Lowell W. Adams

            Lowell W. Adams was a Civil War soldier.  He lived In Franklin along with his father Oran Adams.  Lowell W. Adams enlisted into the 45^th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in September 15, 1862.  He was a private and part of company C.  Company C was detached at Morehead City, North Carolina from November 29, 1862, until January 3, 1863.  The 45^th Regiment suffered more casualties than any other regiment departed in North Carolina.  On January 26 until April 25, 1863 the regiment was used as a post guard at Newberne.  Then on April 25 they moved to the mouth of the Trent on the south side of the Neuse River.  Then they moved toward Kinston up the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad from April 27, until May 1.  Then they camped near Fort Spinola at the mouth of the Trent till June 29.  Eventually Lowell mustered out of the 45^th Regiment and then joined the 18^th Regiment on February 2, 1864. 

            In the 18^th Regiment Lowell W. Adams was a private and a boot-maker.  He was part of Company I.  In the 18^th Regiment he was near Brandy Station and Sevensburg until May 1864.  Then the Regiment Campaigned from the Rapidan to the James form May until June.  Lowell W. Adams and the 18^th Regiment, along with all the other regiments involved where under Ulysses S. Grants during the battle of the Wilderness, on May 5 till May 7.  In this battle the union never backed off and there where 29,800 casualties overall.  Then who was left of the 18^th Regiment went to Laurel Hill on May 8^th and then moved to Spottsylvania from May8 until May 12.  They where at Spottsylvania Court House on May 12 until May 21 under the command again of Ulysses S. Grant. On May 12 the 18^th Regiment had an assault on the Salient.  Also in the battle at Spottsylvania Court House there was an estimated 30,000 dead and it lasted from May 12 until May 21. Then the 18^th Regiment went to the North Anna River from May 23 to May 28.  At North Anna River, under the command of Grant, there was about 4,00 people killed and the results of the battle where inconclusive.  On May 23 they where at Jericho Ford.  The 18^th Regiment then was on the lines of the Pamukey from may 26 till May 28.  They were then at the battle, Totopotomoy May 28 to May 31.  At Totopotomoy Creek there was another inconclusive ending and 2,200 dead. Also they were at the battle, Cold Harbor June 1 till June 12.  Cold Harbor was another Confederate Victory that there was overall 15,500 dead.  In this battle both armies formed a seven-mile front that went from Bethesda Church to the Chickahominy River.  During that battle the 18^th Regiment was at Betheseda Church on June 1 till June 3, then they moved out of the battle.  Lastly Lowell was with the 18^th Regiment for the siege of Petersburg from June 16 till October 21.

            On October 21, 1864 Lowell W. Adams, along with many other soldiers from the 18^th Regiment, mustered into the 32^nd Massachusetts Infantry.  He was part of Company A as a Private. The 32^nd Massachusetts Infantry was not around for long.  The 32^nd Massachusetts Infantry was discharged, on July 11, 1865.  However shortly before Lowell W. Adams was wounded and had an honorable discharge from the war on June 25, 1865. 

William W. Adams

William W. Adams was a private in the Civil War and a resident of Franklin.  He was part of the 45th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in company C.  This regiment was formed after the call of August 4, 1862, for nine troops.  Adams’ regiment was under the command Colonel Charles R. Codman, who was previously the captain of the Boston Cadets while at Fort Warren in 1862.  The regiment was organized at Camp Meigs in Readville during September and October in 1862.

The 45th Regiment moved to Morehead City, North Carolina traveling on the steamer the Mississippi, in November.  There they set up camp in Newberne not far from Fort Gaston, on the banks of the Trent River.  In December, the troops set out on the Expedition of Goldsboro, company C, which Adams was part of, was sent to Morehead City on special duty

Adams fought at Kingston on December 14. At that time the troops where under the command of General John G. Foster.  Foster planned to disturb the Wilmington & Weldon Railroads in Goldsboro.  During the battle the confederates retreated because they were outnumbered.  Foster went on to claim the River Road south of the Neuse River.  The regiment lost fifteen men and forty-three were wounded.

The regiment went on to fight at Whitehall on December 16 in Wayne County.  The union troops were heading toward the railroad.  When they came upon a Confederate brigade on the northern bank of the Neuse River.  There was not much action, and the outcome of the battle was undetermined.  The 45th regiment lost four men and sixteen were wounded.  The total losses that day were about 150 causalities.  The 45th regiment did not participate in the Battle of Goldsboro.

