Biographies of Civil War Veterans part 2, Pittsfield, Merrimack Co, NH

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From the Book
'History of Pittsfield, N. H. in the Rebellion'
by H. L. Robinson, published 1893


page 99

EDWIN   A.   KELLEY
was one of the most popular young men in town. He was a son of Samuel G.
and Amanda M. (Sleeper) Kelley. While he lived here, he attended school in
the old brick school-house on the west side of the river, and worked at
shoemaking, as a seamster, for various parties.
     He was born in Gilmanton, March 5, 1843. When

page 100        

his father moved to Pittsfield young Edwin came with him, being at that
time only five years of age. He enlisted in Company F, Twelfth New Hampshire
volunteers, and was mustered into service September 5, 1862.
At the terrible Battle of Chancellorsville he went to the rear to assist a
wounded comrade, R. T. Leavitt, from the field. He had but just laid his
friend upon the ground and seated himself upon a drum by his side,
exhausted by his excessive labors, when he was struck in the head by a
piece of a shell and killed instantly. His age was twenty years and two
months.
     Comrade Leavitt as an act of remembrance has placed Comrade Kelley's
picture in this volume.

WILLIAM   T.   KNIGHT.
     I have been unable to trace the early history of this brave soldier. He
spent his boyhood in Northwood, with an inhuman family who deprived him
of every advantage which boys should have. He came to Pittsfield about
1858, being at that time man grown. Here he learned to read. He worked
first for Charles Jackman, then for John B. Merrill, and last for Elbridge
True. He was a very gentlemanly appearing fellow, and was among the first
to enlist, perhaps because his shopmate, H. M. Gordon, had already done
so. He was mustered into Company E, Second New Hampshire volunteers, June
3, 1861. He was in the Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861, and on the
retreat "broke down," from the excessive heat, was sent to the hospital,
and discharged and came home August 29, 1861.
     After his discharge from the Second New Hampshire volunteers, he married
Miss Sarah Pitman, of Barnstead, and bought a house on Watson street. He
enlisted again in Company B, Twelfth New Hampshire volunteers, and was made
corporal. He served with his regiment in all the various campaigns, and was
in some twenty battles and skirmishes without

page 101

getting hit. He was a member of the color-guard, where the best men are
put, and at last, in the terrible battle of July 2, 1863, at Gettysburg,
he was shot to pieces,- one ball through the body, one in his foot, another
in his arm, and one in his leg and others elsewhere; his back was also
broken. It seemed as though fate, which had defended him before and brought
him through so many conflicts, deserted him, and that the death angel
determined to make sure that he did not escape. He was a true soldier,
comrade, and friend, and if he had had the early advantages of most boys,
he would have been, had his life been spared, an honor to the town and a
blessing to the community.

JOHN   F.   LANGLEY.
John F. Langley was from Nottingham. He enlisted first in the Third
regiment, and was a lieutenant in Company E. He resigned July 3, 1862, and
came home to Pittsfield where his father had lived, in a house at the east
end of Main street, for many years. He was commissioned captain of Company
F, Twelfth New Hampshire volunteers, September 8, 1862. After the Battle of
Chancellorsville, the colonel of his regiment commanded the brigade, and he,
having been raised to the rank of major, February, 1864, and the other
officers above him being cither sick or disabled, commanded the regiment
until after the Battle of Gettysburg, where he was injured. Just before the
Battle of Swift Creek he lost his voice, and never has been able to speak
aloud since. He was honorably discharged September 22, 1864.
     Of his early life I have been unable to learn anything.
     His address at present is Amherst, N. H.

JOHN   F.   LOCKE
was  born in Roxbury, Mass., March 8,  1840.    He came to Pittsfield about
1857, and married Miss Sarah


page 102

Watson, by whom he had two children. He enlisted in Company D, Fifteenth
New Hampshire volunteers, and was mustered into service October 8, 1862, and 
served with that regiment until the expiration of his term of service. He was
mustered out August 13, 1863. He was a shoemaker by occupation. He returned 
home and died a few years later.

JESSE  P.   LANE.
During the winter of 1860-61, Jesse P. Lane attended the academy. In March
he left town to work at his trade as wheelwright, in Lawrence, Mass. The
call of President Lincoln for three-months troops was answered by the
governor of that state by ordering out the militia. There was a vacancy in
Company H of the Fourth regiment, which Jesse P. Lane gladly filled. The
Fourth Massachusetts regiment was the first from the entire North to go to
the defence of the country. They sailed from Boston April 17, 1861, and
landed at Fortress Monroe on the 19th. They were part of the brigade
commanded by Gen. Butler, two regiments of which went by land, and were in
the ever memorable fight at Baltimore on the 19th of April. During this
service Comrade Lane contracted a severe cold, which terminated in
consumption, of which he died September 8, 1865, at his father's house, aged
27 years, 7 months.
     He was born in Pittsfield, January 28, 1838, was a son of Paul C. and Eliza
(Perkins) Lane, and was a young man very highly esteemed by all.

