On the Move

Thursday, October 30, 1862

Under pressure from President Abraham Lincoln, Union General George McClellan began a new campaign to pursue the Confederate Army. At 2:00 P.M. the Twentieth Massachusetts regiment, along with the entire Second Corps, broke camp at Bolivar Heights and began a southward march. Crossing the Shenandoah River on a pontoon bridge the Twentieth marched through the Pleasant Valley eight miles to Hillsborough.¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 179. Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 185.

Preparing for a New Campaign

Wednesday, October 29, 1862

At 5:00 P.M. the Twentieth Massachusetts was ordered to perform picket duty. Later in the evening Quartermaster Folsom received orders to prepare three days worth of rations for the regiment. The Twentieth prepared for a new campaign.¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 179.

Arrival of Supplies at Bolivar Heights

Sunday, October 5, 1862

Three army wagons loaded with supplies arrived for the regiment at Bolivar Heights today. Some of the boxes had been shipped to Harrison's Landing and had finally arrived after two months to the Union Army's latest camp. ¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 177.

Folsom Finishes Bakery Construction

Thursday, October 2, 1862

Quartermaster Charles Folsom completed the construction of brick ovens which immediately went into the production of soft bread loaves for the regiment. ¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 177.

President Lincoln visits Bolivar Heights

Wednesday, October 1, 1862

President Abraham Lincoln arrived for a visit with General George McClellan. President Lincoln, General McClellan, and General Edwin "Bull" Sumner reviewed the men of the Second Corps, including the Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment. ¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 177.

Dress Parade and Drill at Bolivar Heights

Tuesday, September 23, 1862

Settled into their new camp at Bolivar Heights the Twentieth Massachusetts entered into a regimen of dress parade and battalion and company drills. The regimen would provide training and preparation for the new recruits as well as maintaining discipline among the more seasoned troops.¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 176-77.

Camp at Bolivar Heights

Monday, September 22, 1862

The Twentieth Massachusetts broke camp at Antietam at 6:00 A.M. for a thirteen-mile march to Harper's Ferry. By mid-afternoon the regiment reached its destination and made camp at Bolivar Heights, overlooking Harper's Ferry and the Potomac River.¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 176.