A Name Brilliant and Glorious ...

Tuesday, October 29, 1861
To bolster morale in the dispirited regiment, Governor John Andrew of Massachusetts issued General Order Number 70, in which he offered gratitude and praise for their valiant service at Ball's Bluff. Lieutenant Colonel Palfrey read the order to the regiment at dress parade:

His Excellency John A. Andrew, Governor of Mass. desires to express through the proper channel his sincere thanks to the officers and privates of the 20th Regt. Mass. Vols. for the bravery which they displayed in the recent battle at Ball's Bluff, and for the admirable discipline which their behavior there so strongly bears evidence of. He regrets the severe loss sustained by the regiment, and deeply sympathizes with the wounded and the suffering relatives of the dead and wounded, but will assure the regiment that they have earned and own a name brilliant and glorious, and that the Bay State is proud to recognize them as sons, and as sons worthy of the Commonwealth and worthy to share past glories of the Commonwealth.

In his statement Governor Andrew intended not only to bolster morale but also to strengthen the recruiting effort through recognition of valiant service. Captain Henry Tremlett of Company A was dispatched to Boston to take charge of recruitment. The regiment hoped to acquire two hundred additional enlistments over the winter.¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 63, 71; Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 88.

Aftermath of Ball's Bluff - Regiment Restructuring

Thursday, October 24, 1861
W.F. Milton, Acting Adjutant, issued General Order number 69 from Camp Benton to address the vacancies in the shattered command of the Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment:

The following arrangements of this command will be observed until further orders.

Capt. Bartlett, Co. I, is detailed for duty as acting Lieutenant Colonel.

Capt. Crowninshield, Co. D., is detailed for duty as acting Major.

Lieut. Milton, Co. G, is detailed for duty as Adjutant. They will be obeyed and respected accordingly. The non-commissioned officers and privates of Company G ready for duty are assigned to Capt. Tremlett of Company A, who ranks as senior Captain. The 1st Sergt. of Co. G, will report to Lieut. Hallowell, commanding Co. H, as 1st Sergt.

Capt Shepard of Co. K takes rank as 2nd Captain.

The non-commissioned officers and privates of Co. E are assigned to Lieut. Macy, Co. I, who ranks as 3rd Captain.

The non-commissioned officers and privates of Co. D are assigned to Lieut. Hallowell, Co. H., who ranks as 4th Captain. Sergt. Burrill of Co. H will act as 1st Lieut.

Lieut. Cabot of Co. F ranks as 5th Captain, assisted by Lieut. Sturgis of Co. H as 1st Lieut.

Lieut. Le Barnes of Co. B takes command of that Company and ranks as 6th Captain.

It is to be understood that the above arrangement is adopted for the present emergency; it is subject to revision at any moment and is expected to continue only till new officers can be commissioned and arrangements made for filling up the regiment. Where men are assigned in accordance with these orders, they will continue to occupy their quarters under charge of their ranking Sergeants, reporting to their commanding officers for duty.¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 70-71.

Letters from the Front - Henry Abbott

Thursday, October 24, 1861
Lieutenant Henry Abbott wrote a letter to his mother to reassure her that both he and his sister Caroline's fiance, Lieutenant George Perry, were not wounded at Ball's Bluff. He continued by reassuring her of his belief that George would be returned home from prison quickly:

I have written several letters already to notify the family of my whereabouts & George's, because I knew you would be so anxious ... The telegraph of course has, before this, assured [you] of my safety. George is equally safe as far as wounds go, but is undoubtedly a prisoner with the col., major, adjutant & Dr. [Edward] Revere. He will be well treated & released on paroll not to engage again in the war, which will bring him home much quicker than any thing else...

Abbott bemoaned the fate of Colonel Lee, the regimental commander captured at Ball's Bluff, “It is the col. we grieve for … All we want now is another fight to avenge his capture …”

Abbott finished the letter by expressing his concern and grief for his decimated regiment, ending with a note of optimism:

Now all I have to do is to tell you about the dead & wounded, which [is] so awful melancholy because we got licked in that infernal slaughter pen instead of whipping the scoundrels. Of the 315 men we took in ... nearly one half escaped to this side. We brought out one half [of] our company, but amongst the killed were 3 of the noblest fellows that were ever born, men that we love. However, we are cheerful as we ought to be, of course, that it was no worse…¹

References:
¹Robert Garth Scott, editor, Fallen Leaves: The Civil War Letters of Major Henry Livermore Abbott (Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press, 1991), 66-69.

