15th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 15th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served from the State of Massachusetts
during the American Civil War
from 1861-1864. A part of the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac
, the regiment was engaged in many battles from Ball's Bluff to Petersburg, and suffered the tenth highest fatality rate amongst Federal regiments. The regiment was composed almost entirely of men from Worcester County
, and was mustered in on July 12, 1861.
on August 25. On October 21, it was engaged with the heaviest loss among all Federal regiments at the Battle of Ball's Bluff
. In the spring of 1862, it was made a part of the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac and accompanied it during the Peninsular Campaign, being engaged at the Battles of Seven Pines
, Savage's Station
, and Glendale
with modest losses. In April 1862, the First Company of Massachusetts Sharpshooters was attached to the regiment, serving with it until the spring of 1863. Spending most of the summer at Harrison's Landing, it departed in August just in time to miss the Battle of Second Bull Run. The regiment then embarked upon the Maryland Campaign
, where it was savagely flanked by the Confederates at the Battle of Antietam
, losing over 50% of its 600 men. During the Battle of Fredericksburg
, it was kept out of the main assault on Marye's Heights and suffered relatively few losses. The Battle of Gettysburg
found the regiment engaged against the assaults of the Army of Northern Virginia
on July 2 and 3, 1863, with heavy loss. By 1864, the regiment's strength had dwindled, but it still faced rigorous campaigning with action at The Battle of the Wilderness
, Spotsylvania
, Cold Harbor
, and the siege of Petersburg. By June 22, the regiment could field only 75 officers and men. This small group was captured en masse that day when they were outflanked by a Confederate force on the Jerusalem Plank Road. The survivors and parolees mustered out of Federal service on July 26, 1864, with its recruits and re-enlistees being transferred to the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
.
In sum, 14 officers and 227 enlisted men were killed or fatally wounded during the course of the war.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
from 1861-1864. A part of the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
, the regiment was engaged in many battles from Ball's Bluff to Petersburg, and suffered the tenth highest fatality rate amongst Federal regiments. The regiment was composed almost entirely of men from Worcester County
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
, and was mustered in on July 12, 1861.
Brigade, Divisional and Corps attachments
Attached to Gorman's Brigade, Stone's (Sedgwick's) Division, Army of the Potomac, to March, 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to July, 1864.History
The regiment was mustered into Federal service on July 12, 1861, and left for the seat of war, arriving along the PotomacPotomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
on August 25. On October 21, it was engaged with the heaviest loss among all Federal regiments at the Battle of Ball's Bluff
Battle of Ball's Bluff
The Battle of Ball's Bluff, also known as the Battle of Harrison’s Island or the Battle of Leesburg, was fought on October 21, 1861, in Loudoun County, Virginia, as part of Union Maj. Gen. George B...
. In the spring of 1862, it was made a part of the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac and accompanied it during the Peninsular Campaign, being engaged at the Battles of Seven Pines
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
, Savage's Station
Battle of Savage's Station
The Battle of Savage's Station took place on June 29, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as fourth of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. The main body of the Union Army of the Potomac began a general withdrawal toward the James River. Confederate Brig. Gen. John B. Magruder pursued...
, and Glendale
Battle of Glendale
The Battle of Glendale, also known as the Battle of Frayser's Farm, Frazier's Farm, Nelson's Farm, Charles City Crossroads, New Market Road, or Riddell's Shop, took place on June 30, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the sixth day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War.The...
with modest losses. In April 1862, the First Company of Massachusetts Sharpshooters was attached to the regiment, serving with it until the spring of 1863. Spending most of the summer at Harrison's Landing, it departed in August just in time to miss the Battle of Second Bull Run. The regiment then embarked upon the Maryland Campaign
Maryland Campaign
The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign is widely considered one of the major turning points of the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North was repulsed by Maj. Gen. George B...
, where it was savagely flanked by the Confederates at the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
, losing over 50% of its 600 men. During the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
, it was kept out of the main assault on Marye's Heights and suffered relatively few losses. The Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
found the regiment engaged against the assaults of the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
on July 2 and 3, 1863, with heavy loss. By 1864, the regiment's strength had dwindled, but it still faced rigorous campaigning with action at The Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
, Spotsylvania
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
, Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
, and the siege of Petersburg. By June 22, the regiment could field only 75 officers and men. This small group was captured en masse that day when they were outflanked by a Confederate force on the Jerusalem Plank Road. The survivors and parolees mustered out of Federal service on July 26, 1864, with its recruits and re-enlistees being transferred to the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
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. In addition some, but not all, the private soldiers had attended...
.
Casualties
During the war, the 15th Massachusetts Regiment sustained the 10th highest number of men killed or fatally wounded in action amongst all 1,200 Federal regiments. It's losses at several engagements as follows:- Ball's Bluff, Va., October 21, 1861: 40 killed or fatally wounded, 70 wounded, 202 captured (312 out of 650 engaged)
- Antietam, Md., September 17, 1862: 104 killed or fatally wounded, 206 wounded, 14 captured (324 of 600 engaged)
- Gettysburg, Pa., July 2-3, 1863: 37 killed or fatally wounded, 94 wounded, 24 captured (155 out of 239 engaged)
- Wilderness, Va., May 5-6, 1864: 16 killed or fatally wounded, 51 wounded, 17 captured (of whom 6 died in prison)
In sum, 14 officers and 227 enlisted men were killed or fatally wounded during the course of the war.
See also
- List of Massachusetts Civil War units
- Massachusetts in the Civil WarMassachusetts in the Civil WarThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts played a significant role in national events prior to and during the American Civil War. Massachusetts dominated the early antislavery movement during the 1830s, motivating activists across the nation. This, in turn, increased sectionalism in the North and South,...
External links
- http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unmainf2.htm#15th
- http://www.archive.org/stream/massachusettssol21931mass#page/131/mode/1up
- http://books.google.com/books?id=IhxCAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false