The 9th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was a military unit from
Boston, Massachusetts, USA, part of the
Army of the Potomac during the
American Civil War. It is also known as "The Fighting Ninth". It existed from 1861 to 1864 and participated in several key battles during the war. The unit is an Irish heritage unit, with many volunteers having been born in Ireland.
History
The Ninth Regiment was created on 11 June 1861 under the command of Colonel
Thomas Cass in Boston recruiting primarily
Irish-Americans
, image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png
, image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state
, caption = Notable Irish Americans
, population =
36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...
. Initial funding for the regiment came from
Patrick Donahoe
Patrick Donahoe (born Munnery, County Cavan, Ireland, 17 March 1811; died Boston, U.S.A., 18 March 1901) was a publisher who founded influential magazines for the Irish Catholic community in his adopted country.
Early life
Patrick Donahoe was bor ...
, publisher of
''The Boston Pilot''. Initially barracked at Boston's
Faneuil Hall, they soon were sent to
Camp Wightman
Camp may refer to:
Outdoor accommodation and recreation
* Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site
* a temporary settlement for nomads
* Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
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 ...
in Boston Harbor for training. On 25 June 1861, the regiment received the National Colors and Regimental colors from Governor Andrew and officers of local Irish organizations at Faneuil Hall. The Regimental colors were a green silk flag with the US coat of arms and a scroll saying, "Thy sons by adoption; thy firm supporters and defenders from duty, affection, and choice." On the other side was the Irish Harp and the motto, "The Union must and shall be preserved."
[Coyle, p. 109]
On 30 June 1861, the unit arrived in the
Washington, D.C. vicinity and was welcomed by President
Abraham Lincoln. They remained in the vicinity of
Arlington Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The count ...
performing picket duty and built a fort on the
Potomac River called
Fort Cass after their commanding officer. As a unit of the Army of the Potomac under the command of Major General
George B. McClellan, the regiment moved south with the rest of the Army in pursuit of the Confederate forces.
The 9th Massachusetts were armed with .69 caliber smoothbore muskets and used them all through the campaigns of 1862–63. In the fall of 1863, shortly before the Mine Run Campaign, the regiment was reequipped with Springfield rifles.
On 26 June 1862 the regiment participated in the
Battle of Mechanicsville
The Battle of Beaver Dam Creek, also known as the Battle of Mechanicsville or Ellerson's Mill, took place on June 26, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, was the first major engagement of the Seven Days Battles during the Peninsula Campaign of th ...
, about six miles from
Richmond Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
which resulted in a
Union Army victory and more than 2,000 Confederate casualties. The next day the regiment was assigned to hold the bridge over the mill creek in the action that later became known as the
Battle of Gaines Mill. The regiment was told to hold the bridge pending the arrival of two supporting regiments. The support troops were delayed in their arrival new and the Ninth Regiment successfully repelled several Confederate assaults on the bridge. The supporting troops, including a regiment of New York Irishmen, the 63rd New York eventually arrived, but by this point the opposing forces had built their strength and the Ninth was unable to hold the bridge. Eventually the Confederate forces led by General
James Longstreet
James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps ...
and General
Ambrose Powell Hill
Ambrose Powell Hill Jr. (November 9, 1825April 2, 1865) was a Confederate general who was killed in the American Civil War. He is usually referred to as A. P. Hill to differentiate him from another, unrelated Confederate general, Daniel Harvey Hi ...
, broke the Union line forcing the Union Army into retreat. The Ninth Regiment brought up the rear of the retreat fighting a rearguard action against the opposing forces. The Union Army lost 6,000 killed or wounded in this battle and the Ninth's casualties totaled 252 men.
