Diary of Corporal David L. Day: October 8, 1861

COL. UPTON TAKES COMMAND

Col. Upton assumed command of the regiment today, and will at once set about perfecting the organization and discipline. The officers are:

FIELD AND STAFF.

Colonel,	Edwin Upton. Fitchburg.
Lieutenant Colonel,	Augustus Ii. R. Sprague, Worcester.
Major,	Matthew J. Mc Cafferty, Worcester.
Adjutant,	Elijah A. Harkness, Worcester.
Quartermaster,	William O. Brown, Fitchburg.
Surgeon,	J. Marcus Rice, M. D., Worcester.

Company A. Captain, Josiah Picket. Worcester. 1st Lieutenant, Frank E. Goodwin, Worcester. 2d Lieutenant. Merritt B. Bessey, Worcester.

Company B. Captain, Willard Clark, Milford. 1st Lieutenant, William Emery, Milford. 2d Lieutenant, William F. Diaper, Milford.

Company C. Captain, Cornelius G. Atwood. Boston. 1st Lieutenant, James Tucker, Boston. 2d Lieutenant. Merrick F. Prouty, Spencer.

Company D. Captain, Albert F. Foster, Worcester. 1st Lieutenant, George S. Campbell, Worcester. 2d Lieutenant, George H. Spaulding, Worcester.

Company E. Captain. Thomas O'Neill, Worcester. 1st Lieutenant) William Daly, Worcester. 2d Lieutenant, Henry McConville, Worcester.

Company F. Captain, Charles II. Foss. Fitchburg. 1st Lieutenant, Levi Lawrence, Fitchburg. 2d Lieutenant, J. Henry Richardson, Fitchburg.

Company G. Captain, Louis Wagely, Worcester. 1st Lieutenant, Henry M. Rickster, Worcester. 2d Lieutenant, Frederic M. Weigand, Worcester.

Company H. Captain, Orson Moulton, Worcester. 1st Lieutenant, David M. Woodward, Worcester. 2d Lieutenant, Nathaniel H. Foster, North Brookfield.

Company I. Captain. Varanus P. Parkhnrst, Templeton. 1st Lieutenant, James B. Smith, Royalston. 2d Lieutenant, Amos Buffom, Templeton.

Company K. Captain, J. Waldo Denny, Worcester. 1st Lieutenant, Samuel Harrington, Paxton. 2d Lieutenant, James M. Drennan, Worcester.

Most of these officers and many of the enlisted men have done military duty either in the state militia, or as three-months men around Washington. So we are not an entirely green crowd. The officers are a fine looking body of young men, and I think, with a little flattery and catering to their vanity, we shall get along nicely with them.

SOURCE: David L. Day, My Diary of Rambles with the 25th Mass. Volunteer Infantry, p. 6-7

Diary of William Howard Russell: July 13, 1861

I have had a long day's ride through the camps of the various regiments across the Potomac, and at this side of it, which the weather did not render very agreeable to myself, or the poor hack that I had hired for the day, till my American Quartermaine gets me a decent mount. I wished to see with my own eyes what is the real condition of the army which the North have sent down to the Potomac, to undertake such a vast task as the conquest of the South. The Northern papers describe it as a magnificent force, complete in all respects, well-disciplined, well-clad, provided with fine artillery, and with every requirement to make it effective for all military operations in the field.

In one word, then, they are grossly and utterly ignorant of what an army is or should be. In the first place, there are not, I should think, 30,000 men of all sorts available for the campaign. The papers estimate it at any number from 50,000 to 100,000, giving the preference to 75,000. In the next place their artillery is miserably deficient; they have not, I should think, more than five complete batteries, or six batteries, including scratch guns, and these are of different calibres, badly horsed, miserably equipped, and provided with the worst set of gunners and drivers which I, who have seen the Turkish field-guns, ever beheld. They have no cavalry, only a few scarecrow men, who would dissolve partnership with their steeds at the first serious combined movement, mounted in high saddles, on wretched mouthless screws, and some few regulars from the frontiers, who may be good for Indians, but who would go over like ninepins at a charge from Punjaubee irregulars. Their transport is tolerably good, but inadequate; they have no carriage for reserve ammunition; the commissariat drivers are civilians, under little or no control; the officers are unsoldierly-looking men; the camps are dirty to excess; the men are dressed in all sorts of uniforms; and from what I hear, I doubt if any of these regiments have ever performed a brigade evolution together, or if any of the officers know what it is to deploy a brigade from column into line. They are mostly three months' men, whose time is nearly up. They were rejoicing to-day over the fact that it was so, and that they had kept the enemy from Washington "without a fight." And it is with this rabblement, that the North proposes not only to subdue the South, but according to some of their papers, to humiliate Great Britain, and conquer Canada afterwards.

