COL . CHARLES R . LOWELL

C O L O N E L C H A R L! S R USS! LL L OW! L L

FRI END S COUSINS

B O S T O N

P e o eo. . ! l r ss f G H l is Co.

1 9 2 0

D ED I CATION

To the young men of 1 9 1 7 who so nobly risked

of their hopes future usefulness , their health ,

ou r their lives , to stand side by side With Allies against tyranny and inj ustice abroad ; to those who fell , and to those Who survived to Who m

own the future of our cou ntry is now intrusted , — this collection of brief memoirs of the you ng

1 men of 1 86 is dedicated .

CONT! NTS

PAG !

O R ! W O RD W I TH ! ETCH OF G OV ! R N O R N D R ! W F , S A

CH ARLE S RU S SELL LOW ELL

H ! N R! L ! ! H I G G I NSON

S T E PH EN GEOR G E PER ! INS

AM ES AVA G E . J S , JR

WI LD ER DW I GH T .‘ RO B ERT GOU LD S H AW

ENR! TUR I S U SS ELL H S G h R

JAM ES JA C! SON HI G G I NSON

JAM ES JA C! SON LOW ELL

ILLIAM LOW ELL P UT NAM W !

CA B OT JA C! SON RU SS EL

SAMU EL S TOR R OW

S U MNER PAINE

JOHN ALBION AND REW

G OV ! R NO R o r M A S S A C H US ! TT S FOR ! WOR D FR OM A CONT! MPORA R ! OF A GR OUP OF SOLD I! R S OF THE WAR OF 1 8 6 1

Early in the time of ou r Civil War a se t of photographs , of which these are mainly dupli

wa s cates , sent over to some English friend s who o n had recently been guests here . Placed

- their drawing room table in London , the por traits helped to convince their friends that ou r “ ” wa s of army not made u p mere mercenaries .

To accompany the photographs , short me moirs have been compiled , from the Harvard

Memorial Biographies and from other sou rces , of Colonel Charles Russell Lowell and some o f his friends and cousins , with Governor John A .

Andrew at their head . There were other friends and cousins Whos e services in the war and since the war equ ally

s deserve recognition , but whose p hotograph were not at hand when the original collection : L was made the cousins are Francis . Lee ,

r . Charles Jackson Paine , J , William Cu shing

r Paine , Oliver Wendell Holmes , J . , Charles t w S o rro r . , J , Francis Lee Higginson , Warren

Dutton Russell , Frank Lowell Dutton Ru ssell , John Pearce Pe n h a llow FOREWORD

A few facts about the times into which these men were born are worth noting Major Henry Lee Higginson in his address o n Colonel Robert G . Shaw delivered in

Sanders Theatre , Harva rd University , Cam

o n 0 1 8 bridge , May 3 , 97 , said in part “ To- day I wish to talk to you of the Fifty fou rth Regiment , Massachusetts Volunteer I n fa n tr y, colored , commanded by Colonel Robert

of S haw ; and slavery , which , as a deadly poison

ou r . to nation , they strove to remove Any word of mine which may seem hars h to o u r b rothers o f the South has no such meaning o r

of wa s feeling . The sin slavery national and

sin o caused the f disu nion . Together we wiped o u t ou r with blood these two great wrongs ,

we ou t long ago , and also wiped all u nkind ” feeling . The n a tion a l responsibility for the c on t in u a tio n o f slavery did not arise simply from the fact that in the North slavery had existed 1 0 i n Colonial days , for in the first census of 79 , made u p by Jonathan Jackson whom Wash i ngton had appointed United States Marshal fo r of the District Massachusetts , then includ ing Maine , there was recorded u nder the head “ ” ing Number o f Slaves in that District the

n on e word . Meantime the foreign slave trade had been made illegal . FOREWORD ix

There had been movements toward a similar policy in the South , when , through Northern enterprise , cotton factories were set u p along ou r many rivers , the first spinners and weavers being girls from the neighboring farms , and

of of stockholders , many whom were persons moderate means , who had invested their hard earned s avings , intrusting them to the enter prising manufacturers for the new cotton mills . The Irish famine and other conditions in Eu rope soon increased the tide of immigration , which later was welcomed and encou raged becau se it brought not only some highly skilled workers but also persons who were u nskilled bu t could be m ade available for working at parts of this new machinery .

in The question then arose , how could the creasing demand for cheap cotton be met ! The rivers and canals might cause the busy Wheels to tu rn , and cheap labor might be hired to work at them ; bu t if the slave trade were to cease , and if Virginia should cease to raise slaves to be sold at the more Southern markets for labor Where cotton raising would thrive and Cheap

wa s who labor always in demand , would there be to plant and gather the cotton o r to serve the White owners of the crops ! Naturally these considerations may h ave tended to confirm the reluctance of the North x FOREWORD

to break with the South , and perhaps tended also to bolster u p the doctrine of State Rights .

1 8 8 wa s I n 4 the Missou ri Compromise repealed , and the extension o f slavery into the terri 1 8 0 tories wa s proposed . I n 5 the Fugitive Slave Law wa s enacted and the Supreme Cou rt “ had declared that by ou r Constitution negroes ” “ of were not Citizens the United States , had never had any rights which the white man wa s ” “ bound to respect , might j ustly and lawfully ” be enslaved for their ow n good . Meantime ’ “ ’ ” Mrs . Stowe s Uncle Tom s Cabin , fou nded upon conditions which had come to that writer ’ s knowledge during her residence in the South , wa s 2 0 1 8 2 published March , 5 , and translated into the languages o f dwellers i n all parts Of the civilized world . I n Great B ritain , slavery 1 8 0 had been abolished in 7 . As late as 1 8 5 0 some of the most public spirited Northerners would gladly have nego tia te d payment by the United States of five o r ten million dollars per year to free the slaves , but they dreaded a rising of the slaves and were encou raged by Southerners and by Southern sympathizers in this dread Of that which never h appened , not even du ring the Civil War , so loyal were the colored people in the absence Of their White masters . Under this United States Fugitive Slave Bill

FOREWORD

Vigilance Committee of forty members was “ ’ appointed , Andrew s pu rpose being to abide by the law , but to wring from it the utmost protection for any person on Massachusetts soil whose liberty wa s called in question under the ” laws Of the United States . The history Of politics after this crisis is well known . I t is interesting to note that when ’ wa s Lincoln s nomination assured , and Andrew ,

a as a member Of the Committee , had been p pointed to inform Lincoln of his nomination , Andrew “ saw i n a flash that here was a man ” “ w w Fo r i ho a s master Of himself . the f rst ” “ of time , he says , they !the members the

Committee! u nderstood that Abraham Lincoln , whom they had supposed to be little more than a loquaciou s and clever state politician , had ” force , insight , conscience . “ As the campaign for Governor of Massa

' c hu setts o n 1 8 8 1 8 60 eo l e c a m e went in 5 to , p p to recognize the two qualities , the cool head and the warm heart , which were so remarkably u nited in John A . Andrew , and to feel that he ” could be trusted as their governor . On the th 1 86 1 5 Of January , , the Legislatu re met in convention . The inaugu ration took place in

due form , a nd Andrew read his address . ’

o f . One Andrew s first cares , when John M

Forbes appeared as his cou nsellor , was the selec FOREWORD tion o f fou r aides to constitute hi s personal

— f r . sta f , Horace Binney Sargent , Henry Lee , J ,

Harrison Ritchie , and John M . Wetherell Of

Worcester .

Meantime a Southern Convention , at which eight States were represented , had met at Vicksbu rg and had passed resolutions in favor of reopening the slave trade . In October came John B rown ’ s raid at Harper ’ s Ferry and the h anging Of B rown and his associates . On April 1 2 th the seceders opened fire o n Fort Sumter ;

April 1 5 th the President called ou t seventy- five thous and troops ; April 1 9th the Massachusetts

wa s Sixth fired upon on its way South , and

Massachu setts men lay dead in B altimore . ’

r . One of the Governor s Staff , Henry Lee , J , “ : writing in later years , notes At Fort Win th ro p there were no gu ns ; Fort I ndependence

& c six twenty gu ns . At last , after weeks

o n 1 of of sickening su spense , the 5 th April , came the appalling summons fo r twenty com p a nie s of Infantry ; early on Friday fou r regi ments reported in a driving storm o f sleet and rain ; from that hou r till the dawn of Su nday ,

2 1 st April , we all had to work night and day ” “ a s armorers . Behind every great movement stands the man . The whole commu nity , from that time forth , owned Governor Andrew for ” their leader . FOREWORD

re min i Colonel Henry Lee , in his personal s cences of Governor Andrew , from Janua ry , “ 1 86 1 1 86 : , till November , 7 , wrote Governor Andrew wa s o n e o f the very few Who saw ’ ” “ Clearly through this day s business . The grave closes over most men as the waves Close over the wa ke of a p assing ship . The places th at have known them know them no more , bu t Governor Andrew h as been and will c on ” tinu e to be sadly missed . He leaves what is better than great riches , a name which will never be spoken save with admiration , gratitude ” and honor . Such was the Governor who commissioned these you ng men . We shall read from the following brief ex tracts , mainly drawn from biographies written

of half a century ago , that some these men risked their lives first of all to save the Union , while others had the freedom of the slaves most

c a n at heart . We never make good the work which together they and the rest made possible ff for later generations to carry into e ect , u nless , side by side with our other civic and patriotic

we to duties , Open the way the colored people to become not only good soldiers but also good

o ne o n e citizens , by removing , by , the barriers which have deliberately been made to block their efforts in many directions , in the North FOREWORD ! V

as well as in the South . The colored race , to which the w a r of 1 8 6 1 brought freedom from slavery , is the only race agains t which a whole is s ale discrimination , both legal and illegal , still practised . This occu rs regardles s of the fact that many thousands o f the colored people h ave achieved success n o t only in the ministry and in the army , but also in the arts and sciences , in medicine , law , and literature , as ,

ou r - for instance , highly valued head master Of

ou r who a large public school , student was elected into the Phi B eta Kappa a year before graduating with honors from Radcliffe College and is now a succes sful teacher .

