Henry Livermore Abbott

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Henry Livermore Abbott
20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
RelationsJosiah Gardner Abbott (father)

Henry Livermore Abbott[1] (January 21, 1842 – May 6, 1864) was a Major in the Union Army during the American Civil War (Civil War).[2] Abbott was posthumously awarded the grade of brevet brigadier general, United States Volunteers, to rank from August 1, 1864, and the grades of brevet lieutenant colonel, brevet colonel and brevet brigadier general, United States Army, all to rank from March 13, 1865[3] for gallant and meritorious services at the Battle of the Wilderness, where he was killed in action.[4] Abbott was engaged at the center of several key Civil War battles and was widely known and admired for his leadership, courage and composure under fire.[5]

Early life

Henry Livermore Abbott, the third of eleven children, was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on January 21, 1842,[6] the son of Josiah Gardner Abbott, a successful lawyer and judge.[7] In 1876, Josiah Gardner Abbott was elected to the United States House of Representatives.[7] He was a prominent member of the Democratic Party.[8] Henry's mother, Caroline, was the daughter of U.S. Congressman Edward St. Loe Livermore.[8] Both of Henry's parents were descended from officers who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.[9]

Henry was a prodigy and in 1856 he enrolled in Harvard University at age 14 with his older brother Edward ("Ned").[10] The brothers roomed together at a fashionable private boarding house near campus.[9] The young Henry found the rigid atmosphere at Harvard "irksome" and was frequently admonished for "indecorum at prayers," "neglect of mathematics," and "tardiness at recitation."[9] Nonetheless, Henry graduated from Harvard in the middle of the class in 1860.[11] He was reading law in his father's law office when the Civil War broke out.[11]

Initial reluctance to volunteer and enrollment in Union Army

Henry's father obtained an appointment for Henry as a captain in the 2d Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment after the

Harvard Regiment" because so many of its officers were Harvard graduates.[12]

Abbott initially was more reluctant than his older brother, Ned, and his younger brother, Fletcher, to enlist.[12] He wrote to his father that he was more literary and domestic than his brothers but that he would be ashamed of himself forever if he did not do anything in the time of crisis.[12] Many of the soldiers in Abbott's company were sailors and fishermen from Nantucket.[13] The first commander of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was Colonel William Raymond Lee, a United States Military Academy graduate and professional soldier.[13]

American Civil War service

Ball's Bluff, the Peninsula, Seven Days' Battles

On October 21, 1861, Abbott's 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was ordered to cross the

William F. Bartlett led survivors of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry up the river to Smart's Mill where they found a rowboat and got everyone across the river into Maryland under cover of darkness.[18] The 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment held up well compared to most other Union regiments at Ball's Bluff but lost 87 of 300 men as killed and wounded and 111 as prisoners, including Colonel Lee, in its efforts to hold the Union line.[19]

Abbott was promoted to

Seven Days' Battles.[22] On June 30, 1862, Abbott was wounded in the right arm at the Battle of Glendale, Virginia,[3] which compelled him to leave the regiment temporarily in order to recuperate at home.[23] He refused to leave the field, however, until after the Battle of Malvern Hill the next day.[24] On August 9, 1862, Abbott's brother Ned was killed in action at the Battle of Cedar Mountain.[25]

Fredericksburg, Mud March, Second Fredericksburg

On September 2, 1862, Abbott's regiment covered the retreat of the defeated forces of Union Major General

Second Battle of Manassas or Bull Run. Weeks of hard duty took their toll on Abbott, who was not fully recovered from the wound he suffered at the Battle of Glendale.[24] Abbott missed the Battle of Antietam because he was hospitalized with typhoid fever and grief over the death of his brother at Cedar Mountain.[26] The 20th Massachusetts Infantry again suffered heavy losses at Antietam. Soon after the battle, Abbott's brother Fletcher, who was suffering from dysentery, joined him in the hospital.[27] Abbott recovered by November 1862 and returned to the regiment camped at Falmouth, Virginia across the Rappahannock River from Fredericksburg, Virginia.[28] He was accompanied on his return by Holmes, who was returning after recovery from a wound suffered at the battle of Antietam.[28]

Abbott next courageously led his men at the

Marye's Heights where waves of Union attackers were cut down by Confederate artillery and infantry protected by a stone wall.[34] Abbott survived unscathed, although a bullet did hit his scabbard.[35] Sixty men and three officers were killed in a matter of minutes in the attack on Marye's Heights, bringing the losses of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry in the battle to 168 men and 8 officers of 335 men and officers engaged.[35] Abbott in large part blamed Republican political leadership for the losses because they had removed Major General George McClellan, a fellow Democrat, from command of the Army of the Potomac.[35]

