The Harvard Immigrants of the 20th Massachusetts

Three of the four original companies of the Harvard Regiment were "ethnic units," two German and one Irish.
 
I wonder if the immigrants, especially the German ones who immigrated solely for the $200 bounty they were promised realized what they were getting themselves into. Clearly judging from the distinguished service of the regiment they were brave and loyal to their new country, but I wonder if it was worth it for them. Also, I question the morals of recruiting "mercenaries" to fight in the war. Even if the immigrants just had the best intentions, I'm sure people in the South would have found the promoting of such a thing unfair. Not trying to point fingers at people in the past, just pointing to a very grey area in recruitment methods.
 
I wonder if the immigrants, especially the German ones who immigrated solely for the $200 bounty they were promised realized what they were getting themselves into. Clearly judging from the distinguished service of the regiment they were brave and loyal to their new country, but I wonder if it was worth it for them. Also, I question the morals of recruiting "mercenaries" to fight in the war. Even if the immigrants just had the best intentions, I'm sure people in the South would have found the promoting of such a thing unfair. Not trying to point fingers at people in the past, just pointing to a very grey area in recruitment methods.
I think you have to distinguish between Germans who were living in the US and enlisted and those who were essentially recruited in Germany. In the first case, they were clearly not mercenaries, but rather citizen soldiers. In the second case some of them might have been mercenaries. Many Southern whites tended to consider all immigrants in the Union service to be mercenaries.

I am not sure how many men were recruited abroad. The practice only appears to have become more common after the start of the draft.
 
I think you have to distinguish between Germans who were living in the US and enlisted and those who were essentially recruited in Germany. In the first case, they were clearly not mercenaries, but rather citizen soldiers. In the second case some of them might have been mercenaries. Many Southern whites tended to consider all immigrants in the Union service to be mercenaries.

I am not sure how many men were recruited abroad. The practice only appears to have become more common after the start of the draft.

Yes, of course, those Germans and Irish already living here and volunteering or being drafted certainly are not mercenaries. However, I could see how and why the Southerners viewed all immigrants as mercenary since there weren't as many immigrants in the South as the North pre-war, so to them they were foreigners who had no business being involved in their war. I'm sure the South felt it also put them at a greater disadvantage as far as manpower was concerned. The North had a resource the South did not have access to because of the blockade.

Makes one wonder if the bounty was more of a substitute fee paid by men avoiding the draft in the North since it seemed more popular post draft. The $200 bounty mentioned in the article is far cheaper than the standard $800+ substitute fee you hear about tossed around for men looking to escape the draft using someone stateside. I've also read stories about people grabbing Irish immigrants in NYC straight off the docks and hoodwinking them into service. Granted, I'm unsure if the tales are factual, as it sounds very urban legend-ish to me. But, regardless of how or why they ended up here, they fought bravely and many died which makes them heroes in my book.
 
Just visited the Boston Public Library yesterday and noticed this monument to the 20th Mass... a pleasant surprise as I was not expecting an ACW fix on our trip here... :thumbsup:
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Most of Boston's historical tourism is focused, (rightly so), on the American Revolutionary period, but one other ACW tidbit I learned yesterday is that while MIT was officially chartered and founded on April 10th, 1861, the outbreak of hostilities two days later meant enormous difficulties in raising funds and recruiting teachers & students... thus MIT's first classes were not held until 1865.
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However, I could see how and why the Southerners viewed all immigrants as mercenary since there weren't as many immigrants in the South as the North pre-war, so to them they were foreigners who had no business being involved in their war.
They were creatures of their prejudices.
 
For further reading on the 20th Massachusetts Infantry.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0873384407/?tag=civilwartalkc-20


Fallen Leaves: The Civil War Letters of Major Henry Livermore Abbott

Major Henry Livermore Abbott of the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was the most widely known and highly respected officer of his rank to serve in the Army of the Potomac. This text contains a collection of his wartime letters to family and friends.

