18th MA Regiment

William E. Nason

William E. Nason was a white, Civil War soldier who survived to become a veteran. William was born in 1832 in Massachusetts. William was a son to Peace B. Nason who was born in Massachusetts. His mother was also born in Massachusetts. William enlisted for the war at the age of 28 on September 12, 1861. He mustered out of the war on August 2, 1864. Before the war, he had an occupation as a grocer. After the war, William E. Nason became an auctioneer for real-estate. He eventually married and became a widower. He and his family lived in Franklin, Massachusetts. He later served the town as constable and as a member of the board of health.

William E. Nason was in company A, regiment 18, from the state of Massachusetts. His rank in was a private and his rank out was a wagoner. The 18^th regiment was organized at Readville and Boston. The regiment was mustered on August 27, 1861. The regiment’s service ended on October 21, 1864.

The 18^th regiment consisted of 1859 soldiers and officers. Nine officers and 114 soldiers were killed or mortally wounded. Two officers and 127 soldiers died from disease. All together 252 casualties in all the battles the regiment fought in. At first, this regiment marched down and attached to Fort Corcoran for the defenses of Washington in October of 1861.

Battles that the 18^th regiment was involved in were: Yorktown, Hanover Court House, Bull Run, Antietam, Shepherdstown, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Williamsport, Rappahannock Station, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, North Anna, Totopotomoy, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Weldon Railroad, Poplar Springs Church, Williamsburg, Wafin Heights, Bristow Station, Hope Church, Verdesville, Laurel Hill, Jerricho Ford, Bethesda Church, Little River, and Peebles Farm. In the 18^th regiment a man by the name of Frederick C. Anderson won the Congressional Medal of Honor. For the life of the 18^th regiment it was fight and then keep on marching until they would fight again. Company A of the 18^th regiment was under the command of Captain Lewis N. Tucker. The 18^th traveled to many states including Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

The battle with the most casualties was Second Bull Run on August 30^th in 1862 with fifty-four casualties. The battle with the least casualties was Chancellorsville on May 1^st through the 3^rd in 1863 with one. There are many other Nason’s who fought for Massachusetts but not known whether to be brothers of William.

Company B

James Clark

George W. Mann

Daniel O. Corbin

Daniel O. Corbin was a soldier of the eighteenth regiment in the Massachusetts infantry. He fought during the Civil War for the Union and survived the various skirmishes and battles that he was involved in. He was a private for his entire career as a soldier which was served in H Company. At age 19, he signed up for three years, voluntarily and was involved in several battles. Daniel O. Corbin was a dutiful soldier and stayed with his regiment until he was honorably discharged.

Corbin was a bonnet presser before he became a soldier for the United States. A bonnet presser was someone who helped to manufacture bonnets, a garment that women wore in this time on their heads. The regiment that Daniel Corbin enlisted in was mustered in Readville or in Boston on August 27, 1861 and the troops marched to defend Washington the very next day.

“We have had miserable weather here for the last three weeks --- snow, rain, hail and wind have all combined to render the ground unfit to be out on, and the air unhealthy to breath. So you see we are in the right climate coughs, colds &etc. There is scarcely a man in the regiment who has not a cold of some description and sleeping on the near bare ground is no help to them.” (Graham, par. 27).

This report depicts the egregious weather and horrible conditions that Daniel Corbin had to endure along with the other members of the eighteenth Massachusetts infantry. The air pollution and disease that was sweeping over the troops was a real problem that all the soldiers of that regiment underwent and tolerated for their country.

Daniel Corbin answered Lincoln’s call for one million men to serve for three years in 1861 but didn’t fight in a major battle until a full one year later in 1862. He enlisted in time to participate in three major battles before he discontinued his enrollment in the infantry. The first of these battles was Second Bull Run, a confederate victory that grossed many Union casualties. This fight took place in Prince William County near the same location as the first battle of Bull Run and Daniel fought under the leadership of Major General John Pope. The action raged from August 28th to August 30th. Pope was concentrating his forces on General “Stonewall” Jackson when Jackson received reinforcements from General Longstreet. Longstreet then proceeded to mount the largest counterattack of the war and obtain victory for the confederacy. 22,180 men were killed before the union troops were finally pushed back. The largest amount of casualties (13,830) belonged to the Union. This was Daniel O. Corbin’s first real battle.

