History Rockville Volunteers             April

                                                            (1861)

 

 

Bessie V. Watson

 

Medway in War Time.

                        The First Volunteer.

 

            The little villiage of Rockville, numbering only forty-seven families, at the time of the war was a part of Medway. Although so small it furnished not less than thirty-three volunteers, a number remarkable for a place of its size.

            Immediately on the issue of the proclamation calling for the first volunteers two young men took the train to Boston to be enrolled. They were much disappointed in finding that the quota had been filled a few hours after the muster roll had been opened. /

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When, some after, the call for volunteers for three years was issued they were the first to act. They again went to Boston and volunteered and were furnished with a muster roll upon with which they hoped to form a company in Rockville But they found that those who were willing and ready to enlist for three months, considered the enlistment for three years a much more serious undertaking and only four went to Boston to join the 12^th regiment Massachusetts volunteers. So this muster roll was afterwards taken to Medway Villiage where it was used /

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to enroll all their^whose? three years volunteers. The soldiers from Rockville went with their regiment to Fort Warren where much to their disgust they were obliged to stop and drill. But it is safe to say that every man there who impatiently complained that the war would be over before they should be allowed to fire a gun, saw enough of it before its close. Indeed, of our first four volunteers only one was permitted to see this close.

            This one although he had engaged in five battles without receiving /

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any injury in his sixth, the battle of Antietam, was not so fortunate and was severely wounded. This occured at about 9 oclock in the morning and he was left on the field till 8 o'clock at night. During all this time the battle was raging fiercely all around him and he was wounded twice again. When he recovered consciousness he was dismayed to find the field deserted and that he was alone with the dead. He feared that the ambulance corps, when picking up the wounded had thought him dead /

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and passed on. After waiting hopelessly for some time he saw someone moving at a distance and succeeded in making himself heard. They took him to the hospital, but found it full not room for even one more. He was next taken to a large barn near by, which was used for the wounded soldiers. But this was also full and he was left outside in the yard, itself almost filled with wounded and dying men. This bard-yard presented a strange and fearful scene. /

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Members of the Christian Comission were occupied among the soldiers, praying with the dying in one place, and singing with them in another. Mingled with these prayers and songs could be heard the grunting and groans of the wounded. All over the yard surgeons were busy dressing the wounds of the injured. Over and above all this sounded the constant hammering on the boxes in which the dead were sent to their friends. Here, exposed to all kinds of /

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weather, he remained for three weeks, during which time his leg was amputated. He was then removed to a shed where he said the heat was almost unbearable. After being again moved to a tent where he laid lay for some time upon a bed of straw he was finally taken to "winter quarters", a hospital tents furnished with iron beds and containing about 6000 wounded men, who could not be moved to the hospital. Here at length he recovered sufficiently to be taken /

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home.

            Of the 33 who left Rockville not less than seven laid down their lives for their country, while many more lost limbs or suffered other disabilities.

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