was made by the people at home to support the soldiers at the front. As usual, Templeton was in the fore- front in the performance of its duty to the flag.
THE SPANISH WAR
The story of Templeton in the Spanish War is closely linked to the history of the Heywood Guards of Gardner, officially known as Company F, 2nd Massachusetts Militia. In this company, was a group of men from Templeton who were about the only ones from the township to engage in combat duty during the war. After the sinking of the Battleship Maine in Havana Harbor, the second regiment was called to active duty; and on May 3, 1898, Company F entrained for the regimental campground in Framingham. There, on May 10th, they received their physical examinations and were in- ducted into the federal army. Two days later, the regiment proceeded to Newport, Rhode Island, thence to New York by boat. From New York, they proceeded by train to Lakeland, Florida, where they received orders to join the fifth army corps under General Shafter at Tampa. Several days later, the
278
regiment embarked on an army transport, and on June 14, set sail for Cuba. The landing was effected at the seaport town of Daiquiri.
From this port the regiment marched, often in single file, to the town of Siboney which had undergone bombardment by our naval forces. This town lies on the direct route to Santiago which was the objective of the army. Here the regiment joined Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders and parts of the 1st and 10th Regular Cavalry which were to attack Santiago.
The first contact with the enemy occurred at the battle of El Coney. The block house at the top of El Coney was cap- tured and the advance resumed toward Santiago. It was at the former place that the company suffered its first casualties of three men wounded.
The next obstacle encountered was at San Juan Hill where the Rough Riders gained their greatest fame. History has given them the greater part of the credit in this battle; and the fact that the boys of the 2nd Massachusetts fought side by side with them and often in advance of them, has been ignored. After the successful charge up and the capture of this famous hill, the advance was continued toward Santiago. During these operations on land, the fleet, under command of Admiral Sampson, had bottled up the Spanish fleet in the harbor of Santiago and had bombarded the city. After the battle of San Juan, the army proceeded to encircle the city, and the siege was begun.
Company F had not been on Cuban soil for one month, and although its losses were slight, the boys began to suffer from disease, caused by weather and the jungles through which they had advanced. This condition was prevalent throughout the whole army; and a further engagement could not be under- taken until reinforcements had been brought up. Accord-
279
ingly, trenches were dug, and the cordon was tightened around the city, while the troops were given opportunity to rest. The fleet, in the meantime, had destroyed the Spanish battle- ships which had been shut up in the harbor; and a formal demand had been made for the surrender of the city which took place on July 17, 1898. The army immediately advanced to occupy the city; and the boys of Company F were a part of the occupational forces. They remained on duty until August 12th, when they again embarked on a transport head- ed for New York. On arrival at that port, they proceeded to Worcester, and in October were mustered out of the service, after an army experience of about six months. Several of their sick were left behind in army hospitals, and the company returned to Templeton with battle casualties amounting to two dead and two wounded. However, the whole member- ship had been disabled at one time or another by privation and disease suffered in Cuba.
Several of the men from Templeton volunteered in different army regiments and in the navy, but none of them saw active service in Cuba. For this reason, the writer has chosen the history of the Heywood Guards as the story of Templeton in the Spanish War.
FIRST WORLD WAR
In August, 1914, when war broke out between the Allies and the Central Powers of Europe, Templeton, like the rest of the United States, had the feeling that it could not directly affect this country. Our sympathies were naturally with the English and French, and strongest of all, with the over-run country of Belgium. As the months passed, and the war in- creased in fury, it became evident that we would be drawn in on the side of the democratic countries. We had been supply-
280
SOLDIERS' MONUMENT MEMORIAL WORLD WAR I.
ing the Allies with huge quantities of war materials, and when the unrestricted submarine warfare of the German Navy reached its climax, we were forced to become active, instead of unofficial, participants in the conflict.
When news of the declaration of war reached Templeton, for the first time in its history the town had no organized military unit to send to the front. Many of our young men, however, rushed to the enlistment offices, and by the time the draft law became effective, Templeton had already sent many young men to the army. Its record of enlistments in propor- tion to its population, was impressive, and of the one hundred and fourteen men who were taken in to the armed forces, all but a very few volunteered their services. It is interesting to note that the honor roll of the town displays the name of one young woman, an army nurse, and she was the pioneer of the scores of girls who served their country in the second great war.
The other side of the picture shows a more sorrowful scene, but one which should be held in the utmost reverence by the town, for of the one hundred and fourteen who went, twelve did not return; and Templeton had the sad distinction of owning one of the greatest proportionate casualty lists in the state.
When the armies were sent to Europe, Templeton was well represented in the famous First Division, "the first to go over and the last to come back." The peculiar style of trench war- fare during this conflict, in which gains were measured by yards, instead of by miles, and during which for weeks at a time, the boys in the trenches seldom caught sight of the enemy, even tho' they were but a short distance away, made the period of service particularly arduous. The constant alertness against poison gas, and the conflict, which was heaviest during hours of darkness, exacted a heavy toll, and
281
the veterans of this war are today suffering from the results of their stay in the trenches.
They went over with the slogan of "making the world safe for democracy," and to "win the war to end all wars." They returned with the knowledge that they had accomplished their purpose; only to realize a few years later that their efforts had been in vain, and that they must watch their sons depart to do it all over again.
