r, when he again requested him to call upon me and urge
my immediate resignation. Consequently I was, in the course of a few days,
_honored_ by a visit from Hon. Mr. Sumner, Hon. John B. Alley, and Dr.
James W. Stone, since deceased. I conducted them around my camp,
entertaining them as best I could, when Senator Sumner then broached the
subject and again urged me to resign, intimating that I _might_ be
removed. I replied, as on a previous occasion, adding that I had spent too
much time and money for the militia of Massachusetts to be driven out in
such a disgraceful manner. Mr. Alley then made a few remarks relative to
the subject, as did also Dr. Stone, but I assured them that I was more
than ever _determined not to resign_. And, furthermore, informed them that
I had had trouble enough from the interference of outsiders, and if any
one called again for the same purpose, they should see the inside of my
guard-house.

About this time my Regiment was inspected by Gen. Tyler, commanding the
Division, and he pronounced the men in good condition, and the Regiment
has stood number one at every inspection since. In a few days after we
were ordered to the front, and the conduct of the First Massachusetts
Regiment on that occasion is a matter of history. One brave man, however,
upon whose banner was inscribed "three or five years, or during the war,"
melted like _Snow_ before a hot fire.

On the 13th of August I was Brigaded under Gen. Hooker, at Bladensburg,
and on the 14th of October was assigned by him to the command of the First
Brigade. On the 23d of the same month he gave me a recommendation for
Brigadier General, of which the following is a copy:--

_Headquarters, Hooker's Division,
Camp Union, Oct. 23, 1861._

BRIG.-GEN. S. WILLIAMS,
_Adjutant-General, Army of the Potomac_.

GENERAL: After giving the subject the deliberation it requires, I
respectfully name Col. Robert Cowdin, 1st Regiment Massachusetts
Volunteers, for promotion to the rank of Brigadier-General, and
request that he may be assigned to the command of the First Brigade
of my Division. He is at present exercising that office. I recommend
Col. Cowdin for the following reasons:--

He is the senior officer of the Brigade.

He displayed great courage while in command of his Regiment, in the
skirmish at Bull Run, on the 18th of July, 1861.

He was the first Colonel in the United State