The 38th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

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 ...

. Companies A, B, and C organized at Camp Cameron in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

in July and August 1862. The remaining seven companies were organized at

Camp Stanton Camp Edwin M. Stanton (usually known as just Camp Stanton) was an American Civil War training camp that existed from 1861-1862 in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. When the camp first opened in 1861 it was known as Camp Schouler, named for Massachusetts Adj ...

Lynnfield, Massachusetts Lynnfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 13,000. Lynnfield initially consisted of two distinct villages with a single governing body. Lynnfield Center comprises mostly ...

and mustered into service from August 20 to 22. Colonel Timothy Ingraham initially commanded the regiment. After two month's

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

duty in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, the regiment embarked for

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, being assigned to the

Army of the Gulf The Army of the Gulf was a Union Army that served in the general area of the Gulf states controlled by Union forces. It mainly saw action in Louisiana and Alabama. History The Department of the Gulf was created following the capture of New Orlea ...

which was commanded by

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Nathaniel P. Banks Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker by background, Banks was prominent in local debating societies, ...

. The regiment saw its first combat during the

Battle of Fort Bisland The Battle of Fort Bisland was fought in the American Civil War between Union Major General Nathaniel P. Banks against Confederate Major General Richard Taylor during Banks' operations against the Bayou Teche region in southern Louisiana. Pre ...

in southern Louisiana. During May and June 1863, the 38th Massachusetts took part in the

Siege of Port Hudson The siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana, (May 22 – July 9, 1863) was the final engagement in the Union (American Civil War), Union campaign to recapture the Mississippi River in the American Civil War. While Major General#United States, Union Gen ...

and the assaults on that city on May 27 and June 14, suffering considerable casualties. After the surrender of Port Hudson on July 9, the regiment participated in the ill-fated Red River Campaign. In July 1864, the XIX Corps, of which the 38th Massachusetts was a part, was transferred to the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and were attached to the Army of the Shenandoah commanded by Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan. The 38th Massachusetts was engaged in several battles of the Valley Campaigns of 1864, mostly notably the Third Battle of Winchester on September 19, 1864 and the Battle of Cedar Creek on October 19, 1864 where they suffered significant casualties. In January 1865, the 38th Massachusetts left the Shenandoah Valley, being transferred to North Carolina. They served guard duty in various locations during the spring of 1865 including Morehead City and Goldsboro. The regiment's 3-year term of service ended in July 1865. Although the war was over, regiments were still needed to serve garrison duty in the South. A portion of the remaining men of the 38th Massachusetts chose to reenlist and were transferred to the 26th Massachusetts. The rest were shipped home and the 38th Massachusetts was mustered out of service on Gallops Island in Boston Harbor on July 13, 1865.Bowen, 588.

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