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units:1st_maryland_infantry_sources
Primary Sources for the 1st Maryland Infantry
Historical Record of the First Maryland Infantry - External Link to ebook
The Baltimore Sun, May 21, 1861
Military Matters and Movements In and About the City—The movements of troops in Baltimore and Vicinity yesterday, were not of an exciting character, and the disagreeable state of the weather prevented many persons from visiting Gen. Cadwallader's encampment at Locust Point. Yesterday, at the Relay House camp, occurred the swearing into the service of the United States of the Eighth Massachusetts Regiment, the oath being administered by Lieut. Putnam. Ten of the regent but not the original members, refused, we learn, to take the oath. One of the number was said to have been intimidated at the time of its administration, but the remainder objected because thirteen days had been added to their term of service by the colonel first in command.
The Washington train, which arrived at the Camden station at 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, brought a number of the 69th New York Regiment, and several of the 8th Massachusetts Regiment, who were returning home on furlough, and under other conditions. Those of the latter regiment, who refused to take the oath, were included among the number. The train conveying them connected with the Philadelphia train, and all left for their homes.
At 4 o'clock P. M.,a special train, in charge of Conductor Shutt, left the Camden station for the Relay House, conveying about 400 of the recruits, enlisted in this city and vicinity, and quartered at the National Hotel. They will be drilled and uniformed at the Relay station, and mustered into the First Maryland Regiment. The number includes a company from Harford county, Md., who arrived yesterday morning.
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Evening Post, May 22, 1861
A Regiment of Army Recruits from Baltimore.
THEY DEPART WITHOUT MOLESTATION.
The Baltimore “ Plug-Uglies” have either disappeared or been tamed. The American of yesterday has this account of the departure of army recruits from the city without molestation of any kind:
For several weeks past the recruits enrolled by Captain McConnell for the United States army have been quartered at the National Motel, Camden street, and Fort McHenry, and yesterday morning, at an early hour, they received orders to get in readiness forthwith and proceed to the Relay House. About eleven o'clock three companies at the fort hastily packed up what little baggage they had, and bidding adieu to the post tramped it all the way to the Camden station, where a train was in readiness to take them. A second train, which left at four o'clock in the afternoon, also took off about five companies more, making an aggregate of six hundred and fifty men. They reached the Relay in a few minutes and are now encamped upon the heights near the place recently occupied by Colonel Lyon's Eighth Infantry of New York.
“A company recently formed in Harford county, and enrolled in McConnell's Regiment, reached here at an early hour yesterday morning. It is further learned, that orders have been received by Colonel Jones, of the Sixth Massachusetts Infantry, and the Boston Light Artillery, Captain Cooke, now at the Relay grounds, to proceed forthwith to Annapolis by rail, and thence to Fortress Monroe, in order to augment the force. A full New York regiment of ten companies, and mustering over nine hundred men, are expected to reach here at an early hour this afternoon by the Philadelphia road and will proceed to Washington. The route which they will take is not yet known, but it will probably be by the way of Locust Point Ferry.”
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Civilian and Telegraph, May 30, 1861
Maryland Items.
From the Baltimore American of Friday 24th. Enlistment of Maryland Troops The enlistment in Maryland of Soldiers for United States army is progressing rapidly in Baltimore under the direction Capt. McConnell, and the prospect is that three full regiments will soon be raised. Already sixteen companies, averaging about sixty men, have been formed many of them sent off to the camp at the Relay House.
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New York Daily Tribune, June 1, 1861
The 1st Maryland Regiment, stationed at the Avalon Mills above the Relay House, numbers 890 men, all mustered into the service for the war. They will make a first-rate corps, but the difficulty is for the Government get proper and efficient regimental officers, The intention is to raise three more such regiments, and the whole four will be under the command of Brig.-Gen. Cooper of Frederick, late United States Senator from Pennsylvania, The destination of these troops will probably be toward the South-West.
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Historical Record of the First Regiment Maryland Infantry, Charles Camper
6 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
112 Baltimore street, by John C. McConnell, Esq. The response to this call for recruits evinced the alacrity and enthusiasm of the loyal Baltimoreans, and very many of those, as before stated, who were being raised, and were being organized into a brigade by General John R. Kenly, and others, enlisted for three years, so that, by the 16th inst the organization of four companies of the First Regiment was completed, each company as it was filled being sent to the old National Hotel Building, on Camden street, for quarters, at which place they were severally mustered into the United States service, and designated, respectively, A, B, C, and D.
Meanwhile recruiting for the remaining companies was being vigorously pushed forward at other points in the city and State, and attended everywhere by the same noble response, so that by the 27th inst. the organization of the regiment was fully completed, and on that date Companies F, G, H, I, and K were accepted and mustered into the United States service, at the Relay House, on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, whither all the companies had previously been ordered to rendezvous, Company E had been previously mustered in on the 25th inst.
The first regular encampment of the regiment was located at the Relay House, or Washington junction of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and was named “Camp Cooper,” in honor of Briga-
FIRST MARYLAND INFANTRY. 7
dier-General James Cooper, then engaged in the rising of a brigade of Maryland volunteers.
