The 37th 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 mar ...

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 conscript ...

in the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

army 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 ...

History

The regiment was formed in September 1862 at Camp Briggs under Major

Oliver Edwards Oliver Edwards (January 30, 1835 – April 28, 1904) was a machine company executive, an inventor, and a volunteer officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, Edwards moved to Illinois as a y ...

and served until the end of the war in April 1865. Companies A, B, and C were

Zouaves The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated unit ...

units known as the "Tremont Zouaves" under the command of Capt. C.S. Bird. Their uniforms consisted of a dark blue jacket with red trim, a long red wool sash,

chasseur ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army orig ...

trousers of dark blue wool, a red stocking fez cap, and white canvas leggings. The 37th Massachusetts saw action at many battles including Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, including duty in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

after the draft riot. They participated in the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

and the final pursuit and destruction of Robert E. Lee's army. It was formed from volunteers mainly from the far western counties of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, and it subsequently absorbed members of other units (notably the 7th and the 10th Massachusetts) in May and June 1864. The 37th was one of the first regiments to be issued the new

Spencer repeating rifle The Spencer repeating rifles and carbines were 19th-century American lever-action firearms invented by Christopher Spencer. The Spencer was the world's first military metallic-cartridge repeating rifle, and over 200,000 examples were manufacture ...

, on July 15, 1864, increasing their firepower. During service in the regiment a total of 4 Officers and 165 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, and 92 enlisted men were killed by disease. Total 261. During the Battle of Sailor's Creek Virginia, April 6, 1865, Private David Dunnels White of the 37th Massachusetts Regiment, was credited with capturing Confederate Major General George Washington Custis Lee, eldest son of the famed General Robert E. Lee.

References

External links

*{{Internet Archive, 01239881.3164.emory.edu, Recollections of the Civil War: with many original diary entries and letters written from the seat of war, and with annotated references (1912) Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Military units and formations established in 1862 Units and formations of the Union Army from Massachusetts 1862 establishments in Massachusetts