It is important to note that it is a distinct possibility that Private Daniel O. Corbin was engaged in the battle at Antietam. Research suggests that he may have participated in this battle although there is no clear record of his regiment being involved. This fight took place only two days before Corbin, reportedly, fought in Shepherdstown and since Daniel O. Corbin was in the Maryland Campaign and Antietam is in Maryland, it is entirely possible that he was in both.

The Second, known, battle experienced by Private Corbin was on September 19th, 1862 and lasted until September 20th. Known as Shepherdstown, this was an attack lead by Major General Fitz John Porter of the Union military. Porter successfully captured four of the confederate’s cannons and might have inflicted great damage if he hadn’t been discouraged from following the rebel troops by an intelligent rearguard maneuver executed by Major General A.P. Hill. Neither sides experienced many casualties in this assault, indeed a combined total of only 625 men died at Shepherdstown.

Daniel O. Corbin’s last battle of the Civil War was at Fredericksburg. Major General Ambrose E. Burnside was in charge of the Army of the Potomac during this battle and the eighteenth Massachusetts infantry was in the Army of the Potomac at this time. General Burnside launched an attack on General Robert E. Lee, the Confederate’s lead commander and major general of Virginia’s land and naval forces, while Lee and his troops were well entrenched in the heights behind the town. This resulted in massive casualties and Burnside eventually called a retreat. During this battle Private Daniel O. Corbin was wounded and lost three of his fingers. The fighting lasted between December 11th and 15th, 1862 and Daniel O. Corbin was honorably discharged on January 22nd in 1863.

Company G

Daniel Taft

Company H

Alfred J. Fitspatrick

Alfred J. Fitzpatrick was born on the 13^th of October in 1839. He was a Private in the civil war. Before he enlisted into the civil war, on august 24 1861, his occupation was a stonecutter. Alfred was in the 18^th Massachusetts regiment and resided in Franklin Massachusetts. He was discharged from the army on account of disability on the 8^th of December.

The battles that Alfred and his regiment fought in are, The second Bull Run. This battle was an important victory for the north. Although not as important as the first Bull Run it still held significance to the war. He was also in Shepard Town battle, this battle wasn’t that important and was a loss for the north, and there were only 4 casualties. Also he fought in Fredericksburg, Chancellors Vile. Also he fought in Gettysburg. That battle was especially important in the war and was a victory for the north. More battles that he fought in are Rappahannock station, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and Weldon Railroad.

The living conditions for soldiers in the civil war were terrible. It was cold most of the time and their shelter was a leather tent. The 18^th Massachusetts regiment often went hungry according to letters to their families. The food they did get was unseasoned pork a loaf of bread and water. Their shoes were stiff leather and created hundreds of blisters on one’s foot. This was because they marched everywhere they went.

The civil war hero I researched on was Alfred J. Fitzpatrick. He was a private in the civil war and was discharged because of disability. His father’s name was Jack Fitzpatrick. He was a brave soldier. He resided in Franklin Massachusetts and is buried here also. He shall be remembered as a brave fighter in the civil war.

Company I

William M.E. Adams

The Civil War, also known as the War Between the States, in which thousands of men gave their lives to preserve our Union, touched tens of thousands of people. Even the small community of Franklin, Massachusetts felt these tremendous effects, and in its Union Cemetery lies the remains of seventy four of these valiant soldiers.

Many of the men buried in the old Town Yard served in the eighteenth infantry regiment of Massachusetts. Among them was William M.E. Adams, an eighteen-year-old mechanic who was mustered into this regiment at Camp Brigham in Dedham, Massachusetts on September 21, 1861. Although unknown to Adams at the time, by embarking on this journey, he was to be present at some of the bloodiest yet most memorable battles of the Civil War.

Two days after arriving at Camp Brigham, Adams and the rest of Company I of the Eighteenth marched to join the Army of the Potomac in Washington, D.C., arriving by August thirtieth. On September third, the regiment crossed the Potomac and reported to General Fitz John Porter, and was then assigned to General Martindale's Brigade, its fellow regiments being the Second of Maine and Thirteenth of New York.

The eighteenth regiment was not involved in an actual battle until the second battle at Bull Run, also known as Second Manassas, in the heat of late August 1864, near Washington, D.C. There, Adams and his comrades formed the first line in the rear of the skirmishers, and were thus in the very heat of the battle. The brave regiment, however, lost to General Jackson with forty of their men killed, one hundred and one wounded, and twenty-eight missing.

