Read Ebook: History of the Forty-second regiment infantry Massachusetts volunteers 1862 1863 1864 by Bosson Charles P Charles Palfray

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Ebook has 1231 lines and 148944 words, and 25 pages

PAGE.

ORGANIZATION OF REGIMENT--CAMP AT READVILLE--DEPARTURE FOR NEW YORK 1

EN ROUTE--CAMP AT EAST NEW YORK--ON TRANSPORTS 19

ON BOARD TRANSPORTS--THE SAXON--QUINCY--CHARLES OSGOOD--SHETUCKET--QUINNEBAUG 38

GALVESTON 61

AT CARROLLTON--BOUND FOR GALVESTON--ARRIVAL OF COMPANIES--CAMP MANSFIELD--DETAILS 140

FEBRUARY--AT BAYOU GENTILLY--MORE DETAILS 154

ENLISTED MEN PRISONERS AT HOUSTON--MARCH FOR THE FEDERAL LINES--ARRIVAL AT NEW ORLEANS 173

AT BAYOU GENTILLY--MARCH--APRIL 197

AT BAYOU GENTILLY--MAY 226

BAYOU GENTILLY--JUNE--FAREWELL TO GENTILLY CAMP--IN NEW ORLEANS 239

BRASHEAR CITY 252

ACTION AT LA-FOURCHE CROSSING 286

JULY--IN NEW ORLEANS--AT ALGIERS 310

COMPANIES C AND H ON DETACHED SERVICE AT CAMP PARAPET 331

COMPANY K IN CHARGE OF PONTOONS--BATON ROUGE--TECHE CAMPAIGN--SIEGE OF PORT HUDSON--DONALDSONVILLE--RETURN TO REGIMENT 352

AUGUST--AT ALGIERS--BOUND NORTH--ON BOARD "CONTINENTAL"--ARRIVAL HOME 378

ADVENTURES OF CORPORAL WENTWORTH AND PRIVATE HERSEY 389

OFFICERS IN CONFEDERATE PRISONS--HOUSTON--STATE PRISON--CAMP GROCE--CAMP FORD--EN ROUTE HOME--AT HOME 415

IN SERVICE FOR ONE HUNDRED DAYS--ORGANIZATION--READVILLE--OFF FOR WASHINGTON--AT ALEXANDRIA--AT GREAT FALLS--RETURN HOME 442

PAGE.

FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS 1

KUHN'S WHARF, GALVESTON 81

HEADQUARTERS AT BAYOU GENTILLY 161

ORGANIZATION OF REGIMENT--CAMP AT READVILLE--DEPARTURE FOR NEW YORK.

At the time a draft was ordered by President Lincoln for three hundred thousand militia to serve for a period of nine months, Colonel Isaac S. Burrell was in command of the Second Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia--an old militia organization of the State. General Orders No. 25, issued July 1st, 1862, by the Commander-in-Chief of the State troops, Governor John A. Andrew, notified the militia to prepare for a call to service. General Orders No. 34, issued August 13th, 1862, by the same authority, notified the volunteer militia they would be accepted for nine months service.

In common with other organized and uniformed militia organizations in the State, the colonel was instructed by officers and men of his command to tender the regiment as volunteers for nine months service, and to obtain permission to recruit up to the requisite strength. Public opinion was opposed to a draft at that time, and Governor Andrew, by accepting the services of such militia bodies as volunteered, affording every facility in his power to enable them to recruit up to the full maximum of strength, avoided the necessity for a draft, made available the services of those officers who eventually recruited their companies to a war strength, and the rank and file already enlisted in the militia--a very fine nucleus to commence with. The intermixing of raw recruits with men of some experience of the duties of a soldier tended to greatly facilitate the mobilization of the States' quota, and hastened the departure of regiments to the field in a tolerable good condition for immediate duty.

In addition to this guard, the first detachment of about one hundred men, occupied this camp on the afternoon of August 26th, and from that time until the regiment was complete , recruiting, equipping, and instruction occupied the time. The Ninth Battery, Captain De Vecchi , Eleventh Battery, Captain Jones, Forty-Third Regiment, Colonel Holbrook, Forty-Fourth Regiment, Colonel Lee, and the Forty-Fifth Regiment, Colonel Codman , were encamped in tents and barracks at the same place and at the same time. The whole force formed a post, commanded by Brigadier-General R. A. Peirce, of the State Militia.

Lieutenant-Colonel--T. L. D. Perkins.

Major--George W. Beach.

Adjutant--Charles A. Davis.

Surgeon--John A. Lamson, resigned August 28th, 1862.

Company A--Captain, Wm. A. Brabine; Lieutenants, Wm. Kilner and John H. Stevens.

Company B--Captain, Albert H. Townsend; Lieutenants, Artemas Webster and Wm. B. Rand.

Company D--Captain, George Sheriv?; Lieutenants, Wm. H. Cowdin and D. F. Eddy.

Company E--Captain, Samuel C. Davis; Lieutenants, David Hale and Henry Pierce.

Company F--Captain, Wm. H. Russ; Lieutenants, Wm. A. Clark and James C. Singleton.

Company G--Captain, A. N. Proctor; Lieutenants, A. E. Proctor and Charles Jarvis.

Considerable time elapsed before the regiment was full. The system adopted by the Governor, of assigning quotas to cities and towns, was found to work to the disadvantage of the seven original companies comprising the regiment in gaining recruits, as such quotas preferred to enlist in a regiment, as a body, under officers of their own choice, whenever the quotas were sufficient to form a company, or companies. It became evident, early in September, that the Forty-Second Regiment could not be filled to ten full companies unless some of the original companies gave way to such city or town companies as could be secured. Colonel Burrell, with his officers and their friends, spent time and money, visiting various cities and towns endeavoring to have them join the Forty-Second.