After the infamous "Mud March" of January 1863, Major General Joseph Hooker replaced Major General Ambrose Burnside as commanding general of the Army of the Potomac.[36] In late March, Henry's 9–year old brother, Arthur, died from "the croup."[36] After two weeks in Boston following Arthur's death, Henry returned to his regiment.[36] On May 3, 1863, Abbott fought with his regiment during the Second Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, which was part of the Chancellorsville Campaign.[37] Major General John Sedgwick, commander of the "grand division" of which the 20th Massachusetts Infantry was a part, was ordered to take Fredericksburg and then come to the aid of the bulk of the Union Army which came under heavy attack from Confederate forces at Chancellorsville.[38] The 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was on the far right of the line and suffered only 2 dead and 13 wounded, one of whom was Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. who was wounded for the third time.[38] In this battle, the Union troops overwhelmed the more lightly defended Marye's Heights.[38] Sedgwick was stopped from joining Hooker at nearby Chancellorsville by Confederate forces at the Battle of Salem Church.[39] Brigadier General John Gibbon's division, including the 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, which had been left to hold the line at Fredericksburg, had to retreat across the Rappahannock River to join Hooker and Sedgwick, who had recrossed the river further upstream.[39]

Gettysburg, Pickett's Charge and Bristoe Station

On June 5, 1863, Hooker realized that Confederate

high water mark of the Confederacy).[44] Although the battle had been won, over half of the enlisted men and 10 of the 13 officers of the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry had been killed or wounded.[44]

After the battle, Abbott remained in command of the regiment and was promoted to

Lieutenant General A. P. Hill's men.[44] The 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry took few casualties, however, because they were able to fight from behind a steep railroad grade.[44] After Major General Meade demonstrated against Confederate forces at the battle of Mine Run Creek, the Army of the Potomac went into winter quarters at Brandy Station, Virginia.[45] In December 1863, Abbott received a 15-day leave to visit home, which was extended by 20 days due to his suffering from chronic diarrhea.[45] In January 1864, Abbott left home to rejoin his regiment.[46]

Death at the Wilderness

On May 4, 1864, newly appointed

General-in-Chief of the Union Armies and Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant began his drive south into Virginia that became known as the Overland Campaign. Although two sources state that Abbott remained in command of the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry until his death,[47] another source says that Colonel George N. Macy returned to the regiment just before the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5–6, 1864, and that Abbott again assumed command of the regiment after Colonel Macy was wounded.[48] At the Battle of the Wilderness, on May 6, 1864, Major Henry Abbott was shot in the abdomen while encouraging his command from an exposed, standing position, after he ordered his men to fight while lying down, as he had done at the Battle of Ball's Bluff.[49] Mortally wounded, Henry Livermore Abbott died at a field hospital on the same day.[50]

Brevet awards and posthumous praise

Henry Livermore Abbott's service and exploits had gained him some notoriety so news of his death was met with consternation and grief at the highest levels of command and back in Lowell, Massachusetts.[26] Holmes later said that Abbott was a friend whose death "seemed to end a portion of our life also."[26]

On December 12, 1864,

Regular Army), to rank from March 13, 1865.[52] The U. S. Senate confirmed the awards on March 2, 1867.[52]

Abbott has been said to have been the most widely known and admired officer of his grade (or "rank") in the Army of the Potomac.[8] Major General John Sedgwick said that Abbott was "a wonderfully good soldier" and "a bright, particular star."[8] Major General Winfield Scott Hancock said "his reputation was built upon a solid foundation, and the closest scrutiny could not diminish it."[8] Abbott's extensive correspondence with his family provides an especially good record of the engagements in which he fought and the generals and other personalities with whom he came into contact.[53] Yet, over 90 percent of it remained unpublished until 1991.[54]

