Diaries

Diary of B. B. Smith
Image Courtesy of
Louisiana Research Collection
Tulane University

Today I should give an introduction to two men that left fairly detailed written accounts of their experiences in the 30th Massachusetts.  Both of these men kept a diary for all or most of 1862, and each gives new insight that adds to the the regiment's history, and from this point on I will quoting the diaries quite heavily.

Flags of the 30th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

Colors return to Governor Andrew, 1865

In general I would like to follow the chronological order of how the 30th Massachusetts was formed, how it fought, and what its men had to say about their experiences.  When it comes to the flags of the 30th, I feel that perhaps I should share all of the information that I have up front.  The colors were the physical embodiment of the regiment, and while the men have all passed on, the colors still survive.  They are a symbol that we can still see and touch, and for some of us may even bring a deeper connection to our relatives and the men who served.

Statistics: Premise

National Color (1st to be issued by the Commonwealth)
of the 30th Massachusetts
Image Courtesy of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Now that I have finished (for the most part) the complete roster postings for the 30th Massachusetts, it's time to more one to assembling more information that I hope will turn out to be useful.  I do have a few things planned for the short term (I hope to have a detailed post about the National ad Regimental Colors of the 30th out within a few days), it is time to start looking into what other information I will be posting for the next several years.

Roster: Unassigned Recruits

The following is a list of all soldiers who are shown as unassigned recruits of the 30th Massachusetts (1861-1865).  These names have all been taken a list I have compiled using names from the books Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil War and Record of the Massachusetts volunteers 1861-1865, both of which are available to view at www.ancestry.com.  This list is a bit more difficult to compile than the previous lists that I have posted for each individual company.  The the different company rosters I compared two lists to each other and was able to determine just about all of the men with various spellings of names, yet from the rest of the information I could sometime tell that two different names were actually the same man.  With this list I now have to compare to all ten of the company lists...while keeping in mind that some of these men my actually have popped up on a list already.  Because of these variables, there might never actually be a definitive list of EVERY man to actually serve with the 30th.

This list is currently a work in progress.  It will take longer to complete since I have to crosscheck these names very carefully to avoid duplicating men who have already been listed!

Roster: Company K

The following is a list of all soldiers listed as serving in Company K of the 30th Massachusetts (1861-1865).  These names have all been taken a list I have compiled using names from the books Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil War and Record of the Massachusetts volunteers 1861-1865, both of which are available to view at www.ancestry.com

Roster: Company I

The following is a list of all soldiers listed as serving in Company I of the 30th Massachusetts (1861-1865).  These names have all been taken a list I have compiled using names from the books Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil War and Record of the Massachusetts volunteers 1861-1865, both of which are available to view at www.ancestry.com

Roster: Company H

The following is a list of all soldiers listed as serving in Company H of the 30th Massachusetts (1861-1865).  These names have all been taken a list I have compiled using names from the books Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil War and Record of the Massachusetts volunteers 1861-1865, both of which are available to view at www.ancestry.com

Roster: Company G

The following is a list of all soldiers listed as serving in Company G of the 30th Massachusetts (1861-1865).  These names have all been taken a list I have compiled using names from the books Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil War and Record of the Massachusetts volunteers 1861-1865, both of which are available to view at www.ancestry.com