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LIBRARY
Class nber
Col. Henry O. Kent.
Colonel lylh New Hampshire Infantry.
HISTORY
SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT,
NEW HAMPSHIRE VOLUNTEER INFANTRY. 1 862- 1 863.
BY LIEUT. CHARLES N. KENT.
" Our country is a whole
Of which we all are parts, nor should a citizen Regard his interests as distinct fiom hers ; No hopes or fears should touch his patriot soul But what affect her honoi or her shame."
iTiii.isiii-.n r,v ()Ki)i:n 01- riiic
.Skvkxii:i-.\iii Ni;u nA.Mi-simuc \'i:ti:r.\n Association.
CONCOKD, N. H.
1898.
PRINTED BV
XTbe IRumforD press
Concord, N. H.
Zo tbc JGrave an? Crue /llben
Scventeentb HAew Ibanipsbirc llnfantrv\
WHO GAVK TIIKIR I.IVES FOR THE DEFENXE OF THEIR COUNTRY, AND TO PERPETUATE WHOSE MEM- ORY THE FOLLOWING PAGES HAVE BEEN WRITTEN, THIS VOLUME IS HUM- P.LV DEDICATED
BY THE AUTHOR.
'''^^^
^e^'^i
#^t~
Hon. William E. Chandler.
INTRODUCTION.
The history of the Seventeenth Regiment of New Hampshire Vohinteers in the War of 1862, waged to maintain the union of the United States, has been duly written by competent hands and is now presented to the pubhc in this vohnne.
It is true that circumstances prevented the regiment, as a formal military bod}' under Colonel Henry O. Kent, its organizer and commander, from leaving the state and entering the great conflict of arms.
But the actual service and proven valor of the volunteers for the Seventeenth Regiment performed in other organizations on many of the famous battlefields of the war, and the ardent aspir- ations, untiring labors, and patriotic patience of Colonel Kent could not be justly left without commemoration, by a faithful special narration, to take its place in the line of those histories of New Hampshire's military organizations which are now ap- proaching completion. The briefest possible statement concern- ing the Seventeenth Regiment may lead those who glance at this introduction to look at the whole narrative.
When President Lincoln on August 4, 1862, called for 300,- 000 additional volunteers. New Hampshire's quota required three regiments, and it was determined, as was then thought, wisely, to raise one regiment in each of the three congressional districts. Field officers were accordingly appointed, Henry O. Kent of Lancaster being selected to aid in raising the Seven- teenth within the Third District and to be its commander, and he was commissioned as colonel of the regiment on October 2^, 1862.
Naturally enough, as soon appeared, volunteering proceeded unequally in the three districts and when it came to be under- stood by the state authorities that haste was desired by the president, it was decided to disregard the original plan and to
6 INTRODUCTION.
complete the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Regiments by transferring to them men and companies from the Third District, and these two regiments left the state, the Fifteenth, November 13, and the Sixteenth, November 23, 1862, carrying with them the larger portion of the volunteers from the Third District, notably six companies from Bath, Canaan, Fitzwilliam, Lebanon. Plymouth, and Swanzey, and their vicinities.
This radical change of plan was a grievous disappointment to Colonel Kent and to the people of the Third District, but it was by no means intended to be a permanent blow and as it finally proved to be the destruction of the Seventeenth Regi- ment as an organization. Every possible effort was therefore made to complete it by securing volunteers from all parts of the state. The regiment with its depleted numbers went into camp at Concord on November 19, 1862, and remained there until April 16, 1863, while untiring exertions were made to till its ranks. But events, military and political, now well known and not necessary to be here recited, had happened which had made the raising of more troops by volunteering exceedingly difficult and at last impossible ; although one company and part of another, making 125 men, were added to the regiment from the two other districts towards the success of whose regiments the Third District had contributed so much, bringing the total number of volunteers whose history connects itself with the Seventeenth up to 916 — more than the number required to authorize the mustering by the United States of a colonel. Therefore, at last the earnest struggle to actually fill up the the regiment, secvire the mustering of its colonel by the United States, and to send it to the front was reluctantly abandoned ; and on the date last named Colonel Kent for the last time paraded his command, transferred its volunteers to the Second New Hampshire Regiment then at Concord to receive them, and the Seventeenth Regiment no longer existed as a formal organization.
The facts thus concisely stated are graphically narrated in a remarkable paper prepared by direction of Governor Nathaniel S. Berry and signed by him on the i6th day of February, 1892, when he was ninety-five years of age, which was the foundation
INTRODUCTIOiY. 7
of the report made on April jtli, 1892, from the mihtar}^ com- mittee by Senator Redtield Proctor, which caused the passage of the special act of congress of July 21, 1892, providing for the formal recognition of Colonel Kent as the colonel of the regiment.
In view of these facts so authenticated, it will be universally agreed by the people of New Hampshire that his excellency. Governor Ramsdell, acted justly and wisely in approving under the statute of the state giving to him due authority, the publica- tion as a distinct volume of the history of "the Seventeenth Regiment. The interesting struggle not to allow the regiment to be given up as one of New Hampshire's volunteer organiza- tions, carried on when the cause of the Union was growing precarious, when northern hearts were failing from fear, and when the dreaded forcible draft was approaching, could not properly be omitted as a formal history in the archives of the state ; — even if its earnest \olunteers had been discharged and had never gone to the front.
" They also serve who only stand and wait." In the just nar- ratives of the achievements of armies and navies those who strove to reach the forefront of battle but through circumstances beyond their control did not actually receive the baptism of fire are as much entitled to have their zeal and their merits formally recorded as are those who were the most conspicuous heroes under the storm of shot and shell. The same qualities which prevail in tliose who do not happen to come under hrc make up the mettle and inspire the irresistible rush of the warriors whose actual combats secure fame to the army and navy, or give vic- tory to the nation for which all have offered to suffer and die if need thus be.
But the record of the Seventeenth Regiment is not one of good will without brave deeds. 'I'hc men who enlisted for that organization went to the war under otiier commands and their good service refiects credit upon the original organization and the final organizations with which they were connected. In this volume told by faithful eye witnesses may be found the stories which show how they conducted themselves as members of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Regiments and in tiie ranks of the
8 IN TROD UC TION.
famous Second Regiment of New Hampshii'e A^olunteers. No higher encomium could be pronounced upon new recruits than that contained in the General Order, No. 14, of September 22, 1863, issued by Col. E. L. Bailey of the Second Regiment to the " Soldiers of the Seventeen New Hampshire Volunteers " on their discharge from service w'hich in the face of the whole army declared to them that in their " occupancy of the most ex- posed positions during that terrible contest " [Gettysburg] they " stood firmly shoulder to shoulder with the familiars of fifteen battles fighting as valiantly."
Thus it appears that like most of New Hampshire's 33,000 soldiers whose labors, sufferings, perils or deaths, through the greatest war of modern times, helped to preserve the national union and to free a race from chattel slavery, the men of the Seventeenth New Hampshire Regiment proved themselves worthy of their birthright as American citizens and earned for themselves the tender remembrance and eternal gratitude of their fellow countrymen and of their descendants to the latest generation.
My personal relations to Col. Henry O. Kent, never broken or strained by any vicissitudes of politics, have led me to write this introduction to the history of the regiment of which he was the principal promoter, and of which he was the actual com- mander, appointed by Governor Berry, recognized by the na- tional government, and in due time, to resolve a doubt, declared to have been its colonel in the military service of the United States, by a special act of congress which it was impossible to refuse to pass after an examination of the statement of Governor Berry, before mentioned.
In the legislature of 1862 Mr. Kent and I became exceed- ingly intimate. I witnessed his patriotism, his industry and his youthful zeal, as chairman of the house committee on military affairs, for the prosecution of the war for the Union and for every measure intended to promote the efficiency of the New Hampshire troops. He had from boyhood tended towards a military life, doubtless from his early connection with the noted
INTRODUCTION. 9
Norwich Military University, and when upon the adjourn- ment of the legislature, he decided to enter the army I antici- pated for him success and renown ; and as his constant friend I fully joined in feeling the disappointment which came to him from the abandonment in the spring of 1863 of the regimental organization in which all his hopes and aspirations had cen- tered ; after which abandonment, however, I concluded and so advised him that under all the circumstances he ought not further to pursue his determination to enter the military service. On the whole Colonel Kent's retrospect of life may be with- out serious regrets. His military aspirations and efforts were creditable. His civil career has been upright and honorable. He has been self-denying in every relation of life. It came to my knowledge that President Cleveland and Secretary Lamont desired to have him accept the post of assistant secretary of war but he made the sacrifice of declining on account of the im- mediate pressure of imperative family duties which he was de- termined to fulfill in the completest measure. Of such self- denial as this he has always been capable, and those who know his whole life and we, his nearest friends, feel that not the least of the reasons why he should be held in high regard by the peo- ple of New Hampshire is his unselfish and self-sacrificing de- votion to the duties which he undertook in connection with the Seventeenth Regiment, whose unpretentious history is now sub- mitted to the public judgment.
It remains to speak briefly of the responsible author of this histor}^ who has given so much time and effort to its prepara- tion and publication. Chari.es Nelson Kent was a student of Harvard Law school, admitted to the bar in Uoston, and later in 1868 in New York city, where he went to lead a busy life as a member of the advertising and publishing firm of George P. Rowell & Company, until at the end of about thirty years, in December, 1897, he retired from active business. When the war of 1861 broke out he was a cadet at Norwich University, but gave up his studies in order to become first lieu- tenant of Company C of the Seventeenth Regiment. After its
lO INTRODUCTION.
consolidation with the Second Regiment lie returned to his university and graduated in 1864, also becoming an instructor therein and the commander of the Cadet Corps when it was ordered to the Canadian border in connection with the St. Albans raid. No more appropriate historian of the Seven- teenth Regiment could have been selected that Lieut. Charles N. Kent, and he has made his service not a work of duty alone but a labor also of mingled pleasure and affection.
WILLIAM E. CHANDLER. August ist, 1898.
At a meeting of the Veteran Association of the Seventeenth New Hampshire Ififantry, May 17th, i8g8, the foUorving resolution was adopted :
Resolved, That Lieutenant Charles N. Kent of Company C be, a?id hereby is, appointed editor to compile and publish the Regi- mental History, under the supervision of the Executive Committee, and that said committee has full potver to make all contracts for the work, publication and sale of said history, save to bind the association to the payment of any indebtedness i?icurred. A true copy,
Lieutenant James S. Brackett,
Secretary ijth N. H Vet. Ass'n. Lancaster, N'. H, May 17th, i8g8.
seventp:enth new Hampshire regiment veteran association.
August 25TH, 1898.
PresideJit. Jared I. Williams, Lancaster.
Vice-Presidents. Calvin S. Brown, Washington, D. C. Harvey H. Lucas, Canaan, Vt. George S. Blood, Lowell, Mass.
Treasurer. Charles N. Kent, Merrick, N. Y.
Secretary. James S. Brackett, Lancaster.
Editor Kegimcjital History. Charles N. Kent.
Executive and Piihlicatioii Committee. Henry O. Kent, Lancaster. William L. Rowell. Charles E. King. Frank Smith. James D. Folsom, St. Johnsbury, Vt.
Member of Executive Committee, N. H. Veteran Association. Charles N. Kent, Merrick, N. Y.
PREFACE.
" History," said Gallatin, at a meeting of the Chamber of Com- merce in New York city, when troops were pressing to the front in response to President Lincoln's first call for volunteers : " History will make a faithful record of our proceedings, and that record will be consulted by future generations for encour- agement, for instruction, and for warning throughout all time." The gallant and accomplished Theodore \\'inthrop, who was killed at Great Bethel, with his last breath expressed the hope that some of his countrymen " would keep careful record of passing events, as we are making history hand over hand." By the wise and judicious enactment of New Hampshire's legislature, and the approval of His Excellency, the Governor, it has been made possible to record and preserve in permanent form the history of each regiment, organized within the state, which did its part for the preservation of the nation, in the great War of the Rebellion.
The state archives are replete with information concerning those eventful years ; and the more recent War Register com- piled by Adjutant-General Augustus D. Ayling, is a marvellous record of painstaking care, intelligent arrangement, and accu- rate statistics. In the State library may be found a large num- ber of volumes devoted to regimental history and further rec- ords of the war. Of this library it would be difficult to express a too great appreciation. The arrangement of books is admira- ble, the selection coni]irchcnsive upon subjects included, and the reading-room an object lesson of comfort and convenience — due largely to the intelligent care and supervision of the present librarian, Maj. Arthur H. Chase, and his able assistants.
From these sources, and from the written and personal recol- lections of its officers and men has been derived the material used in the compilation of this history.
14
PRE FA CE.
The Editor acknowledges with many thanks his obhgations to the writers whose valuable contributions appear in the pages which follow, and records his further indebtedness for informa- tion and courtesy to Hon. A. S. Batchellor, state historian,* and to Maj. William J. Carlton, Forty-eighth New York Volunteers, and librarian of the Loyal Legion, New York city.
In preparing this work for publication the following books have been freely consulted : General Ayling's N. H. Register ; Captain Phisterer's Statistical Record ; N. H. Regimental His- tories; Sanborn's Histor}' of N. H.; Waite's N. H. in the Re- bellion ; Rebellion Record ; Official Record, War of the Rebel- lion ; Successful Men of New Hampshire ; History of Coos County ; Adjutant General's Reports ; Fisk's Beginnings of New England ; Buckingham's Reminiscences ; Bancroft's History'of U. S. and McMaster's History of the People.
As this is' perhaps the last, certainly nearly the last, regimental history of the great Civil War to be issued in New Hampshire, it is thought that the tables of statistics and other matter appear- ing in the appendix, will be regarded by the reader with more than ordinary interest.
c. N. K.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Page
INTRODUCTION bv Hon. William E. Chandler . . 5
Preface . . . . . . . . . .13
Chapter
I. New Hampshire's Record . . . .17
II. The Militia the Safeguard of the State ... 23
III. New Hampshire to the Front .... 27
IV. Governor Ichabod Goodwin ..... 32 V. Governor Berry and the Seventeentlf Infantry . . 34
VI. George A. Ramsdel], Governor 1 897-1 898 . . 38
\'II. Field and Staif of the Seventeenth .... 41
\'III. Field and Staff, continued . ■ . . . 46
IX. Enlistments ........ 50
X. The Situation Reviewed ...... 54
XI. Camp Ethan Colby ...... 58
XII. General Orders ....... 62
XIII. The Winter of "62-'63 on Concord Plains ... 66
XIV. The Winter of '62-"63 on Concord Plains, continued . 70 XV. Furloughed ........ 77
XVI. Return to Camp Ethan Colby 81
XVII. Consolidated with the Second New Hampshire . . 86
XVIII. Adjutant-General's Official Report . . .89
XIX. Governor Berry's Story of the Regiment . . .93
XX. Recognition by Congress ..... 97
XXI. Seventeenth Men in the Second Regiment, and at
Gettysburg . . . . . . . .103
XXII. Comrade Whipple's Diary ..... 109
XXIII. Mustered Out 115
XXIV. In Memoriam . . . . . . .119
XXV. The Colonel's Conclusions . . . . .121
XXVI. The Adjutant's Report 129
XXVII. The Quartermaster's Returns . . . . .132
XXVIII. The Surgeon's Diagnosis . . . . .136
i6
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
XXIX. Reminiscences by Re\'. Geo. S. Barnes, Chaplain . 139
XXX. Company A . . . . . . 144
XXXI. Company B . . . . . . . -154
XXXII. Company C 156
XXXIII. Seventeenth Men in the Second Regiment . .159
XXXIV. Third District Men in the Fifteenth Regiment 163 XXXV. Third District Men in the Sixteenth Regiment 168
XXXVI. Grand Army : Seventeenth Men as Comrades . 176
XXXVII. The Music and Songs of the War . . . .184
XXXVIII. Regimental Histories ...... 213
XXXIX. Elder John G. Hook 261
Appendix. .......... 265
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
CHAPTER I. New Hampshire's Record.
Why turn we to our mountain homes,
With more than filial feeling ? 'Tis here that Freedom's altars burn
And Freedom's sons are kneeling.
Farmer'' s Miiseiim, IValpole. (Colonial.)
From earliest colonial da\-s, New Hampshire has ever maintained an enviable position in the front rank of civiliza- tion, patriotism, true manhood, and educational progress. "God sifted a whole nation," said Stoughton, " that He might send choice grain over into this wilderness."
"The militia, the town, the school, and the church are the corner-stones of the temple of libert}-," writes Sanborn, and here from the beginning, they were all to be found, actix^eh^ organized in a form nowhere else so complete, nowhere else so effectiv^e for the purposes the)' were instituted to main- tain.
New Ham[xshirc was the first royal go\xM-nmcnt in New England, and its people, so long as justice was meted out to them, were faithful subjects to their sovereign Lord and King; but immediately upon the establishment of this government, and as a safeguard against futiu'e t\'rann\- or oppression, the assembh' proceeded to assert its rights in its first code of laws to the effect that, " No act, imposition, law, or ordinance shall be valid, unless made b}- the assem- bly and approved by the people." " Thus, at the earliest
1 8 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
moment," Bancroft adds, " she expressed the great and hv- ing principle of self-government." And when, shortly after this, the people affirmed their right in public convocation to choose their own representatives, without let or hindrance from either crown or royal governor, there arose, perhaps, the first prelude to the American Revolu- tion. The people were determined, the governor was equally so, and told them this claim on their part was a privilege only, which the crown might allow them, but which he for his part did not belie\'e in, and which he certainly should not grant. " But," writes the historian Fiske, "the resistance of the people to this piece of tyranny was so determined, that the Lords of Trade thought it best to \-ield !" And so the governor gave wa}-, and the princi- ple of a free ballot-box and free representation was thus early established. Other acts of oppression and denial of rights so wrought upon the minds of the people, and their resistance to unjust ro}'al decrees was so determined, the last of the ro\-al governors came to the wise conclusion, that it would possibh' be conducive to his longevit}', to transfer his residence to the other side of the Atlantic, and that in as quiet a manner as possible. The transfer was accordingly made and so another long stride towards inde- pendence was registered to the credit of the sturd}' sons of the Granite State.
While in close touch with all the colonies ; e\'er ready to yield any but vital principles for the benefit of the whole, when occasion required, New Hampshire declined being forced into a ratification of the constitution until ample time had been granted her citizens for its careful consideration. In her usual cautious manner when dealing with matters of the greatest import, her assembly devoted five full da}'s to the deliberate consideration of this historic document; but, after that, there was no delay. The Constitution was then ratified at once and b}- a handsome majority. " Make
NEW HAMPSHIRE'S RECORD.
19
haste slowly" was a pronounced axiom of our Puritan ancestors, and upon it as a corner-stone has been built the success and reputation of innumerable descendants, in every avocation, and in ev^ery part of both hemispheres.
New Hampshire has ever been a state of practical people, and practical ideas. The idea of dut\' was to do in the most thorough manner the thing that was next to be done. The stor\' of the capture of Louisburg was the wonder of two continents; the stand at Bunker Hill was the admiration of the world. Our pioneers were prepared for their work b}' the conditions under A\hich the}' were reared, and the}- almost, if not wholl}-, dominated their associates.
They anticipated the coming revolution, and it was long before the Battle of Lexington even, that word was brought to the people of Portsmouth by Paul Revere, months before the lanterns glowed from Christ Church tower, of the British order that thereafter no military stores should be sent to the colonies. Thus forewarned, they at once proceeded to elude the order and prepare for active work.
It was John Sulli\an of Durham, a gentleman of wide culture and ability, afterwards a member of the first Conti- nental Congress, commander of the New Hampshire forces, and then major general, who, with a gallant band of followers, seized the stronghold of Fort William and Mar\-, imprisoned the garrison and carried awa}' one hundred bar- rels of powder, all the small arms, a quantity of shot, and sixteen pieces of artillcrw This was the first result of the British order prohibiting the delivxMy of military stores, and shows the alertness of the Puritan Yankee. The powder thus obtained, went far to make possible the results after- wards secured in the I^attlc of Bunker Hill.
Sullivan fought in the l^attlcs of Long Island, Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth, Brand} wine, and Germantown. In 1779, he commanded an expedition to break the power of
20 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
the Six Nations and their Tory alHes, and performed with " drastic thoroughness" this dehcate and important work. Sanborn sa)'s of him: " He is one of the great men of our state, whose worthy deeds posterity should not wilhngly let die."
Ten minutes after receiving news of the Battle of Lexing- ton, John Stark shut down his sawmill, and two hours thereafter, according to Fiske, had mustered thirteen full companies, and started for the front leaving two hundred additional men behind as the nucleus for a second organiza- tion. Six days later, two thousand New Hampshire men confronted General Gage. The left wing of the army sta- tioned near Medford was composed of two New Hampshire regiments, commanded by two Londonderr}^ colonels — Stark and Reed.
When the advance of Burgoyne's Hessians towards Ben- nington was made in August, 1777, the whole country was alarmingly short of supplies, and destitute of organized troops in sufficient number to offer effective resistance. It was then that John Langdon of Portsmouth, at the time speaker of the House, cut the Gordian knot by saying:
" Gentlemen, I have three thousand dollars in hard money, thirty hogsheads of Tobago rum, worth as much ; I can pledge my plate for as much more ; these are at the service of the state. With this money we can raise and provision troops. Our friend, John Stark, will lead them. If we check Burgoyne, the state can repay me: if we do not, the money will be of no use to me."
Advancing the monc}-, he enlisted his own company and followed on to Bennington and Saratoga.
"And the boon we gained through the noble lender Was the Bennington day and Burgoyne^s surrender."
