Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Massachusetts in the Army and Navy during the war of 1861-1865, vol. 1: prelminary narrative

---

[40]

Over brevet appointments Governor Andrew had of course no control, though he sometimes gave suggestions. These brevets were showered from the beginning of the war until long after its close, with a profusion that became an undoubted evil, and, being often the result of personal solicitation or lobbying, had much to do with that constant presence of military officers in Washington, which afforded much amusement to foreign visitors. There were of course many instances where brevets were the direct recognition of brave deeds, but there was a large number of cases where they came simply from political influence and sometimes from the direct neglect of duty, as evidenced by men's hanging round the Capitol at Washington instead of being at their places in the field.¹

---

Xi. The Naval service.

Massachusetts, being a seaside State and long the nursery of the merchant service, was naturally among the leading States for the supply of seamen. At the outset of the war the legal maximum of the navy was 7,600 men. Of these there were on March 10, 1861, only 207 in all the ports and receiving ships on the Atlantic coast.² In July, 1863, there were 34,000 men in the service, and when the war ended, 51,500. In the last months of the war a bounty of $1,010 was sometimes paid for a single seaman.³ The official statistics show that of this vast addition to the numbers of the navy Massachusetts contributed a larger share than any State except New York; indeed, nearly 20,000, or nearly one-fifth of the whole number.⁴