Lecture on Civil War Regiments with men from Walpole

William Marvel, author of sixteen books on the Civil War will
speak at the Stoughton Historical Society 
6 Park St, Stoughton, MA on May 18 at 2 P.M.  His topic will be “Soldiers of ’62: Nine-Month Men and
Volunteers for the Long Haul” telling this story through two Regiments: the 4th
Massachusetts (nine month men) and the 35th Massachusetts, climaxing
with the summer and spring campaigns of 1864. Mr Marvel’s most recent book was Tarnished Victory: Finishing Lincoln’s War.
  781 344 5456 or stoughtonhistoricalsociety@verizon.net
 Light refreshments  Free   

   
The Stoughton Historical Society has published the diaries of Charles
Eaton from the 4th Mass. and Edward Waldo from the 35th
Mass. On May 18, 1864, 150 years ago to the day, Edward Waldo wrote in his
diary, “Our reg. charged on the rifle pits this morning I was wounded through
the arm.”  Pvt. Waldo later died
from this wound, which he sustained at Spotsylvania Courthouse.  Previous to this battle, Waldo and the
35th had fought at South Mountain, Antietem, Fredericksburg, Vicksburg,
 Knoxville, and the Wilderness, the
latter less than two weeks earlier. 
The 35th included men from Stoughton, Canton, Sharon, Easton,
Taunton, Quincy, Hingham, Weymouth, Abington, Randolph, Foxborough, Walpole,
Mansfield, East Bridgewater, and South Scituate. 

    17-year-old Pvt Charles Eaton had served the
previous year as a “nine-month-man” in a Stoughton Company of the 4th
Mass.  Other companies in the
Regiment included men from Randolph, Canton, Taunton and Lowell, all of whom
were sent to Louisiana and Mississippi to lay siege to Port Hudson, the last
Confederate stronghold to fall on the Mississippi River.  At this time 149 years ago, Eaton
wrote, “[May] 16th, Sat. Mosquito nearly ate me up last night on
guard. Sent papers to Andrew, Herbert & Sidney.

[May] 17th, Sun. Wrote
to Mother and Inez. Negroes are coming down the bayou in flatboats. In some of
the boats, there are a hundred and fifty or two hundred. They were ragged and
dity. Sergeant Ayer came down this afternoon. He had been on picket up at Camp
Bisland.

[May] 18th, Mon. More
negroes today. Washed my pants today. The sun is awful hot.”

       The 4th Mass. had
two tours, the first, a three-month service at the very beginning of the war
April to July 1861.  This Regiment

Their second duty was a nine month tour from September
1862-August 1863.  In the latter
service, many of them were removed from service for “mutiny” when they refused
to carry sandbags for the Port Hudson siege, after their nine-month enlistment
had expired.   The men serving
in both tours of the 4th. were from Stoughton, Randolph, Canton,
Sharon, Taunton, and Easton plus Raynham, Middleborough, Lakeville, Kingston,
Pembroke, Hanson, Lawrence/Lowell men in the second deployment.