Stark was at home again, but at once responded to the call of Langdon and his countr\'men. Ill usage in official
NE W HA MrSII INK'S RECORD. 2 1
quarters could never dampen his courage or his patriotism. An acknowledged leader, among the ablest of all the offi- cers who served in tlie Revolution, he at once forgot his wrongs and gathered his troops for the destruction of Baum and his armw
Volunteers came in so rapid!}- to join his standard that the Indians whom Baum brought with him began to tlesert in large numbers, saying, " The woods were full of Yan- kees!" Stark's famous traditional speech before the Battle of Bennington is thus paraphrased b\- the poet, Fitz-Greene Halleck:
When on that field, his band the Hessians fought,
Briefly he spoke before the fight began : " Soldiers ! those German gentlemen were bought
For four pounds eight and seven pence per man B}' England's King : A bargain, it is thought.
Are we worth more .'' Let 's prove it while we can : For we must beat them, boys, ere set of sun.
Or my wife sleeps a widow." It was done.
Yes, beat them he did, and the destruction of Burgo}'ne's army followed as a consequence. Every valley and hillside sent its men to reinforce Stark's ami}', until at Saratoga, October 17, 1777, the British power was broken b}- this independent action of New Hampshire, for it was a state campaign and its general reported only to the legislature.
What wonder, that with these and other kindred repre- sentative men in both the forum, the mart, and the camp. New Hampshire became a sturd}-, self-reliant common- wealth, dowered with such an heritage.
And as she alwa}'s has been, so doubtless will she e\-er remain. Men are raised up to meet the hoiu', and when the cry goes forth, "We want men," either b}' state or nation, New Hampshire's quota will alwa}'s be forthcoming. Her record during the Civil W'ar compares honorabl}' with that of the Re\-olutionar}' period ; and in the struggle for
22 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
the freedom of Cuba she again placed herself where she will ever be found — in the very front ranks of the nation.
" Our fathers' hero deeds are known and loved, As the recurring years their measure fill. Their names are graven on Fame's sounding shield, From Yorktown's tnumph back to Bunker Hill."'
CHAPTER II. The AIilitia the Safeguard of the State.
" What constitutes a state ?
Not high raised battlements, or labored mound, Thick wall, or moated gate ;
Not cities fair, with spires and turrets crowned; No; men, high-minded men."
It is essential to the stability of every form and denomi- nation of government, that a well-organized militar}- body be provided, both to maintain order within and to repel aggression from without. In a republic like our own, this body is composed chiefly of the militia of the states, which constitutes its armies in time of war and upholds its integrity in time of peace. Recognizing this principle, our fore- fathers early decreed that "A well organized militia is the sure and natural defence of the state," and guaranteed to the people the right to bear arms. The wisdom of this decree has ever been verified when occasion required and the guarantee thus given has nexer been abused.
When Napoleon, defeated and a captive, was restricted to the scant limits of F!lba, the veterans of the peninsular campaigns — his conquerors — landed on oiu' shores, antici- pating from the nature and habits of our people an easy victory. Hut, met b\' men warHke as themselves, they retired after a brief contest, bearing with them as their oiiK' trophies the plimder of some few villages, and recollections of Queenstown and Lundy's Lane, of Forts Stephenson and Erie, of Haltimore and New Orleans.
The first gun fired on Sumter awoke the loyal states as if by magic. The president's memorable call for troops
24 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGLMENT.
was followed b\- an uprising; of the people that would at once have filled the arm\' it was then supposed would be required, ten times o\'er. " Have we a country to save, and shall we save it? " he asked, and not only thousands, but hundreds of thousands, responded quickl}' to his sum- mons. " Siu'ely," says Townsend, in his " Honors of the Empire State," " sureU', if the voice of the people can ever be accounted as the inspiration of God, that which came to us in the united tones of the great mass of states- men and jurists, historians and scholars, philosophers and poets, warriors and spiritual guides, must be so accepted. By the side of the Union stood Bancroft and Motley, Sparks and Palfre}', who had made the histor}^ of its free institutions their peculiar stud}'. The harps of Br}'ant and Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and Lowell, were strung to the music of the Union, to inspire the hearts of the people, and nerve their arms." But more significant than all else, more indicative of that love for the flag, which inspires every American citizen, most conclusive of the wisdom of our forefathers, when the\' decreed the militia to be the sure and natural defence of the state, was that uprising of the sturdy yeomanr}' of the nation in answer to the calls of the president for troops — more troops, until an army of two millions and a half, from first to last, and with apparent ease, was sent to the front. The total enrolled militia, North and South, at the breaking out of the war was more than three and one-half millions, \\hile the total quotas furnished on both sides were over three millions. That war involved the loss of over five hundred thousand lives, the wounding and premature death of probabh' as many more, and cost the government over eight billion dollars. But it settled for all time the position of the citi- zen militia and the impregnable position of the army, so organized, as the natural and effective safeguard of the state. It was not as major-generals, or even as colonels,
THE MILITIA THE SAEEGUARD OE THE STATE. 25
captains, or lieutenants, that these men xohmteered. It was better still, they did it as men — men \\\\o lo\ed their countr\-, and were willing;-, in the ranks, to show their lo\'alt\', and, if necessary, gi\'e their li\es for its mainte- nance. All honor to the privates who did the flighting, as well as to the officers who led them into battle. Their patriotism was as great, perhaps in many cases greater: their lives were as dear to them and their services, under more tr}-ing circumstances, were as cheerfully given. " The Privates' Song," as printed in a Southern news- paper, tells the pathetic stor\- :
It's nothin' more or less than the old, old story —
The private does the fightin' an' the general gets the glory !
But away
To the fray For we 're in it to obev — The private does the tightin' an" the general draws the pay !
It''s nothin' more or less than the old, old story —
The private makes the harvest an' the general reaps the glory !
But I say,
Boys, away ! For we 're in it to obe}', And we '11 climlj through twenty battles to the epaulettes some day !
Xothin' more or less than the old, old story —
The cap'ns an' the colonels an' the generals gets the glory !
But we '11 fight
All in sight ; For we 're in it for the riglit ; God keep the generals hearty till the bugles blow " (jood-night ! ''
It is a significant fact, that search histor\- as we ma\-, the standing arm\' is never to be found fighting for libert\''s sake. The Swiss at Mogarten and Sempach ; the Scots, under Bruce and Wallace ; the English under Cromwell and Hampden; the h^'ench in the Revolution; the Ihing.irians and Italians tinder Kossuth and GarihaUli, the great arm\'
26 SEVENTEENTH 'nEJV HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
which swept Napoleon from Germany in 1813; our own honored forefathers in the War of the Revohition, and the Cubans in their struggle for life and liberty, these, all these, were nothing but militia. Who dares say the militia has not accomplished great results? Let standing armies show their record and a righteous judge award the palm.
While we, as a republic, rely upon our militia, and while a large standing army would be the sure forerunner of despotism, an adequate regular force should, nevertheless, be always read}' for emergencies. And so with us, the two systems of militia and regular troops are judiciously combined. The regulars, comparatively few in number, are yet sufficient for the duties imposed upon them in times of peace ; and when danger comes, or the war cloud settles over the country, they form a nucleus around which an army, drawn from the militia of the states, quickly gath- ers, being rendered doubly effective by the combination. The militia is always ready. As quickly as the army of Cadmus sprang from the teeth of the slaughtered dragon, so quickly our countr}'men, with sharp bayonets and reso- lute hearts, rush to the conflict when the call is sounded, eager to serve that country, whose laws they make as well as enforce.
They have proved beyond dispute, the strength of the foundation upon which our institutions rest, and the fitness and will of the American people as a reliable and suc- cessful soldiery. In their ready patriotism we can always trust, firm in the belief that the genius of our institutions has indicated the true line of military policy, and that we may safely rely, under God, for the protection of the best and wisest government ever devised by man, upon the loyal devotion of the American Militia.
CHAPTER III.
New Hampshire to the Front.
'Tis ours, undaunted, to defend
The dear-bought rich inheritance, And spite of every hostile hand.
We'll fight, bleed, die in its defence ; Pursue our fathers' path to fame,
And emulate their glorious name.
Setuali.
The War of the Rebellion began when Major Anderson refused to surrender Fort Sumter, April iith, 1861. The fort was taken b)' the Confederates, after a bloodless con- flict on the 13th of April, and on the 15th of April. Presi- dent Lincoln issued his proclamation calling upon the states to furnish their quotas for an army of seventy-five thousand men.
Within twenty-four hours after the president's call was issued in Washington, the proclamation of Governor Icha- bod Goodwin had been formulated, and sent forward to every part of the state, calling the lo\'al sons of New Hamp- shire to immediate action, and for a speed}- enlistment of the necessary regimental organizations.
As indicative of the possible difificulties in the wa}- of a prompt response to the go\-ernor's call, and as an example of how little either possible or actual difficulties can for a moment restrain or impede the prompt exhibition of the lo}'al and {patriotic spirit which has e\er been a strong characteristic of our people, it is well that the exact condi- tion of the state at that time, from a militar\- stantlpoint, should be thoroughly understood.
At the breaking out of the war, there was not a single
2» SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
organized regiment within the state. The old " general trainings" or " annual musters," with all their tinsel, color, glitter, and noise, which we, \\\\o must now consent to be called the " old boys," still remember with mingled feelings of awe and pleasure, were held for the last time in the early fifties. The then militar}- organizations of the state, di\'ided into forty-two regiments, and comprising all able-bodied male citizens between the ages of eighteen and forty-fiv^e, ceased to be operative. The regiments were disbanded or went to pieces in the natural wa\'. An occasional leather hat with its brass mountings, including the American eagle, or some other part of a uniform in the home of a former officer; the regulation powder-house upon a hill, the gun- house in the village, and the arsenal stored w'ith flint-lock muskets, alone remained to be the wonder of the young, and the souvenirs of departed greatness. In place of the old militia, there existed what one writer has termed " the paper system," which was made up of three major generals and six brigadier generals, with their respective staffs. We may be sure these were all in commission, but their forces were entirely unorganized and existed only in that condi- tion. There were, however, two " military and social com- mands"— the Governor's Horse Guards, a battalion of mounted horsemen intended chiefly for escort dut\', and the still older organization known as the Amoskeag Veterans. It was at the annual dinner which followed the parade of one of these bodies — the reason is obvious for not being more explicit as to which one — that a prominent son of New
Hampshire gave the celebrated toast: "The :
Invincible in peace ; in\'isible in war."
There was, besides, a compan\- known as the L}'nde- borough Artiller)% and all told there may have been a possible half dozen other volunteer companies scattered throughout the state. This force was inx'ited rather than ordered to hold a three davs' " muster" in Nashua during
NEIV HAMPSHIRE TO THE FRONT.
29
the autumn of i860, but it was not much of a success, and no further attempt in this Hue was c\cr made. And so it was, that when the gox'crnor issued his call for troops we were wholh' unprepared for immediate action. There was no organized force that could be sent to the front, there was no nucleus upon which to build up x'oluntecr regiments.
Adjutant-General Abbott, sa}-s a writer most familiar with the events of that period, and whose record we are permitted to freely use, found himself without arms or equipments and confronted b\- an almost appalling emer- genc)-. He was zealous, and entitled to commendation for his labors in fitting out the earlier regiments which went to the front exceptionalh' well proxided.
General Abbott resigned in the summer of 1861, and upon application made by him to the war department direct, was authorized to recruit in New Hampshire a full regiment of volunteers. It was made a distinct under- standing, however, at his request, that the Government might revoke the commission of any ofificer who was found for any reason to be incompetent or unfit for the highest line of field service ; and it was also a condition precedent that the regiment should be mustered and read}- to march not later than thirt}' da\'s from the 9th of September, 1861. The regiment, howex-er, was not ordered to the front until January 14, 1862.
General Abbott waived his right to command as colonel upon condition that the position should be filled b\' a West Point graduate of acknowledged abilit}-, aiul untk'r this agreement a colonel's commission was issued to JIaldiman S. Putnam, a New Hampshire bo}- from Cornish in Sulli- van count}', antl Abbott was made lieutenant-colonel. The regiment became the Seventh New Hampshire. Colonel Putnam was killed at Fort Wagner Jul}- 18, 1863, and Abbott was promoted to command. lie served with the regiment and made a part of its ex'er brilliant record
30 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
until the summer of '64, when he was promoted to a bri- gade, and afterwards brevetted for gallant service at Fort Fisher, North Carolina. i\fter the close of the war, he represented that commonwealth in the United States Senate.
But notwithstanding we had no military organization save that of " major and brigadier generals with their staffs ;" notwithstanding the love for home and the peaceful avoca- tions of a contented people, the governor's proclamation kindled an enthusiasm and engendered a patriotic spirit as loft}' and intense as that called forth b}^ the famous ride of Paul Revere which roused the people who fought so bravely at Bunker Hill. It occupied General Stark for ten minutes onh' to make all necessary arrangements for his first Revolutionar}' campaign ; it required but two hours to call in his thirteen full companies and start them onward towards Charlestown. The same spirit which animated Stark, Sullixan, and Langdon was again equally manifest in the spring of sixty-one, nor did it ever again slumber so long as men were wanted to uphold our flag and preserve in its entirety the national government.
In answer to the governor's call for troops, recruiting ofifices were at once opened in all parts of the state ; and volunteers came forward so fast that within two weeks, more than the number required for the full quota of the state had either been enlisted or had offered their services for enrollment in the ver}' first regiments to be thereafter organized, and to fill any vacancies in the regiments then going to the front.
Regimental organization was at once commenced and pushed forward with the greatest celerity. The First In- fantry, under Col. Mason VV. Tappan, was drilled and equipped in Concord, and started for the front on the morning of Saturday, June ist, the earliest moment possi- ble after perfecting its efficiency and supplying necessary arms and equipments. No one in Concord at the time
A^EJy HAMPSHIRE TO THE EROA'T. 3 1
needs to be reminded of the ovation the regiment received on its march to the depot.
Meantime tlie drill and organization of the Second Infan- tr}-, under able and experienced othcers, was going on at Portsmouth. Its men were all anxious to be at the front when word came from the war department that no more three months men could be accepted from New Hamp- shire, the full number required having already been mus- tered in ! But under the second call from the president for three years men, issued May 3d, the gox'ernor was in- structed to enroll one regiment of 1,046 ofificers and men. The regiment was at once reorganized under the call for three years, and soon had in camp its full complement of men. Under the gallant colonel, Oilman Marston, it left the state June 20th, and was e\'er the pride and honor of our people. The histor}' of our own Seventeenth Infantr\- was in after time so wrought in and bound up with that of the Second, the writer may be pardoned for quoting the following brief summary of its subsequent career :
" To give the record of this famous regiment would be to write the history of the Army of the Potomac, in which it served throughout the war, reenHsting at the expiration of its three years of duty. It was a nursery from which came many accomplished officers for other regi- ments ; it received and assimilated the Seventeenth Regiment in 1863. and a great numl^er of recruits ; and during its entu'e service was con- spicuous for bravery, soldierly behavior, and untiring devotion to the cause. Its record was always riglit. and its well-earned fame is beyond praise."
Thus it was demonstrated how, even under adverse cir- cumstances, New Hampshire was earl}' at the front; but while all honor is due to the noble sons and true jiatriots who so quick!}' came forward at their c<)untr}''s call, equal honor at least is due to the energy, activity, and zeal of the worthy chief magistrate at that time, Governor Ichabod Goodwin of Portsmouth.
CHAPTER IV. Governor Ichabod Goodwin.
His life was gentle ; and the elements
So mixed in him, that nature might stand up
And say to all the world, " This was a man."
Shakespeaj-e.
The student in American history will not fail to note that in times of greatest peril when dangers threaten and disaster is made possible, a kind Providence has ever raised up the right men to guide the ship of state, take com- mand of our armies in the field, and mould public opinion in the forum. Thus has it ever been from the da}^s of the immor- tal Washington to those of the Mart\-r Lincoln, and thus it remains to-day, when as these pages are written the whole world rings with praise for our brave officers and men in the war waged against Spanish intolerance and cruelt\\
Much has been written and more has been said concern- ing the governors of the different states in office, when Civil War was declared. Governor Andrew of Massachu- setts, by his noble deeds and energetic example, inspired his whole state and in a measure the entire North. Gov- ernor Morgan of New York made possible the speedy for- warding of troops which, with those of Massachusetts, helped save the national capital from capture, and formed the nucleus for the ever increasing army. But side by side with Andrew and Morgan, and as well deserving of the admiration and esteem of a grateful country, stands Gov- ernor Ichabod Goodwin, the honored chief magistrate of our own New Hampshire. Quiet and unassuming in dis- position, loved most by those who knew him best, Governor Goodwin was first of all a man of peace. Known as an
GUVKKNOK ICHAKcUi ( ic >( H i\V I N.
GOVERNOR ICIIABOD GOODWIN. 33
eminently successful merchant, with a reputation of the most unsullied character, an cneri^}' which knew how to overcome obstacles, antl a noted capacit}' for affairs of im- port, he was elected to fill the gubernatorial chair in the year 1859, and as a result of his excellent administration, was re-elected in the following }-ear.
But it was the crisis of '61 that brought to light his real merit and showed of what metal he was made. While peace and peaceful pursuits were his natural attributes, he lo\-ed his countr)- first of all, and when its entiret\- was menaced, gave himself wholly to the task of defending its honor and preserving its boundaries. He found the state without an organized militia, without a dollar in the treas- ur\' which could be used for war purposes, and without arms or equipments of a proper kind. But he was fully equal to the emergency. Troops were raised, and, on the strength of Governor Goodwin's personal repute as the only securit}-, the banking institutions and citizxns of the state offered him as a loan $680,000, to be used for military purposes. The offer was accepted, but with his usual business sagacity and that of his immediate staff, the disbursements were so managed that less than one sixth of the amount tendered was actually expended. For this sum he was afterwards reimbursed b}' the legislature. " But." says one of his biographers, " the fact remains, that to his patriotism, firmness, responsibility, and executive energ}', Xew^ Hampshire is indebted, both for her prompt and creditable response to the call of the jiresident, antl the inauguration of the s\'stem which raised, e(|uipped, and forwarded the succeeding commands, all of which earned the gratitude of the state and reflected honor ujjon it."
With the expiration of his secontl term in office. Gov- ernor Goodwin retired to i)ri\ale life, antl was succeeded b)' Nathaniel S. l^err}-, a deNotetl public .servant and a faithful atlministrator of public affairs.
CHAPTER V.
Governor Berry and the Seventeenth Infantry.
" We are coming, we are coming, Our Union to restore. We are coming. Father Abraham, Three hundred thousand more."
In Jill}', 1862, President Lincoln issued a proclamation for 300,000 volunteers. Up to this time New Hampshire had raised, equipped, and sent to the front fourteen full regiments of infantry, a batter\- of light artillery, and four companies of cavalry. The state had so far exceeded its quota that but three regiments were now required. It ^^■as deemed advisable that these should be raised with as little delay as possible. Upon the governor and his council devolved the task of accomplishing this work in a wa\' that should be most creditable to the state, and helpful at the earliest moment to our armies in the field. The percentage of the enrolled militia alread}' under arms was so large that some difhculty was feared in filling the quota.
Nathaniel S. Berry then occupied the chair of state. He had been elected governor in March, 1861, and was re- elected for another year in March, 1862. Under his administration all regiments from the Third to the P^ight- eenth inclusive were enlisted ; and but two, the First and Second, were organized before his accession to ofifice. Governor Berry was a man whose experience might \\ell have prepared him for the emergenc}- which now existed. He was well acquainted with the still remaining resources of the state ; knew the will and disposition of the people, and the faith the\' placed in him as a sturd\', honored, and
GoVKKNOR Xathaniki. S. Hkkky,
GOVERNOR BERRY AND THE SEVENTEENTH. 35
upright chief magistrate. His previous calls had ever been responded to cheerfulh% and his care and consideration of the regiments from the time of recruiting to the end of his official career showed him ever to have been the soldiers' friend, anxious so far as possible to alleviate their hard- ships, and suppl}' existing needs. He was a conscientious administrator of public affairs ; in thorough accord with the government at Washington, a zealous defender of his countr\''s rights, and hesitated at no personal sacrifice in the painstaking discharge of the onerous duties imposed upon him. He had at this time as members of his executive council, Richard P. J. Tenney of Pittsfield, Oliver Wyatt of Dover, Oliver Pillsbur}- of Henniker, Ethan Colb\' of Cole- brook, and C. F. Brooks of Westmoreland, all good men of sound judgment, business experience, and wise determi- nation.
In deciding upon the best and surest manner for the early enlistment of the three regiments required to fill the state's quota, the governor and council called in con- sultation such of the prominent public and militar\- men of the state as could then be reached, and asked for their opinions. "Among these," says Governor l^err\-, in one of his official documents, " from his familiarit\- with the state, his prior connections with the service, and his posi- tion in the legislature, was Colonel Henr}' O. Kent."
After a full knowledge of all the facts as presented to him, and an exhaustive re\ie\v of the state's resources, Colonel Kent " suggested that the three regiments called for be assigned respectivel}' to the three congressional dis- tricts of the state, as then constituted."
We quote again from (}o\'ern(M- lk'rr}-'s official utterance:
" Tliis ]jl;in was adopted ; and it was decided to or<;anize tlie Fif- teenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Infantry Rei^iments in the First, Second, and Third Congressional Districts : to appoint their field offi- cers, and authorize them to recruit tor llieir respective commands.
36 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
John W. Kingman was appointed colonel of the Fifteenth Regiment ; James Pike, of the Sixteenth Regiment; and Henry O. Kent, of the Seventeenth Regiment, and said regiments were ordered into camp consecutively."
