Massachusetts Civil War History and the Heroes of Boston

Massachusetts Civil War History: Contributions from recruiting Union Army Soldiers to Military Battles to Statistics

Heard about the movie GLORY? Starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Broderick. Fact-based movie about an initial all black Massachusetts Civil War unit raised in Boston. Backed by Governor Andrew as well as Boston's elite, the regiment's contributions are immense: the regiment was led by all white officers, the first black soldier to be awarded the medal of honor hailed from the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, Frederick Douglass' two sons served in the regiment, and Frederick Douglass recruited for the regiment. President Abraham Lincoln even stated that the unit was instrumental in his decision to recruit 180,000 African-Americans (called colored troops at the time, aka USCT for United States Colored Troops). Lincoln subsequently stated that the recruitment of 180,000 blacks turned the tide of the war! Read about Boston, the unit, Massachusetts, and the numerous contributions from this historic, iconic film based on fact, not fiction. Denzel earned his first Oscar in this movie. Must read and a must see. Learn more about our nation's heroes, and thanks for reading this and hopefully you will learn more from this page...Massachusetts Civil War History: Military, Army, and Union Soldiers

Massachusetts Civil War History and Military Contributions

Massachusetts Civil War History

Massachusetts, Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre, Civil War contributions, and the All-American State.

Introduction

Massachusetts was one of the 13 colonies that participated in the American Revolution and it became the sixth U.S. state on February 6, 1788. It was the first state to abolish slavery and according to the 1790 Federal census, no slaves were recorded in the state. Massachusetts was host to the Mayflower and the Plymouth Colony; the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party; and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

Sentiment

Massachusetts played a major role in Civil War causation, particularly with regard to the political ramifications of the anti-slavery movement. Anti-slavery activists in Massachusetts sought to influence public opinion and applied moral and political pressure on Congress to abolish slavery. William Lloyd Garrison of Boston began publishing the anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator and founded the New England Anti-Slavery Society in 1831, becoming one of the nation’s most influential abolitionists. Garrison and his uncompromising rhetoric provoked a backlash both in the North and South and escalated regional tension prior to the war.

Civil War

According to the 1860 U.S. census, Massachusetts had a population of 1,231,066. Although Massachusetts did not fight any battles on its soil, its soldiers fought in practically every major battle and campaign during the Civil War.

Massachusetts sent a total of 159,165* men to serve in the war. Of these, 133,002 served in the Union Army and 26,163 (includes nearly 6,000 reenlistments) served in the U.S. Navy. The army units raised in Massachusetts consisted of 68 regiments and 47 companies of infantry, 5 regiments and 4 companies of cavalry, 8 companies and 19 batteries of light artillery, 4 regiments of heavy artillery, 2 companies of sharpshooters, a handful of unattached battalions and 26 unattached companies. According to the official statement from the adjutant-general's office, July 15, 1885, the total number of sailors and marines furnished by the various states to the U.S. Navy was 101,207. Of this large number, Massachusetts, being a seaside state, contributed nearly 20,000, or one-fifth, of the nation's total; second only to New York.

According to The Union Army (1908), the total losses from all causes among Massachusetts troops was 13,498. Schouler (1868), however, states that 12,976 Massachusites died during the war, which equates to approximately eight percent of those who enlisted and about one percent of the state's population (the population of Massachusetts in 1860 was 1,231,066). Lastly, Dyer (1908) states Massachusetts sustained a total of 13,942 servicemen in killed: 6,115 killed & mortally wounded; 5,530 died of disease; 1,483 died as prisoner; 257 died from accidents; 557 died from causes other than battle. Dyer's grand total is 13,942 total deaths. Nevertheless, there are no official statistics available for the number of wounded. Continue to website for an exhaustive history of Massachusetts Civil War History