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The bounty question is a complex one. A recruit could collect as many as three different bounties. There was the base Federal bounty available to every recruit. Then each state added its own bounty, the amount of which which varied over time; and in addition, individual communities generally offered anywhere from $50 to $350 to men who would agree to be enrolled under that town's quota. Smaller bounties for 9 month or 1 year enlistments, larger ones for 3 year/duration recruits. These last were paid only up until the quota was filled. Thus, a man wanting to enlist could "shop around" to determine which towns' quotas were not yet filled, and which was offering the highest bounty. Late in the war, some men were garnering near $1000 in bounty money.
 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1584656751/?tag=civilwartalkc-20


Harvard's Civil War: The History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

The Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was one of the most influential northern units in the Army of the Potomac. Its nickname, the Harvard Regiment, was derived from the preponderance of Crimson-connected officers on its roster. The fortunes of war placed this unit at the lethal crossroads of nearly every major battle of the Army of the Potomac from Ball's Bluff (1861) through Grant's Overland Campaign. After going through its baptismal fire at the debacle of Ball's Bluff, the Harvard Regiment was the first to plant its colors on the Confederate works at Yorktown; fought McClellan's rear guard actions during the Seven Days' Campaign; was mauled in Antietam's West Woods, on Fredericksburg's streets, and on Marye's Heights; faced Pickett's charge at Gettysburg; and was at the deadly intersection of the Orange and Plank Roads at the Battle of the Wilderness. But the regiment's influence far transcended its battle itinerary. Its officers were drawn from elite circles of New England politics, literature, and commerce. This was the regiment of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.; of his cousins, William Lowell Putnam and James Jackson Lowell, both nephews of James Russell Lowell; of Paul Joseph Revere and his brother Edward H. R. Revere, both grandsons of Paul Revere; and of Sumner Paine, great-grandson of Declaration of Independence signer Robert Treat Paine. Because its officers were highly educated, many of the Harvard Regiment left copious collections of diaries, memoirs, and letters, many published. Yet the history of the Twentieth Massachusetts comprises a social document beyond the evocative and tragic recollections of its highly literate leadership. Although the Boston elitedominated the regiment's officer corps, half of its recruits were immigrants, mostly German and Irish. The ethnic tension that dogged the regiment during its existence reflected an uneasy mix. The regiment included Copperhead and abolitionist gentlemen, radical German emigres from the failed Revolution of 1848, the sons of prominent Republicans, and the sons of Lincoln-haters. Miller adroitly weaves a social history of the period into his narrative, offering readers a fascinating backdrop that enriches vivid descriptions of battlefield triumphs and catastrophes. The influence of the Harvard regiment continued to reverberate long after the war. Commemorated in poems, speeches and histories by such distinguished figures as Herman Melville and John Greenleaf Whittier, and by alumni such as Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. and William Francis Bartlett, the experiences of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry would define how later generations of Americans understood the Civil War.

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Just visited the Boston Public Library yesterday and noticed this monument to the 20th Mass... a pleasant surprise as I was not expecting an ACW fix on our trip here... :thumbsup:
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I have seen them but not realized what they were on trips there in the past. Thanks for posting.
 
For further reading on the 20th Massachusetts Infantry.

http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Leaves-Letters-Livermore-Abbott/dp/0873384407/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=512i8qbdESL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107,160_&refRID=0PA79P3A4J2JPX31Y0ME


Fallen Leaves: The Civil War Letters of Major Henry Livermore Abbott

Major Henry Livermore Abbott of the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was the most widely known and highly respected officer of his rank to serve in the Army of the Potomac. This text contains a collection of his wartime letters to family and friends.

