United States Regiments & Batteries > Massachusetts > 1st Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
The 1st Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment lost 8 officers and 134 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 78 enlisted men by disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.
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1861
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| May 23 | Organized at Boston.Companies A, B, G and H mustered in for three years service.
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| May 24 | Companies D, F, I and K Mustered in.
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| May 25 | Company E “Pulaski Guards” mustered in under the command of Captain C.B. Baldwin. |
| May 27 | Company C “North End True Blues” mustered in under the command of Captain G. Walker.
 Colonel Robert Cowden Colonel Robert Cowden was appointed colonel of the 1st Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. |
| June 15 |
Movement to WashingtonThe 1st Massachusetts left Massachusetts for Washington, DC, under the command of Colonel Robert Cowdin, Lieutenant Colonel G.D. Wells, and Major Charles P. Chandler. It was outfitted in “grey jacket, grey overcoat, drab pantaloons, and grey fatigue caps, trimmed with red cord.” (National Republican (Washington, DC) , June 18, 1861.The regiment travelled on the on the Boston & Providence Railroad and the New Haven, New London & Stonington Railroad to Groton, Connecticut. There they transferred to the steamer Commonwealth to Jersey City, New Jersey. They then travelled by rail on the New Jersey Railroad and the Camden Branch of the Camden & Amboy Railroad to Philadelphia, then the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to Washington. Marching through BaltimoreThe regiment had to march through the streets of Baltimore to transfer to the Washington train. The 6th Massachusetts had been attacked by a mob there two months earlier and most Union units moving to Washington had taken other, more roundabout routes since then. But Colonel Cowden order the men to load their muskets, and the crowd of civilians lining the streets remained silent. The regiment reached and loaded its train without incident, and became the first three years service regiment to reach Washington. |
| June 17 | Arrived in Washington and was attached to Richardson’s Brigade, Tyler’s Division, McDowell’s Army of Northeast Virginia. Duty at Camp Banks, at Drover’s Rest, H. Barnes’ farm on the bank of the Potomac two miles west of Georgetown, D.C. |
| July 16-21 |
Advance on Manassas, Virginia |
| July 16 | The regiment crossed the Chain Bridge across the Potomac at 3 p.m. and arrived South of Vienna at 9 p.m. |
| July 17 |
Occupation of Fairfax Court HouseThe March continued at 6 a.m. to Fairfax Court House, arriving at 1 p.m. They then continued to Centreville, arriving at Piney Branch, three miles west of Germantown, at 5 p.m. |
| July 18 |
Blackburn’s FordContinued the march at 7 a.m. and arrived one mile east of Centreville at Little Rocky Run at 9 a.m. Resumed the march to Blackburn’s Ford on the Bull Run River, arriving around 11 a.m. Companies G and H were ordered on a reconnaissance North of the Ford accompanied by Companies G and I of the 2nd United States Cavalry Regiment. The regiment was involved in a skirmish with Confederates at the Ford. Thirteen men were killed, twelve were wounded, and 10 were missing (which included one of the wounded). |
| July 20 | Richardson’s Fourth Brigade was assigned to the Fifth Division under the command of Colonel Dixon S. Miles. |
| July 21 |
Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)The 1st Massachusetts began the day stationed between Blackburn’s Ford and Centreville. At 2:30 a.m. it advanced to Blackburn’s Ford, where it would be in reserve, covering the crossing. Seven companies were posted one mile north of the Ford, two companies at Grigsby’s Farm South of Centreville, and the last company between the Ford and Centreville. The regiment was not involved in the main fighting on the other side of Bull Run. During the collapse of the Union attack and the Confederate pursuit the regiment lost one man killed and one man wounded. At 5 p.m. the 1st Massachusetts was ordered to withdraw to Centerville. |
| July 22 | The regiment was ordered at 2 a.m. to Fairfax Courthouse, then continued to the Aqueduct Bridge over the Potomac by Noon. Ordered to cross the bridge and continue to Camp Banks, where it arrived around 2 p.m. |
| July 23 | Ordered at Noon to recross the Aquaduct Bridge to Virginia and occupy Arlington Heights. |
| July 25 | Moved to Fort Albany, 200 yards south of the tollgate on the Columbia Turnpike. It was stationed there with Battery G, 1st United States Artillery, and Battery D, 5th United States Artillery. |
| August 13 |
Movement to BladensburgThe regiment was ordered to cross the Potomac at 8 a.m. on the Long Bridge and march to Camp Union in Bladensburg, Maryland. |
| August 16 | The regiment was attached to Hooker’s Brigade, Division of the Potomac, consisting of the 1st and the 11th Massachusetts Infantry, the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry, and the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry, under the command of Brigadier General Joseph Hooker. |
