COMPANY B, THIRD MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEER MILITIA.
[WRITTEN BY SERGT. BENJAMIN S. ATWOOD.]
This company was formed by consolidation of three companies of the
Third Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. Company K from Carver
furnished captain and forty-six enlisted men; Company B, of Plymouth,
furnished first lieutenant and thirty-one enlisted men, and Company
H, from Plympton, furnished second lieutenant and twenty-one enlisted
men, making a total of one hundred and one.
These three companies served under Col. David A. Wardrop the first
three months of the war at Fortress Monroe and Hampton, Va. The
Third Regiment was detailed immediately upon its arrival at Fortress
Monroe for service on United States gunboat _Pawnee_, which went up
to Gosport Navy Yard, there helped destroy the Navy Yard, sink the
ships and pulled the _Cumberland_ out, when they returned to Hampton
Roads. At that time the Third Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers
were the only troops in the enemy’s country, and were the first
troops to invade the same, being at that time the Massachusetts
Volunteer Militia, not having been sworn into the United States
service.
Company B formed of the three companies aforementioned, reported for
duty at Camp Joe Hooker and organized as follows:
Capt. Thomas W. Griffith, from Co. K.
First Lieut. Charles A. S. Perkins, from Co. B.
Second Lieut. William S. Briggs, from Co. H.
First Sergt. Asa Shaw, from Co. K.
Second Sergt. Charles W. Griffith, from Co. K.
Third Sergt. Job B. Oldham, from Co. B.
Fourth Sergt. Benjamin S. Atwood, from Co. H.
Fifth Sergt. James R. Robbins, from Co. B.
Corp. George A. Shaw, from Co. K.
Corp. John M. Cobb, from Co. K.
Corp. Hosea S. Bumpus, from Co. K.
Corp. Andrew T. DeMerritt, from Co. K.
Corp. Amasa M. Bartlett, from Co. B.
Corp. Charles M. Perry, from Co. B.
Corp. William S. White, from Co. H.
Corp. Gideon Shurtleff, from Co. H.
Musician John Murdock, from Co. K.
Wagoner Lorenzo N. Shaw, from Co. K.
The members of the company were recruited from seven different towns
as follows: Carver, 30; Plymouth, 29; Middleboro, 11; Plympton, 10;
Wareham, 12; Rochester, 3; Kingston, 5; East Bridgewater, 1.
The ages of the company were as follows: 22, less than 20 years old;
29, from 20 to 24 years inclusive; 16, from 25 to 29 years inclusive;
18, from 30 to 34 years inclusive; 8, from 35 to 39 years inclusive;
8, from 40 to 44 years inclusive. Average age, 26 years, 9 months.
CORRECTED ROSTER OF COMPANY B.
[The first figures indicate age at enlistment: the city or town, the
place of enlistment.]
THOMAS B. GRIFFITH, Captain. Born in Carver, May 17, 1823. When
three months old his parents moved to Middleboro. When seventeen
years old he went on a whaling voyage around Cape Horn. On his
return he clerked for the Ellis Foundry Company several years, and
was postmaster at South Carver at the same time. In 1853 he with
Jesse Murdock and Matthias Ellis, formed a partnership called the
Murdock Parlor Grate Company, in South Carver. He was interested in
that business while he was in the service. He was connected with the
Massachusetts militia for a number of years before the war. Also
after the war he served as major in the Third Massachusetts Volunteer
Militia. His business after the war was in connection with the
Murdock Parlor Grate Company. He was one of the pioneers in importing
bananas from Jamaica. He held a large amount of the stock of the
company at the time of his death. He was also interested in real
estate at Onset, and one of the original cottage owners at Onset. He
died in Roxbury, February, 1897, and was placed in the tomb at South
Carver.