Doubtless the adoption of this plan for the organization of the three regiments was wise and jtidicious. Each con- gressional district was accorded the honor of raising its own regiment. In each of these districts the governor, with advice of council, appointed as colonel of the con- eressional regiment the man in that district most calculated in their opinion to inspire confidence among his constitu- ents, and best fitted by education and experience for com- mand in the field ; one whose personal popularity and magnetism would rally to his standard a sufficient number of men in his own district to fill the regiment in the short- est possible time ; for time had become an important factor in all the plans and operations of the government. The "sixty days" of Seward's prophec}- had long since passed away; the outlook was not as encouraging as the people had anticipated ; there was a manifest discontent, however well concealed, in man)' quarters, and more soldiers for a speedy termination of the war was then the policy pur- sued.
Moreover, it was thought that the plan adopted would cause emulation between the districts, and that each one would strive to be first in making up its quota and report- ing for duty. But besides all this, the fact that each regi- ment was to be officered by men who were well known throughout the counties from which the volunteers were to be called, would, it was rightly argued, result in the largest number of volunteers and be productive of the least delay. We can all remember how easy it was to form a whole company in comparatively small towns, when all could go imder officers selected from among their own townsmen. Perhaps it may have been a knowledge of this which stig-
GOVERXOR BERRY AND THE SEVENTEENTH. 37
gested the congressional di\"ision as the best arrangement possible.
The congressional districts, as the\' existed at that time, and the assignments for the raising of a full regiment in each, under Governor Berr}-'s order as alread}- given, were as follows :
First Congressional District: Counties of Rockingham, Strafford, Belknap, and Carroll : h^ifteenth Regiment. John W. Kingman, colonel.
Second Congressional District: Counties of Merrimack and Hillsborough: Sixteenth Regiment, James Pike, colonel.
Third Congressional District: Counties of Cheshire, Sul- livan, Grafton, and Coos: Seventeenth Regiment, Henry O. Kent, colonel.
All preliminaries having been thus settled, additional field oflficers were appointed by the governor and council, and the work of recruiting commenced in earnest.
CHAPTER VI. George A. Ramsdell, Governor i 897-1 898.
By henry O. KENT.
As this is perhaps the last regimental history of the days of the war for the Union ; recognizing the significant fact, that at this writing, a generation later than the close of that conflict, we are again under arms, this time, thank God, a united people, either section of the country vying with the other in noble emulation for the honor of the flag, and when a New Hampshire regiment is again in the field, it seems peculiar!)' fitting that this volume be the connect- ing link between the military record of the glorious past and the story that shall be told in like manner of the deeds of her sons in this conflict.
To that end it also seems fitting that we present a brief narrative of the personality and career of the present chief executive of the state and commander-in-chief of its mili- tary power — the honored citizen who, by the choice of its people, enjoys the high distinction of being a War Gov- ernor, and merits by his wise and vigorous action, a place among the trio thus formed — Ichabod Goodwin, Nathaniel S. Berry, and George A. Ramsdell.
The writer has known Governor Ramsdell through the vicissitudes of an active life, with respect for his sterling qualities and absolute integrity as a citizen.
George Allen Ramsdell, born in ]\Iilford, March 11, 1834, is of English stock and from one of the early fami- lies of New England. He took a preparatory academic course at the well known McCollom Institute at Mont
GovKKNoR George A. Kamsdhll.
GOVERXOR GEORGE A. RAMSDELL. 39
Vernon, was an undergraduate at Dartmouth, from which he later received the degree of A. M., was admitted to the Bar, and was for a long time clerk of the courts for Hillsborough count}-. After his retirement from this responsible position in which he often acted with great approval as a trier of cases, he was tendered a seat \\\)0\\ the Supreme Bench by Governor John B. Smith.
He has for years been identified with the development and progress of Nashua, his adopted cit\', being prominent in all good works; serx'ing upon the board of education, as trustee of the public librar\', member of the legislature, of the constitutional convention of 18/6, as president of the trustees of the State Industrial school, and as a member of the Executive Council of the Governor. He has long been a director in railroads, manufacturing enterprises, and bank- president and treasurer.
His position and influence in moral affairs has al\va}-s been potential on the right side ; as a consistent member of the Congregational church, a practical and pronounced temperance man, a just and worth}^ Mason, ha\ing attained to the Thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. In his pleasant home on Concord street he enjoys the just reward and rest of an honorable and busy life. Thus equipped, he was in November, 1896, elected Governor of his state, serving with conscientious singleness of purpose and excel- lent results.
Governor Ramsdcll is careful, considerate, conservati\-e, and }'et a quick observer t)f public events, read)- to meet the exigencies of state as they arise with wise delibera- tion.
It must stand as a great credit to the state and its chief magistrate, that in the spring of the present year he raised so speedil)' and equipped so thoroughly, the admirable regiment now sustaining the honor of New Hampshire in the field, a regiment that we of the "old resjime " sjiadh'
40
SEVENTEENTH A^EW HAMPSHIRE K EG EM E NT.
welcome to comradeship, and the New Hampshire roll of honor begun at Louisburg and Bunker Hill and lengthened in every recurring war.
The expedition, wise forethought, and experienced care exercised b}- Governor Ramsdcll in organizing and forward- ing the First New Hampshire Infantry in May, 1898, is well set forth in the following telegram sent the go\ernor and given to the press, by Senator Chandler:
" Washington, May 23, 1898.
The president, secretary of war, and adjutant-general express them- selves as highly gratitied that the New Hampshire regiment — 250 more than our quota — has come so promptly into the field, completely equipped in all particulars for immediate service.
" The people of New Hampshire may well be proud of the good and quick work done bv their governor and council, adjutant-general, and other militarv authorities, and may feel sure that their first Cuban regi- ment will continue to do honor to the state. ....
" Accept mv personal thanks and gratitude for the good judgment, rapidity, and success with which you have in behalf of the state met the first demands of the war for Cuban freedom."
CHAPTER VII. Field and Staff of the Se\'Enteenth.
The riches of the Commonwealth
Are free, strong minds, and hearts of health :
And more to her than gold or grain,
The cunning hand and cultured brain.
IV/ntth-r.
The field and staff officers of the Seventeenth New- Hampshire Infantry were : Colonel, Henr\- O. Kent of Lan- caster; lieutenant-colonel, Charles H. Long of Claremont; major, George H. Bellows of Walpole ; adjutant, George A. Wainwright of Hanover; quartermaster, Edward N. Cum- mings of Colebrook ; surgeon, James D. Folsom, M. D., of Lancaster; assistant surgeons, Luther C. Bean, M. D., of Lebanon, and Horatio N. Small, M. D., of Lancaster; chaplain, Rev. George S. Barnes of Seabrook. All were selected upon the plan that had been agreed to for recruit- ing the regimental quota in the third congressional district, save the chaplain, who was appointed as a personal selec- tion of the governor's. It is noticeable, also, that the four counties in this district were represented b\- the four oflfi- cers first named: Colonel Kent was from Coos; Lieuten- ant-Colonel Long from SuUixan ; Major Bellows from Cheshire, and Adjutant Wainwright from Grafton.
Colonel Kent's appointment as commander of the regi- ment to be raised in the Third Congressional District, was preeminently wise, judicious, and deserving. It elicited unexpected enthusiasm throughout the district, and resulted in more speed\^ and general enlistments than had been thought possible. Although a com[)arati\eI}' yoimg man.
4 2 SE VENTE E N TH A 'E I V HA MPSHIRE RE GIMENT.
at the time but twenty-eight years of age, he had acquired a large and \'ahiable experience as assistant adjutant-gen- eral of New Hampshire under Governor Ichabod Good- win. At a still earlier period, in 1852, he was prepared for and entered upon a full collegiate and military course, in that nurser}' of warlike heroes and commanders, whose record stands only second to that of West Point, the famous Norwich University of Vermont. From this insti- tution he graduated with commendable honors in 1854, and shortly after, the faculty as a recognition of his worth and their own appreciation of his ability, elected him a member of its board of trustees. This position he has ever since held, and for many years was president of the Alumni association. As early as 185 1, as shown by the records in the adjutant-general's ofifice, he was an active member of New Hampshire's organized militia and had risen to be a corporal of artillery in the Forty-Second Regiment. From this as a starting point, his military career appears to have been ever advancing until he was commissioned colonel of the famous Governor's Horse Guards, organized for special duty as a body-guard to his excellency the governor, composed of leading men throughout the state. He was also acting as chief of staff to the major-general commanding one of the state divi- sions.
On the day Governor Goodwin issued his first proclama- tion, April 16, 1861, he ordered Colonel Kent to report in Concord, and upon his arri\-al assigned him to duty as aide-de-camp in the organization and equipment of the First New Hampshire Regiment. It should here be recorded that on that eventful 1 6th of April, 1 86 1, Colonel Kent opened one of the first recruiting offices in the state, in his native town of Lancaster, and there within a few days an entire company had been raised and made ready for muster. But immediate supervision of the recruiting ser-
FIELD AND STAFF OF THE SEVENTEENTH. 43
vice was abandoned in response to the governor's more imperative orders, and after completing his duties con- nected with the formation and equipment of the First Regi- ment, on the 29th da\' of April he was commissioned assistant adjutant-general of Xew Hampshire, with the rank of colonel, and ordered to repair to Portsmouth and there assist in the organization and equipment of the Second New Hampshire Infantr\-, to rendezvous at that point. Colonel Martin A. Haynes, in his excellent history of the heroic Second, says:
" The state equipped the Second Regiment (as it also had the First) in the most thorough and comprehensive manner, according to the military standard of the day, and the completeness of its outfit attracted the admiring attention of old army officers."
Although these two regiments were the first to leave the state, and their hurried departure was forced in every way to meet the existing demands of the government, every detail in their organization had been so carefully provided for, and all requirements, for ever\' department, had been so faithfully and fulh' met, they were honesth' entitled to the " admiring attention " bestowed upon them b\' " old arm\' officers ; " and they became the models for the formation of fiitiu'c regiments in Xew Hampshire. To Colonel Kent was due credit for the thorough organization and equipment of these troops. Strict attention to the minutest detail was ever a strong point in his character. He took nothing for granted, but e\-er observed the Puritan maxim, to " do in the most thorough manner the thing that was next to be done." It is a circumstance to be remembered, that with this Second Regiment, to which Colonel Kent was so devoted, and in whose organization he bore so conspicuous a part, the Sexenteenth, his own com- mand, was consolidated, when consolidation became a necessity later on in the progress of the war.
44 SEVEN l^EENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
After completing his duties in connection with the Second Regiment, and until appointed colonel of the Scx'entcenth, he was actively cmplo}'ed in the editorial supervision of his newspaper, the Cods Republican; in the enlistment of additional troops, and as a representative from Lancaster to the general court. From his knowledge and experience he was made chairman of the committee on militar}' affairs, a most important and exacting position, which required the closest and most careful attention. The old militia laws were at this session repealed, and an entirely new military system, drawn up and rexised by the chairman of the military committee, was adopted.
Commanding in appearance, possessing a thorough mili- tary education gained through exacting stud}', close obser- vation, and long experience ; with an untarnished reputa- tion for strict honesty, integrity, and patriotism, reaching backwards in an unbroken line, through generations of honored ancestors. Colonel Kent was in ever\' way fitted for the position to which Governor Berry assigned him ; and his labors and persistency in working for his regiment, and obtaining for it at last that recognition from the gen- eral government which the patriotism and devotion of its men and of^cers so fully merited, is but another exhibition of the man, and an exemplification of there being " the right man in the right place."
In later \-ears Colonel Kent has been much in public life. He was an alternate delegate to the National Con- vention which nominated Abraham Lincoln in i860, and in 1864 a member of the New Hampshire Electoral Col- lege, voting for Lincoln and Johnson. Again, twenty years later, in 1884, he was a delcgate-at-large to the National Convention which nominated Grover Cleveland, mo\-ing his nomination in a remembered speech and voting for him. h'or one term he was i)ostmaster of the United States senate, afterwards na\al officer in the Port of
FIELD AXD STAFF OF THE SEVEXTEEXTH. 45
Boston, and has been repeatedly in the legislature, both senate and house. He has al\va}'s occupied a prominent position in the banking circles of the state, and to the banking business he now chiefly devotes his time. On the incoming of the second Cleveland administration he was invited to the position of assistant secretary of war.
CHAPTER VIII.
Field and Staff. — Couliuucd.
I venerate the man whose heart is warm.
Whose hands are pure, whose doctrine and whose life
Coincident, exhibit lucid proof
That he is honest in the sacred cause.
Coxvfcr.
Lieutenant-Colonel Charles H. Long was also a graduate of the famous Norwich L^ni\^ersit\-, and received therein the military education and drill which fitted him so well for the stern duties of after life. When Colonel Cross organized the " Fighting Fifth" in October, 1861, Colonel Long was commissioned captain of Company G, and went to the front with that regiment. Its after deeds are matters of histor\\ Says an able commentator :
" A.s with the Second, .so with the Fifth, the limits of a chapter would utterly fail to give its history. It furnished gallant officers for later regiments, received many recruits, and was alwavs conspicuous for its l)ravery and heroic work. It was in the Peninsular, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and \'irginia Campaigns ; and its colonel made the proud boast to the writer, that in the disastrous charge at Fredericksburg, his dead lay nearer the enemy's rifle-pits than those of any other regi- ment in the Army of the Potomac. While a veteran of the Fifth remains, its deeds of daring, its amateiu" engineering, its marches, and its conflicts will be as fresh in their memories as the rollicking strains of ' One-Eyed Riley ! ' and their services will have the appreciation that follows honest endea\'or."'
It is a part of the record in the War department that the maximum loss in killed was greater in the Fifth New Hampshire than in an\' other regiment in the armw
WHiilc leading his company at the Battle of Antietam,
FIELD AND STAFF OF THE SEVENTEENTH. 47
Captain Long was severely wounded and in consequence resigned his command ; but he took service again as Lieu- tenant-Colonel of the Se\-enteenth, and was esteemed and respected, both as a soldier and a genial, good-hearted gentleman. He afterwards commanded the heavy artillery' ; was ordered into the defenses around Washington, and remained in service until the close of the war. Colonel Kent sa}"s of him :
" I could have had no one in his position more gratifying to my feelings, or who on every occasion demeaned himself with more scrupulous kindness and ability."'
The major, George H. Bellows, came from W'alpole. He had alread\- served as a lieutenant in the three months' campaign of the Eighth New York Volunteers, and as an aide to acting Brigadier-General Miles at Harper's Ferry. After leaving the Seventeenth, he was commissioned major of a battalion of infantr)' raised for service in that section of Virginia near Washington, imder control of the Union forces, wherein the state government exercised authority.
Adjutant George A. Wainwright was first of all a soldier; he was every inch inclined that wa}', from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot. No adjutant ever understt)od his duties better and none ever performed them more punc- tiliously or with a stricter regard for dut\'. Ever}-thing that the adjutant had to do was well done and done in a soldierly manner. When off dtit\' he was e\'cr a delightful companion and a sympathetic friend, but in his " official capacity" he was pre-eminenth- a soldier. He had already served in two campaigns and afterwards joined Colonel Long's heavy artillery as lieutenant and was speedily promoted to major.
" I was particularly fortunate," writes Colonel Kent in one of his sketches made twenty years ago, " in the organi- zation of the staff. Doctor James D. Folsom, the surgeon,
48 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT
was a gentleman of agreeable address, great experience, and sound information." " Of agreeable address," not onl\' to the colonel and his officers, but equally so to the poorest pri\ate or the most pitiable invalid of any sort that required his attention, or was met with in his visitations. His cheerful manner and pleasant words appeared to be as efificacious as his medicines, and the boys liked them ever so much better. " Experience," too, he had in a large degree ; and this, coupled with his " sound information," led ever}' one from colonel down to feel that they were in the best of hands when sickness or bodily injur}' came, if only Folsom was there to look after them. The doctor is still in active practice in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. May he live long and prosper !
Doctor Luther C. Bean of Lebanon left a lucrative prac- tice which fully occupied his experienced attention to accept the staff position of first assistant surgeon, and all who came to know him well, were glad that he accepted, and felt the safer because " Bean was in camp." He was a thoroughly good man, an honor to his profession, and a most acceptable and valuable addition to the medical staff of the regiment.
Doctor Horatio N. Small, second assistant surgeon, had but recentl}' graduated from the Medical School of Dart- mouth College, and brought with him a warm commenda- tion for the position from the faculty. He was a faithful and conscientious worker and gained the good will and esteem of all with whom he came in contact. After the consolidation of the Seventeenth, Doctor Small served as assistant surgeon of the Thirteenth New Hampshire Infan- try, and was thence promoted to be surgeon of the Tenth. When the war closed he settled in Portland, Maine, and became one of the most successful practitioners of that cit}-. His death was widely lamented and he left behind a large circle of appreciative friends.
FIELD AND STAFF OF THE SEVEiVTEENTII. 49
" Chaplain Barnes," as he was known throughout the camp, was an earnest and zealous friend and an estimable man. Conscious of the hea\-\- responsibilities in\oKed in the sacred office allotted him he was most faithful in the discharge of every duty and pro\'ed himself on all occasions to be indeed the " soldier's friend."
Quartermaster Edward N. Cummings was a t}-pical New Englander, from under the shadow of old Monadnock. He never flinched in the performance of a duty; he never left a duty undone ; and neither fear nor favor could swerve him one iota from that course which, his mind once made up, he decided was the right one to pursue. As is gener- ally the case with men of strong wills, he was universally esteemed in the regiment and was a most efificient quarter- master. He now resides in Lynn, Mass.
We again quote from an old manuscript of Colonel Kent's in writing of his staff:
" Never was a colonel better supported, and no incident ever occurred during our prolonged and uncertain stay in camp to mar the warm attachment that subsisted between us." 4
CHAPTER IX.
Enlistments.
Our hardy sons who till the earth,
Undaunted still, will danger face ; The land that gave our fathers birth,
Will never bear a coward race.
Haven.
Senator Proctor of Vermont from the Committee on Military Affairs in his report to the senate, concerning the status of the Sexenteenth New Hampshire Infantry, says:
• " The field officers were appointed by the governor of the state for each regiment, with the understanding that the recruits enlisted in the three districts were to belong to the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seven- teenth regiments of New Hampshire \'olunteers, respectively. Under this arrangement there were enlisted, as shown by the report of the adjutaitt-general of the state, seven hundred and ninety-one men from the third district who belonged by the assignment referred to in Colonel Kenfs command."
Governor Berry in an of^cial report ah'eady quoted from, full)- corroborates the statement of Senator Proctor.
To understand the ftirther histor}' of this regiment, the fact that the enlistments in the Third Congressional District were to be exclusively for the Seventeenth Regiment must be carefull}' borne in mind. There was never an)' doubt about it. With all the papers before him, Senator Proctor so stated in congress ; Governor Berr)' so ordered the organization of the regiment at the outset, and afterwards conlirmcd this imderstanding in a written statement made to congress. It was also distinctl)' understood throughout the district b)' the recruiting officers who enlisted the men, and by the men who were enlisted. They were enlisted to join the Seventeenth Regiment.
ENL IS TMENTS. 5 1
Immediately upon the appointment of field officers, recruiting stations were opened in various towns of the Third Congressional District and every exertion made to fill the ranks as speedily as possible. The following is a copy of the poster sent out by the Lancaster agency, and similar ones were used at other stations :
" Highlanders Shoulder to Shoulder."
17TH reglment.
Nine Months' Service.
The undersigned are authorized to raise a company of \'olunteers in the County of Coos for Nine Months' Service in the 17th Regiment — Colonel Henry O. Kent.
Town Bounties $50, $75, and $100 are paid to the Recruit upon being mustered into service.
State Aid to Families is also guaranteed.
By special authority Recruits will be enlisted in the town of Lancas- ter and the surrounding towns, for a limited time.
Come in out of the Draft,
which will ;/('/ Ije postponed if the town quotas are not filled.
The 17th will soon go into camp at Concord and be fitted out in complete style, as in the regular service.
Office in Lancaster at the counting-room of J. 1. Williams. Drafting will commence the 27TH inst.
Jaki:i) I. Williams, James S. Bkackett. Lancaster, October 18, 1862.
The general outlook at this time was far from reassuring. Vohmtecring had nearly ceased ; the events of '62 were not encouraging — Mak'ern Hill, Fair Oaks, and the advance on Richmond ; the administration was being severel}' criticised, and the fall elections were not fax'orable. People were feeling the burden and pressure of the war. A draft in our own state, it was thought, would be necessary to fill its c[U()ta, and the go\'ernor had e\en gone so far as to arrauLre for its beinL^ made in October. No other re'M-
52 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGLMENT.
mcnts were called into camp under such depressing circum- stances. But the honor and patriotic spirit of the old Third district were at stake. It had been asked to raise a regi- ment— all its own. F"ield officers from its own territory had been assigned, and they were men in whom the people had confidence and who they knew would prove worthy leaders of a brave and gallant regiment. It was determined that the regiment should be raised ! For these men, who thus volunteered, there was no " come in out of the draft" argument needed ; " town bounties " had but little influence with them. There was at once manifested an esp7'/t du corps that nowhere else existed. Officers and men were knitted together in a common bond. They were all neigh- bors and friends in a united band to uphold the honor of the Granite State and do manfully its part for the pres- ervation of government.
Recruiting progressed rapidly. A full compan}' was raised in Lancaster, although the quota of the town was much more than full, and the most encouraging reports were received from other stations in the district. The adjutant-general in his report says:
" The officers and men enlisted in the full expectation of immediate service, and evinced their patriotism by responding; to the call for volunteers. The records of this office show that after its officers were commissioned there were enlisted for it seven hundred and ninety-one men."
