William Schouler, A history of Massachusetts in the Civil War: Volume 1, page 644

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[644] viz., that all the men added to our quota by the enlistment of foreigners and colored people, were absolutely in excess of the quota assigned the State. The whole number of colored recruits, whom you describe as “captured negroes,” was 4,731; the whole number of ‘imported foreigners’ was 907,—a total of 5,638; while, as stated on page 83 of my address, our surplus over all calls is 7,813. The number of colored recruits enlisted in rebel States was 1,214; the whole number of foreigners, 907,—a total of 2,121.

Asking your indulgence for troubling you with my effort to maintain the good fame of our State, and hoping that you may carry out your plan of visiting this part of the country next summer,

I remain very respectfully your friend and servant,

John A. Andrew.

P. S. Strictly speaking, the 1,214 enlisted in the rebel States are all who come under your head of “captured negroes,” as the rest of the 4,731 were enlisted here as free colored men, from whom we raised two regiments of infantry and one of cavalry.

This letter to General Sherman requires a simple explanation. General Sherman was a United-States army officer, and entertained the prejudice which prevailed to a great extent among that class of gentlemen against the enlistment of colored troops; and, when agents from Massachusetts were sent within his lines to enlist this class of soldiers, they were not well received by him, and in the heat of the moment he made remarks not only disparaging to the agents themselves, but to the State which they represented. Like a true and gallant soldier, as every one knows General Sherman to be, he wrote to Governor Andrew, expressing his regret for the words spoken in haste, and took the occasion to speak of the two regiments of Massachusetts volunteers in his command, in commendatory words which their services made so proper.

On the 30th of December, the Governor wrote,—

The Secretary of the Commonwealth will place on the nomination book, to be justices of the peace and of the quorum thereof in this Commonwealth, the names of—
Brevet-Brigadier-General Horace B. Sargent, late aide-de-camp.
Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Lee, Jr., late aide-de-camp.
Colonel Harrison Ritchie, senior aide-de camp.

1868. E. P. DUtton and Co. Boston,.

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

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