William Schouler, A history of Massachusetts in the Civil War: Volume 1

[393] regiments of colored troops, the first that were organized in any of the loyal States, and sent them forth into the war, armed and equipped in the best manner, and officered by the best men who had served in the volunteer army.

On the twenty-seventh day of December, 1862, Hon. Samuel Hooper, a member of Congress from this State, wrote to the Governor for his opinion in regard to the national finances: to which he replied, Jan. 5, that he did not consider himself qualified to express a definite opinion on the subject. On the contrary, ‘I feel,’ he says, ‘a degree of happiness in being in a position similar to that of the judge who congratulated himself that it was his privilege not to have any opinion on a complicated question of fact, on which it was the duty of the jury to make up their minds.’ The Governor said, however, that he should not run counter to Mr. Chase's system in regard to our national currency, but should decidedly favor it; that he had seen, a few days before, a letter, written to a friend in Boston by Joshua Bates, of London, concerning the conduct of our finances during the war, which he deemed to have been on the whole to our credit, although he criticised the issue of legal-tender notes, thinking we should have first resorted to borrowing on long loans; yet it was his opinion that it would have been absolutely impossible for us ultimately to avoid resorting to them.

We have already spoken of a sum of money collected in San Francisco, Cal., by citizens of that place, and forwarded to Governor Andrew, to be distributed among the families of Massachusetts volunteers in the war. When it was proposed in November, 1862, to raise the Second Regiment of Cavalry, men of Massachusetts birth, living in California, proposed to raise a company for the regiment; and a correspondence was opened through Mr. Rankin, Collector of the port of San Francisco, with the Governor, in regard to accepting it. Permission was given by Secretary Stanton to accept it, and the men were to be credited to the quota of Massachusetts. The company was raised by Captain J. Sewall Reed, of San Francisco. The passages of the officers and men were paid by this State; and the company arrived at ‘Camp Meigs,’ Readville, Jan. 4, 1863.