The 42nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was a

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 ...

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 ...

that served two tours 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 ...

. The unit was first formed in September 1862 in response to President Abraham Lincoln's call for 300,000 men to serve for nine months.

9 months term

Organized and mustered in at Camp Meigs in

Readville, Massachusetts Readville is part of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston. Readville's ZIP Code is 02136. It was called Dedham Low Plains from 1655 until it was renamed after the mill owner James Read in 1847. It was part of Dedham until 1867. It is served by R ...

, just outside of

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 ...

, the 42nd Massachusetts did not depart for the south until November 11, 1862 due to a slow recruiting process and the reassignment of some

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

to other units. The regiment was 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 ...

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, ...

and saw action in Texas and Louisiana. On January 1, 1863, three companies of the 42nd Massachusetts, led by Col. Burrell, took part in the

Battle of Galveston The Battle of Galveston was a naval and land battle of the American Civil War, when Confederate forces under Major Gen. John B. Magruder expelled occupying Union troops from the city of Galveston, Texas on January 1, 1863. After the loss of ...

. These companies were forced to surrender to

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

forces along with other Union troops and were taken prisoner. They were paroled on February 18 and eventually rejoined the rest of the regiment. The various companies were detailed to different locations and took part in

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 ...

and engineering efforts in Louisiana during the spring of 1863. Company K was assigned to the

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

department of the XIX Corps and carried out bridge building and the removal of

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...

s in various waterways. In this capacity, Company K took part in the Expedition to

Bayou Teche Bayou Teche (Louisiana French: ''Bayou Têche'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in t ...

and 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 ...

. The other companies served picket duty in the vicinity of

Bayou St. John Bayou St. John () is a bayou within the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. The Bayou as a natural feature drained the swampy land of a good portion of what was to become New Orleans, into Lake Pontchartrain. In its natural state, it extended much ...

for the first half of 1863.

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Orville W. Leonard, commanding Company C, was instrumental in the establishment of the 1st Louisiana Engineers, an African-American unit commanded by white officers. Most of the officers of the Louisiana unit were enlisted men commissioned from the 42nd Massachusetts. When the first term of the 42nd Massachusetts ended, the regiment left Louisiana on August 8, 1863 and were mustered out at Camp Meigs on August 20. The unit lost four men killed or mortally wounded in action and 46 due to disease during their first term.

100 days term

The 42nd Massachusetts enlisted for a second term of service in response to the call for volunteers to serve 100 days in the defense of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. The first companies were mustered in at Camp Meigs on July 14, 1864. They performed garrison and picket duty in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

and

Great Falls, Maryland Great Falls is a series of rapids and waterfalls on the Potomac River, upstream from Washington, D.C., on the border of Montgomery County, Maryland and Fairfax County, Virginia. Great Falls Park, managed as part of George Washington Memorial ...

and were mustered out of service on November 11, 1864.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Acton Memorial Library Civil War Archives: Forty-Second Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia (Infantry)
* ttps://civilwarindex.com/armyma/42nd_ma_infantry.html Civil War Index: 42nd Massachusetts Infantry in the Civil War {{American Civil War , expanded=CTCBS Units and formations of the Union Army from Massachusetts 1862 establishments in Massachusetts Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1864

9 months term

100 days term

See also

Notes

References

External links