Camp Cameron Poem

DAN SULLIVAN

Another description of the buildings at Camp Cameron.

Here is a description of the non-barracks buildings from the Boston Herald, June 12, 1861, page 4. The land was originally George Hayes' farm. The contractor who built the camp was Leonard Day and he employeed about 150 men. At this date the field was covered with its spring crop of grass that was being mowed. Buildings for Colonel and staff, 30 feet by 50 feet, Commissioned officers, 40 by 30, Bands, 20 by 30, Commissary stores 40 by 20, Hospital, 30 by 30, Guard House, 30 by 40, Cook House, 40 by 60. Sinks and water closets were also planned. Over 200,000 feet of lumber was used.

DAN SULLIVAN

Merry belated Christmas, 29th Regiment, CO. H

On Christmas day 1861 CO H of Charlestown left Camp Cameron for Charlestown. They attended services at the First Baptist Church, where Rev. Mr. Gardner preached. From there they went to City Hall for a Christmas meal, attended by about 250 people. After dinner Capt. Sibley was presented a sword, sash, belt etc... and a check for $100.00 for a military uniform. Several other officers also received presents. Rev. Mr. Ellis also donated $100.00 to be paid after the war to the private who showed the most bravery.
The festivities went on late into the night.

DAN SULLIVAN

Boston Traveler, Dec. 26, 1861, page 2

Happy Thanksgiving 1861. 28th Regiment Camp Cameron.

The Nov. 20 1861 Boston Daily Advertiser ran a story looking for Thanksgiving donations to the Quartermaster of the Twenty-Eighth Regiment. On the 22nd the Boston Traveler ran a story from Wm. H. Bullock, "Colonel Commanding Camp Cameron", thanking  all the ladies and gentlemen of the area who donated materials to the soldiers Thanksgiving dinner. Of the "over 900 men on Thanksgiving day, there was not a single case of intemperance or insubdination, and not one man in the guard-house?"

DAN SULLIVAN

Josiah Fitch Murphey of Nantucket

I recently read "The Civil War: The Nantucket Experience" by Miller & Mooney.  It includes selections from the memoirs of Josiah Murphey. Murphey enlisted as a replacement for the 20th Reg, (CO I) in 1862. From Nantucket he was sent to Camp Cameron for two weeks of training before being sent to the seat of war. He estimated the number of soldiers to be between four & five thousand. The day before he left the number was three thousand recruits, and that is the greatest number I have seen,  but even this number would have been augmented by camp staff and civilian visitors. No matter how you count the population of the small camp it was still a very high percentage of the entire island of Nantucket at that time. The dense population and wide range of nationalities presents made the camp a "hard place." His other observations include, how at that time of high bounty jumping, the camp guard was there to keep recruits in the camp, not to keep intruders out. He also described how every morning you could see several hundred men washing themselves in the Tannery Brook.

DAN SULLIVAN

Union Horse Railroad

The land that Camp Cameron sat on was owned by the Union Horse RR for the first half of its life. In 1862 the company sold the land to Gardner Green Hubbard, one of its directors. after the war a piece of the property, along what is now Mass. Ave, was sold back to the Railroad. They built their car barns on the property. Later when technology moved the RR from horse power to electricity they sold the portion of the land the horse barns sat on. The rest of the property remained a trolley depot, and still does. It went from Union RR, to West End RR, to Boston Elevated RR to MTA and now it is the MBTA. Members of my parents generation called the land the "Car Barns" to the day they died, even though the physical barns had disappeared decades before.  

DAN SULLIVAN

Boys from the Mass 28th get into trouble in Dedham Ma.

A letter from the Adjutant General's Office to Gov. Andrew, dated 1/13/62.
"In compliance with orders, I went on Saturday morning to Dedham and gave to the officer in charge of the county jail the pardons of Patrick Gaines (CO. F & Roxbury) & Thomas Moriarty (CO H & Chicopee), privates in the 28th Regiment, M. V. who had been confined for felony crimes. 
The men were taken to the Camp in Cambridge & delivered to Lieut. Moore. "
The second page of the letter is missing so it is not signed and  no mention is made of what the crimes were. The events in the letter would have been 1/11/62. Who knows how much time these two men would have spent in jail if the regiment was not leaving the state?


DAN SULLIVAN

Woburn, MA recruits for the 28th Regiment.

The Oct. 11, 1861 Woburn Budget reported that a recruiting office for the 28th Irish Regiment had been opened in Mrs. Leathe's building. Mrs. Leathe owned several buildings on the corner of what is now Main St. and Montvale Ave, (Then Rail Road St). She lived in the one right on the corner, with businesses also in it, downstairs. Since it is refereed to as Mrs. Lathes building I would give that one the best odds. (The one with the red awning) The current building went up in 1979. It is right across the street from the Civil War monument.

DAN SULLIVAN

Errors on the Camp Cameron Historical Marker.

These mistakes are more of a reflection of the lack of information and the contradictory nature of a lot of the information that does exist about the camp.

1 & 2:  "Camp Cameron occupied a 140-acre tract along Massachusetts Avenue  between Shea Road and Claredon Avenue that extended up the hill to Holland Street in Somerville."