HENRY   B.   LEAVITT
was born in Chichester, on Loudon road, not far from Kelley's corner. He
attended school in his native town, and then went to Parsonsfield (Maine)
seminary. He was a powerful exhorter in the Freewill Baptist denomination,
and for several years a successful teacher. In 1850 or 1851 he commenced
the study


page 103

of law with the late Charles Butters of Pittsfield, and in February, 1853,
he was admitted to the bar and opened an office in Barnstead, where he
remained one year. Then he returned to Pittsfield and to the office formerly
occupied by United States Senator Moses Norris, Jr. In 1856 he stumped the
state for Fremont. He was a ready debater and a most eloquent speaker. A
plea that he made in court at Concord about this time created a profound
sensation throughout the state, and is often spoken of at the present time
as one of the most powerful arguments ever delivered at the bar.
     He recruited Company G, Seventh New Hampshire volunteers, and was
commissioned captain November 23, 1861. He served with his regiment until
he was wounded at Fort Wagner, at 2 p. m., July 18, 1863. He lay on the
battle-field in the hot sun for over twenty-four hours without food or
drink, and was then taken to Charleston, S. C., where he died from the
amputation of his leg July 22, 1863.
     He was a Mason, and was cared for by members of that fraternity while a
prisoner, and his gold watch and nearly $300 in money were sent through
the lines to his family.
     About twenty years later a sword was found on the battle-field of Wagner,
on the scabbard of which was engraved "Presented to Captain H. B. Leavitt
by twenty-five loyal citizens of Pittsfield, N.H." Correspondence was
opened with the postmaster of this town, and the rusty weapon was sent to
his family.
     His father was Moses Leavitt, who at one time kept toll-gate at Chichester,
on the old Portsmouth turnpike.
     Captain Leavitt was a man of overbearing temper but of dauntless courage.
Even while a boy this trait was prominent. A friend relates that at one time
his father's pig escaped from his pen. Young Henry with others attempted to
capture it. As it passed him he grappled it and was thrown, but he held on

Page 1O4

and was dragged some distance before the others came to his assistance. At
last the shote was placed in his pen, and it was discovered that Henry's arm
was broken. This same bull-dog courage was one of the leading traits of his
life.   

REUBEN   T.   LEAVITT  JR.
One of our best known citizens is Reuben T. Leavitt, a native of Pittsfield,
his birthday being November 11, 1839. He was a son of Reuben T. and Nancy K.
(Brown) Leavitt. While quite young his parents moved to Concord, but after
a few years returned to Pittsfield. They afterwards lived in Suncook. Then
they moved to Concord, where Mr. Leavitt was register of deeds. Here they
remained several years, but the father was appointed keeper of Whale's Back
lighthouse and thither the family went and remained over six years. Young
Reuben, then man-grown, was able to aid his father in his duties. But the
old man's heart yearned to return again to Pittsfield, where he had lived
so many years; accordingly he bought a farm on the east side of Catamount
mountain, to which he removed about the year 1860. There he and his wife,
after being married nearly seventy years, died, and there the son Reuben
still resides.
     Comrade Leavitt enlisted, August 16. 1862, in Company F, Twelfth New
Hampshire volunteers. He went with his regiment to Washington, and was in
the Battle of Fredericksburg, through which he passed unscratched.
     On Sunday morning. May 3, 1863, he was in the Battle of Chancellorsville,
when he was struck in the knee by a Minie ball and fell to the ground. His
comrades, Edwin A. Kelley and John H. Philbrick, carried him from the field
and placed, him behind a log house. The rebels were massing to make another
charge on our lines, and our artillery were trying to prevent them. A shell
from our guns burst over their heads, and a piece struck Kelley in the head,
killing

page 105

him instantly. As he fell he lay across the leg of Comrade Leavitt, who had
to call for help to have the body removed. Our forces were driven back, and
Leavitt was a prisoner in the hands of the enemy. Not until Wednesday did
they get any food, then only a little flour, which they mixed with water
and drank. For twelve days he was held a prisoner, and no care was bestowed
on his wound except to pour a little cold water on it. If proper care had
been given it he would not have been disabled for life. At length he was
paroled on the field, and our ambulances came and got him and his wounded
comrades, and took them to Potomac creek, and placed them in the hospital.
His brother, Charles B., came and took him home, where careful nursing saved
his life. The surgeons in the army wanted to cut his leg off, but Leavitt
would not consent.

