THE MASSACHUSETTS TROOPS EN ROUTE FOR
WASHINGTON.
——— |
| New York was a scene of unexampled excitement on Thursday,
the 18th of April, for on that day the Sixth Regiment of Massachusetts Militia arrived in our city, on their way to defend the Federal Capital. To receive them with due honor, Colonel Le Gal the Commander of the Lafayette regiment, marched up to
the New Haven depot, Twenty-seventh street, but owing to some
mistake, they were informed they would not arrive for some
hours. They consequently marched back to their Armory.
About half-past five in the morning in the cars came bearing the
gallant Bay State regiment. By this time an immense throng
had collected, who gave their visitors a most hearty reception.
The brave fellows then left the cars, marched down Twenty-seventh street to Fifth avenue, thence to Broadway, through
Union square, and then to the Metropolitan Hotel, where four
companies took breakfast. Another detachment went to the St.
Nicholas, and the remainder repaired to the Astor House. The
streets were lined with a dense crowd, which cheered them
vociferously. |
| At half-past eleven o'clock the battalions from the Metropolitan
and the St. Nicholas took up their line of march for the Jersey
City Ferry, and on arriving at the Astor House were joined by
their comrades, and the whole regiment marched to the foot of
Cortlandt street, followed by a dense mass of people, who greeted
on the way with uninterrupted cheers. They were transported
to Jersey City on the new ferryboat John P. Jackson, and were
met at the dock by Mayor Van Vorst, of Jersey City, Chief of
Police Marinus, and Sheriff Francis, and by an immense crowd
of Jersey men and women, who gave them a welcome not less
warm than that they had received in this city. Eighteen cars
were ready for their reception, in which they embarked as soon
as practicable, and at a few minutes past one o'clock the train
started for Philadelphia. A hardier-looking or better trained
regiment of militia has never visited this city. The following is
a list of the companies, with their officers, number of men in each,
and where from: |
| RANK AND FILE. |
| Company C, of Stoneham, Capt. John H. Dyke | 79 |
| Company A, of Middlesex, Capt. J. A. Lawdell | 67 |
| Company D, of Lowell, Capt. J. W. Hart | 55 |
| Company C, of Lowell, Mechanic Phalanx, Capt. Albert S. Follansbee | 57 |
| Company I, of Lawrence, Capt. John Pickering | 65 |
| Company E, of Acton, Capt. Daniel Tuthill¹ | 46 |
| Company H, of Lowell, J. F. Noyes, Lieut. Com. | 53 |
| Company F, of Lawrence, Capt. P. F. Chadbourne | 63 |
| Company B, of South Groton Junction, Capt. E. S. Clark | 93 |
| Company B, of Worcester, Light Infantry, Capt. H. W. Pratt | 93 |
| Company C, of Boston, First Regiment, Capt. H. S. Sampson | 67 |
| Total | 738 |
| In addition, there are members who have either previously left
or are yet to arrive, the full complement of the regiment being
eight hundred men. They arrived at Philadelphia about eight
o'clock, and took supper at the Continental and Girard. Their
reception in Philadelphia was equally enthusiastic with that of
New York. |
ATTACK UPON THE SIXTH REGIMENT OF
Massachusetts Volunteers by the People of Baltimore.
——— |
| At noon on the 19th instant the city was startled by a telegram
stating that the Baltimoreans had disputed the passage of the
regiment, and that a bloody fight had taken place, resulting in a
considerable loss of life. Such a report naturally caused great
uneasiness, as an obstruction in Baltimore closed up the direct
avenue to Washington, and much delay must necessarily ensue
in reinforcing the Federal Capital. Confirmation of the news
speedily arrived, and the details of the short sharp fight in the
streets we give below. It was supposed that the Philadelphia
troops and the Seventh Regiment would have to fight their way
through Baltimore, but the burning of the railroad bridges prevented their going through by rail, and saved, in all probability,
hundreds of valuable lives. |
| We have, in another column, described the departure from
New York and the arrival in Philadelphia of the Sixth Regiment
of Massachusetts Volunteers. We will take up their march from
the time they arrived in Baltimore. |
|
| The Fight in the Streets of Baltimore. |
| The Massachusetts regiment occupied eleven cars, and arrived
safely and in excellent spirits at Baltimore. There was no demonstration made upon their arrival, and the cars were permitted
to leave the depot with the troops still on board. The cars proceeded quietly through the streets of Baltimore on their way to
the depot, at the other side of the town, and the fears expressed
by some of the citizens that an attack would be made were somewhat allayed. But they had not proceeded more than a couple
of blocks before the crowd became so dense that the horses
attached to each car were scarcely able to push their way
through. |
| At this point the mob began hooting and yelling frightfully,
and loud threats were uttered against the military. The troops,
however, maintained a strict reserve, neither showing themselves
nor replying to the insults so plentifully heaped upon them.
The crowd finding that they could not thus exasperate the volunteers, commenced throwing stones, brickbats and other missiles, and eventually tearing up the pavements and hurling them
in a perfect shower against the cars, smashing the windows and
severely wounding many of the troops. However, the first nine
cars succeeded in reaching the depot and departed for
Washington.² |
| The remaining two cars of the train, containing about one
hundred men, were cut off from the main body, and the men
found themselves encompassed by an infuriated mob of over
eight thousand. These isolated cars were immediately attacked,
and several of the soldiers had their muskets snatched from them.
At this moment news came that the Philadelphia Volunteers had
arrived, and the report excited the mob to a fearful degree. |
| The Massachusetts men, finding the cars untenable, alighted
and formed a solid square, advancing with fixed bayonets upon
all sides in double quick time, all the while surrounded by the mob—now swelled to the number of at least ten thousand—yelling and hooting. The military behaved admirably, and still
abstained from firing upon their assailants. |
| The mob now commenced throwing a perfect shower of missiles, occasionally varied by a random shot from a revolver or
one of the muskets taken from the soldiers. The poor fellows
suffered severely from the immense quantity of stones, oysters,
brickbats, paving-stones, &c., the shots fired also wounding several. When two of the soldiers had been killed, and the
wounded had been conveyed to the centre of the column, the
troops at last, exasperated and maddened by the treatment they
had received, commenced returning the fire singly, killing several,
and wounding a large number of the rioters; but at no one time
did a single platoon fire in a volley. Our informant is positive
upon this point. |
| The volunteers, after a protracted and severe struggle, at last
succeeded in reaching the depot, bearing with them in triumph
their killed and wounded, and immediately embarked. The
scene is described in glowing terms by our informant, who says
that the calm courage and heroic bearing of the troops spoke
volumes for the sons of Massachusetts, who, though marching
under a fire of the most embarrassing description, and opposed
to overwhelming odds, nevertheless succeeded in accomplishing
their purpose, and effected a passage through crowded streets a
distance of over a mile—a feat not easily accomplished by a
body of less than one hundred men when opposed to such terrific
odds. |
|