These sufferers, however, could not be dwelt upon, and the march to Antietam, Maryland commenced barely two weeks later on September 9, 1862. The Eighteenth did not actually take part in the fighting at Antietam, but supported batteries on the east side of the creek. At the end of this battle, casualties totaled 26,000.

The next combat Adams and the Eighteenth engaged in was when they helped to open the battle near what is now Sheperdstown, West Virginia. This was not a fortunate day for the heroes. Their commanders, Barnes and Sykes, were met by four times their amount of Confederates, and were forced to retreat.

Following this letdown, the regiment began moving southward on the thirtieth of October, crossing the Potomac and camping at Warrenton on November ninth. After camping at several other locations, the Eighteenth positioned itself opposite Fredericksburg, Virginia and remained there in waiting until the regiment was called into battle on December thirteenth at one o'clock in the afternoon. Adams and the Eighteenth then made an unsuccessful charge which caused them to lose many who were killed and wounded. Being the brave regiment that they were, however, they reformed later in the afternoon and stood firmly in place at the front of the Union line. Although they suffered many casualties, the Eighteenth had amazing and unforgettable fortitude at Fredericksburg.

After spending the winter in Fredericksburg, the Eighteenth marched west to look for their Southern enemy. They struggled in what was to be known as the Army of the Potomac's infamous Mud March, in which the road was impassable due to mud. They returned to Fredericksburg to wait for it to dry out. While waiting, General Hooker had perfected his plans for Chancellorsville campaign. Adams along with the rest of his regiment were now under control of General Meade. They crossed the Potomac on April twenty-seventh when the regiment marched to Hartwood Church. It reached Chancellorsville, Virginia on the twenty-ninth, and took its position on May first at the left of the Union line near Banks Ford. The part in this battle played by the Eighteenth was not major, and they were unfortunately lured in by a Southern trick and fell under fire. Also, they suffered the loss of one of their captains, William G. Hewins along with fourteen other casualties.

The next month or two were uneventful for these courageous men, until they were called to Gettysburg. The regiment began to move northward to end this battle on June fourteenth. They reached their destination on July second. Overall, the part they played in this momentous battle was insignificant, and they suffered only one casualty. After remaining near Little Round Top for another day in the wheat field and protecting it from the South, the Eighteenth moved off of the field. While Adams and the Eighteenth's casualties were light, the casualties suffered at Gettysburg overall were astronomical and totaled 51,000.

Throughout the rest of 1863 and the beginning of 1864, the Eighteenth stayed near Washington, D.C., fighting small skirmishes with Confederate armies. By spring of 1864, however, they found themselves involved in a set of battles in which they would see additional carnage. In the heartland of Virginia, the opening battle of the Wilderness Campaign was fought on May fifth, and one infantry man from the Eighteenth was killed. He was from Franklin, and is believed to have been the first man to fall in the campaign. On the morning of the seventh, the Eighteenth resumed their fighting at Spottsylvania courthouse, where they suffered one casualty and nine wounded. Then they proceeded to North Anna, another battle of the Wildnerness Campaign, where they played a lively part in attack on Confederates and where they were on the picket line and assisted in destroying railroads. The Eighteenth then experienced the tragedies of Cold Harbor, the last major battle making up the Wilderness campaign, which saw nearly 92,000 casualties total.

The mighty Eighteenth regiment was to experience one last battle. Petersburg was relatively mild compared to the Wilderness campaign for the Eighteenth; they were not engaged in the actual fighting, but their division formed a part of the reserve. For William M.E. Adams and most of his regiment, the long journey ended on July twentieth 1864 when they were ordered to Washington to muster out due to the ends of their terms of enlistment.

To this day, Franklin remembers its brave sons of the Eighteenth regiment, like William M.E. Adams and his mate who was the first ever to die during the nightmare of the Wilderness campaign. Franklin has erected a statue on its common displaying recognition to the memorable battles of Antietam, Spottsylvania, Gettysburg, and Petersburg, battlegrounds where the valiant Eighteenth regiment saw so much heroic action during the Civil War.

Seth Blake

On September seventh, 18__ a future civil war veteran was born to Seth Blake and Mary J. Emerson. This boy was given the name Seth as well, in the footsteps of his father. Seth Blake Jr. was born out of wedlock, and his parents never take vows of marriage.

