My dear Sirs:—I am more than sorry not to be able to attend the meeting of your Association to-morrow. The occasion would be interesting to me, not only as the anniversary of the raising of the siege of Knoxville, but as a reunion with my old comrades of the Thirty-sixth. You know what good reasons I have for honoring your gallant regiment. It served in the Ninth Corps from its first arrival in the field until the close of the war, and made for itself a record second to none in the service. The affection in which I hold all its surviving members, and the reverence with which I cherish the memory of the departed, have been begotten by a long and pleasant acquaintance in the field as comrades in arms. My best wishes and prayers will follow you through life.
For the honor conferred upon me by calling your Association after my name, please accept my warmest thanks.
With the hope that I may have opportunities of meeting you at some of your future anniversaries, and with the wish that you may have a most joyful reunion, I remain, sincerely your friend,
A. E. BURNSIDE.
The Annual Reunions of the regiment, held at Worcester on the 2d of September, the anniversary of the departure of the Thirty-sixth for the seat of war, have always been largely attended, and the sons of the dead and the living comrades have been admitted to membership, and participate in these seasons of festivity and cheer. At all these gatherings we recall the memories of those who went forth with us never to return.
"How they went forth to die!
Pale, earnest, from the dizzy mills,
And sunburnt, from the harvest hills,
Quick, eager, from the city's streets,
And storm-tried, from the fisher's fleets,—
How they went forth to die!"
ROSTER AND RECORD
OF THE
THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY,
MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS,
1862-65.
The roster of commissioned officers contains the names and, as far as can be ascertained, the full military record of all who were commissioned in the Thirty-sixth Regiment, and the officers transferred to it from the Twenty-first Regiment. The record of the enlisted men is based upon the original muster-in rolls of the regiment by companies, as appeared on the 27th of August, 1862, the day the regiment was mustered into the service of the United States. The names of recruits have been added to the companies into which they were mustered. The record accounts for those only who were enlisted for the Thirty-sixth Regiment. The names of the men of the Twenty-first and Twenty-ninth regiments appear in the histories of their respective regiments. The roster and record have been carefully compared with the rolls in the office of the Adjutant General, who has furnished every facility in obtaining as complete a record as it is now possible to make.