History of the 42nd regiment infantry, Massachusetts volunteers, 1862, 1863, 1864

History of the Forty-second regiment infantry, Massachusetts volunteers, 1862, 1863, 1864

This history of the regiment was undertaken by me at the special request of several officers who knew I had written, soon after the term of service expired, considerable matter relating thereto, for my own amusement and instruction. Without this foundation to work on, written when memory was fresh, it is doubtful if a history of the regiment could be written, for references to many soldiers diaries disclosed the fact that nearly all did not contain detailed accounts of events occurring at the time entries were made. Few soldiers thought any memorandum of theirs would ever become useful for a purpose of this kind. Access to the regimental books and files of papers has greatly facilitated this history. I have not been able to write a satisfactory account of Companies C and H on detached service, or of Company K on detached service, in charge of pontoons. I found it impossible to obtain information in a way to be of service. iv I proposed to publish Descriptive Lists of each company of the regiment. Upon investigation, and a comparison of lists in possession of the War Department, the regimental descriptive books, and orders of detail, I found such a marked difference in Christian names and surnames the idea was abandoned; besides, such lists would prove misleading, as many men enlisted under a false age; those who were too young gave in their age several years older than they were, others, too old, made their age to meet the requirements of law. The original Descriptive Lists were made up in a hurried, loose manner, few officers realizing their importance in after years. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 52079
Author: Bosson, Charles P. (Charles Palfray)
Release Date: May 16, 2016
Format: eBook
Language: English