It was the decision of the governor that the regiments should be called in numerical order. Under this order the Fifteenth and Sixteenth went into camp at Concord in October. Meanwhile the officers of the Seventeenth were waiting impatiently the governor's call for them, but it did not come until November 19th, when immediate orders were issued to rendezvous at Concord without delay. The field and staff were early on the ground. Company A of Lancaster with full ranks, under Captain Jared I. Wil-
ENLISTMENTS. 53
liams, reported next day. Conipan\- 1^, Captain Isaac F. Jenness, from Portsmouth, came in next morning. This company while outside the district, by the special request of the people of Portsmouth, had been raised for, and was permitted to join, the Seventeenth. Compan}' C, Captain Calvin S. Brown, came next with partially filled ranks.
There were then in camp two hundred and twenty-six men and it became ex'ident that the efforts of the officers and men of the Seventeenth Infantry to be first in the field were likely to result from circumstances over which the\' had no control, to their very serious disadvantage, and in possible disaster to the regimental organization.
CHAPTER X. The Situation Reviewed.
The flesh may fail, the heart may faint, But who are we to make complaint?
U7iiitier.
While from first to last the adjutant-general's record credits 791 men enlisted for the Seventeenth Infantry, there were actually enrolled and ready for service the moment the organization should be completed over 900 men. It was stated in the last chapter that the regiment went into camp with 226 men. Where were the more than 600 other volunteers from the Third District, who had so early enlisted under the expressed condition that they should be incor- porated in this command? We again quote from Senator Proctor's report as chairman of the committee on military affairs :
"The Fifteenth and Sixteenth regiments a.ssigned to the Finst and Second districts, not being filled, by reason of the failure of some of the towns to raise their quotas, and there being great pressm-e for troops in the field, made by the War Department upon the state authorities, it was determined by the latter to transfer the men raised in the Third district for Colonel Kent's regiment, to the Fifteenth and Si.xteenth, thereby completing those regiments and hurrying them to the front. This was accordingly done, leaving Colonel Kent with but a small portion of his men,"
Governor Berry's statement of this transfer of the Seven- teenth's volunteers is as follows:
"The Fifteenth and Sixteenth regiments being in camp, but not full, by reason of the failures of some towns in the First and Second Congressional districts to fill their quotas, and the War Department
THE SITUATION REVIEWED.
^^
urging haste in forwarding regiments, men and companies from tlie Third Congressional District were ordered into these regiments, the intention being to supply their places in the Seventeenth b) filling these quotas for that regiment at a later day. As a result of tliis policy the Fifteenth and Sixteenth regiments were sent to the front early in November, 1862. The Seventeenth regiment was ordered into the barracks vacated by them during the same month."'
Of course this action taken b\' Governor Berry inuler tlie extreme pressure brout:;-ht to bear upon him from the War Department, liad been anticipated by the officers of the Seventeenth, and \it;orous protests had been made, but the>- were met with the rei)l\' that the Fifteenth and Sixteenth regiments being ah'eady in camp, and the demand for troops so urgent, it \vas absolutely necessary to fill these two regiments at once and get them off to the front ; that it was impossible to do this unless men who had \-olun- teered from the Third district were impressed, and that the end justified the means. And so, irrespective of location, the companies first raised were ordered into camp, and mustered at once into the Fifteenth and Sixteenth regi- ments, until o\-er 600 men from the Third District who belonged to and were enlisted for the Seventeenth had been thus taken from that command to fill the ranks of other regiments !
Had the go\-ernor ordered the assembling at Concord of the three nine months' regiments at one and the same time, it is evident that the Seventeenth would ha\'e been first filled to the maximum, and first sent to the front, since under such an order the men enlisted for it would ha\e been proj)erl\- assigned, and the cnerg}' ami patriotism of officers and privates would ha\e brooked no dela\-. liut, owing to his decision to despatch the Fifteenth and Sixteenth before the Seventeenth was called, the results alread\- chronicled were a necessary consequence.
Governor Rerr\' was a ])atriotic, diligent, and faithful executive. His chief desire was to subserxe the jniblic
56 SF.VENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
good. It is not for a moment to be supposed that in his disposition of the nine months troops he was guided by other than the best of motives. He acted from a sense of dut}' ; and it is in evidence that he deeply regretted that apparent exigency of the times, which compelled him to deplete the ranks of the Seventeenth to fill up those of the other commands, and, b)' so doing, to contribute more im- mediately to the support of the gox-ernment in its hour of need.
But while feeling most keenU" the disappointment and delay thus engendered, there was found no place for com- plaint and no halting in the patriotic endeavor to get to the front. It was a matter for congratulation that the Seven- teenth had contributed so largely to the early exodus of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth. They were both good regiments, and both did good service. The Seventeenth had ever a more than brotherly interest in their action, and should receive proper credit for the men it furnished to fill their ranks. And all honor to the brave men who were thus, without consent, but impelled by a military necessit)-, trans- ferred from the regiment of their own district, for which they had been enlisted. They proved themselves, as was to be expected, good and true soldiers, sinking their own disappointments, and cheerfully submitting to the ine\'i- table, in the patriotic endeavor to give their best services, wherever needed most, to the defence and welfare of their country.
Six full companies were formed of men enlisted in the Third district, and assigned to other commands, as follows:
TO THE FIFTEENTH REGIMENT.
Company B. — Pl}'mouth and vicinity, in Grafton county, John W. Ela, captain. Recruited by Major Henry W. Blair.
CojHpany C. — Bath and vicinity, in Grafton county. Moses H. Long, captain.
THE SITUATION REVIEWED. 57
Comj)any F. — Canaan and \icinit}-, in Grafton county, William Gordon, captain.
TO THE SIXTKEXTII REGIMENT.
Company A. — Lebanon and \icinity, in Grafton county, EHas F. Smith, captain.
Company F. — Fitzwilliam and \-icinit}-, in Cheshire county, Charles H. Woods, captain.
Company I. — Swanzey and vicinity, in Cheshire county, Dax'id Buffum, 2d, captain.
Thus matters rested when the Seventeenth was called into camp on the 19th day of November, 1862, but thus the officers had no intention matters should remain, if within their power to still bring about, under proper action, a complete organization with a full complement of men. The regiment of the Third District had been made an impossibility, but the Seventeenth New Hampshire Infantry was an undoubted, phoenix-lik'e reality, and the strongest assurances came from the executive chamber that the quotas still due from the Second and Third districts should be immediately filled, and the men thus obtained trans- ferred to the Seventeenth.
CHAPTER XI. Camp Ethan Colby.
"Americans all, to the end of time, And the old flag waves on high 'Till the world stands back with bated breath While the stars and stripes go by."
If all the men enlisted in the Third Congressional Dis- trict for the Seventeenth Infantry had been permitted to join that command, as was promised them, and as it was clearly supposed they would do when their enrollment took place, it would have numbered at this time 916 men, or more than enough to authorize an immediate muster of the field officers and ensure the early dispatch of the regiment.
But in spite of the loss of nearly seven hundred men transferred to other organizations, the Seventeenth with a strong nucleus to center upon, preser\'ed an undamitcd determination to surmount every obstacle, and with the promised assistance from the state department refill its ranks and earn a deserved success in the service for which it had faithfully volunteered.
Orders w^ere at once issued, and drill and military disci- pline enforced. The American flag was hoisted with proper honors and the rendezvous named " Camp Ethan Colby," by order of the colonel and to the gratification of the men assembled. Ethan Colby was an honored citizen of Colebrook in the northernmost county of the Third Congressional District; at the time a most useful and ener- getic member of the Governor's Council and ever a good and true friend of the regiment — its officers and men. It was a pleasure to all concerned thus to associate his name
o .
z ?i
< ■
r- O
CAMP ETHAN COLBY. 59
with the organization in which his personal interest was so great, and it can be truthfully said that no state camp was ever formed which better sustained a proud record for dis- cipline, general good order and militar}- strictness.
Compan}' A was commanded by Capt. Jared 1. Williams of Lancaster, a gentleman of high social position, an earn- est patriot and a painstaking officer. He was the }'oungest son of Jared W. Williams, a former honored governor of the state. He graduated from Brown Universit}' in the class of 1854, was a member of the Coos count}' bar, at one time editor of the Cods County Democrat, and at present a ci\il engineer of marked abilit}". No man ever enjoyed a better and more deserved reputation among his fellow-citizens for strict integrit)', impartial justice and strong adhesion to hon- est conxictions. When Company A arrived in Concord, its formation and march through the cit\' to the campgrounds were watched and followed b\- an old army of^cer who re- marked to its coniniandcr, " that is the best drilled com- pany that has ever gone in camp in New Hampshire."
First Lieut. James S. Brackett, also from Lancaster, was a descendant in a long line of Revolutionary heroes and pat- riots, a man of extended literary research, of more than ordinary literary ability, and of great personal worth. He is at present by the united action of the Seventeenth's vet- eran association, secretar\- of the Regimental Association.
Second Lieut. Joscj)h Chase \\as a warm friend and cheerful companion. 1 le had an inexhaustible fund of good nature and an honest sympatli}' lor those in trouble. h\'uthful and painstaking, he was a worth}' officer in a good com[)an}', aiul his earl}- (.leath was deepl}- regretted by man}' sincere and dexoted friends, among whom must be includetl all of the command to which he was attached.
Capt. Isaac V . Jenness of Company B enlisted as a pri- \\ate in the compan}' raised b}' the citizens of Portsmouth for this regiment, and upon its organization was unani-
6o SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
mously elected its commander. He was a thorough sol- dier, a strict disciplinarian, and would have proved a most efficient officer in the field had the regiment been permitted to go to the front.
Frank D. Webster of Portsmouth, the first lieutenant of Compan\- B, was a gentleman of many accomplishments and fine militar}' presence. He was afterwards appointed second lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps, regu- larly promoted therein to first lieutenant and captain ; served on the United States ship Lancaster, and retired from ser- vice April 1st, 1884. He now resides in Philadelphia.
Second Lieut. Ammi B. P'arr enlisted as a private, and was promoted by the vote of his comrades because of his soldierly qualities. He had previously served as corporal in the Sixth New Hampshire Infantry.
Capt. Calvin S. Brown of Company C, was a graduate of Dartmouth College, of good executive ability and a pop- ular commander. He afterwards joined the Dartmouth Cavalry, consolidated with Company B, Sex'enth squad- ron, Rhode Island Volunteer Cavalry. He now resides in Washington.
I'irst Lieut. Charles N. Kent of Company C, was edu- cated at Norwich Military Lhiiversity, and for the past thirty years has been in active business in New York city. Second Lieut. Josiah Bellows was a son of the Honorable Henry A. Bellows of Concord, for man\' years a judge on the bench of the Supreme Court.
It has been our endeavor in the pages preceding to fur- nish a truthful sketch of the officers — field, staff and line — in this regiment to which we were all so lo}-al, and for which we hoped so much. As were the officers, so were the men, honest patriots, sterling citizens, good neighbors, and faithful friends. Who can wonder at their disappoint- ment when hastening to Concord in anticipation of a speedy muster with full ranks and then an earl)' departure to the
CA.\fP ETHAN COLBY. 6 1
front, the\' found upon their arri\-al but the skeleton of a regiment and that seven hundred of their men had been transferred to other commands ! And wiio that does not admire the indomitable Yankee pluck and patience of these men in thus so quieth' acceptin^^ the inex'itable, and settling down to the dail}' round of camp dut\' aiul drill, buox'ed up by official assurance that their ranks should be again filled by volunteers if possible, if not then b\^ the enforce- ment of the state draft, and that the regiment should be speedil\' placed in condition for active ser\-ice.
CHAPTER XII. General Orders.
" Hear ye ! hear ye ! ! hear ye ! ! "
The first general order issued from regimental headquar- ters embodied the precepts intended for camp and is here reproduced in full :
Headquarters ijth N. H. Regiment,
CoN'CORD, Nov. 1 8th, 1862. General Order No. i .
This camp is hereby named " Camp Ethan Colby'" in honor of Hon. Ethan Colby of the executive council.
In assuming command of the regiment the colonel takes occasion to remind the officers and men that the enforcement of good morals and strict discipline are alike essential for the public good and beneficial to the men. He relies upon the cordial cooperation of the men, to organ- ize and maintain a regiment of soldiers fitted by bodily health and emulous attention to discipline to render efficient service.
Hours of different calls will be immediately announced, and the instruction of officers and privates at once commenced.
Public religious services, conducted by the chaplain and attended by the regiment, will l)e observed at nine and one half o'clock of each Sabbath.
No spirituous or into.xicating liquor, except for medicinal purposes as prescribed and given by the surgeon will be allowed within the lines, and commanding officers finding any such, contrary to this order, will destroy the same or turn it over to the use of the hospital.
Mail matter will be received and distributed by the chaplain who is hereby constituted regimental postmaster.
vSquads or companies of recruits arriving will immediately report to headquarters and be assigned position in the barracks by the quarter- master, who will report daily to the adjutant, until further orders, the condition and occupancy of such barrack.
While full companies reporting at headquarters will be, in accord-
GENERAL ORDERS. 63
ance \\\i\\ the proclamation of the commander-in-chief, authorized to designate two commissioned officers who, if qualiiied, will be appointed, the prevalence of petty caucuses to select officers or to associate squads, is tletrimental to discipline, pernicious in its effects, and con- trary to army regulations. It is, therefore, strictly prohibited.
The inclinations and proper desires of the men regarding company organizations will be duly considered on application at headcjuarters.
Companies when mustered into service will be at once uniformed. The company letter, when announced, and the regimental number will be displayed in small characters on the lower side of the top of the cap. All other devices are superfluous and prohibited. Officers, field, staff, and line, will provide themselves with uniforms and outfits, being reminded to use conformity in every particular.
Passes outside the line will not be granted e.xcept for good and valid reasons, nor will the sentinels pass any man who does not e.xhibit a pass, signed by his company commander and countersigned by the commanding officer of the regiment.
Officers will pay attention to the health of the men and encourage them while off duty in all proper athletic exercises.
The colonel, in closing, assures the regiment that iitciit is and will
be the only criterion of advancement ; that while all disobedience of
orders will be promptly noticed, the soldier of whatever grade who
cheerfully and faithfully performs his duties will be remembered at
headquarters. By command of
Hknrv O. Kknt,
Cohuiel. Ge()R(;k ;\. WAIXWKHiHT,
Adjutant.
"General order No. 2," i^ixini;- tlie " soldier's time-table" from reveille to taps, was issued next da}-, aiul strictl\- adhered to so long as the regiment oeeiipied the camj) :
17TH N. H. Regiment,
Qxyw Ethax Coli5V,
Noveml)er lytli, 1862. General Order No. 2.
Until otherwise ordered call.-, will be sounded from these heacU|uarters in the following owXcv : Reveille, 6 a. m. Breakfast, 7 a. m. Police call, 7 -.^o a. m.
64 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
First call for guard mount, 7 : 45 a. m.
Guard mount, 8 a. m.
Sick call, 8 : 30 a. m.
Sergeanfs report, g a. m.
Officers' drill, 9 : 30 to 10 : 30 a. m.
Company drill, 10 : 30 to 1 1 : 30 a. m. '
Dinner call, 12 m.
Officers drill, i to 2 p. m.
Company drill, 3 to 4 : 30 p. m.
Retreat, 5 p. m.
Tattoo, 8:55 p. m.
Taps, 9 p. m.
By command of
Henry O. Kent,
Colonel . George A. Wain\vrk;ht,
Adjutant .
The reginieiit was forttinatc in having among its officers a sufficient number of excehent drihmasters who had served a long time in this capacity, and who were not only quite familiar with the " United States Army Tactics," then the recognized authorit}', btit also b\' experience had learned how to properl}' ^PPb' them in the instruction of both squad, compan}', battalion, and regiment. As a natural consequence, the standard of military precision in drill \\as much more speedily reached than is usual in the formation of a command from " raw material " and it became known " down in the city " that the Seventeenth men " drilled like veterans ! " So much had been accomplished that earl\' in January, after a sufficient number of experimental drills, full dress parades were announced in the following general
order :
Headquarters 17TH Regiment,
Camp Ethan Colbv,
January 13, 1863. General Order No. 6.
Until otherwise ordered there will be a dress parade daily at 4 p. m. The attention of company officers is directed to pages 337 and 348, Army Regulations.
GENERAL ORDERS. 65
They will sec that the arms and clothing; tit" the men are cleaned in the best manner possible and that they are furnished with white cotton gloves.
Company officers will personally attend to the inspection of their companies when the tirst call sounds at 3 130 o'clock p. m., and they will be held responsible for the cleanliness and general appearance of their men. After forming, the companies will be e(|ualized making the nimiber in each com])any nearly ecjual.
By command of
Hexkv O. Kext,
Colonel. George A. Waixwright,
Adjutant.
A perusal of these general orders coupled with the assur- ance that the\' were carried out in minutest detail will be con\-incing proof that the camp was b\- no means idle ; and that its welfare in all directions was carefully regarded. The "dress parades" were the event of the day. Many people came from Concord to witness them and many were the praises bestowed upon both officers and men.
These men here had their onh^ training previous to the Battle of Gett}^sburg, in which they participated as a part of the Second New Hampshire ; and, says Senator Proctor, they " were thanked b\' Colonel Bailey, for the disciplined valor the\' displayed in that decisive battle of the war, b\' a regimental order, in which gi-eat praise was bestowed upon Colonel Kent and his officers of the Seventeenth for the unusual skill, steadiness, and efficienc}' of their deport- ment in the field."
CHAPTER XIII. The Winter of '62-63 ox Concord Plains.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to min'? Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days o' lang syne }
Burns.
Concord Plains would hardly be selected from choice as a desirable place of residence during the usual New Eng- land winter. The barracks erected b\' the state were of rough boards, hastil}^ put together, with now and then a crack of considerable magnitude, that neither straw nor mud could render impervious to the driving snow which so often fell, or the violent attacks from the north wind — an almost daily visitor. But the Seventeenth had come to camp for service, and this winter experience was, as they supposed, but a prelude to the promised filling of their ranks, to which they looked forward with confidence, and for the accomplishment of which the}- cheerfull}^ endured, and made the best of, surrounding circumstances. The bar- racks were all alike — no one had been builded better than another ; and it was not unusual, even in regimental head- quarters, for the officers to find in the morning upon awak- ening an extra coverlet of snow supplementing the A\oolen blanket, which with clean straw underneath made up their beds. It was not a long ride to the well-kept " Phenix.^" where Steb Dumas was ever glad to accommodate guests and surroimd them with ever\- comfort. The hospitable " Eagle," too, was equally available. But the officers of the Seventeenth were ahvays in quarters. What was good enough for the men was good enough for them. It was
WINTER ON CONCORD PLAINS. 67
*' share and share ahke ; " and there were no requisitions upon the quartermaster from headquarters that were not equal!}' available for each one of the companx- barracks. Doubtless all this had a good effect upon the regiment as a whole, and went far to uphold the strict militar}- disci- pline and create the strong bond of personal interest among all ranks, which it was remarked existed to a greater degree in Camp Ethan C jlby than in any other command assembled on Concord Plains.
Special Order No. 15 is an illustration of the maxim, " To do in the most thorough manner the thing that is next to be done," which has been alread}' quoted as char- acteristic of New England manhood ; which has ex-er been characteristic of Colonel Kent, and from the observance of which came the results foreshadowed in his regimental utterance The order is as follows :
HE.A.DQUARTERS SeVEXTEENTH N. H. \'()LUXTEERS,
Camp Eth.\x Colby, Concord, N. H.,
January 25, 1863. Special Order N'o. 15.
The benefit of the service and the contentment and cheerfiilne.s.s of the men require that their time be fully occupied. As soldiers, the time of tlie officers and men belongs to the government, and no more pernicious results can happen to a command than those that flow from idleness and consequent discontent.
It is therefore ordered : That from and after Monday, January 26, 1863, the following rules be observed without the slightest deviation, on penalty of such punishment as may i)e awarded l)y court martial, or ordered h\ the proper regimental authority :
1st. All .soldiers are on duty, and will perform all duty required of them unless they have a written certificate of disability from the sur- geon, and unless they have been on guard during the previous day, in which case they will be excused from all but ]iolice duty on the fore- noon following, and will return to regular duties at i p. m.
2d. A detachment will be ordered to prepare at least one dozen birch brooms for sweeping the parade, and the officer of the day will see that the entire parade, company parade, and grounds about the officers' quarters are swept and the refuse carried outside the lines.
68 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
3cl. All wood received during the day will be piled up each morning in its appropriate place and the chips gathered together and burned on the guard fires.
4th. The arms of the men will lie thoroughly and practically in- spected by the company officers before going on dress parade, and any damage to the arms or dirt or rust upon them will merit punishment according to army regulations and the usages of the service. The cloth- ing of the men must also be neatly brushed before appearing on parade. All deficiencies will be reported, and, if necessary, a further inspection will be made by the proper officer at each dress parade.
5th. Company drill from 10 to 11 a. m. and from 2 to 4 p. m. will be observed daily on the parade when the weather will permit, and in the barracks, in the manual, when the weather is bad. This may be varied for battalion drill at the discretion of the officer commanding the camp, and these drills will be attended by every man not excused by paragraphs of this order.
6th. Before drawing in the guard at night sentinels will be posted inside the doors of the barracks, and no one will be allowed to pass . out under any pretense whatever unless accompanied by a non-commis- sioned officer.
The colonel commanding joins with the officers and men in a desire to make the history of the Seventeenth honorable alike to the state and itself. Nothing but a close attention to discipline will secure this end. He acknowledges the general good behavior of the men, and conlidentlv expects, in the execution of this order, that he will have the cordial support of every good soldier of whatever grade.
Be the future of the regiment what it may, it must never be said that the Seventeenth New Hampshire Volunteers consumed any period of its existence in inactivity, or that the uncertainties which surrounded a part of its career made its members forgetful of their duties as gentle- men and soldiers.
