Blog in Real Time - May 10, 1861 - Post #15

May 10, 1861.

     Both sides were preparing for war, but what to expect neither side knew. The destruction of the railroad in Baltimore, April 19th, delayed the arrival of troops in Washington D.C. for several days.  Rumors of an attack from Virginia were persistent. President Lincoln despaired, "Why don't they come?" and "I don't believe there is any North."   But on the 25th of April the troops began pouring in.

     In Virginia, May 1st, Maj. Gen. Robert E. Lee, commanding state troops ordered a concentration of volunteers at Harper's Ferry under Col. T. J. Jackson.  Machinery at the rifle factory was to be sent south.  Lee, considered the best officer in the Federal Army by commanding general Winfield Scott, and an opponent of secession, had resigned his military commission on April 18th to return to Virginia.  

     President Lincoln extended the Federal blockade of southern ports south to Virginia and North Carolina.

  Meanwhile in Massachusetts the organization of militia continued with zeal.  The 2nd Marlboro Rifle Company drafts a constitution on May 10th.  The company will muster into the 13th Mass., as Company I.  (Document transcription from the original company field books, courtesy of Mr. R. Humphrey.)

            Marlborough   May 10th. 1861

The company met at there room

for drill.

The committee chosen to draught

the by-laws for the company reported

that they had attend to that duty

And ask leave to report

                                    Moses P. Palmer for the comtt

We who have enrolled our names upon

the volunteer militia enlistments roll

of Massachusetts and have organized

ourselves into a company of Riflemen

agreeable to the Laws of the State.

                  Say one and all

that whereas a certain portion of our

countrymen have rebelled and have

taken up arms against our constitutional

Government and have refused to obey its just

Laws under which they as well as we have

enjoyed so many blessings, that we have so acted

because we fully believe it to be our duty

which we owe to our country to humanity

and to God. And we further say that we do

pledge our lives our fortunes and our sacred

honor to help to maintain and defend the flag

of our glorious union from traitors at home or

foes from abroad, and we do agree to do and submit

to such orders rules and regulations as the Law

requires and such as shall be adopted by the

company under the following by Laws:

Art. 1st,   This company shall be called the Union

                 Rifle Guards, Marlborough.

Art. 2nd.   No person hereafter shall be considered a member

                 of  said company until he is voted in by a

                 majority of two thirds of said company and

                 signs the enlistment and By Laws of the company.

Art. 3rd.    All business of the company shall be

                  considered binding when a majority of the

                  company present shall designate at any

                  regularly called meeting.

Art. 4th.    The Commanding Officer shall preside

                  at all meetings of said company.

Art. 5th.    Penalty for nonappearance at the time

                  appointed for drill or otherwise  - for

                  commissioned officers – one dollar,

                  privates fifty cents. Fines for evening

                  drill excepted.

Art. 6th.    The roll shall be called precisely at the hour of meeting.

Art. 7th.     It shall be the duty of the clerk of the

                  company to record all votes and proceedings

                  at each and every meeting in an orderly

                  book kept for that purpose. All fines shall

                  be collected by the clerk and paid in to the

                  Treasurer of the company and he shall keep a

                  fair record of all fines and for forfeitures in the

                  aforesaid orderly book all fines shall be

                  for the use of the company.

Art. 8th.     There shall be chosen annually a committee

                  of three whose duty it shall be to make

                  all assessments on the company and provide

                  when required and pay out all bills of the

                  company and if any surplus remains it shall

                  forthwith be paid into the Treasurer, and said

                  committee shall draw orders on the Treasurer for

                  any money not otherwise appropriated in his

                  hands.

Art. 9th.     There shall be chosen annually a Treasurer of

                  said company who shall give bonds for the

                  strict performance of his duty. He shall receive

                  all orders from the committee and pay the

                  same when there is money in Treasury.

Art.10th.   There shall be chosen annually a committee

                  to settle all differences between members of

                  the company.

Art.11th.   All assessments of the company shall be made

                 equal on all members of the company. Musicians excepted.

Art.12th.   We pledge ourselves that we will support and

                 obey our officers.

Art.13th.   Any by-Laws of said company may be altered,

                 amended, as abrogated by a vote of two thirds

                 of the members present at any regularly called

                 meeting.

