The 50th 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 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 one of the 18 Massachusetts regiments formed in response to President Abraham Lincoln's August 1862 call for 300,000 men to serve for nine months. The regiment was recruited in Essex County and rendezvoused for mustering in at Camp Edwin M. Stanton in

Boxford, Massachusetts Boxford is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town's population was 8,203 in 2020. The original town center of Boxford, along with East Boxford and other areas in the eastern part of t ...

. The 50th Massachusetts was assigned to the

Department of the Gulf The Department of the Gulf was a command of the United States Army in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and of the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. History United States Army (Civil War) Creation The department was co ...

under

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 shipped 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 ...

. The regiment saw combat during the

Siege of Port Hudson The siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana, (May 22 – July 9, 1863) was the final engagement in the Union campaign to recapture the Mississippi River in the American Civil War. While Union General Ulysses Grant was besieging Vicksburg upriver, Ge ...

Formation and early duty

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 ...

began assembling at Camp Edwin M. Stanton in Boxford on during the second week of September 1862. The final of the ten companies was mustered into federal service on September 30. Carlos P. Messer, a veteran of the 5th Massachusetts who had commanded a company during the Battle of Bull Run was appointed as colonel and commanding officer. The regiment was issued

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. History Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...

Springfield Model 1842 The US Model 1842 Musket was a .69 caliber musket manufactured and used in the United States during the 19th Century. It is a continuation of the Model 1816 line of muskets but is generally referred to as its own model number rather than just a ...

muskets rather than the more common, and more accurate,

Springfield Model 1861 The Springfield Model 1861 was a Minié-type rifled musket used by the United States Army and Marine Corps during the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as the "Springfield" (after its original place of production, Springfield, Massachus ...

rifled musket. The soldiers of the regiment were somewhat dissatisfied with the older model weapons which were of little use at long range. However, the fact that the regiment was armed with these weapons kept them out of the worst of the fighting during the June 14 assault at Port Hudson as they were used as support troops rather than being part of the advanced assault. On November 19, the regiment departed Massachusetts by rail to Norwich, Connecticut and then took steamships to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. After spending the night at barracks in the city, they marched to Camp Banks on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

which served as a rendezvous for the various regiments assigned to reinforce Gen. Banks's Department of the Gulf in preparation for an expedition against

Port Hudson, Louisiana Port Hudson is an unincorporated community in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located about northwest of Baton Rouge, it is known primarily as the location of an American Civil War battle, the siege of Port Hudson, in 1863. G ...

. Due to a shortage in transport ships, the companies of the 50th Massachusetts were separated and traveled on separate vessels. Company I reached

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

rapidly, arriving on December 14. It was temporarily attached to the 30th Massachusetts until the rest of the 50th Massachusetts arrived. Due to various delays, being held for some time at

Hilton Head, South Carolina Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of Charleston. The island is n ...

, three more companies arrived at Baton Rough on February 1, 1863. Other companies were delayed by leaking vessels. Three companies went aboard a ship in which there was a smallpox outbreak, were quarantined, and did not join the regiment until April 2.

Port Hudson Campaign

On March 14, 1863, the 50th Massachusetts participated in a reconnaissance toward Port Hudson with their

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

commanded by Maj. Gen. Christopher C. Augur. The regiment did not engage in any combat during this reconnaissance and afterward returned to their camp in Baton Rouge. On March 20, the regiment was posted at Winters Plantation, across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

from

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 ...

-held Port Hudson and conducted picket duty there for a week, then returned to Baton Rouge. Apart from the arrival of their final three companies on April 2, and a brief expedition to destroy the Bayou Montecino bridge in

East Baton Rouge Parish East Baton Rouge Parish (french: Paroisse de Bâton Rouge Est) is the most populous parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 U.S. census, its population was 440,171, and 456,781 at the 2020 census. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, ...

, the next month and a half was generally uneventful for the regiment as they conducted guard duty in and around Baton Rouge. The 50th Massachusetts left camp with its

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

on May 12, 1863 about a week before the main body of Banks's forces to serve guard duty near an important crossing of White's Bayou. After Union forces had deployed around Port Hudson for an assault, the 50th Massachusetts moved north to join them on May 26. The regiment took part in the May 27 assault on Port Hudson--their first time in combat. The 50th Massachusetts advanced in line with their brigade over rugged ground strewn with felled trees. Under constant fire from the Confederate

breastworks A breastwork is a temporary fortification, often an earthwork thrown up to breast height to provide protection to defenders firing over it from a standing position. A more permanent structure, normally in stone, would be described as a parapet o ...

, the lines soon became broken. An order to halt was given and after firing in place for a time, the regiment retreated. The regiment lost one killed and three wounded. The Union assault on May 27 failed to take Port Hudson. Union troops attempted a second assault on June 14. During this assault, the 50th Massachusetts supported Union batteries and did not take part in the unsuccessful advance on the Confederate fortifications. Confederates surrendered their position at Port Hudson on July 9 after hearing that the larger stronghold of

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...

had surrendered. The 50th Massachusetts was assigned to garrison duty in Port Hudson were they remained until the end of their service on July 29.

Mustering out

On July 29, 1863, the 50th Massachusetts boarded the steamship ''Omaha'' and headed for home via the Mississippi River. Their voyage was delayed when the steamship went aground on a sandbar, requiring the transfer of the regiment to a different vessel. They reached Cairo, Illinois on August 5 and traveled by rail to Boston, which they reached on August 11. The regiment was mustered out at Camp Lander in Wenham on August 24, 1863. During its service, the unit lost one man killed in action and 88 by disease.

Notes

References

* * * {{American Civil War , expanded=CTCBS Units and formations of the Union Army from Massachusetts Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1863

Formation and early duty

Port Hudson Campaign

Mustering out

See also

Notes

References