United States Regiments & Batteries > Massachusetts > 27th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment


The 27th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment enrolled 1,543 men. It lost 9 officers and 128 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 3 officers and 261 enlisted men to disease, of whom 132 died in prison.

1861
Late summer The 27th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was organized in the western part of the state.

  • Company A – Northampton
  • Company B – Athol
  • Company C
  • Company D – Amherst & Hadley
  • Company E – Great Barrington, Lee & Pittsfield
  • Company F – Westfield, Granville, Southwick & Tolland
  • Company G – Chicopee, Northampton & Holyoke
  • Company H – Adams & Williamstown
  • Company I – Ludlow, Wilbraham, Brimfield & Palmer
  • Company K – Springfield
September 20 Mustered in at Springfield under the command of Colonel Horace Clark Lee, a Springfield dry goods merchant,  Lieutenant Colonel Luke Lyman and Major William Walker.
November 2-5 Moved to Annapolis, Maryland, and duty, instruction, and drill there.
1862
January 7-February 7

Burnside’s Expedition to Hatteras Inlet and Roanoke Island

Attached to Foster’s 1st Brigade, Burnside’s Expeditionary Corps

February 8

Battle of Roanoke Island

March 11-13 Moved to New Berne
March 14

Battle of New Berne

March-May Duty at Batchelor’s Creek .
April Assigned to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Department of North Carolina.
June 1 At New Berne
July 24-28
Expedition to Trenton and Pollocksville
July 28 Expedition on Neuse River Road  (Cos. “D,” “G” and “H”).
August Assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Department of North Carolina
September 9 to October 30. Companies “A,” “C” and “I” at Washington North Carolina, and five Companies at Newport Barracks
November 2-12
Expedition from New Berne

Assigned to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Dept. of North Carolina.

November 11 Kinston Road
December 11-20
Foster’s Expedition to Goldsboro

Assigned to Lee’s Brigade, Department of North Carolina

December 14 Kinston
December 16 Whitehall
December 17 Goldsboro
1863
January 4-5 Moved to Washington, North Carolina. Assigned to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 18th Army Corps, Department of North Carolina.
January 27 to May 8 Companies G & H were detached for duty at Plymouth, then rejoined Regiment at New Berne.
February 13 Near Washington.
March 10-13 Demonstration on Plymouth.
March 30-April 20

Siege of Washington, North Carolina

April 4-5 Rodman’s Point  (2 Companies).
April 24 Moved to New Berne.
April 27-May 1 Expedition toward Kinston.
April 28 Dover Road and Wise’s Cross Roads.
May 20-23 Demonstration on Kinston.
May 22 Gum Swamp.
June 5 to October 1

Provost duty at New Berne

Assigned to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Defences of New Berne, North Carolina.

July 4-8
Expedition to Trenton
July 6 Quaker Bridge
July 17-20
Expedition to Swift Creek
July 25-30
Expedition to Winton.
October 16-18 Moved to Newport News, Virginia. Assigned to Heckman’s Brigade, Newport News, Virginia, Department of Virginia and North Carolina.
November 18 To Norfolk. Provost duty there untill March 22.  Assigned to United States Forces, Portsmouth, Va., Dept. of Virginia and North Carolina
1864
March Companies “A,” “D” and “K” at Portsmouth, and “F” at Norfolk till April 15.  Assigned to 2nd Brigade, United States Forces, Portsmouth, Virginia.
March 4-5
Demonstration against Portsmouth
April 13-15 Expedition to Isle of Wight County. Assigned to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 18th Army Corps, Dept. of Virginia and North Carolina
April 14 Smithfield, Cherry Grove
April 26 Camp near Julian Creek
April 26 Moved to Yorktown.
May 4-28

Butler’s operations on south side of the James and against Petersburg and Richmond.

May 6-7

Port Walthal Junction, Chester Station

The regiment lost 5 wounded, while another 50 men were disabled by sunstroke.

May 9-10 Swift Creek or Arrowfield Church
May 12-16

Battle of Fort Darling (Or Drewry’s Bluff, Proctor’s Creek)

Much of the regiment was captured, losing 252 men as prisoners, incuding Colonel Clark and Lieutenant Colonel Lyman. Over 120 of the captured would die in Confederate prisons. Major William Walker took over command of the survivors of the regiment.

May 17 On Bermuda Hundred front
May 28 Moved to White House, Virginia
May 28-June 1. Continued to Cold Harbor
June 1-12

Battle of Cold Harbor

Major William Walker was killed during the main assault on June 3. The regiment lost 22 men killed, 68 wounded, and 4 missing.

June 15-18

First Assault on Petersburg

The regiment lost 13 men killed and 30 wounded. For a time it had no surviving officers on the field.

June 15-August 24.

Siege of Petersburg 

August 24 –
September 17
On Bermuda front.
September 27 Old members mustered out
September 17-21 Moved to Carolina City, North Carolina. Assigned to District of Beaufort, North Carolina, Department of Virginia and North Carolina.
November 28 To Beaufort, North Carolina
December 4 To New Berne
December 7 To Plymouth
1865
January 8-11 Moved to New Berne and duty there. Assigned to Sub-District, New Berne, North Carolina, Department of North Carolina
March 4 Marched to Core Creek. Assigned to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, District of Beaufort, Department of North Carolina.
March 4-12 Movements on Kinston
March 7 Southwest Creek
March 8-10
Wise’s Fork

Most of the regiment were captured. The colors were hidden under a rotten log covered with leaves and grass, and were recovered in April.

March 12 The regiment’s survivors were ordered to New Berne and assigned to guard duty there. Attached to District of New Berne, Department of North Carolina.
June 26 The survivors of the 27th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was mustered out