Of Gradu ates Harva rd , Yale , Fisk , Atlanta ,

a s of and other u niversities , well as Hampton a nd Tuskegee , and other industrial schools , are taking part in the world ’ s work and passing the requirements fo r civil service in government departments , making good records in many other directions also . This wholesale race—discrimination is a s short sighted as it is cowardly . To deprive a weaker race of almost vital opportu nities is essentially a cowardly performance . It has well been said , “ Perhaps the most important single factor in the development Of the South is its negro l abor ; it is more to it , if viewed aright , tha n its gold , iron , and coal mines ; if properly treated and xvi FOREWORD trained it will mean wealth a nd greatness to ” that section . To quote from a conservative

P ost paper , the Washington , published thirty five years after their emancipation from slavery

We hold , as between the ignorant of the two races , the negro is preferable . The negroes are conservative , they are good citizens , they do not consort with anarchists , they cannot be made the tools and agents o f incendiaries ; they

i constitute the sol d worthy, estimable yeo manry of the South . After the recent race riot in Chicago the statement wa s quoted from some o f the white aggressors that it wa s not so much because of their color as because most of them were not u nion men that the colored men were mal treated . Meantime m any of the labor u nions are now opening their doors to colored workmen . These facts in themselves give proof that ou r heroes of 1 86 1 did not give their lives in vain when , in preventing the extension of slavery “ into the territories , they set free that stolen ” race and made them America n citizens , with the rights and mu tual obligations pertaining to citizenship in ou r free nation .

! L A B ! H P M I Z T C . UT NA ,

1 0 Ma rlb r u h S r 4 o o g t eet,

B Ma a c h u oston , ss setts .

CHARLES RUSSELL LOWELL

’ 2 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

Trenton I ron Company , when there came u pon

of life th e him the great trial his , growing shadow o f wa s disease , and he directed to give u p all work and try travel in another climate . A great fabric o f noble ambition fell before this 6 . 1 8 word I n February , 5 , Lowell sailed from

New Orleans to Gibraltar . Even the Arabs admired his equestrian s kill ; at Algiers he took e lessons i n the u se of the sword , and studi d the movements of the French troops as he already had studied the Austrian military system in 1 8 8 I taly . When he retu rned in 5 he was em

St . R . R . ployed as treasurer o n the B . I His health became gradually established , and i n 1 860 he wa s placed in charge Of iron works in

o f Cumberland , Maryl and , at the head a small

of city workmen , and once again his chosen work seemed to lie before him . Meantime the great election of 1 860 wa s approaching . Lowell had for years been a

decided enemy to slavery . Edward W . Emer son relates that when Anthony Burns was held fo r trial in Boston as a fugitive slave , Charles Lowell with a nother spirited boy had vainly tried to get speech with the United States Judge who was to give the doom ; the two boys had

o n o n 2 1 8 loo ked when , Friday , Ju ne , 5 4 , Bu rns was led under gu ard down State Street to

o ne o f be taken back to bondage , and them CHARLES RUSSELL LOWELL 3

set said , Ch arley , it will come to us to this ” who straight . The boy spoke those words was Henry Lee Higginson . Fo r five months of the year 1 860 Lowell had remained at Mount Savage , excep t for a business trip to New Orleans , and had fou nd himself brought into more positive relations ff than ever before with political a airs . On

2 0 1 8 6 1 o n of April , , hearing the attack upon the Massachusetts Sixth , and of its men lying dead in Baltimore , Lowell instantly gave up his position at Mou nt Savage and set Off for Washington to apply fo r a commission of Second Lieutenant of Artillery i n the Regular

Army . We have heard that when he applied

of fo r to Secretary War Cameron a commission ,

Mr . Cameron , struck by his youthful appear “ : ance , said You , you ng man , what do you ! ” know of a horse Charles answered , Enough ’ to take a hard day s work ou t o f him and to bring him back fresh at night ” It is certai n that answer gave him a captaincy instead of a

fo r lieutenancy which he h ad as ked , either owing to the impression made o n Cameron or to his

his services in another capacity . I n applica

a n tion to Mr . Sumner for a commission he swered the question a s to his qualifications as “ : follows I speak and write English , French ,

Italian , German , and Sp anish , and know enough ’ 4 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1 o f mathematics to put me at the head of my class in Harvard , though now I need a little rubbing u p ; and am tolerably proficient with the small sword and the single stick ; c a n ride a horse as far and bring him in as fresh a s any

- S other man . I am twenty ix years of age and I believe I possess more o r less of moral cou rage about taking responsibility , which seems at f present to be fou nd only in Southern Of icers .

If you h ave no appointment yet , perhaps you

e will have o n from Iowa o r from Maryl and . I have been living in the latter State for a little over six months in charge of a rolling mill at

of Mou nt Savage . I heard the trouble at B al timore and o f the action of Governor Hicks on Satu rday ; at once gave up my place and started for Washington and was fortunate to get through here yesterday with several detentions .

o r Whether the Union stands falls , I believe the profession o f arms will henceforth be more de sirable and more respected than it has been

o o f hitherto . I believe that with a week r two ” preparation I could pass the examinations .

Mr . Sumner sent in this letter thu s endorsed by “ : of Mr . Forbes Lowell is a trump , full brain ,

- and quick witted . I want him in various places and he is a valu able man for anybody . Grad ” u a ted first in his class at Harva rd . From this time Charles wa s happy ; he had fou nd all he

CHARLES RUSSELL LOWELL 5

of f . asked , an obj ect worthy his ef orts The vague desire to do something fo r his fellow - m en l became a settled resolve to do all he cou d ,

H is whether much or little , for his country . strong human feeling wa s concentrated o n a definite task .

After some important government work , 1 1 86 1 Lowell received !May 4 , ) his commission as Captain in the Third !afterward numbered

o f Sixth) Regiment United States Cavalry ,

of drilling , making himself a master cavalry

so wa s tactics and military science , that he honored with the command of a squ adron . Fo r distinguished services at Williamsbu rg and Slatersville he wa s nominated fo r th e

o n 2 th brevet of Maj or in the battles June 7 , and the following week cost him the life of his

who wa s tenderly loved brother James , wou nded h t . at Glendale June 3 oth , and died July 4 1 0 1 86 2 On July , , Captain Lowell was de

Mc Cle ll a n tailed for duty as an aide to General , winning his esteem for efficient conduct a t the th second battle of Malvern Hill , Augu st 5 , and in the arduous Maryland Campaign . At 1 Antietam , September 7 th , carrying orders to ’ General Sedgwick s division he met it re t treating in confusion u nder a ho fire . Lowell rode rapidly, driving back and rallying th e men , so that whole companies started forward ’ 6 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

with alacrity at his word , and the rout was “ C hecked . He seemed a part of his horse and instinct with a perfect animal life . At the same time his eyes glistened and his face actually s hone with the spirit and intelligence o f which h e wa s Mc Cle lla n the embodiment . General gave Lowell the Office of presenting to the Presi dent the trophies o f this campaign . In November he wa s ordered to report to Governor Andrew for the pu rpose of organizing the Second Massachusetts Cavalry of which he was appointed Colonel . — During this winter o f 1 86 2 63 the first regi ment o f negroes raised in the North was pro

e e j c t d in Massachusetts . Lowell aided in every w a wa s y , and heartily pleased by the selection o f Colonel Shaw to take charge .

In May , Lowell left Boston with his regiment , and was placed in command of the Cavalry

D epartment of Washington , for many months

of resisting the incu rsions General Mosby , who “ wrote of him that o f all the Federal com

re manders Opposed to me , I had the highest spect for Colonel Lowell both as an officer and ” a gentleman .