JOHN   C.   MORRILL,
a well known citizen of Pittsfield, was born in this town, March 14, 1837.
He was a son of Jacob and Mary Morrill. He lived in Piltsfield, attending
school and working on his father's farm until he enlisted, Dec. 5, 1861. He
was mustered into Company G, Eighth New Hampshire volunteers, at Manchester,
on the 23d of the same month and was at once made sergeant. He remained with
the regiment until his discharge, July 5, 1862, at Camp Parapet, La. The
exposure which this regiment suffered I described in our local paper January
28, 1892, as follows:

Thirty years ago, on Jan. 24, 1862, the Eighth New Hampshire regiment left
the state in a driving snow storm.
In the fall of 1861 the Seventh and Eighth regiments went into camp on the
old fair grounds in Manchester, bounded by Elm, Webster, Union, and
Penacook streets. During October and the first of November the weather was
very pleasant, but after that we had a regular old-fashioned winter. During
December the weather was extremely cold; the senti-


Page 106

nels as they walked their beats froze their faces, ears, and hands. A part
of the time we were short of rations, for, according to regulations, a
company could draw rations for what men there were the day before; if there
were twenty-five men we drew rations for them, and if a squad of
twenty-five more arrived during the night then all hands must subsist on
half rations. Then we had a lot of visitors and of course these must be fed,
but army regulations made no provisions for them. When we could get
permission to go to the city, those of us who had money would get a square
meal. Most of the men of Company G, Seventh regiment, belonged in Pittsfield
and surrounding towns, and in the Eighth regiment were many of our citizens.
When the former regiment left, how we envied them! The snow thep was about
two feet deep on a level, and we had nothing but canvas tents to protect us
from the inclement weather of a New Hampshire winter.
     Ten days later we received orders to march. On digging away the snow we
found our tent pins frozen fast in the earth, and only by splitting the
pins could we release the ropes that held our tents. Down Elm street we
marched, caring not for the fast falling snow. We took the cars and in due
time arrived in Boston; here the snow had turned to rain. We were taken out
into Haymarket square, where we remained in the pouring rain some two hours
while the officers could find a place to put us. Finally we were marched
through the slush, half-knee dtep, to Faneuil hall, and two companies of
us put in the attic of the building, where there had never been a fire, and
the next morning our clothing was frozen stiff. During the day we had some
boiled ham, brown bread, and coffee, the first warm food for forty hours.
That evening we went on board a tugboat for Fort Independence. How the wind
cut us as we sailed down the harbor! It was after dark when we arrived at
the fort and we were huddled into the casemates without food or fire. There
was not room for us all to lie down at once. The next morning our company
were given the best rooms in the fort. There were three of them, one a
bedroom, which our officers occupied, a kitchen of ordinary size, and
another room about twenty feet square. Here our company of 100 men were
huddled for three weeks. The only fire was in the range in the kitchen.
This range was a small affair intended for the use of an ordinary family; of

page 107

course we could furnish to the men warm food but once a day.
     About the I2th of February there came a storm of sleet that froze as soon
as it fell, covering everything it touched with a coat of ice. On the 15th
we went on board the vessels, four companies on the "Eliza and Ella" the
rest of us on the "E. Wilder Farley" a full-rigged ship. It was Sunday
night, and very cold. The vessel was covered with ice; the ropes were so
stiff that but few of them could be worked. A steam tug took us down the
bay, while we soldiers huddled together in the dark hold to keep from
freezing. Monday morning the sailors shook out what canvas they could,
while we land lubbers, in our overcoats and blankets, were crowding between
decks like a flock of sheep to keep warm. Soon most of us were sea sick,
and between that and the extreme cold I think it was the most miserable day
of my life. Tuesday morning we struck the gulf stream, and it was as warm
as June. As we crawled on deck the water was running from the rigging,
chunks of ice were continually dropping, and one man was severely injured
by an icicle dropping on his head. The warm air was full of sea birds
seeking their morning meal. Soon we, too, began to think of breakfast, but
there was only one stove for six hundred men and during the voyage we had
but one meal a day, except hard tack; this we took from Fort Independence.
It was baked in 1810, but was sweet and good but very hard. On Friday we
passed the Bermuda islands; the thermometer stood eighty in the shade.
     Some people are surprised that men should be used up so soon in the army,
but I wonder that there is one of that ship's load of soldiers alive to
tell the story of our sufferings. Living as we had done, short of food and
almost unprotected from the extreme cold of a severe New England winter,
then to be transported so suddenly to a hot climate, no wonder the men
sickened and died.
     When we got among the Bahama islands a calm came upon us. Not a breath of
air rippled the surface of the ocean. The long swells of the tide caused
our vessel to rise and fall, but we did not move a rod. There was not air
enough to even flap our sails against the masts. The sun poured its torrid
rays straight down upon us. Between decks, where our bunks were, the air
was stifling. The wind sail, that had been rigged to give ventilation to
the hold,

