These three companies served under Col. David A. Wardrop the first three months of the war at Fortress Monroe and Hampton, Va. The Third Regiment was detailed immediately upon its arrival at Fortress Monroe for service on United States gunboat Pawnee, which went up to Gosport Navy Yard, there helped destroy the Navy Yard, sink the ships and pulled the Cumberland out, when they returned to Hampton Roads. At that time the Third Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers were the only troops in the enemy’s country, and were the first troops to invade the same, being at that time the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, not having been sworn into the United States service.
Company B formed of the three companies aforementioned, reported for duty at Camp Joe Hooker and organized as follows:
Capt. Thomas W. Griffith, from Co. K.
First Lieut. Charles A. S. Perkins, from Co. B.
Second Lieut. William S. Briggs, from Co. H.
First Sergt. Asa Shaw, from Co. K.
Second Sergt. Charles W. Griffith, from Co. K.
Third Sergt. Job B. Oldham, from Co. B.
Fourth Sergt. Benjamin S. Atwood, from Co. H.
Fifth Sergt. James R. Robbins, from Co. B.
Corp. George A. Shaw, from Co. K.
Corp. John M. Cobb, from Co. K.
Corp. Hosea S. Bumpus, from Co. K.
Corp. Andrew T. DeMerritt, from Co. K.
Corp. Amasa M. Bartlett, from Co. B.
Corp. Charles M. Perry, from Co. B.
Corp. William S. White, from Co. H.
Corp. Gideon Shurtleff, from Co. H.
Musician John Murdock, from Co. K.
Wagoner Lorenzo N. Shaw, from Co. K.
The members of the company were recruited from seven different towns as follows: Carver, 30; Plymouth, 29; Middleboro, 11; Plympton, 10; Wareham, 12; Rochester, 3; Kingston, 5; East Bridgewater, 1.
The ages of the company were as follows: 22, less than 20 years old; 29, from 20 to 24 years inclusive; 16, from 25 to 29 years inclusive; 18, from 30 to 34 years inclusive; 8, from 35 to 39 years inclusive; 8, from 40 to 44 years inclusive. Average age, 26 years, 9 months.
Corrected Roster of Company B.
[The first figures indicate age at enlistment: the city or town, the place of enlistment.]
Thomas B. Griffith, Captain. Born in Carver, May 17, 1823. When three months old his parents moved to Middleboro. When seventeen years old he went on a whaling voyage around Cape Horn. On his return he clerked for the Ellis Foundry Company several years, and was postmaster at South Carver at the same time. In 1853 he with Jesse Murdock and Matthias Ellis, formed a partnership called the Murdock Parlor Grate Company, in South Carver. He was interested in that business while he was in the service. He was connected with the Massachusetts militia for a number of years before the war. Also after the war he served as major in the Third Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. His business after the war was in connection with the Murdock Parlor Grate Company. He was one of the pioneers in importing bananas from Jamaica. He held a large amount of the stock of the company at the time of his death. He was also interested in real estate at Onset, and one of the original cottage owners at Onset. He died in Roxbury, February, 1897, and was placed in the tomb at South Carver.
Charles A. S. Perkins, First Lieutenant. Born in Plympton, Mass., June, 1828. When a young man he went to Plymouth and learned the printer’s trade. During President Buchanan’s administration he served as postmaster in the town of Plymouth. He was for many years publisher and editor of the Plymouth Rock, a publication quite extensively circulated throughout Plymouth County. He was commissioned first lieutenant of Company B, and served with the regiment through its nine months’ service. After being mustered out he together with his brother Lucian, adjutant of the regiment, purchased a business enterprise at the corner of Broad and Middle Streets, Newbern, N. C., where he died of yellow fever, October, 1864. Afterwards his remains were brought to Plymouth for burial.