I n July came the battle of Fort Wagner . f ’ Lowell wrote o Robert G . Shaw s death The manliness and high courage of such a m a n never die with him . They live in his

’ 8 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1 a deadly volley wa s poured into their ranks that both horses and riders recoiled . Lowell s aw the enemy waver , advanced and turned the

o f . his fortu ne the day With little force , j ust n ow routed and in full retreat, but u nable ,

of even in a moment panic , to forget its dis c i lin e p , he held his grou nd before two brigades ’ o f the enemy s best cavalry . July 2 6th Colonel Lowell wa s put in c om f m and o a new p rovisional brigade .

6th of On the August , General Sheridan took

of of o n command the Army the Shenandoah , ’ the l oth moved up the Valley from Harper s

Ferry , the Provisional B rigade !under Colonel

Lowell) taking the ou tside position . The next d ay Lowell overtook the rear guard of the enemy , and after a sharp s kirmish , drove it

- two pell mell through Winchester, and for weeks ’ Lowell s B rigade was fighting every day . On August 2 6 he led an attack o n the advance o f

too the enemy . Charging up to a rail fence , high to leap , behind which was the enemy , Lowell actually whacked their muskets with his s abre ; tearing down the fence , over they went ; nothing could resist them . The Second — Massachusetts captu red seventy fou r men , a — lieutenant colonel , three captains , and several lieu tenants . This was the first time that Low ’ “ ell s men ever really measured him . Such a CHARLES RUSSELL LOWELL 9 noble scorn of death and danger they never saw before , and it inspired them with a cou rage d that quailed at nothing . On September 3 the a rmy wa s again in motion ; and on the 8 th Colonel Lowell wa s appointed to the command “ ” of o f the Reserve Brigade , three regiments

o n e o f own regular cavalry , artillery , and his volunteer regiment . Lowell had been u tterly unknown to Sheridan at the beginning of the campaign .

I n the superb charge at Winchester , Septem 1 ber 9th , at one moment Lowell fou nd himself with one captain and fou r men face to face with

wa s a rebel gu n . The piece discharged , killing ’ off both the horses , and tearing the captain s arm . The Colonel quickly mou nted the first

wa s his horse that came up , and the gun . Thir teen horses in all were S hot u nder him in as many days . On September 5 th Colonel Lowell wrote to “ : his wife I like Sheridan immensely . He

- o r - works like a mill owner an iron master . “ September 8 : The Second Massachu setts is transferred to the Reserve B rigade . The change looks like making the Second Ma ssa c hu setts a permanent member Of the Army of the ” is o r . Potomac , that portion of it which here “ !To a disabled officer) September 1 0 : I hope that you are going to live like a plain republi ’ I O MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1 c a n of , mindful the beauty and the duty of ’ i ’ simplicity . Don t seek off ce , bu t don t dis remember that the ‘useful Citizen ’ always holds his time , his trouble , his money , and his life ” ready at the hint of his country . “ September 2 7 : We are about o ne mile b e yond Stanton , facing toward the Blue Ridge . We have fou nd out pretty well where the Rebs are . October 5 : I do wish this war was over ’ Never mind . I m doing all I ca n to end it . ”

- Good bye . !To his mother) October 1 7th : There is nothing to tell here . We are in a glorious cou n try , kept very active , and have done a good

of . deal good work I have done my share , I f to o . think , but there is nothing make a letter On October 1 5 th General Sheridan had left the army , then strongly intrenched near Cedar

o f Creek , for the pu rpose visiting other points

1 o f in the Valley . On the 9th , in the d awn day , the enemy succeeded in accomplishing a

o u r su rprise ; the whole of line , suddenly ex

wa s posed to deadly fire from the rear , d riven and rushed headlong down the Valley , and at midday Sheridan came galloping from Win chester and turned ruin into victory . 1 8 Meantime , late in the evening of the th

Lowell had orders to make a reconnaissance . CHARLES RUSSELL LOWELL I I

Reveille at 4 : at his brigade was in motion and had saved the right wing from the disaster which befell the other end o f the line . A dis “ tingu ished general wrote : They moved past me , that splendid cavalry . Lowell got by me before I could speak , but I looked after him a long distance . Exquisitely mounted , the pict

of u re a soldier , erect , confident , defiant , he moved at the head o f the finest brigade o f c av l ” a ry that at this day scorns the earth it treads .

of Striking the turnpike j ust north Middletown , which was already occupied by the enemy , Lowell established a position at the extreme left against great superiority of numbers till the

final advance , when he received his mortal wound . He attended in person to the disposal of his men , a conspicuou s mark for the sharp

o n H is shooters the roofs of the village . horse

o n e was shot under him early in the day . At O ’ clock he was struck by a spent ball which

Fo r o n e deprived him of voice and strength . and o n e - half hours he lay o n the ground under ’ temporary shelter . Presently at three o clock came the order for the general advance , which “ ” was to give u s victory . I feel well , now , he said , though too weak to mount his saddle With ou t sa t his assistance . He horse , firm and erect as ever ; the color had come back to his

n o t cheeks , but he could speak above a whisper . ’ 1 2 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF OI

o ne of f He gave his orders through his sta f , and a s his brigade was , usual , the first ready . Ju st a s they were in the thickest of the fi re from the “ o ! ” town , a cry arose , The Col nel is hit He fell from his horse into the arms of his aides and wa s carried forward in th e track of h is rapidly advancing brigade to a house within the

of village . He gave no Sign suffering ; his mind wa s perfectly clear, calm and cheerful , though

o f he knew he had no chance life . He dictated

of private messages affection , gave complete directions to his command , a nd as the day rose he ceased to breathe the air of earth .

HENR! LEE HIGGINSON

’ I 4 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

While he wa s thu s studying and hearing

of music , his appreciation the part it might

o f play in the life the community grew, and the longing to bring the best orchestral music to his native land became a definite ideal in i h s mind .

wa s At this time , in his early twenties , he full of the generous ardor that Characterized his

wa s - later years . He a warm hearted and de

a of voted friend , believer in the great futu re his cou ntry and full of an eager determination

fo r o f to do all he could her , a lover the arts ,

- b e f and a would servant o humanity . From the first he wanted to help others ; he was ready

to to have faith in them , and take them into his aff ections . His sympathy with the young kept him always young , and his readiness to fight the wrong wa s as strong in his last as in his ea rly

wa s - too years . He far sighted , , and among the fi rst in this cou ntry to rou se the young men to prepare to take their part in the recent Eu ro pean Wa r .

Now is that his career over , it is wonderful to look back to its beginning and see how his

o u t wa s o n e o f resolutions were ca rried , for he the lovers of the truth of whom Lowell wrote

Those love her best who to themselves are true , ” And wh a t they dare to dream of, dare to do . HENR! L! ! HIGGINSON 1 5

D rawn by a strong sense of patriotism he 1 60 came home from Europe in 8 . His country was on the eve of Civil wa r . He volunteered in what came to be the Second Massachusetts

Regiment u nder Colonel Gordon . The very

o n day that Fort Sumter was fired , Colonel Gordon tendered his services to the Govern ment and State through Governor Andrew , and Henry Higginson within a few weeks was drill ing u nder Gordon at B rook Farm in West Rox

wa s bu ry . He made a second lieu tenant, then 8 full lieutenant , and went from there July ,

l st 1 86 1 . On October 3 he was transferred to the First Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer

of o n Cavalry with the commission cap tain , and

2 8 1 862 wa s March , , he commissioned a major . “ To quote his own words : I w ent ou t in the Second Infantry ; later wa s pu t into the First

Cavalry , Massachu setts ; served at Port Royal , and then came North and served in Virginia

1 8 6 wa s u ntil June , 3 , when I wounded at Aldie ,

wa s Virginia , sent home , invalided for nearly a ’ year ; then was o n General Barlow s staff for a short time , bu t had not recovered enough to ”

so . bear the work , left Colonel Henry Lee wrote of him : One of

o f my fou r nephews , Henry Higginson , Major

off Cavalry , is j u st his bed , h aving recovered from two sabre cuts o n his head ; and had a ball ’ I 6 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1 extricated from his back - bone which the rebels

a s on fired at him he lay the ground . He bore all his life the scar of the s abre c u t across his cheek .

1 86 d a u h On December 5 , 3 , he married Ida , g ter of Louis Agassiz . 1 868 of In he entered the firm Lee , Higginson

of Sc Co . of Boston . Years hard work and de votion to business and Civic interests followed , during which he held steadfastly to the dream of his of early days , that establishing a really hO e 1 8 8 1 fine orchestra . This p he realized in ;

fo r and all the years after that , u ntil the dark shadow of the great wa r in Eu rope eclipsed for a season the light and j oy of the Symphony con

of certs , he pu t his heart , and a great part the

of wealth his days toil had gathered , into the

u support of the orchestra . His wisdom and n tiring patience collected skilled musicians from all parts of the world and gave to Boston con certs of unsurpassed beauty . It was a great satisfaction to him in his last year to know that the Symphony Orchestra he had built up and sustained for thirty- seven years was to go o n under the direction of his friends .

