The 8th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia was a peacetime

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 was activated for federal service 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 ...

for three separate tours 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 regiment consisted almost entirely of companies from

Essex County, Massachusetts Essex County is a County (United States), county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the total population was 809,829, making it the third-most populous county in the stat ...

. The Cushing Guards, established 1775, were Company A based in

Newburyport Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...

. The Lafayette Guards, created 1825, were Company B from Marblehead. Company C, the Sutton Light Infantry, organized in 1805 as the Marblehead Light Infantry, was also from Marblehead. The Lynn Light Infantry, chartered in 1852 was Company D. Company E was the Beverly Light Infantry, organized in 1814. The second Lynn company was Company F, the City Guards, organized in 1814. The

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

unit in the regiment was Company G, the American Guards, first organized in 1788. The third and last Marblehead company was H, the Glover Light Guards, created in 1852 and named in honor of John Glover of the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

. The Salem Light Infantry, Company J, had been created in 1805 and in 1859 had taken up

Zouave 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 ...

drill and were thence known as the Salem Zouaves. The lone non-Essex company was Company K, the Allen Guards, created in 1806, that came to the regiment from

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

County's reorganized old Tenth Militia regiment, and based in

Pittsfield Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

. The unit was one of four Massachusetts militia regiments to respond to Abraham Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteer troops after the

Battle of Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender by the United States Army, beginning the American Civil War. Follo ...

on April 15, 1861. Three

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 ...

of the 8th Massachusetts earned the distinction of being the first troops to report 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 ...

, arriving less than a day after the call. During their first "90 days" term, the regiment mainly served

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 the vicinity of

Elkridge, Maryland Elkridge is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Howard County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,593 at the 2010 census. Founded early in the 18th century, Elkridge is adjacent to two other counties, A ...

, repairing and guarding the railroad line between

Washington, D.C. ) , 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, ...

and

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. Shortly after arriving in Maryland, the regiment briefly occupied the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

, securing that installation and the

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, both of which were believed to be in danger of capture by

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 ...

troops. Many members of the regiment enlisted in the 19th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry after their return to the Commonwealth in July. Almost all of the Salem Zouaves joined that regiment where they , along with the Boston Tiger Fire Zouaves, provided the drill cadre. Almost all the non-commissioned officers from the Salem Zouaves received commissions from Governor Andrews in the 19th. The regiment was again activated in September 1862 for a term of nine months. The 8th Massachusetts was stationed in

New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...

, participated in several expeditions and saw minor skirmishing. The regiment responded to a third call for an enlistment of 100 days in July 1864. During their final term of service, the 8th Massachusetts served garrison duty in and around Baltimore. The regiment did not suffer any casualties in combat but lost 15 men due to disease.

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* * * * * {{refend Units and formations of the Union Army from Massachusetts Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1864

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