The first mistake is the 140 acre statistic. This comes from the Cambridge Chronicle. (1) It has also been quoted as 40 (2) & 50 acres. The 40-50 acre number is the right range when you compare it to other places. Look at the map of Cambridge. Compare it to Danehy Park that is 50 acres(3) it is very close. This may not be exact but it is not one third the size of the camp neighborhood. Also if you use one of those internet sites that measure the length of you walk/run and trace the outline of the camp you come out with the 40/50 acre measurement.
The second is that the northern boarder is Holland Street in Somerville. The road shows up on the period map of the camp. Holland St did not exist yet. Also The History of the 1st Light Battery described the road on the northern border as the "the Old Lexington Pike,   which crosses Winter Hill and thence over the ridge in Somerville to Arlington." This describes Broadway.(4)
3: "Thirty wooden barracks sheltered about a 1,000 recruits." Fifteen of the building where barracks for enlisted men. The others where a gate house, brig, stables, hospital, cookhouses, and officer barracks. The barracks for just the troop barracks held 100-125 men. Hard Tack And Coffee quotes the 100 number. (5)
A report from the Sanitary Commission quotes 125 enlisted men and non-commissioned officers. It is a very detailed description of the barracks. (6) This puts the troop barracks alone at 1500-1875, then add the commissioned officers.
4: "So Late in 1862 operations were transferred to the security of Fort Independence."  The final troops did not leave (by then) Camp Day until 1/22/63. (7)

(1) Cambridge Chronicle, June 15, 1861
(2) Boston Evening Transcript, June 10, 1861, pg. 2
(3) http://www.cambridgema.gov/CityOfCambridge_Content/documents/danehy.pdf
(4) (3) Story of the First Massachusetts Light Battery, Attached to the 6^th Army Corp. , Andrew J. Bennett, 1886, Press of De Land & Barta, Boston, Ma
(5) Hardtack and Coffee, Billings, John D., 1888, George M. Smith & Co. Boston
(6) Report on condition of troops in the Bostom area.  July 25, 1861, S. G. Howe of the U. S. Sanitary Commission
(7) Boston Evening Transcript, 1/22/63, pg. 3


DAN SULLIVAN

Update on the Watertown, Ma, local History Story

Historical Society of Watertown, Watertown MA

July 18

A rebuttal to the Historical Society's letter. Posted in Boston.com.

Library trustee defends culling of historical volumes, despite public outcry
Posted by Jaclyn Reiss July 17, 2013 10:15 AM
A Watertown library trustee last night defended her board's June decision to move some historical books out of the local library's history room to clear shelf space, despite the uproar it has caused among local genealogy and historical experts.
"There just isn’t enough room," said library trustee Raya Stern in a Town Hall hallway Tuesday night. “This is stuff no one looks at. Not everything in there is valuable to Watertown.”
The volumes are not directly related to Watertown's history. However, the decision has prompted a letter and email campaign by local historians, and brought nearly a dozen protesters to Tuesday's Town Council meeting to rail against the move.
Many said that even volumes not directly related to Watertown could be monumental to historians and genealogists researching in the library's history room. The historians pointed to the valuable nature of many of the volumes, including the journals John Winthrop, an early Massachusetts founder.
"This is some of most important material historically in the Commonwealth," said David L. Smith, president of the Civil War Round Table of Greater Boston. "To get rid of it is outrageous and irresponsible."
The books are being cleared to make space for the Army's Arsenal property cleanup records - which are federally mandated to be housed there - as well as new incoming historical volumes, Stern said.
"This is a federal mandate that was dumped on us," Stern said. “There are no tucked away places in the library to put the Arsenal papers. All our rooms and shelves are being used.”
The non-Watertown materials would either be moved to general shelves in the library, offered to various communities' libraries and historical societies, digitized for online use, or put in the local circulation network, Stern said.
“We’re not throwing anything away,” she said. “We’re just finding other places for them.”
Although the library has offered any of the titles to the Watertown Historical Society, board member Joyce Kelly said the organization does not have room to house the books.
"We believe the library can house both the Arsenal material and the research collection," she said, noting that the Arsenal cleanup documents could likely be digitized faster and easier than any of the research volumes.
Supporters of the historical volumes also worried that since the decision was already made at the library trustees' June 4 meeting, valuable titles could begin disappearing from the history room at any time.
"It took 150 years to put this collection together, and in another month or so, it could all be gone," said Bob Erickson, former veteran's agent for Watertown.
But Stern said the decision, while discussed in detail last month, has been in the works since last fall.
"This policy has been in the works since October," she said, adding that the board will likely uphold their decision. “They can come to our meetings. Some got all excited and now they’re overreacting.”
Stern said the library is still deciding what books to move out of the history room, and said the process is continuous and has no firm deadline.
“We’re working on this constantly,” she said.
The next Board of Library Trustees meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m.

From Historical Watertowns FaceBook page.

DAN SULLIVAN

Video of Possible Camp Meigs officer barracks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97j4sqVUG0w

I have not verified this, nor have I found it referenced anywhere else, so take it as you will. It you Google Earth the address you can also see the side view. If it is authentic then it would give you an idea of the size of the officers barracks at Camp Cameron.