The troops returned back to camp by December 21.  The 45th regiment remained in Newberne from January to April 1863 guarding the city.  Some Confederate attacks occurred during this time, which the 45th regiment did not take part in.  After a failed expedition in April to Core Creek, the troops returned to a previous camp near Fort Spinola, on the Trent River.  The troops stayed there until June when they traveled to Morehead City, to depart for Boston.  After arriving in Massachusetts, the regiment stayed at its former camp in Readville until the troops where released July 8.   

 

     Andrew J. Alexander was a private in the 45^th Regiment of Massachusetts, also known as the Cadet Regiment because many officers were once members of the Boston Cadet. He’s regiment was called forth on August 4^th 1862 for nine months. He was under the command or Col. Charles R. Codman in company C. Andrew’s company gathered on September 26^th 1862 in Camp Meigs, Readville with most of the other companies of his regiment. His regiment took part in four battles Kinston, White Hall Ferry and Goldsborough Bridge, all in North Carolina and part of the Goldsborough Expedition, and in Core Creek on the railroad toward Goldsboro.

     The battle at Kinston took place during the beginning of the Goldsborough Expedition on December 14. A brigade led by General John G. Foster was to destroy the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad at Goldsborough but near Kinston Bridge they fought with a Confederate force, but because the Confederates where outnumbered they withdrew and the Union force continued the next day along the River Road. During the battle there was an estimated 685 casualties, 15 of them from the 45^th Regiment of Massachusetts.

     The second battle of the Goldsborough Expedition was a battle was fought on December 16 when the Union troops reached White Hall, where the Confederate troops were holding the North Bank of the Neuse River. Some of the Union soldiers stayed and fought with the Confederate troops trying to gain the bank while the majority of the Union troops continued on toward the railroad. Four men from the 45^th Regiment of Massachusetts were killed and 16 were wounded. 

     The third and final battle during the Goldsborough Expedition was at Goldsborough Bridge on December 17. The Confederate brigade was able to delay them but unable to prevent the destruction of the bridge. During the battle there was an estimated 220 total casualties. During the Goldsborough Expedition there was a total estimate of 1050 casualties.

     After the Goldsborough Expedition the 45^th Regiment returned to its previous camp in till January 17^th 1863 scouting in Trenton, returning on the 22^nd that same month. From January 26^th to April 26 they regiment served as provost guard, almost like police for the military, in Newbern.  The engaged in a fight near Core Creek on the railroad toward Goldsboro taking Confederate railroad near its intersection with the Dover Road. During the fight one man from the 45^th Regiment was killed and four others were injured.  The regiment then returned to it’s last camp near Fort Spinola where it remained till June 24^th 1863 when the returned to Boston where the remained till July 8 in their old camp, Camp Meigs, Readville. Andrew J. Alexander lived to be discharged at the end of the war as a private.

 

 

 

Owen Ellsworth Ballou, a Franklin resident and eventual soldier for the Union during the Civil War, was born in 1842. He would lead a typical life, being involved in both his family responsibilities and in his work as a box maker, until volunteering as a Union soldier in September of 1862 at age 20. While serving in company C of the 45^th Massachusetts Infantry, Ballou would become active in numerous significant battles and operations. Returning to Massachusetts less than one year later, Owen E. Ballou would again resume a normal life after eluding death and injury in the heated battles of the Civil War.

Owen was the oldest of his three other siblings born to Barton Ballou and Phebe H. Peck. Phebe (a native Franklinite, born in 1819) and Barton Ballou (originally of Pelham, Massachusetts, born in 1813) also produced Ellen Frances Ballou (1844), Elias Peck Ballou (1846) and Barton Alonzo Ballou (1858), who was Owen’s junior by 14 years. He would eventually be wed to Amelia E. Robbe, who was born in Franklin in 1845, however, the date and other details of this marriage is unknown. After returning from the war, he was reported to have had a separate marriage in 1864 at age 22 to Aurelia Adams. No children were reported in either marriage.

