55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

Profile manager: K Raymoure [send private message]

The goal of this project is to build a roster of the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the auxiliary regiment to the famous 54th Massachusetts.

Volunteers

Add yourself here if you'd like to join!

• Raymoure-1 is working on
  • 8 January 2019: 54th transfers
  • 8 January 2019: 1890 Veterans Schedules for Detroit, Michigan
  • 8 January 2019: Initial free space project
• Selvaggio-84 is working on
  • Adding the names of soldiers from the 55th

Resources

Initially, I'm using the following sources to confirm regiment.

• 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.)

  A number of soldiers transferred from the 54th and are noted in the McKay roster in the appendix.

• FindAGrave graves with 55th Massachusetts in the inscription
• 1890 United States Veterans Schedules specifying regiment as 55th Mass.
  • Salem, Massachusetts
  • Detroit, Michigan
• Fox, Charles Barnard. Record of the Service of the Fifty-Fifth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Cambridge, Massachusetts : Press of John Wilson and Son, July, 1868.
• 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Blog
• Voices of the 55th; Letters of Volunteers
• Regimental History: "Fifty-Fifth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Three Years," database, (Acton Memorial Library Civil War Archives : accessed 4 July 2024); citing Regimental history from Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War, compiled and published by the Adjutant General and Regimental history from A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, by Frederick Dyer.

Brief Timeline

1863:

22 June - mustered into service after organizing at Readville

21 July - left Massachusetts for New Berne, North Carolina

25 July - arrived New Berne, North Carolina

30 July - 3 August - moved to Folly Island, South Carolina

3 August - October - attached to Wild's African Brigade, Vodge's Division, North End, Folly Island, South Carolina, 10th Army Corps, Department of the South

9 August - 5 September - fatigue duety on north end of Folly Island and in trenches on Morris Island

October - February 1864 - 3rd Brigade, Vodge's Division, Folly Island, 10th Army Corps

17 September - 28 October - fatigue duty on Forts Wagner and Gregg, Morris Island and operations against Fort Sumter and Charleston

Camp on Folly Island until February 1864

1864:

February - April - 3rd Brigade, Ames' Division District of Florida. Company F detached as garrison at Fort Fribley, Jacksonville, Florida.

February - expedition to John's Island (Company F)

13-16 February - moved to Jacksonville, Florida; Provost duty there until 11 March

19-20 February - advance to Baldwin

28 February - 17 April - Companies B and I at Yellow Bluff

11 March - regiment ordered to Palatka, Florida. Duty there until 17

April - November - Folly and Morris IsIands, South Carolina, Northern District, Department of the South

17-18 April - moved to Folly Island, South Carolina. Duty there until 27 November.

21-22 May - demonstrations on James Island

30 June - 10 July - expedition to James Island

2 July - skirmish on James Island (with casualties)

27-28 November - moved to Hilton Head, South Carolina

Company G detached at Batery on Long Island

Company H at Fort Delafield, Stono Inlet until 12 February 1865

29-30 November - Hatch's Expedition up Broad River to Boyd's Neck

30 November - Battle of Honey Hill (heavy casualties including 1/2 the officers and 1/3 of the men within minutes)

November 1864 - January 1865' - 2nd Brigade, Coast Division, Department of the South

6-9 December - demonstration on Charleston & Savannah Railroad

6 December - Deveaux's Neck

1865:

January - March - 1st Separate Brigade, Department of the South

at Boyd's Landing until 11 January 1865

11-13 January - moved to Hilton Head, then to Fort Thunderbolt, near Savannah, Georgia.

13 January - 1 February - duty at Forts Jackson, Bartow and Battery Lee

1 February - moved to Hilton Head, South Carolina, then to Beaufort, South Carolina

1-6 February - expedition up South Edisto River

6 February - moved to Stono Inlet

9-10 February - expedition to James Island

11-15 February - expedition to Bull's Bay

19-20 February - moved to Mount Pleasant

21 February - 10 March - expedition to Santee River

March - June - 1st Separate Brigade, District of Charleston, Department of the South

duty at and near Charleston until 7 May

6-12 April - expedition to Eutaw Springs

7-8 May - moved to Sumpterville

19 May - moved to Orangeburg and Provost duty there until August

June to August - District of Charleston, South Carolina, Department of South Carolina

29 August - mustered out

23 September - discharged at Boston, Massachusetts

Regiment lost during service 3 Officers and 64 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 128 Enlisted men by disease. Total 197.

