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