DAN SULLIVAN

Troop Tents at Camp Cameron

I have always suspected that temporary tents may have been brought in for times of over crowding. In rereading Hard Tack and Coffee I came across this "a still larger number found shelter in tents prior to their departure for the field. These tents were of various patterns, but the principle varieties used were Sibley, the A or Wedge Tent, and the Hospital or Wall Tent."

Once again this shows the importance of rereading your sources. You always miss something. 

Watertown Ma. Library Local History Room collection in danger!

This message is from the Historical Society of Watertown's Facebook page.

Please help!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Historical-Society-of-Watertown-Watertown-MA/115394905142815

Watertown Library Local History Room Collection in Danger

Dear Watertown History Enthusiast, July 2013

I’m writing on a matter of concern to many of us here in Watertown. The Library Trustees intend to do away with of a large part of the current History Room collection as the footage of the June 4, 2013 Trustees meeting makes clear. (This is available for viewing at www.wcatv.org as “Library Trustees Meeting” 6/4/13, with the discussion about the History Collection taking place from about 24 min. 30 sec. to 43 min 15 sec.)
The current collection, the fruit of many generations, not only has proven its continuing usefulness, but includes many rare, irreplaceable volumes. It is consulted by locals, people from a distance researching their Watertown connections, and even people from other nations (France, Scotland, etc.) studying New England life. Other institutions, such as lecturers representing the New England Historic Genealogical Society, often recommend this well-rounded resource. The History Collection is not only one of Watertown’s valued assets, but also makes our town a destination.
The stated purpose of the de-accessioning, as stated in the Library Director’s email to Clare Murphy, is primarily to provide space in the History Room for the many binders of paperwork relating to the Arsenal clean-up. To do this, the Trustees decided to remove all “non-Watertown” material, even works about towns that were once part of Watertown’s original territory (such as Weston, Waltham and Belmont), or towns directly settled by Watertown people (Watertown has long been called “the Mother Town.”) Some examples of the towns settled in the 1600s partly by the founders of Watertown are Brookfield, parts of Cambridge, Lexington, Lincoln, Dedham, Hingham, Sudbury, Concord, Wethersfield CT and other CT towns, Newport RI and Providence RI.
Other works on relevant New England topics, such as The Journal of John Winthrop, 1630-1649, which for 350 years has been recognized as the central source for the history of Massachusetts in the 1630s and 1640s, would also be banished from our Local History Room. These books and manuscripts would either be sold, placed in circulation (some are fragile and many are rare and valuable) or offered to the Historical Society.
A good research collection provides background material as well as matter specific to the topic. The Local History Collection Policy, as approved by the Trustees January 7, 2013, includes within its scope “a selection of materials about other towns and genealogical materials about Massachusetts and the United States that relate to Watertown.” The Collection Policy can be read thru this link.http://www.watertownlib.org/sites/default/files/LH%20Collection%20Development%20Policy%20%28Local%20History%29.pdf
The targeted material either refers to the original territory (and thus clarifies what the town records discuss), or else provides information on Watertown-related individuals, families, or events in related locations. History, like the rest of human activity, spreads beyond political bounds (as it certainly did in 1775-1776 when Watertown was the Massachusetts capital and seat of the Legislature). The Arsenal clean-up material can still be stored within the Library (as federally mandated), even adjacent to the History Room, without eliminating so large a part of the collection. 
The recorded discussion on WCATV assumed that much of the target material was available on-line, when in fact few of the titles are. Works that are on-line are often in a form difficult to peruse and even the best are not as convenient as books in hand. Instead of referring from one existing book to another, the advice was for researchers to drive from town to town to consult other local histories (most towns are inaccessible by public transportation), or to request titles through inter-library loan (such reference collections do not circulate at all, much less by inter-library loan).
No one can be expected to understand every scholarly pursuit, but with all due respect, the board of Trustees seems unfamiliar with historical research and unaware of the most productive way to go about it. While the Historical Society has been offered this material, we lack the space and the volunteers to make the books publicly available. We believe that having the intact collection, this valuable and valued town resource, preserved within the Public Library, is of far greater advantage to Watertown.
We hope that the Trustees will reconsider their interpretation of the collection’s value before disbursing a public resource that once gone, would be impossible to reconstruct. Letters, phone calls and meetings with the Trustees/Library Director, voicing our concerns about losing this valuable collection have been fruitless. Now we need the help of Watertown residents who value our town’s important place in American history or simply love our public library.
If you share this concern, we hope that you will voice your opinion. Email your support to me at mkr12y@yahoo.com, or write a Letter to the Editor to the Watertown Tab. Time is fast running out, because the trustees have already voted to allow this disaster to occur and the library director is on board. 
Like the recent debacle in Peru, when an ancient Pyramid was bulldozed by developers, the people may realize that although it is fast and easy to destroy it is impossible to reconstruct. Please call Marilynne Roach at 617-924-3559 with any questions or need for clarification.

