The story of the Thirty Eighth regiment of Massachusetts volunteers

In Short

George W. Powers provides a straightforward historical record detailing the three-year term of service undertaken by the Thirty-eighth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers during the American Civil War. Leaving Boston to perform garrison and combat duties across Louisiana, the Shenandoah Valley, and Georgia, the unit faces combat, debilitating camp illness, and relentless marches. Written by a corporal who shared their daily routines, the narrative avoids artificial heroics to present an authentic look at line soldiers. It endures as a precise, unvarnished portrait of regimental solidarity, camp life, and the quiet sacrifices made by ordinary volunteer soldiers.

The Story

The narrative opens with the formation and early organization of the Thirty-eighth Massachusetts Volunteers, following them as they depart their home state to begin duty in the field. Initial assignments carry the regiment to Maryland, where the men construct early encampments, perform picket duty to guard against rebel threats near Baltimore, and adapt to strict military routine. They undergo rigorous daily battalion drills across uneven terrain, build camp ovens, and adjust to short rations, unseasoned officers, and questionable uniform supplies provided by Northern contractors.

Orders soon transfer the regiment by sea transport south to Louisiana to join the Army of the Gulf. Operating along the Mississippi River and deep within the bayous, the troops confront humid, low-lying environments near Carrollton and Baton Rouge. The wet climate and poor drinking water cause widespread illness, thinning the ranks long before heavy combat begins. The regiment participates in the grueling spring campaigns through western Louisiana, marching through Opelousas, skirmishing across sugar plantations, and taking part in major operations around Port Hudson and the Plains of Mansura. Powers traces their long foot marches, the destruction of enemy property, and the constant exposure to rebel artillery, skirmishers, and heat exhaustion.

Following their operations in the Department of the Gulf, the regiment moves north to join the fighting in Virginia. Replaced on Southern transports, the men are thrust directly into the hard-fought campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. They take part in forced marches up and down the valley, support cavalry operations, erect breastworks under fire, and engage Confederate forces led by General Early at Newmarket, Opequan Creek, and Cedar Creek. Throughout these Virginia operations, supply lines frequently fail, leaving the regiment to subsist on local orchards, livestock, and scavenged provisions while suffering heavy combat casualties and winter cold.

With the collapse of Confederate resistance in 1865, the regiment travels by sea to occupied Savannah, Georgia, where they perform post-war garrison duty among a defeated, resentful civilian population. As peace settles over the nation, the surviving members of the Thirty-eighth are mustered out of service and return north. Their journey ends back home in Massachusetts, where the surviving soldiers parade through the decorated streets of Cambridge to receive public honors, flowers, and speeches from thousands of welcoming citizens before disbanding back into civilian life.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins The regiment leaves its initial staging grounds in Massachusetts to take up defensive positions guarding roads around Baltimore, Maryland. The men endure long marches, establish structured camps, and face strict guard regulations while adapting to military life.

Life at Camp Parapet Transferring south to Louisiana by transport ships, the troops settle into camp near Carrollton to join the Army of the Gulf. Daily routines of guard duty, division drills, and bad water quickly induce widespread illness among the men.

Across the Louisiana bayous The regiment advances into the Louisiana interior, marching through sugar plantations, skirmishing with Confederate forces, and enduring severe heat. They take part in the grand advance across the Plains of Mansura while hunting for rare sources of fresh water.

Into the Shenandoah Transferred to the Northern theater, the Thirty-eighth enters the high-stakes campaign in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. The men execute grueling forced marches, build field fortifications, and engage in battle against General Early's forces at Cedar Creek and Opequan Creek.

Garrison duty in Savannah Following the end of major hostilities, the unit embarks on transports for Georgia to occupy Savannah. They observe a defeated Southern population, encounter paroled rebel soldiers, and maintain order until final discharge orders arrive.