Major Higginson had a genius for friendship . He loved his friends and he believed in good fellowship ; and besides the music he gave to the public are his two great mo numents to HENR! LEE HIGGINSON I 7

’ o f friendship . The fi rst these is Soldier s Field ,

o 1 8 0 given to Harvard C llege in 9 , to be u sed as

its a playgrou nd for students , and dedicated “ ” six of his To the Happy Memory of Friends , Comrades and Kinsmen who died for their ” Country in the Civil War . The second is the Harvard Union , a building given by him to “ 1 0 1 Harvard in 9 , a house Open to all Harvard men withou t restriction and in which they all stand equal , a house bearing no name forever excep t that of ou r University . May it be u sed for the general good and may private ends never be sought here ! In these halls may

ou y , young men , see visions and dream dreams , and may you keep steadily burning the fire o f

ou high ideals , enthusiasm and hope , otherwise y cannot share in the great work and glory of ou r new century . Let Memorial Hall s tand a temple consecrated to the spirit o f large patriot f ism and o true democracy . Let this house stand ” a temple to the same spirit and to friendship .

o f These gifts were the least the services Mr .

his Fo r Higginson rendered to college . twenty

of six years he was a Fellow the Corporation ,

it s and , as noted by President Eliot , attended “ a ssid meetings with the utmost pu nctuality , u it in te lli y and devotion , and with the highest gence . He always looked upon it as a privi lege to do so . ’ I S MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

The knowledge that he felt it to be a privilege to help all good causes made it easy for people to turn to him constantly fo r aid and inspira

of tion , and made it a matter cou rse that the

flags of the City should be at half- mast when it wa s u s known that he had gone from , who had “ so Often been aff ectionately called Our First ” M C . F . Citizen . .

STE PHEN GEORGE PER ! INS

’ 2 0 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

toiled and stormed in vain to accomplish . One of his relatives had remarked to him rather heedlessly at the outbreak of the war that the wa r was n ot likely to come home to their two lives , for instance , in any immediate w a y . He answered with an u nwonted seriou s “ n ot ness that was almost sternness , I do know l that it will make any difference in you r ife , but it is likely to make a very great diff erence ” to mine . The war came . In a few days he had enlisted and was engaged in the most

of a tedious service in the Army the Potom c . The disastrou s battle of Cedar Mou ntain took 8 2 1 6 . . place August 9 , Robert G Shaw wrote , All ou r officers behaved nobly There Per kins fell , pierced by three bullets . fi A brother of cer , Maj or Henry L . Higginson ,

of wrote him , reviewing that short life in the days before the war : Stephen might never have done anything tangible , bu t he would always have elevated his friends and associates in pu rpose and in tone , and thus indirectly have

of accomplished much . Men his kind will be ’ more necessary after than before the wa r . I ve seen men enough , the world over , but never

o f one his kind , and very , very few equal to him . When I remember his handsome face with such warm blue eyes , and such a beautiful smile , his voice and j olly laugh , his honesty and STEPHEN GEORGE PER! INS 2 I

o f purity mind and soul , his wonderful insight f o men and things , beyond all his wonderfully

so warm feelings for his real friends , very marked , it seems to me that a big piece of life ” wa s snatched away . Charles Francis Adams in his autobiography “ o f wa s wrote Stephen Perkins , Stephen per

o f m . haps the closest , y friends The choicest

wa s re mind I ever knew . He manly , simple , fined and he h ad withal fine perceptions and a delicate humor . He loved to tal k but in a

w wa s a . qu iet , observant a nd reflective y He

- matu re and self respecting , one who thought mu ch ; one who looked quite through the acts

f of his o men . When I heard death I felt tha t I ha d lost something that could never b e re ” pl aced . ’ 2 2 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

AME AVA E R . J S S G , J

2 1 1 8 2 . Born in Boston , April , 3 Captain ,

. 2 1 86 1 . S econd M V . I nfantry , May 4 , Major ,

- 2 1 86 2 . Ju ne 3 , Lieutenant Colonel , September

1 1 86 2 . 7 , Died at Charlottesville , Virginia , 2 2 1 86 2 of October , , wou nds received a t Ceda r

1 8 6 2 . Mou ntain , Augu st 9 ,

As a boy his love of outdoor play was inex l f “ h a u stib e . o One his comrades says , His side a t football would Win if he could make it , for in rush o r race it took a good player to compete with him ; and yet withal he was Su ch a gentle and noble fellow that everybody loved him and felt he would never do a mean thing ; all he ” f o . o f wanted was fair play His love natu re , mu sic and other arts made his trip to Eu rope in 1 8 5 4 a keen j oy to him . Becoming interested i n conditions in o u r 1 8 Southern States , Savage in 5 9 gave himself heart and soul to do all in his power towa rd the

of o f 1 86 1 freedom the slaves . In the spring , when it had become clea r that war was the only

alternative , he j oined the Salignac D rill Club and was the first member o f that Club to apply ’ for a commission in Gordon s Regiment . With V R . JAMES SA AGE , J

V . 2 JAMES SA AGE , JR 3

his friends Wilder Dwight and Greeley S . Curti s a plan had been formed to organize a regiment ff o f infantry and o er it to the United States .

n Two graduates of West Point , Messrs . Gordo t and Andrew , were induced to take the highes

M . V . M . appointments , and the Second Regi H i ment wa s thus formed . Maj or Henry L . g

in so n o f So l g , in his address at the giving the ’ : two dier s Field to Harvard College , s aid We fellows !James Savage and Henry Higginson! went to Fitchburg , j ust after war was declared , to recruit a company for the Second Ma ssa c hu

w a s setts I nfantry , and when ou r regiment

to ready to march , the colors were entrusted

wa s to u s . This recruiting strange work u s all , and the men who came to o u r little recruiting ff o ice asked many new questions , which I did my best to answer ; but often these recruits ‘ ’ would turn to the Captain as they called him , listen to his replies , and then swear allegiance , as it were , to him . He , the quietest and most

of modest men , was immensely impressive , for he wa s a real knight— j u st and gentle to all

of friends , defiant to the enemies his country ”

- and to all wrong doers . James Savage h ad steadily declined promo tion which would remove him from the Secon d

Regiment , u nless for a colored regiment . When the raising of such a regiment wa s discu ssed ’ 2 4 MEMOI RS OF TH ! WAR OF 6 1 and Maj or Copeland and Lieutenant Shaw a p “ N ow we ou pealed to him , , Jim , want y to go ” ou ! with us , will y Jim was lying down rest ing on his elbow ; he instantly sprang up . Yes , ’ ou I ll go with y if only as a sergeant , and no o n e was more disappointed at the failure o f the plan at that time than he . The following letter merits insertion as indi cating his feeling on the same general subj ect .

From it the following extracts are quoted .

0 1 86 2 o f March 3 , , about four miles south

Strasburg , Virginia , approaching the Shenan

of doah range , waiting for the mending a broken “ bridge , the contrabands flocked to see the ‘sogers ’ and told u s what they had learned from their masters about u s Yankees ; that if the Yankees got hold of them they would c u t their right hands and feet off ; that their mas ters had wo n all the battles and whipped u s ‘ l ’ terribly ; how they thought o d Mr . Brown must have had hundreds of men with him ; how all the blacks about here knew he was their f friend and the terror o their white rulers . One

so n of man almost as white as I , the his master

of a nd the father of nine children , two whom he had with him , had interested me very much ; looked like Neapolitans , perhaps a little fairer . His gratitude to G od when he told us how his wife and children had been left to him when so

’ 2 6 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

And there came from Captain H . S . Ru ssell , “ wa s Libby Prison in Richmond , I ta ken when ’

s . tying a handkerchief arou nd J . S . leg Write to his father . After some weeks came a letter to his father a nnouncing the death of a prisoner f w o a r .

WILD ER DWIGHT WILDER DWIGHT 2 7

WILDER DWIGHT

2 1 8 Born April 3 , 3 3 , in Springfield , Mass . 1 1 8 6 2 Died September 9 , , of wou nds received

1 1 8 6 2 . at Antietam , September 7 , Maj or , 2 0 1 86 1 Second Regiment May , . 1 1 86 2 Ju ne 3 , , promoted by Governor Andrew to be Lieutenant- Colonel of the S econd Massa

c h u se tts .

