August 20. Still dragging slowly along. Arrived at Indianapolis, Ind., at 11 o’clock A. M. Regiment marched to the Soldiers’ Home where a bountiful collation was furnished by the people of the city. James H. Short of Co. B, who was very sick when we left Baton Rouge, was left here in the hospital, he not being able to travel further.
August 21. Arrived at Gallion, Ohio, at 6 o’clock A. M. Could get nothing to eat on arrival, being at so early an hour. Reached Crestline at 6.30 A. M.; Cleveland at noon. Here we met with a very kind reception from the citizens with a good dinner; also the same repeated at Erie, Penn. Reached Buffalo at 9.30 P. M. and received another splendid reception with collation. Here we changed cars and started for Albany at about midnight.
August 22. Arrived at Utica at 10.30 A. M. and were tendered another fine collation spread at the side of the track. Continued on for Albany where we arrived about 4 o’clock P. M.; went at once to the ferry and cars en route for Boston at sunset. Made good time and arrived at Springfield, Mass., at midnight. Here a few minutes were allowed to obtain lunch for which we had to pay a good round price—the first which has cost us a cent since leaving Cairo, and some considerable comment has been made that Massachusetts should be the first to ask her returning soldiers to pay for their rations.
August 23. Arrived in Boston without further incidents at 7.30 A. M. Marched to the Beach Street Barracks where we were served a government ration (which did not compare favorably with the food served out to us by the citizens of the cities and towns through which we have passed on our way home) after which the men were furloughed till September 3, then to report at our old Camp Lander at Wenham to be mustered out.
September 3. Regiment reported at Camp Lander, Wenham, and were mustered out. Casualties during the campaign: Killed and died of wounds, 23; wounded, 73; died of disease, 40; total, 136.
Maj.-Gen. Christopher C. Augur was in command of the 1st Division, 19th Army Corps, to which the 48th Massachusetts was attached and served its whole term of service.
He was born in New York, but was appointed to West Point from Michigan; graduated 16th in the class of 1843 (in which class Gen. Grant was the 21st). He served in the Mexican war with credit, and at the breaking out of the Rebellion was given a commission of Brigadier-General of Volunteers Nov. 12, 1861; was in command of a Division under Gen. Banks in the Shenandoah Valley, and was wounded severely at Cedar Mountain, receiving therefor a brevet of Colonel in the Regular Army; was promoted to Major-General of Volunteers, Aug. 9, 1862, and assigned to the command of the left wing of the army before Port Hudson, retired as full Brigadier-General in the Regular Army in 1885.
Colonel Edward P. Chapin, who commanded the 1st Brigade in Gen. Augurs Division, of which the 48th Massachusetts constituted a part, was the Colonel of the 116th New York. He was a very able and efficient officer, and it was expected that he would rise to advanced rank, but was killed in the desperate assault on Port Hudson, May 27, 1863, and thus the army and the country lost the services of a very promising officer. He was succeeded in the command of the Brigade by Col. Charles J. Paine of the 2d Louisiana Infantry, who remained in command during the remainder of the 48th’s term, and subsequently received the brevets of Brigadier and Major-General of Volunteers.
The regiment, as finally made up, represented all classes. It contained recruits from the best old New England families in Essex and Middlesex, and from emigrants recently from foreign countries. A good example of the former was the late Samuel Hoar of Concord (son of the late Judge E. Rockwood Hoar and nephew of the late Senator George F. Hoar), who left college to enlist as a private soldier in Company E, and who served the full term, then re-entered and graduated at Harvard College. He subsequently became a very able lawyer and distinguished citizen. He died April 11th, 1904, aged 59 years.
Col. Eben F. Stone was a man of high character and standing in the community in which he lived, and that had much to do with his selection to command the regiment. As time went on he failed somewhat as a tactician, and the regiment was at a disadvantage on this account, although he could have passed an excellent examination in tactics. He was a brave officer and well liked by the officers and soldiers of his regiment. Colonel Stone, after the war, made an honorable record in the civil service of the government. He served two years in the State Senate and two terms in Congress.