"The Gravest of Responsibilities"

Last summer, I wrote about our Civil War regimental battle flag photograph collection. During my research for that post, I became familiar with several Civil War solders’ incredible stories. There is never enough time to research and write about the fascinating subjects with which we come into contact in this line of work; I often have to set information I’ve gathered aside and hope to come back to it another day. Such was the case for me with the stories of William Harvey Carney and Thomas Plunkett.

Carney and Plunkett are linked together in my mind, though I do not know whether the two ever met. There are several reasons for this. Both men served the Union as flag bearers for their respective Massachusetts regiments; both were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during battle; and both of them once worked in the State House, which I learned through the battle flag photograph collection and stories Silvia, our Head of Special Collections, told me. This building holds so many stories, many which risk being lost to time if we do not make a point to pass them on. This is especially true for the stories of people who are not memorialized in portraits, murals, and plaques throughout the State House halls. 

Thankfully, Thomas Plunkett and William H. Carney are represented in Memorial Hall. I wanted to expand on their stories in this post in honor of Juneteenth. Many thanks to Boston African American National Historic Site’s comprehensive article about William Harvey Carney and The Armless Hero of Fredericksburg by Mark Savolis and Ronald S. Coddington, which I relied on heavily here.

From the description under the 21st Regimental battle flag facsimile in Memorial Hall:

The position of color bearer was undoubtedly one of the proudest as well as most dangerous a soldier could hold. The flags, always posted at the front, served as a beacon for one’s fellow soldiers and the enemy alike. To “preserve the Union”- to never let it fall to the ground- was the gravest of responsibilities... one for which many color bearers gave up their lives.

William Harvey Carney

Sergeant William Harvey Carney in uniform, holding the flag he bore
for the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. 
Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

William H. Carney was born to William Carney Sr. and Ann Dean in Norfolk, Virginia on February 29, 1840. Carney was born into slavery, and at 14 years old began secretly attending a private school led by a minister, where he learned to read and write. It is not known for sure exactly how Carney escaped enslavement. He might have escaped on his own through the Underground Railroad and joined his father in Massachusetts; it is also possible his father purchased his freedom after reaching Massachusetts himself. Carney's family ultimately settled in New Bedford, where William considered going into ministry.

 
But in 1863, the Union army finally allowed Black Americans to serve in combat roles. Carney's life changed course: "I had a strong inclination to prepare myself for the ministry; but when the country called for all persons, I could best serve my God by serving my country and my oppressed brothers. The sequel is short – I enlisted for the war,” Carney wrote in October 1863. Carney joined the Morgan Guards in February of 1863, at 23 years old. This Black militia, originally named for a white benefactor from New Bedford, changed its name to the "Toussaint Guards" in honor of Haitian Revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture. The Toussaint Guards joined with the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, where Carney served in Company C. He was promoted to sergeant in March 1863.

On July 18, 1863, the 54th Massachusetts led the charge on Fort Wagner outside of Charleston, South Carolina under the command of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. When their flag bearer was shot down, Sergeant Carney retrieved the flag and continued to march, though he was seriously wounded himself. When the Union was forced to retreat, Carney continued carrying the flag until he could hand it to another soldier of the 54th behind Union lines. Carney famously exclaimed, "Boys, I did but my duty; the dear old flag never touched the ground!"

Sergeant Carney's story inspired many pieces of art
and music, like the song pictured here.

Carney was honorably discharged in June 1864 due to his injuries. He spent some time in San Francisco following the war, but then returned to New Bedford, working for 32 years as the state’s fourth African American postman. He married Susannah Williams on October 11, 1865 in New Bedford and had one daughter, Clara Heronia. For the rest of his life, Carney was an active participant in Black veterans’ organizations. He attended reunions and battle anniversary memorials as a member of the Grand Army of the Republic Post 1 and was the featured singer of the Star-Spangled Banner at a ceremony in 1889.

On May 31, 1897, Carney joined his fellow surviving members of the 54th for the dedication ceremony of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ The Robert Gould Shaw/54th Massachusetts Regiment Memorial, in the Boston Common directly across from the State House. Sergeant Carney finally received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Fort Wagner in May 1900, when he was 60 years old. He was the first of 22 African American Civil War veterans who ultimately received the Medal of Honor.