In boyhood as in manhood he was recognized

H e a s one in whom to place an absolute trust . took high rank a s a scholar and maintained it through college , a nd on leaving the Law School he received a first prize . Was admitted to the 1 8 6 1 8 B ar in 5 , began p ractice in 5 7 , and became

r wa r p artner of Horace Gray , J . ; bu t when the “ came he gave up to his country , without a ’ moment s hesitation , all that he had gained ” “ w H e f a nd all that he a s . su fered not a day to pass , after the news from Sumter , before opening a subscription paper to gu arantee the expenses which would be incurred in the enter ” f 1 6 1 . 1 o 8 prise On the 5 th July , , while in “ : bivou ac at B unker Hill , he wrote I h ave always had a dream and theory about the vir tues that were called out by war . The calling ’ 2 8 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1 needs a whole m an and it exacts very much f o him . Self gets thrown into the b ackground . d On August 3 in bivou ac on Maryland Heights , “ Lieutenant- Colonel Dwight wrote : If you could have seen the helplessness in which the flour ration left us and the stupidity of the men in its use yo u would hail as the dawn the busy frying of doughnuts which goes o n ” “ now here now . Ou r triumphs j ust are ‘ ’ chiefly culinary , but A soldier s cou rage lies in ’ his stomach , says Frederick the Great , and I mean that the commissary captains and cooks Shall accept the doctrine and apply its lessons ” c a n if I make them . At times his eagerness “ fo r action would express itself . Do not spend — you r days in regretting this or that life , lives whose whole sweetness and value depend u pon ”

n o t . their Opportu nities , u pon their length As

1 8 6 2 o f late as May 9 , , the service the regiment

- wa s still to wait . Lieutenant Colonel Dwight writes , Of cou rse this is a severe trial to me , f ” o . the severest , I think , my life Two weeks later his regiment saw its first action o n the ’ field on the occasion of General B a n ks s retreat

1 86 2 o f in May , , after the Battle Winchester

General Gordon reported , Major Dwight while gallantly bringing up the rear of the regiment was missed somewhere near the outskirts o f the ” “ i town , this brave Off cer, so cool upon the WILDER DWIGHT 2 9

field , so efficient everywhere , so much beloved

o f in his regiment , and whose gallant services h ” the 24t will never be forgotten by them .

While missing and mourned as dead , Maj or

Dwight , While helping a wounded soldier , had been taken prisoner , and General Jackson gave his permission to eight o f the Second Massa c hu se tt s prisoners to go o u t as escort for the burial of their companions . On June 2 d the Maj or wa s seen ru nning o n ffi foot toward the regiment . The O cers ran to

o n e meet him . More than lifted him in his arms . The men ran from their tents toward the limits of the camp . They could not be restrained ; they broke camp and pou red down upon the Maj or with the wildest enthu siasm . A little later the regiment wa s drawn up around

who wa s the Maj or , reading to them from a paper which he held in his hand . He gave them the names of those of their comrades who were prisoners in Winchester . He told them

e of who were wou nd d , and the natu re their

of of wounds . He told them their dead , and the bu rial upon which even the rebels of Win d chester had looked with respect . Then he sai “ do ou And now , y want to know what the rebels think of the Massachusetts Second ! ‘ ! ’ Who was it ambu scaded u s near Bartonsville ffi f ‘ o . asked a cavalry o cer me I replied , That ’ 3 0 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1 was the Massachu setts Second An offi cer of rebel infantry asked me who it was that was at ‘ the Ru n nea r Bartonsville . That was the Mas ’ ‘ ’ sa c h u setts . a n Second , said I Whose , asked ‘ i wa s other off cer , the battery so splendidly served , and the line of sharpshooters behind the

who off o f stone wall , picked every Officer ou rs who showed himself ! ’ ‘That was the Mass a ’ c hu setts . Second , said I On the whole , the rebels came to the conclusion that they had been

fighting the Massachusetts Second , and they ” did not care to do it again in the dark . The next day he wrote from Washington

I am here to see abou t my exchange , etc . I

o u so am sorry y had much anxiety abou t me ,

re but thankful to be able to relieve it . My c e i p t on by the regiment is reward enough . I ” must get back to them .

! o u how Chaplain ! uint said , will know nobly he commanded his little band o f skir mishe rs on Satu rday night last ; how his small force was formed against cavalry and infantry

how d elib with entire success ; his Clear , cool , e ra te words of command inspired the men so

o n e that no man faltered , while , in ten minu tes , ”

- company lost o n e fourth o f its number .

o f At the battle Antietam , Colonel Dwight was mortally wounded . His only regret was “ that he could not longer serve the cause . I have

’ MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

ROB ERT GOULD SHAW Private Seventh New York Volunteer Mili 8 1 1 1 6 . tia , April 9 , Second Lieutenant Second 2 8 Massachusetts Volunteers !I nfantry) , May ,

8 1 . 8 1 8 6 1 1 6 . First Lieutenant , July , Cap

- 1 0 1 8 6 2 . tain , Augu st , Colonel Fifty fourth 1 1 8 6 M . V . Infantry , April 7 , 3 . Killed at Fort 8 1 1 86 . Wagner , South Carolina , July , 3

Robert Gould Shaw was born in Boston ,

1 0 1 8 . 1 8 1 October , 3 7 In 5 the family went to

Eu rope , and Robert passed a happy summer in 1 8 2 Switzerland . I n November , 5 , he wrote

N eu c héi te l of ff from , full interest in a airs in “ ‘ France Have you seen that book Uncle ’ “ 1 8 : Tom s August 7 , 5 3 Have you hea rd anything about the new Slave L a w in Illinois ! I think it is much worse than the law ‘ o u o f 1 8 5 0 . Have y read the Key to Uncle Tom ’ s Cabin ’ ! I ’ ve been reading ‘Uncle Tom ’ s ’ Cabin again , and always like it better tha n ’ see o n e before . I don t how man could do ” 1 8 : mu ch against slavery . In 5 5 I read a long account of the new Abolition Society o f New York and o f a slave having been bu rnt alive in Alabama . I did not think this las t would ever happen again . ROB ERT GOULD SHAW

ROBERT GOULD SHAW 3 3

Robert Shaw reached home in May a nd en d 1 8 6 tere . Harvard in August , 5 In November , 1 86 1 , he cast his first and only vote , for Lincoln and enlisted as private in the Seventh New

York National Guards , believing there might be trouble in the country after the inaugu ra tion and he would n ot be willing to remain in an 1 8 office if the cou ntry needed soldiers . April , 1 8 6 1 , he wrote his father a farewell note and left in July , Lieutenant in the Massachu setts f o . Second Regiment , for the seat war Nea r Culpeper Court House at the B attle o f

wa s Cedar Mountain , Sh aw serving as aide on ’ 1 2 General Gordon s staff . He writes , August , “ 1 8 6 2 : , near Culpeper Court House I was with

who General Gordon , sent me back to get some artillery through the woods . It was impossible

wa s so to do it because the brush thick , and besides I hadn ’ t been gone five minu tes before the enemy got u s under a cross fire and o u r brigade had to retreat . They advanced so Close to the Second before they gave wa y that it was easy to distinguish all their features . There were 474 enlisted men taken into action 1 2 0 i in the Second . Of these were k lled and wou nded and 3 7 missing . They were not u nder 2 2 ffi 8 fire thirty minutes . o cers went in and

' came out . Goodwin , Cary, Choate , and Ste phen Perkins were all quite ill but would not ’ 3 4 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

1 86 stay away from the fight . E arly in 3 Governor Andrew offered Shaw the colonelcy of a colored regiment to be raised in Ma ssa c hu setts , being the first recruited u nder state

o n e wa s authority , though already in service i n

Sou th Carolina and another in Kansas . In answer to this his father brought back a letter “ to the Governor declining, as not having abil ” on th ity for the u ndertaking , but February 5 “ Robert telegraphed , Please tell the Governor ” that I accept , and he wrote , There is great ’ prej udice against it— a t any rate I shan t be ” frightened out of it by unpopularity . Ma rch “ 2 5 : The intelligence of the men is a great ” “ 0 : su rprise to me . March 3 The mustering

who - officer was here to day is a Virginian , and he always thought it was a great j oke to make ‘ ’ soldiers o f niggers bu t he tells me n ow that he

se t of has never mustered in so fine a men , though abou t h ave passed through his hands since September . The sceptics need ” o u t only to come here to be converted . Just

o n 2 8 1 86 after this , May , 3 , Colonel Shaw led his regiment through Pemberton Square and ff — o . to the South I can see him now , Colonel

— Off Shaw , riding with his hat as he passed the balcony where Mrs . Mary Lowell Putnam stood , to greet her and thu s to express the thanks o f the Fifty—fou rth Regiment for the banner which ROBERT GOULD SHAW 3 5

she had presented . This banner bore a gold “ cross upon a blue grou nd with the motto , I n hoc signo vinces !By this sign you shall conquer) . ’ 6 From St . Helena s Island , July , Colonel “ Shaw wrote , I want to get my men alongside of white troops and into a good fight if there is ” to be one . 1 th : J ames Island , July 5 Two hundred of my men o n picket duty this morning were a t

of tacked by five regiments infantry , some cav a l ry and a battery of artillery . The Tenth Connecticut wa s o n their left a nd say they should have had a hard time if the Fifty- fou rth “ men had not stood so well . I have j us t come in from the front with my regiment where w a e were sent as soon s the rebels retired . This Shows that the events of the morning did not ’ ” u s destroy the General s confidence in . “ 1 8 : Morris Island , July We are in General ’ Strong s brigade . We came u p here last night

is in a very heavy rain . Fort Wagner being heavily bombarded . We are not far from it .