This officer, who subsequently died on the twenty-eighth day of March, 1863, at Columbus, Ohio, aged about 53 years, was a native of Frederick county, Maryland, but in early life removed to Pennsylvania, where he became a prominent Whig politician, and was known as one of the leading advocates of the tariff of 1842. He was elected to the United States Senate and served two terms with much ability, taking a prominent part in all the important events then agitating the country. A few years before the war he took up his residence in Frederick City, Maryland, and on the breaking out of the rebellion promptly offered his services for the Government, and was appointed the first Brigadier-General from Maryland, and assigned to the duty of raising and organizing the volunteers of the State.
In this connection it is deemed fittingly proper to remark that General Cooper's continuous and successful labors for that object, under the authority which he had from the War Department, was characterized by a degree of zeal, fidelity, and devotion to principle worthy of the highest emulation.
The regiment remained at “Camp Cooper” but a brief period, for the morning of June the 6th found it en route to Baltimore, where it went into camp for instruction and drill, on the grounds
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Boston Post, June 12, 1861
Letter from the Sixth Regiment,
CAMP NEAR RELAY HOUSE,
MARYLAND, June 8, 1861.
Dear Post —Nothing has transpired in camp to interest your readers since my last. A supposed Secessionist is occasionally captured, however, and sometimes an alarm is given that brings the glorious Sixth into line with “little finger on the seams of their pants, palms out,” ready to smell powder. But the boys have always been ordered back to their quarters, or learning that the alarm was false, disappointed at never being allowed to meet the traitors. I trust, nevertheless, that the Sixth will have a pop at Jeff Davis before the end of Summer. I cannot believe that the mission of the Regiment is ended.
Winfield Scott Anderson has been arrested in the cars by the guard detailed from our Regiment with letters in his boots and $10,000 worth of Southern Confederacy bank bills (not signed) His father being, an engraver, young Anderson was carrying, the dispatches' and bills to Winchester and Harper's Ferry. He gave bail in $4000 and is now in Baltimore. Col. Jones has every car bound South strictly searched, and every trunk, box or package is opened or broken open to find contraband goods. I saw a trunk opened yesterday from which about thirty letters were taken, directed to as many different parties in South Carolina, with the United States postage stamp on each envelope. A box of oranges was also opened and found to contain, besides two layers of oranges, ten thousand percussion caps,—a timely seizure.
The regiment of Maryland troops which has been quartered in this vicinity, was last week completely clothed and equipped by the Government and encamped at a place about two miles from Baltimore, where it now remains. We do not have much faith in the men. They appear to have been enlisted from the worst of Baltimore, and fighting among themselves was the order of the day when they were here. I think a mistake is made in enlisting such men. They cost twice as much, and are not worth half as much as intelligent, industrious men who enlist from principle.
Rev. Mr Hepworth, of Boston, is in camp, and we are anxious to have him preach for us to-morrow. He will probably do so if he does not leave this afternoon. The consolidated morning report of the Sixth Regiment to-day (June 8th) shows our force to be as follows -—Commissioned officers, 99; field and staff, 9; total privates, 609; sick, 28. Absent—Commissioned officers, 2; privates, 5, Effective privates 675. Aggregate 660. On the 26h of, April the, aggregate was 613, and there were 33 reported sick. The above figures show the regiment to be in a healthy condition, The 28 sick are troubled with a complaint caused by drinking too strong coffee. A few days in the hospital under the care of our excellent surgeon will bring them into the ranks again.
Much fault has been found by letter writers here with Col. Jones's management, but I really hope he will not be censured by the people of Massachusetts before his treatment of his regiment has been investigated. We have suffered a great many things since we left Boston, and Col. Jones has been blamed, but the unfortunate circumstances were entirely beyond his control. When we left Boston we were not half equipped, having no camp equipage at all, and but very few cooking utensils. As soon as we arrived in Washington all communication was cut off, and the arrivel of those things that we so much needed was thus delayed. The means were of course irregular, which gave the men a chance to talk and then to write how hard their lot was. And when we came to the Relay House, and the rain fell in torrents before our tents arrived, Col. Jones was still blamed for everything, and no credit given him for the many, kind acts which he had done for his regiment. The Eighth Regiment also took the matter in hand, and disgraced themselves by hanging in effigy the man who had been a friend to Col. Hinks and his command. Massachusetts people ought to consider all these things before passing a hasty judgment.
The “Daughter of the Regiment” presented to each company this morning sixteen boxes Strawberries. With her hat trimmed with “red, white and blue,”“ it was very interesting to see her at the side of the wagon superintending in a lady-like manner the delivery of the luxury.
D.
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Company F of the 1st Maryland Infantry placed a note in the Baltimore American in November 1864 thanking the Union ladies of Ellicott’s Mills with the “highest regard” for providing turkey dinners on Thanksgiving. 11/24/1864
units/1st_maryland_infantry_sources.txt · Last modified: 2019/06/13 12:14 by admin