When he grew older he enlisted into the Eighteenth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in the spring of 1861. The regiment was a three-year enlistment. During the spring and early summer of 1861 the eighteenth regiment was taught the correct procedures of war in Norfolk, MA. It was in company I that Seth Blake resided as a private. The regiment traveled around the Washington, D.C. area performing picket and outpost duties between August 1861 and March of 1862. On August 30 of 1862, regiment 18 experienced their first major battle at the Second Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Second Manassas. During the battle General John Pope led the Union Army; the infamous Gen. Robert E. Lee led the Confederates. Due to John Pope’s lack of realizing Lee’s maneuvering the battle was marked as a Union loss and Pope was fired from his position. Along with the loss as a battle, the Second Battle of Bull Run also led to 1,747 Union soldiers killed, 8,452 of them wounded, and 4,263 Union men captured or missing. Among those Union soldiers captured was Private Seth Blake.

After succumbing to the Confederate Army forces, Blake was sent to Camp Sumter in Georgia, better known as Andersonville prison. The prison was constructed in the shape of a parallelogram with 15-foot high log stockade. Perhaps the most dreadful of prisoner treatment occurred in this camp. The Union soldiers residing in Andersonville were living on top of each other, with 33,000 men in a 26 acres area. There was no shelter from the Georgia sun, heat, and rain. Prisoner’s drinking water and sewer coincided in the same water stream. In the camp, there existed a 19 feet radius from the wall in which prisoners were threatened with death if they crossed into the territory, for this reason the radius was known as the “Deadline”. During the short period of 14 months that Fort Sumter existed almost 1/3 of the men that entered the prison died. Luckily, for months after being captured a brought to Andersonville, Seth Blake was released and returned to the Eighteenth Massachusetts Regiment in early January 1863. The Eighteenth Regiment was involved in several small battles until early July. Six months after being released, Seth Blake and his regiment were sent to aid at Gettysburg on July 2^nd and 3^rd; miraculously the regiment experienced no severe losses at this bloody battle.

In early 1864, the regiment’s three-year voluntary enlistment time had ended. Along with those to reenlist into the army was Private Seth Blake. On May 5^th of 1864 the 18^th Massachusetts and the 83^rd Pennsylvania opened the battle of the Wilderness. Heavy losses were experienced in this battle, including Colonel Hayes.

Seth Blake remained in the army when his 18^th MA regiment consolidated into the 32^nd MA on October 21, 1864. He remained in the army until the end of the war and was one of the lucky men to have not lost his life in the bloody war that was fought on the United States homelands.