We hear nothing but p raise for the Fifty- fou rth ” o n all hands . After writing the above !the last words he ever wrote in this world) he re c eive d orders to report with his regiment at ’ General Strong s headqu arters , and there he wa s off ered the post o f honor because o f the ’ 3 6 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

greatest danger , the advance in the work as signed for tha t very evening , the assault upon

o o u Fort Wagner . Here then came the pp rt n ity he had waited fo r ; he accepted it withou t ’ who wa s hesitation . One at General Strong s S C headqu arters writes !Beaufort , , Ju ly The troops looked worn and weary ; had been without tents during the pelting rains of the w t o previou s nights . When they came within six hundred yards of Fort Wagner they formed

of in line battle , the Colonel heading the first and the Maj or the second battalion . With the Sixth Connecticut and Ninth Maine and others they remained half an hou r . Then the order ‘ ’ for Charge was given . The regiment marched — at quick , then at double quick time . When abou t o n e hundred ya rds from the Fort the rebel mu sketry opened with su ch terrible fire that fo r a n instant the first battalion hesitated ; but only for an instant , for Colonel Shaw , springing to the front and waving his sword , ‘ ’ - fou rth l shouted , Forward , Fifty and with another cheer and shou t they ru shed through

n the ditch and gained the parapet o the right . Colonel Shaw was o n e o f the first to scale the walls . He stood erect to u rge forward his men , and while shouting fo r them to press o n was ” “ shot dead and fell into the fort , and now sleeps there with the brave fellows who were

’ 3 8 MEMOI RS OF TH ! WAR OF 6 1

H ENR! STURGI S RUS SELL

wa s 2 1 Henry Stu rgis Russell born June ,

8 . 1 8 1 860 . 3 Graduated from Harva rd College , 1 8 6 1 2 8 I n j oined Fou rth B attalion ; May , 1 8 6 1 wa s , commissioned First Lieutenant in the Massachusetts Second Regiment of Volu nteer l st of I nfantry ; December 3 , Captain his first

1 86 - compa ny ; Janu ary , 3 , Lieutenant Colonel o f Second Massachu setts Cavalry ; B rigadier f 1 8 o 6 . General Volu nteers , 5

2 1 1 86 of On July , 5 , Governor Andrew said C aptain Russell “ o f of o f I know no incident more perfect , more heroic gentility , bespeaking a noble

a c t o n e nature , than the performed by captain o f who the Second Massachu setts , standing

- by the side of Lieutenant Colonel Savage , who wa s fatally wounded , and not believed by the enemy to be worth the saving , !Captain Ru ssell! refused to surrender u ntil he had wrung from the enemy the pledge that they would , in captu ring him , save also his comrade and bear him back to the nearest hospital ; d e c l a r

S - ing that , if they did not , he ingle handed and ou t alone would fight it , and sell his life at the d ea rest cost . HENR! STURGIS RUSSELL

HENR! STURGIS RUSSELL 3 9

No t many weeks later , kindly cared for ,

Colonel Savage died of his wou nds . Captain Russell was committed to Libby Prison and

1 1 8 6 2 I n remained there till November 5 , .

1 86 wa s - Janu ary , 3 , he made Lieutenant Colonel of the Second Massachusetts Cavalry . O n 1 86 the April 5 , 4 , Captain Russell accepted

of colonelcy the Fifth Massachusetts Cavalry , his a negro regiment . Between Russell and cousin , Robert G . Shaw , there had existed a ’ Close friendship . Shaw s death at Fort Wag ner had lately occu rred ; and now Russell , tak “ B ob ing the offered colonelcy , quietly said , would have liked to have me do it ! ”

wa s 1 It at the head of this regiment , June 5 , 1 86 4 , before Petersbu rg , that Colonel Ru ssell

c omme n received his first wou nd , and special dation from General Grant which led a yea r later to his brevet a s Brigadier—General of Vo l “ u n teers , for distingu ished gallantry and good

his c on conduct , and by extra capacity for the trol of men . This colored regiment entered Richmond among the first troops . 6 1 8 6 On May , 4 , Colonel Russell married 1 1 86 Mary H . Forbes . February 4 , 5 , he left the army and soon retired to his “ Home Farm ” f o . in Milton , where he passed much his life In 1 878 Ru ssell accepted from Mayor Pierce ’ 4 0 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF OI the position of Chai rma n of the Board of Police

Commissioners . n For two yea rs he toiled ha rd , vigilant by ight a nd laborious by day , and brought the force

e n into fine sha pe . Then he resigned and j oyed some long , pleasant years upon his farm 1 1 8 u ntil , Janu ary 4 , 95 , he was appointed by Mayor Cu rtis to be Fire Commissioner of the

of fo r City Boston , and held the position ten

wa s years . It long and arduous work to bring i t up to his ideal , but Major Russell left the D epartment u ndoubtedly the bes t organized a nd the most efficient fire department in the country . With his subalterns he was popular a nd even with the rank and file , for, though very rigid , and a strict disciplinarian , he was not a martinet . He made short work of dis quieting agitations concerning hou rs and pay ,

his o f so yet men , proud being part of fine a n o rganization as he had created , did not audibly i mu rmu r . He was still in off ce when death

c 1 6 1 0 . ame to him in Boston , February , 9 5

of Maj or Henry Lee Higginson , writing Rus s 1 1 : ell , May 4 , 9 9 , said In reply to your note , Harry Ru ssell went to the war as First Lieu tenant in the Second Volunteer Infantry in

1 86 1 . ex e May , The Regiment had various p ’ rien c e s o f 6 1 in Virginia during that summer , ’ o f 6 2 so the winter , and on , held the Of HENR! STURGIS RUSSELL 4 1 the army under B anks in his first foolish move and was driven back— was badly hurt at Cedar ’ of 6 2 Mou ntain in the summer , distinguished itself at Antietam . Harry stopped to look after James Savage at Cedar Mou ntain and was captu red and sent to Richmond . By and by he came back and presently wa s made

Lieutenant- Colonel in the Second M a ssa c hu setts Cavalry !after his engagement to Miss Mary Forbes) and then l ater wa s made Colonel f o the Fifth Massachu setts Cavalry !colored) . This regiment entered Richmond among the

first troops . About that time Harry left the service . He was in all respects and every

a n where excellent officer , greatly liked and

wa s admired by everybody ; he wounded , but

wa s j u st where I have forgotten . He really a grea t favorite among his mates and deserved

1t . ’ 42 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

JAME S JAC! SON HIGGINSON

o f 1 1 8 6 . Born in the City New York , June 9 , 3

1 1 1 . Died in New York City , Janu ary 5 , 9 Second Lieutenant First Massachusetts Cav l a r 6 1 86 . y , Janu ary , 3 First Lieutenant First

1 86 . Massachu setts Caval ry , Janu ary 4 , 4 Cap

I 1 8 6 . US . tain September , 4 B revet Major

1 86 . Volunteers , April 9 , 5 In the Army of the o f Potomac to the end the wa r . He resigned

2 1 86 . o f May 7 , 5 !Original Companion the

Milita ry Order of the Loyal Legion . ) James Jackson Higginson had been fitted in the Boston Latin School for his entrance to Harvard College from which he was graduated 1 with honor in 8 5 7 . After studying law in Eu rope he retu rned to the United States in 1 86 2 ; served for a few weeks as an agent fo r the Sanitary Commission in Washington ; wa s commissioned Second Lieutenant in the l!4a s sa c hu se tts Volunteer Cavalry and was rapidly

o f promoted , attaining the rank maj or in April , “ 1 86 fo r re 5 , gallant and meritorious services su l tin of g in the fall Richmond , and the su r render o f the insu rgent army u nder General ” o f R . E . Lee , and serving in the Army the

o f Potomac to the end the wa r .

JAMES JAC! SON HIGGINSON 43

James Higginson had taken part in the B attle of Aldie Creek in the Gettysbu rg Campaign , was made a prisoner and confined in Libby

Prison , Richmond , for nine months u ntil March ,

1 86 . 4, when relea sed by exchange He rejoined his regiment before Petersbu rg and shortly after wa s detached fo r special duty at the h e a dqu a r

o f ters General Meade , with whom he served through the subsequent movements and battles of the Army o f the Potomac u p to a nd includ of 1 8 6 ing the su rrender General Lee in April , 5 . 1 86 to I n 7 he came New York City , where for twenty- five years he wa s a member of the stock f o 8c . brokerage firm Chase Higginson Mr . Chase had been his companion in Libby Prison with whom he had shared his blan ket , when he

n e had o . 1 1 1 86 On November , 9 , Mr . Higginson mar

o f ried Margaret Bethu ne , daughter Archibald and Elizabeth Bethune Gracie . James Higginson ’ s servi ce to his country did

wa r . not end with the Like his brother Henry , everything that had to do with the welfare o f

— wa s his fellow citizens dear to his heart , and claimed his thought , time , and means . “ During his active business life and after his retirement from business he gave a large part o f his wa s time to public service . He one of the early members of the Cou ncil of the Char ’ 44 MEMOIRS OF TH ! WAR OF 6 1 ity Organization Society ; he was on e o f the trustees o f the House of Refuge ; for many years he served a s president of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary ; a nd from 1 90 2 to 1 90 5 ” wa o f f s a member the Board o Education . His love of Harvard College was always a strong interest in his life , and he j oined the Harvard 1 8 6 Club i n 7 , giving to it mu ch time and devo

its tion , and finally becoming president , which ff o ice he held at the time of his death .