Art.14th.   Any member of said company who shall behave in a

                 disorderly manner while on duty shall be liable to

                 be voted out of said company (provided) that two

                 thirds of the company present shall vote for it.

Art.15th.   Any member may call a meeting of said company by a

                 petition to the commander accompanied by a

                 majority of members.

Art.16 th.  Each and every member shall be held

                 responsible for the damage his uniform, rifle, and

                 other equipments may sustain through carelessness

                 or neglect.

Art.17th.   All uniforms furnished by the town shall

                 be held as company property.

Art.18th.   Uniforms and equipments held as company property

                  shall be used only in the performance of military

                  duties except by permission of the officers of

                  said company, and all said uniforms and equipments

                  of any leaving said company for any cause shall

                  be left with the clerk of said company.

Art.19.    The annual meeting of the company shall be

                  holden on the last Wednesday of May in each year.

NAMES

Moses P. Palmer

David H. Brown

Alfred G. Howe

Samuel D. Witt

Samuel W. Fay

Issac B. Crowell

Frank J. Wood

Edwin Diel

William Baker

M. L. Lucus

Algenon S. Smith

Lysander P. Parker

Amos C. Morrill

E. R. Emerson

Alexander M. Gilvary

Henry A. Holyoke 1^st

John M. Russell

John S. Felton

Benjamin F. Russell

Francis W. Hastings

Charles W. Whitcomb

W. Frank Brigham

Ald B. Hastings

Rufus Howe 1^st

Cranston Howe 2^nd

John W. Kirby

George E. Dean

Warren I. Stetson

Sylvanus H. Parker

Eugene A. Albee

John F. Klenert

Joseph Hall

Franklin Stetson

James Gleason drummer

William W. Willis

Charles S. Parker

Francis H. Stowe

Otis Chose

Eugene J. Holyoke 2^nd

Origin B. Williams

Samuel T. Shattuch

Millard S. Williams

William A. Alley

Harrison Chose

Gerhart Gentner

John P. Peebles

C. C. Weight

Charles H. Cotting

John L. Spencer

Benjamin J. Whittier

Albert Taylor

William Cossroy

John F. Rose

George F. Smith 1^st

James C. Fox

John F. Wright

George T. Brigham 2^nd

George O. Grady

Charles Scott

Lowell P. Parker

Owin Beane

Edward H. Mosher 2^nd

Ariel Crosby

Edward E. Bond

Levi Taylor

William Barnes

George Brown

Lowell S. Wheeler

Theodore H. Goodnow

G. M. Brigham

Nathaniel B. Tryham

Benjamin Parker

Theodore L. Makan

George Minek

Michael Murphy

William H. Wight

Elery E. Goodwin

John M. Pierce

Moses P. Rice

George H. Tuckey

Henry A. Mowry

Thomas L. Bryant

William M. Weeks

Osceola V. Newton

Patrick Lavell

Davis P. Howard

Peter Flynn

Charles Stone

John McIntire

George H. Moore

Charles T. Love

Benjamin G. Hallet

Albert F. Holmes

Thomas Boyd Jr.

Charles M. Tales

                               Marlborough, May 10th 1861

The company met at there room and

on motion voted to choose a committee

of three to meet the town committee and

assertain if they intend anything and what they will do toward providing

for the familys of those who enlist to

serve as soldiers during the present war.

Chose                      A. S. Smith

                                S. D. Witt

                                Geo. F. Smith

                            Said committee

Blog in Real Time - May 7, 1861 - Post #14

May 7, 1861

The 2nd Militia company in Marlboro continues to organize.      (Document from the original company Field Books, courtesy of Mr. R. Humphrey).                            

       Marlborough, May. 7th, 1861      

    The company met at there room in the

Exchange building.

    on motion voted to choose a committee

of three to see the committee chosen

 by the town to assist volunteers

and see if the company can have

uniforms at the expense of the town.

     Chose.   Captain.  Moses P. Palmer

                    Lieut.     David L. Brown

                        “         Alfred G. Howe.

            Said Committee.

on motion voted to choose a committee

of three to draught some by-laws for

this company.