I am opposed to national boasting, but I do firmly believe that 10,000 British regulars, or 12,000 French, with a proper establishment of artillery and cavalry, would riot only entirely repulse this army with the greatest ease, under competent commanders, but that they could attack them and march into Washington, over them or with them, whenever they pleased. Not that Frenchman or Englishman is perfection, but that the American of this army knows nothing of discipline, and what is more, cares less for it.

Major-General McClellan — I beg his pardon for styling him Brigadier — has really been successful. By a very well-conducted and rather rapid march, he was enabled to bring superior forces to bear on some raw levies under General Garnett (who came over with me in the steamer), which fled after a few shots, and were utterly routed, when their gallant commander fell, in an abortive attempt to rally them by the banks of the Cheat River. In this “great battle” McClellan's loss is less than thirty killed and wounded, and the Confederate loss is less than one hundred. But the dispersion of such guerrilla bands has the most useful effect among the people of the district; and McClellan has done good service, especially as his little victory will lead to the discomfiture of all the Secessionists in the valley of the Kanawha, and in the valley of Western Virginia. I left Washington this afternoon, with the Sanitary Commissioners, for Baltimore, in order to visit the Federal camps at Fortress Monroe, to which we proceeded down the Chesapeake the same night.

SOURCE: William Howard Russell, My Diary North and South, Vol. 1, p. 403-4

Edwin M. Stanton to Governor Israel Washburn Jr., May 26, 1862

WAR DEPARTMENT,

Washington City, D.C., May 26, 1862.

His Excellency Governor WASHBURN,

Augusta, Me.:

SIR: Send on the guards at the forts; replace them, if necessary, by militia. I have accepted some three-months’ volunteers, but do not desire to receive any more. If, however, you find that you cannot get three-years’ men, enlist them for three months. Arms and equipments will be sent to any place you may designate. You will be authorized to make requisitions on the Quartermaster-General and Chief of Ordnance for what you need. Please hasten your enlistments; time is important.

EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series III, Volume 2 (Serial No. 123), p. 76

Adjutant-General Lorenzo Thomas to Governor Israel Washburn Jr., May 26, 1862

ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Washington, May 26, 1862.

Governor ISRAEL WASHBURN,

Augusta, Me.:

Enlist no more three-months’ men. Only three-years’ men are needed. Please report how many three-months’ men you have enlisted.

By order of the Secretary of War:

L. THOMAS,

Adjutant-General.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series III, Volume 2 (Serial No. 123), p. 77

Congressman Samuel Hooper to Governor John A. Andrew, May 28, 1862

WASHINGTON, May 28, 1862.

Governor JOHN A. ANDREW,

Boston, Mass.:

I am authorized by the President to say, in reply to your telegram, the order for the militia and three-months’ men was made by the President himself upon deliberate consultation with the Secretary of War and other members of his Cabinet and his military advisers. You are requested not to make any public use of this.

S. HOOPER.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series III, Volume 2 (Serial No. 123), p. 94

Diary of Private Charles Wright Wills: July 27, 1861

Cairo.  We number now about 60 and have 25 days in which to fill up to 100. Two hundred and fifty of our regiment of three-months’ men have re-enlisted. Two hundred and fifty out of 680, which is considerably better than any eastern regiment that I have seen mentioned. There was not a sick man in our company when we returned, and there is not now. One of the boys just tells me that day before yesterday morning there were but eight in the regiment hospital. Three men from our regiment have died in three and a half months. One of these I know killed himself with imprudence. I have telegraphed to the boys to be in Peoria Wednesday. I have not the least idea that any of them will back out. It does seem real good to be back here again where a fellow can swing himself and lay around loose with sleeves up, collar open, (or shirt off if it suits him better) hair unkempt, face unwashed and everything un-anything. It beats clerking ever so much! We were paid off yesterday. The privates received $56.72 each in gold, silver and copper, which is $24.00 more than we expected.

We are having some more excitement in camp to-day. A rumored attack in prospect on Bird's Point is the subject. We are putting the recruits through in two-forty-style to get them ready. Twenty rounds of cartridges were served to us at noon to-day, and Prentiss’ aids are galloping round as if tight. About one quarter of the recruits have their accoutrements on, and some of them scoot up on the levee every ten minutes to look at the Point. We have all kinds of rumors of from 2,000 to 15,000 Rebels within from 6 to 15 miles of us, but if 20 preachers would swear to the truth, there's not one man that has been here three months would believe it. Been fooled too often! Our officers are careful though, and treat every thing from head-quarters as reliable till the contrary is proven.

