The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-03-23
THE FIRST TROOPS.
A Comrade Claims that Massachusetts Got
There as Usual.

Comrade Claims that Massachusetts Lot
There Usual
cut from THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE of Feb.
the following:
"Will you kindly inform me in your columns
which were the first volunteer troops mustered
into the e. S. service, at what place were they
mustered, and on what date, for the suppress
sion of the rebellion of 1861 ?-AN OLD SUB
scRIBER.
"TTo attempt to answer this question posi-.
lively would be to provoke far-reaching con-
troversy; for there were a great many organl-
cations mustered i'll about the same time. we
presume that the honor can be fairly claimed
for the District of Columbia volunteers, who
were mustered in as early as the Sth of April,
when it was finally determined that the rebels
would open fire on Fort Sumter. Objection
will be made to this that they do not technl-
cally come under Lincoln's call of April To-
which formally opened the war. This is a
question that the comrades will have to fight
out among Observation-Disclosures NATIONAL
TRIBUNE. |"
/ am not going to fight with anybody, for
there is nothing to fight about. As you init
mate, the District of Columbia volunteers
are not in it. You might as well make the
claim for the whole Regular Army that enlisted
previous to April Is, 1862. They volunteered,
l. e.. were not drafted but of course nothing
before Llncons call can be counted on, because
Lincolns cal! formally declared that there was
a rebellion. and called for troops to suppress 1t.
Under Iincoln's call of April 10, Massacku.
sets furnished the first troops, shed the first
blood got to Washington first, had the first
troops on the sacred soil of Virginia at Fort
Monroe and at the Gosport Navy yard, etc.
Daniel Webster said, Massachusetts, needs
no encomium," or words to that effect; but still,
for the enlightenment of comrades who don't
know, I'll tell you little about the service OF
the three. months troops from the old Bay State
The first call for troops was telegraphed by
Senator Wilson, and afterward by the Secretary
OF War; on April 15 1861 Special order No. IA
ordered the 3d. 4th 9th and 9Th regiments to
report on Boston Common forthwith. They
reported on the 10Th. On the 18th the Sd
regiment seven companies and about 45G men
started for Fort Monroe, and arrived there
April 20 at IL IA. m. That same day at $50 p
nj. went OIL board L. S. steamer Pawnee, and
arrived at Gosport Navy yard at p. M; went
shore aud assisted to destroy things. Ihey
found the Merrimac, Germantown, and
Plymouth already scuttled and sinking
Twenty men detailed to mine the dry
dock They arrived back at Fort Monroe at b
a NJ. Sunday, April Il.
The 4th, nine companies and about $40 men,
went same day (17th) by rail TO Fall River,
steamer TO New York, and by same steamer,
State of Maine, reaching there same day, as
did the Sd. Saturday, April 20.
The 9th, IL companies and about $50 men.
went by rail to New York 18th of April, at Z
D. M left New York 18th at II N. ut Phila-
delphia 7 p. m; left Philadelphia a. m. 10Th
of April; went through Baltimore as everybody
has heard, arriving in Washington April 18th
at 5 p. m.
The Sth. 10 companies and 700 men, left on
the 18TH BY rail- at a. m.; 10Th in New York !;
6 D. m. in Philadelphia; left on the Goth for
Baltimore via iPerryvile: Sunday a. m, April
81, at Annapolis; arrived in Washington p. M,
Friday, 26th, after making the historical march
so much written about.
These regiments were mustered into the sery
ice of the United States April is at Boston.
The 5th 10 companies and $50 men, started
Sunday, q, via Fall River and New York;
thence, ut 3 a. III. on the 22d, for Fort Monroe
on steamers Ariel aud DeSoto; arrived at
Fort Monroe IL noon on the 23d: thence on
24th to Annapolis; and on 25th four companies
got into Washington at ~ noon; the other six
marched to Annapolis Junction, 90 miles, and
got to Washington OH the 9th at o'clock.
Cooks Light Battery, lis men, also the
Third Battalion of Rifles, four companies, 800
men, went OH same steamers that the 9th
went on.
1t was lucky for the whole country that our
Massachusetts troops were ready to 20, for the
landing of J. 100 troops at Fort Monroe on Satur-
day, April 90 1861, undoubtedly saved that
very important post to the Government. And
the arrival of the 9th at Washington April 49,
| 1861, undoubtedly saved the Capital. The 9th
were the first troops. armed and equipped that
reached Washington in April 1861, and the
| first that reached there anyway.
| Now as to three-years volunteers. Several
| communications have appeared in your columns
claiming for various commands the honor of
being the first mustered into the service. Pm
sorry for all these, for again Massachusetts,
| takes the cake.
Two companies OF three. years men of Massa-
chusetts troops left Boston May 10 on steamer
Pembroke; arrived at Fort Mouroe May Is,
| and were mustered into the service OF the
| United States May IA. Also four com panies of
three. years men from Massachusetts, arrived at
| Fort Monroe May %. and were mustered in;
| and two companies more arrived at Fort Mon
roe about the Goth of May, and were mus
| tered in.
| The motto of Massachusetts, is "Ense petit
pIacidam sub bertate quieten," and she is always
ready to carry it out.-WILL L. WEIGH, Bos-
ton, Mass.