The 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, also known as the "Harvard Regiment", was a regiment of infantry in the American Civil War. The regiment was so nicknamed because the officers of the 20th were young Harvard graduates.[1] In addition, some, but not all, of the private soldiers had attended Harvard. The 20th was organized at Camp Meigs in Readville, August 29 to September 4, 1861. After training they left Massachusetts for Washington, D. C., September 4. They would fight until the war's conclusion being mustered out on July 16 and discharged July 28, 1865.[2] Fogel et al's Union Army Data urban sample suggests perhaps as many as two-thirds of the regiment's enlisted were immigrants with Irish immigrants making up half of the regiment's total.[3]
| 20th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | August 29, 1861 – July 28, 1865 |
| Country |  United States of America |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 1,978 |
| Part of | In 1863: 3rd Brigade (Hall's), 2nd Division (Gibbon's), II Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| Nickname(s) | "The Harvard Regiment" |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col. Paul J. Revere Col. William R. Lee Lt. Henry L. Abbott |
| Insignia | |
| II Corps (2nd Division) badge |  |
.jpg)
Brigade, divisional and corps attachments
editAttached to Lander's Brigade, Division of the Potomac, to October, 1861.[4] Lander's Brigade, Stone's (Sedgwick's) Division, Army of the Potomac, to March, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to March, 1864.[5] 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Army Corps, to July, 1865.[2]
Battles
editWith the exception of First Bull Run, the 20th participated in all of the major battles and many of the smaller battles fought by the Army of the Potomac. Their baptism of fire occurred at Ball's Bluff on October 21, 1861.[6] Other battles included the Seven Days, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, the Siege of Petersburg, and the Appomattox Campaign.[2]
Casualties
editThe 20th regiment lost 17 officers and 243 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded, and one officer and 148 enlisted men from disease. The total casualties were 409. The regiment ranks first among Massachusetts regiments and fifth among Union regiments in total casualties.[7]
Notable members
editSee also
edit
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Dyer (1908), p. 1254-1255; Miller (2005), p. 16-19.
- ^ a b c NPS 20th Massachusetts.
- ^ NBER Union Army Data-Urban.
- ^ Higginson (1896), p. 269.
- ^ Catton (1985), p. 115; Miller (2005), p. 187-194.
- ^ Bowen (1889), p. 312-313.
- ^ "The Harvard Regiment". Retrieved on 2008-02-15
- ^ Johnson (1906), Vol. I, Abbe–Browne, p. 21.
- ^ Johnson (1906), Vol. I, Abbe–Browne, p. 225-226.
Sources
edit- Bowen, James L (1889). Massachusetts in the War 1861–1865 (PDF) (1st ed.). Springfield, MA: Clark W. Bryan & Co. pp. 311–326. OCLC 1986476. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- Catton, Bruce (1985) [1960]. The Civil War. American Heritage Library. New York: American Heritage, Inc. ISBN 9780828103053. OCLC 11786425. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- Dyer, Frederick Henry (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (PDF) (1st ed.). Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. pp. 1254–1255. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Vol. I" (PDF). The Biographical Dictionary of America. Vol. 1 (Library ed.). Boston, MA: American Biographical Society. p. 484. OCLC 848266989. 13960-t1jh3jn1z. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- Higginson, Thomas Wentworth (1896). Massachusetts in the Army and Navy During the War of 1861-65, 8 Volumes. Boston, MA: Wright and Potter Printing Co, State Printers. pp. 269–274. OCLC 1049652105. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
- Miller, Richard F. (2005). Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (1st ed.). ISBN 9781584655053. OCLC 60515104. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
- "20th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry (U.S. National Park Service)". nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. January 19, 2007. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
- "Union Army Data-Urban (Robert W Fogel, Dora L Costa, Hoyt Bleakley, Louis Cain, Sok Chul Hong, Chulhee Lee, Sven Wilson, Louis Nguyen, Joseph Burton, Noelle Yetter, and Carlos Villarreal)". nber.org. The National Bureau of Economic Research. 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2021.