He was a wa rm and faithful friend , and was widely mourned as a man of generou s and j u st

o f spirit , strong and manly character .

JAMES JAC! SON LOWELL JAMES JAC! SON LOWELL 45

JAME S JAC! SON LOWELL

1 1 8 . Born October 5 , 3 7 , i n Cambridge , Mass ’ 1 86 2 D ied July 4 , , at Nelson s Farm near Rich mond , Virginia . James Jackson Lowell passed from the Boston 1 8 Latin School to Harvard College in 5 4 , grad hi u a tin g in 1 8 5 8 a s first scholar in s class . While he would wal k a dozen miles for wild flowers , skate all day and dance a s long as the band

too would play , he found no study dry . He wa s of full life , enj oyed keenly , pu rsu ed eagerly and crowded every hou r with work or pleasure . 0 I n 1 86 Lowell entered the Law School . Mean w 1 0 1 86 1 a r . . . time the began On July , , J J Lowell and his cousin William Lowell Putnam received their commissions as first and second lieutenants in the Twentieth and after a few days at Washington the regiment wa s ordered to Poolesville , Maryland , where it lay in camp till October 2 0 th . On October ’ 2 1 8 t wa s o f ff fought the B attle B all s Blu .

Lowell was shot in the thigh , Captain Schmitt badly wou nded , and Putnam killed . Ou r only consolation wa s the gallant behavior of o u r

e troops in a desperate situ ation . Lowell r ’ 46 MEMOI RS OF TH ! WAR OF 6 1 l u c ta n tl y went home , and while recovering , some of his Classmates presented him with a sword to replace the o n e lost in the confusion ’ f at B all s B lu f . In February he rejoined his 1 1 th regiment . On March the Twentieth left the camp at Poolesville and was transferred to 8 th the Peninsula , reached Yorktown April a nd

th of remained there u ntil the 4 May . Lowell wrote on the 2 5 th regretting that he wa s not in the advance with his brother “ The severe fighting at Fair Oaks occu rred o n 1 I of May 3 st and the st June , at Yorktown we were held as a reserve , at Fair Oaks we had a foretaste of what is coming before the forts of

o n Richmond . On Satu rday , being ordered forward , we advanced through an interminable swamp and across the Chickahominy and f came u p into the field o battle . As we had been fairly o n the run the companies were more o r less broken and I supposed that some o f my weaker and doubtful men had fallen ou t o n the w ay . Much to my delight I fou nd that every of man was there , even in this place compara M A . . tive rest . Three always finds us in line f o battle . Lowell remained near Fair Oaks “ 2 : until the 8 th of June . June 7 still in camp ” n but a bris k cannonading is going o . On the

2 9th joined in the retreat across the Peninsula . Lowell led his company until the afternoon o f

’ 48 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1 o u r soldiers went to the wa r : When the Class meets in years to come , a nd honors its states its men and j udges , divines a nd doctors , let also the score who went to fight fo r their cou n try be remembered and let not those who never

— who fo r retu rned be forgotten , those died the

of cause Civilization and law , and the self ” restrained freedom which is their result . A friend wrote his mother “ ’ ’ Don t you think that Jim s dying has a c complished as mu ch a s his life may have done !

how I never knew much I relied upon Jim , no t S his O much for friendship , which I think

of I prized above that all others , but for his almost startling simplicity and correctness of ” j udgment in all matters we talked about .

WILLIAM LOWELL PUT NAM WILLIAM LOWELL PUTNAM 49

WI LLIAM LOWE LL PUTNAM

1 8 0 . Born i n Boston , Mass . , July 9 , 4 Died 1 1 86 1 2 2 1 86 1 . 2 October , July , , Second Lieu

in M . V . M . tenant Twentieth Regiment , Fell ’ f 2 1 mortally wou nded at B all s Blu f , October ,

1 86 1 .

wa s William Lowell Pu tnam born in Boston ,

1 8 0 . o u r July 9 , 4 He was the you ngest of ’ group of cou sins who u sed to shou t Scott s rou sing verses a s we played Highlanders a nd Lowlanders among the wooded rocks behind

o n the house School Street , Roxbu ry .

William sometimes said , as he grew older , that there wa s no circumstance in his life that

wa s he would wish changed . There , however , o n e real drawback to the happiness of that

— on e home , stain upon the glory of the United

States of America , to whose interests all were devoted : I cannot remember the time when s la very was not mentioned with indignation by that patriotic family and the guests who gath ered rou nd their hospitable board . Among ’ Mrs these were . Putnam s brother , James Rus sell Lowell ; James Freeman Clarke ; and ma ny relatives of Colonel Robert G . Shaw . ’ 5 0 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

In 1 8 5 1 my u ncle and his family went to

Eu rope , but they never forgot the important

of concerns their native land . When William was in Nantes , in the west of France , he used to escort a newly a rrived colored boy to their é in . . G u day school D r p , in whose family in Nantes William spent several months , after 1 8 ward described him in 5 7 as a tall , handsome youth , modest and reserved in society , and fi rm and cou rageou s in the practice of his duties . His dream was then to serve the interests of his country and become a historian .

1 8 8 of In 5 , after an absence seven yea rs , dur ing which there were counted among his a c

u a in ta n c e s of q the man science , the collegian , ffi the young o cer, the workman , the common soldier , and the peasant, he retu rned with the family to the United States , with no regretful longing for what he had left in Europe . His love o f cou ntry wa s as warm as if he had never

V been absent from it . He isited Lexington and Concord and found these and the streets of his native place as much Classic ground as those

of . Rome His young cousins , then in college , hailed him as a comrade ; the hand o f the me chanie met in his a clasp as honest and as strong

o wn as his . He had fair hair and hazel eyes , with bright color in his Cheeks ; he was full of “ of fun . His mother wrote him , His parents WILLIAM LOWELL PUTNAM 5 1 often pleased themselves with the thought that their vigorous and happy boy off ered the type o f Young America .

Then came the election of Lincoln , and the wa S r . The recruits tramped through the treet S inging John B rown ’ s Body ” I remember my cou si n Willie s aying to me soon after Sum “ ter had been fired u pon : People say this wa r will no t last more than six months ! It will go on for nearer six years ; but when it is over ” slavery will have been abolished . His mother “ of wa s wrote , The attainment his majority marked by his entrance into the service of his country . 2 1 1 86 1 r On July , , William eceived from Governor Andrew his commission as Second

Lieutenant in the Twentieth Regiment , at the same time with his cousin

James Jackson Lowell . Colonel William Ray “ of mond Lee had already said him , He will make a fine offi cer ; there is Character in all he ” does . th On the 4 of September , Lowell Putnam left

Camp Massasoit , with his regiment , for the

- South . As the southward bound train pulled o u t from the station William stood on the plat

- form waving us good bye . In less than seven weeks from that time his earthly career wa s closed . ’ 5 2 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

’ One of his men told William s mother that ’ “ at the B attle of B all s Bluff Lieutenant Put nam was standing among all the bullets falling ,

to with his arms folded , shouting his men j ust ” a s calm as ever .

of One his brother Officers wrote , The men were so accu stomed to obeying him that I could hardly persu ade them to help after he had told them to leave him and help some on e else be cau se he wa s mortally wounded ; and Henry Howard Stu rgis carried him o n his back to the ” ’ to boat and the island . William s mother ,

his in a short memoir written soon after death , wrote words which will find an echo in many ’ “ another mother s heart : And yet how many and what hopes passed with that passing breath ; those that h is young breast had cherished , silent and resolute ; those which admiring comrades

set had in him , generou s and Cheerful ; those that hearts already bereaved had treasured for him , trembling and prayerful . “ If we m ay a sk his country to hold him in her memory it must be not only because he laid down for her an almost untasted exist ence , bu t because he gave up with it proj ects ’ of great and noble accomplishment .