Lei the record of the regiment, while it remains in the state, be unsurpassed for soldierly attention and progress, by that of any which has preceded it. Let each officer and soldier unite in the simple per- formance of duty, and then, whether as a regiment on the battlefield or as a band of citizens and friends at home, we shall be able to refer with pride to our common connection with the regiment.
By order of
Henry O. Kent,
Col. 17 (h JV. H. Vols.
Geo. a. Wainwright, Adjutant.
WINTER OiV CONCORD PLAINS. 69
There is a strong intimation in this order of a fear which was becoming prevalent, that after all, the executix-e de- partment might find itself unable to redeem its promises to furnish the number of men still required for insuring reg- imental muster.
Governor Berr\' had anntuinced that a draft would cer- tainl\- be enforced agreeably to the enactment of the legis- lature of 1862, and towns in anticipation thereof were busily engaged in procuring their equivalent of men. These men to a great extent were procured b\- substitute brokers, and to their enlistment the governor conceiv^ed a heart}' opposition, and, in fact, peremptorally forbade it.
But there still remained the draft which it was decreed should be enforced December 24, 1862. It was post- poned, however, when that day came, although it was said the postponement was temporary, and that the drafting would and must of necessity take place in the \-er\- near future.
CHAPTER XIV.
The Winter of '62-63 on Concord Plains. — Continued.
" Sech orders my heart's disappointin'.
'T was n't sech as inveig'led me in. To clap my mark down to the writin'
The recruiters said glories would win. O ! when fellers is gathered for fightin'
Say, why can 't the scrimmage begin ? "
The latch string was always out at headquarters. Every man knew that his demands of whatever nature might there be made known, and if of a proper character, granted. The ofificers were in camp — regular and punctual in the observance of all police and military duty — thus setting the good example cheerfully followed by every private.
The chaplain made his daily rounds, writing letters, receiving and delivering messages with a cheerful word and friendly counsel for all. Sunday services were held regu- larly in the quartermaster's barrack, and there were several other services during the week all well attended and doubt- less productive of much good. A fine glee club had been organized which gave great assistance to the chaplain as well as pleasure to the men.
The selections of this celebrated club, however, were not at all times of a devotional character ; most of them had the true military spirit, and in some the devotional and patriotic were well combined. The " Star Spangled Banner" always evoked a thundering chorus; "We'll Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys " exhibited undoubted indica- tions of an intention in that direction; and while John
IVIXTER ON CONCORD PLAINS. 7 1
Brown's body was left to moulder in the grave, his soul was kept marching on to a ringing accompaniment that was as heart}' as we all hoped John Brown's future state would be bright and happy. There was one song by Pri\-ate Walter Binnc}' of Company .C that made him the champion of the Glee Club. It was called for at e\'er\- gathering and often repeated in response to hearty encores. In the "Matinees" at headquarters, to which the men in turn were regularh- inx'ited, Binney's " Mother Magraw " was never omitted. When Colonel Cross of the Fifth New Hampshire returned home because severely wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg, in December, 1862, he came to Camp Ethan Colb\' to meet again with old acquaint- ances, and while there was told of Binney's musical repute, especially in the rendering of " Mother Magraw." It so happened that this song was a favorite of the colonel's, and he asked that Binnc\- be sent for to come to headquarters and sing it. Of course the request was complied with, and Binney was at his best, The following is a literal cop}' of the song :
Mother Magraw and Her Sox.
(Private Binney's Sotig.)
Av Teddy wad "list, the Sarjent said,
A captain sure he "d soon be made,
Wid a l)ig, broad-sword, and a tine laced hat.
Whoop I Teddy, my child, wad n"t ye like that?
Musha too ri ru, — too ri ru
f\al de (In ral. laddy musha too ri ru.
So Teddy he for a sojer wint And Mother .Magraw, she tlid rcpint That they ever a child of iier's should coax To go with them dom'd murthering folks. .Musha too ri ru, etc.
.■\nd Teddy he fought his way to Spain, .And tlirough the Ingees and back again ;
72 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
And the hundreds and thousands that he killed, Sure a martial volume might be filled. Musha too ri ru, etc.
But Mother IVIagraw sat watching on the shore
For the space of sivin long years and more,
'Till by and by, she saw a big ship come sailing, slap bang o'er the
says ; Blood and thunder, tare and oums, filla lu. clear the ways ! Musha too ri ru. etc.
Then Teddy he boulted him on the strand, And Mother Magraw saized him by the hand ; Sure he had not gone but a stip or two, " Faith Teddy, my child, this can "t be you ! " Musha too ri ru, etc.
" My son Teddy was strong and slim And he had a fut for every limli. My son Teddy was straight and tall. Whoop ! divil damn the fut have ye at all ! " Musha too ri ru, etc.
" O, was ye sick, or was ye blind Or f hwat the divil made ye lave yer legs behind ? Or was it in walking o'er the says That ye wore ye're two shins off to yer knaes ? " Musha too ri ru, etc,
"A martial war I now proclaim
'Gainst the King of France and the Ouane of Spain. And I '11 tache them for iver to rue that time That they shot away the shins of a shield of mine ! '' Musha too ri ru, etc.
Colonel Cross complimented Binney when he had finished, and exhibited such real pleasure, that we who knew him well were reminded how, at an earlier da}', when his own regiment was forming in camp, he whistled to his band the tune of " One Eyed Riley " and thus taught them to play it. It became the regimental tune of the Fifth to which that gallant command afterwards marched into so
WINTER ON CONCORD PLAINS.
73
mail}- battles, where their dead " lay nearer the eneiTi}-'s rifle-pits than those of an\' other regiment." It is said, howex'er, that Gox-ernor l-5err\' objected to the tune and approved neither of the whistle nor the music.
An acquisition to headquarters was George Saunders, a colored bo\', who ser\"ed as cook and master of ceremonies. Lieutenant-Colonel Long brought him from \'irginia, and he became by general consent the regimental "mascot." George always said his pra}'ers in a most de\'out manner e\'er\' night and morning, thus setting a good e X a m p 1 e w h i c h others might well ha\e followed. He believed in a negro tradition, that the time when he was most exposed to the assaults of the evil one, was during the interval between say- ing "Amen" and getting under his blanket. And so it became the nightl}' custom in headquarters, where he slept, to watch for the " amen " and then for the one spring which ahva)'S placed him under his prex'iousl}' arranged blan- ket,— "before," as he expressed it, " de debble could ketch up with him." George was a good boy, but he had a white soul, and has long since gone to the home where all are equal.
A favorite rendezvous was the (|uartermaster's depart- ment. Cummings alwa\'s had a good tire and a hearty welcome, but he had with him, too, that pi"ince of good fel-
Geurck S.-\unueks.
74
SEVEXTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
lows, jovial companion, and true friend. Commissary Ira S. M. Gove. What a delightful man he was ! Always cheer- ful, kindly disposed towards every one, and every one in the
regiment was his friend. He did much to enliven and brighten the long hours of that dreary win- ter, when every one was waiting, and \\\\c\\ noth- ing but expectation, and finally disa p p o i n t m e n t came to relieve the wait- ing hours. Ira Gove will long be associated with bright spots in the regi- ment's history, and so long as a veteran remains will be remembered with naught but kindness and affection.
The quart e r m a s t e r ' s sergeant, John C. Jenness, was a good soldier, thoroughh' acquainted with his duties, and faithful in discharging them. He was fertile in inven- tions for killing time, and many a pleasant entertainment was conceived and carried on by him which gave much pleasure throughout the camp. Jenness afterward became first lieutenant of Compan)- I, Heavy Artillery. At the close of the war he enlisted in the 27th Infantry, U. S. A., was appointed in succession second and first lieutenant, and was killed August 2, 1867, in an action with the Indians in Dakota.
Upon another page is given a record of the hospi- tal service and the surgeons in charge, but no record of this department is complete which fails to mention him
Ira S. M. Gove.
WINTER ON CONCORD PLAINS.
75
whose name is already on the Hps of every one in camp that winter — the faithful hospital steward, Albro L. Robin- son. He knew how to " minister to a mind diseased," as well as to the bod_\', and would expel discontent or sorrow b\' a few kind words as effectual!}' as he served out quinine for the ague or blue pills to the patient who had partaken overmuch of Elder Hook's mince pies. He died in a ripe old age, lo\x'd and esteemed most b>- those who knew him best.
The band leader, Al- bert F. Whipple, was a thorough master of his vocation. Of extended and long experience in his profession, he assem- bled and drilled in music, a band which reflected great credit upon himself and the regiment. Its members were: Leader, Albert h\ Whipple, Lancaster; sergeant, C\'rus E. Burnham, Littleton; George H. Watson, Lancaster; Charles E. McLitire, Lancaster; Sumner Perkins, Gorham ; George Dustin. Berlin ; Jo- seph Dustin, Berlin ; Daniel Bean, Berlin ; Jesse Tuttle, Berlin ; Henr\- Lovejo}-, Littleton ; Sidne\- T. l^ates, Pel- ham. This band afterwards ser\-ed in the Second New Hampshire, and no corps ex'er left the state with a better band or under a more accomplished leader.
Each compan\- was fortunate in the selection of its non- commissioned officers, l-'irsl Sergeant Charles E. King of Compan\- A, Clarence S. Grey of Compan}- B, aiul John
Ali'.ko L. Robinson.
76 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
G. Derby of Company C, were all good soldiers, intelligent orderlies, and faithful!}' performed their duties. Then there were Sergeants Ezra B. Bennett, Charles A. Larkin, Charles A. Grant, William L. Rowell, George Ham, Christopher W. Harrold, Samuel P. Holt, Hale Chadwick, and a host of others. How many shoulder straps Avould have been won by these men, had promises been kept and chance for promotion been given them.
The sutler, Frank Smith, knew his business as well as the commander-in-chief knew his duties. He was consid- erate of " the boys," catered to their wants, was liberal in supplying their needs, and came out of the arm}' with a good reputation and no scratches, excepting such as were marked on the boards of his own shop to the debit of an occasional delinquent soldier. He has since been a respected and prosperous citizen in Lancaster, and has served his town in local offices and in the legislature.
But Elder Hook's " refreshment bureau" on the brow of the hill was a strong rival for favor. The Elder was what the boys called "hot advent." He was always ready to "exhort" at their request, and, writes one, "while he was exhorting, some of them would sneak around and steal his pies." We shall hear more of the Elder later on.
And so the winter wore awav' ; but the recruits promised had not reported for duty, and the draft ordered had been again postponed, and then, as reported, finally abandoned !
There was one unanimous determination in the regiment: in spite of all obstacles, to get to the front in some wa}^ and by some means. It was not believed possible that the government would discourage such a determination ; but that when the facts were full}' presented, the way would be found, and the means provided. Action in this direction was accordingly commenced, but as this too would consume time, it was decided to save expense meanwhile, that the regiment should be furloughed pending the result of further efforts.
CHAPTER XV.
FURI.OUCIHED.
" O Sergeant, it's waiting that varies The misery that hangs on me so !"
December 24, 1862, had been assigned as the da\- tipon which the order for drafting would be enforced, but it was again postponed until the 8th of January, 1863. There was to be no further dela\\ howe\'er ; this was to be the final day for which the final order would be issued, and on which there would "positively be no postponement." But it was argued so strongly against the draft that it would result in ill feeling, and endanger the peace of communities, and that further action on the part of the board would here- after be- declared illegal, the governor changed his mind and gave out oflficially, December 31, that the draft would not take place. During Januar\- other plans for filling the regiment occupied the close attention of the governor and officers in camp, but as none of these could be perfected before earl}' spring. Colonel Kent suggested that to sa\"e expense the regiment be furloughed until April i. The suggestion was acted upon, as shown in the following exe- cutive order :
State of New H.AxMpshire,
Adjutaxt-Gexer.\l's Office, Concord, February 4, 1863. Special Order A'', i .
The Seventecntii Rciiiment, .New Hampshire \'olunteers, ninv en- camped at Camp Ethan Colijy near this city, is hereby furloii<i;lied imtil Wednesday, April i, 1863, unless sooner ordered into camp by the competent authority
78 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT
Colonel Henry O. Kent, commanding said regiment, is hereby charged with carrying out this order, and will issue such regulations as he may receive from this department, or may deem necessary and proper for the government of its officers and men, and for the care of the public property during such time of furlough .
By order of His Excellency,
Nathaniel S. Berry, Governor and Co/nmander-in-Chief. Anthony Colby, Adjutant- Gengral.
Upon receipt of this announcement, the following general order was issued :
Headquarters 17TH N. H. Volunteers,
Camp Ethan Colby, Feb. 5, 1863. General Order No. 8.
In compliance with the foregoing order of His Excellency, the Com- mander-in-Chief, it is hereby ordered as follows :
I. After Monday, February 9. and until further orders, the head- quarters of the regiment will be at Lancaster.
n. Leaves of absence to officers will be prepared at these head- cjuarters, and furloughs prepared by the commanders of companies for all men on the rolls of the companies (not reported as deserters) from February 9, 1863, to April i. 1863, unless sooner ordered to camp. Furloughs will be approved at these headquarters.
in. During said time of furlough the headquarters of Company A will be at Lancaster; of Company B, at Portsmouth; and of Com- pany C, at Seabrook.
\\ . All officers will report in person or by letter Monday of each week to the colonel commanding. Company officers at the same time will report the condition of their companies.
W Privates will report to the non-commissioned officer designated bv their captain, and the non-commissioned officers to the commanding officer of their company on Saturday of each week, who will report (as in Paragraph IV) to the colonel commanding.
VI. During the time of furlough, the band will, in like manner, report to Mr. Whipple at Lancaster.
VII. The surgeon will properly pack all hospital stores and see that thev are safely stored away.
VIII. Company officers may return to the quartermaster all ordnance and stores (not necessarily retained by the men), who will give receipts for them, and issue again on the return of the companies.
FUKLOUGHED. 79
IX. The quartermaster will see that the barracks are put in ,i;ood order, and closed, and that all pulilic property is gathered together and safely stored tor future use.
X. Four watchmen will be detailed by special order to guard lioth sets of barracks, and will receive extra pay for such duty. They will be under the control and direction of the c|uartermaster, or any other officer designated.
The reputation of the regiment renrains in the care of the men, while absent, the same as here in camp. It is hoped that each and every man will do his duty toward himself and the regiment, and in e\'ery way promote its welfare and increase its members by enlisting good men. Should the regiment be filled, those who have been faithful and conducted themselves as soldiers will not be forgotten. Their conduct will be noticed by the colonel commanding, who is disposed to do all he can for their promotion.
By order,
Hexrv O. Kent,
Colonel 1 7/// lY. //. / '. Geok(;e a. W.\i\\vkight. Adjutant.
Governor Bern' was sanguine that upon its rctinni in April the regiment would be speedil}- filled, and ga\-c assurances that it should be done. Decisi\-e measures were to be taken which would result in putting the com- mand in active ser\-ice.
It was with mixed feelings of happiness and disappoint- ment that the men broke camp and started for their north- ern homes at a time when they had hoped to be well at the front doing manl)- dut\- in the service of their countr\-. They were glad of an o]3portunity to revisit once more their families and friends, but disappointed and discouraged that the "exigencies of the ser\-ice " compelled them to still act the part of non-resistants as well as non-combat- ants, and that so many obstacles were met with in their faithful and persistent endeavors to do their dut>- like men. and acciin't themselves as man\- of them afterwards ditl, like heroes.
But the gox'crnor's assin-ances ga\e some comfort; the anticii)atetl home-goings were looked forward to with pleas-
8o SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
lire ; and, although the third district had been depleted of its militia competent for service, it was hoped by individual effort some volunteers might nevertheless be obtained to aid in the governor's plan of filling the ranks and complet- ing the organization.
During the period covered b}' the furlough, officers and men of the different companies met together in their respec- tive towns to forward regimental interests and enjoy social intercourse. With the same end in view a regimental levee was held in Lancaster, to which all were invited and many came. The exercises were closed by a ball held in the Lancaster House, Tuesday evening, March 24, The floor managers were Captain Jared L Williams, Lieutenant Ira S. M. Gove, and Frank Smith. Chief Musician Albert F. Whipple directed the music, assisted by a detail from the regimental band. At this gathering all necessary arrange- ments were made to ensure a prompt return to camp on April I , and the proper orders were issued.
CHAPTER XVI. Return to Camt Etiiax Colby.
In the cause of right engaged
Wrongs injurious to redress, Honor's war we strongly waged
But the Heavens denied success.
Burns.
April 1st, 1863, the regiment reported in camp for duty. All officers of the field, staff and line were present, and when the company rolls were called for the first time there were but five absentees.
At this time Governor Berry was in Washington, and on his return a few da\-s later he informed Colonel Kent that the secrctar\' of war had ordered the consolidation of the Seventeenth with the Second Regiment. This news, en- tircl}' unexpected after the pledges given, came like a thun- derbolt to both officers and men. Bearing in mind the constant efforts of the regiment to make for itself a record in the field ; the agreement supposed to be binding, under which all men enlisted in the Third District were to be mustered into this command ; the filling of the regiment under this agreement; the withdrawal of nearly se\cn hun- dred men to make good deficient quotas in towns of the First and Second districts which were to have made the complement of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth regiments; the departure of these regiments with full lanks, [)ossiblc only by the superior efforts and zeal of the Seventeenth in being first to fill its command from which the nearl}- se\en hun- dred volunteers were taken ; the subsequent promises and assurances of the executi\-e department that the regiment
82 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
should be cared for and its organization completed, and the termination of all hopes by the order now promulgated, it is no wonder that the men were defiant — determined b}- all peaceable means to resist enforcement of the order. These men had enlisted for the Seventeenth Regiment, and were so mustered. Many were actuated by personal regard for their officers in joining the service ; it was indeed a harsh measure that changed all this and was to take them from the command to which they had sworn allegiance and in which were centered so many brilliant hopes and fraternal associations.
Governor Berry said of this action :
" I visited Washington and laid the case before Secretary Cameron, being very anxious to meet the views of Colonel Kent and his com- mand and have the regiment placed on duty. After many delays and disappointments, it was decided to consolidate the Seventeenth Regi- ment with the Second New Hampshire Infantry, which was to be ordered home for that purpose. I well remember communicating this decision to Colonel Kent and the regret and disappointment it occa- sioned to both of us."
In Secretar}' Proctor's report of the Committee on Mili- tary Affairs he states :
" The Seventeenth New Hampshire Volunteers was borne upon the rolls as a regiment in the service of the United States between the dates above specified [Oct. 23, 1862-April 16, 1863] under the com- mand of Colonel Kent during which time his orders and requisitions in the enlistment, equipment, organization, sustenance, and disci- pline of the regiment in that capacity were recognized and duly hon- ored by the national government. He was deprived of his command without fault of his own, against his will, and was wronged out of his chance for honorable distinction by reason of his self-sacriticing devo- tion to the public good, and this after the country had received the great benefit of his exertions preparatory to the opportunity in which he had a right to expect to perform such service in the field as by educa- tion, ability, and high character he was eminently capable of rendering."
Earnest efforts bv the field and line officers were made
KETUKiY TO CAMP ETHAN COLBY. 83
through memorials to members of congress, to induce the war department to rescind the order for consolidation and convert the regiment into batteries of artiller}', send it out as a battalion, or place it on detached service, that the officers and men might together serve out their enlistment at the front; but none of these requests were granted, and it onl\- remained to submit to the ine\itable and accept the stern realities from which there was no escape.
While these matters were pending a meeting of the sergeants of the companies was held to discuss the situation. It was decided to send a committee to " memo- rialize the go\ernor and council," in a statement prepared from their own standpoint and embodying their ideas of what was right and proper. Sergeants Derb\', Larkin, King, and Grey were on this committee. It has never been made officiall}- known how this enter- prise resulted. There is no record of the conference in the minutes of council sessions, and Governor Bcrr}' was ne\er heard to speak of it. But a rumor which appeared to be well authenticated soon spread that Sergeant Larkin was the orator; that his prelude "Your excellenc)- and gentlemen of the council" was received with some faxor; that the "memorializing " was not quite so successful; but that in the midst of his statement of facts, prepared b\- the combined wisdom of the sergeants. Governor Berr\- arose and in a brief but emphatic address, during which his right hand clasped the collar of Sergeant Larkin's coat, hinted so unmistakabl}' that the committee would do well U^ retire without an instant's delay, they all bolted, and stojjped not b\' the wa\'side — not even at Elder Hook's, until the\- were once more safeh' inside the guard lines of Camp luhan Colb\'. Rumors of this delegation and its object were alread)' afloat. Its heroic action and successful retreat were duh' applauded and the committee became known as tiie " annex of the ^oxernor's council."
84 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT The following is Governor Berry's special order :
State of New Hampshire,
Adjutant General's Office,
Concord, April 16, 1863. Special Order, N't'. 2.
The following order has been received by the governor and com- mander-in-chief from the war department :
War Department, Washington City, April i, 1863. To His Excellency, N'. S. Berry, Goiiernor of iVew Haiitpshire, IVasJi-
ingtott, D. C. :
Sir : — The secretary of war directs that the Second and Seventeenth Regiments of New Hampshire Volunteers be consolidated under your direction, and that supernumerary officers be mustered out of service ; the Second Regiment to retain its organization. The new organiza- tion will conform to that prescribed by law for volunteer forces.
I have the honor to be very respectfully sir.
Your obedient servant,
Ed. M. Canby,
Brig. GenH and A. A. G.
