Letter Group Written By Massachusetts Lieutenant

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The following fifteen letters were written by Benjamin ("Ben") Franklin Blatchford (1835-1906). Service records indicate that Ben first enlisted as a 1st Sergeant in Co. B, 50th Massachusetts Infantry on 20 August 1862 and that he mustered out on 24 August 1863 at Wenham, Massachusetts. He was later commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in Co. K, 2nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in June 1865 and mustered out at Wilmington, North Carolina in September 1865. Here are excerpts from this letter group;(Fort Norfolk, Virginia, Jan. 25, 1864) to his mother and father, 4 pp., in part: "...This fort is pleasantly situated on the Elizabeth River and by water, not much more than a rifle shot from the City of Norfolk, but by land I should think it is about 2 miles. I can go to the City every four days. All we have to do is guard prisoners and attend to the Company Drillls. The last named take up to 4 hours a per day -- two in the forenoon and two in the afternoon. The rest I have to myself except every fourth day when I have to go on as Officer of the Guard and see that the prisoners are well guarded. Yesterday they brought in a very smart-looking man. He is or was a surgeon in the rebel army. He was captured over the river. I think we have about two hundred prisoners in the fort, most of them are rebels. The Union prisoners that are in there are all soldiers and they have (sentences) all the way from three months to twenty years to serve. They are a hard set of men but we get along with them first rate. We have had no trouble with the rebel prisoners at all and all (the troubles) we ever had is with the Union prisoners. But it did not last long as we all well-armed and ready to shoot a few for an example-- and (when) they found we would do it, they have backed down and don't cause any trouble now..."; (Fort Norfolk, Virginia, Feb. 20, 1864) to his mother and sister, 4 pp., in part: "...I am still at Fort Norfolk and likely to stop here for some time to come and I want each of you to write as often as you can make it convenient...The Rockport Boys are well with the exception of one or two who are a little of the hooks. I feel much pleasure with Corp. McKenney. He is a fine smart fellow and I like him first rate. Tell his mother that he is well and wishes to hear from her or his sisters as often as they can make it convenient to write...It is all for the best although is it hard for us to think so. But we must console each other with the hope that we shall meet him (Ben's father) by and by in a better world..."; (Fort Woodruff, Virginia, May 29, 1864) to his mother, 4 pp., in part: "...I have not been ordered to Richmond yet while the battles have been going on in front of Richmond. We have had very easy times at Fort Woodruff. Nearly all of the troops have been taken from the defenses of Norfolk. We have not over the hundred effective men to defend two forts and about one mile of breastworks. We are in a strong position..."; (Fort Woodruff, Virginia, June 19, 1864) to his mother and sister, 4 pp., in part: "...We are stationed at the same fort and have the same duties to perform day after day. The men in this company certainly can't complain of hard work. All that they have to do is keep their equipment clean, drill two hours a day and go on guard duty every five days...Here we have only three men in a tent -- or at least most of the tents have only three men in them and every tent stockaded by three men has more room than was allowed to twice that number in the 50th (Massachusetts) Regiment..."; (Fort Woodruff, Virginia, July 1864) to his mother, 4 pp., in part: "...I see that there is a call for five thousand more; that sounds like it. I hope they will get them in good season. I feel confident that if we have five thousand more sent to the field, that this war will soon be ended and that we will be at home if nothing happens in one year at least. I hope that the boys won't wait for a draft but will take hold with a will and fill up the quota at once. Nearly all that are able have to come to it and it is much better to be a volunteer than to go as a conscript. The sooner they take hold, the sooner we will get through. As for myself, I shall never give up until we do get through and settled as was intended in the commencement of the war..."; (Fort Woodruff, Virginia, August 10, 1864) to his brother(-in-law Henry M. Lowe), 2 pp., in part: "...I expect to take command of a section in a regular battery. They have sent for another section and if they get it, I am to have command. I have been trying to get to the front for some time but this is the first opportunity that has offered and I am sure of going if they get the section...Henry, I have my doubts about closing this war in a hurry. We have too many cowards and traitors at the North. It looks rather dark sometimes but the darker it grows the more determined I am to see it through. I often hear men talk of compromising but they can't talk it in my quarters. I would order out the best friend I have before I would allow him to favor that in my quarters......It would be hard to hold up our heads after being obliged to compromise with inferior numbers..."; (Bermuda Hundred, August 22, 1864) to his mother, 2 