Excerpt from Reminiscences of the Nineteenth Massachusetts Regiment For thirty-four years I have waited patiently for some one to Write a history of the 19th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, but fearing that it may never be accomplished, I have concluded to send out this story. I do not dignify it by calling it a history. It is simply a soldier's story, told by one of the boys. Most of it is written from memory. The account of prison life is taken from an imperfect diary, kept by the writer while a prisoner of war. 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.
The 19th Alabama Infantry Regiment was organized at Huntsville, 14 August 1861, It was ordered to Mobile immediately and remained there about three months, then was at Pensacola for two weeks. Ordered to Corinth, the 19th was brigaded under General Gladden of Louisiana, with the 22nd, 25th, and 50th regiments, and after Shiloh, the 17th Battalion, Sharpshooters, and the 39th regiment. There were few casualties at Missionary Ridge, and the 19th wintered at Dalton. In the almost incessant fighting from there to Atlanta, the regiment lost heavily in casualties, particularly at new Hope and near Marietta. The brigade, under the command of General Johnston of Perry, the 19th was badly cut up in the battles at Atlanta on 22 and 28 July. Losses were slight at Jonesboro. At the Battle of Franklin, the 19th lost only a few to battle wounds, but many were captured. It went to North Carolina and was engaged at Kinston and Bentonville, losing heavily in the latter affair. Then consolidated with the 40th and 46th Alabama regiments at Salisbury (with M. L. Woods as colonel and Ezekiel Gully of Sumter as lt. colonel), the 19th surrendered at that place, 76 strong. Companies Of The Alabama 19th Infantry Regiment Co. "A," Pickens Rough and Readys (Pickens): George R. Kimbrough (promoted to Lt. Col.); Robert J. Healy (KIA, Murfreesboro); Dyer C. Hodo (wounded, Atlanta) Co. "B," Blount Continentals (Blount): William R. D. McKenzie (KIA, Corinth); William R. Trice (resigned, 20 July 1863); Hugh L. Houston (KIA, Atlanta) Co. "C," Jefferson Warriors (Jefferson): William F. Hanby (wounded, Shiloh) Co. "D," Jake Curry Guards (Cherokee): William P. Hollingsworth (transferred to General Ed. D. Tracy's staff); Edward Thornton (KIA, Jonesboro); Benjamin L. Archer Co. "E," Cherokee Guards (Cherokee): William E. Kirkpatrick (resigned, 17 Feb 62); Marvel M. Israel (wounded, Chickamauga; died, 8 April 64); Thomas J. Williamson (wounded, Atlanta) Co. "F," Davis Guards (Cherokee): Rufus B. Rhea (resigned, 7 Sept 63); Samuel M. J. Howard Co. "G," Cherokee Mountaineers (Cherokee): Jackson Millsaps (resigned, 31 July 62); John N. Barry (dismissed, 23 April 64); James H. Leath (wounded, Atlanta) Co. "H," Cherokees (Cherokee): Joseph L. Cunningham (transferred to General Naglee's staff); Samuel B. Echols (resigned, 3 Sept 64; William B. Tripps; Samuel Marshall Co. "I," Cherokee Rangers (Cherokee): James H. Savage (promoted to Major) Co. "K," Blount Guards (Blount): James H. Skinner (retired, 1 July 62); Solomon Palmer (promoted to Major); Nathaniel J. Venable (KIA, Marietta); James K. Duffee
Although a number of memoirs from Civil War surgeons have been published in the last decade, "I Hope to Do My Country Serviceis the first of its kind from a Michigan regimental surgeon to appear in more than a century.
This book is a first-hand account of the American Civil War from the perspective of the 19th Massachusetts Regiment. It provides a unique insight into the experiences of soldiers during this turbulent period in American history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