Respectfully,
Marilynne K. Roach, President Historical Society of Watertown
Joyce Kelly, Collections Manager Historical Society of Watertown
Clare Murphy, Genealogist Historical Society of Watertown 
Audrey Jones Childs, Vice President Historical Society of Watertown
Ruth Arena, Treasurer Historical Society of Watertown
Mary Spiers, Recording/Correspond. Secretary Historical Society of Watertown
Peggy Anderson, Councilor Historical Society of Watertown
Robert Childs, Councilor Historical Society of Watertown
Jon Spector, Councilor Historical Society of Watertown



DAN SULLIVAN

MAP OF CAMP CAMERON

I adapted this from a map at the Cambridge Historical Commission. It was drawn onto an existing map. It is believed it was intended for the Cambridge City Directory, but never used. It is believed it was intended for either the 1862 or 1863 directory. I have added some features that I have learned. The building at the bottom on North Avenue, now Mass Ave, was referred to as the Gate House & Guard House. The 15 buildings along the dotted town line were barracks. They each held one company. From the history of the 1st Light Battery I know the two buildings above the single row of barracks on the right were the Commissary & Quarter Masters Dept. The other was a Stable. A dirt road ran through the center from North Avenue northward. Behind the barracks ran Tannery Brook. In the late 1800's Somerville and Cambridge submerged it and made it part of the drainage system. Although I have not identified the other individual buildings, I do know they contained officers quarters, at least one other stable, a hospital and a brig. According to the Lowell Courier a line of tents existed along the brook and were used by the cooks. I have also found two references to the buildings being numbered. The Gate House was #1. A member of the 38th Regiment wrote a letter to the Cambridge Chronicle in which he states his company was housed in building #8. Early in the camps history I have found references to men being appointed to command the camp. These appointments lasted only a few weeks with the state shuffling men around and then to the front. As time went on it seems that they fell into a system were the senior officer from the regiments stationed in the camp was the commander. So it is likely that policies changed with every new regiment. Since both of these references to numbered buildings comes from the same period but from two different men it is possible that it was not a designation the buildings had for the full 20 months.


DAN SULLIVAN

Walter W. Nourse's Sword. 38th Regiment.

Sgt. Walter Nourse was 22 when he enlisted in Company F of the 38th. He died of Typhoid Fever in March of 1863. In between he was promoted to Sgt. Major. The Story of the Thirty Eighth Regiment describes him as "the pet of that company, as well as a favorite with the whole regiment."
Last week Cambridge held their annual Open Archives event. At the Cambridge Freemasons I got to see his sword and his application to that group. He was sponsored by his father.
My guess is this was a ceremonial or fraternal sword, maybe even given to him by the Masons.

DAN SULLIVAN

Websites for fans of the Massachusetts 28th Regiment

https://www.facebook.com/groups/28thmass/?hc_location=stream

http://www.28thmass.org/

DAN SULLIVAN

PVT. Michael Driscoll CO F Massachusetts 28th Regiment is captured

Michael Driscoll was my Great, Great Grandfather.

On June 13, 1863 the company marched from Stafford Court House to Dumfries VA. Somewhere near Dunfries he fell out of a march and became a straggler. Because of this he was taken prisoner and confined at Richmond.

On July 19 he was paroled at City Point and held at Camp Parole MD until he was able to rejoin the 28th on  Oct. 5, 1863.

This information comes from my brother Ed's family research.

DAN SULLIVAN 

Company A, Massachusetts First Regiment, Edward Augustus Wild

On April 20, 1861 a meeting was held at the Brookline, MA Town Hall. It was decided to appoint a committee of seven men to organize the recruiting and drilling of companies in the town. They rented a hall for drilling. Jacob Miller who had been a sergeant in the army was found to help. Dr. Edward Augustus Wild was appointed as Captain. Wild was then made Captain of Co. A of the first taking his officers with him. The Governor then told him to fill his new company with the Brooklyn volunteers and to distribute any extra men to the other companies of the first as needed.
From this point the Brookline military Committee stopped recruiting but continued to everything it could for the men from Brookline. They raised money for muskets, and local women made uniforms.


DAN SULLIVAN

From History of Brookline, a memorial to Edward W. Baker, by Curtis, pg 269-270 

Somervilles' "Almost" 38th Regiment Company.

In the summer of 1862, Somerville, Mass. began recruiting a company at Camp Prescott on Prescott Hill. It was near Union Sq. The captain was Fredrick R. Kinsley. A bounty of $125.00 was paid to each recruit and the company was filled on Aug. 7. This group was to be one of the three companies from the 38th to be sent to Camp Cameron. For reason yet unknown, this was changed, the Aug. 19, 1862 edition of the Boston Evening Transcript reported the company had been switched from the 38th to the 39th Regiment. On  September 2 they joined the rest of the 39th in camp at Boxford.

Dan Sullivan 

Spy Pond Hotel, West Cambridge (Arlington) Mass.

http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/46067/ocm30065384.JPG?sequence=3

This link shows the Spy Pond Hotel and its location. Co. "A" of the Sixteenth Regiment quartered at this hotel for part of its time before it went to Camp Cameron. From here it went to Camp White in Watertown and finally to Cameron in Cambridge. The Hotel appears to be at the end of present day Pondview Rd., just of Lake St.

