“…we are fighting for
our country, its honor and its preservation,” (Rodgers p. 133)
At some point during Merrill’s transit from California to
New York, he was informed that he had been promoted to corporal. His CMSR indicated that he was promoted to
Corporal, per General Order No 18. on April 1, 1863. 1. (Beal CMSR) Merrill most likely was informed of his
promotion during their layover in New York.
Merrill’s responsibilities would now include supervising a squad of twelve
men as well as the other duties of a corporal.
In modern terms, Merrill’s learning curve, which was steep to begin
with, became a rapid vertical ascent.
Kautz' Customs of
Service for Non Commissioned Officers and Soldiers explains in detail the
duties of the soldier and the non-commissioned officer. Besides
learning all the duties of a private soldier Merrill also had to learn the
duties of the corporal. Kautz opens the
section on the Duties of a Corporal with the following statement “The corporal
is usually selected from the most intelligent privates, who have been longest
in the service, and who are noted for their military appearance and attention
to duty.” 2. (Kautz 1864)
In a war time, armies are made up of volunteers, the longest servicing aspect, obviously, would not be a factor in
his promotion.
Merrill not only had to learn the duties of a corporal; he
also had to learn the duties of a corporal in a cavalry regiment. As a corporal, he was expected to help train
the privates in learning their duties and responsibilities by doing everything
a private was required to do - but doing it perfectly.
The steamer Plymouth Rock carried the California Battalion
to Stonington Connecticut. The trip took
9 hours. At Stonington, the battalion
was off loaded and transferred to a train which would take them to Camp Meigs
located in Readville, Massachusetts. George
Buhrer recalled the atmosphere of the trip as being “sultry” and “the weather
rainy and disagreeable. 3 (Buhrer Ap 16,
1863)
The battalion arrived at Camp Meigs at eleven o’clock in the
morning April 16th. Merrill had been
away from New England for almost three years so his memory of a New England
spring was still fresh in his mind. And
the New England weather did not disappoint him.
Private Buhrer noted in his diary
that the weather was “disagreeable; a fine penetrating rain.” In April, this is the type of New England
weather which causes the sky to have a gray murky overcast. This in turn makes the air raw and damp. The penetrating rain gets into everything
clothes, skin, equipment, inadequately
heated quarters become damp and chilled.
It is a completely miserable feeling.
There were five cavalry barracks at Camp Meigs. They “were one story buildings. They would
shed rain, but the wind made itself at home inside the structure… The bunks
were double-decker arranged for two
soldiers in each berth.” 4. (Allen 1893) The barracks were cold and uncomfortable for
the men from California who were used to a more temperate climate. Three of these barracks were assigned to
Colonel Lowell and the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry. This was Merrill’s home for the next
month.
One of the first things Merrill probably did was go to the sutler’s store and purchase copies of Kautz,’ Customs of the Service and George B. McClellan’s;
Regulation and Instruction for the Field
Service of the U.S. Cavalry in Time of War. Both books no doubt became his
constant companion over the next few months.
The training began immediately. Over the next three days, Merrill and the
battalion would do foot drills while each company received its equipment. This would consist of the accoutrements of a
cavalry trooper. The Cavalry trooper
during the Civil War was outfitted with the following equipment:
Carbine, carbine sling and swivel, cartridge box,… cap pouch,...wiper … to keep
your carbine clean,… screw-driver,… revolver,… holster and pistol cartridge
box,… smaller straps and waist belt,.. Saber and scabbard,. P. 40 saber knots. Horse furniture, 1 bridle, 1water bridle, 1 halter, 1 saddle,
1 saddle bag, 1 saddle blanket, 1
surcingle, 1 pair of spurs, 1 curry-comb, 1 horse brush, 1 picket pin, and 1
lariat, 1 link and 1 nose bag.” 5 (Allen 1893) Unlike the common infantry man who only had to
look after himself after a days march, the cavalry trooper had to make sure his mount was cared for
before he could even think about himself
thus the reason for the extra equipment . (6 Allen 1893
)
The record is not clear whether Merrill received his
equipment before or after he received his 7 day furlough. What is clear is the morning report for April
19th states “Corp. Beal absent with leave.” Then on April 25, 1863 the Morning reports
states: “Corp Beal returned from furlough.”
So where did Merrill go for seven days?
The most likely place would be home to Natick, Massachusetts. 7 (Beal, Company M daily Reports)
Follow Central from the left of the Town square. Mrs J. Beal then E. Beal are on the right and side.
In the 1860’s Natick, Massachusetts was transitioning from an
agricultural community to a manufacturing community. In the 1850s, the Beal family moved from Lyme,
New Hampshire to Natick Massachusetts. Natick was becoming a major supplier of
brogans; a cheap working man’s pair of shoes.
All of the brothers, except the youngest, William, listed their
occupation as shoemaker on the 1850 census.
By 1860, the Beals had settled into Natick and would remain there for
over 100 years.
