Enlisted on 4/16/1861 as a Private.

On 4/22/1861 he mustered into “G” Co. MA 6th Infantry

He was Mustered Out on 8/2/1861 at Boston, MA

On 10/18/1861 he was commissioned into “I” Co. MA 26th Infantry

He was transferred out on 11/11/1862

On 11/11/1862 he transferred into TX 1st Cavalry

(date and method of discharge not given)

On 10/15/1864 he was commissioned into Field & Staff LA 1st Cavalry

He was Mustered Out on 12/18/1865

Promotions:

* 2nd Lieut 9/13/1861 (As of Co. I 26th MA Inf)

* 1st Lieut 4/11/1862

* Lt Colonel 10/15/1864 (As of 1st LA Cav)

* Colonel 3/26/1865 by Brevet

Intra Regimental Company Transfers:

* 4/11/1862 from company I to company E (As of 26th MA Inf)

to Boston by Special Order No. 14, issued on the afternoon of

April 15, 1861, from the office of the Adjutant General of

Massachusetts.  At 7 o’clock on the evening of the 17th the

regiment, fully armed and equipped, entrained for Washington.

While passing through Baltimore, Md., April 19, a detachment

of four companies, C, D, I, and L, under Captain Albert S.

Follansbee, was set upon by a mob, and in the street fighting

which followed four members of the detachment were killed and

thirty-six wounded, the first soldiers to fall in the Civil

War.

This regiment was the first to arrive in Washington

completely uniformed and equipped for service.  It was at

first quartered in the Senate Chamber in the Capitol.

Mustered into the service April 22, it was soon transferred to

the Relay House near Baltimore.  In the occupation of

Baltimore and in doing guard duty at or near the Relay House

the regiment was occupied until July 29, when it entrained for

Massachusetts.  Reaching Boston on the 1st of August, on the

following day it was mustered out of the service.

6th Massachusetts Militia Regiment

The 6th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia was a peacetime infantry regiment that was activated for federal service in the Union army for three separate terms during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The regiment gained notoriety as the first unit in the Union Army to suffer fatal casualties in action during the Civil War in the Baltimore Riot and the first militia unit to arrive in Washington D.C., in response to President Abraham Lincoln’s initial call for 75,000 troops. Private Luther C. Ladd of the 6th Massachusetts is often referred to as the first Union soldier killed in action during the war.

In the years immediately preceding the war and during its first enlistment, the regiment consisted primarily of companies from Middlesex County. During its first term of service, four out of ten companies of the regiment were from Lowell, Massachusetts. Colonel Edward F. Jones commanded the regiment during its first term. He later commanded the 26th Massachusetts and was awarded the honorary grade of brevet brigadier general. During its second and third terms of service, the unit was commanded by Colonel Albert S. Follansbee.

The regiment first enlisted for a “90-day” term of service which lasted from April 16 to August 2, 1861. Following their engagement in the Baltimore Riot, the 6th Massachusetts proceeded to Washington and then returned to Baltimore to guard locations within the city as well as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station at Elkridge, Maryland. Their second term of service lasted nine months from August 1862 to June 1863. During this time the 6th Massachusetts was attached to the VII Corps and participated in several expeditions and actions in the vicinity of Suffolk, Virginia, most notably the siege of Suffolk and the Battle of Carrsville in April and May 1863. Private Joseph S.G. Sweatt’s bravery at Carrsville earned him the Medal of Honor. The 6th Massachusetts served a third term in response to the call for troops to defend fortifications around Washington. During this term, which lasted 100 days from July to October 1864, the 6th Massachusetts garrisoned Fort C. F. Smith in Arlington, Virginia and guarded Confederate prisoners of war at Fort Delaware near the mouth of the Delaware River.

