Lanterna Rally

Author: Alfred S. Roe

Publisher:

Published: 2015-07-09

Total Pages: 520

ISBN-13: 9781331005957

Excerpt from The Fifth Regiment: Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in Its Three Tours of Duty 1861, 1862-'63, 1864 Next to his Bible, the average veteran of the Civil War prizes the record of his services in behalf of the Union and in freeing the slave. Massachusetts, recognizing this very natural trait, has generously proclaimed her willingness to assist in the publication of histories of the several organizations that contributed to the salvation of the nation and thereby the good of humanity, so that already considerably more than one half of her regiments have histories more or less complete. When the call of President Lincoln came in April, '61, it found the Fifth Regiment as anxious to respond as those which were first notified; the members of the Fifth accounted themselves true minute-men, and the alacrity with which they repaired to Boston when the bugle was sounded for them was ample proof of their devotion and preparedness; the firing upon Sumter found Colonel Lawrence and his men eager for the ordeal. Those disposed to examine the three rosters of the regiment in its several tours of duty will find that very few names appear in each one of these lists, hence the obvious fact that, while bearing the same regimental name, in reality there were three different organizations, though the continuance of officers, both field and line, along with a very few enlisted men, together with the nominal connection with the military arm of the Commonwealth, amply warrants the application of the numeral 5 to each organization. In telling the several stories, care is taken to keep close to the regiment; only as much is told of other bodies and events as may be necessary to make clear the services of those who called themselves " The Fifth." As a rule, the nearer we keep to the individual the more entertaining is found the narrative. The Roster becomes a series of brief biographies of all those who constituted the rank and file of the regiment, thus assuming somewhat the form and character of a roll of honor. Probably less than a fifth part of all the men belonging can ever see their names in these lists, but the same may be a source of satisfaction to descendants and friends as well as to the general public that will ever revert to this period of the nation's life as one of its exhibition of true chivalry. In sending forth this record of soldierly life, thanks are due to very many people who have been exceedingly helpful in every stage of its preparation. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.