Opinions differ in regard to whether the negroes enlisted of their own free will, fully understanding what they were about, when this regiment was determined upon. Lieutenant White says, that the two companies taken by him to Brashear City were sent away in a hurry, and the manner in which they were mustered into the service was this: the men were drawn up in line, when a German officer, who spoke poor English, said something to them that White could not understand, though he stood near him, and then declared the two companies mustered into service. These negroes afterwards asked what had been going on, and appeared ignorant of the nature of the ceremony. No enlistment papers had been made out or signed that White ever knew. On the other hand, soldiers who were engaged in recruiting for this regiment say, that the men signed enlistment rolls, nearly all by affixing their mark, and that they fully understood what was wanted of them, enlisting of their own free will. This is probably true so far as other companies than the first two are concerned. At all events, it is a fact, none of them ever protested against their enlistment, or mode of muster in, and were wonderfully tickled at the idea of becoming soldiers, proud to belong to the “machinery department,” as they termed it, in their ignorance supposing as a matter of course anybody called an engineer must have something to do with machinery in some manner.
After passing an examination early in April, the following men of the Forty-Second were appointed officers in this engineer regiment, and received their commissions a month later, viz.:
Sergeant Moses Washburn, Company C, to be captain. Commissioned May 23d.
Sergeant Frederick C. Blanchard, Company C, to be captain. Commissioned May 23d.
Private William E. Melvin, Company C, to be captain. Commissioned May 23d.
Sergeant Edward L. Jones, Company H, to be captain. Commissioned May 23d.
Sergeant Samuel H. Everett, Company H, to be captain. Commissioned May 23d.
Sergeant John G. Meserve, Company C, to be first-lieutenant. Commissioned May 21st.
Corporal Joseph McField, Company C, to be first-lieutenant. Commissioned May 21st.
Sergeant James G. Hill, Company K, to be first-lieutenant. Commissioned March 27th.