Henry Livermore Abbott's good friend, future

United States Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who served in the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment with him, deeply admired Abbott for his courage and unruffled calm, and for his determination to do his duty even though he was deeply skeptical of Union war aims (except for preservation of the Union), was politically opposed to President Lincoln, and did not support the abolition of slavery because he thought it would die out in the near future. Holmes considered Abbott an ideal soldier, and praised him in a famous 1884 Memorial Day speech stating that: "In action he was sublime."[55]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Henry Livermore Abbott should not be confused with Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General Henry Larcom Abbot
  2. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3
  3. ^ a b Eicher and Eicher, 2001, p. 97
  4. ISBN 1-56013-002-4
    ; Eicher and Eicher, 2001, p. 97
  5. ISBN 0-87338-440-7
    ; introduction by Robert Garth Scott, p. 1
  6. ISBN 0-393-04758-X
    . Combines into one volume the original 5 volume work published by ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, California in 2000. Article on Henry Livermore Abbott, pp. 2–3
  7. ^ a b Scott, ed., 1991. p. 1; Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 1
  8. ^ a b c d e Scott, ed., 1991. p. 1
  9. ^ a b c d e Scott, ed., 1991. p. 2
  10. ^ a b Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 1
  11. ^ a b Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 1; Scott, ed., 1991, p. 2
  12. ^ a b c Scott, 1991, p. 3
  13. ^ a b Scott, 1991, p. 4
  14. ^ Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 1; Scott, ed., 1991, p. 4
  15. ^ a b c d e Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 1; Scott, ed., pp. 4–5
  16. ^ a b Scott, ed., 1991, p. 5
  17. ^ a b Scott, ed., 1991, pp. 5–6
  18. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, p. 6
  19. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, pp. 6–7
  20. ^ Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 1; Scott, ed., 1991, p. 7 gives the date as November 25, 1861.
  21. ^ a b Scott, ed., 1991, p. 8
  22. ^ Heidler and Heidler, 2000, pp. 1–2; Scott, ed., pp. 8–9
  23. ^ Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 2; Scott, ed., 1991, p. 10
  24. ^ a b Scott, ed., 1991, p. 10
  25. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, p. 11
  26. ^ a b c d e f g Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 2
  27. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, p. 12
  28. ^ a b Scott, ed., 1991, p. 13.
  29. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, p. 14
  30. ISBN 978-0-8071-3154-1
    . Brandon, who was informed that his men were fighting Abbott's company, had to be placed under arrest for disobeying orders to break off the fight when Union reinforcements started to come up.
  31. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, pp. 14–15
  32. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, p. 16
  33. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, pp. 16–17
  34. ^ Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 2; Scott, ed., 1991, p. 17
  35. ^ a b c Scott, ed., 1991, p. 17
  36. ^ a b c Scott, ed., 1991, p. 18
  37. ^ Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 2; Scott, ed., 1991, p. 19
  38. ^ a b c Scott, ed., 1991, p. 19
  39. ^ a b c d Scott, ed., 1991, p. 20
  40. Harper's Ferry
    .
  41. ^ a b c d e Scott, ed., 1991. p. 21
  42. ISBN 0-8078-2648-0
  43. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, p. 22
  44. ^ a b c d e Scott, ed., 1991, p. 23
  45. ^ a b Scott, ed., 1991, p. 24
  46. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, p. 25
  47. ^ Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 2; Scott, ed., 1991, p. 23
  48. ISBN 0-8071-3021-4 (pbk); John Gibbon's report in Official Records, Series I, Volume XXXVI, Part 1, p. 430; Alexander S. Webb's report in Official Records, Series I, Volume XXXVI, Part 1, p. 438
  49. ^ Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 2; Rhea, 2004, p. 364
  50. ^ Heidler and Heidler, 2000, p. 2; Eicher and Eicher, 2001, p. 97
  51. ^ a b Eicher and Eicher, 2001, p. 731
  52. ^ a b Eicher and Eicher, 2001, p. 738
  53. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, p. 27
  54. ^ Scott, ed., 1991, p. 28
  55. ^ The paragraph from Holmes's speech in praise of Abbott is: "There is one who on this day is always present on my mind. He entered the army at nineteen, a second lieutenant. In the Wilderness, already at the head of his regiment, he fell, using the moment that was left him of life to give all of his little fortune to his soldiers. I saw him in camp, on the march, in action. I crossed debatable land with him when we were rejoining the Army together. I observed him in every kind of duty, and never in all the time I knew him did I see him fail to choose that alternative of conduct which was most disagreeable to himself. He was indeed a Puritan in all his virtues, without the Puritan austerity; for, when duty was at an end, he who had been the master and leader became the chosen companion in every pleasure that a man might honestly enjoy. His few surviving companions will never forget the awful spectacle of his advance alone with his company in the streets of Fredericksburg. In less than sixty seconds he would become the focus of a hidden and annihilating fire from a semicircle of houses. His first platoon had vanished under it in an instant, ten men falling dead by his side. He had quietly turned back to where the other half of his company was waiting, had given the order, "Second Platoon, forward!" and was again moving on, in obedience to superior command, to certain and useless death, when the order he was obeying was countermanded. The end was distant only a few seconds; but if you had seen him with his indifferent carriage, and sword swinging from his finger like a cane, you would never have suspected that he was doing more than conducting a company drill on the camp parade ground. He was little more than a boy, but the grizzled corps commanders knew and admired him; and for us, who not only admired, but loved, his death seemed to end a portion of our life also."
    Holmes said a little later in the speech: "I have spoken of some of the men who were near to me among others very near and dear, not because their lives have become historic, but because their lives are the type of what every soldier has known and seen in his own company. In the great democracy of self-devotion private and general stand side by side. Unmarshalled save by their own deeds, the army of the dead sweep before us, "wearing their wounds like stars." It is not because the men I have mentioned were my friends that I have spoken of them, but, I repeat, because they are types. I speak of those whom I have seen. But you all have known such; you, too, remember!"
    Source: http://people.virginia.edu/~mmd5f/memorial.htm, retrieved September 25, 2010.

References

External links


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