pp., in part: "...This battery is in position at the front behind the breastworks and is about 700 yards from the Rebel line. We can see the rebs anytime we look over the breastworks and could pick them off but we have little or no picket firing and both parties show themselves without fear of being shot at..." (Camp of Light Company E, 3rd U.S. Artillery before Richmond, Va., Nov. 20, 1864) to his mother and sister, 3 pp., in part:"....I wish that we could have good weather for a short time longer so that we might strike one more blow. I think that if we could strike together, Richmond would be ours. The rebs got the best of our pickets on the Bermuda Hundred line last Thursday night. They got in the rear of our pickets and captured about 150 and held the line all day. Friday night our folks made a charge to retake the line. I understand that we were successful. I could hear the musketry quite plain. They kept up a heavy fire for about 20 minutes or a half an hour. Then it ceased. I have not heard whether we captured any prisoners or not..."; (Federal Point, North Carolina, Feb. 16, 1865) to a friend, 4 pp. in part, "...I was also with the 2nd Expedition against Fort Fisher. Was unable to land our artillery the first day so I had a fine chance to witness the bombardment which was said to be the most terrific of anything of the kind on record. One the 2nd day we landed our artillery to assist in the land attack. A line of works was at once thrown up facing Wilmington, the right resting near the ocean and the left on the Cape Fear River. We knew the rebs had a strong force in our rear and knew they intended to break our line when the assault was made on the fort. Accordingly our guns were placed in position on this line, our left -- or the left of our battery, resting on the Cape Fear river...Deserters from the rebs say that they formed twice to charge us but gave it up. This battery is one that I have read about before I came to war. It was Ringgold's Battery in the Mexican War...Last Saturday we had a little fighting and advanced on a line about two miles nearer Wilmington. The loss on the part of the line where it was light -- not over 75 killed and wounded. I think that we shall start again soon and not make much of a stop this side of Wilmington. While I am writing this our troops have a brush over the river, It may end in the storming of Fort Anderson. The gunboats are shelling the fort. If we are successful in taking Fort Anderson, we can take Wilmington very easy. We are closing in on the rebs on all sides. Thomas, Grant and others with their armies will make a peace that will last. I feel glad that Old Abe is going to fight it out. The soldiers were never more determined or more confident of success. Nearly all go in for fighting it out..."; (North Branch near Wilmington, NC, March 2, 1865) to his brother and sisters, 4 pp, in part "...I suppose you have heard all the news about the fall of Wilmington... I will only say that we went into Wilmington just as the rebs went out. There was only one brigade ahead of us and this was the first battery into Wilmington and we were not long in going through the city. We did not stop as we were close onto the rebs so we followed them up. We got to the bridge that leads out of Wilmington just as the rebs were setting fire to it. We put two of our guns in position and opened up on the men who were trying to burn the bridge. Eight or ten threw down their arms and were taken prisoners and the rest left. So you see that we were just in time to save the bridge. We crossed over and tried to overtake the rebs but we did not do it until just as night when we had a smart skirmish but they got enough of us to get their force over the river and out of our way. We put our guns on the skirmish line and fought about six hours. I lost three horses out of my section and had the reins shot our of my hand but did not get hurt, but prisoners that we have taken say that we made them leave in a hurry. Our march through Wilmington was on the 22nd of February. A few days since, I had charge of a squad of men mounted on good horses and went 14 miles into the reb country and returned just as dark with nine reb deserters and a few horses. I had quite a view of the country and was the first Yankee officer who had been so far in that direction. The people were for the Union--or at least they said so. They all sing the same song when the Yankes are around...The rebs report that Hoke has lost 700 of his men by desertion since we took Wilmington. (Camp of Light Company E, 3rd U.S. Artillery near Wilmington, NC, March 5, 1865) to his brother and sisters, 4 pp., in part: "....I have been in winter quarters...but have been on the move most of the time. I was on the first on the expedition against Fort Fisher with General Butler's forces but we did not succeed in taking the fort. I was also on the second expedition with General Terry when he succeeded in taking Fort Fisher. I have been engaged in nearly every move that has taken place since...I expect we shall catch the rebels one of these days but they run so fast now it's no use to try to catch them. They burnt the railroad bridge but we came on them so quick that they did not have time to burn their pontoon (at the old Northeast ferry site) so it fell into our hands..."

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