It is a horrid trip from Peoria to Cairo as the trains run now. We laid over three hours in El Paso, and eleven hours in Centralia; from 11 p. m. till 10 a. m. Awful! and rode down from Centralia in an accommodation freight. The bed was excellent at home, but I think that sleeping on boards rests me better and I know I sleep sounder.

Have worked two hours hard at cleaning up quarters and eating supper since my last period. Supper consisted of coffee, bread and butter, and cold steak pickled in vinegar. Vinegar is a great improvement on cold beef, I wonder you never adopted it. We have a prime lot of boys this time. There are not ten out of the whole company that I would not like to have for associates at home. I don't believe that one of them will ever take quarters in the guard-house.

I think our company will be full in ten days. We have refused lots of roughs here in camp also in Peoria, but three or four little ones have crept in through acquaintances' influence. Those men we have will learn to drill in half less time than any other lot of recruits on the ground, because they have a pride in their appearance and dress, and that has given them a better carriage and command of themselves than rougher customers have.

We will have in a few days nothing but new recruits here except the fractions of regiments that have re-enlisted; the 10th, which calls itself the crack regiment of the post, will all leave for home day after to-morrow. If it does not come back full in 30 days it will be disbanded. This is Prentiss' old regiment.

SOURCE: Charles Wright Wills, Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, p. 20-2

Major-General John A. Dix to Colonel Edward Davis Townsend, July 24, 1861

Head-quarters, Deportment of Maryland.

Fort McHenry, July 24,1861.

Colonel E. D. Townsend,

Assistant Adjutant-general, Head-quarters of the Army:

Colonel, — I annex a list of the regiments whose term of service is about to expire, and of those which are mustered for three years. General Banks persuaded the Sixth Massachusetts to remain till the 2d of August. I have been to the encampment of the Twenty-second Pennsylvania, whose term expired yesterday, and the men consent to continue in service a week longer. The Thirteenth New York resolved unanimously this morning to go home to-morrow. I have just returned from their camp, and by the most urgent remonstrances and by strong appeals have induced them to stay another week. By the 2d of August there will not be one of the eight first-named regiments in the annexed list left. I shall have only the three last regiments on the list remaining. I must urge the immediate re-enforcement of the troops under my command. There ought to be ten thousand men here and at Annapolis. I would not venture to respond for the quietude of the Department with a smaller number. The late reverse at Manassas has brought out manifestations of a most hostile and vindictive feeling in Annapolis as well as in Baltimore.

Major-general Banks, on the evening of my arrival here, asked, at my suggestion, for four hundred cavalry. They would, for the special service required, be equal to a full regiment of infantry. I hope they may be furnished without delay. It is understood that a regiment of cavalry leaves New York to-morrow. Can I have a detachment of three or four companies from this regiment, with a field-officer? I will see to the immediate protection of the bridges in all directions.

I am, very respectfully, yours,

John A. Dix, Major-general commanding.

 SOURCE: Morgan Dix, Memoirs of John Adams Dix, Volume 2, p. 25

Major Wilder Dwight: Sunday Morning, August 11, 1861

I broke off, last night, at this point, and now it is Sunday morning, before breakfast. A bright, glowing morning, with mists rising from the river and hills, promising a hot day. The Doctor is at the door of my bower, as he calls it, beckoning me away to breakfast. The Doctor's servant got hold of some whiskey, the other night, which had been seized from a secessionist, and got crazy drunk with it. He roused the whole camp. He had gone off in the woods, and suddenly fancied himself commanding an army, and made the woods resound with “forward,” “charge bayonets,” &c., &c. He had to be tied and gagged, which made an incident for the late evening. The Doctor* is now reproving him with copious satire. “Peas on the trencher,” or breakfast-call, is beating. I will go to breakfast, and later, will wind up my story

You say that the three months' men ought not to come back. Yes they ought, unless in the presence of immediate duty. You cannot expect anything else. But it was a big blunder having three months' men. The law is at fault, not the men. Human nature is not such an exalted thing that you can expect men to move by regiments, and at a double-quick, in the path of duty and self-sacrifice. Here and there one, but not armies, move voluntarily in that direction. Impulse is transitory. Continued and sustained hard work, hunger and discomfort are not palatable.

_______________

* Lucius Manlius Sargent, Jr, then Surgeon of the Second Massachusetts Infantry, afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel of the Second Massachusetts Cavalry. In a “most gallant charge” upon the enemy, near Bellefield, Virginia, he fell mortally wounded on the 9th of December, 1864.

SOURCE: Elizabeth Amelia Dwight, Editor, Life and Letters of Wilder Dwight: Lieut.-Col. Second Mass. Inf. Vols., p. 71-2