DAN SULLIVAN

Update on Camp White Watertown, Mass.

I would like to thank Marilynne Roach at the Watertown Historical Society for this new information. I now have the exact location for the Spring Hotel and a better idea for the field used for Camp White. 

The above map shows the Spring Hotel in between Church & Spring Streets. 

This map shows the Lothrop property. Camp White was just to the west of it. Howard St. is shown on the far right of the map. It is hard to read, but the street in the lower left is Bemis St. In modern Watertown Bemis St. is not near the Charles River. This means it has been renamed. On the larger map this street crosses the river. Today Bridge Street does that in about the same spot. It is either the same street or a new bridge was built in the same area. Using these two streets for perspective I would guess that the camp was in the area of todays police station. 

I also learned today that the troops drilled at what would become Whiting Park in a few decades. 

These maps are from: 

http://vc.lib.harvard.edu/vc/deliver/advancedsearch?_collection=maps

DAN SULLIVAN 

(It appears that the Whiting Park references I found had been mistakes) 5/6/13

Thomas N. Drawbridge

Thomas N. Drawbridge, of N. Chelsea Mass. First Massachusetts Regiment CO. H. This photo is from the Hopkinton, Mass. G.A.R. Hall. C. C. Phillips Lodge # 14. 

This Image courtesy of Digital Public Library of America.

DAN SULLIVAN

The Spring Hotel in Watertown, Mass.

This is a photo of the Spring Hotel in Watertown, where the Co A of Cambridge & Co K of Watertown had their meals while they were encamped in Watertown.

Dan Sullivan

The Evolution of the Massachusetts Sixteenth Regiment.

For several reasons the Sixteenth is my favorite regiment of all the ones that went through Camp Cameron. The individual companies have individual personalities, and unlike most regiments, this one was not limited to just ten companies.

Company A: Cambridge, Shortly after the attack on Fort Sumter  a company began to form in East Cambridge. By 9:00 of the first night it was fully recruited, but only 77 would  make it into the company.Samuel W. Richardson was appointed Captain. They were sent to the Spy Pond House in West Cambridge, now Arlington Mass, in that first week. This was a hotel that housed the company until mid-July. Company A named it Camp Shepard after a Cambridge council member. The city paid .50 cents a day per member to support them. From here they moved to Camp White in Watertown. Also known as the Cambridge City Guard.

Company B: Holiston, it does not appear that this company had a temperary town camp before it reported to Camp Cameron. It was organized on May 3, 1861. The 1862 Massachusetts Register states that the members had to "Found" himself until the company went to Cameron. The town provided each recruit with a uniform and their fellow citizens provided the officers with a sword, sash and belt. Also known as the Winthrop Guard. Its Captain was James M. Mason.

Company C: Groton, This group was formed in South Groton on May 4, 1861. Their first home was a Harmony Hall, until July 2. Also known as the Union Guard. Itas Captain was Leander G. King.

Company D: Concord. This company was disbanded by July 6, 1861 and replaced by a company from Lowell. Its Captain was John B. Moore.

Company D: Lowell, these men were organized on April 19 and moved to Cambridge on July 8. They were also known as the Hill Cadets.  Its Captains were Capt. Proctor &  Thomas O'Hare.

Company E: Framingham. This company was also disbanded. it would have been led by Captain Charles R. Tidd. It was replaced by a company from South Reading Mass. S. Reading is now known as Wakefield.

Company E: South Reading. This group was organized on May 3. It had a long battle to recruit and stay together, but it did survive when other companies did not and reported to Camp Cameron on July 8. It was also known as the Wiley Light Infantry. Its Captain was John Wiley 2d.

Company F: Lexington. This company was at first commanded by Gen. Chandler. It soon fell on hard times and its muster roll dwindled. It was at first disbanded and then the state countermanded that order. On July 2 Captain Charles Robinson Johnson reported to Camp Cameron with what men were left.

Company G: Woburn. This company had trouble recruiting from the start. What men it did recruit often left to join other organizations. Early on they had turned down to invitations from New York Regiments. On July 5, 1861 they had only 27 men, by the 19th it had dwindled to 18 men willing to serve for three years. An attempt was made to recruit in other towns but the company was disbanded. They did not give up though. When Woburn heard that a new vacancy was created at Camp Cameron they sent a Mr. Miller ti speak to Lt. Col. Meacham of the 16th. Two versions of what occurred next exist. The Woburn paper refer to Meachum as a "good Soldier." Miller talked to him and Meacham told him that since he did not yet officially have his commission he could not approve the Woburn company. Miller would have to travel to the State House.  Meacham told Miller that the Woburn company could replace Co. I. On arriving at the State House Miller discovered that Meacham's commission had just arrived. He was given it to deliver to Camp Cameron. Timing was not in his favor. By the time he arrived back to Camp Cameron the Newton company had arrived and Woburns' second attempt at the 16th was lost.
The second version of this storty lies within Parker's History of the Twenty-Second Infantry. Parker states that Meacham gave Woburn no encouragement because "persons unfriendly to the enterprise had been there." The truth is most likely a combination of both stories.
Their Capt. was Timothy Winn and they were also known as the Woburn Phalanx.

