2nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Soldiers Archive

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/21/2019

War-date archive of Union officer Joseph Fowler Field, of Westfield, Massachusetts, who as a twenty-seven year-old salesman, enlisted on October 31, 1862 as a private in the 46th Massachusetts Infantry. He was discharged for promotion in May 1863 and joined the 2nd Mass. Heavy Artillery as a lieutenant. In April 1865, he was made adjutant of that regiment. This soldier’s archive includes, correspondence and military related documents, as well as one set of shoulder bars, a carte de visite of him, and several post war items. One great letter on the Battle of Kinston, North Carolina, read in part: “...[12/22/1862 Newbern, North Carolina] about noon we just saw signs of the Rebs for on the side of the road we found two Reb prisoners & one wounded, a little way on we saw another one laying on some stones guarded by one of our Cavalry men but he di not have to guard long for he soon died & so it was all that day every little while we would come across a Reb either wounded or a prisoner....Sunday morning ...we joined the army just in time the cannons began to play, but we kept on & found that our advance had captured one gun & killed a few rebs we passed close by one dead one & a filthy looking object he was too. We were then nearing Kinston & soon our advance began to fire & it grew pretty heavy. We soon reached the spot & our Brigade was ordered to form a line of battle. Our position was to support Battery H 3d Artillery so we formed & lay down behind. All the while in front of us heavy & brisk firing lines kept up on both sides our brigade was the reserve, so we were not called immediately into the action. We waited there sometime when the cheers began Col. Lee rode up & shouted that their we had captured thier battery & saved the bridge then the cavalry went up. We again fell into the column ready to go forward & while waiting, they began to bring the wounded back & it was heart sickening to see the poor fellows. One was Col. Grey of the 96 NY VOls he had a mortal wounded & died soon after getting him to the hospital. But we soon started forward & came ot the principle scene of action & it was a sight to behold. We had passed quite a number of killed & wounded but they were nothing compared with what we saw the dead were laying about & they were bringing them out of the swamp as fast as they could. I went into a little church & found Royal Fowler attending to his wounds, he was very much excited as his Regt. sustained the principle part of the fight and out of 300 had 117 killed & wounded. His Regt charged the Rebs over the bridge right in the face of their batteries & whole force. The Reb General was mad enough & had said he could hold the place against any force we could bring we captured about 500 prisoners & sent the rest through the town on the double quick...in the morning on we went again & soon our cannons began to roar again & here was the heaviest cannonading I ever heard. It was terrific. Our Regt this time was quite near drawn up ready...the balls would whistle over our heads so that it made some of the boys quake one fellow near where I stood started for the woods. I saw him & sung out to him, says he ‘I never drilled a day in my life’ I told him to get into the ranks& if I saw him leave again I’d fix him so he wouldn’t drill any more. His company received him with a shout & they kept their eye on him, after that he was pretty badly scared. Here the rebs burnt the bridge so after silencing their guns we went on in way to Goldsboro but halted for the night. Aobut six miles from there the next mroing after we had started we soon heard the usual noise & soon we came to a halt. I came ahead some ways of our Regt. to see the fun & found the Rebs putting as usual scattered by our shells. Our Regt was drawn up behind a battery, but I did not know it...soon they made an advance & took a position & then our battery began to play, it was music & lasted about an hour or so when we set the bridge on fire. 3 men volunteered & two of them were shot. Then we thought we had scattered them for good & Gen. Foster told us our work was now down for we had burnt the bridge & tore up their rail road for about two miles & we had started back nearly all the force had got under way & our brigade being the last had waited for them & two of our Regts had started, when and came that they were flanking us & then there were lively times. Our Regt was put back & quickly formed. Our battery returned & began to belch forth grape & cannister & in a few minutes one man in the company directly in front of me was shot and another one wounded. We were then ordered to lay down & that ordere was obliged mighty quick. The poor fellow that was shot lay about a rod in front of us so I started back for our ambulance corps & had to go twice before found them. The shot & shells were flying thick & fast on both sides of me but I was so excited I hardly noticed them except when one would whiz by my head & that made me dodge. It was a most exciting time & our boys behaved remarkably well for the first time under fire. Geo. Myrick was in all parts of the field & behaved splendid. He rode a grey horse & acted as aid for Gen. Lee. The Capt of one of our batteries said we must have killed & wounded nearly 500 of them for he waited until they came very near before he opened on them & then he mowed them terribly. They threw up their hands & would fall over, but it id not last long for we soon silenced their guns & sent their infantry flying in all directions...we camped within half a mile of where our Regt & the battery camped along the Saturday night before & found 13 Rebs dead that our cavalry & artillery had killed the next day after we had left there. One was found by one of our boys while he was picking up sticks for a fire & lay as near to where we slept as from your back door to Louise door, but it didnt distant our sleep. We camped once more before we got home, which place we reached about noon Sunday Dec 21 having been gone 10 days fought four battles, captured 13 guns & 600 Rebs but our loss is quite heavy, but not near so bad as the Rebs....” Fine condition. ...plus; War-date letter by Lieutenant Field, to Major Hoffman, August 31, 1864, asking for a leave of absence, signed on verso by General ISRAEL VODGES (1816-1873) and by General GEORGE FOSTER SHEPLEY (1819-1878). As well as by Lt. Col. AUGUSTUS BROWN REED SPRAGUE (1827-1910) .About very good condition. ...plus; Two war-date commissions signed by Massachusetts Governor JOHN ALBION ANDREW (1818-1867) promoting Field to lieutenant rank, both fine condition....plus; Muster in for Field signed by THOMAS JONATHAN COFFIN AMORY (1828-1864) Colonel of the 17th Massachusetts Infantry, died of yellow fever at Newbern, North Carolina. Near fine condition...plus; Appointment for Filed as Sergeant Major of the 46th Massachusetts Infantry signed by Colonel GEORGE BOWLER. Fine condition...plus; Appointment for Field’s father, as Quartermaster Sergeant in the 3rd Mass, 1822 signed by Colonel WILLIAM ADAMS....plus; dozens of post war documents, includes MOLLUS related material and more. Most pieces are very good or better condition unless otherwise described. A nice group of material pertianing to this Massachusetts soldier.

Click on a thumbnail above to display a larger image below
Hold down the mouse button and slide side to side to see more thumbnails(if available).