Bio: N. W. Adams, born 1840 : Pittsfield, Merrimack County, New Hampshire

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Submitted by: Rick Giirtman rickman@worldpath.net
Date: February 22, 2001
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From the 'History of Pittsfield, N.H. in the Great Rebellion'
by H. L. Robinson, published in 1893.

  No man is better known in this town than Wilson Adams, who was born in
Barnstead, December 15, 1840. His father was John Adams, his mother Sarah
(Seward) Adams. Young Adams came to Pittsfield in 1857, and worked at
shoemaking for a time; and then at farming until he enlisted in August,
1861, in the Third regiment and was appointed sergeant. He was married,
August 15th, 1861, to Mary A. Blake. Before the regiment was mustered into
the United States service he took a severe cold, which resulted in a fever,
so that he had to abandon the idea of going with that regiment, whose ranks
had been filled up in the meantime. He went as a recruit to the Second
regiment, which he joined at Bladensburg, Md., as a member of Company B.

  His first 'active' service was at the seige of Yorktown; then he was at
the battle of Williamsburg, afterward at Fair Oaks; then in the Seven Days
Fight, and in both of the battles of Fredericksburg.

  At Gettysburg his company was stationed at the Peach Orchard. At Cold
Harbor he was severely wounded, and was sent to Chestnut Hill hospital,
Philadelphia, then to Concord, where he was discharged. He now lives on Main
street in Pittsfield village.

  He was in every engagement in which the famous Second New Hampshire was
engaged during his term of service, except the second battle of Bull Run.
The way Wilson got out of this was as follows: The regiment arrived at Port
Royal at night. The next morning Adams like a true soldier started out to
find something to eat. He discovered a mill about a half mile away, and had
just filled his haversack when the bugles sounded. He rushed back to find
his company in line. The captain, to punish him for being tardy, made him
fall in, in the rear among the short men. Just then an order came for two
men to report to the colonel. Adams was one that was detailed.

  These men were placed in charge of a sergeant and left to guard the camp.
Here they remined four days, when an officer came with an order to destroy
everything, and so save it from falling into the enemy's hands. Then
commenced one of the greatest destructions of property known in the war,--
tents and camp equipage, and rations of all kinds were burned, amounting to
millions of dollars in value.

  Then these men began their march to Alexandria. At Drury's Bluff Adams
took a prisoner, the first in that engagement. The regiment expected a
charge from the enemy, and procured a lot of telegraph wire and stretched
it from stump to stump, and when the charge was made the enemy were piled in
heaps. While standing at the camp fire, near Fair Oaks, the evening before
the battle, a ball struck him in the breast, penetrated his Bible, several
letters from his best girl, and made a severe bruise on the flesh that was
quite troublesome for days.

  His company were armed with Sharp's rifles and they were always used as
skirmishers. They fired the first shot at the Battle of Williamsburg, and
prisoners taken at that time said they had men killed by that discharge that
were a mile or more away. These rifles would bore a hole in a man as big as
your fist, and consumed so much ammunition that every company armed with
them had an ammunition wagon to keep it supplied. At this battle they had
used up all but one round, when Gen. Heintzelman rode up and asked who they
were. When told, he ordered them to charge into some bushes; and in they
went, only to receive the fire of a hidden enemy, killing several of the
company. Immediately they discharged their remaining volley and rushed on,
driving the enemy out and capturing several prisoners.

  At this same battle, Gen. Heintzelman rode up to the brigade band and
shouted, "Strike up Yankee Doodle or some other d--d Doodle!" The band began
to play at once, the order to charge was given, our men rushed forward, and
drove the enemy from their position. It was learned that the rebels supposed
we had received reenforcements, from the fact that they heard a band for the
first time during the day.

  Of course Adams has his stories to tell of that grand old man, Colonel
Gilman Marston. At Fair Oaks, while his men were falling fast, an order came
for the regiment to make a charge. It was a nasty place, and as the colonel
received the order, he turned to his men, while the tears rolled down his
cheeks, and said, "Boys, do your duty today and I will never ask you to do
it again." Ever after that he would say, "Boys, I shan't ask you; I know you
will do your duty."

  One day the colonel of another regiment called on Marston, and said that
the boys of the Second New Hampshire were stealing from his men. This so
enraged the old hero that he kicked his visitor out of the tent, saying,
"It's a libel. My boys never steal, they only take what they want."