Statistics of Enlisted Men

• Number who had been slaves - 247
• Number of pure blacks - 550
• Number of mixed blood - 430
• Number who could read - 477
• Number who could read and write - 319
• Number who were church members - 52
• Number who were married - 219
• Average age - 23 1/5 years
• Average height - 5' 7" tall

Causes of Death

• Typhoid fever - 33
• Chronic diarrhea - 8
• Pneumonia - 8
• Consumption - 6
• General debility - 6
• Dysentery - 2
• Small-pox - 1
• Measles - 1
• Congestive chills - 1
• Unknown (mostly died away from regiment) - 46
• Sentence from general court-martial - 4
• Accident - 4
• Murdered - 1
• In action or from wounds received - 54

Birthplace

• Ohio - 222
• Pennsylvania - 139
• Virginia - 106
• Indiana - 97
• Kentucky - 68
• Missouri - 66
• Illinois - 56
• North Carolina - 30
• Tennessee - 24
• New York - 23
• Massachusetts - 22
• Maryland - 19
• Delaware - 13
• District of Columbia - 10
• Iowa - 9
• Mississippi - 9
• Michigan - 8
• New Jersey - 8
• Wisconsin - 7
• Georgia - 6
• South Carolina - 6
• Alabama - 5
• Connecticut - 4
• Canada - 3
• Rhode Island - 3
• Africa - 1
• Louisiana - 1
• Arkansas - 1
• Maine - 1
• Nova Scotia - 1
• Vermont - 1
• Unknown - 11

Trades and Occupations

• Farmers - 596
• Laborers - 76
• Waiters - 50
• Barbers - 34
• Cooks - 27
• Teamsters - 27
• Blacksmiths - 21
• Sailors - 20
• Masons and Plasterers - 16
• Hostlers - 9
• Shoemakers - 9
• Butchers - 8
• Painters - 7
• Grooms - 7
• Boatmen - 6
• Teachers - 6
• Carpenters - 6
• Coopers - 5
• Clerks - 5
• Porters - 5
• Coachmen - 3
• Brickmakers - 3
• Printers - 3
• Engineers - 3
• Iron-workers - 2
• Whitewashers - 2
• Stonecutters - 2
• Wagon-makers - 2
• Millers - 2
• Firemen - 2
• Coppersmith - 1
• Machinist - 1
• Rope-maker - 1
• Fisherman - 1
• Tinker - 1
• Harness-maker - 1
• Caulker - 1
• Glass-grinder - 1
• Musician - 1
• Moulder - 1
• Confectioner - 1
• Tobaco-workers - 1
• Clergyman - 1
• Broom-maker - 1
• Baker - 1
• Student - 1

Recruiting

1. James Sidney Hinton

Non-Commissioned Staff

Companies

Company to be determined

1. Benjamin R. Griffin of Salem, Massachusetts

Links

• 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment Company A
• 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment Company B
• 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment Company C
• 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment Company D
• 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment Company E
• 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment Company F
• 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment Company G
• 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment Company H
• 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment Company I
• 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment Company K

Commissioned Officers

Colonels

1. Colonel Norwood Penrose Hallowell of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania transferred from 54th Massachusetts

Captains

1. Captain William Nutt of Natick, Massachusetts transferred from 54th Massachusetts
2. Captain Joseph Tilden of Massachusetts transferred from 54th Massachusetts

Lieutenants

1. Lieutenant William H. Dupree of Virginia and Boston, Massachusetts

Stickers

Private ... ... ... served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: 30 May 1863
Mustered out: 29 Aug 1865
Side: USA
Regiment(s): Company F, 55th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry (Colored)

{{US Civil War | enlisted = 30 May 1863 | mustered = 29 Aug 1865 | side = USA | regiment flag = 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.jpg | regiment name = Company F, 55th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry (Colored) | unit = 55th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry (Colored) | rank=Private}}

Sources