Company G: Lowell.  Organized on April 29. In Lowell they were encamped at Camp Holton which later became known as Camp Chase. They moved to Camp Cameron on July 8. Their first Captain was E. James, he was replaced by Thomas O'Hare. They were also known as the Butler Rifles.

Company H: Waltham. This group was organized on April 30 at Rumford Hall, the then town hall with a recruiting office on Main St. Both Rumford Hall and the town common were used to drill.  It took less than a week to obtain full strength.  They moved to Camp Cameron on June 29. There captain was Gardner Banks, brother of Gen. Banks. They were also known as the Waltham Volunteers.

Company I: Newton. This is another company that had trouble recruiting. Most of the men being recruited at Camp Cameron. It was disbanded because it was believed they would not be needed and then reinstated.
Daniel H. Miller was the captain of the original company. The new Co. I first listed George H. Teague captain and then Henry T. Lawson as captain at Camp Cameron. They were also known as the Newton Guards.

CO K: Watertown. This group was organized on May 5. They encamped at Camp White. Co A joined them there for a time. This was a field "located on the southerly side of Main street, a short distance above Howard street in the direction of Waltham, a broad, open field just west of the premises occupied by Mr. Lothrop." Each day the company marched to the spring hotel for its meals. They left for Camp Cameron on July 2. Their Captain was Henry C. Lindley. They were also known as the Watertown Volunteers.

On top of all this at one time an Irish company from Lawrence Mass. was also headed for this regiment for a short time. This puts 14 individual companies in the regiment at different times. Plus Newton & Lexington being disbanded and then being restarted, plus the Woburn company was disbanded but made a second attempt to get in on its own.

This is a great example of the problems of Civil War recruiting. Companies were formed by towns and would not go into a state camp until they obtained 60 recruits. If the 16th had so many companies having trouble reaching the 60 man mark, why disband them? Why not just combine them into one or two full companies?


DAN SULLIVAN

BRASTOW JUVENILE ZOUAVES

This group was most likely a High School Fife and Drum Corp. They were named after local hero and politician George O. Brastow of Somerville, Mass.
They enter into the history of Camp Cameron on July 24, 1861. This was the day of a flag presentation to them "by the young ladies of Spring Hill." It was a flag made of elegant silk, with stars and stripes and tastfully decorated. The ceremony was held at the home of Mrs. J. B. Hanson of Park St., Somerville. A spirited speech was made by Miss S. Alice Wakefield. The yong mens leader Walter Colburn also made a speech  which was well received by the parents. The ceremony was concluded with the young men parading around the property and then partaking in a meal. after the meal they marched to Camp Cameron and performed for Col. Wyman and the officers of the 16th Regiment. (1)


DAN SULLIVAN

(1) Boston Evening Transcript, July 25, 1861, pg. 3

Maine Troops at Camp Cameron

Early in my research I read about how busy the Boston area was with troop movements. I think it was in the book "Hardtack and Coffee." It mentioned how in the early days of the war, when Washington was desperate for troops it seemed like you could see troops in Boston every day. First were the troops who were training in the area, secondly were the troops marching into Boston to take either a train or a steamer south. The author mentioned how this was not just Massachusetts troops but how troops from northern New England would often take a train into Boston and need to either transfer to another train in the city or a ship in the harbor. This made me think that not all the troops might be able to schedule that on the same day and some may have slept at Camp Cameron. I quickly found out of state troops staying at Faneuil Hall or on Boston Common. I knew Faneuil Hall was often used by local troops and could run out of room. Boston Common is much bigger but what if they arrived on a day with three feet of snow on the ground or below zero temperatures. Camp Cameron and Camp Meigs seemed like the most likely places to turn to. It took a long time but I have found one time when this happened.
According to the Dec. 18, 1861 Boston Evening Transcript 221 recruits from the state of Maine spent the night at Camp Cameron. They shared the camp with the Mass. 28th, Co H of the 29th and Co. E of the 32nd under the command of Capt. Brady.
Since the Maine troops consisted of 99 men from the Maine 2nd,  96 from the 5th, and 19 from the 6th they most likely were replacement troops for those regiments. Since these numbers do not add up to 211 and the next evenings paper reports that Capt. Brady arrived in New York with 250 men I would guess that some rounding may have happened to arrive at a nice round 250 but that at least six more men from other regiments or officers also were present.