CHARLES A. S. PERKINS, First Lieutenant. Born in Plympton, Mass.,
June, 1828. When a young man he went to Plymouth and learned the
printer’s trade. During President Buchanan’s administration he
served as postmaster in the town of Plymouth. He was for many
years publisher and editor of the _Plymouth Rock_, a publication
quite extensively circulated throughout Plymouth County. He was
commissioned first lieutenant of Company B, and served with the
regiment through its nine months’ service. After being mustered
out he together with his brother Lucian, adjutant of the regiment,
purchased a business enterprise at the corner of Broad and Middle
Streets, Newbern, N. C., where he died of yellow fever, October,
1864. Afterwards his remains were brought to Plymouth for burial.
WILLIAM S. BRIGGS, Second Lieutenant. Born in Middleboro and
was twenty-eight years old when he enlisted. At the time of the
consolidation of the three companies he was second lieutenant of
Company H. He was quite an extensive dealer in fast horses before
and at the time of his service. He continued the same after being
mustered out. He located at Providence, R. I. He bought a large
farm in Raynham, Mass., and died there Aug. 27, 1897, at the age of
seventy years.
ASA SHAW, First Sergeant; 29. Born in Carver. Died April 25, 1865.
CHARLES W. GRIFFITH, Second Sergeant; 27. Born in Carver. Died Dec.
31, 1893.
JOB B. OLDHAM, Third Sergeant; 29. Served with Company B in the three
months’ service. Died in Plymouth, Feb. 8, 1879. Buried in Vine Hill
Cemetery.
BENJAMIN S. ATWOOD, Fourth Sergeant; 29. Born in Carver, June 25,
1840. He lived in Plympton at the time of the first call and went
as private in Company H, Third Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer
Militia, Plympton Rifles. He served full term and was discharged with
the regiment. Soon after his discharge he was commissioned first
lieutenant in Company H. On consolidation of Company H with B and K
he was appointed fourth sergeant; served his time as such and was
mustered out with the regiment. After the close of the war he settled
in Abington, and has been a manufacturer of wooden boxes in Whitman
(formerly South Abington) for many years, where he now resides.
JAMES H. ROBBINS, Fifth Sergeant; 31. Born in Plymouth. Died in
Plymouth, Jan 1, 1901. Buried in Vine Hill Cemetery.
GEORGE H. SHAW, Corporal; 28. “The Tall Corporal on the Right.”
Carver. Resides at 205 Centre St., Middleboro.
JOHN M. COBB, Corporal; 18. Born in Carver. Resides in Carver.
HOSEA C. BUMPUS, Corporal; 24. Born in Wareham. Died at Wareham.
Buried in Centre Cemetery.
AMASA M. BARTLETT, Corporal; 23. Born in Plymouth. Has lived in the
Old Colony since the war. Now lives in the vicinity of Boston.
ANDREW DEMERRITT, Corporal; 29. Born in Carver. Lives in Middleboro.
CHARLES M. PERRY, Corporal; 19. Born in Plymouth. A bright, smart
young man. Died soon after being mustered out.
GIDEON SHURTLEFF, Corporal; 38. Born in Middleboro. While in the
service Gid’s laugh was as good as an extra ration of whiskey. After
being mustered out he lived in Duxbury. Died in North Duxbury, Mass.,
in 1897; age, seventy-two years.
WILLIAM S. WHITE, Corporal; 44. Born in Plympton. Served many years
with the Massachusetts militia before his enlistment. Died in
Brockton, May 3, 1897, and was buried in Plympton.
JOHN MURDOCK, Musician; 38. Born in Carver. Died in Carver, Feb. 22,
1886.
LORENZO M. SHAW, Wagoner; 39. Born in Carver. Died in Carver in 1893.
_Privates._
ATWOOD, STEPHEN; 19. Born in Carver. Died in Middleboro, Sept. 15,
1899.
ATWOOD, EBENEZER E.; 25. Born in Carver. Resides in Kingston.
ATWOOD, JOSIAH W.; 19. Born in Carver. Resides in Carver.
