In April of 1862 Lt. Col. Hannibal Day was named General Superintendent of Recruiting Services for Massachusetts and in June he was named Military Commander of the Greater Boston Area. With this, Camp Cameron came under his authority. (1)
By June the purpose of the camp had changed. The main purpose for the camp was no longer the recruiting and training of new regiments. It now served as the camp for recruiting replacement soldiers for regiments already in the field. (2)
This new relationship was not an easy one. Gov. Andrews office and Day did not get along. In the words of Adjutant-General Schouler, Day was "an old officer of the army; but he does not understand our people, and is too aged to learn. He will do nothing that is not in the "regulations." Cannot some discretionary power be given, or are we to "die daily," like St. Paul, by this abherence to the old rules, made when the army of the United States did not number as many men as the county of Middlesex has sent to this war." This was "making recruiting almost an impossibility." Schouler goes on to state that towns received "repulses" & "Vexations" from Day. (3)
In August the name of the Camp was changed to Camp Day. (4)
(1) Special Orders No. 131, War Department, June 11, 1862, NARA.
(2) Boston Evening Transcript, June 10, 1862, pg 4 & History of Massachusetts in the Civil War, Schouler, William, pg 340, E. P. Dutton, 1868, Boston
(3) History of Massachusetts in the Civil War, Schouler, William, pg 425 & 426, E. P. Dutton, 1868, Boston
(4) Cambridge Chronicle, Letters from J. W. W., Co A, 38th Reg. M.V. Aug. 21, 1862
DAN SULLIVAN
By June the purpose of the camp had changed. The main purpose for the camp was no longer the recruiting and training of new regiments. It now served as the camp for recruiting replacement soldiers for regiments already in the field. (2)
This new relationship was not an easy one. Gov. Andrews office and Day did not get along. In the words of Adjutant-General Schouler, Day was "an old officer of the army; but he does not understand our people, and is too aged to learn. He will do nothing that is not in the "regulations." Cannot some discretionary power be given, or are we to "die daily," like St. Paul, by this abherence to the old rules, made when the army of the United States did not number as many men as the county of Middlesex has sent to this war." This was "making recruiting almost an impossibility." Schouler goes on to state that towns received "repulses" & "Vexations" from Day. (3)
In August the name of the Camp was changed to Camp Day. (4)
(1) Special Orders No. 131, War Department, June 11, 1862, NARA.
(2) Boston Evening Transcript, June 10, 1862, pg 4 & History of Massachusetts in the Civil War, Schouler, William, pg 340, E. P. Dutton, 1868, Boston
(3) History of Massachusetts in the Civil War, Schouler, William, pg 425 & 426, E. P. Dutton, 1868, Boston
(4) Cambridge Chronicle, Letters from J. W. W., Co A, 38th Reg. M.V. Aug. 21, 1862
DAN SULLIVAN
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