Funeral of Major Henry Patten

Saturday, September 17, 1864

The funeral of Major Henry Patten was held this morning at 11:00 A.M. in the Harvard College Chapel. Many of Henry's past and current comrades attended, including William Raymond Lee, Frank Palfrey, George Macy, Theodore Lyman, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., Herbert Mason, and John Chipman Gray Jr. Three Harvard presidents offered eulogies for Henry, including Rev. Doctor James Walter, Rev. Andrew Peabody, and Rev. Thomas Hill. After the solemn service a procession led by Henry's Twentieth Massachusetts comrades carried his coffin, draped with an American flag and covered with flowers, to Mount Auburn Cemetery for burial.¹

References:
¹Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 409-410.

Sad Death of Major Henry Patten

Saturday, September 10, 1864

Major Henry Patten tragically succumbed to his wounds today at Turner's Lane Hospital in Petersburg. Major Patten was shot in the left leg at Deep Bottom on August 17, a wound which required amputation at the Petersburg field hospital at Strawberry Plains. After transport to Turner's Lane Hospital his amputated leg became infected, and sadly he grew steadily weaker until his death today. Major Patten was the final active link between Harvard and the "Harvard Regiment."¹

References:
¹Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 409.

First and Second Battles of Deep Bottom

Wednesday, August 17, 1864

Since the engagement at Jerusalem Plank Road in June the Twentieth Massachusetts had become well-versed in the mechanics of trench warfare at Petersburg. On July 26 General Winfield S. Hancock's Second Corps was deployed along the north side of the James River at Deep Bottom to draw Confederate General Robert E. Lee away from Petersburg with the dual intent of destroying the Virginia Central Railroad and to weaken the Confederate line. Night marches and skirmishes over the ensuing three days resulted in the capture of an officer and twenty-four enlisted men of the Twentieth Massachusetts. On July 29 Union General Ulysses S. Grant recalled the Second Corps to Petersburg, where they witnessed the mine explosion and the resulting conflict known as the Battle of the Crater on the morning of July 30.

On August 12 General Grant ordered the Second and Tenth Corps toward Deep Bottom once again after receiving information that Confederate General Robert E. Lee detached General Jubal Early's three infantry divisions towards the Shenandoah Valley, leaving only five divisions at Petersburg. Grant hoped that the movement of the Second and Tenth Corps away from Petersburg would provide a diversion that would further weaken Lee's Petersburg lines, providing an opportunity to break Lee's defenses. To further the deception Grant ordered the Second Corps to march to City Point to board northbound steamers that would reverse course after several miles and debark at Deep Bottom.

The subsequent deployments of the Second Corps were poorly organized, and many of the men were confused about the change of plans and their new destination. The intense heat along the Peninsula took its toll, and many men were felled by heat stroke. The conflict ensued for several days with inconclusive results. For most of the engagement the Twentieth Massachusetts was deployed for picket duty, which once again proved fateful for the dwindling regiment. On this day Major Henry Patten was tragically felled by a bullet in his left leg, which required immediate amputation to save his life. Major Patten was subsequently transported for care to Turner's Lane Hospital in Philadelphia.¹

References:
¹Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 397-409.

Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road

Wednesday, June 22, 1864

General David Birney’s Second Corps came under attack by Confederates led by General William "Billy" Mahone. Most of Gibbon’s Second Division retreated from the Confederate onslaught unleashed by General Mahone. The Twentieth Massachusetts, under the command of Captain Henry Patten, held their line and released their own deadly volleys of rifle fire into the Confederates, halting any further Confederate advance.

General John Gibbon was furious with the performance of his Second Division, but had nothing but praise for the Twentieth Massachusetts under the stellar command of Captain Henry Patten.

In truth, the struggling performance of Gibbon's Second Division had more to do with the overwhelming casualties suffered by the Second Corps since the beginning of the Overland Campaign. The bloody and catastrophic fighting that occurred daily since the Battle of the Wilderness in early May had taken a heavy toll in casualties in officers and in the enlisted men. ¹

References:
¹Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 390-96.

Battle of Gettysburg - Day 2

Thursday, July 2, 1863

The Twentieth Massachusetts arose early and marched to their position for the day in the center of the Union line that stretched from Cemetery Hill at the north to the Round Tops at the south. Confederate General Robert E. Lee ordered General James Longstreet to attack the left flank of the Union line for possession of the Round Tops, which were undefended as the day begun. In the afternoon Union General Daniel Sickles of the Third Corps moved his men to hold the higher ground at the Peach Orchard. This salient movement produced gaps in the Union line, and the Confederates immediately seized the opportunity to strike. Generals George Meade and Winfield Scott Hancock ordered Union regiments to plug the gaps in their line and to hold the high ground of the Round Tops. A series of fierce contests ensued during the afternoon at Devil's Den at the base of the Round Tops, at the Wheatfield, at the Round Tops, and along the Emmitsburg Road to roll up the left flank of the Union line. By nightfall the Round Tops were in solid possession of the Union. Although severely battered the Union line held strong. Both sides suffered heavy casualties for the day in some of the severest fighting of the entire war.

The Twentieth Massachusetts, with the exception of Company G, was not engaged in battle during July 2, but was subject to casualties from heavy artillery and rifle fire at their position in the Union center. Company G was engaged in picket duty along the Emmitsburg Road near the Codori Barn. Captain Henry Patten and Lieutenant Charles Cowgill were wounded during the battle, but were able to round up their men and return to the regiment. Sergeant Gustave Magnitzky was wounded and was technically a prisoner of the Confederates, but after nightfall he crawled to the Codori Barn and subsequently returned to the regiment. During the afternoon the regiment suffered heavily when their commander, Colonel Paul Revere, was mortally wounded by artillery fire. ¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 273-84. Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 258-62.

Letters from the Front - Henry Patten

Friday, January 3, 1862

Second Lieutentant Henry Patten of Company E, newly recruited in November, wrote to his father about his experiences at Camp Benton. He reported, "Our day is spent in drilling and superintending our men. There are a thousand and one things to attend to which would be tedious to enumerate. At night we talk ‘round our fireplaces, where blazes Maryland oak in abundance, or read or write ... Our Regiment does its share of picket duty on the river – a duty which has its hardships and danger, but our ordinary camp life has little of either. The men live well, are well and handsomely clothed in army blue, and suffer less from the cold than they would at home." Patten remarked that army life agreed with him and that he was in perfect health. He concluded with, "We know not when we shall march. Write often."¹

References:
¹Henry Patten, "Letters," Association of Officers of the Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment, Reports, Letters and Papers Appertaining to Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, vol. 2, p. 195-98, Twentieth Massachusetts Special Collection, Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts.

Regimental Matters - Promotions and Commissions

Monday, November 25, 1861

Massachusetts Governor John Andrew bolstered the roster of officers by promoting First Lieutenants George Macy, Allen Beckwith, and Charles Cabot to Captains, and Second Lieutenants Henry Abbott, Charles Tilden, and Henry Sturgis to First Lieutenants.

Governor Andrew commissioned three Second Lieutenants from the enlisted men, namely First Sergeant William Riddle of Company I, Quartermaster Henry F. Sander, and First Sergeant James Murphy of Company A. In addition, he commissioned three new recruits as Second Lieutenants: Herbert C. Mason, Arthur R. Curtis, and Henry L. Patten.¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 72.