A triumphant return The regiment travels back to Massachusetts to be formally mustered out of service. Marching through Cambridge past thousands of cheering schoolchildren, decorated homes, and local dignitaries, the surviving soldiers return their colors and re-enter civilian life.

The People

• George W. Powers: The author and corporal who keeps a detailed daily record of the regiment's movements during his thirty-two months of active service. He wants to create an accurate, non-embellished history of his unit for friends and families at home, and he finishes his service fully mustered out alongside his surviving messmates.
• Colonel Ingraham: An early regimental commander who enforces strict military discipline and conducts Episcopal religious services for the men on Sundays when no chaplain is available. He seeks to maintain morale and soldierly appearance despite poor equipment, later taking command of the first brigade.
• Lieutenant-Colonel Richardson: A dedicated officer who leads the regiment and brigade through hard-fought Southern campaigns. Even when illness forces him to ride in an ambulance, he leaves it to mount his horse at the approach of battle, maneuvering his men across the field with calm skill.
• General Emory: A veteran division commander who directs the Nineteenth Army Corps during critical tactical movements. He calls upon the dependable Thirty-eighth Massachusetts to form lines of battle and act as skirmishers during intense pursuits of the enemy.
• Joseph G. Bartlett, Richard A. Fitzgerald, and Nathaniel Monroe: Messmates of the author who keep diaries and write detailed letters during Powers's stay in the hospital. They share the daily hardships of camp, march, and campaign, helping preserve the record of the regiment's Virginia operations.

In Its Own Voice

"The advance of the Nineteenth Army Corps across the Plains of Mansura on the 16th of May, was the finest military spectacle seen in the Department of the Gulf during the war."

Powers describes the visual grandeur of an entire corps moving forward in line of battle across open country.

"The drink was made by putting the ground coffee in an empty pork-barrel, and letting on steam through a rubber hose; and the result was a beverage in which the taste of the barrel, the rubber hose, the cask-water, and the coffee, struggled for the mastery."

A humorous observation regarding the improvised and questionable culinary conditions aboard a military transport ship.

"The hundreds of happy children, bearing flowers and flags, singing songs of welcome home, waving their tiny flags, and swelling the pæans of praise and welcome to the returned braves, was indeed well calculated to please..."

Reflections on the celebratory procession through Cambridge as the regiment finally returns home from the war.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores the unvarnished reality of the common soldier's existence, focusing on collective duty rather than individual heroism. Powers examines how ordinary Northern citizens transform into seasoned veterans through shared exposure to physical hardship, disease, poor clothing, and constant marching. The text highlights the contrast between grand military strategy and the localized, daily experiences of infantrymen who care far more about secure rations, sturdy shoes, and news from home than grand political speeches. Additionally, the narrative documents the vast geographical scale of the conflict, tracing how Northern regiments adapted to southern environments, witnessed the collapse of the plantation system, and observed the complex social realignments that occurred among freed slaves, Southern civilians, and returning rebel soldiers as Union victory took hold.

Why Read It Today

Readers drawn to Civil War history, military memoirs, and authentic primary sources will find this account deeply rewarding. Powers provides a clear, unpretentious perspective on the conflict, focusing on the tactical realities and mundane logistics of regimental service rather than romanticizing battle. The narrative excels in its specific details—capturing the exact taste of improvised shipboard coffee, the frustration over cheap contractor-built boots, and the sudden appearance of local fruit after weeks of short rations.

The book does present minor hurdles for modern readers. Because it originates as an official regimental record, long stretches are devoted to troop movements, camp locations, and detailed casualty lists. The prose reflects the straightforward, mid-nineteenth-century literary style of a soldier-journalist, eschewing dramatic prose for factual clarity. Furthermore, readers will encounter typical period attitudes and vernacular when the text touches upon Southern civilians, clergy, and freedmen. Nevertheless, its absolute honesty, attention to daily detail, and vivid account of civic homecoming leave a lasting impression of the quiet resilience displayed by citizen-soldiers.