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While at Harvard, Henry L. Abbott became very good friends with fellow classmate Lane Brandon of Wilkinson County, Mississippi. When the war came Brandon joined the 21st Mississippi Infantry, and as fate would have it, his regiment ended up facing the 20th Massachusetts on numerous battlefields. In 1866, Brandon wrote a letter to Henry Abbott's father and told him, "It is remarkable that our brigades should have met face to face on so many fields. In fact, Henry's old brigade became so well known to us, that several times when the fighting would become warm and stubborn I have heard the remark, 'boys these must be the old fellows - they fight mighty like it.' My company was stationed all winter '61 until March '62 on picket at Ball's Bluff. Three regts. of my brigade participated in the engagement at this place on [21st] Oct. 1861, but my regt. was not assigned to the command until some time subsequent. We renewed our acquaintance on the evening of 31st May at Fair Oaks or Seven Pines - the meeting was a warm one for us. We next met on [the] evening of 30th June at Glendale, mentioned in Genl. Lee's report as Frazier's Farm, & again on Tuesday evening 1st July at Malvern Hill. Then in the streets of Fredericksburg night of Dec. 11th, '62 & Marye's Heights May 3, '63...Before closing I will add that none of my immediate family were killed in the war - And that if you can write 'Charity requires us to suppose there were a great many honest persons on both sides, and duty requires us to do justice to all,' how much more ought that sentiment to be binding on me, and I trust I will not prove recusant to it."
 
While at Harvard, Henry L. Abbott became very good friends with fellow classmate Lane Brandon of Wilkinson County, Mississippi. When the war came Brandon joined the 21st Mississippi Infantry, and as fate would have it, his regiment ended up facing the 20th Massachusetts on numerous battlefields. In 1866, Brandon wrote a letter to Henry Abbott's father and told him, "It is remarkable that our brigades should have met face to face on so many fields. In fact, Henry's old brigade became so well known to us, that several times when the fighting would become warm and stubborn I have heard the remark, 'boys these must be the old fellows - they fight mighty like it.' My company was stationed all winter '61 until March '62 on picket at Ball's Bluff. Three regts. of my brigade participated in the engagement at this place on [21st] Oct. 1861, but my regt. was not assigned to the command until some time subsequent. We renewed our acquaintance on the evening of 31st May at Fair Oaks or Seven Pines - the meeting was a warm one for us. We next met on [the] evening of 30th June at Glendale, mentioned in Genl. Lee's report as Frazier's Farm, & again on Tuesday evening 1st July at Malvern Hill. Then in the streets of Fredericksburg night of Dec. 11th, '62 & Marye's Heights May 3, '63...Before closing I will add that none of my immediate family were killed in the war - And that if you can write 'Charity requires us to suppose there were a great many honest persons on both sides, and duty requires us to do justice to all,' how much more ought that sentiment to be binding on me, and I trust I will not prove recusant to it."
Thanks for adding this.
 
I think you have to distinguish between Germans who were living in the US and enlisted and those who were essentially recruited in Germany. In the first case, they were clearly not mercenaries, but rather citizen soldiers. In the second case some of them might have been mercenaries. Many Southern whites tended to consider all immigrants in the Union service to be mercenaries.

I am not sure how many men were recruited abroad. The practice only appears to have become more common after the start of the draft.
There is an article devoted to the illegal recruitment (= illegal in the German states where it occurred) of at least 1,100 Germans by the agents under contract with the State of Massachusetts in 1864 alone, but it is in German. The author is Dr. Andrea Mehrländer, entitled " '...ist das nicht reiner Sclavenhandel?' Die illege Rekruteriung deutscher Auswanderer für die Unionsarmee im amerikanischen Bürgerkrieg," and was published in the journal Amerikastudien/American Studies as part of a special issue, Volume 44/No. 1 (1999), pp. 65-93, and relies on primary sources located in both the United States and Germany. Some of those recruited were told, or were induced to believe, they were being brought to the U.S. for work as coal miners. Among 907 recruits landed by three (of at least seven) transport ships in Boston and Portland between March 26 and September 16, 1864, 160 were allocated to the 20th Mass. 367 to the 35th Mass., 148 to the 30th Mass., and 95 to the 32nd Mass. Vol Inf. (the remainder to units not further identified). Mehrländer focused on the personal accounts left by five of those so recruited, all in the 35th Mass. What is surprising is that there seems to have been little or no follow-up to this article.
 
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