In response to a call to arms on August 4, 1862, in which white, able-bodied men were encouraged to serve in the army for 9 months, Owen Ballou left his siblings and family at the youngest allowable age. He joined the 958 other volunteers to join the 45^th regiment of the Massachusetts Infantry (Militia), and was placed in company C (which was mustered in on September 26^th) as a private. Also known as the “Cadet Regiment”, the 45^th Massachusetts was commanded by Colonel Charles R Codman and over 40 of its commissioned officers had been former members of the Boston Cadets. It was organized at Camp Megis, Readville from September 26 to October 28, 1862. For 9 days, he would travel south to Beaufort, North Carolina on the Steamer “Mississippi” (November 5-14). He, along with the rest of the regiment, was later transported to Newbern, North Carolina by railway and assigned to Amory’s Brigade of Foster’s Division.

Along with the men of the 45^th Massachusetts and those of other states’ brigades, Ballou would make camp for a month on the banks of the Trent (near Fort Gasten) until December 12th. Until this point, he encountered the typical camp life of a soldier, being drilled daily and residing in a tent. While most of his regiment was sent out to accompany General Foster on his expedition to disrupt the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad at Goldsborough, Company C was sent on special duty to Morehead City (which was a Confederate City in North Carolina that was quickly becoming an important port). The efforts of the Union army (including Company C of the 45^th Massachusetts Infantry) helped to disrupt the progress of this port town.

While the date that Owen and the other members of Company C rejoined the other companies of the regiment is unknown, it is nearly impossible that Ballou fought at Kinston with the 45^th two days later. Fought on December 14^th, the timing of this battle would allow very little time for Company C to reunite with its counterparts and thus Ballou was most likely not a factor in the Union victory. This offered Ballou a chance to escape the Union casualties, since 15 men of his regiment had encountered fatal injuries and 43 others had been wounded. It is likely that Ballou again was not involved in the battle at White Hall on December 16, 1863 in which 6 more of the Union soldiers of his regiment died.

As Ballou and the rest of his company were reunited with the remainder of the 45^th Massachusetts on December 21^st, he and his comrades were assigned simple, tame tasks in the North Carolina area. Owen Ballou was involved in the January 17^th reconnaissance mission to Trenton, which lasted for 5 days. He and other members of his regiment were also involved in the three month (January 26, 1863 to April 26, 1863) provost guard in Newbern, North Carolina. During this time, Ballou again eluded death and injury in the May 14^th attack by the Confederate army, since the 45^th Massachusetts Infantry was little more than a spectator. The regiment’s final mission was an expedition to Core Creek on the railroad toward Goldsborough, in which a brief skirmish with Confederate troops resulted in one regiment casualty and four others wounded.

Ballou finally returned to his original military camp on the banks of the Trent. He was able to avoid complications from bad hygiene and diseases such as typhoid that ran rampant through Civil War camps, causing a high percentage of war deaths. Ballou also was subjected to the warmer climate of the southern states until leaving camp on June 24^th for Morehead City, from which he was transported to Boston on June 30^th. Twenty of his regiment had been killed or had died of wounds; while 27 had died form accident or disease (luckily not one man was missing or had been taken prisoner). Finally in his home state, Owen Ballou and the others of the 45^th Massachusetts Infantry were formally welcomed in the customary style and marched to the State House, in which the governor formally thanked the troops. Here, Ballou pledged to again serve the Union if an emergency ever arose. This occasion never presented itself for Ballou, who then returned to the original camp at Readville until the contract of service expired on July 8, 1863.

Ballou then proceeded home to Franklin to resume his job as a box maker and would be wed (perhaps for the second time) in 1864 at the age of 22. His wife Aurelia E. Adams, also a Franklinite, had once before been married (to a man having the name of Roblee) and all sources indicate that Owen and Aurelia maintained their marriage until death and bore no children. At some point, he would move to Rhode Island, for in 1920 (at age 78) he was reported to be living in nearby Cumberland on Wrentham Road. Although his death date is unknown, it is likely that he died in the next 10 years and was buried in Cumberland, for he was not included in the 1930 federal census.

Charles H Bemis was born September 1, 1864.  His parents, Henry Daniel Bemis and Roxanna Pitkin, were born 17 April 1831 and 16 December 1834.  Charles was born in Massachusetts along with his siblings Rebecca, Henry, Charles, Francis, William, and Mary.  At the age of 19 in 1860 Charles worked as a mechanist.  In 1861, living in Worcester, Charles Bemis married Sarah.  During this time, Charles worked as a mechanic and was a maker of plows for Ford.  The death of Charles H. Bemis occurred before May 24, 1899.