page 108

hung idle and flat over the deck. The sailors stretched some old canvas
to give us shade. Under this the soldiers lay and panted with the extreme
heat, and thoughtof the icy north they had left but a short time ago.
     The short pipe from the cook's range would not "draw," so nothing could
be cooked, and we had to content ourselves with hard tack and water. The men
spoke in subdued tones as though in the presence of the dead, and were we
not? All nature, as far as we knew, was dead. The porpoise and sea-birds
that had followed us for days had disappeared, and not a fish rippled the
glass-like surface of the ocean. It was the stillness of silence. This was
having a terribly depressing influence on the men, so Colonel Fearing
organized, on the second or third day, an election. We would vote for
governor of New Hampshire,-- to be sure we did not know who had been
nominated in our state, nevertheless, we named our own candidates and went
through the entire form of town meeting,-- and I will say that the Democratic
ticket had three times as many votes as the others, showing the previous
affiliations of the men of this regiment.
     At the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico stand two lighthouses; from the deck
of a vessel no land can be seen. These lighthouses rise sheer out of the
water and the sailors call them the "stick in the mud," but on the chart
they are named the Great and Little Isaac's lights. The water is very clear
and shoal. As we stood on the deck of our vessel we could see the rocks at
the bottom of the water. No vessel is allowed to pass after the lamps are
lighted at night. We arrived there just as the first flash of the light
shone across the sea, and at once dropped anchor. Before dark eight vessels
were anchored near us, two of them had French troops aboard on the way to
Mexico, and one other contained the Seventh New Hampshire that had left us
in Manchester. They were on their way to the Dry Tortugas. We communicated
with the other vessels by writing with chalk on a blackboard and hanging it
over the side of the vessel. How we cheered our comrades when we learned
who they were.

HEZEKIAH   B.   MORRILL,
now of Haverhill, Mass., was a man of prodigious strength and of an iron
constitution. Coming from a line of long-lived ancestry he inherited a
vast amount

page 109

of vitality, and it was owing to this fact that he alone of all the men
from this town was able to withstand the trying climate of Ship Island and
serve out his time. Gen. Butler in his farewell address, published Dec. 15,
1862, speaking of Ship Island, said, "Without a murmur you sustained an
encampment on a sand bar so desolate that banishment to it, with every care
and comfort possible, has been the most dreaded punishment inflicted upon
your bitterest and most insulting enemies."     
     He was a brother of the above J. C. Morrill and was born in Pittsfield in
1831, and always resided here until he enlisted. He married Sarah A.
Sanders, and had two children, when mustered into Company G, Eighth New
Hampshire volunteers, December 23, 1861. He endured all the hardships which
this regiment suffered until after the Battle of Baton Rouge, when he was
taken sick and sent to the Marine hospital at New Orleans. When he wanted
to return to his regiment, the doctors refused to let him, saying that he
was so broken down he would be of no use there. Therefore he was transferred
to the Invalid Corps, where he remained during the remainder of his term of
service.

PETER  P.   MOODY,
son of Wm. P. and Lucy J. (Moore) Moody, was born in Loudon, March 18, 1844,
and moved to Pittsfield, Dec. 1, 1851, where his father had bought a house
near Chichester line. Here Plummer, as he was always called, lived until he
enlisted in the Fifth Massachusetts Cavalry, Feb. 12, 1864. He served with
this regiment until his discharge, June 23, 1865, For a time this regiment
was employed in guarding prisoners at Point Lookout, Md., then they were
engaged in what is known as the siege of Petersburg. After the evacuation
of that stronghold, they chased Lee's army up to and through Richmond, it
being the first regiment to enter the city. While on duty here


Page 110        

Moody was injured in the knee by coming in contact with an artillery
caisson, making a stiff joint for life.

MARTIN   MULLIGAN
was born in Sherbrooke, Province of Quebec, Nov. 12, 1830. His father's
name was John Mulligan, his mother's maiden name was Mary Kelley. He first
came to Pittsfield about the year 1852, and was employed as a farmer
previous to enlistment was never married; served in Company D, Fifth New
Hampshire volunteers. He was discharged in January, 1863, from the general
hospital on account of disability. Reenlisted October 19, 1863, in Company
D, Third Massachusetts cavalry, as a private. He was in the battles of
Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Oak Swamp, Malvern Hill, and Nichols Gap, and was
also in the Red River campaign. He received a gun-shot wound in the left
fore-finger at Oak Swamp; was at one time detailed to guard stores at a
place called Soldiers' Rest, in the rear of the White House.
     He has pleasant recollections of President Lincoln, who frequently visited
the guards, sometimes accompanied by Mrs. Lincoln. At one time in the Red
River campaign, when on a retreat, Mr. Mulligan met a colored man with a
mule. On the back of the mule were two bags of corn, and as Mulligan had
just had his second horse shot from under him he ordered the colored man to
give up his mule and corn to him, which he reluctantly did. Afterwards,
when in camp, Mulligan used the mule to draw camp wood by tying a tent rope
to the wood and tail of the mule. He was discharged at the close of the war
on the 28th day of September, 1865.

