Major General David Allen Russell of 7th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. From the Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Mathew Brady, photographer
The 7th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union army during the American Civil War. It was formed on June 15, 1861, in Taunton. Its original commander was Colonel Darius N. Couch who would eventually be promoted to command the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac and, after that, the Department of the Susquehanna.
Organization and early duty
The 7th Massachusetts consisted almost entirely of men from Bristol County, Massachusetts. The regiment was trained at Camp Old Colony in Taunton, Massachusetts. On June 15, 1861, its members were mustered into service.[1]
On July 11, the 7th Massachusetts left for Washington, D.C. where it remained encamped until the spring of 1862. For most of that period, the regiment was stationed in Brightwood, now a neighborhood of Washington but, at the time, outside of the urban area of the city. There they worked with other regiments to construct a defensive fortification known as Fort Stevens. The conditions at Fort Stevens were favorable as compared to many winter camps during the Civil War and the regiment had a very low rate of sickness.[2]
During their first winter, the command of the 7th Massachusetts changed rapidly. Couch was promoted to the command of their brigade whereupon Nelson H. Davis took command of the regiment. Davis was soon transferred to the inspector general's department. Col. Joseph Wheelock of Boston briefly held command but resigned in January 1862. At that time, Captain David Allen Russell, of the Regular army was promoted to the colonelcy of the 7th Massachusetts. He would lead the regiment through many major battles and retained command until February 1863.[3]
During the Peninsular Campaign, the regiment took part in the Battle of Fair Oaks and the Battle of Oak Grove taking light casualties.[1] After the failure of the Peninsular Campaign, the 7th Massachusetts withdrew with the rest of the Army of the Potomac to Fortress Monroe. On August 31, they were shipped to northern Virginia.[5]
"Seventh Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry". Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War. Massachusetts Adjutant General. 1937. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
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Higginson (State Historian), Thomas Wentworth (1896). Massachusetts in the Army and Navy During the War of 1861-65, 8 Volumes. Boston, MA: Wright and Potter Printing Co, State Printers. OCLC 1049652105. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Nason, George W. (1910). History and Complete Roster of the Massachusetts Regiments, Minute Men of '61. Boston, MA: Smith & McCance. OCLC 57590583. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Roe, Alfred S. (1911). The Fifth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in its three tours of duty 1861, 1862–'63, 1864. Boston, MA: Fifth Regiment Veteran Association. OCLC 866496183. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Schouler, William (1868). A History of Massachusetts in the Civil War. Boston, MA: E.P. Dutton & Co. OCLC 2662693. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Stevens, The Adjutant General, Jesse F. (1931). Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War, in 8 Volumes. Norwood, MA: Norwood Press. ASIN B000UH94DC. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
War Department, U.S. (1880). The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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