Records (1861) consisting of militia records of organizing committee, recruiting reports, commissary reports, list of companies, contributions, lessons to soldiers.
By April 26, 1861, ten companies had been accepted into the regiment: five from Boston, one from North Bridgewater, one from Abington, one from Weymouth, one from Stoughton, and one from Gloucester. After organization was completed, the regiment was ordered to Fort Warren in Boston Harbor. Three months later it was sent to Harper's Ferry, Virginia, where it guarded the upper Potomac as part of Bank's division.
The Massachusetts Volunteer Militia Record (April 20-May 9, 1861) consists of a volume of material pertaining to the formation and organization of the 12th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, organized and commanded by Fletcher Webster, the son of Daniel Webster.
Items of interest include lists of organizing committees, recruiting reports, commissary records, lists of prospective companies, lists of contributions, and outlines of lessons on marching and drill that were to be taught to the soldiers. Throughout the collection a great sense of patriotic duty to the Union is exhibited. This is evident in a sermon delivered to the soldiers by the regimental chaplain, in a letter sent to the regiment by the mother of one of the soldiers, and in a letter sent to Webster from John Clark. Of particular interest is a clipping from the Massachusetts Register which describes the activities of the regiment from April to July 1861. Also of interest is a letter from Henry Wilson, Senator from Massachusetts, to Abraham Lincoln urging him to accept the 12th Regiment as one of the six regiments from Massachusetts. There is no information in the collection as to the activities of the 12th Regiment after July 7, 1861.
Purchased by the J. Y. Joyner Library
Processed by R. Weaver, March 1972
Encoded by Apex Data Services
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