JEREMIAH  M.   MARSTON.
     I have been able to learn but little in regard to this soldier.  He was a
native of Pittsfield, a son of Jere-

Page 111

miah and Rhoda (Maxfield) Marston, and always resided in town until he
enlisted in Company F, Twelfth New Hampshire volunteers. He was mustered
into service September 5, 1862, and served until the close of the war,
taking part in nearly all of the battles and skirmishes in which his
regiment was engaged. He is reported by his comrades as being a first-class
soldier. He is now living somewhere in Kansas.  

EDWARD   HARDEN
owned a house on Concord street. He was mustered into Company G, Seventh
New Hampshire volunteers, November 23, 1861, re-enlisted February 27, 1864.
He came to this town from Candia, I am told, and was fireman in the cotton
factory for several years.

DAVID   C.   MARDEN
was a son of the above. He was employed in the cotton factory, and enlisted
at the same time and in the same company with his father. He was wounded
February 20, 1864, and mustered out of service December 22, 1864. Both of
these men lived to return home. After searching a long time to find them I
only got the address of David the day of his funeral, and have therefore
been unable to learn any farther particulars concerning them.

JOHN   B.   MERRILL
was a son of James and Mehitable (Bradly) Merrill; was born in East Concord;
came to Pittsfield about 1849. He was a shoemaker and brickmaker, and
married Miss Eleanor Johnson, by whom he had several children. Enlisted in
Company F, Twelfth New Hampshire volunteers, September 5, 1862, and was
killed at the Battle of Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863. Mr. Merrill's father
was a soldier in the War of 1812, and was captured by the British and held
as a prisoner


page 112

for some time, being taken to England and confined in the celebrated prison
at Dartmoor. His mother was a daughter of Richard Bradly, once governor of
New Hampshire.
     Mr. Merrill was a man of sanguine temperament and always in good spirits,
but for two or three days before the Battle of Chancellorsville he seemed to
be down-hearted, and his face wore a solemn expression. Some of his comrades
rallied him for this, asking if he were sick.  No, he was not sick. 
     "Then what does ail you, any way?"  "Boys," he replied, "it is no matter to
laugh at, but I shall be the next man killed in this company, and it will be
at the beginning of the next battle." And his words proved true, for
scarcely had the fight begun at Chancellorsville when he was killed. An
officer who heard him make the above prediction said that he watched him
particularly.  At first he seemed to waver for an instant, then stepped
foward to duty, the next instant to fall.  The premonition of death
often was felt in the army, but it as often proved to be only a nervous
feeling, and as soon as it passed away no more was thought of it, but when
it proved too true then the dead man's comrades treasured up the
remembrance  of the  incident.  No matter whether this feeling was a
forewarning  of death or not, it required the highest kind of courage
to go forward and do one's duty, believing that it would be the last act of
life, and that certain death awaited you ere you could accomplish your
undertaking.

J.   D.   MESERVE
was a member of Company B, Seventh New Hampshire volunteers, mustered into
service November 1, 1861. He was missing at Fort Wagner, S. C., July 18,
1863.
     Of this man I have been able to learn but little. I found his name 
among my memoranda kept during the war, and the town books show that his family

page 113

lived here, for they drew state aid, to which all families of soldiers were
entitled.
     A careful inquiry among the families of that name living in this vicinity
fails to discover one with the above initials or one who served in the
Seventh regiment, but from statements made by other parties I am satisfied
that he was a son of Ira and Sarah (Garland) Meserve. He was known among his
friends as Dana Meserve.        

CHARLES  W.   MOONEY
was a son of Rev. S. S. and Martha Mooney. His father bought a farm on
Berry Pond road, where he lived about the beginning of the war. Charles at
that time was too young to enlist, but in the summer of 1864 he entered
Troop D, First New Hampshire cavalry, and was mustered into service June 25,
and served until the close of hostilities. His present residence is unknown.

WILLIS   MOSES,
now of Northwood, N. H., was a member of Company F, Twelfth New Hampshire
volunteers. He was mustered into service September 5, 1862, and served until
the close of the war. He was at the Battles of Fredericksburg and
Chancellorsville. At the latter he was severely wounded in the head by a
piece of shell, but recovered in time to take part in the Battle of
Gettysburg.
     While stationed near Portsmouth, Va., he was taken sick and sent to the
hospital at that place.  From here he was transferred to Fort Schuyler in
New York harbor, and after his recovery he returned to his regiment and
participated in all the engagements in which this famous regiment took part.
At the close of the war he was mustered out with the rest of the command.
  He was born in Epsom, March 28, 1839, and was a son of Samuel and
Mary (Trickey) Moses. His