Dan Sullivan

Massachusetts Twentieth Regiment (Maybe)

I found a story in the Sacramento union supplement, quoting a Boston Journal article. It is from Oct. 19, 1861 and states that the Sixth (26th) had left Camp Cameron for Camp Chase in Lowell. With the exit of the old 6th Camp Cameron was left with just "Porter's Battery (1st Light Artillery) and squads of recruits for the Nineteenth and Twentieth Regiment." Other than this story I have found not found any mention of the Twentieth at Camp Cameron. The regiment was organized at Camp Massasoit, Readville Mass., and left the state a few weeks before the 26th.  At the time of the 26th's departure Camp Cameron did hold the 1st Light and the 19th's Band but it also housed the 28th. Some of the smaller groups have left very few pieces of evidence. Is this a clue of another regimental band or is it simply a typo? The story ran in Sacramento almost a month after the fact and was second hand from another paper. At this time in history type needed to be set by hand and one character at a time. It would be easy to make a mistake. This situation adds to the possibility. First the story was set in Boston, was a mistake made at the Boston Journal? Is the story so late because a copy of the paper was mailed to California? If so was a mistake made in transcribing it into the  Union? Was the story telegraphed to the west coast? If so a mistake may have been made in entering it into Morse code, writing it out at the other end or simply bad hand writing.  Was 20th supposed to be 28th? The 28th was a whole regiment, and had been in camp a month by the time the 26th left. It would have been recruited to a decent size. It is unlikely it would have been forgotten.   Still the next time I go to the State Archives I will look into this to see if some small part was left behind. One clue that it may have been the band is the fact that the 19th & 20th encamped together outside of Washington. (According to the Massachusetts Register #94)   Would it have been simpler to keep the two bands together to make transportation easier?
This is a good example of needing to be conservative in making judgments about believing everything you read. You take it in, you weigh it against your other evidence and you keep looking for more facts.

Dan Sullivan 

Massachusetts Eleventh Regimental Band

The July 1, 1861 Boston Evening Transcript reported that the when the regiment left for the seat of war the band remained behind. Three recruits sick with the measles stayed with them. The men in the band were left with four days rations so they would have left soon after the rest of the regiment.

DAN SULLIVAN  

Massachusetts 32nd Regiment Companies A, C & E

The Thirty-Second Regiment has three connections to Camp Cameron. The Regiment as a whole was an out growth of the First Battalion stationed at Fort Warren.
Company A of this group received at thirty one men from Camp Cameron sometime in Nov. 1861. They had come to Fort Warren via Hingham, Mass. with Lt. Charles Dearborn of Salem.  At the fort this company was under the command of Captain Luther Stevenson, Jr. of Hingham, Mass. Company C was mostly if not entirely recruited at Cameron. The November 11, 1861 edition of The Boston Evening Transcript stated that 96 men where at the camp for Co. C and Captain Jonathan Pierce.
When the state decided to enlarge the 1st Battalion into a full regiment, Company E was recruited at the camp. They entered the camp on DEC. 13, 1861 and left on Dec. 24, 1861 to join the rest of the regiment at Ft. Warren.  Being mustered in on the 17th. They were under the command of Capt. Cephas C. Bumpus.


DAN SULLIVAN

Melrose Public Library, Local History Room

The library in Melrose, Ma. has a great local history room. Besides books on general regional history, they have a very good Civil War collection. Many regimental histories, a few Grand Army of the republic volumes, books on the war in general, Butlers book, Melrose, Massachusetts, New England and Geneology books etc. One cool collection is from the Barry family. These are letters to and from members of the family who enlisted plus a collection of letter to and from family members left at home. One piecethat realy stands out is Royal Pierce Barrys' uniform coat. He served in the 45th, CO "D" that went through Camp Miegs in Readville, MA. One of his letters mentions how Readville was so much cleaner than Camp Cameron.

DAN SULLIVAN

John H. Chipman Jr. G.A.R. Post # 89

http://garpost89ma.tripod.com/

This is a great web site dedicated to the memory of the Beverly Mass. Grand Army of the Republic Hall.
Included in its information are some bios of the members with some photos. Three, Thomas N. Drawbridge, a Pvt. in the 1st Regiment CO "H", George V. Bowden, a Pvt. in the 1st Regiment, CO "C" and George W. Fray who was alsi a Pvt. in the 1st, CO "H" were at Camp Cameron. Check out their pictures.


DAN SULLIVAN

A recruit from the 28th celebrates in Winchester Mass.

The Oct. 25, 1861 Woburn Budget relates this story.
The previous Saturday evening a member of the 28th took a furlough and visited Winchester. After getting very drunk he went downtown and gave a speech on the merits of enlisting and the dangers of puppies. "He called upon all patriotic citizens to rally for Meager! rally for Corcoran! enlist under the "Star Stangled Banger," and march on to victory!" Eventually the constable was called who brought him to the vestry at the enginehouse. While in captivity he became indignant  and accused his captures of being "sessionists, traitors, and other rebellious folk, but in spite of his protestations he was safely housed."


DAN SULLIVAN 

Massachusetts 1st Regiment diary captured at Bull Run

The July 28, 1861 edition of the New Orleans Daily True Blue published a story of how a local soldier took a diary off a dead Massachusetts recruit and sent it home. Neither soldier, North or South are named. The Southerner is referred to as "H" and belonging to the LA 7th. 

The diary entrees are from Camp Ellsworth on Fresh  Pond in Cambridge. This could only be the MA First.

Here are the entrees.

May 16 - Enlisted in the Fusiliers. (Independent Fusiliers, CO "G", of Boston)

May 23 - Sworn into United States service by Lieut Amory.

May 24 - Alexandria taken - Col. Ellsworth shot by the secessionists.

June 1 - Marched to Camp Ellsworth, fresh pond in Cambridge - very long march. 

