William Schouler, A history of Massachusetts in the Civil War: Volume 2

During the entire war the town continued to fill every requisition made upon it for men. A great many meetings were held, at which money was liberally appropriated for the payment of bounties and for aid to the families of volunteers. Dr. R. L. Hodgdon and Dr. J. C. Harris, resident physicians of the town, gave their professional assistance, free of charge, to the families of the soldiers. The selectmen acted through the entire period as recruiting agents, and were very successful in procuring volunteers. A number of citizens' meetings were held, at which speeches were made, and money contributed, to encourage recruiting and maintain the Government.

West Cambridge furnished two hundred and ninety-five men for the war, which was a surplus of twenty-one over and above all demands. Two were commissioned officers.¹ The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of State aid, was thirty thousand and twenty-six dollars and sixty-three cents ($30,026.63). In addition to which $32,656.10 were voluntarily contributed by the citizens of the town for the same purpose.

The amount of money raised and expended by the town during the war, for State aid to soldiers' families, and repaid by the Commonwealth, was as follows: In 1861, $441.84; in 1862, $2,295.21; in 1863, $2,926.12; in 1864, $2,124.00; in 1865, $1,455.43. Total amount, $9,242.00.

The ladies of West Cambridge, at an early period of the war, formed an association for the preparation and transmission of comfortable articles for the wounded and disabled soldiers in the hospitals. They collected the sum of four thousand three hundred and fourteen dollars and twenty-six cents ($4,314.26) in money, with which they purchased material which they made into lint, bandages, and comfortable garments for the sick and wounded.