George Clark

Nathan Clark

Thomas Coffield

Thomas Coffield, a Civil War veteran, was enlisted in the 18th

Anthony Connor

The 18th Massachusetts was formed August 27, 1861 in Boston. They then moved on to the capitol in October of the same year. Anthony Connor was 18 at the time and became part of company I on August 24, 1861 as a Private. Company I was under the command of Captain Frederick D. Forrest of Wrentham, First Lieutenant Alvin E. Hall of Foxboro, and Second Lieutenant Samuel H. Bugbee of Wrentham. The Regiment itself was headed but Colonel James Barnes of Springfield, a graduate of West Point. The first battle that the 18th regiment was part of was the siege of Yorktown which lasted from April 5-May 4 1862. It had inconclusive results with a total of about 320 casualties. The Union General at Yorktown was George McClellan against General Joseph E. Johnston for the Confederate. The regiment suffered no loss in action at Yorktown. Their first real fighting action came at the 2nd Battle of Bull Run. Here, they were part of the attack on Porter’s Corps. The regiment’s casualties totaled 54. The regiment did not fight at Antietam but on September 20th, they went in pursuit of the Confederates across the Potomac but were driven back with a loss of 5 men. Their next battle was at Fredericksburg, Virginia on December 13, 1862. Union troops were under the command of General Ambrose E. Burnside, against Confederate troop leader General Robert E. Lee. Union troops out numbered confederates 100,000 to 72, 497. The Confederates won, and this loss amongst others, lead to the replacement of Burnside in January of 1863 with Joseph Hooker. The 18th regiment suffered from 27 of the total 13,353 Union casualties. The regiment spent the winter at camp, not fighting again till May 1st of 1863, at Chancellorsville, Virginia. They engaged here again without much loss, only 1 casualty. The regiment was next engaged at Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863. Union troops under the command of General George G. Meade, against Confederate leader General Robert E. Lee. 158,000 total forces were engaged and casualties totaled to be about 1/3 of that number. It was a union victory. November 7th 1863, the regiment was part of the capture of Rappahannock Station in Virginia. At the end of the same month, the regiment was at Mine Run, again Meade v. Lee. The battle was inconclusive and there were not heavy casualties. That winter, the regiment lost some numbers, but 139 signed for another 3 years of fighting. Anthony Connor was one of them. The regiment then became part of Bartlett’s Brigade in the spring of 1864. May 5th 1864; the regiment was part of the opening at the Wilderness, along with the 83rd Pa. Wilderness was part of the union general Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign. Grant along with Meade fought Confederate general Lee. The battle was inconclusive however Grant did not withdraw as other union generals did. Charles Wilson from Wrentham, and of the 18th regiment, was the first to fall during the battle. Wilson was one of 9 casualties suffered by the regiment. The regiment fought also at Laurel Hill, and was held in reserve at Petersburg in June. In July the time for most of the men had expired, and men were resigned and recruited forming a battalion under Major Weston. They were then joined with the 32nd Massachusetts regiment. Anthony Connor stayed with the 18th till it joined the 32nd, and was honorably discharged from the 32nd regiment on June 29, 1865. Anthony was born in Providence R.I to Isaac and Elizabeth in 1844. He became a painter and married Sarah J. Lawrence on July 4th, 1867 at the age of 23. Sarah J. Lawrence, from Wrentham, was 19 at the time of their marriage, and born in 1848 to Addison C. and Olive.

Alonzo F. Eddy

Albert L. Jordan

Granville Morse

Horace W. Pillsbury

George H. Scott

William H. Thomas William H. Thomas was a Civil War soldier who served in the 18th Massachusettsregiment, company I, and was born in 1841. He lived through the war and had a job as a shoe factory worker after that. He eventually married Seraphine A. Deming who was born in 1841 as well. His father-in-law was Augustus Deming, who was a shoe maker born in 1812. Augustus’ wife was Harriet M. Deming, who was born in 1818. His father’s name was Sandris Thomas. He was mustered in July 1861, at 20 years old at Readville and Boston. His in was a private, and rank out was also a private. His regiment left for Washington on August 28. The regiemnt became the 32nd Masssachusetts. Though he switched and became a veteran of the 2nd heavy artillery after this. During service 9 officers and 114 men were killed or mortally wounded. Furthermore, 127 men were lost by disease, with a total of 227 men.

The regiment was active in many battles throughout the Civil War. Among these there was Yorktown, Bull Run, Antietam, Shepherdstown, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville,Gettysburg, and the Wilderness. Though they day after they were mustered they marched to Washington, D.C. and attached to Fort Corcoran, Defenses of Washington. Their role in the Anaconda Plan was to defend their capital from the invaders of the Rebel states. Soon after Washington, in October, 1861, they were attached to Martindale’s Brigade, who was a Union general.

The regiment marched to Manassas, Virginia on March 10-16, 1861. They were not involved in an actual battle until the Second Battle of Bull Run, which had a high number of casualties. From there they continued to Antietam, Maryland. This battle had one of the highest casualty rates, though the 18th did not actually fight in this battle. The casualties were expected to be 26,000 but it was an inconclusive victory.

This group of courageous men were also in the great Battle of Gettysburg, which was one of the defining moments in the Civil War for the North. Lee would never dare to come North again. Though this was one of the greatest battles, the role that the 18th MA played was a rather insignificant one.

They were in reserve for the majority of the battle and only suffered one casualty.

Towards the later years of the war the 18th MA could be found somewhere near Washington, D.C. fighting small battles with Confederate Armies and defending the capital. Thomas fought for what he believed in, and he wanted to keep the Union together and fight for his country. He was a brave man, and even lived through the many significant battles that the 18th MA fought in. In the 1901 census of Franklin, he was said to have one cow and one

horse, totaling $50. His taxes came to $2.80, which would be quite a lot at

that time. He would have been 60 at that time, and the life expectancy was

anywhere from fifties to seventies. It can be assumed that he lived for a

little while after that, if he was able to live through the war, though

there is not necessarily a record.

George W. Thompson

Abiram W. Wales