The 1st Massachusetts Volunteer Heavy Artillery Regiment was a unit that served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It was originally raised as the 14th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

History

14th Mass Infantry

The 14th Massachusetts Infantry began its recruitment in spring 1861, with most of its members coming from Essex County. They were mustered in on 5 July 1861, and left the state on 7 August for

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, where it would serve in its defenses until the end of the year. Colonel William B. Greene, a

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

graduate and a veteran of the Florida Indian Wars, resigned in October, and was replaced as leader of the unit by Colonel Thomas R. Tannatt, who transferred over from the

16th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry The 16th Massachusetts was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 16th Massachusetts was organized at Camp Cameron in North Cambridge, Massachusetts and mustered in for a three-year enlist ...

Reorganization as artillery

On 1 January 1862, the regiment was reorganized and became a

heavy artillery The formal definition of large-calibre artillery used by the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA) is "guns, howitzers, artillery pieces, combining the characteristics of a gun, howitzer, mortar, or multiple-launch rocket syst ...

regiment. As artillery units required more men, fifty additional soldiers were added to each company and two additional ones were formed. They served in several military garrisons around Washington, including forts

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Tillinghast Tillinghast may refer to: * Tillinghast (surname), an English surname * Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston (1867–1938), American businessman, owner of New York Yankees, circa 1915 * Tillinghast Mill Site, a Registered Historic Place in Rhode Island, ...

, Craig, Albany, and DeKalb.

Early skirmishes

On 26 August 1862, the regiment was sent to the front, and was present at the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

, though it did not participate. During the Union retreat from the battlefield, Confederate cavalry overtook the 1st Massachusetts, capturing the surgical staff, the wagoners, and others. The doctors were quickly released, while the others were later paroled. A battalion of two companies were detached (two more joined a month or two later) on 27 September 1862 and sent to Maryland Heights, where they were to serve until December 1863. When the

Union army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

abandoned its position at

Winchester, VA Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...

in June 1863, Company I stayed behind to destroy the guns and ammunition, and 44 men were captured on 10 June. At this time, Company H was covering the army's retreat from

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...

.Higginson, pg. 170

First engagement

On 17 May 1864, many heavy artillery regiments filled in as infantry units and joined the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

as part of Grant's 1864 campaign. In their first real engagement as a regiment, they engaged Ewell's Division at

Harris Farm Engagement The Harris Farm Engagement was a military engagement between the Union Army and the Confederate States Army. The Harris Farm Engagement was a part of the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. The battle was led by Union Major General Winfield S. Han ...

, on the Fredericksburg Road near

Spotsylvania, VA Spotsylvania Courthouse is a census-designated place (CDP) and the county seat of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, located 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Fredericksburg. Recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census designated place (CDP), t ...

on 19 May 1864. In this battle, they lost 55 killed, 312 wounded, and 27 missing.Mass in the War, pg. 726 In reserve during the

Battle of North Anna The Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the North ...

on 23–26 May 1864, losing only 1 killed, they moved on to

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

, losing two members during the trench warfare there from 4–12 June.

Siege of Petersburg

The regiment took part in the assault on Petersburg on the 16 June 1864, and lost 25 killed and 132 wounded. They remained as part of the siege of the city until April 1865. During this time, they were also involved in the

Battle of Globe Tavern The Battle of Globe Tavern, also known as the Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad, fought August 18–21, 1864, south of Petersburg, Virginia, was the second attempt of the Union Army to sever the Weldon Railroad during the siege of Petersburg ...

(or the 2nd Battle of Weldon Railroad), when 185 men were captured when a Confederate offensive flanked the division, and the

Battle of Hatcher's Run The Battle of Hatcher's Run, also known as Dabney's Mill, Armstrong's Mill, Rowanty Creek, and Vaughn Road, fought February 5–7, 1865, was one in a series of Union offensives during the siege of Petersburg, aimed at cutting off Confederate ...

Lee's surrender

Following Lee's surrender in April 1865, the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery returned to Washington, DC and stationed the forts until they were mustered out in August. They returned to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

on the 20th, and were encamped at Gallop's Island until the 25th, when they were paid and discharged.

Complement

Through its four years of service, the regiment had a total of 2552 soldiers in its ranks, consisting of 24 field officers and staff, 111 line officers, and 2417 enlisted men.

Losses

A total of 486 officers and men were lost, 215 of them killed or died of wounds, 115 died by disease or accident, 156 died as prisoners, and four dead listed as MIA.

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

* {{Internet Archive, 01855327.3259.emory.edu, History of the First Regiment of Heavy Artillery, Massachusetts Volunteers, formerly the Fourteenth Regiment of Infantry, 1861-1865 (1917) Units and formations of the Union Army from Massachusetts Artillery units and formations of the American Civil War 1861 establishments in Massachusetts Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865