After leaving the postal service in New Bedford, Carney came to work as a messenger at the State House. Then in November 1908, he was tragically, fatally injured in an elevator accident at the State House. Printed accounts of the event state that Carney was trying to back out of the elevator to make room for others when the doors closed, catching his injured leg. He died at Boston City Hospital on December 9, 1908. He was 68 years old. Carney was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in New Bedford. And on the afternoon of December 11, 1908, the flags at the Massachusetts State House flew at half-staff in honor and remembrance of Sergeant William Harvey Carney’s valiant life.

Thomas Plunkett

Sergeant Thomas Plunkett in uniform, pictured with the flag he bore
for the 21st Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. 
Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Thomas Francis Plunkett was born in County Mayo, Ireland in 1839. After the death of his mother, his father Francis brought Thomas and his brothers to America and settled in Boston. By 1861, Thomas was working as a bootmaker in West Boylston and was engaged to be married. He enlisted in Company E of the 21st Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. In September, the regiment became part of Major General Ambrose Burnside’s Coast Division. In early 1862, Plunkett’s regiment participated in successful operations along the North Carolina coast. By that summer, his actions in battle gained him a reputation for bravery, and he was promoted to sergeant. In September 1862, during the Battle of South Mountain, Plunkett stopped to assist a wounded, thirsty officer from Ohio. That officer turned out to be future President Rutherford B. Hayes, who recognized, embraced, and thanked Thomas years later during a presidential tour of New England.

At Fredericksburg in December 1862, the 21st Regiment fought an uphill battle. Plunkett marched on with the regimental flag as bullets tore through, shooting a hole in his cap. A shell fragment tore through his right arm, then shattered his left forearm. As he bled profusely from what was left of his arms, he planted a foot against the flagpole, still standing. His blood left a large, permanent stain on the flag. Plunkett was then sent to the rear by his colonel. He walked until faint from blood loss, and stretcher bearers carried him into Fredericksburg. Surgeons felt his case was hopeless; they left him on the floor in excruciating pain as they performed surgeries on tables just above him. Two hours later, he was finally given chloroform and surgeons cut away the mangled skin of his arms. Thomas’s life was saved by Clara Barton, who sutured and dressed his arm stumps. 

A news clipping dated October 21, 1885 pasted on the inside of our battle flags’ 

photo album cover about Plunkett and the 21st Regimental battle flag.

He was honorably discharged on March 9, 1864, and he returned home to Massachusetts to $7,000 in charitable funds raised for him. He also received a pension as a result of Clara Barton’s letter writing assistance. Thomas bought a home in Worcester with the funds, where he married Helen Lorimer and raised three children. In March 1866, Sergeant Plunkett received the Medal of Honor. He was invited to all Civil War-related events in Worcester for the rest of his life. And like William H. Carney, he became a messenger in the State House, a position he held for 15 years. Thomas Plunkett died of inflammatory bowel and stomach disease in 1885 at 44 years old. There was a large turnout at his funeral, and one of his pallbearers was the 21st Regiment Chaplain, George Ball. He was buried in Hope Cemetery in Worcester, and his monument displays an urn draped with a flag.

Alyssa Persson

Special Collections Processing Archivist

Soldiers of the 54th and 55th Regiments on Display

The five portraits ready for exhibit,
individual images are included below

In honor of Black History Month, we are displaying a selection of carte de visites and tintypes that depict soldiers from the Massachusetts 54th and 55th Volunteer Infantry Regiments in our Collection Spotlight case. As part of the Alfred S. Hartwell Collection, these images serve as important documentation of Black Civil War soldiers. The 54th and 55th Regiments are significant because they were the first two regiments comprised of Black soldiers from the North to serve in the Civil War. A monument commemorating the soldiers of the 54th is located on Beacon Street at the edge of Boston Common, directly across from the State House.