June 2 - Firtst day in camp; a very noisy and busy day; at a dress parade morning and afternoon.

June 11 - Ran the guard; went to the city to class-meeting - very good time. (another recruit at Ellsworth mentioned how the officers would dress as enlisted men and try to run the guard. A Camp Cameron soldiers also talked about "French Leaves."

June 14 - In the city and at the rehearsal.

June 15 - Started for the seat of war, five miles march to Boston.

June 16 - Arrived at Jersey City; met father, mother, uncle and cousin Alice; had a collation in the depot.

Bull's Rub, July 18 - This diary was suddenly brought to a close this day, by a musket ball from the Louisiana Seventh regiment. 

DAN SULLIVAN

Michael Driscoll 28th Massachusetts Regiment

Michael's parents were Irish emigrants. His parents left Ireland for Nova Scotia. He was born in 1826-27.  He moved  to Boston by 1850. Here he would meet and marry Hannah Smith who was born in Ireland and came to America sometime after 1827. They would eventually settle in North Cambridge, MA. The Driscolls would have four children, Elizabeth, Ellen (Nellie), Thomas (Tom Dick) and Hannah.
Michael is listed as a laborer. In North Cambridge this most likely meant he worked in the brick yards. Neither Michael or Hannah were literate so we have nothing in their own words. Young Hannah was born on either Sept. 10 or  Oct. 11, 1860. Sadly she would live just over a year. On Sept. 28. 1861 she passed away of Cholera Infantum.
I do not know if it was simply a difference in customs between America and the old country or the fact that the Driscolls were so poor they could not afford to act otherwise but on Oct. 5, 1861 Michael was brought before Judge Ladd of the Cambridge Police Court for violation of the Registration Law. He  buried his little Hannah with out going through an undertaker and obtaining a permit from the Cambridge Clerks office. The grave digger on duty at the North Cambridge Catholic Cemetery tried to stop him to no avail.  He pleaded guilty and the fine should have been $2.00 - $20.00. No record survives of the sentence, not a small amount at the time.
Just a few weeks later, on Oct. 28, Driscoll enlisted in the 28th, an Irish regiment. I think these two events are related. I have read of other instances were men enlisted out of grief, guilt or some other trauma. Another possibility is money. They were already poor. Now they may have been under the weight of both doctors bills and a court fine. I think the most likely reason is Judge Ladd. Ladd had a history of passing sentences that amounted to pay the fine or enlist.
The 28th was recruited at Camp Cameron and left the state for further training at Ft. Columbus in New York on Jan. 11, 1862. Much of his time was spent in Hospital duty. After suffering a hand wound at the Battle of South Mountain he made an Ambulance driver. While the 28th was chasing Lee toward Gettysburg he fell out of the march and was captured near Dunfries Va. He was paroled and eventually returned to his regiment on Oct. 5, 1863. He re-enlisted after his initial three years and was mustered out at the end of the war.
He returned home to Cambridge. His war wound would never completely. This made it difficult for him to use his right hand for the rest of his life.
In 1884 he purchased what would become 120 Reed Street, just two blocks from "Old Camp Cameron".  At the time of the purchase the he could see the property of the camp from his new front porch.  Even though he would pass away of stomach cancer the following year his family would live in that house until 1999 and on a portion of the property for several years after that. A sign on the corner of Reed and Dudley Streets remembers their time on the street.

DAN SULLIVAN

Camp Cameron closes!

Like most camps through out the Union, Camp Cameron was plagued with a bounty jumping problem. Soon after Hannibal Day assumed command of the Boston area he petitioned Washington to close the camp. He was given it if he saw fit with the right to replace the camp with either Ft. Independence or Ft Warren on the Harbor.
First he needed to wait until the lease ended on Nov, 21, 1862. He then had to find a new home for the Southern prisoners  at Ft. Independence. Because of this the Army stayed at Cameron until Jan. 22, 1863. On that date the final 75-100 recruits were transferred to Boston. Counting Camp Ellsworth,  this ended almost 21 months of military recruiting and training in the area.

Whenever the reasons for closing the camp came up the practice of bounty jumping is given. I have come to believe that this is only part of the reason. Bounty jumping was also practiced in camps that did not close. Desertion was exaggerated at Cameron by the lack of a fence. Fences though not universal in the camps were not unheard of. What was the difference between this camp and other camps that stayed open and those that had erected fences? When the regular army took over other options were now available. Yes, they had a problem with desertion. Yes, a fence could have lessened this problem. The Army had other facilities in the area, namely the harbor forts and they were not far away. Even without the problem of bounty jumping Camp Cameron may have seemed redundant. It was an expense to rent when they already owned other bases. The harbor forts where crowded so it is possible that the army did not go into this already thinking of closing the camp.  Discussion of this did begin quickly. (3) It may not have been a predetermined result, but why would the army want to continue an extra expense to maintain a property that was not working well when other option where at hand. This only becomes clearer when you consider that they would have to incur more expense to improve the camp by building a fence. Remember the forts by their very nature already had walls around them. Hannibal Day also had an office in Boston so the Fort Independence would have been closer.


DAN SULLIVAN