Twelve Months with the Eighth Massachusetts Infantry in the Service of the United States

by Harry Endicott Webber

In October Governor Wolcott directed General Robert A. Blood, the Surgeon General of Massachusetts, to visit the camps of the Eighth and Fifth Massachusetts regiments and report on the sanitary condition, rations and hospital accommodations of these regiments. As a result of this trip, General Blood made the following report to the Governor:—

"After three or four days at Camp Meade, visiting the Fifth Regiment, I proceeded to Camp Hamilton, Lexington, Kentucky, where I arrived in due time. I found the camp of the Eighth Regiment about four or five miles out from Lexington, and in the heart of the blue-grass country. This was a most delightful situation, and I think, one of the finest locations for a camp I have ever seen.

I was cordially received by Colonel Pew, commander of the Eighth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and every opportunity was given me by the Colonel to inspect this camp. This regiment was stationed at Camp Thomas for a long time. There had been a great deal of sickness, mostly typhoid fever, but at the time of my visit there were no new cases, and the cases in the hospitals were progressing favorably. At this time there were no regimental hospitals. Orders for re-establishing the regimental hospitals had just been received from headquarters, but no medicines or medical supplies had been issued. I looked the camp over very carefully, saw the men on duty and off duty, and visited other camps for comparisons. I saw no regiment at Camp Hamilton that seemed so thoroughly up to all that goes to make a good regiment as the Eighth. The men were soldierly in their bearing, the grounds were kept in perfect condition, tents were all in order and scrupulously clean. A great many of the men had fixed up temporary bunks or cots for their beds. Altogether this was perhaps the cleanest regiment, excepting the Fifth Massachusetts, that I saw in all my visiting soldiers in the field. It was certainly equal to any.

I saw almost nothing in the sanitary arrangements of this regiment to criticise. The only thing, as with the Fifth Regiment, which I think could be improved, is the company cooking. Of course this will improve in time. I stayed with this regiment nearly a week. I visited and dined with General Breckenridge, commander of this post, and with other general officers commanding divisions and brigades. General Breckenridge was very kind to me, showing me every attention, and all the officers I met at Camp Hamilton treated me with the greatest consideration. I take this opportunity to thank them. This army corps was, I believe, under better discipline than any other corps I saw during the summer, with the exception, possibly, the regulars at Montauk.

I desire to say here, that, in my judgment, Colonel Pew is a most excellent commander, and all the officers of the Eighth whom I met seemed to be well up in their profession and doing most excellent work. The regiment as I saw it was an honor to the State."

By the end of October the nights had become chilly, and although bed sacks and extra blankets were issued to the men, it was difficult to keep warm. Americus, Georgia, had been designated in orders as the future home of the Eighth Massachusetts and Twelfth New York and a detail from the Eighth was already upon the ground preparing a camp site.

Orders were issued for the Eighth to entrain on November 10th for Americus, and upon this date the regiment was transferred to the Second Brigade, Second Division, First Army Corps. The regiment had been ordered to entrain early in the morning near the Montrose station, but owing to the delay in loading the baggage of Brigade Headquarters, it was impossible for the Quartermaster of the Eighth to begin loading his baggage before afternoon.

The regiment had risen early, and had its breakfast before 5 o'clock, and in compliance with orders, all baggage had been packed and transported to the station. The day was cold and raw, and a steady downpour of rain had converted the camp site into a mass of mud. Tents had been struck and shipped to the station, and the men were required to remain on the camp ground all day without food or shelter, waiting for the passenger sections to pull in from Lexington.

Many of the men in their efforts to keep warm, drank too much whiskey, and a large number in the regiment became sadly demoralized. The guard house, a wooden structure, was set on fire, and some of the prisoners had a narrow escape from cremation. The event was known as the evacuation of Lexington. The troop trains did not arrive until after dark, when the regiment embarked, and for the first time since five in the morning, the men were served with food and hot coffee. The departure from Lexington was sad and dispiriting and was made under trying conditions.