Journey of the Captives - Ball's Bluff

Thursday, October 24, 1861
The prisoner train arrived at Richmond at 9:00 A.M. The officers and enlisted of the Twentieth Massachusetts disembarked from the railroad cars and marched toward their destination, Ligon's Warehouse and Tobacco Factory, a three-story brick employed as a makeshift prison. Civilians taunted the prisoners as they progressed through the streets of Richmond. As the regiment entered Ligon’s Factory to an uncertain fate, guards directed the officers to quarters on the first floor and the enlisted men to quarters on the second and third floors.¹

References:
¹ Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 87.

Journey of the Captives - Ball's Bluff

Wednesday, October 23, 1861
The prisoners of the Twentieth Massachusetts arrived at Manassas Junction at 10:00 A.M., where they were processed by name and rank and confined to a barn. After a long wait they boarded onto a train for Richmond at 7:00 P.M. Packed into cattle cars, they endured an excruciating fourteen-hour journey in a standing position for the entire trip.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), 87.

Letters from the Front - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Wednesday, October 23, 1861
First Lieutenant Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. of Company A wrote a letter to his mother from the Twentieth Regiment Hospital at Camp Benton. He began by reassuring her that he was recovering from his injuries, and then followed with an account of his wounding:

Here I am flat on my back after our first engagement – wounded but pretty comfortable … I was out in front of our men encouraging ‘em on when a spent shot knocked the wind out of me & I fell – then I crawled to the rear a few paces … so up I got and rushed to the front and asked if none would follow me when down I went again by the Colonel’s side – The first shot (the spent ball) struck me on the belly below where the ribs separate & bruised & knocked the wind out of me – The second time I hope only one ball struck me entering the left & coming out behind the right breast in wh. case I shall probably recover and this view is seconded by finding a ball in my clothes by the right hand wound – I may be hit twice in which case the chance is not so good – But I am now so well that I have good hopes … And now seem to think that I have a fair chance and all my friends whatever happens I am very happy in the conviction I did my duty handsomely…

He continued his letter by detailing the severity of the casualties in the regiment and ended with a touch of humor, “I can’t send a good looking note lying on my back …”¹

References:
¹ Mark De Wolfe Howe, editor, Touched With Fire: Civil War Letters and Diary of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (New York, New York: Fordham University Press, 2000), 13, 18-19.

Journey of the Captives - Ball's Bluff

Tuesday, October 22, 1861
The Twentieth Massachusetts prisoners continued on their progress toward Richmond. Civilians taunted them with shouts of “Kill the damned Yankees!” as they passed by homes along the route. Around 4:00 P.M. they reached the Bull Run battlefield after an exhausting sixteen-hour march. Confederate guards confined the officers in a stone house while detaining the enlisted men outside in the pouring rain. After being deprived of food for many hours, the prisoners devoured a scant meal of corn bread and raw pork. Cold and hungry, the prisoners settled in for the evening with expectations for another grueling march in the morning.¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 65-66; Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 86.

Oliver's Story - Ball's Bluff

Tuesday, October 22, 1861

Private Oliver Stanton Bates of Company A escaped injury and capture at the Battle of Ball's Bluff.  His name does not appear on the casualty list for Ball's Bluff in the Twentieth Massachusetts Regimental History and his military records do not include a casualty sheet for wounding.  In this episode he proved to be extremely resilient, as Company A reported the third highest casualties by company for the regiment, totaling 31 killed, wounded, or captured. Only the flank Companies D and H reported higher casualties at 37 and 32 respectively.¹

It is unclear from the records whether Oliver swam across the Potomac River or made the passage by boat. He owed his survival in large part to the resourcefulness of company commanders Henry Tremlett and Charles Whittier of Company A and William "Frank" Bartlett and Henry Abbott of Company I, who plotted an escape route along the river bank and remained until all the enlisted men made it safely across the river.²

References:
¹ Compiled service record, Oliver S. Bates, Pvt., Co. A, 20th Massachusetts Infantry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, Record Group 94; National Archives, Washington, D.C.; George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 59-61.
² Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 77; Francis Winthrop Palfrey, Memoir of William Francis Bartlett (Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton, Osgood and Company, 1878), 26-29.