During Charles’ life he served in the Forty-Fifth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia (Infantry).  The regiment was got its name because over forty of the commissioned officers of the regiment were former members of the Boston Cadets. The commander, Charles R. Codman, was a serving Captain and Adjutant for the Boston Cadets at Fort Warren in 1862. November 5, 1862 was the date Charles and the regiment boarded the steamer MISSISSIPPI in destination for Beaufort, North Caroline. Later taken by train to Newbern, they were then assigned to Amory's Brigade of Foster's Division. The camp for the regiment was located on the banks of the Trent River near Fort Gaston. The regiment then, stayed put, until the 12 of December.  On this day the regiment followed command of General Foster’s expedition to Goldsboro.  Eight other companies also followed this expedition.  December 14, the 45th experienced a real loss, losing 15 men and 43 wounded. At Whitehall, December 16, lost 4 men and 16 were wounded. At Goldsboro on the 17th the regiment did not fight, and the day after it began its march back to Newbern, reaching its last camp on  Dec. 21. January 17, 1863, was when the 45th began its stride to Trenton, returning on January 22. From January 26 to April 26 the regiment served as guards in Newbern. On March 14, the confederates attacked at Newbern, which the 45th was not called to fight but, wanted too. On April 27 the regiment took the railroad towards Goldsboro with Amory's Brigade on the expedition to Core Creek.

The 45th regiment then lost one man and four wounded on April 28. Thus ending the expedition.  The regiment marched to camp near Fort Spinola in retreat, located just below Newbern on the Trent. On June 24, they continued to Morehead City and there took transports to Boston.  In the Boston they were welcomed and then awaited arrival at camp Readville until July 8 Arriving at its destination June 30, the regiment was formally welcomed, then proceeded to its old camp at Readville where it remained until its muster out of the service July 8, 1863 when service ended.

                        George W. Cole jr. was the son of George W. Cole sr. born around 1804. He was about 23 years old when he joined the 45^th Massachusetts militia, which was an infantry unit. He was a private in C Company and was expected to serve 9 months.

            During fall of 1862 the 45^th militia met up at Camp Meigs, Readville. Its main camp was set on the banks of the Trent River. While most of the regiment was part of a journey to Goldsboro led by general foster. C Company broke off on November 29^th headed to Morehead City. They would not reconnect with the group until January 3^rd of 1863. On March 14^th the 45^th regiment were onlookers of a battle in New Bern, NC, which had been captured by General Ambrose P. Burnside. C Company got its first and last taste of real combat on April 28^th while on the railroad headed towards Goldsboro when they were attacked by the Confederates attacked.

For the remainder of the war the 45^th regiment stayed in camps near the general vicinity of New Bern until it returned home and ended its term of service.

Barton A. Colvin, a soldier during the Civil War, was born in 1841 in an area near Blackstone, Massachusetts. His parents were Zacheus, a machinist, and Mary Colvin and he came from a large family that consisted of seven children, Caleb, Sara, Mary, Barton, Maria, Edward and Albert. Even though he never lived in Franklin, his Mother died in Franklin on November 7, 1867 at the age of 63. There are also records of his brother Caleb, along with Caleb’s wife Mary, living in Franklin.

During the Civil War, Barton Colvin was enlisted as a private in the 45^th regiment Company C. This was the cadet regiment. His company was detached to Morehead City, North Carolina from November 29, 1862 until January 3, 1863. The 45^th regiment as a whole suffered around 51 casualties as a result of war and battles such as Kinston and Whitehall (which Company ‘C’ was not a part of). This regiment was also stationed at Newbern for a while, and was involved in a Battle at Newbern. There they were defending the coast as part of a blockade. Blockading the coast was part of the Anaconda Plan, in which the Union planned to blockade the coast and take over the Confederate capital.

On July 8, 1863, after the completion of their obligation to serve one year, the 45^th regiment was disbanded. After the war, according to the 1870 census, Barton A. Colvin lived in Providence, Rhode Island and was working a jewelry store. He lived there along with his wife Nancy, who was from Indiana, and his four children, George F., Anna M.,

Mary E., and Edward. The later two of his children were born in Connecticut while the older two were born in Rhode Island. Unfortunately, there was no published record of his death.