In accordance with the provisions of the foregoing order and by vir- tue of the authority in me vested by its provisions, it is hereby ordered,
1st. The consolidation shall be effected this day ; and prior thereto all commissioned officers of the Seventeenth Regiment, and all war- rant officers of the same, of whatever grade, commissioned by the col- onel of said regiment, are to be mustered out of service. . 2nd. It is understood that the band of the Seventeenth Regiment is to serve for the unexpired term of its enlistment, as the regimental band of the Second Regiment ; and that the commissioned and non- commissioned officers of the Seventeenth Regiment mustered out, and the men of the Seventeenth Regiment turned over to the Second are to be paid at the date of transfer, or as soon thereafter as a paymaster can be procured.
3d. The men of the Seventeenth Regiment not mustered out are to be turned over by Colonel Henry O. Kent, commanding said regiment to the command of Lieut. Col. Edward L. Bailey, commanding the Second Regiment, to serve out the unexpired period of their enlist- ment.
4th. Col. Henry O. Kent is charged with the execution of the de- tails of this order on the part of the Seventeenth Regiment, and Lieut.
RETURN TO CAMP ET//AA' COLBY. 85
Col. Edward L. Bailey, commandiiiij, on the i)art of the Second Regi- ment.
Capt. Charles Holme.s, U. S. mu.stering officer, \vill muster out and discharge by arrangement with Colonel Kent, the commissioned and non-commissioned officers designated in this order.
In carrying into eftect this order the governor regrets the necessity that disbands the Seventeenth Regiment, the more, that during its long and uncertain delay in camp, its conduct lias been such as to reflect credit upon its officers and men. The discipline, neatness, and general behaviour of its nieml)ers, t"ull_\' warranting the belief of its efficienc\', could its ranks have been filled. In joining the Second Regiment, how- ever, its members will become affiliated in one of the best regiments of the service.
By order of His E.xcellency,
Nathaniel S. Berry, Governor and Coinntander-in-chief. AxTHOxv CoLnv. Adjutant- General.
CHAPTER XVII.
Consolidated with the Second New Hampshire.
" It's a blessed sort of feeling Whether you live or die To know you 've helped your country And fought right loyally."
In accordance with General Canby's instructions, enforced. by Governor Beny, the consohdation was effected April 1 6th and 17th and the following additional order issued :
Headquarters ijth N. H. Volunteers,
Concord, April i6th, 1863. General Order No. 1 1 .
In compliance with an order from his exxellency, the commander-in- cliief, it is hereby ordered as follows :
I. All camp and garrison equipage, and all arms or any public prop- erty of whatever description, shall be turned over to the quartermaster, who will receipt for them. The quartermaster will compare the invoice of articles delivered, with the invoice of articles received, accounting for the diflference as accounted for on the company returns. Articles missing from his original invoice will be accounted for in a satisfactory manner.
II. The surgeon will take an invoice of all hospital stores originally received, and an invoice of stores on hand, turning over with the invoice of stores expended the hospital stores on hand to Captain Charles S. Holmes, U. S. A., acting quartermaster, who will give receipts for them.
III. Commanders of companies will, at the proper time, transfer all rolls, etc., necessary for the guidance of the officers to whom the men are transferred, in order that each and every man may have justice done him. Commanders of companies shall, after the muster out of non-
CONSOLIDATED WITH THE SECOND. 87
commissioned officers, prepare a roll of men remaining, transferred to the Second Regiment, and deliver the same to these headquarters.
By order,
Henry O. Kent, Colonel Cominaiidius; 1 7/// N. H. V. Geo. .\. Wainwkk.iit,
Adjutant .
The last dress parade of the Seventeenth New Hamp- shire Infantry was held on the i6th of April, 1863, ^"d it was a sad and affectin^r occasion. " It made nie cry," said a lietitenant afterwards, and indeed there were few dry eyes either in the ranks or amont; the ofificers. The general orders were read by the adjutant. The men so designated were honorably discharged and all others transferred to the Second Regiment. Then came the final lea\-etaking between the ofificers, their men, and each other, and all was over !
The final entry in the regimental order book should be preser\'ed. It is as follows:
Headquarters 17TH N. H. Vols. Camp Eth.a.n Colby, Concokd. X. H.
April 17th, 1863-. In obedience to orders from the war department, l)earing date April i, 1863, as promulgated by the governor of New Hampshire, recorded on pages 20 and 21 of this book, and of General Order No. 11 of these headquarters of April i6th, 1863, recorded on page 19 of this book: The consolidation of this regiment with the Second Regiment N. H. V'olunteers was effected April i6th and 17th.
The commissioned and non-commissioned officers and all warrant officers of the Seventeenth Regiment were mustered out of the service April i6th (for non-commissioned and warrant officers, and April 17th for commissioned officers), by Captain Charles Holmes, U. S. Muster- ing Officer.
The enlisted men were turned over by me, on parade, to Colonel luKvard 1,. Hailey, commanding the Second N. 11. \'olunteers. and transfer rolls were prepared on the i6th day of April, 1863.
For a record of these officers and men reference is made to the Regimental Descriptive Book.
11i;nky O. Kent, Colonel 1 7/// Rei^t. N. //. / 'ols.
88 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGLMENT.
A record of the officers mustered out will be found in Adjutant-General's Report, Vol. i for 1865, under title " Seventeenth Regiment," and a record of the enlisted men transferred will be found in Adjutant-General's Report, Vol. I for 1866, under title, " Second Regiment."
It is proper to repeat here in substance a statement al- ready made in the earlier part of this histor}', that His Ex- cellency, Governor Berry, and the gentlemen who composed his council acted in every emergency as it arose from an honest sense of duty, and should not be held responsible for the existence of those facts which overruled and crushed the regiment. They exhibited a hearty interest in the welfare of the command and deeply regretted the necessity for consolidation. Manifestations of sympathy were general among state officials and prominent citizens of Concord ; and it was a common remark that no other regiment had acquitted itself so well in camp, or deserved so largely the respect of the people, for its soldierly behaviour under most adverse circumstances.
■Of the immediate causes which brought about the disin- tegration of one of the best regiments organized during the war, it would be useless to speculate. The facts are as we have stated them, — the result was deplorable ; but further discussion would only prove the truth of Pyrrho's maxim :
" And no man knows distinctly anything And no man ever will."
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Adjutant-Gexkral's Official Report Con- cerning THE Seventeenth Regiment.
'Tis meet that I should tell you now How fairly armed and ordered how Were men in ranks and men enow Had thev been mustered.
Adapted.
Indissohibl}' connected with the histon- of the rei^iment are the official documents concerning it and the conchi- sions drawn from them. It seems proper, therefore, to print in this place the report of Adjutant-General Natt Head, as made to the governor and council, in the official volume issued for the }"car 1866. It is as follows:
" seventeenth infaxtrv.
"The circumstances attending this regiment up to the time of its consolidation with the Second Infantry, were such as to make a brief statement in this place concerning it, compiled from official records an act of the simplest justice to its commander. Colonel Henr\' O. Kent, his offi- cers, and the enlisted men.
"Although the Seventeenth was neither filled nor ordered to the front, the officers and men upon its rolls were com- missioned, and enlisted in full expectation of immediate service, and as well as those at the front e\inccd their patriotism by responding to the call of the countr\- for volunteers.
" In the summer or early autumn of 1862 a call was received by the governor for men sufficient to fill three regiments of infantr\'. Upon consultation it was deter- mined to ajiportion this lexy between the three congres-
90 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
sional districts of the state ; the Fifteenth Regiment to correspond to the First District; the Sixteenth Regiment to the Second District ; and the Seventeenth Regiment to the Third District. The field ofificers of the respective com- mands were immediately thereafter commissioned and announced accordingly.
"The records of this office show that there were enlisted and mustered into the Seventeenth, and enlisted in the territory originally assigned to it, 791 men; the unfilled quotas in the Third District, at the time of the consolidation of the Seventeenth and Second, with the number 791, more than reaching the minimum number of men required by the regulations for a complete regimental organization.
"While enlistments were progressing, orders were received urging forward the new levies, and it was deemed advisable by the state executive authorities to fill the regiments in their numerical order as fast as men were enlisted.
"Accordingly, those who had volunteered with prompt- ness in the Third District were ordered into the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Regiments consecutively, leaving for the Sev- enteenth the dilatory levies from the other districts. On the 19th of November, 1862, the regiment was ordered into camp at Concord. Nearly a full company above the required quota of the town had volunteered for it in Lan- caster, the residence of the regimental commander and of the line officers of Company A ; and it was with reason expected by the regimental officers that the impending draft would soon be resorted to, to fill the ranks.
"A regimentah organization was at once perfected, and the drill, discipline and instruction of the command com- menced, and scrupulously adhered to. In December, the governor, upon consultation with the state board of drafting commissioners, decided to postpone the state draft ; and orders were issued from the same source to reject all sub- stitutes appl}'ing for enlistment on the unfilled quotas.
ADJUTANT-GEXEKAL HEAD'S REPORT. 91
"Very few \-oluntcers appeared; and on I-\^bruary 9, 1863, officers and men were turloughcd until tlie first of tlie succeeding;" April, at which time tlie commantl a_L;ain reported in camp, cheered b}' the official assurance, made originall}- at the time of e^ranting the furloughs, tliat the regiment would be at once thereafter filled, in order to participate in the spring and summer campaigns of 1 863.
"About this time Gox'crnor Berry was instructed by the secretar}- of wax to effect the consolidation of the Seven- teenth and Second, untler such regulations as he might prescribe. On the sixteenth of the same month this order was carried into effect; the officers and non-commissioned officers of the Seventeenth mustered out, and the enlisted men transferred.
"The order effecting this expressed in emphatic terms the approbation of the ci\il and military authorities of the soldierl}- deportment of the regiment during its probation, and the press was equally explicit in remarking upon the excellent discipline antl deportment that had uniformly characterized the command.
"The men transferred to the Second pro\ed excellent soldiers, behaving like veterans at Gett\\sburg, and eliciting a special order of commendation from the colonel of that regiment at the expiration of their time of service.
"The commissioned officers of the Seventeenth used all honorable exertions to fill the ranks, and to be permitted to remain with the men, some of them declining other positions, when the fate of the regiment was invoked in doubt, in order to share its fortunes. Various memorials were also presented by them, pra\'ing that the regiment might be assigned, in its then state, to special dut)-.
" When the consolidation was effected, it had long been a matter of official certaint\- that the failure in filling and for- warding the Seventeenth, was in no tlegree attributajjle to its officers, but rather that the\' had usetl e\erN- exertion to
92
SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
that end ; men in sufficient number having been actually enlisteci, \\\\o in accordance with the presumed exigencies • of the service, had been given to other commands.
" Every indication obserx'able, relative to discipline, drill, and instruction, proved the fitness of the officers of the Seventeenth for duty ; and the excellence of the men, together with their attachment to their original officers and organization, added to the regrets that followed the con- solidation.
" In the honorable record of the New Hampshire reg- iments, the officers and men of the Seventeenth New
Hampshire Infantry should have honorable mention, as citizens who performed their entire duty under dis- couraging circumstances, with steady promptitude and consistent patriotism."
No man had been more familiar with the practical workings and official ac- tions of the state depart- ments in connection with the various infantry regi- ments than Adjutant-Gen- eral Head. He was on the ground, had a keen per- ception and comprehen- sive opinion of affairs as they arose ; and with the records in his office to guide him wrote this report from an executive and judicial standpoint. It is a faithful telling of the story b\' an impartial witness, and an upright man. General Head was afterwards elected crovernor of the state.
CHAPTER XIX.
Governor Berry's Story of the Reoiment.
For none who knew him need be told A warmer heart death ne 'er made cold.
Bu7-iis.
Governor Berry was at all times anxious that justice should be accorded to the regiment, and never ceased to regret his own inabilit}' to complete its organization and send it to the front. When, in later years, it seemed neces- sary, in order to ensure for all time the proper status of the regiment, that an enabling act should be passed by congress, he cheerfully, and with many expressions of good will accompanx'ing it, furnished the following statement to be used for that purpose. Although occasional extracts from this statement appear in the preceding pages, it seems best to reproduce it here in its cntiret)', that it ma}- become a part of the historical record, in the completed form in which it was first prepared by the ex-governor:
To the Congress of the United States :
I, Nathaniel S. Berry, now of Bristol, in the county of Grafton and .state of New Hampshire, make this statement for use by Henry O. Kent of Lancaster, in said state, in the matter of Senate bill No. 1129, now pending, for the recognition of Henry O. Kent as colonel of the Seventeenth New Hampshire Volunteers.
I was elected governor of the state of New Hampsiiire in March, A. D., 1 86 1, and was inaugurated in June following. I was again elected in 1862, and served as governor until June, 1863. During this period the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelftii, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteentii, Sev- enteenth, and Eighteentli Infantry Regiments were enlisted for the war. Only the Heavy Artillery was organized after my term expired, and
94 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
only two regiments, tlie First and Second Infantry, were raised before I took ofifice as governor.
When ] was inaugurated governor, Henry O. Kent, whom I had for some years previously well known, was acting under a commission of my predecessor, Governor Ichabod Goodwin, as assistant adjutant- general, with the rank of colonel, at Portsmouth, N. H., where the Second New Hampshire Infantry was then in camp, and where state troops were holding Fort Constitution under authority of Major-General John E. Wool, United States Army.
Colonel Kent had been a cadet, and was a graduate of a military academy (Norwich University), and had been under orders of the gov- ernor and adjutant-general in enlisting and organizing the earlier troops from the state from the date of hostilities. He was continued in this duty by me during the recruiting of iS6i. I understood that his ser- vices at the front were at all times at the disposal of the state, when- ever I might call for them.
In 1862 he was elected to the legislature from Lancaster, and was chairman of the Military Committee of the House, shaping the legisla- tion of that year, relative to the volunteers and militia.
In the autumn of 1862, President Lincoln issued a call for 300,000 volunteers, the quota of New Hampshire being three regiments. The governor and executive council, in determining how this quota should be raised, consulted sundry of the public and military men of the state ; among these, from his familiarity with the state, his prior connection with the service, and his position in the legislature, was Colonel Kent.
He suggested that the three regiments called for be assigned respect- ively to the three Congressional districts of the state as then consti- tuted. This plan was adopted, and it was decided to organize the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Infantry regiments, in the First, Second, and Third Congressional districts ; to appoint their field offi- cers and authorize them to recruit for their respective commands.
John W. Kingman was appointed colonel of the Fifteenth Regiment, James Pike, of the Sixteenth Regiment, and Henry O. Kent, of the Seventeenth Regiment, and said regiments were ordered into camp at Concord, consecutively.
Colonel Kent's commission as colonel was dated October 23, 1862. He immediately set about the work assigned him, and the records of the adjutant-general's office show that 791 men volunteered in the Third Congressional District.
The Fifteenth and Sixteenth regiments being in camp, but not full, by reason of the failure of some towns in the First and Second Con-
GOVERNOR BERRY'S STORY OF THE REG IM EXT. 95
gressional Districts to fill their quotas, and tlie War Uepartnient urginoj haste in forwarding regiments, men and companies from the Third Congressional District were ordered into these regiments, the intention being to supply their places in the Seventeenth by filling these quotas for that regiment at a later period.
As a result of this policy, the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Regiments were sent to the front early in November, 1862. The Seventeenth Regiment was ordered into the barracks vacated by them during the same month.
It became difficult to secure enlistments to fill these laggard quotas, and thus the Seventeenth never had men enough to miisier its colonel. A full regimental organization was. liowever, eftected by Colonel Kent about the middle of November, 1S62, and drill, discipline, and instruc- tion were continued by him.
He was fully recognized as colonel, both by the state and national authorities, his requisitions for subsistence, arms, medical supplies, quarters, etc., always being fully recognized, both at Concord and Washington. He was in direct command of his men and remained in camp with them continuously.
Unable, as the governor and his executive council viewed the situ- ation, to fill the Seventeenth Regiment by volunteers, and a state draft having been abandoned, in February I directed that it be fur- loughed until April. I visited Washington and laid the case before Secretary Cameron, being very anxious to meet the views of Colonel Kent and his command and have the regiment placed on duty. After many delays and disappointments, it was decided to consolidate the Seventeenth Regiment with the Second New Hampshire Infantry, which was to be ordered home for that purpose. I well remember communi- cating this decision to Colonel Kent, and the regret and disappointment it occasioned to both of us.
In this matter of consolidation Colonel Kent was recognized througii- out as colonel in command of a regiment. The secretary of war so understood it, and in tlie general orders issued by me, under his direc- tions, to complete his purpose, the United States mustering officer was •directed to proceed in certain matters of detail according to the instruc- tions he siiould receive from Col. Henry O. Kent, commanding the Seventeenth Regiment New Hampshire Infantry Volunteers.
The Second New Hampshire Infantry, Lieut. Col. Edward L. Hailey ■commanding, arrived in Concord on furlougii. The muster-out and transfer rolls were made, and on the i6th day of April, 1863, Colonel Kent paraded his regiment and turned the men over to Lieutenant- Colonel Bailey, by whom they were incorporated in the .Second New Hampshire Volunteers.
96 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT
Colonel Kent was paid by the State of New Hampshire as of his grade of colonel, and the United States reimbursed the state for such expenditure.
From the time of his commission, October 23, 1862, until his dis- charge under War Department order in April, 1863, by reason of the consolidation of the regiments, Colonel Kent served as colonel in the actual work of enlisting, commanding, instructing, and diaciplining his men. No question was raised during this time as to his status as colonel. He did his full duty honorably and well, and made strenuous exertions that his regiment might be filled and go to the front. His men were so well disciplined by him that at the close of the Gettysburg campaign they w^ere thanked in special orders by Colonel Bailey of the Second, with special reference by him to Colonel Kent, for their sol- dierly qualities and bravery.
Colonel Kent was commissioned to raise a regiment ; he did raise a regiment. Manv of his men by the exigencies of the times were taken from him, but he organized and commanded as a regiment what were left him. If any action is needed to place beyond question his rank and status, I have no hesitation in saying that it will only be an act of justice long delayed to perfect such action.
Nathaniel S. Berry.
February 16, 1892.
CHArri'.R XX.
Rkcocm I'lox r.v C<>x(;ri-:ss.
We live in deeds, not years, in thouglits, not breaths;
In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart throbs. He most lives
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.
Bailey.
The enabling act referred to in the prexious chapter was for the purpose of placinj^' upon record in the war depart- ment as a distinct and lei;all}' constituted integral jjart of the troops in the War of the Rebellion, the Sev^enteenth New Hampshire Infantr\". Such action became necessary — not from any doubt as to the regiment's position — for that never existed — but owing to imperfect records and careless trans- mission of rolls and other evidence from one department to another. The bill received careful examination, and was fa\orabl\' reported in each branch of congress.
Notwithstanding the annoyance to the reader of too much repetition, it is belie\-ed the object of this work will be better attained b\- giving here in full the report on the bill of Senator Proctor of Vermont, ex-secretar}' of war, and chairman of the committee on militar\' affairs.
It shoidd be stated, however, in connection therewith, that the suggestion in the secontl i^aragrapli, " to prevent any pay or allowance, etc.," originated with Colonel Kent himself and not with the committee. His sole object was to obtain a proper recognition for the regiment and its ofilicers. The report is as follows:
98 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE R EG EM E NT.
Fifty-second Congress, First Session. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES.
Mr. Proctor, from the committee on military affairs, submitted the following report :
The committee on military affaiis, to whom was referred the bill (S. 1129) for the relief of Henry O. Kent, has had the same under consid- eration and submit the following favorable report :
The committee recommend that the bill be amended so as to pre- vent Colonel Kent from receiving any pay or allowance which might be due him by reason of the passage of this bill, and when so amended the committee recommend that the bill pass.
Under the call of President Lincoln, dated Aug. 4, 1862, for 300,000 volunteers the State of New Hampshire was recjuired to organize three regiments, one in each of the Congressional districts of the state, and field officers were appointed by the governor of the state for each regi- ment, with the understanding that the recruits enlisted in the three districts were to belong to the Fifteenth. Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Regiments of New Hampshire Volunteers respectively. On the 23d day of October, A. D. 1862, Henry O. Kent, of Lancaster, in the Third Congressional district, was by the governor duly appointed and commissioned colonel of the Seventeenth Regiment, and proceeded to raise troops and to organize the regiment from that district. Under this arrangement there were enlisted, as shown by the report of the adjutant-general of the state, 791 men from the Third district, who belonged, by the assignment referred to, in Colonel Kent's command. The Fifteenth and Sixteenth regiments, assigned to the First and Sec- ond districts, not being filled by reason of the failure of some of the towns to raise their quotas, and there being great pressure for troops in the field, made by the war department upon the state authorities, it was determined by the latter to transfer the men raised in the Third dis- trict for Colonel Kent's regiment to the Fifteenth and Sixteenth, thereby completing those regiments and hurrying them to the front. This was accordingly done, leaving Colonel Kent with but a small pro- portion of his men.
The Fifteenth and Sixteenth left the state in the month of November, 1862. Colonel Kent's regimental organization occupied the camp vacated by the Fifteenth and continued there under his command from the 19th day of November, 1862, until the i6th day of April, 1863, excepting while a portion of the men were furloughed to save expense. Great exertions were made to fill the regiment by Colonel Kent, who
RECOGXITIOX BY CONGRESS. 99
was an able, accomplished, and popular officer; but owing to the extreme depletion of the arms-bearing population of the state and the necessity of filling the ranks of the older regiments, which was contin- ually being done largely as the result of Colonel Kent's etTorts during the same period, it was found to be impossible to thus complete his reg- iment.