page 114        

early life was one of great hardship.  He came to Pittsfield when but sixteen
years of age and worked at shoemaking until he enlisted.
     In another place I have spoken of the raid from Point Lookout into Virginia
under command of Colonel Gilman Marston. This expedition was composed of
about two hundred infantry from the 2d and 12th New Hampshire regiments and
one hundred regular cavalry. The intention was to capture a conscript camp
near Heathville, Va. Moses was a member of this expedition, and he recalls
the following incidents of the four-days' raid:
     When near Heathville, Orren Brock, of this town, and another soldier started
for a house that stood at the end of a lane.  As they approached, two
rebels ran from the house to the woods.  Brock told his companion to watch
the house and  shoot any one who might appear, while he, Brock, would run
up and capture an ambulance, with a pair of fine horses attached,
that stood near the building.  This was done.  Brock turned the
team, his companion got in, and they soon overtook their command.
Colonel Marston rode up and asked what he had got.  Brock told him that
the ambulance contained a fine saddle and bridle and a lot of papers. The
colonel told him to take care of the ambulance and pick up any men who might
tire out, but to give him the papers, and he and his adjutant, Lawrence,
would look them over. They proved to belong to the officer in command of
the conscript camp.  That night Brock was detailed to go on guard, but he
told the sergeant that Colonel Marston had ordered him to care for the
ambulance, and that some one else must take his place.  The officer
had barely gone, when Brock put the saddle and bridle on one of the horses
and rode out about half a mile, where he found a negro woman driving a fine
pair of oxen attached to a pair of wheels.  He rode up to her and demanded
the whip with which she was driving.  This was given him, and he rode into
camp, and was received by his comrades with

page 115

cheers, for it was a novel sight to see a man on horseback drive an ox team.
     The next day, Colonel Marston, his adjutant, and an orderly rode to a house,
out of which ran several of the enemy. The adjutant fired his revolver at
them. Just then the orderly's horse jumped so that the bull struck the poor
soldier in the head, killing him instantly. His body was placed in the
ambulance and taken along.
     The enemy had fled, taking away the conscripts, so the expedition turned
toward the coast. When they arrived at the place of embarkation, the vessels
could not get near the land, owing to shoal water. So Brock's horses and
oxen were put to work to haul lumber and build a wharf. This was hardly
completed and the troops aboard, when the enemy appeared with about a
thousand cavalrymen, but too late to capture the daring Yankees from New
Hampshire.
     An old adage is, "Familiarity breeds contempt." These men had become so used
to death in all its forms that I have been told that when those who became
exhausted on this march were placed in the ambulance, they would go to
sleep, using the dead body of the orderly for a pillow.

GEORGE   F.   MESERVE
enlisted in 1862 in Company F, Twelfth Regiment.  He was made a corporal,
and was wounded May 3, 1863. He was reported as missing at Petersburg, Va.,
May 16, 1864.  He was taken prisoner at that time and carried to Richmond;
from here he was transferred to Andersonville, Ga., where he died from
starvation.  He was a son of Frost Meserve, who lived in the east part of
the town. He married a Miss Emerson a short time before he enlisted, who
lived with her uncle, Ira Emerson.
     There is some question whether Meserve enlisted from this town or not. 
Most of the evidence shows

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that he resided here at that time, and from the fact that he married a lady
who had always lived here and who continued her residence for years
afterwards, I have concluded to place his name among Pittsfield soldiers.
     A soldier of this town, who had been away on a furlough, was returning to
his command, when he reached Bladensburg, Md., I think.  A man came into the
car, shouting, "Right this way for dinner, only fifty cents; right this
way, train will stop thirty minutes for dinner -- only fifty cents." Our friend
thought he could do justice to a good dinner, so he followed the man into
the dining-hall, took a seat at the table, placing his haversack and canteen
in a chair by his side. After eating what he wanted he went to the desk to
pay his bill, and was told it would be one dollar.
     "But," said the soldier, "your man in the car said it would be fifty
cents."
     "It is fifty cents a seat," was the reply, "and as you occupied two seats
you must pay for both."
     The money was paid, and our soldier went for his things. Taking up his
haversack, he said, "Now I have paid for you, darn you, you have got to
eat," and, to the consternation of the proprietor, he stowed away three
days' rations.

RICHARD   S.   MORRILL
was a sailor, who made his home with his brother, Zelotus W. Morrill,
formerly a well known citizen of Pittsfield, with whom his wife resided
when he was at sea.
     After a voyage he was at home in 1861, and enlisted and was mustered into
Company B, Fifth New Hampshire volunteers, October 23, 1861; was soon
after taken sick, and died November 13, 1861, at Epping, where he had gone
to the home of his wife's parents. He was buried in that town.