A quick explanation of what these items are, since early photographic formats are not necessarily in use today. Carte de visites are small photographs, similar in size to a formal calling card, that were introduced in the United States in 1859 and rose in popularity during the Civil War. They were traded among friends and sometimes collected in albums. As per their name, tintypes were photographs made on tin that was coated with a dark lacquer or enamel to support the emulsion. They were used for portraiture and were prevalent in the United Stats from the 1860s to the 1870s. They were affordable to produce, which added to their popularity. In total, there are forty-four carte de visites and tintypes in the Hartwell collection, but these five are the only ones that depict Black soldiers.

Three of the five images include some identifying information on the reverse. Pictured below are two carte de visites, the inscriptions on the back identify them as Sergeant Andrew Jackson Smith on the left and Segt. Jackson / 55 Regiment on the right.

An image of “Joe” provides the most information in the inscription. He is identified as “Joe / Headquarters / Camp Meigs / Readville, Mass. / Oct 1862.” Camp Meigs was a training camp used from 1862 through 1865. It is in the Readville neighborhood (part of Hyde Park) of Boston, and the 54th and 55th regiments both trained there.

 The following two images are tintypes and include no identifying information:

On January 26, 1863, Massachusetts governor John Andrew received permission from the U.S. War Department to raise a Black regiment as part of the Union Army. Enlistment began in February, and those who joined became the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. There was not a large enough Black population in Massachusetts to support a full regiment, so recruitment efforts were focused not just in Massachusetts and New England, but also throughout the country and even into Canada and the West Indies. The result was that there were so many volunteers that the 55^th Regiment was also formed. The regiments both trained outside of Boston at Camp Meigs (as referenced in the “Joe” inscription) and the 54th departed for the south in late May 1863, with the 55^th departing in July 1863. The National Park Service has articles with information about both the 54^th and the 55^th regiments on their website. 

During the Civil War, Alfred S. Hartwell, who compiled this collection, served as Captain of the 54th Regiment and then as Lieutenant Colonel of the 55th Regiment. Because of his experience with Black regiments, after the war, he spearheaded an investigation into abuses in the recruiting of Black soldiers in the south. The images displayed here are mementos from Hartwell’s time serving with members of the 54th and 55th Regiments, but the collection also includes materials that document his investigation. The collection has been fully digitized and is available in our digital repository. You can also read more about Hartwell in this previous blog post.

Our Collection Spotlight case has features that mitigate the amount of light that exhibited items are exposed to, but due to the sensitive nature of photographs, we are still mindful of the frequency with which they are displayed. Visit us from February 4 through March 4 to take advantage of the rare opportunity to see these images in person.

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian
 

Hartwell Collection Materials on Flickr

A recent set on the State Library's Flickr web site highlights photographs and materials from the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Black Volunteer Regiments from the Civil War. The collections are from materials donated to the State Library by Alfred Stedman Hartwell, who served in both regiments.

Alfred Stedman Hartwell was born in Dedham, Massachusetts on June 11, 1836. Civil War records describe him as having been a law student; he graduated from Harvard University in 1858.

From May 8, 1861 to August 17, 1861, he served as a corporal in the 3rd Missouri Infantry. He was commissioned a 1st lieutenant on August 22, 1862 and was mustered into Company F, 44th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry on September 12, 1862; he resigned from that regiment and was discharged for promotion on March 31, 1863. Hartwell was next commissioned a captain in the 54th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry and was discharged on May 14, 1863 for promotion in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry. On November 3, 1863 he was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in that regiment. He was wounded at Honey Hill, South Carolina on November 30, 1864, brevetted as a brigadier-general on December 30, 1864 and mustered out on April 30, 1866.

Because of his experience with black regiments, he spearheaded an investigation into certain abuses in the recruiting of black soldiers in the south. From 1865 to 1866, Hartwell led the investigation into these alleged abuses. Brevet Brigadier-General M.S. Littlefield was the subject of many accusations that indicated that he enrolled disabled blacks, known deserters, and others into the 21st Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops and had failed to pay bounties due to the men. As a result of Hartwell's efforts, Littlefield was court-martialed.

Hartwell later served as the Representative from Natick in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1867 and as Attorney General and Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Hawaii. He died in Honolulu on August 30, 1912.

The collection resides in the Special Collections Department of the State Library of Massachusetts and is available for the public to view.

Pamela W. Schofield
Reference Department