Thereupon various eiTorts were made to obtain service for the regi- mental organization as it stood, but it was finally determined, on full consultation with the president and Secretary Cameron, that it would be better to transfer the Seventeenth bodily into the ranks of the Sec- ond New Hampshire Volunteers ; and this was accordingly done, with the exception of the commissioned and non-commissioned officers, who were mustered out under an existing general order. They served out their unexpired time as soldiers of the Seventeenth New Hampshire Volunteers, under the command of the officers and as a part of the Sec- ond Regiment. As such they participated in the Battle of Gettysburg, and were thanked by Colonel Bailey, of the Second New^ Hampshire Volunteers, for the disciplined valor they displayed in that decisive battle of the war by a regimental order, in which great praise was be- stowed upon Colonel Kent and his officers of the Seventeenth for the unusual skill, steadiness, and efficiency of their deportment in the field. Several members of the regiment are pensioned as soldiers of the Sev- enteenth New Hampshire \'olunteers. The other field officers, and most of the company and non-commissioned officers, were distributed as officers or privates in various other organizations.
Subsequent to the organization of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Regi- ments one full company and part of another, in all about 125 men, were added to the Seventeenth Regiment from the other Congressional districts, who, with the 791 men belonging to Colonel Kent's regiment as enlisted from the Third district, would have made the total number under his command gi6 men — considerably more than the number en- titling him to muster into the service of the United States as colonel of the regiment.
At the outbreak of the war Colonel Kent began enlisting men at his home in Lancaster, immediately raising a large part of Company F, of the Second New Hampshire Volunteers, but being a graduate of the military university of Norwich, Vt., and having much ability in busi- ness affairs, the inexperienced state authorities in the hurried organiza- tion of troops found his services indispensable, and from a sense of duty he sacrificed his desire to go into the field in order to remain in the state as assistant adjutant-general, in which capacity he aided the
lOO SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
government greatly during the earl}' part of the war, constantly holding himself in readiness to go into the active service whenever tlie authori- ties desired. During the whole war he displayed great patriotic activ- ity in other ways as well as in the capacity of a colonel of volunteers, in which he actually served from October 23, 1862. until April 16, 1863, although for the reasons herein set forth he was never formally mustered.
The Seventeenth New Hampshire Volunteers was borne upon the rolls as a regiment in the service of the United States between the dates above specified, under the command of Colonel Kent, during which time his orders and requisitions in the enlistment, equipment, organi- zation, and sustenance, and discipline of the regiment in that capacity were recognized and duly honored by the national government. He was deprived of his command without fault of his own, against his will, and was wronged out of his chance for honorable distinction by reason of his self-sacrificing devotion to the public good, and this after the country had received the great benefit of his exertions preparatory to the opportunity which he had a right to expect, to perform such service in the field, as by education, ability, and high character he was emi- nently capable of rendering.
He asks nothing of a pecuniary nature, the general government hav- ing paid the full compensation of the Seventeenth Regiment of New Hampshire Volunteers, officers and men, as such, in full.
He only asks recognition upon the military records of his country as colonel of the regiment of which he was in fact the colonel, but which without legislation he cannot receive hy reason of a technical failure of the general law of 1884 as construed by the war department.
On October 13, 1886, Colonel Kent asked the war department for recognition as colonel of the Seventeenth Regiment undertheact of June 3, 1884, the language of that act being as follows :
Any person duly appointed and commissioned shall be considered as com- missioned to the grade therein named from the date when his commission was issued by competent authority, and shall be entitled to all pay and emol- uments as if actually mustered at that date, provided that at the date of his commission he was actually performing the duties of his grade, or if not so performing such duties, then from such time after the date of his commission as he may actually have entered upon such duties, and provided that this act and the resolution hereby amended shall be construed to apply only to those cases where the commission bears date prior to June 20, 1863, or after that date when their commands were not below the minimum number required by existing laws and regulations.
RECOGNITION BY CONGRESS. lOI
It seemed to Colonel Kent and those who in his behalf urged that he be accorded recognition as colonel that his case came clearly within this act of June 3, 1884.
(i) He had been appointed and commissioned as colonel by the governor of New Hampshire, and had actually received the full pay and emoluments of that grade, and the amounts paid him had been reim- bursed by the United States to the state of New Hampshire.
(2) He had actually performed the duties of his grade for the full time of his service.
(3^ His commission bore date prior to June 20, 1863, namely, Oc- tober 23, 1862; so that the fact that his command did not reach the minimum was under the law explicitly no obstacle to his recognition.
Ikit the application for recognition under this act of June 3, 1884, was denied by the war department by letter of October 19, 1886, on the ground that the act was not intended to apply to original vacancies but only to those happening when regiments in the service were reduced below the required minimum.
Thus defeated in his commendable and honorable eflbrts to secure from the war department that recognition as colonel, to which he con- sidered himself as fairly and equitably entitled. Colonel Kent has been compelled to appeal to congress for a statute declaring him entitled to such recognition. The bill carries with it no pay, allowances, or emol- uments whatever, for, as has been stated, he was fully paid as colonel by the state of New Hami)shire, which has been reimbursed by the general government.
His motive is not mercenary nor wholly selfish. Having done what he could in the emergency of the Union to reach the field of battle in its defense, and having labored assiduously in the organization and the command of a body of troops, the soldiers of which faithfully served during the war, and being balked in his purpose by annoying circum- stances beyond his own control, he lias a natural desire to perfect and complete his military record according to the actual facts, and to stand officially and formally recorded among the Union soldiers of the war. His motive is commendable, and to gratify his honorable desire does not harm the government, and is only an act of simple justice fairly due to a faithful public servant.
A complete statement of the facts made by the Hon. Nathaniel S. Berry, the war governor of New Hampshire, who still survives full of years and honors, and also a war department memorandum of Decem- ber 13, 1889, are made a part of this report.
I02 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
The bill was warmly supported by both the senators from New Hampshire, and b)' distinguished senators and representatives from all parts of the Union. As already stated, it passed both branches of congress and passed them both unanimousl}'. Great credit for this action is due Sen- ator William E. Chandler and Ex-Senator Henry W. Blair — the latter the original captain of one of the Third Dis- trict companies in the Fifteenth Regiment and then major and lieutenant-colonel of that command serving with distinction in the Port Hudson campaign.
Senator Chandler's long and distinguished public career emphasized the value of his cordial support of the measure, and later his encouragement and aid in the preparation of this histor}' while reflecting great honor upon his love of impartial justice, has secured the appreciation and regard of the Seventeenth Infantry.
CHAPTER XXI.
Sevexteenth Men l\ the Second Re(;i.mem' and at Gettysburg.
(), why the deuce should I repine
And be an ill foreboder ? I 'm twenty-three, and five feet nine,
I '11 go ! and be a sodjer.
IhlDtS.
It was a prctt)- severe test of the character and ch'sposi- tion of the men of the Sexenteenth to witness cahnl}' the disintci^ration of their own regiment, and, after all the promises made, to be forced into another command not of their own choosing. But the\' acquitted themselves like men, and showed the kind of stuff thc\' were made of. Indeed, the Second woidd have been their choice under any circumstances. It had an unsurpassed record, was composed of veterans with whom they qin'ckl}' fraternized, its ofilicers were distinguished for military ability and ex- perience, and our men were received with open arms and a true spirit of comradeship. So that when the regiment left the state, May i8, 1863, they were already quite at home in its ranks; and their after record proves them to have been in e\er\' wa\- entitled to a place among the best for deeds of braver\- and daring in the okl Second, which was filled with heroes. It was barely six weeks after the forming of this alliance that these men received their baptism of fire in the historic Battle of Gettysburg.
Gettysburg ranks among the decisixe battles of the world. It turned the tide of victor}', called a halt to the invading forces of Lee, sent him back to Virginia with an army so crii)pled and decimated that it nex'er recovered
I04 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
from the blow, and restored the wavering confidence of the North, which by successive reverses was greatly in need of just such a result. It was an object lesson in militar}' tactics, an exhibition of superior military knowledge and scientific combinations, by experienced cornmanders ; but, above all, of personal courage, indomitable valor, and heroic self-sacrifice on the part of both officers and men. In the three days' fight our losses were, in killed, 2,834; wounded, 13,709; missing, 6,643 — ^ total of 23,186. The Confederate losses from same causes were 3 i ,62 i .
Colonel Martin A. Haynes, in his regimental history, gives a graphic description of the record made for itself b}' the New Hampshire Second in this memorable battle. The following extracts are but a fair illustration of the entire chapter, as it appears in that publication :
"Colonel Bailey, while taking a view from a point of observation near the Emmitsburg road, noted the rapid advance of a column of massed battalions. He watched it just long enough to determine that it was a genuine column of attack with no skirmishers thrown forward, and that it was pushing directly for the battery the Second was sup- porting, and would be upon it in a very few minutes. He ran with all speed to General Graham, meeting him some distance to the rear of the Second, gave him warning, and suggested that the Second should charge. > Yes, for God's sake, go forward! ' replied Graham.
" The Second came to their feet with a great sigh of relief. They had begun to chafe in the leash. Despite many casualties, there were probably more than three hundred men still left to 'go forward.' No time was wasted on frills — only a moment for a hasty alignment. There was not time even to rally Company B into the line, and most, if not all, of its men were left at their work about the Wentz house. Besides, they appeared to be fully engaged just then. The lieutenant in command of the battery was seen to be spiking his guns, indicating that he considered them as good as lost. He was not acquainted with his supports. It is safe to say that no battery commander in the Third Corps would ever have done that so long as he had the Second New Hampshire with him. But this battery had been very nearly silenced for some time by the overpowering rebel fire and its commander simply lost his nerve.
SEVENTEENTH MEN AT GETTYSBURG. 105
'■'■'■ E''or'ward'. guide centre I ^ and the Second was off. One of tlie battery lieutenants with tlie aid of a corporal, was training one of the guns upon the head of the advancing column, and just as the Second passed the double-shotted piece was discharged. Simultaneously came the order to charge, and with a roar of defiance from three hun- dred throats, the Second went tearing down the slope. They did not have to hunt for tlie enemy — there he was, right before them. Tlie rebels halted a moment, in dazed surprise at this devil's whirlwind which had been let loose upon them. It seemed to be a halt involun- tary and without orders. Those ragged veterans saw it ' meant busi- ness.' The savage, confident dash of the charge was suggestive of a heavy support behind, and there was not much time for them to stop and think the matter over. They did what any other body of troops would have done under like circumstances — about faced, and went back as fast as they could run for a new start.
"On went the Second, in a southwest course, about one hundred and fifty yards, through tlie peach orchard, its right wing out at its angle and partly across the Emmitsburg road. A sharp fire was main- tained upon those fleeing rebels until they reached a little depression in the fields and piled into it out of sight. There was some difficulty in halting the Second. Its blood was up, and many of tiie men seemed to think that now was the time to go into Richmond. IJut thev were at length cooled down, and the regiment was quickly moved a little to the left, along the line of a rail fence at the southerly end of the orchard, its right resting on the road.
" The fire was now directed, at the left oblique, upon a body of troops about three hundred and fifty yards to the front and left, who were moving by their right flank, in two lines, nearly parallel with the front of the Second. At this time the Third Maine came tearing down the slope, lined up on tlie left of the Second, and joined in the firing; while the Sixty-eighth Pennsylvania came in upon the right of the Second, forming at right angles with its line, facing west, along the Emmitsburg road. Many regiments fought in a peach orchard at Gettysburg, but the three above enumerated were the only ones who formed in a line in ' ilic' peach orchard of that day.
**********
"Following the Second's charge, there came for a brief time a lull in the fire of the rebel artillery. The rebels were evidently sizing up and getting the range of the new disposition of troops which had been thrust forward in their faces, and Barksdale was meantime reorganizing his somewhat disordered column of attack. Then came the storm.
Io6 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
Every rebel gun was let loose until the peach orchard seemed to be almost moving in the windage of hurtling metal. Under cover of this tremendous fire, the final, decisive assault was made by Barksdale. Formed by battalions in mass in line of battle, his troops swept steadily forward. From their direction it was to be seen that their right, unless checked, would enter the peach orchard somewhere on the line held by the Sixty-eighth Pennsylvania. The Second directed its fire, at the right oblique, full upon the advancing column, but it pushed forward with magnificent determination, its gray masses rising and falling with the inequalities of the ground, now sinking into a depression, and then bursting over a swell, but always onward. The Sixty-eighth, which had been losing heavily, withdrew up the slope before the impact came, and immediately after, the Third Maine also fell back. The charging column, its front now blazing with the fire of small arms, advanced across the unprotected right flank of the Second.
"The subsequent evolutions of the regiment could only have been performed by troops of superlative discipline and nerve. The regiment was about faced and retired, making a change of front to the rear while marching. Half way through the peach orchard, it halted and main- tained a sharp fire until again overtopped, when the movement was repeated, bringing the regiment over the crest and almost directly facing the Emmitsburg road. Here there were a few moments of very close and very ugly work, when, being entirely unsupported, the regi- ment was drawn back a short distance, under cover somewhat of the eastern slope of the ridge.
•' It was close, stubborn, and deadly work — this last stand of the Second. The Compte de Paris well characterized the peach orchard fight by a single word, ' murderous.' The Third Maine and Sixty-eighth Pennsylvania made a gallant attempt to come to the Second's support, charging up into the terrible fire to prolong the line upon the right ; but it was too hot for them, and they did not reach the position.
" Nearly three fifths of the Second Regiment were down, and the men still left, planted amid their dead and wounded comrades, were standing up to their work as steadily and unflinchingly as though not a man had been hit. Had occasion required, they were in the spirit to stop right there until three fifths of those yet on their feet had been knocked over. Ikit it was only a waste of lives for a handful of men to remain alone and unsupported in such a slaughter-pen. The Second was about faced, and in regimental line moved down the slope in per-
SEVEXTEENTH MEN AT GETTYSBURG. 107
feet order, and taking witli it such of its wounded as could h^ carried along. Approaching the new line, where several batteries were in position, the regiment broke into column from its left (now become the right) and passed to the east, left in front, receiving, as it moved along the line of the artillery, round upon round of cheers from the battery men, who had been interested spectators of the closing scenes at the peach orchard.
'• The Second took three hundred and tifty-four officers and enlisted men into the fight. Its loss as officially reported was one hundred and ninety-three. Three commissioned officers were killed and eigh- teen wounded — four, mortall}- — but tliree escaping unhurt out of twenty- four. Out of three hundred and tliirty enlisted men, seventeen were reported killed, one hundred and nineteen wounded, and thirty-si.\ missing. The mortally wounded swelled the Second's death roll to forty-seven — over thirteen per cent, of the number engaged."
A fitting termination to Colonel Ha}-ncs"s narrati\c is the final paragraph in Colonel Baile}-'s official report of the battle :
" This battalion entered the fight with a firm determination to do or die, and the long lists of fallen comrades already submitted will show how well that resolution was kept. When all did so well, it would be invidious to make comparisons. Let it suffice to say tliey did their part as became the sons of the old Granite State. For our fallen braves who have so gloriously perished fighting for their country we drop a comrade's tear, — while we would extend our heartfelt sympathy to those dear ones far away, who find the ties of kindred and friends thus rudely severed, and for those who must suffer untold agony and pain through long weeks of convalescence, our earnest sympathy, yet leaving them to the watchful care of Him who will not prove unmindful of their necessities."
A newspaper correspondent of the period already t|uoted in precedinL;" pat^es, wrote :
" In the Hatlle of Gettysburg, this [Second] regiment which had never flinched on any battlefield sustained its noble re])utation. And all honor to the Seventeenth l>oys ! They went into the thickest of the fight with the bravery of veterans. Strange as it may seem, these men, who had never been under fire before, sustained a more severe loss, proportionately, than any other company."
Io8 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
The colonel of the old Seventeenth happening to be in Washington during the autumn of '63 was present by invi- tation as a staff of^cer and member of the presidential party at the consecration of the Gettysburg cemetery. After the ceremonies had been completed, riding around the field he found and brought back from Sherfey's peach orchard an exploded shell, fired from the rebel lines at the men of the Seventeenth. This shell now does duty as a paper weight upon the colonel's library table.
We cannot otherwise so well close this chapter as by quoting the prophetic words of President Lincoln :
'' Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now, we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlelield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that iield as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that our nation might live. It is fitting that we should do this ; but, in a larger sense, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far beyond anything we can do. The world will little note, nor long remember, what lue say here ; but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to dedicate ourselves to the unfinished work which they, who fought here, have thus far so nobly advanced ; to consecrate ourselves to the great task remaining ; and to gather from the graves of these honored dead increased devotion to that cause for which they gave their lives. Here let us resolve that they shall not have died in vain ; that this nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom ; and that govern- ment of V\\^ people, by the people, and/i^r the people shall not perish forever from the earth."
chaptI':r XXII.
CoMRADi: W'HIIMMK'S DlARV.
Then gather VouikI my comrades
And hear a soldier tell I low full of honor was the day
When every man did well.
'flipper.
Comrade Albert 1'. Whipple of Lancaster, who as prin- cipal musician of the Se\'enteenth organized its excellent regimental band, \t)iiintaril\- joined the Second at the time of consolidation, was appointed band master, and became closely identified in all the Second's movements until mustered out with the Seventeenth contingent when their term of service expired. He has kindl\- prepared for use in the compilation of this history a cop\' of his diar}-, kept day by day in field and camp, from which the following extracts are taken :
'• When the Civil War began, and the rebels fired on P^ort Sumter I had no desire to join the army. I was offered the position as band master in the Fifth New Hampshire by Colonel Cross, and he urged me quite hard to take it, but I declined. But after Colonel Kent received his appointment to recruit the Seventeenth with a company from Lan- caster and vicinity, I was anxious to go with them, but should never have thought of going under any other consideration than with Colonel Kent and our other friends. I enlisted in the Seventeenth, Oct. 15, 1862, as a musician, and received orders to enlist a band. Enlisted before going into camp, Perkins of Gorham, George Dustin, Joseph Dustin, Daniel C. Bean, and Jesse Tuttle, all of Berlin, Henry Love- joy and Cyrus E. Burnham of Littleton, and George H. Watson of Lancaster. Enlisted a Mr. Bates soon after going into camp. I received mv warrant as l)and master Nov. 22, 1862, and Cyrus ]C.
no SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
Burnham his as band sergeant same date. On the same day we were mustered into the U. S. service. Upon return to camp, April ist, enlisted Charles E. Mclntire of Lancaster as a member of the band. Made good improvement while in camp up to the time of our transfer to the Second Regiment, April i6, 1863. Colonel Bailey detailed from the Second five new members. They were good musicians.
"Broke camp and left Concord for Washington the last of May. Our first halt was Worcester. Band played some very choice pieces and were heartily cheered. The ne.xt stopping place was Philadelphia, where the band headed the regiment and marched from one depot to the other, quite a long distance. Our regiment created quite an excite- ment, a large crowd of people following us, and the band received manv compliments, but many were the regrets of the band that we were not at the head of the Seventeenth, as we expected to be when we enlisted. In Baltimore tlie band played in the streets and the crowd very much excited called for ' John Brown," saying ' Give it to us loud and strong.'' We reached Washington and went into camp on Capitol Hill.
'■^ June II, 1S63. — Broke camp in the morning and took boat for Acquia Creek, then cars for Stoneman Station where we camped for the night.
" June 12. — Broke camp at 5 a. m., and marched fourteen miles, halting at noon ; traveled miles without seeing a house. We find many dead horses on tiie roadside. It is disagreeable on the road after an army has passed.
" Jjine 13. — Marched twenty-five miles; went into camp at Rappa- hannock Station. It is hard to get water. I think many times I would give anything for a drink of our spring water at home !
" June 14. — It is a common practice of the soldiers to go out forag- ing. Some of these parties drove a number of pigs into the opening near the camp, and the soldiers, arming themselves with clubs, tried to capture them. The pigs were wild; but they managed to get them. We have to be very still because we are on one side of the Rappahan- nock and the rebels on the other, almost within speaking distance. It begins to look like a battle. There seems to be a movement of the whole army. Anyone at home that never saw the movements of an army cannot think what an undertaking it is to move such a large number of men.
"■ June 24. — Camped near a small house and fine well of water. I went over to the well to fill my canteen and found the house filled with soldiers. I went to the door and looked in; saw an old lady and a
COMRADE U'lIirPLE'S DIARY. Ill
middle-aged lady — it was their home. The soldiers were taking every- thing they could from the house — even bread from the oven the ladies were baking for their own use. I went back and told Lieut. -Col Carr, and we came to the house together. As we entered a soldier came down from the chamber with a small ham. The old lady tried to take it from him. ' Why do you come and rob us lone women and take all we have to live on ? ' slie said. The soldier replied that he was hun- gry, and the woman answered : ' God forbid you from fighting for a government that will not feed you, and robs us of what little we have. Colonel Carr then stepped forward and said, • Hold on ! I do n't say you shall not have the ham, but let us talk it over. Have you not got a mother, sister, or some relative at home? How would you like to have an army do to your relatives at home as you are doing here?' The soldier got right out and then Colonel Carr talked to the other soldiers and told me to go to tiie adjutant and have him send a guard to protect the house.
'' July 2. — Broke camp at four in the morning, but did not move until daylight. Marched very fast five miles and halted for half an hour. Arrived early in Gettysburg. Brigade formed in line of battle. Skirmishing very near the road we came in on and in a short time the rebels occupied it. Not very severe fighting until seven o'clock, and then it was terrific. Our regiment lost heavily during the day and looks bad ! We have lost seven officers and one half of the men in killed, wounded, and missing, but they did their duty, as they always have done before. The band played to the brigade at dusk and was ordered to play national airs. When the orders are given to load, I feel as if I must go with them, and I went to Colonel Bailey and told him so. He replied, ' Wait, and if they need you it will be time then for you to go in.' Our regiment walked at tlie head of the brigade on to the battlefield that day. Tlie brigade commander overheard my conversation with Colonel Bailey in regard to my going into battle, and ordered me to take the band to the rear and to hold ourselves in readi- ness to play when tliey made a charge.