      Chose.     Lieu   Alfred G. Howe

                       Capt   Moses P. Palmer

                                  Wm. Barnes

            Said committee  

Blog in Real Time - May 6, 1861 - Post #13

May 6, 1861

Marlboro, Massachusetts


     The town of Marlboro Massachusetts had a rifle company, "Marlboro Rifles" which tendered their services to the Federal Government, and which was mustered into the 13th Mass. as Company F.  

From "Three Years in the Army" by Charles E. Davis, Jr.

Company F

     Company F had the honor of being the oldest chartered company in the regiment.  It was organized in 1819 as the Marlboro' Rifles, and continued its organization without interruption until it became a part of the Thirteenth Regiment.  During all this time its armory was located in the town of Marlboro'.

     For several years  prior to 1861 it was known as Company A, First Battalion of Rifles, the other companies being Company B from Sudbury and Company C from Natick;  the latter being assigned to the Thirteenth and known as Company H.  The battalion was commanded by Major Ephraim Moore, of Sudbury.  Major Moore died in March, 1861, and was succeeded by Captain Henry Whitcomb, of the Marlboro' Rifles, who was elected major of the battalion.

     On the 25th of June the First Battalion of Rifles was ordered to Fort Independence.  The Sudbury Company was disbanded.  The officers of the Marlboro' Company, which became Company F, were:

Captain......Abel H. Pope.

First Lieutenant.....John T. Whittier.

Second Lieutenant....... Charles F. Morse.

Fourth Lieutenant..... Donald Ross.

note:  This rifle company has continuous lineage dating back to December 3, 1660.  Today the unit is still in existence, known as the 125th Quarter Master Company, Massachusetts Army National Guard.


Formation of a second Marlboro' Company
     There was interest in raising a second rifle company in Marlboro.   A record of the organizational meetings is provided from the original books which were carried by this company in the field during its 3 years service.  Mr. R. Humphrey shared the transcript with me.

                                      Marlborough May 6th 1861                                                             

                         

In compliance to General Orders

from Headquarters the company

met at the town hall for the choice

of officers.

     Major Jonathon Ladd Presiding.

After the roll was called: the company made

choice of the following officers.

          Moses P. Palmer.       Captain.

          David L. Brown         First Lieutenant.

          Alfred G. Howe         Second   “

          Samuel D. Witt          Third      “

          Samuel W. Fay           Fourth    “

                              Wm. Barnes, Clerk.  

Blog in Real Time - May 5, 1861 - Post #12

Fort Warren - Early May, 1861.

The origin of "The John Brown Song."

It will be remembered the 2nd Battalion of Rifles, or "The Tigers" occupied Fort Warren, Boston Harbor on April 29.  It was from this time that the famous "John Brown Song" developed.  George Kimball of the "Tigers" explains. 

GARRISON DUTY AT FORT WARREN.

     In time of peace garrison duty is doubtless very dull music, but with a great war opening and events daily transpiring which excited their enthusiasm to the highest pitch, the 250 men of the Second Battalion of Infantry found life at Fort Warren exceedingly pleasant. The fort was comparatively new and had never before been occupied by troops. Piles of rubbish of every kind incumbered not only the spacious parade ground, but every casemate and every nook and corner was filled with it.  So we set to work with a will to put our house in order and had manual labor galore.  Twas interesting to see professional men, merchants, clerks and others as busy as bees with shovel and wheelbarrow and broom, while song and jest and heartiest laughter rose continually as an accompaniment.

It was out of these conditions that the famous "John Brown Song" sprang, and If the "Tigers' had done nothing else to help the cause of the Union, this song alone would have been sufficient to entitle them to gratitude, for it is impossible to overestimate the effect it had all through the war as an inspirational force upon the armies in the field. It was pre-eminently the song of the war, and was sung in camp and on the march with a heartiness and dash that I never saw equaled in the case of any other.  It even invaded England after performing its mission in this country, and was almost as popular there as it had been here.  Mr Richard Grant White, in 1886, said that the song had "a certain rhythm, or lilt, which seizes upon the memory and bewitches without always pleasing the ear," and that "the alternate jig and swing of the air caused it to stick in the uneducated ear as burs stick to a blackberry girl." As I said in my previous letter in The Journal, we had a soldier in the battalion named John Brown.  We were ready to seize upon everything that promised fun, and so guyed Brown unmercifully because of his name. He was a jolly Scotchman and entered heartily into the nonsense.