There being a vacancy of three companies in the regiment, Colonel Burrell, although having offers of five full companies to join at one time, thought he could conscientiously accept of only three, viz., one from Weymouth, one from Medway, and one from Dorchester, preferring to let the other two join some other regiment, and to wait a short time longer, in hope that officers recruiting for the original seven companies would have full commands in a short time, although recruiting was very, very dull at the time for four of those companies. When two of the old companies, D and G, were full to the maximum, and the third, Company C, was progressing favorably, it was evident Companies A, B, E and F could not be recruited, and were delaying formation of the regiment.

Company H, recruited by Captain Bailey, was about full. This company was not in the old Second Regiment. Bailey had some sort of authority to recruit a company, and expressed a desire to become a part of the Forty-Second. He made his headquarters at Readville, and sent men into camp often. There was a great deal of bounty jumping in this company before it was mustered in. The keeping of a correct list of men sent to camp by the captain was a tough job, as the adjutant and sergeant-major well remember. What blunders were made, or obstacles met and overcome by Captain Bailey, no one can tell, for the captain kept his own counsel.

In Company B, Captain Townsend was very troublesome. In September he carried his supposed grievances so far as to remain away from camp, and order his men to keep away also. This culminated on the eighteenth, when Colonel Burrell requested the adjutant-general to discharge him; also recommended that Companies B and C be consolidated, and that Company C be the nucleus and letter of the new company. Orders were issued by the Governor disbanding A, B, E and F, transferring the men to other companies. The Weymouth company was designated Company A; Medway company, Company B; Dorchester company, Company I; and steps were taken to try and secure town quotas to fill the three companies required to complete the regiment.

During October the Governor decided to consolidate certain regiments, in order to remedy an apparent evil, and get the troops into the field as soon as possible. More regiments were being recruited in the State than could be filled by the State quota of nine months volunteers. The Forty-Second and Fifty-Fourth regiments had the smallest number of men mustered into service; the Forty-Second having seven companies, the Fifty-Fourth, six companies. Three companies from Worcester County, viz., from Leicester, Captain Cogswell, Worcester, Captain Stiles, Ware, Captain Davis, of the Fifty-Fourth, were transferred to the Forty-Second regiment. One company of the Fifty-Fourth was transferred to the Fiftieth Regiment, two companies of the Fifty-Fourth to the Fifty-First Regiment, and the Fifty-Fourth Regiment was disbanded.

All through the attempt to recruit the regiment to its maximum strength, Lieutenant-Colonel Perkins and Major Beach, instead of rendering any valuable service in that direction, were hampering the efforts of others. A jealousy sprang up in the breasts of these two officers against the colonel, born from what no one seems to know, and it is doubtful if they knew themselves. This jealous feeling was intensified when Companies A, B, E and F were disbanded, opening the way for three new companies from city and town quotas to take their places. With only three companies remaining of the old Second Regiment, a triangular fight sprang up for the positions of colonel, lieutenant-colonel and major; elective in all nine months troops from Massachusetts, line officers casting the ballots. Officers of the three Worcester County companies held the balance of power. They were desirous of obtaining for field officers the best men they could find in the regiment. A council was held one evening, seated in a circle upon the grass some distance from quarters, where the matter was fully discussed. It was finally decided to vote for Isaac S. Burrell for colonel, as he was well known to most of them as an old militia officer; for Captain Stedman, Company B, to be lieutenant-colonel, as he had been highly recommended to them by officials connected with the Norwich, Vermont, Military Academy , with whom a correspondence was carried on without the knowledge of Captain Stedman; for Captain Stiles, Company E, to be major, as they all knew him to be an excellent officer. The question of proportioning the field positions so as to recognize the new companies that had joined the regiment did not enter into their discussions at all.

Friends of Captain Proctor based his claim for the positions of lieutenant-colonel and major on the fact that he was the senior captain, a valid claim, which would have had weight with officers holding the balance of power if they had known more of his military history at that time. His friends did not press his claim until it was evident Perkins and Beach could not be elected.

The wounds of disappointment inflicted by this election were never fully healed, but did not interfere with all of the officers doing their duty as they understood it. In very small things did any feeling show itself afterwards, and not then until the lieutenant-colonel was in command, while the colonel was a prisoner.

The dates of muster into the United States service are as follows:

Company A--September 13, 1862. " B-- " 13, " " C--October 11, " " D--September 19, " " E-- " 30, " " F-- " 30, " " G-- " 16, " " H-- " 24, " " I-- " 16, " " K--October 14, "

The field and staff were commissioned November 6th, 1862, and mustered in November 11th, 1862. The time of the regiment commenced from October 14th, 1862.

It would be a hard task to pick out a finer body of men than composed the rank and file of the Forty-Second Regiment as it now stood, containing men from all ranks of life and all grades of society. A few bad men were enlisted, 'tis true, but less than the usual proportion found in regiments formed and enlisted as this was. About one-tenth, or say nearly one hundred men, were of that disposition and temperament, in case of going into action the very best thing to be done with them, for the safety of the regiment, would be to hurl them into a ditch with orders to stay there until the fighting was over. That the record of the regiment does not equal the best from Massachusetts was due to events over which it had no control. The material was there, the courage was there; it needed merely a baptism fire to fully acquaint the rank and file with the smell of powder, and then opportunities to prove their metal.

Among the members of a band occasionally engaged for duty on Sundays at Readville Camp was Mariani, the old drum-major of Gilmore's Band when at the zenith of its fame in Boston. Signior Mariani was a man of commanding presence, very tall and very heavy in build. He was a jolly companion, full of anecdote regarding his native land, Italy. His one time, two time, three time story has never been forgotten by those who had the pleasure of hearing it.

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