" 7^'^y 3- — Third corps was relieved by the Si.xth last night and fell to the rear. Moved to the front early this morning. The Third corps was double-quicked into position to support a battery under a very heavy fire. The band was at tl^e head of tiie brigade and remained until the brigade formed to make a ciiarge, when, having nothing but their instruments, they were ordered to the rear.
" July 4. — Rebels commenced their retreat.
'■'■July 5. — Strolled over the battlefield : fiiul men and horses |)iled all
112 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE KEGLMENT.
together in places, every soldier lying on the battlefield has been robbed by the sharks who follow the army for that purpose. Take another stroll over the battlefield finding one of the dead soldiers, and a letter by his side from his mother and his sister, congratulating him on his success in escaping with his life thus far, and saying they should look forward for the' time when he would return home and that that would be the happiest day of their lives.
'■'• yuly \\ . — The ofiicers and men are very anxious to meet the enemy again. They think we have them where we can take them, and want it to rain hard so the rebels cannot get over the river. The sol- diers are getting tired of the war and think if they can capture Lee''s army the war must close very soon and they can go home to their families and friends. If the soldiers could be led on now, I think there is no equal number that could stand before them.
'■'■July i6. — I am almost worn out — severe dysentery. My boots begin to give out. Many of the men are barefoot and very ragged. We can draw no clothing.
'■'■yuly 20. — Our cavalry had a little brush with the rebels, but the rebels ran. Sick, and feel as though I must fall behind, but it is not safe, for I do not wish to go to Richmond with the rebels.
" yuly 22. — This town is called Piedmont. After supper the band was ordered to corps headquarters. Gen. French is in command. He occupies a house which belonged to rebel Col. Ashbury, killed in Gen. Banks' retreat. It is a fine house, — built after the form of the White House at Washington. Several women were present, most of them rebels.
" y^^^y -3- — Marched through Fairville. Some quite decent looking buildings but most of them look bad. Many of the houses are built of a fiat rock very plenty in Virginia. The stone looks very much like the stone laid in walls between Lancaster and Whitefield. We halted three miles outside this town. Cavalry had passed by with rebel pris- oners, and halted at foot of Manassas Gap. Army moves as though there was a battle near. A general movement at 3 o'clock. Battle has commenced. General Mead is on the field ; hospitals are prepared ; ambulances are ready for the wounded and everything indicates a hard fight. At 4.30, heavy infantry firing; our forces advance driving the rebels. A rebel battery opens. At dark all is quiet along the line. The rebels seem to occupy the best position on the highest ground. Several rebels captured.
" yuly 24. — Considerable picket firing. Our troops in line of battle. Our troops advance driving the rebels before them. Our army follows
COMRADE WnirPLE\S DIARY.
113
tliem to Front Royal and returns at 4 p. ni. It proved to be a part of rebel General Ewall's force.
"All the women here must be rebels if you can judge from their looks. The fields are covered with blackberries. They are very nice. It seems hard to look upon this country and see the destruction caused by the army. Railroad tracks taken up and every rail is crooked. If a farmer has a horse, cow, sheep, pigs or poultry the army takes it and uses it without asking for it. 1 see stacks of wheat raised last year and not yet threshed. Fields of grain are standing, suffering to be cut. Many fields of grain are tramped down by the army and de- stroyed. Farmers have nothing '.r^""'^ to encourage them. If they har- vest their produce they are liable to have it taken from them. I cannot blame them for not lik- ing the army. It deals destruc- tion wiierever it goes. Manv will say that the people are poor j and ignorant, but we can look 5 at home and see Jiow many w^e i have about us that do precisely as tlieir leaders tell them to do. It is easier to see faults in otiiers than it is in ourselves.
" My boots are getting very bad. I am afraid I shall have to go barefoot. I cannot get any more at present. We came near meeting with an accident today. While the regiment was in ad- vance, Colonel Bailey returned with his blacksmith and took possession of a siiop to have his horse shod. While there the owner got him into his house, gave him a dinner and tried to detain him. Our infantry withdrew and left the colonel behind. The rebel cavalry followed our cavalry and Colonel 15ailey was cut oft". Ikit tiiere happened to be one spare road, and the colonel being well mounted just barely escaped. Would have been a prisoner if detained three minutes longer.
'•'Jitly 26. — The Second Regiment has received orders detaching it from the Jersey brigade and is to return to Washington. The Twelfth New Hampshire joined us and afterwards the Fifth. 8
Alhkut V. Wmi'i'i.E.
114 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT
" July 10. — Band played through the city of Washington. Started for Point Lookout.
" July 31. — Point Lookout is turned into a rebel prison camp, and General Marston is in command of the brigade in charge, of which the Second is a part. Our band does duty daily for General Marston's brigade.
^'- Sept. 20. — Governor Gilmore and others arrived and visited the camp, then went to General Alarston's headquarters and speeches were made by Governor Gilmore, Hale, Clark. Foster and Patterson. The band gave a concert and played between the speeches.
'•'•Sept. 21. Received orders for the Seventeenth to be in readi- ness to go on the next boat. The regiment feels very much better. We are to leave for Washington in the morning. Band gave a fare- well concert at Colonel Bailey's headquarters in the evening. The band feels under great obligations to Colonel Bailey for his great kind- ness and friendship during our connection with the Second.
" Sept. 22. — After parade the Seventeenth marched to the boat and left for Washington. This was the last time the Seventeenth band ever played together. Arrived in Washington after dark and stopped at the soldiers' retreat.
'' Sept. 25. — Arrived in Boston at 6 a. m. and in Concord at 8 p. m.
" Oct. 8. — Lieutenant Cooper arrived with mustering out papers and Oct. 9 we were mustered out of the service and discharged. Thus ends the Seventeenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers."
Comrade Whipple is now living in Everett, Mass., a con- firmed invalid, suffering severely from rheumatism con- tracted in the campaigns of which he has gi\'en such a vivid description.
CHAPTER XXIII. Mustered Out.
" Through the blood sweat and pain of war We grow more free, we grow more true, And brighter, clearer, lovelier far
Shall shine the red, the white, the blue."
Thus the men of the Seventeenth, who were mustered in the Second Regiment, served in that command all through the hardest fought and most decisive campaign of the entire war. From the outset they behaved like veterans, well-mated with the old campaigners of the adopted or- ganization, equally capable and willing to perform an}- service required or hold their own on the battlefield. It has ever been the pride of their ofificers and companions in the Seventeenth to ]joint to the record they made ; it has ever been an honor to the men to ha\e that record exhibited. Gettysburg raised up many heroes; man\' regi- ments won renown on that decisive field ; but among them all, none surpassed the Second Xew Hampshire in courage and valor and no men in the Second sustained their part better than the gallant contingent from the Third Congres- sional District, which came through the Seventeenth.
These men were mustered Noxember 13. 1862, for nine months, and were entitled to a discharge August 13, 1863 ; but the " exigencies of the service" appeared to reciuire their detention, and it was not until October 9 that they were finally mustered out.
Upon bidding them farewell. Colonel Hailc}- issued the following order :
Il6 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
Headquarters Second N. H. V., DisT. St. iMary's, Point Lookout, Md.,
September 22, 1863. General Order No. 14.
Soldiers of the Seventeenth New Hampshire Volunteers : You are about to part with your comrades of the Second for the more peaceful and happier atmosphere of your domestic firesides. Aroused by the necessity of your country, you assembled under a gallant and accomplished leader, witli justly high hopes to lead with him a brilliant career, carving bright honors from the field of battle with which to wreathe the proud banners of your regiment; but these cherished anticipations were not to be realized.
After months of uncertainty, in obedience to orders from the Honora- ble Secretary of War, the Seventeenth and Second New Hampshire Regiments were consolidated on the sixteenth day of April, since whicli time you have labored patiently and harmoniously.
You had no choice in your disposition — you were not the electors of place. Yet though not sent to battle under the most favorable circum- stances, you have comported yourselves as men should, and have se- cured the respect and friendship of your companions and officers.
Your term of service, though short, has been eventful. You will return to the quiet of your pleasant homes with the proud satisfaction that your career embraced participation in one of the most arduous campaigns and the hardest fought and most glorious battle in its results of any of this war. Called to sustain a part which tested your patriotism and valor, the ordeal prepared for you was the occupancy of the most exposed position. During that terrible contest you stood firmly, shoulder to shoulder, with the familiars of fifteen battles, fight- ino' as valiantly. Ten of your comrades sleep where no sound shall awaken them till the reveille of the angel band summons them to join the ranks of that host of hosts whose enl'stment is forever and ever. I would thank you for your prompt, brave, and efficient performance of your duty; your respect and cheerful obedience of all orders, which has been your conduct uniformly during the period I have had the honor to be connected with you in the capacity of commander.
You return to your homes with some pleasant reminiscences mingled with your recollection of toil, hardship, and danger, ere long to be followed by your remaining comrades, who, I trust, are soon to wit- ness the death of that hydra — rebellion — and be permitted to assume
the garb of peace.
Ed. L. Bailey, Col. id N. H. V. John D. Cooper, Adjutant.
MUSTERED OUT. II7
In drawing to a close this all too imperfect record of some events connected with the great Civil War, it may be of interest to record for future reference the name of the colonel, first in command of each New Hampshire regi- mental organization. The list is as follows: (Those still li\-ing are indicated b\- a star prefixed to the name.)
First Regiment, Mason W. Tappax. Died October 24, 1886.
Second Regiment, Gil. MAX Marstox. Died Jul\- 3, 1890.
Third Regiment, ExocH O. Fellow.s. Died May 6, 1897.
Fourth Regiment, TiiONrAS J. Whipple. Died Decem- ber 21, 1889.
Fifth Regiment, Edward E. Cross. Killed in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 2, 1863.
Sixth Regiment, Nklsox Coxverse. Died April 27, 1894.
Seventh Regiment, Hai.dimax S. Putxam. Killed at Fort Wagner, Jul}- 18, 1863.
Eighth Regiment, * Hawkes Fearixg. Jr.
Ninth Regiment, ExocH Q. Fellows, from June 14 to November 21, 1862, * HERBERT B. TiTUS.
Tenth Regiment, MiCHAEL T. DoxoiIOE. Died Ma\- 26, 1895.
Eleventh Regiment, Walter IIvrrimax. Died Jul\- 25. 1884.
Tzuelfth Regiment, Joseph II. Potter. Died Decem- ber I, 1892.
Thirteenth Reoiuient, Aarox F. Stevexs. Died May 10, 1887.
Fourteenth Regiment, Rop.ERr WiLSOX. Died April 8. 1870.
Fifteenth Reoi/zient, * Joiix W. KixcMAX.
Il8 SEVENTEEXTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
Sixteenth Regiment, James Pike. Died July 26, 1895. Seventeenth Regiment, * Henry O. Kent. Eio-hteenth Regiment, * TiiOMAS L. LiVERMORE. Rirst Regiment Heavy ArtiUcry, * CHARLES H. LoNG. First Regiment Volunteer Cavalry, JOHN L. THOMP- SON. Died January i, 1888.
Weirs Memorial Stone.
CHAPTER XXIV. Ix Mkmoriam.
" We bow to heaven that willed it so, That darkly rules the fate of all, That sends the respite or the blow, That 's free to live or to recall."
Upon the memorial stone at The Weirs, presented by Comrade Sanborn of the Tweh'tli, and adopted b\' the Vet- erans' Association and the Grand Army, as the Sacred Cabala to commemorate the services and sacrifices during the war of the \arioiis Xew Hampshire organizations, there appears, in due sequence with the other commands, cut deep in the stone, the name of the Seventeenth Infantrw Together the Second and Seventeenth " labored patientl\- and harmoniousl}-." Together the\' " stood firml}", shotd- der to shoulder," on the field of battle. Their dead were buried side by side. The \eterans of each still join hands at the \'early encampment, and thus perpetuate in loving remembrance the heroic deeds of these two bands now im- ited to form one common whole.
Upon the return of the Sexenteenth men from the front, there appeared in Colonel Kent's newspaper the following:
In Memoriam.
••In a distant city, occupied with new responsibilities, the editor of this paper, for the first time, sees a partial list of tlie casualties among the men of the Seventeenth New Hampshire Regiment transferred to the Second and participants in the campaign of 1863.
" It is witli no ordinary feeling of interest and pride that lie has watched the progress of these men, once under iiis immediate com- mand. In thouglit he has shared with them the privations of camp
I20 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
and march, and in thought been with them on the held. At the expira- tion of their time of service, it is but a slight tribute to the patriotism of the living and to the memory of the gallant dead, to bear record of their consistent patriotism and soldierly career.
" He feels justified in doing this, for he has never learned to subdue the keen regret with which he and his brother officers were obliged to part from these men, enlisted for their special command, or to feel the error which occurred when, in the territory assigned for this regiment, eleven hundred volunteers were raised, and but a fraction of the num- ber were allowed to enter the camp ; and that those who did, were, against the most vigilant efforts, obliged, by the urgency of the times, to take service elsewhere.
'• Nowhere could they have gone better than into the regiment that received them. The final order of the colonel discharging them is a handsome tribute to their bearing as soldiers.
" Through the exhausting campaign of July, these men did their full part. On the field of Gettysburg they kept their post with the bravest veterans, and charged with the cool, resistless onset of practiced sol- diers. On that day no men behaved better than the men of the Seven- teenth New Hampshire.
" This eminently glorious campaign was attended with the miseries that war brings in its train. Many of these men laid down their lives as holy offerings upon the altar of their country. Some sickened away from those they loved at home, drawing their last breath amid crowded hospitals ; and others breathed out their spirit amid the roar and clangor of battle. Wherever they died, and however they fell, none fell with his back to the enemy. All earned a soldier's grave, and the grateful memory of their country.
"The time of service expired, the survivors are again scattered among the homes of the state. They will be welcomed with rejoicing, while the tear will fall over those brave ones who have passed beyond the roar of battle to the reward that awaits the patriot soldier. It is little that the pen can compass to express the warm regard and earnest interest which the writer of this article, in common with many others, felt in the welfare of the men of this command ; and it is equally little to award to those who have returned from so honor- able a warfare, the credit which is their due, and to keep ever in memory the services and virtues of those who have fallen. Honor to their memory. No prouder epitaph can be inscribed upon the tablet that marks their final resting place than this :
"They Gave Their Lives For Their Country.''
CHAPTER XXV. The Colonel's Conclusioxs.
Though the mills of GoD grind slowly, Yet they grind exceeding small ; — Though with patience He stands waiting, Vt'ith exactness grinds He all !
Translation — Lougfelloiu.
Asked for a chapter in the histor\- now in preparation, I approach a brief review of some of the incidents of those da\'s covering oin- service, with mingled satisfaction and regret; satisfaction, that tlie stor\- is to be told in tliis authentic and official manner, and regret for the lost hopes attentling our endeaxor ; hopes, subordinated, let us believe, through the exigencies of the times to the public good, and an endeavor plainl\" aiding the militar\' needs then para- mount.
Since the war — save among its own members and the \o\?i\ camaraderie oi veterans, the Regiment has not alwa\-s been understood aright. Indeed, it has been ;;;/Vunder- stood, and sometimes with a pcrsistenc)' and j:)er\'ersit}' not wholl}- agreeable.
At a critical period of militar\- necessity its formation was authori7,ed, territory assigned for its enlistment, and its field oflicers appointed. The necessary complement of a regiment responded. The command was ordered into camp, but many nun xolunteering in its tcrrilor)' so assigned it, — for reasons not heretofore generalh' known or under- stood— were sent to commands numericall)' prior to the Seventeenth, which were so made ef-fectixe, thus tlepleting the Se\'enteenth to an extent making immediaU' muster
122 SEVENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
impossible, leaving its future to the dull delays of lethargic plans never pressed to fulfilment, until as the solution of the problem so unexpectedly forced, its remaining strength was consolidated with another regiment.
I shall not essay the story of the Seventeenth Volunteer Infantrx'. That is done in these pages by one of its officers competent and authorized. It is my privilege and province to bear testimon}" to the excellence of the command, its intelligence, discipline, and willing obedience, and to the cordial regard entertained, each lor all, among its mem- bers ; a regard born of common trials and a common ser- vice.
And so to )'ou, m\' associates and comrades of the brave days of old, and to the people of the state, I bring this contribution.
Although not at the front as a distinctive command, neither the members of the Seventeenth nor the public should forget that it served a valuable purpose and did its duty as valiantly and well as did any regiment of the state. Let me illustrate.
The transfer April i6, 1863, of the men of this com- mand to the Second, enabled that admirable regiment to return to the front with fuller ranks, stronger every way to engage, with the honor and success that attended it, in the Gettysburg campaign.
The assignment of three companies from the territory given it, to the Fifteenth, enabled that regiment to muster and take effective and honorable part at Port Hudson, and the attendant campaign.
The assignment of three other companies from the same district, completed the Sixteenth, and sent it into the hon- orable and successful service of the Gulf campaign.
At this time, the maximum of officers and men for a reg- iment of infantry was 1,046, a number heretofore attained before final muster, but there was also a minimum, on the
THE COLO. VETS COXCLL'S/OXS. 123
attainment uf which, the held niit^iit be mustered and the organization completed. This minimum number was 914.
For reasons elsewhere referred to and the growing diffi- culty of procuring x'olunteers, the Fifteenth mustered with 919 rank and file and the Sixteenth with 914.
Three regiments, the Second, Fifteenth and Sixteenth, reinforced and eciui])ped ior duty by these men origiiiall}' destined for the Seventeenth, were thus enabled to share in the peril, ilut\', and glorx' of acti\'e service, while the or- ganization thus devoted, was able onh" to rejoice in the fame of its more fortunate comrades.
" They also serve, who onl\' stand and w ail ! "
W hen the three regiments thus raised in the autumn of 1862 were projected, a crucial period in volunteering had been reached. Farl\- enthusiasm had subsided, grim reali- ties of prolonged war confronted us. Militarv operations of that vear liad resulted in discouragement, and public sentiment as manifested in the fall elections was not wholly satisfactory.
That product of the war, the substitute broker, and his client, the bountv jumper, were being evolved by the logic of events. We had not begun to recruit the regiments as we did later through this agencv and w ith this material, and for a time it was uncertain just how the forces at the front were to be kept up. (ireat anxietv on this score pre- vailed.
Under such circumstances, the assignment of tcnitorv for these regiments as described b\' Governor IV'rry was made, and the appointment of field officers therein followed.
It must ever stand to the honor of the Third Congres- sional district — thus assignetl as the territory of the Seven- teenth, and for that regiment and its officers — that at this period of doubt and an.xiet}', sufficient volunteers from the best stock of the state responded to make up a full regi- ment ! Xor dors it in the least detract from this rxalled
124 SEP^ENTEENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
record, that under the presumed exigencies of the times, a majority of these men were diverted from their original as- signment, or that the Seventeenth, thus depleted, was un- able to complete its service as designed.
Governor Berry in his memorial to congress in 1892, referring to the colonel of the Seventeenth, uses the em- phatic words — " He zvas co^nniissioiicd to raise a regi- ment^— he did raise a regiment! "
The special order of the Second, read on the field after Gettysburg to the men of the Seventeenth, the records of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth, show how the men from the Third District, and from the Seventeenth Regiment, deported themselves. Surely the fame of the command is secure, through the honor thus awarded.
No effort was spared by the officers to secure assignment to active duty, when in the spring of 1863 it became evi- dent that the regiment would not be filled. The depart- ment was memorialized to order into service as a battalion, as a detachment, to convert into a light battery, to assign ofificers deemed superfluous for such commands to detached or staff duty, so that in some effective way we might com- plete our service at the front.
In the spring of 1863, accompanied by the adjutant, I visited Connecticut to confer with the Honorable Edward H. Rollins — then congressman from the Second District, who was engaged in the political canvass of that state ; the' Honorable Thomas M. Edwards, congressman from the Third District, was repeatedly and urgently memorialized to the same effect. No favorable results ensued and con- solidation with the Second, on the terms set forth in orders elsewhere published, was decided at Washington.
The physique, discipline, and morale of the regiment were early proven to be excellent and so continued under trying conditions. Distinguished from the substitutes and bounty jumpers of a later period, enlisting from exalted motives, for
THE COLONEVS CONCLUSIONS. 125
a patriotic purpose, the men were willing scholars knowing the value of sanitation, proficiency in arms, and rigid disci- pline.
Lieut. -Col. Seth Eastman and Maj. J. IT. Whittlesey, U. S. A., on duty from the war department, left on record emphatic approval of the militar\^ excellence and i)rofi- cienc}^ of officers and men ; approval justified later, 1)_\- their conduct under the severest tests of service.
It is no meaningless laudation to assert that officers, field, staff and line, were well equipped, mentallx' and phy- sically, for their duties. There was no doubt of their abso- lute fitness. The different departments were efificientl}" di- rected and organized, the executive, the comnn"ssar\-, the medical, the musical, were all methodicall}- conducted.
These officers were men of education and position, and familiar with affairs. Some had seen service, some had received militar}' and technical education of a high order, others had served in the militia; all were competent, de- voted, faithful.
The uniform courtesy and good will exhibited b}- all grades toward headtiuarters during the var\-ing and trying period of service, is a matter of gratif\-ing recollection and appreciation.
From the time of entering cam}) the exacting duties of a camp of instruction were prescribed and executed. Setting up the school of the soldier, squad drill, comi)an\- drill, battalion drill, dress parade, were of daily occurrence as proficiency demanded. (luard mount, guartl rounds, tlaiU' inspection by companies, sick call, Sunda\' morning inspec- tion by headquarters, never failed ; the command earl\- showed and later attested the excellence and \alue of this routine.
The morale I hax'e declared admirable. It