| September 7- October 7 |
Expedition to Lower Maryland. Attached to 1st Brigade, Hooker’s Division, Army of the Potomac |
| October 25-27 | Moved to Posey’s Plantation |
| October 28 | Duty at Posey’s Plantation and at Shipping Point |
| November 14 | Affair at Mattawoman Creek |
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1862
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| March | Assigned to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 3rd Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| April 7 | Ordered to Fortress Monroe, Va., then to Yorktown. |
| April 16-May 4 |
Siege of Yorktown |
| April 26 | Affair at Yorktown (Companies A, H & I) |
| May 5 |
Battle of Williamsburg |
| May 31-June 1 |
Battle of Fair Oaks, Seven Pines |
| June 25-July 1 |
Seven days before Richmond |
| June 25 |
Battles of Oak GroveCaptain Sumner Carruth of Company H was wounded. |
| June 29 |
Savage Station |
| June 30 |
White Oak Swamp and GlendaleMajor Charles P. Chandler was killed |
| July 1 |
Malvern Hill |
| July 2 – August 15 | At Harrison’s Landing |
| July | Captain Edward A. Wild of Company A mustered out to become Colonel of the 35th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. |
| August 15-26 | Movement to Fortress Monroe, then to Centreville |
| August 19 | Captain Sumner Carruth of Companyn H was discharged to become major in the 35th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. |
| August 27 | Bristoe Station or Kettle Run |
| August 28 | Catlett’s Station |
| August 29 |
Battle of Groveton (Brawner Farm) |
| August 30 |
Second Battle of Bull RunThe regiment lost heavily in an attack on the Unfinished Railroad. |
| September – December |
Duty in the Defences of Washington |
| September 1- 13 | At Fort Lyon |
| September 14 – October 20 | Near Fairfax Seminary |
| September 30 | Colonel Cowdin was promoted to brigadier general and given command of a brigade in the Washington defences. His promotion was never confirmed by the Senate and expired in March of 1863, when he mustered out and returned home. |
| October 1 | 1st Lieutenant Napoleon B. McLaughlen of the 1st United States Cavalry Regiment was appointed colonel of the 1st Massachusetts. |
| October 21 – November 1 | At Munson’s Hill |
| November 2-25 | Duty at Fairfax Station |
| November 10-12 | Operations on Orange & Alexandria Railroad |
| December 12-15 |
Battle of Fredericksburg |
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1863
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| January 20-24 |
“Mud March” |
| January – April 27 | At Falmouth |
| February 5-7 | Operations at Rappahannock Bridge and Grove Church |
| April 27-May 6 |
Chancellorsville Campaign |
| May 1-5 |
Battle of Chancellorsville |
| June 11-July 24 |
Gettysburg Campaign |
| July 1-3 |
Battle of GettysburgThe regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Clark B. Baldwin. It brought 384 men to the field, losing 16 killed, 83 wounded and 21 missing. From the monument beside Emmitsburg Road at Gettysburg:On July 2, 1863 from 11 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. the First Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Lieut. Col. Clark B. Baldwin commanding, occupied this spot in support of its skirmish line 80 feet in advance. The regiment subsequently took position in the brigade line and was engaged until the close of the action. Medal of HonorCorporal Nathaniel M. Allen of Company B earned the Medal of Honor at Gettysburg. “When his regiment was falling back, this soldier, bearing the national color, returned in the face of the enemy’s fire, pulled the regimental flag from under the body of its bearer, who had fallen, saved the flag from capture, and brought both colors off the field.” < See Lieutenant Colonel Baldwin’s Official Report for the 1st Massachusetts in the Gettysburg Campaign > |
| July 5 – 24 | Pursuit of Lee |
| July 30-August 1 | Moved to New York |
| August – October 15 | Duty at Governor’s Island Ricker’s Island and David’s Island, New York Harbor |
| October 15 | Moved to Washington |
| October 17 | To Union Mills, Virginia and rejoined Corps |
| November 7-8 | Advance to line of the Rappahannock |
| November 7 | Kelly’s Ford |
| November 26-December 2 |
Mine Run Campaign |
| November 27 | Payne’s Farm |
| December | Duty near Brandy Station |
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1864
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| February 6-7 | Demonstration on the Rapidan |
| March | Assigned to 1st Brigade, 4th Division, 2nd Corps |
| May 3-20 |
Rapidan Campaign |
| May 5 7 |
Battle of the Wilderness |
| May 8-21 |
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House |
| May 12 |
Assault on the Salient at Spotsylvania Court House |
| May 19 |
Battle of Harris Farm or Fredericksburg Road |
| May 20 | Ordered home for muster out. Veterans and Recruits transferred to 11th Massachussetts Infantry |
| May 25 | The 1st Massachusetts Infantry Regiment mustered out on the expiration of its term of enlistment under the command of Colonel McLaughlen. McLaughlen later became colonel of the 57th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. |