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

[602] who holds a commission from your Excellency of assistant Adjutant-General of Massachusetts. General Meade was not in his quarters, and I did not see him until my return. I stayed nearly an hour with General Williams and Colonel Lyman, talking about our troops. They are both against raising new regiments, until those in the field are filled up. The men of our Massachusetts regiments and batteries stand at least as high as any in the service. I obtained here information as to the whereabouts of our Massachusetts regiments so that I could find them out, which is no easy thing to do, so extended are our lines. The shades of evening began to fall when I left in an ambulance for the Ninth Corps. We crossed the famous Weldon Railroad, near General Warren's headquarters. At seven o'clock I arrived safely at Colonel Russell's camp, Twenty-eighth United-States Colored Troops, who gave me a soldier's welcome. He also is an enthusiast in favor of colored troops. After supper, he ordered his band up to his quarters, and it played for over an hour. Not a man of them can read a note, and yet they made good music. They are all enlisted men in the regiment.

Oct. 30 (Sunday).—After breakfast, rode with Colonel Russell to the headquarters of the division, to pay my respects to General Ferrara, who commands the colored division; and while there our brave friend, Colonel McLaughlin, arrived. He commands a brigade. He rode back with us to see the colored soldiers, who had been placed in line that I might see them. The line extended nearly a mile. There were upwards of five thousand men, each of the six regiments being full. After promising Colonel McLaughlin to visit his camp in the afternoon, to witness dress-parade, we parted.

I attended divine service in the camp. Rev. Garland White, an enlisted colored man, who had just been commissioned chaplain, led the service. He was ‘raised by Hon. Robert Toombs, of Georgia,’ and often went to Washington with him. This preacher has the respect and confidence of the men. This regiment suffered greatly at the explosion of the mine, or, as it is called in the army, ‘the crater.’ Just before going in, Colonel Russell requested the chaplain to address the men, which he did eloquently and with effect. He said: ‘Be brave, do your duty, obey your orders. If any of you fall, you fall for the liberty of your race. You will go up right away to the Lord Jesus, and you will form dress-parade in Paradise with your officers and brothers who fall with you, just as though you were in the old camp.’

The effect was inspiriting to the men, and they fought like tigers. In the afternoon, I attended the dress-parade of Colonel McLaughlin's