BUMPUS, HIRAM W.; 33. Born in Wareham, June 24, 1829. He lived in
Wareham a few years after being mustered out, and then went to
Pennsylvania for about twenty years. He returned to Wareham, where he
now lives.
BRYANT, CHARLES E.; 34. Born in Plympton, Oct. 27, 1827. Resides in
Kingston. Farmer.
BRIGGS, JAMES W.; 35. Born in Middleboro. Moved to Plympton a few
years after being mustered out. Died in Plympton, Jan. 2, 1901, age,
seventy-four years.
BARNES, BENJAMIN F.; 18. Born in Plymouth. Nurse in a hospital while
in service. Lives at 450 Cottage St., New Bedford.
BATES, NATHANIEL B.; 24. Born in Carver. Died in Carver, Sept. 27,
1882.
BATES, JAMES H.; 18. Born in Carver. Died in Carver, July 15, 1865.
BRYANT, ZENEAS FRANK; 29. Born in Plympton. Acted as company clerk
during the service. Died at Chelmsford about ten years ago.
BRADFORD, EBENEZER N.; 25. Born in Plymouth. Killed on railroad at
Cape Horn, Canada, Jan. 28, 1870. Buried at Burial Hill, Plymouth.
BARTLETT, JOHN N.; 29. Lived in Wareham, where he died in 1894.
Buried at Centre Cemetery.
BRADFORD, WILLIAM H.; 21. Born in Plympton. Died in Middleboro, June
5, 1892; age, fifty-two years.
BURGESS, EBENEZER; 18. Born in Wareham. Resides in Wareham.
CHANDLER, JOHN B.; 32. Born in Carver. Killed in railroad accident at
Brockton, May 12, 1896. Buried in Middleboro.
COBB, CHARLES S.; 22. Born in Charlestown. Resides in Kingston.
CHASE, CHARLES H.; 34. Born in North Carver, April, 1828. Died in
Boston, Oct. 4, 1897.
CHAPMAN, JOHN F.; 22. After being mustered out of the nine months’
service, he enlisted for one hundred days and was stationed at
Marblehead. He was taken sick with consumption and was sent to the
hospital at Rainsford, Boston, where he died November, 1866.
COBB, SIDNEY O.; 18. Born in North Carver, Nov. 13, 1844. He enlisted
in September, 1862, as a private, served nine months and was mustered
out with his regiment June 26, 1863. After being mustered out he
lived in Carver and Plympton, and finally settled in South Abington,
now Whitman. He served as constable and police officer for many
years, and more than twenty years as deputy sheriff of Plymouth
County. He died Jan. 19, 1899, and was buried in Colebrook Cemetery,
Whitman.
CHANDLER, WILLIAM B.; 18. Born in Carver. Resides in Middleboro.
COBB, ALLEN; 44. Born in Middleboro. Died in Middleboro, Aug. 10,
1890.
COBB, JOSEPH F.; 26. Born in Carver. Died in Middleboro, Dec. 30,
1878.
CORNELL, WILLIAM H.; 18. Born in Carver. Discharged for disability,
May 9, 1863.
DOTEN, GEORGE H.; 30. Born in Plymouth. Died in Plymouth, Dec. 25,
1896. Buried in Vine Hill Cemetery.
DONNELLEY, JAMES; 31. Born in Kingston. Died in Kingston, Oct. 16,
1877. Buried in Vine Hill Cemetery, Plymouth.
DARLING, GEORGE; 34. Lived in Middleboro. Died Mar. 3, 1879.
DEMPSEY, ROBERT M.; 23. Lived in Middleboro, where he was employed by
the Murdock Parlor Grate Company. Died Dec. 22, 1893.
DUNHAM, HENRY A.; 30. Born in Carver. Resides in Middleboro.
DUNHAM, ELLIS D.; 21. Born in Carver. Died in Middleboro, Oct. 26,
1904.
ELLIS, BARZILLAI F.; 44. Lived in East Bridgewater. Died July 8, 1887.
