Reminiscences of the Thirty-Fourth Regiment, Mass. Vol. Infantry

In Short

This intimate regimental memoir records the wartime experiences of the Thirty-Fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry through the eyes of a private soldier. Beginning with their emotional departure from Worcester in August 1862, the narrative follows the regiment's garrison duty in Washington, their occupation of Harper's Ferry, and various military maneuvers across Virginia. Interspersing accounts of camp camaraderie, humorous disruptions, and sudden skirmishes, the author reflects on the heavy human cost of the conflict until a disabling wound concludes his active service in May 1864.

The Story

The narrative opens on a summer afternoon on the Worcester Common, where citizens gather to witness the presentation of a handsome national flag to the newly formed regiment. Departing amid martial music and the quiet grief of families left behind, the soldiers travel to Washington, D.C., where they spend weeks performing guard duty at the Carroll and Old Capitol Prisons while earning praise for their disciplined dress parades.

In July 1863, sudden marching orders send the regiment across the Potomac to Harper's Ferry. There, they embark in pontoon boats under cover of a cannonade, dislodging enemy forces and establishing a long-term encampment. Among notable events during this period is a hundred-mile march to Harrisonburg as a diversionary tactic, followed by a hasty retreat back to the safety of the Maryland heights.

The autumn brings their first experience of actual combat. Responding to the capture of the Ninth Maryland Regiment at Charlestown by Confederate forces under General Imboden, the Thirty-Fourth joins a rapid pursuit. Engaging the enemy in a running fight with artillery and musketry, the regiment successfully pushes the opposing forces back before returning to their quarters, though mourning the loss of two color corporals.

The tension of camp life between campaigns is tempered by lighter moments, including humorous run-ins with camp followers, birthday celebrations involving shared beverages, and the witty dissuasions of their commanding officer against enlisting in the regular army. Yet the shadow of war continually lengthens.

The narrative reaches its climax in May 1864 near Newmarket, Virginia. Following a rainy and restless night near the front lines, the regiment is subjected to constant repositioning under artillery fire before receiving orders to charge. Heavy musketry and cannon fire inflict severe casualties, disabling field officers and forcing a disciplined retrograde movement. Amid the chaos and heartbreak of the battlefield, the regiment aids in checking the enemy advance and protecting the wounded. The author's personal service concludes here on May 15, 1864, when he sustains a disabling wound that ends his active military career, leaving him to pay tribute to the brave comrades who fell in the line of duty.

How It Unfolds

The farewell begins on the Worcester Common as the regiment receives its national flag from local citizens before marching off to war.

Fun in camp captures the lighter side of military life, highlighting humorous encounters with camp followers and lighthearted celebrations among the men.

Harper's Ferry details the regiment's crossing of the Potomac, their long occupation of the historic town, and a hazardous reconnaissance march into the Shenandoah Valley.

The skirmish recounts the regiment's baptism by fire near Charlestown after the capture of the Ninth Maryland, ending in a successful pursuit and their first battlefield losses.

Newmarket chronicles the intense engagement of May 1864, where heavy artillery and infantry fire batter the regiment during a grueling series of maneuvers.

Incidents reflects on internal regimental dynamics, including Colonel Wells's intervention against regular army enlistments and memories of close comrades enduring minor disciplinary punishments with good cheer.

In memorial concludes the work with solemn tributes to named officers, soldiers, and friends who lost their lives throughout the campaigns.

The People

Colonel William S. Lincoln and Colonel Wells serve as commanding figures of the regiment, the latter notable for his noble bearing, his sharp discouragement of desertions or transfers to the regular army, and his visible indifference to personal danger under fire.

Oscar, a stout and unctuous man associated with the regimental sutler, provides a frequent source of camp amusement through his patient endurance of mischievous tormentors and his unintentional loss of a fried pie to a clever thief.

Hunter, a poor private soldier who recounts Oscar's tales with great comedic skill, later meets a tragic end by accidentally falling through an opening in a Shenandoah bridge.

Christopher Pennell, Captain William B. Bacon, Sergeant Henry B. King, and the brothers Dwight and Henry Chickering stand out as bright, ambitious, and beloved members of the regiment who ultimately give their lives on various battlefields, leaving behind grieving companions and honored memories.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the departure of the soldiers from their homes, a familiar verse captures the emotional weight felt by families left behind: "We've sent them forth to fight for the flag, / That our fathers before them bore."

Recalling an amusing misunderstanding from the sutler's tent told to Company E, poor Hunter shared the culprit's words: "I wants a fried pie. So I takes de fried pie an' hands it to him, an' looks for de money; but somehow de feller gits shook up in de crowd, an' I hav'nt seen him; nor de money, nor de fried pie since."

Reflecting on the steadfast bond shared with a fallen companion, the author laments his loss: "And what shall I say of thee, my brother, my faithful friend?"

What It's Really About

The work examines the profound transformation of ordinary citizens into disciplined soldiers under the crucible of civil war. It explores the juxtaposition of tedious camp routine, humor, and breathtaking natural scenery against the sudden violence and destructive waste of military conflict. Beneath the chronological accounts lies an exploration of duty, the preservation of community memory, and the immense personal cost borne by a generation of young men. The author questions how human bonds survive the trials of war and asserts that true honor rests in steadfast devotion to duty, regardless of the form death or disability takes.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in firsthand accounts of the American Civil War will find this book an authentic, unvarnished window into the daily reality of nineteenth-century soldiering. Reading it feels like sitting across from an aging veteran who speaks directly, without grandiloquence or romanticized myths, choosing instead to record the exact texture of camp life, the chill of Virginia winters, and the specific names of friends lost.

Modern readers must approach the text with an awareness of period attitudes, particularly regarding nineteenth-century racial caricatures present in the author's descriptions of camp followers, which reflect the entrenched biases of the era. Yet these very elements offer a genuine historical artifact of how ordinary participants viewed their world. What stays with the reader long after finishing is not merely the strategic movements of armies, but the poignant, unpretentious record of individual human beings—young men who laughed, worked, joked, and died far from the hills of Massachusetts.