Henry Wilsonís Regiment: History of the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry, The 2nd Company Sharpshooters and the 3rd Light Battery by John L. Parker Robert G. Carter. Rep. of 1887 ed., 592 pp., hc, Index.

History of the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry

by John L. Parker

In the preparation of the following pages, the Historianís diaries, and letters to newspapers in the first year of the regimentís service; also in the fall of 1863, and the last six months of the war; letters written home by Robert G. Carter during the second year, and by Walter Carter during the third year,ñform the basis of the work. Data had been collected from time to time, looking to the ultimate publication of the History of the Regiment; and at the re-union in 1880, definite steps were taken, and a committee chosen, with the Historian as chairman, to prosecute the work. Several meetings were held, and the matter talked over.some changes were made in the committee, and it was finally constituted as follows: John L. Parker, chairman; Robert G. Carter, H, secretary; Theodore L. Kelly, A; John E. Dodge, B; George A. Washburn, C; Ward Brooks Frothingham, D; David L. Jones, E; George D. Harrington, F; George W.G. Davis, G; Mark E. Hanson, I; Daniel Walker, K; Charles D. Stiles, S.S.; John D. Reed, Battery. The members of the committee prepared sketches of their several companies, which appear in Chapter I., and collected other material. Illness of the secretary was the unavoidable cause of long delay, but in January, 1885, the work was resumed in earnest. Circulars were sent out to every known address of survivors of the regiment and battery, asking for the loan of diaries, letters, and reminiscences, for use in compiling the history. To this there was a good response. Gen. Tilton loaned his file of letters covering his entire team of service. Diaries kept David L. Jones, John G. Knisley, Nathan W. Haynes, L.L. Crane, John D. Reed, John W. Dennett, Daniel Rankin, J. Otis Brown, and B.F. Woodberry, were brought into use. Aid was received by letters and verbally from Gen. A.P. Martin, F.W. Kimball, Marshall S. Pike, Henry W. Taylor, J.W. Kenfield, M.C. Sweetser, W.M. Ward, Charles Lewis, B.B. Martis, Merritt S. Foye, Richard Houghton, John K. Richardson, John F. Gleason, W.H. Marden, W.W. Peckham, L. Burrill,jun., George F. Lougee, W.F. Barnard, A.F. Walcott, Dr. Stearns, E.C. Bennett, Hugh Gilligan, George A. Sawin, Charles D. Stiles, and many others.

The plan of the work was to make it a story of the organization as originally formed, showing how it was recruited, how soldiers went to war in 1861, life in the camp of instruction, the march, the battle, the prison-pen, and how the returning soldier was received. Thanks to Comrade Frothinghamís search, the speeches at the departure were secured, and are now preserved. Prison-life is shown in the chapters written by Drum-Major Pike and Corporal Parker. Rear views of the army are given in the recollections of Q. M. S. Reed of the battery. Life in a conscript-camp is well depicted by Comrade Carter, who was detailed for duty at Gallop Island during his last year of service.

If any comrade misses some point he would like to have seen stated, let him ask himself why he did not furnish it to the Historian. an earnest, conscientious effort has been made to give the comrades of Henry Wilsonís regiment a true and faithful record of their services. The labor of editing and compiling the numerous data furnished by the comrades has been greater than any one who has not attempted it can well understand. That is a perfect work, is not claimed; but the regimental histories are few that have had more work bestowed on them; and if serious errors are found, no one will deplore them more than the Historian. The principal difficulty was with the lists of casualties, and errors may be found in them in spite of the pains taken to make them correct. The Historical Committee have done noble service in preparation of this work, responding to all calls; but the assistance given by Lieut. Carter, now on the retired list of the United States Army and formerly a private in Company H, has been invaluable. Without him, a complete work would have been impossible. He wrote the principal part of Chapters XI., XII., XIII., XVI., XVII., XIX., XX., XXII., XXV., XXVI., XXVII., XXVIII., and XXIX.; and his advice and suggestions throughout have been timely and helpful.

The illustrations in the work are not so numerous as we hoped for. The battle-pictures were drawn by C.W. Reed, from data furnished by participants in the engagements, and have been recognized as faithful representations of the scenes. The pictures of the monuments were made by the Lewis Engraving Company from photographs by Tipton. The camp-scene was drawn by the subjects or their friends, and every comrade had a chance to appear in the gallery. The heliotypes were printed by the Notman Photograph Company and the Lewis and the Forbes companies. The steel-engravings of Gen. Tilton and Gen. Martin are used by permission of Col. John B. Bachelder.

And now the Historian, having assembled his facts, faced his pages, and aligned his chapters, salutes the reader with the familiar phrase, "Sir, the parade is formed." The old soldier will find on inspection tht it is a stereoscopic view of army life, which will take him back to the days ìwhen you and I were young.î To the non-military reader, it is believed it will prove instructive and entertaining, as showing what the soldier did, and how he endured.