23rd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 23rd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union army during the American Civil War . It was formed on 28 September 1861 in Lynnfield , Massachusetts , though some of the men were not mustered until the regiment ' s arrival to Annapolis , Maryland on 5 December , and comprised 6 companies from Essex County , Massachusetts and 1 each from Bristol , Plymouth , Middlesex and Worcester . An ex - militia officer , John Kurtz , was commissioned its colonel . Service . On 11 November 1861 the regiment left Massachusetts to arrive at Annapolis establishing Camp John A . Andrew and remained there until January of the next year . Thereupon it was made part of Foster ' s Brigade embarking for North Carolina with Burnside ' s Coast Division . The regiment took part in Battle of Roanoke Island on 8 February 1862 and Battle of New Bern on 14 March suffering losses ; among the killed was Lt . Col . Henry Merritt of the regiment . In May 1862 , as three new division s were formed , it became part of 1st Brigade ( Amory ' s ) , 1st Division ( Foster ' s ) . During Summer and Fall of 1862 the regiment was stationed in the vicinity or in New Bern , North Carolina and engaged in 3 skirmishes suffering little loss . On 10 December it was attached to the Goldsboro Expedition engaging the enemy at Kinston on 14 December and White Hall on 16 December losing 16 killed and fatally wounded . Though it ventured to Goldsboro it did not take part in the action at that place . Middle of January to middle of April 1863 the regiment took part in Charleston Expedition becoming part of Heckman ' s Brigade . Upon returning in April it became part of the expedition to relieve Little Washington , Virginia ; in July it was sent to Trenton . On 16 October 1863 the regiment left New Bern and embarked for Fort Monroe where it arrived 3 days later and camped near Newport News . In the early Winter more than 200 men and officers enlisted for 3 years . On 23 January the regiment boarded a steamer bound for Portsmouth where it occupied fortifications not 3 miles away from the city itself . In April it made an expedition to Smithfield where on the 16th it fought and suffered losses . Gen . Heckman ' s 1st Brigade , 2nd Division of the XVIII Corps , known as the " Star Brigade " , was ordered to proceed up James River to Bermuda Hundred . It was engaged at Port Walthall Junction on 6 and 7 May , then at Arrowfield Church on the 9th . On 16 May at Proctor ' s Creek Star Brigade was outflanked in heavy fog resulting in Gen . Heckman being taken captive , 23rd Regiment losing 23 killed , 20 wounded and 51 taken prisoners . Among the mortally wounded was Lt . Col . John G . Chambers . After that battle the XVIII Corps was transferred to the north bank of James where it joined the Army of the Potomac . The command of Star Brigade was given to Gen . George J . Stannard . During the assault on Cold Harbor on 3 June the 23rd lost 10 men killed , 39 wounded and 2 missing . Upon recrossing the river it was engaged in Siege of Petersburg until 25 August losing men frequently due to sharpshooter fire . On 4 September the regiment crossed the Appomattox River and through Bermuda Hundred embarked for New Bern reaching it on the 10th and returning to the trenches on Trent . In late September the men who did not re - enlisted were sent home . Autumn saw the arrival of yellow fever to New Bern resulting also in losses in 23rd . On 8 March 1865 the 23rd saw its last action at Wyse Fork losing 3 killed and 10 wounded . Until May the men remained near Kinston and then were returned to New Bern to provide military police services until 25 June when the regiment was decommissioned . Men received their pay and final discharge upon arriving to Readville , Massachusetts on 5 July . Casualties . Regiment during service lost 218 men – 4 officers and 80 enlisted men killed and fatally wounded and 2 officers and 132 enlisted men by disease . Regimental Association . Regimental association was established at a 1871 reunion electing president , vice presidents , adjutant , treasurer , chaplain and secretary . Its History Committee was tasked with maintaining regimental history and appointing members of each company to gather information relating to each company ' s history . A regimental history book was published in 1886 . Especially the F Company was active in gathering and keeping records – in 1896 it published the history of the company .