51st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 51st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
September 25 to October 30, 1862, during which time Thomas Wentworth Higginson
became a captain in the unit. November 25–30, the unit moved to Boston
, and from there to Newberne, North Carolina.
Mustered out July 27, 1863.
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
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...
.
History
The Fifty-first Regiment was organized at WorcesterWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
September 25 to October 30, 1862, during which time Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Thomas Wentworth Higginson was an American Unitarian minister, author, abolitionist, and soldier. He was active in the American Abolitionism movement during the 1840s and 1850s, identifying himself with disunion and militant abolitionism...
became a captain in the unit. November 25–30, the unit moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and from there to Newberne, North Carolina.
Attachments
- 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Department of North Carolina, until December 1862.
- Amory's Brigade, Department of North Carolina, until January 1863.
- 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 18th Army Corps, Department of North Carolina, until June 1863.
- 8th Army Corps in the Middle Department until July 1863.
- Temporarily to the 1st Army Corps, Army Potomac, July 1863.
Service
- Foster's Expedition to Goldsboro, North CarolinaGoldsboro, North CarolinaGoldsboro is a city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 37,597 at the 2008 census estimate. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The nearby town of Waynesboro was founded in 1787 and Goldsboro was...
, December 11–20, 1862.- Battle at KinstonKinston, North CarolinaKinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated at 22,360 in 2008. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks...
December 14. - Battle at Whitehall in North Carolina December 16.
- Battle at Goldsboro December 17.
- Battle at Kinston
- Duty at Newberne until March 1863.
- Expedition to TrentonTrenton, North CarolinaTrenton is a town in Jones County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 201 in 2007. It is the county seat of Jones County.It is the 95th smallest by population in North Carolina...
, PollocksvillePollocksville, North CarolinaPollocksville is a town in Jones County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 269 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Bern, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Pollocksville is located at ....
, Young's Cross Roads and Onslow, January 17–21, 1863. - Companies "A," "B," "C," "D," "H," "I," "K" guard and outpost duty by detachments on railroad between Newberne and Morehead CityMorehead City, North CarolinaMorehead City is a port city in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007...
, March 2 to May 4. - Companies "A" and "C" at Morehead City.
- Company "C" at Fort Macon March 30 to May 5. "B," "D," "H" and "I" at NewportNewport, North CarolinaNewport is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,349 at the 2000 census.-History:Newport was officially chartered in 1866. Although the crossroads community on the Newport River was known by that name decades earlier, the area was also known as Bell's Corner...
. "K" at Evans' Mills. "E" and "F" at Beaufort and "G" at Brice's Ferry. Headquarters at Beaufort, North CarolinaBeaufort, North CarolinaBeaufort is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1709, it is the third-oldest town in North Carolina.The population was 4,189 at the 2008 census and it is the county seat of Carteret County...
. - Moved to Newberne May 4, and duty there till June 24.
- Moved to Fort Monroe, Virginia, thence to White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
June 24–28. - Moved to Baltimore, Maryland, June 29-July 1.
- Moved to Monocacy Junction, FrederickFrederick, MarylandFrederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
and Sandy HookSandy Hook, MarylandSandy Hook is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Maryland, United States.-References:...
July 6–7. - Occupation of Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, July 8.
- March to Funkstown, MarylandFunkstown, MarylandFunkstown is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 983 at the 2000 census.-History:Originally were sold to Henry Funk by Frederick Calvert in 1754 and settled as Jerusalem.Funck’s Jerusalem Town...
, July 12–13, and join 1st Army Corps. Pursuit of Lee. - March to Berlin July 15–17.
- Moved to Worcester, July 17–21.
Mustered out July 27, 1863.
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,...