19th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment

The 19th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment lost 14 officers and 147 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 133 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a monument at Gettysburg (right).

1861

August 28

Organized at Lynnfield under Colonel Edward W. Hinks (formerly colonel of the 8th Masachusetts Infantry) and Lt. Colonel Arthur Devereux (former captain in the same regiment) and Major Henry How

August 30

Left State for Washington, D.C. via Philadelphia; attached to Lander's Brigade, Division of the Potomac

September 12

Camp at Meridian Hill

September 12-15

Moved to Poolesville, Md. and guard duty on the Upper Potomac

October

Assigned to Lander's Brigade, Stone's (Sedgwick's) Division, Army of the Potomac

October 21-24

Operations on the Potomac

October 21

Action at Ball's Bluff

December 4

Moved to Muddy Run

1862

March

Assigned to 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac

March 12-15

Moved to Harper's Ferry, thence to Charlestown and Berryville March

March 24

Ordered to Washington, D.C.

March 27

To the Peninsula

April 5-May 4

Siege of Yorktown

May 7-8

West Point

May 31-June 1

Battle of Fair Oaks, Seven Pines

June 25-July 1

Seven days before Richmond

June 25

Oak Grove, near Fair Oaks

Lieutenant Warner and several enlisted men were killed and Lieutenant J. H. Rice and around 60 enlisted men wounded.

June 29

Peach Orchard and Savage Station

June 30

White Oak Swamp and Glendale

Colonel Hincks and Captain Devereux (Lt. Colonel Devereux's brother) were wounded and Major How and Lieutenant David Lee killed. Captain Edmund Rice took command of the regiment.

July 1

Malvern Hill

July 8 - August 15

Harrison's Landing

August 15-28

Movement to Alexandria

August 24-28

Moved on the steamship Atlantic to Alexandria

August 28-31

To Fairfax C. H.

August 31-
September 1

Cover Pope's retreat from Bull Run

September-October

Maryland Campaign

Colonel Hinks resumed command

September 14

Battle of South Mountain (Reserve)

September 16-17

Battle of Antietam

Colonel Hinks was the first to fall, seriously wounded, leaving Lt. Colonel Devereux in command. Devereux was ill and exercised command for only a short time before turning it over to Captain Harrison G. O. Weymouth. Captain George W. Batchelder was killed.

September 22

Moved to Harper's Ferry

October 30-November 17

Advance up Loudon Valley and movement to Falmouth, Va.

November 29

Colonel Hincks, still on convalescent leave, promoted to brigadier general

December 11-15

Battle of Fredericksburg

The regiment was a "forlorn hope" to cross the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg. Lieutenant Colonel Devereux was still very sick in camp, so the regiment was commanded by Captain Harrison G.O. Weyouth, who was badly wounded, losing his leg.

Decmber - April

Duty at Falmouth, Va.

April 27-May 6

Chancellorsville Campaign

May 1

Lieutenant Colonel Devereux promoted to colonel

May 3

Maryes' Heights. Fredericksburg

May 3-4

Salem Heights

June 11-July 24

Gettysburg Campaign

July 2-4

Battle of Gettysburg

The regiment was commanded by Colonel Arthur F. Devereaux. It brought 231 men to the field, losing 9 killed, 61 wounded and 7 missing.

Colonel Devereaux noted that the opening shot of the artillery barrage preceding Pickett's Charge struck Lieutenant S.S. Robinson of the 19th, "cutting his body nearly in two, killing him instantly." While there is no doubt of Robinson's death, there are four other contradictory accounts of the first shot, including one by the 19th's own Lieutenant J.B.G. Adams, who claimed to have had the shot pass over him while lying in a field hospital just behind the lines.*

From one of a series of iron signs on the south side of the Copse of Trees (below right): "Nineteenth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The position of this regiment in line of battle was 119 yards S.S.E. and is represented by its monument. The 19th Massacusetts and 42d New York Regiments were te first troops to attack Pickett's Division in flank. "Passing at this time Colonel Devereux, commanding the 19th Massachusetts Volunteers, anxious to be in the right place, appled to me for permission to move his regiment to the right and to the front where the line had been broken." - Hancock's official report."

Major Edmund Rice was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the height of Pickett's Charge, when he led a countercharge into Confederate attackers who had broken the Union lines, holding them in check with a thin line of men for several minutes until reinforcements arrived to turn the tide. He fell severly wounded, the officer nearest the enemy.

The regiment captured the colors of the 14th, 19th, 53rd and 57th Virginia Infantry Regiments.

*From George R. Stewart, Pickett's Charge: A Microhistory of the Final Attack at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, p126

September 13-17

Advance from the Rappahannock to the Rapidan

October 9-22

Bristoe Campaign

October 14

Bristoe Station

November 7-8

Advance to line of the Rappahannock

November 26-
December 2

Mine Run Campaign

November 27

Robertson's Tavern, or Locust Grove

December - May

At Stevensburg

February 6-7

Demonstration on the Rapidan

1864

February 27

Colonel Devereux resigns

March

Assigned to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Army Corps

May-June

Campaign from the Rapidan to the James

May 5-7

Battles of the Wilderness

May 8

Laurel Hill

May 8-12

Spottsylvania

May 10

Po River

May 12-21

Spottsylvania C. H.

May 12

Assault on the Salient

May 23-26

North Anna River

May 26-28

On line of the Pamunkey

May 28-31

Totopotomoy

June 1-12

Cold Harbor

June 16-18

Before Petersburg

June 16

Siege of Petersburg begins

June 22-23

Jerusalem Plank Road

July 27-29

Demonstration north of the James

July 27-28

Deep Bottom

August 14-18

Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom

August 25

Ream's Station

October 27-28

Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Run

1865

February 5-7

Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run

March 25

Watkin's House

March 28-April 9

Appomattox Campaign

March 31

Crow's House

April 2

Fall of Petersburg

April 6

Sailor's Creek

April 7

High Bridge and Farmville

April 9

Appomattox C. H., surrender of Lee and his army.

April 10 - May 2

At Burkesville

May 2-13

March to Washington

May 23

Grand Review

May 24 - June 30

Duty at Washington

June 30

Mustered out

July 22

Discharged

19th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment