John Ritchie (abt. 1836)

Born about 1836 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

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Biography

John Ritchie was born in 1836 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Occupations

• 1863: Student

Residences

• 1863: Boston, Massachusetts (military enlistment)

Military Service

During the Civil War, he served as a white commissioned officer in the famous 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry of the Union Army, the first regiment in the United States made up entirely of enlisted men of color. He was about 27 years old, single and in school when he enlisted on 19 February 1863 from Boston, Massachusetts as a First Lieutenant. He was promoted to Quartermaster and mustered in as Quartermaster on 20 February 1863. During the war, he also frequently served as the Brigadier Quartermaster. He resigned 20 June 1865.^[1]

20 January 1864

By this date the Fifty-fourth was well-clothed, fully equipped, and prepared for any service. The colder weather, although it brought some discomfort, served to lessen the number of sick. Food was better and more varied. Quartermaster Ritchie, assisted by Sergeant Barquet and Private King, secured bricks from the old lighthouse and constructed an oven which furnished soft bread. It had a capacity of two hundred loaves each baking.^[2]

Research Notes

Possible census match?

Year: 1860; Census Place: Boston Ward 1, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: M653_520; Page: 227; Family History Library Film: 803520

John Ritchie / b. abt. 1836 Boston, Massachusetts / Student

Projects

• 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

Sources

1. ↑ Emilio, McKay Roster p. 330
2. ↑ Emilio, p. 147

• Emilio, Luis Fenollosa. History of the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1863-1865, Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Book Co., 1891 (1st ed.) and 1894 (2nd ed.)