Earlier units

The 6th Massachusetts regiment that served during the Civil War was formed in 1855 during the reorganization of the Massachusetts militia. Other units dating back to the 18th century were given the designation 6th Regiment Massachusetts Militia.^[1] They were formed and disbanded at various times and although they shared the same numerical designation, there was no continuous unit known as the 6th Massachusetts. One of the units designated as the 6th Massachusetts was a regiment that served during King George’s War in the siege of Louisbourg in 1745.^[2] During the Revolutionary War, the 6th Massachusetts Regiment was engaged in the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Harlem Heights, the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Saratoga.^[3]

90-day term of service

Preparations

The 6th Massachusetts en route to Washington, April 18, 1861

Shortly after South Carolina issued its Declaration of Secession, Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew anticipated imminent civil war and issued an order on January 16, 1861, to the ten existing Massachusetts units of peacetime militia to immediately reorganize and prepare for active service.^[4] Colonel Edward F. Jones was the first militia commander to respond to the Governor’s order. His letter indicating the regiment’s readiness, dated January 21, was brought to Boston and read in the Massachusetts Senate by then state Senator Benjamin F. Butler.^[5]

On April 15, 1861, three days after Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter, President Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 volunteers to serve in putting down the insurrection. The call was relayed by Governor Andrew to the existing regiments of Massachusetts militia the same day. Eight companies of the original 6th Massachusetts (one from Acton, one from Groton, two from Lawrence, and four from Lowell) gathered in Lowell on April 16 and proceeded to Boston.^[6] That night, the men of the 6th Massachusetts barracked in Faneuil and Boylston Halls.^[7] The next morning, April 17, three companies previously belonging to other Massachusetts militia units (one from Boston, one from Stoneham, and another from Worcester) were added to the 6th Massachusetts to form a regiment of 11 companies total. Thus composed entirely of existing volunteer militia companies, the 6th Massachusetts was made up of volunteer soldiers.^[8] The regiment proceed that day to the State House, where Governor Andrew presented regimental colors to Colonel Jones. The 6th Massachusetts departed Boston for Washington via railroad at 7 p.m. on April 17.^[9]

Baltimore riot

On April 19, 1861, the 6th Massachusetts boarded train cars in Philadelphia in the early morning hours and departed for Washington via Baltimore. Before the end of the day, the regiment saw combat during the Baltimore Riot. The date was the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord which began the American Revolution.^[9]

Although Maryland remained in the Union, secessionist sentiment and support for the Confederacy was widespread in that state. Colonel Jones therefore expected a violent reception in Baltimore. He was also concerned about the possibility of sabotage to the tracks on the way to Baltimore which might cause derailment and potentially large casualties for the 6th Massachusetts. Jones ordered that a pilot locomotive precede the train that transported his regiment. The 6th Massachusetts arrived safely in Baltimore about 10 a.m.^[10]

Trains passing through Baltimore at that time could not proceed directly through the city without stopping. Southbound trains were decoupled at President Street Station on the east side of the city. Cars were drawn individually along rails on Pratt Street by horsepower to Camden Station on the west side of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, where the trains were reassembled. The initial cars encountered little resistance but soon a growing crowd of Baltimore citizens became increasingly agitated by the passing transports filled with troops.^[11] The crowd attacked the car carrying Company K with stones and bricks and derailed it by placing obstructions on the tracks. Railroad company workers managed to put the car back on track and Company K was the seventh and last company to reach Camden Station by rail.^[12] The crowd barricaded the rails by dumping cartloads of sand and dragging anchors from the nearby docks across them thus preventing further cars from passing.^[11]

Private Ladd of the 6th Massachusetts was the first Union soldier killed in action during the Civil War.

The blockage of the railroad left four companies, numbering 220 men, at President Street Station with no choice but to march through the city to reach Camden Station, slightly more than one mile away. The size of the crowd obstructing their path was estimated at 10,000.^[13] Captain Follansbee, the senior captain, took charge of the detachment. After crossing the Pratt Street Bridge, which had been partially dismantled by the crowd, Follansbee ordered his men to march at the “double-quick.” This roused the crowd further as they perceived the quickened pace as an indication of panic. As well as stones and bricks being thrown, shots were now fired at the 6th Massachusetts from the stores and houses around them. Captain Follansbee gave the order to return fire.^[14]