Camp Meigs was approximately 16 miles from Natick by train
so the probability of Merrill going home to see his family is almost 99.999
percent; without a letter or newspaper article definitively stating he was home
for a visit that is as close to placing him there on furlough as can be
assumed.
Merrill’s homecoming
would have been bitter sweet. By April
of 1863 his older brother Eleazer C. Beal
was serving in the 22nd Massachusetts Voluntary Infantry Regiment
. His little brother William Beal was
serving with the 39th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, his
cousin Selah B. Alden was serving in
the 13th Massachusetts
Volunteer Infantry regiment and his niece Delia Beal Gilson’s husband Charles E. Gilson, had gone home to New York
to enlist in the 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry regiment. Eleazer
answered Lincoln’s call for
75,000 volunteers in the summer of ‘61. William, Selah, and Charles answered
Lincoln’s call for 300,000 volunteers in the summer of 1862. 8 (Beal, E; Beal,
W; Alden, A; Gilson, C CMSRs)
They left behind their wives and children. There were only four brothers left at home: Cyrus
H., James M., George W. and Jessie N. Beal all of them married. Jesse was still a newlywed having been
married in February of 1861. The reunion
was bitter sweet because after the war only four of these nine men would be
alive.
Did Merrill’s
brothers even know he was in the Army?
Was this going to be a surprise for them? What was Merrill feeling as he walked down
Central Ave in Natick to one of his brothers houses? A report from the Evening Boston Transcript
wrote, “Quite a number of our boys have received furloughs… I have already
witnessed scenes that would bring tears from stones.” Was this to be that type
of reunion? 9 (Rogers et al 2001)
The closest house would have been either George or Eleazer’s
as they lived right next to each other.
However, Merrill most likely went to George’s house first since Eleazer was in
the service. James’ and Jesse’s houses
were one block away on Forest Street. Calvin’s was even further away. It just makes sense that he would go to
George’s home first.
Merrill would have walked up the long drive way at the end
of which was a large barn/ carriage house.
To his left was the large 3 story mansard roof home. Walking up the three steps of the back
porch, his cavalry boots echoing with each step, he would have gone to the back
screen door and knocked. Only strangers
and peddlers went to the front door, relatives, friends and neighbors always
went to the kitchen door. *
Since it was a Sunday, who answered the door was it
Julia? Was she in the kitchen preparing
Sunday dinner? Was Merrill smiling? Did Julia drop the pot of whatever she might
have been holding when she saw her brother – in- law standing on her back porch in his gold braided cavalry
uniform? Or did George answer the
door? If he did, I wonder what his
reaction was? Did they hug? Did they
shake hands? Or was everybody at
Church. If so, did Merrill let himself in and help himself
to some decent food.
( these were the days when you didn’t have to lock doors in
a small town.) Was he sitting at the
kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee waiting for everyone to return from
church? The numerous ways his homecoming could have played out are
endless. However, since it was a Sunday,
a day of rest, the Beal families and the
Alden families were at home after church
services. So it is likely to have been
an impromptu celebration.
The conversation would have revolved around where Eleazar,
William, Charlie and Selah were stationed.
Questions about what it was like in San Francisco. What was it like crossing the continent in a
wagon train? What did those exotic places in Mexico and Central America look
like? The stories would have gone on
long into the night.
The next 7 days would have gone by in the blink of an
eye. Did he have time to play with his
nieces and nephews. Was he able to hold,
my great- great grandfather, 3 month old
Charlie Gilson (later changed to Beal see Charles Gilson’s story ) in his arms?
Questions that we will never have
answers to because the stories were never re-told to succeeding
generations. Stories which are not in
the official records. Stories we can
only imagine.
April 25 “Corp Beal ret. From Furlough” 10 (Company M Daily Reports)
Sources:
- Beal, Merrill C.
Compiled Military Service Record National Archives and Record
Administration
- Kautz , August . Customs of Service for Non-
Commissioned Officers and Soldiers. Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott &
Co. , 1864.
- Buhrer, George. "reunioncivilwar.com: The
Daily Journal of George N Buhrer." The Second Mass and Its Fighting
Californians. Michael Sorenson Collection . Web. 10 Nov 2012.
<http://www.2mass.reunioncivilwar.com/Artifacts/BuhrerDiaryColt.pdf>.
- Allen , Stanton . Down in Dixie Life in a Cavalry
Regiment in The War: From The Wilderness to Appomattox . Boston : D.
Lothrop Comapny , 1893. www.googlebooks.com (accessed December 3, 2012).
- Allen; p. 39-40
- Allen; p. 39-40
- Beal, M.
CMSR
- National Archives and Records Administration
Compiled Military Service Records
- Unknown. Evening Bulletin, San Francisco, Tuesday,
June 2, 1863 as told in Rogers , Larry and Rogers, Keith. Their Horses Climbed
Trees: A Chronicle of the California 100 and Battalion in the Civil War,
From San Francisco to Appomattox . Atglen : Schiffer Publishing Ltd.,
2001. 125. Print
- National Archives and Records Administration; Company
M 2nd Mass Cavalry Daily Report book; April 1863
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