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Regiment of Infantry: Beverly Ford., by Daniel Oakey

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Title: History of the Second Massachusetts Regiment of Infantry: Beverly Ford.

Author: Daniel Oakey

Release Date: September 12, 2007 [EBook #22586]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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HISTORY

OF THE

SECOND MASSACHUSETTS REGIMENT OF INFANTRY.

BEVERLY FORD.

A PAPER READ AT THE OFFICERS' REUNION IN BOSTON,

MAY 12, 1884,

BY

DANIEL OAKEY,

CAPTAIN SECOND MASSACHUSETTS REGIMENT OF INFANTRY.

BOSTON:

GEO. H. ELLIS, PRINTER, 141 FRANKLIN STREET.

1884.

BEVERLY FORD.

JUNE 9, 1863.

In taking up the thread of Captain George A. Thayer's admirable chapter
upon the Chancellorsville campaign, we find the regiment baling out
their old log pens, on a dark night, in the rain. They had stripped the
canvas roofs before starting for Chancellorsville. The return to a
deserted camp, even in fine weather, flushed with victory, is not
agreeable. The failure of Chancellorsville made the discomforts of this
memorable night harder to bear, and it seemed very much like some of the
worst experiences of the "Mud campaign."

Company "D" pursued their work with vigor, and sang with the broadest
sarcasm "Home Again." This had rather an enlivening effect upon some of
the other companies, who, up to this time, had been very silent.
Daylight relieved us all; and, with sunshine and regimental "police,"
the place soon looked as if nothing had happened, except for the late
absentees, some of whom would return when their wounds permitted; but
others would never again draw their swords under the old battle-flag.
The scholarly Fitzgerald, who died so bravely, was the only officer of
"ours" killed at Chancellorsville.

It was at this very camp, about a month before, that the gallant and
lamented Colonel Shaw, then a captain in our regimen