Page 117

WILLIAM   WARREN   MORRILL
was a brother of the above Richard S. Morrill. Warren, or "Wad," as he was
called, was also a sailor, a very strong, rugged man. He enlisted in
Company D, of the Seventh New Hampshire volunteers, and was mustered into
service, November 6, 1861, and was discharged for disability, July 20, 1862.
He came home and died at his sister's in South Pittsfield, and is buried in
that part of the town.

HENRY    B.   MORRILL
was another brother of the above. He, too, was of a roving disposition, and
during his army life it got him into trouble. He enlisted first in Company
G, Eighth New Hampshire volunteers, but not liking the restraints of camp
life, was not mustered. He enlisted in Company F, Twelfth New Hampshire
volunteers, and was allowed to make up his lost time by serving in the
Second regiment without pay. He was not a deserter, but had a habit of
being "absent without leave" when there was any service to perform. He is
supposed to be dead.

JESSE   M.   MASON
was born in Chichester, N. H., February 22, 1830; son of Edmund and
Clarissa (Ingals) Mason.  He moved to Pittsfield in 1854, and by occupation
was a shoemaker, and lived here until he enlisted, Aug. 11, 1862, and was
mustered into Company F, Twelfth regiment, New Hampshire volunteers. After
passing through the various battles in which his regiment was engaged, he
was wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864.
     His regiment was ordered to charge with the bayonet upon the enemy. As Mason
was rushing forward in the position so well known to all old soldiers, his
right hand clasping the breech of his gun, with the

page 118

arm thrown back and elbow bent, he was struck in the shoulder by a Minie
ball, which entered near the collar bone and came out at the elbow, causing
a fearful wound.  He was taken to the rear, his wound dressed, and then sent
to Finley hospital, Washington, D. C.  Here he remained for some time, and
was then sent to a hospital at Augusta, Me.  From here he went to Concord,
N. H., and was placed in barracks on the plains east of that city. Gangrene,
that dread of all wounded men, had set in, eating away the walls of one of
the arteries, and all at once the blood spurted out, covering the clothes
of his bed with the crimson tide. Trueworthy Eaton, a citizen of this town,
who happened to be present, says that it looked as though a hog had been
stuck, the bed-clothes were so covered with blood. When the wound broke
open the blood spurted some three feet into the air.  A surgeon who was on
duty at once took up the artery, and for several days Mason remained in an
unconscious condition.  Although the gangrene dissolved the ligaments that
held the collar bone in place so that it came out, giving Mason a
stoop-shouldered appearance, yet he recovered so that from Concord he was
sent back to Augusta and then transferred to Webster General hospital at
Manchester, N. H., where he was discharged, June 3, 1865. His wound is rated
as equal to loss of arm at elbow.
     He married Mary J. Lewis, daughter of Rev. Simeon Lewis, of Dover, N. H.
She died December 25, 1862, leaving four children, the eldest scarcely six
years of age, the youngest but a few days. There were no relatives of either
father or mother to care for these children. He is now living at Keene, N. H.

JAMES   M.   MASON
belonged to a patriotic family. He was a brother of David B. Mason, of
Company G, Seventh New Hampshire volunteers, also of John C. Mason, Company
G, Fifteenth New Hampshire volunteers, and

page 119

another brother, Charles F., enlisted from London in Company F, Twelfth
New Hampshire volunteers, the same company in which the subject of this
sketch served.  These four brothers were nephews of Jesse M. Mason, also of
Company F, Twelfth regiment.
     James M. Mason served very faithfully until December, 1862, when he was
taken sick and was neglected by the officers whose duty it was to look after
him. It is thought by his comrades that if he had had proper care he might
have recovered. On January 12, 1863, he was discharged at Falmouth, and
carried on board a boat for transportation home, where he died.
When the regiment went into winter quarters at Falmouth, Va., in the winter
of 1862-'63, one of the Company F boys sent home fora barrel of dried
apples, and procuring an old stove, started in making pies. He complained
that the inside would run out in the oven between the upper and under
crusts.  One of his comrades told him that he must do as Aunt Betsey did at
home, spit on his fingers and rub it on the under crust, then the upper
crust would stick to it, "for," he continued, "spit is a good deal better
than water, and twice as handy."  It is said that he followed these
directions with entire success.

DAVID   B.   MASON,
a brother of the above James M. Mason, was born in Chichester, November 12,
1839. He came to this town in 1859 to work with his uncle, Jesse M. Mason.
He enlisted from Pittsfield and was mustered into Company G, Seventh New
Hampshire volunteers, November 23, 1861. He was discharged at New York city,
January 8, 1863, being at that time sick and pronounced incurable. He
returned home, and died in Loudon in May, 1865. He is buried in a small
graveyard in Chichester near the Pittsfield line.

page 12O

JOHN  C.   MASON,
a native of Chichester but residing in Pittsfield when he enlisted, was
mustered into Company G, Fifteenth regiment, New Hampshire volunteers. He
had one of those happy dispositions that are always merry.  Under all
circumstances he was cheerful and happy.  He was a faithful soldier, ever
ready for duty.  He belonged to a patriotic family; all of his brothers and
uncles enlisted.  When his regiment was homeward bound he was taken sick at
Sandusky, Ohio, from drinking milk thought to have been poisoned, and when
the regiment reached Cleveland young Mason was dead. This was August 3,
1863.