At home, the town supported the nation in every way pos- sible, to carry on the war effort. Every war bond quota was over-subscribed, while the Red Cross and Salvation Army, the two great relief agencies, received large donations whenever they called for funds. Knitting of woolen garments, was one of the chief activities of the women, and thousands of these articles were sent to the army and navy. Rolling bandages and folding dressings was another of the home activities, and bundles of food, clothing and other comforts, were sent both to the boys and to the devastated regions.
In brief, Templeton, both at home and at the front, carried on its proud record of doing its part.
SECOND WORLD WAR
During the years when the countries of Europe were en- gaged in the greatest and bitterest war that this world has ever known, and up to the time of the treacherous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Manila, the United States had been con- cerned in a supreme effort to support and supply our natural allies, England and France. During the latter part of this period, the National Guard of the country had been inducted into the U. S. Army, and had departed for training. At the same time, the Selective Service Act had been passed by Con- gress, and as swiftly as training quarters could be provided,
282
the young men of the country were being summoned for a year of military duty.
With the declaration of war on December 8, 1941, the whole country sprang to arms, and Templeton ceased being a quiet country town. Several young men had already departed for their year of training, but now that war was actually at hand, many of our boys rushed to the recruiting offices to enlist. As long as enlistments were accepted, this movement continued. Soon, however, the draft offices were put into operation, and from that time until the end of the war, there was a steady draining off of the young men of the town. It soon became a matter of interest to see a young man of military age walk- ing down the street in civilian clothes. A small number of young men who held key positions in vital industries, were frozen on their jobs, and not accepted for service. An- other small group was rejected on account of disability, but these few men emphasized the absence of the greater part of the youth of the town. A striking example of this exodus is shown by the graduation programs of the classes of 1945 and 1946 of the high school. Of the total of twenty-five boys graduating, sixteen were either already in the service, or were inducted immediately after graduation; and of the nine re- maining, several were called when they reached the age of eighteen.
Unlike the procedure during previous wars, voluntary mili- tary units were not accepted, and as the service men reported for duty, they were assigned to units made up of boys from all over the country. It was a rare instance when two boys from Templeton were assigned to the same company. A screening process, by which their aptitudes were tested, placed them in various branches of the service, and boys from Tem- pleton were thus assigned to the army, navy, various air forces, marines, coast guard and sea-bees, and almost before we could
283
realize it, letters were coming back home from all over the world. Many of the boys were given special training in schools, colleges, officers' candidate schools and air force train- ing schools: thus qualifying for commission in the various services. For the first time, young women were given serious consideration by the Joint Staff of the armed forces, and Tem- pleton sent its quota of girls to the WACS, WAVES, SPARS, MARINES, Nursing Corps, and Cadet Nursing Corps. The honor roll of the town on VJ Day listed well over six hundred names, and of these, seventeen gave their lives.
Note: They had literally been scattered over the seven seas and the known earth, in the Arctic, Europe, Africa, Near East, Far East, Pacific and Japan.
As the boys returned from the various fronts, the campaign ribbons, commendation badges and purple hearts which were pinned on their uniforms, gave silent but convincing testimony of their devotion to duty, and valor against the enemies of our country.
As the fury of the war increased, so did the determination of the people at home to back up the efforts of the boys at the front became stronger. Over-night, factories changed from civilian production, to war work, and increased their working hours to twenty-four hours a day in many cases. This added effort was made possible by the hundreds of women, who arranged their home duties so that they could work part of every day at the machines. Elderly men came out of retirement, and worked to the utmost of their ability at whatever jobs they were physically able to perform. School children worked a few hours each day after classes were dis- missed; and men, women and children united in one mighty effort to produce the materials necessary for the prosecution of the war. Farmers doubled their acreage, and produced crops greater than ever before. The strict rationing of food was accepted, with very few complaints, and all in all, the war effort on the home front was the greatest demonstration of
284
massed determination that the world has ever seen. One branch of service which was not officially in the armed forces, but without which the armies themselves could not have sur- vived, was the Merchant Marine. Templeton was well rep- resented in this service, and at least THREE boys from the town gave up THEIR LIVES while on duty on merchant ships.
Besides working at top speed, in the various industries, the townspeople contributed most liberally of their money for the benefit of the soldiers and sailors, as well as the relief of the over-run countries. Every appeal for funds and supplies was met with enthusiasm, and every established quota was over- subscribed; all this in addition to the over-subscription of the War Bond issues. In brief, Templeton, both at home and at the front, did its part.
After the surrender of Germany, the boys began to come back home in ever increasing numbers, and when Japan suc- cumbed, the homeward tide reached its peak. In a few months, the majority of the boys had been separated from the services, and began to take their places in the civil life of the town. A few of the more recently enlisted men were kept in the service for duty in the armies of occupation; and at the time this is written, many of our boys are still serving in Europe, Japan and the islands of the Pacific. Those who re- turned have quietly taken their places in factories, on farms, and in other peacetime occupations. Their travels over the world, their contacts with other peoples, and their observation of how the rest of the world lives, have qualified them to be- come better citizens; and we of the older generation can hand over to them the management of the town, secure in the knowledge that Templeton will be safe in their hands.
285
4001
-
-
€
.
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.