GAMMONS, EDWARD A.; 20. Born in Wareham, Jan. 15, 1842. After being
mustered out of the service he went into the employ of the Wareham
Bank and Wareham Savings Bank. In 1885 he was appointed cashier of
the Wareham Bank, now the National Bank of Wareham. He was also
appointed treasurer of the Wareham Savings Bank, which office he
held until July, 1904, when he resigned. He is still cashier of the
Wareham National Bank. Ned is evidently as young as when he was out
at Newbern, although he is a good deal larger, and hasn’t as much
hair on his head. He sticks to business so close that he can’t get to
the reunion. He is very much interested in anything that is for the
benefit of the old soldiers.
GAMMONS, JOHN W.; 22. Born Feb. 12, 1840, at Wareham, Mass. After
being mustered out of the service he worked at his trade as a nailer
in different factories. He then went to sea, and took in several
passages around Cape Horn. He was captain of several vessels. The
last fifteen years of his life was spent in the coasting trade,
making passages to the various ports on the Atlantic coast. Died and
was buried at Centre Cemetery, Wareham.
GRIFFIN, HARVEY B.; 22. Born in North Plymouth. Resides in North
Cambridge.
HALL, SYLVESTER S.; 34. Born in Litchfield, Me. He died April
26, 1877, at Wareham. He first enlisted in Company G, Eighteenth
Massachusetts Infantry. He was discharged for disability, and
re-enlisted in Company B, Third Massachusetts Infantry.
HARLOW, MARTIN L.; 18. Plymouth. He served the term of his regiment
and was mustered out in Lakeville, Mass., June 26, 1863. He lived
in the different towns around the Old Colony, and finally settled
in Whitman. He was appointed postmaster by Grover Cleveland, and
afterwards by President McKinley. He died Aug. 12, 1899, and was
buried in Carver.
HOLMES, NATHANIEL; 27. Born in Plymouth. Died in Plymouth, Jan. 21,
1887. Buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.
HARLOW, IVORY W.; 23. Born in Plymouth, where he now resides and
works at his trade as a carpenter.
HOLMES, GEORGE H.; 21. Middleboro. Born in Greenwich, R. I. Died in
the Massachusetts Soldiers Home at Chelsea, April 6, 1904. Buried at
Wareham.
HOLMES, SAMUEL N.; 19. Plymouth. Discharged for disability, May 4,
1863. Unknown.
HOLMES, ISAAC S.; 43. Plymouth. Discharged for disability, May 27,
1863. Unknown.
IRVING, WILLIAM; 31. Born in Carver. Went West soon after being
mustered out, where he died a number of years ago.
JENKINS, BENJAMIN S.; 18. Born in Plymouth, where he died Nov. 14,
1877.
JOHNSON, CHARLES W.; 27. Resides in Plymouth. Mass.
JACKSON, GEORGE F.; 21. Born in Plymouth. Died in Plymouth, Sept. 11,
1884. Buried in Vine Hill Cemetery.
JEFFERSON, SALEM; 44. Rochester. Born in Douglas, Mass., Sept. 16,
1805. Died Aug 4, 1893, in Rochester, Mass. Buried in East Rochester,
Mass.
LUCAS, ADONIRAM B.; 24. Middleboro. Born in Carver. He served full
time with the regiment and was mustered out of same. He has always
lived in Plymouth County and still resides in Whitman.
LEACH, THOMAS M.; 24. Born in Plympton. Died at Crescent Grove, Minn.
LOBDELL, ISAAC F.; 27. Born in Plympton, where he died Nov. 9, 1876.
MANGE, WINTHROP H.; 24. Born in Kingston, where he now resides.
Occupation, a slitter.
MANTER, JOHN D.; 36. Born in Wareham. Died in Newbern, N. C., Feb. 6,
1863. Buried in Centre Cemetery, Wareham.
MURDOCK, JOHN; 36. Carver.
