CAPTAIN SAMUEL H. DOTEN’S COMPANY, “PLYMOUTH ROCK GUARDS.”
[“E” IN THE FOURTH REGIMENT, “E” OF THE MASSACHUSETTS
BATTALION, AND “E” OF THE TWENTY-NINTH REGIMENT.]
The honored old Pilgrim town of Plymouth was among the first in the
State to take an active part in the work of furnishing troops for
the Union army. Here was an organized body of militia known as the
“Standish Guards,” commanded by Captain Charles C. Doten. The company
was “B” of the Third Regiment of Militia, and left for the seat of war
on the 16th of April, 1861. On this occasion, the town was stirred
as it had not been since the days of the Revolution; hundreds of the
townspeople--among whom could have been found some of the most ardent
and intelligent patriots in the country--gathered at an early hour in
the morning to witness the departure of its first soldiers of the war.
The company had received its orders to march during the night of the
15th, by a messenger from New Bedford, who had ridden horseback from
Wareham, through the dark, pine forests that lay between that town and
Plymouth, and in the midst of a storm of rain. The departure of the
soldiers was so sudden, that the majority of them went away without
having made any preparations for the care and maintenance of their
families. But the good people of Plymouth were not unmindful of this
fact, and, on the 20th of April, a large public meeting assembled,
under a call of the selectmen of the town, “to take such steps as may
be necessary to secure ample provision for the families of those who
have enlisted for the defence of their country.”
The meeting was presided over by Hon. William T. Davis, and the
following resolutions, offered by John J. Russell, Esq., were adopted:--
“_Resolved_, That it is our pleasure, as well as our duty,
to see to it that our brave volunteers be encouraged by the
knowledge that the welfare of those near and dear to them is
made the care of their fellow-citizens who remain at home.
“_Resolved_, That the selectmen be requested to apply and
distribute, at their discretion, a sum not exceeding two
thousand dollars, towards the assistance of those families who,
by the sudden departure of the troops, are left in need of
pecuniary aid,--such sum to be raised by borrowing, in the name
of the town, or in such other way as the selectmen shall deem
expedient.”
On the very day of this meeting, Samuel H. Doten, a brother of
Captain Charles C., was busily engaged in forming a volunteer company
in this town, and had already secured nearly a full complement of
men. The public meeting referred to was not a regularly-warned town
meeting, and the resolutions that had been adopted by it could not be
carried out, except they received the sanction of the voters, legally
called together for that purpose. On the 11th of May, therefore, in
pursuance of a call dated May 4, the town assembled in meeting, chose
Moses Bates, Esq., as Moderator, and, upon motion of Hon. Charles G.
Davis, adopted the suggestions of the citizens’ meeting, and made the
following provision for the three years’ volunteers of Captain Samuel
H. Doten’s company:--
“_Voted_, That the sum not exceeding fifteen hundred dollars is
hereby appropriated for clothing and equipping such volunteers,
for three years’ or more service, as are citizens of this town.
“_Voted_, That six dollars per month to each citizen of this
town having a family, and four dollars per month to each
citizen of this town who is single or unmarried, excepting
commissioned officers, who shall enlist in the service of the
United States for the war, shall be paid, and the same is
hereby appropriated by the town, as extra compensation for the
term of actual service during one year, from the first day of
May current, to be paid in money in such manner ... as the
selectmen shall deem expedient.”
At the same meeting, the treasurer of the town was authorized to borrow
“such sums of money, under the direction of the selectmen, as shall
be necessary to carry the above votes into effect.” It was known that
the company now forming would soon be ordered away, and the work of
preparing them for the field at once began. The selectmen purchased the
materials for the uniforms, and the women met together and cut and made
them, and also, with the assistance of the people generally, provided
each volunteer with shoes and stockings.
In order to give the record of this company correctly, we must go back
a little, and name the dates of the several acts and measures that
concern its formation. April 24, the first drill-meeting was held,
followed on the 6th of May by an election of officers, under Captain
Lovering of the militia. Samuel H. Doten, a gentleman considerably
advanced in years, was chosen Captain; John B. Collingwood, First
Lieutenant; and Thomas A. Mayo, Second Lieutenant.
At a later date, and before the company was ordered away, the people
presented each of the officers with swords and other equipments.
The uniform furnished the enlisted men was similar to that worn by
the Third Regiment, and consisted of a full suit of reddish gray
clothes, the coat reaching to the hips, and the whole--coat, trousers,
and cap--trimmed with red braid. This uniform, and other articles
furnished, cost the town $1,025.49.
On the 17th of May, Captain Doten received an Order from
Adjutant-General Schouler to report, with his company, in Boston, on
the morning of the 18th. The people of the town were soon apprised
of this fact, and early in the morning of the 18th, as soon as the
soldiers began to assemble at their headquarters, the citizens--men,
women, and children--flocked by hundreds from all parts of the town,
to witness a repetition of the scenes of April 16. The spirit of
patriotism and kind feeling never ran higher, or displayed itself in
a more beautiful and touching manner, than on this historic morning.
The men were going to the field, and the fact was not only realized by
those who gathered to watch their departure, but it touched a chord of
sympathy in their hearts, that at once overcame all selfishness, and
led to deeds of generosity that moved the soldiers to tears. As the
company stood in line, waiting for the final order to march, one after
another of the citizens approached them, and, seizing their hands,
left in them sums of money varying from five dollars to one hundred,
accompanying each gift with a hearty “God-speed” and an affectionate
“farewell.”
A band of music and a company of militia, appropriately called the
“Home Guards,” performed escort duty on the march of the volunteers
from their quarters to the railway station, where there was a
repetition of hand-shaking and utterance of kind words. The swift
train that bore them toward the metropolis--not a few of them never to
return--was eagerly watched by the thronging multitude till it was lost
to sight, some of the soldiers standing upon the platforms of the cars
and exchanging greetings with their neighbors and friends by waving
their hats as they whirled away on their sad and eventful journey.
At South Abington, they were met by Captain Leach’s company from
East Bridgewater, which took the same train to Boston, where the
two commands marched to Faneuil Hall, there signing a more formal
enlistment-roll than the one previously signed by them, and from thence
to the State House, receiving at the latter place arms and the gray
overcoats prudently provided by Governor Andrew, at a time when the
great mass of the people regarded the threats of war as idle bluster.
As stated in former chapters, this company left Boston for Fortress
Monroe on this day (May 18), with the three companies of Leach,
Barnes, and Chipman, arrived at its destination on the 21st, and was
mustered into the service for three years on the 22d. The company had
been designated as a part of the Third Regiment, by Governor Andrew,
before it left Massachusetts, and immediately upon its muster, took
quarters with that regiment, then forming a part of the garrison of
Fortress Monroe, and served with it as long as the latter remained
in the service, namely, July 16, 1861, when it became a part of the
Massachusetts Battalion. The company took the letter “E” upon joining
the Third Regiment, and retained it ever afterward, both in the
battalion and in the Twenty-ninth Regiment, of which it also became a
part on the 13th of December, 1861.
The company left Plymouth with seventy-four enlisted men and three
commissioned officers, sixty-seven of whom were citizens of that town.
The commissions of the officers are dated May 6, 1861.