     There were many good singers among us, Brown himself being one.  Then there were Newton J. Pernette, James H. Jenkins, Charles E. B. Edgerle,. James E Greenleaf, Gordon S. Brown, Louis N. Tucker, Caleb E. Niebuhr, Henry J. Hallgreen Brooks and many others that I do not now recall.   We sang all the popular songs of the day and many favorite hymns.

I belonged to the Boston Young Men's Christian Association before my enlistment and boarded with L. P. Rowland, the Librarian, Rowland one day brought down fifty copies of The Melodeon, a collection of hymns compiled by the late Rev. J. W. Dadmun.  I distributed these.  One of the hymns in the book then very popular was – “Say. Brothers, Will You Meet Us.”  The first verse was as follows: 

“Say. brothers will you meet us,

Say, brothers, will you meet us,

Say, brothers, will you meet us,

On Canaan's happy shore.

CHORUS.

Glory, glory, hallelujah,

Glory, glory, hallelujah.

Glory, glory, hallelujah.

For ever evermore.”

 We sang this hymn a great deal, both while at work cleaning up rubbish and during the long evenings in barracks. As I have said, we often guyed our Scotch comrade on account of his suggestive name, and some of the wags finally hit upon the idea of making parodies in his honor (?) upon the above hymn, thinking, probably, that this might "rattle" him, but it didn't —he took it good-naturedly, as he did everything else, and even helped us along.

I cannot say whether any lines used at the fort eventually became parts of the song as sung by the army beyond "John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave," "He's gone to be a soldier in the army of the Lord," and "We'll hang Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree," but am certain that these three did. We had to quicken the music of the hymn a bit to make it conform to our doggerel rhymes, but the grand old chorus was unchanged.

I have no copy now of "The Melodeon," but have "The Revivalist," a collection of hymns arranged and published by Mr. Joseph Hillman of Troy, N. Y., in 1872, and this contains "Say, Brothers, Will You Meet Us."

It may seem odd that such prominence should be given to the statement that the old martyr had "joined the silent majority" and that his body was "moldering in the grave," but this came from frequent emphatic denials, playfully made, that our Scotch laddie was actually with us. We would say. "Why. you're dead,"  “Your body is moldering in the grave," etc., and from this kind of nonsense finally sprang the beginning of the song. Then it grew.

     There was a germ of inspiration in the idea that John Brown "had gone to be a soldier in the army of the Lord," and this, with the glorious chorus, together with the fact that the music was just right for a marching air, made it immensely popular.  Major Newton and others thought that it would be better to commemorate the services of some distinguished soldier, and "Ellsworth's body" was tried, but it would not go.

     Greenleaf was organist of a church in Charlestown, and he naturally had much to do with the early arrangement of the notes of the song.  Mr. C. S. Hall, an acquaintance of Mr. Greenleaf, often visited the fort, and becoming interested in the song, he took hold with his friend to see what could be done with it.  Mr. C. B. Marsh also helped, and the result was the composition of additional lines and the issue of the production as a penny ballad, on common printing paper, surrounded by a pretentious but inartistic border.   It bore this imprint: "Published at 256 Main street, Charlestown, Mass."

     Later, Mr. Hall issued a more elaborate copy, giving both words and music, and headed it with a cut of the national bird. It bore the words, "Origin. Fort Warren," and "Music arranged by C. B. Marsh."  At the bottom was the imprint, as before, and a statement that it had been "Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1861, by C. S. Hall, in the Clerk's office of the District Court of Massachusetts." I have ascertained by inquiry of the Librarian of Congress that the date of this copyright was July 16. 1861.

Mr. Abram E. Cutter of Charlestown has well-preserved copies of each issue, the first of which he thinks he purchased directly from Mr. Hall.

     When the song was growing fast, the Twelfth Regiment, raised by Fletcher Webster, came to the fort, and it took the men of that organization by storm, as indeed, it did every body of soldiers that ran up against it.  Pernette, Edgerely, Brown, Jenkins and myself finally joined the Twelfth.