The Ninth participated in the
Battle of Malvern Hill on 1 July 1862 as part of the
Peninsular Campaign waged by the Union Army intending to capture the city of Richmond. The Ninth Regiment held the hill and prepared it to withstand a siege by the Confederate Army. Supported by five US Navy gunboats on the nearby
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
, and benefiting from favorable geography and extensive defensive preparations, the Union Army withstood repeated charges inflicting heavy casualties on the Southern forces. It was in this battle that Colonel Cass received a mortal wound in his face and mouth that eventually took his life. When Colonel Cass fell in battle, command of the Ninth was assumed by Acting Lieutenant Colonel Hawley. Colonel Hawley was subsequently wounded in the same action, and command fell to Acting Major, Captain O’Leary. The unit's casualties were very heavy; along with losing their two top commanders, roughly half the regiment was put out of action, totaling 166 men. Colonel Cass died in Boston Massachusetts on 12 July 1862 and was buried with full military honors at Mt Auburn cemetery. Today, a statue of the Colonel stands in the
Boston Public Garden.
Following the death of its commander, Colonel
Patrick Robert Guiney
Patrick Robert Guiney (15 January 1835 in Parkstown, County Tipperary, Ireland – March 21, 1877 in Boston) was an American Civil War soldier.
Early life and career
Patrick Robert Guiney was the second and eldest surviving son of James Roger Gu ...
took command of the regiment on 4 August 1862. At this point the Ninth took its place in the newly formed
Army of Virginia under the command of General
John Pope. The regiment participated in the
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...
, which resulted in a decisive defeat for the Northern Army. News of the defeat at Bull Run so shook the inhabitants of
Washington, D.C. that plans were made to abandon the city before the arrival of the Confederate Army. At his urging, General
George Brinton McClellan
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, American Civil War, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate ...
was given command of the Army of the Potomac and led the army to
Antietam Creek near
Sharpsburg, Maryland on 17 September 1862 where they successfully engaged General
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...
's army.
The regiment subsequently played supporting roles in the
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...
and the
Battle of Chancellorsville. On 2–4 July 1863 the regiment was assigned to hold the strategically important position of
Big Round Top
Big Round Top is a boulder-strewn hill notable as the topographic high point of the Gettysburg Battlefield and for 1863 American Civil War engagements for which Medals of Honor were awarded. In addition to battle monuments, a historic postbellu ...
during the
Battle of Gettysburg. With the help of substantial stone breastworks, the regiment successfully withstood several assaults by the Confederate Army, taking casualties of 15 killed, wounded, or missing.
The regiment received orders on 30 April 1864 to meet the enemy under the command of General
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
. The regiment participated in the
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...
in Virginia which resulted in the wounding of Colonel Guiney in the eye. Command of the regiment fell to Lieutenant Colonel Hanley. Along with Colonel Guiney, the regiment suffered casualties of 138 men.
The 9th Massachusetts declined to renew their enlistment term in the spring of 1864.
It suffered more severe losses at the Orange Turnpike, losing 78 men killed and wounded. The regiment continued to fight at North Anna River and Bethesda Church near Cold Harbor with light losses. On 10 June 1864, the Fighting 9th withdrew from the field and was transported to Boston Harbor, arriving on 15 June. The regiment was mustered out of the Army on 24 June 1864.
Following the battle, the regiment mustered out of service and returned to Boston on 15 June 1864. Soldiers who had elected to renew their enlistment terms were transferred to the 32nd Massachusetts. Following a welcoming parade and banquet at Faneuil Hall, the men of the regiment were mustered out in a ceremony on
Boston Common on 21 June 1864 and the regiment was disbanded. According to Miller's
Photographic History of the Civil War the regiment had killed/mortally wounded 15 officers and 194 enlisted men with an additional loss of 3 officers and 66 men by disease.
Photographic History of the Civil War Volume 8,p.69
/ref>
See also
* List of Massachusetts Civil War units
Units raised in Massachusetts during the American Civil War consisted of 62 regiments of infantry, six regiments of cavalry, 16 batteries of light artillery, four regiments of heavy artillery, two companies of sharpshooters, a handful of unattach ...
* Massachusetts in the Civil War
Notes
References
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External links
9th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment
9th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry
* ttps://irishamericancivilwar.com/tag/9th-regiment-massachusetts-volunteer-infantry/ Irish in the American Civil War – Before the Reaper's Sickle': The 9th Massachusetts at Gaines' Mill
{{American Civil War , expanded=CTCBS
Military units and formations established in 1861
Military units and formations disestablished in 1864
Units and formations of the Union Army from Massachusetts
1861 establishments in Massachusetts