Thomas Cass ( colonel ) Colonel Thomas Cass ( 1821 – July 12 , 1862 ) founded and was commander of the 9th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry of the Union Army , which saw extensive service in the American Civil War . Cass was wounded at the Battle of Malvern Hill and died shortly after from his wounds in Boston , Massachusetts . A memorial statue to him stands in the Boston Public Garden . Early life . Colonel Cass was born in Ireland , in Farmly , Queen ' s County in 1821 , and moved to America with his parents , landing in Boston . They settled in the North End of Boston , and after a few years at school , he learned the currier ' s trade . Later , he joined his father in business , became well known as a businessman in the North End , and served with ability on the school committee . He was an active member of the Columbian Artillery , Co . B . , Fifth Regiment Artillery , M . V . M . , and advanced through all the grades in his company to that of captain . Service with the 9th Regiment . Establishment . The Ninth Regiment was created on June 11 , 1861 under the command of Colonel Cass in Boston , recruiting primarily Irish - Americans . Initial funding for the regiment came from Patrick Donahoe , publisher of the " Boston Pilot " . Initially bivouacked at Boston ' s Faneuil Hall , they later camped at Long Island in Boston Harbor . Potomac duty . On June 30 , 1861 , the unit arrived in the Washington , D . C . vicinity and was welcomed by President Abraham Lincoln . They remained in the vicinity of Arlington , Virginia performing picket duty and built a fort on the Potomac River named Fort Cass after their commanding officer . As a unit of the Army of the Potomac under the command of Major General George B . McClellan , the Ninth Regiment moved south with the rest of the Army in pursuit of Confederate forces . Battle of Mechanicsville . On June 26 , 1862 the Ninth Regiment participated in the Battle of Mechanicsville , about six miles from Richmond Virginia , which resulted in a Union Army victory and more than 2 , 000 Confederate casualties . The next day , the regiment was assigned to hold the bridge over the mill creek in the action that later became known as the Battle of Gaines Mill . The regiment was ordered to hold the bridge pending the arrival of two supporting regiments . The support troops were delayed in their arrival , and the Ninth Regiment successfully repelled several Confederate assaults on the bridge . The supporting troops eventually arrived , but by this point the opposing forces had built their strength and the Ninth was unable to hold the bridge any longer . Eventually , Confederate forces led by General James Longstreet and General Ambrose Powell Hill , broke the Union line , forcing the Union Army into retreat . The Ninth Regiment brought up the rear of the retreat , fighting a rearguard action against the opposing forces . The Union Army lost 6 , 000 killed or wounded in this battle and the Ninth Regiment ’ s casualties totaled 252 men . Wounded at Malvern Hill . The Ninth Regiment participated in the Battle of Malvern Hill on July 1 , 1862 as part of the Peninsular Campaign waged by the Union Army intending to capture the city of Richmond , Virginia . The Ninth Regiment held the hill and prepared it to withstand a siege by the Confederate Army . Supported by five Union gunboats on the nearby James River , and benefiting from favorable geography and extensive defensive preparations , the Union Army withstood repeated charges and inflicted heavy casualties on the Southern forces . It was in this battle that Colonel Cass received the mortal wound in his face and mouth that eventually took his life . When Colonel Cass fell in battle , command of the Ninth Regiment was assumed by Acting Lieutenant Colonel Hawley and Cass was removed from the field . Colonel Hawley was subsequently wounded in the same action , and command fell to Acting Major , Captain O ’ Leary . The unit ’ s casualties were very heavy ; along with losing their two top commanders , roughly half the regiment was put out of action , totaling 166 men . Death and burial . The Ninth Regiment was assigned a camp - ground at Harrison ' s Landing , and on 4 July 1862 , General McClellan reviewed the army . On 8 July 1862 , President Lincoln made a visit to the camps , and reviewed the army by moonlight . He died in Boston , July 12 , and his funeral was attended by Lieutenant - Colonel Guiney , Major Hanley , and other men of the Ninth who were home on sick leave . About this time , the men of the Ninth Regiment heard of his death . Colonel Cass was buried with military honors at Mount Auburn cemetery , and his widow and children were the chief mourners . Memorial . Some years after Col Cass ' death , a memorial statue of him was placed in the Boston Public Garden . It was , however , so roundly criticized for its lack of artistic merit that the Society of the Ninth Regiment commissioned sculptor Richard E . Brooks to create a new bronze statue of the Colonel . The new monument was unveiled on September 22 , 1899 . Brooks received a gold medal for the statue underscoring the improvement on the original . This statue may be seen today on the south walk of the Public Garden .