Seventeen-year-old Private Luther C. Ladd, a factory worker from Lowell, was hit in the head by a piece of scrap iron that was thrown from a rooftop and fractured his skull.^[15] As he staggered, one of the rioters took Ladd’s musket from him and fired, wounding him in the leg.^[16] Ladd died on Pratt Street. He is known as the first Union soldier to be killed in action during the Civil War.^[16][17][18] Four other militiamen were killed or mortally wounded during the riot: Private Addison O. Whitney, Private Charles A. Taylor, Corporal Sumner Henry Needham and Sergeant John Ames.^[18] A total of 36 members of the 6th Massachusetts were wounded.^[19]

A formation of approximately 50 officers of the Baltimore Police eventually placed themselves between the rioters and the militiamen, allowing the 6th Massachusetts to proceed to Camden Station.^[20] The companies boarded the train which quickly got underway for Washington, though the crowd followed the train for some miles attempting to stop it. A total of 12 civilians were killed during the riot and an unknown number were injured.^[21]

Garrison duty

The 6th Massachusetts reached Washington, D.C., on April 19, 1861, the first unit to arrive in response to Lincoln’s call for troops.^[22] A large, cheering crowd welcomed them at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station which once stood north of the Capitol. Among the crowd was Clara Barton who became a famed nurse during the Civil War. At the time a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office, Barton gained her first experience in caring for wounded soldiers as she tended to injured men of the 6th Massachusetts.^[23]

The 6th Massachusetts bivouacked in Monument Square in Baltimore on July 1, 1861, at the close of their second garrison encampment in the city.

The 6th Massachusetts was barracked in the Senate Chamber in the Capitol. The next morning, tensions in Washington were high as rumors circulated of an impending Confederate attack. After reviewing the 6th Massachusetts, Lincoln expressed his anxiety to the members of the regiment, telling them, “I don’t believe there is any North. The Seventh Regiment [New York] is a myth. Rhode Island is not known in our geography any longer. You are the only northern realities.”^[22][24]

In the days and weeks after the Baltimore Riot, newspapers and politicians across the country drew comparisons between the Massachusetts militia who had fought on April 19, 1775, at the start of the Revolution and the Massachusetts troops who fought on April 19, 1861.^[25] Among the 6th Massachusetts were descendants of those Minutemen who had fought in Lexington and Concord in 1775. Due to the coincidence of the date and the ancestry of some members, the 6th Massachusetts was often called the “Minutemen of ’61.”^[26]

The 6th Massachusetts remained in Washington until May 5, when they were assigned to garrison a key railroad relay station about 15 miles outside of Baltimore at Elkridge.^[27] Their presence there helped keep open the crucial rail line from the northeastern states to Washington.^[28] The regiment returned to Baltimore on May 13, when Major General Benjamin F. Butler occupied the city with several Union regiments in anticipation of a Confederate attack on Baltimore which never developed. The 6th Massachusetts marched through the city to Federal Hill, where they set up camp for a short stay of three days. On May 16, the regiment returned to the Elkridge relay station. They served out the majority of their term at the relay station and vicinity, except for a second assignment in Baltimore from June 26 to July 1, 1861.^[27]

The regiment’s return to Boston at the close of their 90-day term was delayed slightly by special request of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks. In light of the recent Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run, in which the 6th Massachusetts did not participate, he asked the regiment voluntarily remain at Elkridge another week in the event of a Confederate advance on Washington. On July 29, the 6th Massachusetts received orders to break camp and boarded trains for Boston which was reached on August 1. The regiment was mustered out on August 2, 1861.^[27]

9-month term of service

Organization and departure

The regiment was again activated for federal service following Lincoln’s call in August 1862 for 300,000 troops to serve for nine months. Seven of the ten original companies returned for the second period of service. Members who had served during the regiment’s first term were not compelled to reenlist. While many did reenlist, considerable recruiting of new volunteers was necessary in order to fill out the companies and thus the roster during the second term was different than the 90-day term.^[29] To complete the regiment, an additional three companies, made up entirely of fresh recruits, were organized. The roster of officers during the nine months term was substantially the same as the 90-day term.^[30] Follansbee, who had assumed command of the detached companies engaged in the Baltimore Riot, was promoted to colonel and commanded the regiment during its second term of service. The unit was mustered in at Camp Henry Wilson in Lowell beginning August 31, 1862. The 6th Massachusetts departed Boston on September 9 on board the steamship Plymouth Rock. Arriving in New York, the regiment traveled by rail through Baltimore and on to Washington. The unit received a very different welcome in Baltimore during their second term and were given a large reception with food and drink and much cheering from the citizens of the city