JEREMIAH   MARSTON     
was a very quiet young man. He was a son of Orren C. and Susan M. (Marston)
Marston, and was born at Tamworth, N. H., April to, 1843. He moved to
Pittsfield with his parents in 1854, and worked with his father as a
shoemaker. In the summer of 1862, with his neighbor and friend, R. T.
Leavitt, he came to the village and enlisted in Company F, Twelfth New
Hampshire volunteers. He served with his company and took part in nearly
all the battles in which they were engaged until June 3, 1864, when he was
struck in the groin by a bullet and bled to death before medical aid could
reach him.

GEORGE   E.   NUTTER
owned a house on Concord street. He enlisted in Company G, Seventh regiment,
New Hampshire volunteers, and was mustered into service November 33, 1861,
and was discharged for disability June 5, 1863.  His comrades speak in the
highest praise of him, but of his history I can learn nothing more.  His
post-office address is Farmington, N. H.

page facing page 120

Contains pictures of:
John W. Page
George Reynolds
H. L. Robinson
J. H. Prescott
L. W. Osgood
J. M. Mason

page 121

JOHN   D.   NUTTER
was a shoemaker by trade. He came to Pittsfield in 1858 from Barnstead,
where he was born, a son of Samuel D. and Ruth M. (Knowles) Nutter.
     He enlisted in Company F, Twelfth New Hampshire volunteers, September 5,
1862, and went with the regiment south. On the 17th of October the regiment
moved from Washington to Knoxville, Md.  The night before Nutter had been on
guard.  The day was warm, and he climbed to the top of the freight cars in
which the regiment was riding.  Just at dark he fell asleep, and as the
train rounded a curve he rolled off into the bushes. He was not injured,
But, thoroughly awake, he at once started after his comrades. It was a long
tramp for a tired man - nine miles - but he reached his regiment early the next
morning.
     He was engaged in all the battles of his regiment except Chancellorsville;
at that time he was detailed to drive team.  He was a good soldier and an
expert shot, and generally in every fight he was detailed as a sharpshooter.
At the Battle of Gettysburg he was wounded in the left ankle, while helping
his comrade, Ira Merserve, from the field. He served until the close of the
war, and was mustered out with his regiment.
     His home is now in Lynn, Mass.

LEWIS  W.   OSGOOD
was captain of Company G, Fifteenth regiment, New Hampshire volunteers.
He was one of the finest looking men who went into the army.  A lady in New
Orleans said that he resembled very closely Captain Semmes, of the rebel
pirate, Alabama, indeed, when she first saw him she thought it was her
friend. Captain Osgood was full six feet high, broad shouldered, with a
very pleasant countenance and pleasing address.  He was a son of Greenleaf
and Nancy (Mer-

page 122
rill) Osgood; his father was a well known merchant of this town. He was
born in Belmont, then a part of Gilmanton, July 31, 1835. He attended
school in that town, fitted for college at the seminary in Tilton, and
entered the Wesleyan university at Middletown, Conn., in 1856.
     While  getting  his  education he  paid his way by teaching.  For some
time he, assisted by his sister, Augusta, taught the academy at Loudon
Mills, N. H.  As soon as he graduated, he commenced the study of law in the
office of Minot & Mugridge in Concord.  In 1862 he raised a company of men,
a large part of whom were from Pittsfield and adjoining towns.
     So popular was he with his men before they left the state, that they
voluntarily subscribed money and bought him an elegant sword, which they
presented to him, -- indeed the sword was so fine that, according to army
regulations, a line officer could not wear it, and permission had to be
obtained from the commanding officer to allow him to do so.
     He served with the regiment at Long Island, Carrollton, La., Camp 
Parapet, La., and Port Hudson.  At one time he was assistant provost-marshal 
of Carrollton.  During the siege of Port Hudson, Captain Osgood was wounded in
the leg.  The wound was considered slight at first, but, owing to the
debilitated state of his system, he was sick for a long time.  He was first
sent to Baton Rouge and placed in a hospital; from there he went to New
Orleans, but finally rejoined his regiment at Port Hudson a few days before
they started for home.  But he did not take command of his company again;
for months after he reached Pittsfield he was confined to his room.  His
discharge is dated August 13, 1863 -- cause, expiration of term of service. 
He lived in or near Boston when he died, twenty years ago, from disease
contracted in the service.