NEAL, JAMES; 37. Born in Plymouth, where he died Jan. 15, 1885.
Buried in Vine Hill Cemetery.
NICKERSON, JOSEPH S.; 18. Wareham.
OLDHAM, JOHN R.; 18. Born in Wareham. After being mustered out he
enlisted in the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts. Killed at Petersburg, Va.
PERKINS, HENRY F.; 27. Born in Kingston. Died in Plympton, March 22,
1877. Buried in Soldiers Home Lot, Forest Dale Cemetery, Malden.
PLACE, CHARLES C.; 33. Plymouth.
PLACE, ISAAC H.; 37. Born in Plymouth. Died at Plymouth, May, 1888.
Buried at Vine Hill Cemetery.
PIERCE, MOSES W.; 19. Born in Rochester. Lives in East Rochester,
Mass.
PENNIMAN, PRINCE E.; 33. Cook for the officers while in service.
Lived in Middleboro. Died at Onset, Mass., Aug. 17, 1904.
PAULDING, JAMES S.; 42. Born in Plymouth. Died Oct. 19, 1880. Buried
in Burial Hill, Plymouth.
RAYMOND, THOMAS W.; 21. Born in Rochester. Has lived recently in
Brockton and Plympton.
RAMSDELL, CORNELIUS, Plympton. Resides in Whitman.
ROBBINS, HERBERT; 18. Born in Plymouth, where he now resides.
RAYMOND, SAMUEL B.; 34. Born in Plymouth. Died in Plymouth and was
buried in Burial Hill.
SHERMAN, LEANDER L. Born in Plymouth, where he now resides.
SPOONER, WILLIAM F.; 19. Born in Plymouth. Died in Plymouth, Jan. 27,
1872.
SMITH, THOMAS; 23. Born in Ireland. Died in Plymouth, Mar. 30, 1894.
Buried in Vine Hill Cemetery.
SHERMAN, JAMES E.; 22. Born in Plympton. He resided in Plymouth after
being mustered out, where he kept a store. He died May 31, 1897, and
was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery.
SEARS, JAMES F.; 21. Died in Lynn.
SHAW, ALONZO D.; 21. Born in Carver. Died at Newbern, N. C., April
18, 1863.
SHAW, EDWARD W.; 24. Born in Carver. Died in Carver, Jan. 29, 1902.
SHAW, EZRA; 21. Born in Middleboro. Died in Carver, Aug. 15, 1893.
SHAW, JESSE M.; 18. Born in Carver. Resides in Fall River.
SHAW, NATHANIEL JR.; 25. Born in Carver. After being mustered out he
kept a grocery store in Plymouth. He died April 13, 1903.
STRINGER, ANDREW; 19. Born in Carver, where he now resides.
SAMPSON, JOHN; 42. Born in Wareham. Died in 1880 and was buried in
Centre Cemetery.
SHURTLIFF, BENJAMIN, JR.; 22. Born in Middleboro. Unknown.
TILLSON, GEORGE W.; 18. Born in Carver. Died in Middleboro, May 13,
1895.
WASHBURN, PHILIP M.; 23. Born in Kingston. Resides in Somerville. By
occupation, a carpenter.
WASHBURN, JOSEPH G.; 21. Born in Carver. Resides in Maine.
WARD, ANSEL B.; 19. Born in Carver. After being discharged from
Company B he re-enlisted in Company M, of the Fourth Massachusetts
Cavalry, Feb. 16, 1864, and was taken prisoner Nov. 1, 1864, and
confined in Libby Prison. He was paroled Mar. 3, 1865. He died in
Carver, November, 1878.
WILLIS, MARCUS M.; 34. Born in Middleboro. Unknown.
WRIGHTINGTON, HENRY; 23. Lived in Brockton. Died Dec. 8, 1892.
WRIGHT, EDWARD S.; 40. Born in Plympton, where he always lived.
He served many years with the Massachusetts militia. He died in
Plympton, May 19, 1901.