Col. Edward F. Jones, formerly commander of the 6th Regt. 3

Months.  The nucleus of the 26th first assembled at Camp

Cameron in North Cambridge, and was known as the 6th Regiment,

many of its officers and men having served in the old 6th above

mentioned.  On Sept. 23, 1861, the regiment was transferred to

Camp Chase, Lowell, where it completed its organization as

the 26th Regiment.  The men were mustered in on various dates

during September and October.  Ordered to report to Gen.

Butler, the regiment embarked at Boston, Nov. 19, and on Dec. 3

reached Ship Island in the Gulf of Mexico, where Gen. Butler’s

forces were being assembled for a movement on New Orleans.

Here the regiment remained until the middle of April, 1862,

being assigned to Williams’ (2d) Division

During the last of April, after Farragut’s fleet had

opened the lower Mississippi, the 26th occupied Forts Jackson

and St. Philip.  Early in July the regiment moved up to the

city of New Orleans, where it remained doing guard and provost

duty until the beginning of the following summer.  During the

winter of 1862-63 the 19th Corps was formed, the 26thRegt.

becoming a part of the 2d Brigade, 2d Division.

The first combat service of the 26th Regt. was at La

Fourche Crossing, sixty miles west of New Orleans, where the

Confederates were making a movement toward Brashear City.  Here

five companies of the 26th were attacked, June 21, 1863, by a

force under Gen. Taylor.  The assailants were repulsed with

severe loss  The 26th lost 5 killed and mortally wounded and 8

wounded, not mortally.  Returning to New Orleans on July

15, it remained there until August 28, when it moved to Baton

Rouge to join an expedition against Sabine Pass.  The

expedition was not a success, and by the middle of September

the 26th was back at New Orleans.  Later in the fall it

proceeded again up past La Fourche Crossing through Brashear

City and on to Fort Bisland, at which latter place it rested

until Oct. 3.  Thence it marched to Opelousas, where it

remained until Nov. 1, when it started back, arriving at New

Iberia, Nov. 17, where it remained until the close of the year.

Early in January, 1864, the regiment moved to Franklin, where,

during January and February, 546 men, nearly two thirds of the

regiment, reenlisted for three years.  These men were sent home

on the 22d of March and were furloughed until the Tennallytown

near Washington, it became a part of Birge’s (1st) Brigade,

Grover’s (2d) Division, Emory’s (19th) Corps.

About the middle of August the regiment moved into the

Shenandoah Valley, advanced to Berryville the 16th, then

retired to Charlestown and to Halltown.  Advancing again, on

September 19 it was heavily engaged at Winchester, Va., losing

46 in killed and mortally wounded, including Captain Thayer and

Major Clark. This was the regiment’s heaviest loss in any one

action.

After pursuing the enemy to Mount Jackson beyond

Harrisonburg, Va., the 26th returned to Cedar Creek.  Here just

prior to the battle of October 19, the members who had not re-

enlisted were sent home for muster out.  On the 19th of October

the 26th, now reduced to a battalion of five companies, shared

in the battle of Cedar Creek, losing 30 officers and men, of

whom 4 were killed or mortally wounded.

On October 26, while on duty guarding a forage train,

Lieut. McQuestion and 45 men were surprised and captured by

Confederate cavalry near Newtown, Va.

The regiment remained in or near Winchester, Va., until

May, 1865, when it was sent to Washington and thence to

Savannah, Ga., where it arrived June 8.  It remained at

Savannah until August 26, 1865, when it was mustered out of the

service.  On September 12 it took transport for Boston, and at

Galloup’s Island, Boston Harbor, Sept. 18, 1865, it received

its final payment and discharge.

·       Second Bayou Teche Campaign

·       Battle of Brownsville

·       Battle of Laredo

(2) Blanche Blineau Badger (married 1882)