Pierson took his sword , hoping to retu rn it to

c a Mrs . Putnam , but the cavalry party who p tu red them demanded and retained it . It was

’ 5 4 MEMOIRS OF TH ! WAR OF 6 1

CAB OT JAC! SON RUSSEL

- . . S e Sergeant Forty fou rth M V Infantry , p

1 2 1 86 2 . tember , First Lieutenant Fifty

. 2 1 86 . fou rth M . V , March 3 , 3 Captain , May

1 1 1 86 . , 3 Killed at Fort Wagner , South Caro

1 8 1 86 . l ina , July , 3

Cabot Jackson Ru ssel was born in New York , 2 1 1 8 July , 44 . During his Childish years his pas sion wa s for playing knight- errant and wou nded ’ soldier . Over the boy s bed hung the portrait f o John B rown of Osawatomie . Cabot Ru ssel

1 86 1 su s entered Harva rd College i n , but was

his pended for inattention to studies , which he

1 86 2 on l ater greatly regretted . I n Ju ne , , a j ou rney to the West , after the wa r had begun , “ ’ he wrote his father : I don t know about Jim o r Charley !Lowell!. If anything has happened

to either o n e of them I shall want to enlist . And when he heard of Lieutenant James Low ’ “ ” Now e ll s death he wrote , I shall certainly go , a n d turned back to his home in New York .

wa s His age was j u st eighteen . He appointed t o a vacant sergeantship in the Forty- fou rth

re M assachusetts Regiment , which was then

c om c ru iting under Colonel F . L . Lee . His CABOT JAC! SON RUSSEL

’ 5 6 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

devotion that never wavered , threw himself upon his death . When last seen by those who

o n su rvived , he was lying mortally wounded the

of grou nd , a nd across him the body his dear

c om friend Captain William H . Simp kins , his

- n— rade i arms a nd in death . m Adj uta nt Ja es wrote of him , From tem p era me n t a nd principle he was a n enthusiast H is for freedom . sympathies grew with the ’ of enforcement the negroes rights . He would gladly have devoted his life , if it had been pro tracted , to this cause . As i t was , he gave it up in its very flower with a zeal , a cou rage , a dis interestedness unsurpassed even in the annals ‘ o f wa r the . To his soldiers he said , Do not ’

on ! . touch me ; move , men follow your colors

SAMUEL STOR R OW

’ 5 8 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

then being filled up for immediate service .

his Before Sam could hea r from his father , mother , with u nflinching loyalty, assumed the

fo r his responsibility enlistment , and he was

a s S e mustered i n Corporal in Company H , p 2 0 1 86 2 1 2 th tember , . On October he wrote “ his father : I t seems to me the part of a c ow ard to stay at hOm e and allow others to fight f my battles and incur dangers o r me . Assu re mother fully of you r approval of the course she h a s she h a s taken . Everybody thinks acted ” nobly .

The Forty- fou rth wa s immediately ordered to North Carolina , and remained there during

Of . 1 862 its whole term service In December , ,

of o n a t the moment the advance Kingston , “ S to rrow wrote , As I s aw the gloriou s Stars and

o f Stripes the Tenth Connecticut way ahead , dancing in the sunlight , I felt that it would be glorious to die u nder that flag ; how easy it ’ ” would be to uphold it with one s life .

1 86 o rt — In June , 3 , the F y fourth was mustered ou t S to rrow ra d u a t , and returned to college, g

his ing with Class , and applied for a commission

o n in the Second Massachusetts , and Septem 2 2 1 86 of ber , 4 , upon nomination General Cogs well and the strong recommendation of Colonel

ort - Francis L . Lee of the F y fourth , he received his commission a s First Lieutenant in the Se c SAMUEL STOR ROW 5 9 o n d set off for Massachusetts and Atlanta ,

wa s . Georgia , where his regiment then stationed The Second Massachusetts Regiment formed part of the Twentieth Army Corps i n the left ’ wing of Sherman s army which left about the ” fo its middle of November r ma rch to the sea . ’ S to rrow Lieutenant , in his captain s absence , commanded his company throu gh the whole

o f campaign , u ntil after the fall Savannah . S torrow wrote an exceedingly graphic d e sc rip ’ tion of the way Sherman s army reduced the destruction of railways almost to a b ranch of scientific engineering . 1 2 1 86 March , 5 , when two miles from Fay e ttevill e S to rrow , North Carolina , wrote home “ of of is Firs t all , everybody I know well and f o . hearty , and best and heartiest all am I This campaign has been in every respect ” “ of ou r harder than the last . The fou r corps army are concentrated here , all on the same ”

or . day , without j ostling delay

S to rrow wa s At Savannah , Lieutenant de tailed for staff duty on application o f the regi mental commander wh o had j ust been brevetted a s - Brigadier General . The order was dated

1 6 1 8 6 S to rrow a s January , 5 , and acted aide to General Cogswell during the m arch across

North Carolina and u ntil his career ended .

2 1 86 . In a letter dated Ma rch 4 , 5 , to Hon ’ 60 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

w . S to rro Cha rles S , General Cogswell informed

o f o f so n him the death his , mentioning him as ” o n personal aide to myself . The letter goes “ sa : S to rrow to y Mr . died of wounds received 1 6 1 86 in action March , 5 , about twenty miles

c a r from Fayetteville , North Carolina , while r in o f y g an order to the left the brigade . He died in about fifteen o r twenty minutes

n ot afterwards . He was insensible when

first wounded , and he had the coolness and self possession to send word to me tha t he wa s

in stru c wounded , that he had ca rried ou t my tions , and also sent me the information I had wished for . He was a brave , faithful , and most promising young Officer . He joined my regiment in October . I was pleased with him at once and can say that in all my experience I never saw a new and young offi cer take hold of i h s work so well . In my own mind I selected him at once fo r the place I afterwards asked h im to accept . He became eminently popular in this brigade ; and not u ntil after I h ad lost him did I fully realize of how mu ch actual ser vice he wa s to myself and my command . “ WI L L I A M CO G SW E L L

- l u n t r l Vo ee s . r ra S . B r evet B r iga die Gene U.

- Lieutenant Colonel Charles Morse , !Acting)

Colonel of the Massachu setts Second Regiment ,

’ 6 2 MEMOIRS OF THE WAR OF 6 1

SUMNER PAINE

Second Lieutenant Twentieth M . V . I nfantry, 1 8 Pe n l 6 . n s May , 3 Killed at Gettysbu rg, y 1 86 vania , July 3 , 3 , after only two months in of the service his cou ntry .

wa s 1 0 1 8 Sumner Paine born May , 45 . At eleven years o f age he went with his two brothers through most of the passes of Central

Switzerland , Climbing the highest mountains without the least fatigue . He returned home 1 8 8 in 5 , and graduated with his class from the

Latin School , entering Ha rvard College in 8 1 1 6 . July , 1 8 6 Sumner entered the army in May , 3 , as

Second Lieutenant , Twentieth Massachusetts

Volu nteer Militia . When j u st eighteen he reached the railway at Fredericksbu rg . The B attle o f Chancellorsville took place the next wa s day . His cou s in , Captain O . W . Holmes , very soon wounded , a nd on Friday , July 3 ,

of his Sumner took the command company , which he held through that terrible day .

Then came the forced marches to Gettysbu rg . Wednesday and Thursday had left the fortunes

of . war trembling in the balance Frid ay , the SUMNER PAINE

SOURCES OF INFORMATION 6 5

SOURCES OF INFORMATION I N COMPILING THI S VOLUME

L . . ife of Governor John A Andrew, by Henry G Pearson ,

1 90 4 .

u L L L . a . Ch rles R ssell owell , ife and etters , by E W

1 0 . Emerson , 9 7

a a B a 1 86 . H rvard Memori l iogr phies , 7 — 8 0 . D L . 1 Addresses elivered by Henry Higginson , 9 97 ”

L G . . Addresses of Henry ee , by F Putnam , edited by

a k 1 86 2 . Fr n Moore ,

L . Memoir of William owell Putnam , by Mrs Mary L 1 862—6 owell Putnam , 3

u S . L The Ret rn of the word , by Mrs Mary owell Put

1 8 . nam , 97

Of k k Memoir James Jac son , by James Jac son Putnam ,

1 90 5 . D B S . . w The oston ymphony Orchestra , by M A e olfe

1 1 . Howe , 9 4

a u L 1 8 6 . Memori e Positum , by James R ssell owell , 3

” ’

. d ra d a er . H a r a r S . r . v G u t H Russell , by John T Morse, J ,

Ma a z in e 1 0 . g , 9 5

L c I B ife and Corresponden e of Henry ngersoll owditch ,

V ! . B c 1 0 2 . by his son , incent owdit h , 9

’ ”

U c B 1 8 2 . n le Tom s Cabin , by Harriet eecher Stowe , 5 ”

L u . etters written d ring the Civil War, by Charles F

1 86 . Morse , 5 66 SOURCES OF INFORMATION

a nd Field , Camp , Hospital Prison in the Civil War, by

. 1 1 8 Charles A Humphreys , 9

N G . The Journal of egro History, by Carter Woodson ,

1 9 1 9 . Modern I ndustrialism and the Negroes of the United ” imké 0 8 S . G r 1 . tates , by Archibald H , 9

N . B . D 1 1 . The egro , by W E . ubois , 9 5 ”

N ! B k k I . egro ear oo , Tus egee nstitute Press

Reports of Fiske University . “ ”

. . 8 1 1 . Reminiscences , by E C Putnam , July , 9 5

Autobiography of Charles Francis Adams .