     The Eleventh came to the fort, and later the Fourteenth (afterward First Heavy Artillery), and the song became popular with both these organizations.  Everybody knows how later it spread throughout the army.

     Poor John Brown, who bore our pleasantry so good naturedly, possessed the love and esteem of all his comrades.   He found a watery grave in the Shenandoah River on the 6th of June, 1862, at Front Royal, Va. While on picket across the river, opposite the camp, the bridge was carried away by a sudden rise of the stream, and to save themselves from capture the detail tried to cross on a raft. The raft went to pieces, and Brown was drowned, the rest being rescued.

I have given the origin of this famous song somewhat in detail, because there has been so much needless discussion about it. Everybody who was in Fort Warren in 1861 and every Bostonian who remembers the opening of the war knows that it originated substantially as I have stated.

Blog in Real Time - May 4, 1861 - Post #11

May 4, 1861


Letter of James F. Ramsey


Fort Warren  May 4, 1861.
Dear Mother  I received the bag after I had sent you the letter   I thank you for the cake and apples  I do not
care much about the cake because we have very good meals.  I am getting along very well and think soldiers life agrees with me.  Two companies of the Webster regiment arrived yesterday.  Alonzo Haley belongs to one of the Companies and is here,  the men in our battalion do not like to go with the men in the Webster regiment they hold them at arms length there are some Irish among them.

I have not much time to write now  Give my love to all  kiss Hugh for me  Good by
      from your son,
             J.F. Ramsey

Blog in Real Time - May 2, 1861 - Post #10

May 2, 1861

Letter of James F. Ramsey
James F. Ramsey was serving with the 2nd Battalion at Fort Warren. 

Fort Warren  May 2d 1861

Dear Mother   I received your letter and was glad to hear from you and I hope you will write often  I will write every day if I have the materials.  Please send father's bag with my rubber coat, two towels, a pair of stockings, a comb, a lead pencil, and a revolver case.  Carry my things to the Eastern rail road wharf the boat leaves at 10 O'clock AM and 2 1/4 PM the name of the steam tug is the May Queen.  mark the things Fort Warren  2d Battallion V I company C.   J.F. Ramsey.  send some Apples and Maple Sugar some times  I like here very much and I think it agrees with me  I never felt better when we arrived the fort we stacked our arms and went to work  a carrying our beds up to the barracks  most of hte soldiers sleep in one long room directly over our dining hall  there are three long tables one for each company  we have as much coffee as we can drink  we have cold corn beef & cold bacon hot bisquit and bread for dinner  rost beef and soup.  6 O'clock is Reveille signal for the men to rise, all the lights are put out at 10PM  we parade 3 times a day 2 hours at each parade all the rest of the time to ourselves  they mount a guard at 8 Oclock AM each man is relieved every 2 hours  there are three relief guards each man has 16  hours to him self out of 24 hours and all of the next day except 1 hour.  Give my love to all  I served on guard last night.  it was very cold there is nothing to break the wind  be sure and send me some maple sugar   good buy
     your son James.

p.s  Walter Hinds sends his love to the Harts  he would like to have one of the boys come down they are enlisting new recruits every day for another company at the armory.

Blog in Real Time - April 30, 1861 - Post #9

War preparations were zealously pursued by people on both sides.

Tuesday, April 30, 1861
Westborough

     Two hundred ladies, with their needles and thimbles, met at the Town Hall Tuesday morning, April 30, at ten o'clock. After prayer by the Rev. Dr. Arnold, of the Baptist Church, and the singing of a hymn, the different garments, "consisting of four dozen blue-flannel shirts and four dozen pairs gray-flannel drawers," were distributed. The work progressed steadily for four or five hours, until the allotted task was completed.  This work was for the State.  Subsequent meetings for preparing uniforms for the Westborough company were frequently held until the 20th of June.  The result was the thorough equipment of the company (the town furnishing the material, and J.A. Trowbridge, who then had a tailor's shop, attending to the cutting) with uniform, fatigue-suit, havelock, thread-bag, towels, handkerchief, soap, and comb for each soldier.