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MEMOIR

OP

WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

FRANCIS WINTHROP PALFREY.

BOSTON:

HOUGHTON, OSGOOD AND COMPANY.

GT&e Etoerstfie Press, Cambrrtise.

1879.

Copyright, 1878
Bt HOCGHTON, OSGOOD AND COMPANY.

All Rights Reserved

RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE

STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED Bl

H. 0. HOUGHTON AJTD COMPANY

MEMOIE

OF

WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

"William Francis Bartlett was born at Ha-
verhill, Massachusetts, on the sixth day of June,
1840. He was the son of Charles L. Bartlett and
of his wife Harriott (Plummer) Bartlett. He
was the grandson of the Honorable Bailey Bart-
lett, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, and of his great-
grandfathers one was present at the siege of Lou-
isburg, and another was an officer in the Third
Massachusetts Regiment in the Revolutionary
War. At the beginning of the year 1861 he was
a member of the Junior Class in Harvard Col-
lege. He was not a close student, and perhaps a
little young for his years. He was rather fond
of billiards, suppers, college clubs, and the society
of young ladies, and very fond of skating, boat-
ing, novels, and the theatre. In person he was
tall, straight, and slender, with a certain air of re-
serve and dignity of carriage which corresponded

2 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

with his as yet undeveloped character. His
health was excellent, as it had been from his ear-
liest childhood. His political sympathies inclined
to the Southern side. On the 2d of January he
wrote a theme in which he maintained that the
demands of the South were just — that she de-
manded only her rights under the Constitution ;
and in his journal, under date of January 10, he
writes, " And then to think that all these troubles
have arisen from the interference of the North."
Three months later, when the question of going
to the Avar was presenting itself, he writes : " It
would be fighting rathar against my principles,
since I have stuck up for the South all along.
We shall see."

On the 4th of January he had his first drill,
under Sergeant T G. Stevenson, afterwards Gen-
eral Stevenson, the gallant soldier who was killed
at Spottsylvania, while commanding a Division
of the Ninth Corps. On the 17th of April, the
same day on which he wrote the sentence about
"fighting against his principles," he joined the
Fourth Battalion of Massachusetts Volunteer
Militia. On the 24th of the same month, he was
present at a meeting of the battalion, at which it
was voted to accept the proposal that it should
garrison one of the forts in Boston Harbor. Opin-
ions changed and decisions were formed rapidly
in those days.

On Thursday, the 25th of April, 1861, the

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 3

Fourth Battalion went to Fort Independence,
Boston Harbor, under the command of Stevenson,
already commissioned as captain, and in ten days
more promoted to the rank of major. Bartlett
went with it, and remained with it there, with the
exception of a two days' leave, till it returned to
Boston on the 25th of May He thought he did
not enjoy his life at the fort, while he was there,
but on his return he wrote : '• What have I gained
during the last month ? I have learnt more mil-
itary than I could have learned in a year in the
armory or from books. . I value the knowl-
edge acquired in the last month more highly than
all the Greek and Latin I have learned in the
last year. I look back on the past month

as one of the pleasantest and most useful that I
remember."' The martial fever was already seiz-
ing him. He returned to college when the Bat-
talion was dismissed, at the expiration of its tour
of garrison duty, but he gave much time thence-
forth to drills, parades, and other military matters.
On the 20th of June he writes : " It is reported
that an order has come for ten more regiments.
I hope it is so."

His stay at Fort Independence had done more
for him than he knew. The serious, faithful, and
intelligent manner in which he had striven to
learn and do a soldier's duty there, had attracted
the attention of a person who was able soon after
to give him the opportunity of entering the mili-

i MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

tary service of the United States with a very high
commission for so young a man. In June, 1861,
Colonel William Raymond Lee was authorized to
raise the Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts
Volunteer Infantry, and to nominate his field and
staff officers, and the line officers of two compa-
nies. He offered the place of lieutenant-colonel
to the writer of this memoir, and, as his age was
such that he had little acquaintance among the
young men of the period, he asked him to recom-
mend suitable persons for the captaincies and
lieutenancies at his disposal. Bartlett had been
under the writer's command much or all of the
time passed at the fort, and had made upon him
the favorable impression before alluded to. In
Bartlett's journal we find the following modest
entries in relation to what followed : —

" Friday, June 28. Palfrey came up to me on the
Common, and said he had received the Lieutenant-colo-
nel's commission of the Twentieth Regiment ; that he
had several commissions at his disposal, and asked me if
I wanted one. I replied in the affirmative. I take it as
a compliment, his coming and asking me, when there
are so many begging him for them."

" Monday, Judy 1. Palfrey came to me and said,
4 Charley Peirson has been offered the adjutant's office
for the Twentieth Regiment. If he does not accept it,
would you like it ? ' I was rather taken aback. I told
him I would accept it if he thought me capable of quali-
fying myself for it. He said he thought I was."

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 5

" Thursday, July 2. Received a note from Palfrey.
I have been appointed captain."

The news of his appointment must have spread
rapidly, for in his journal of the very next day,
he records the names of numerous applicants for
commissions under him. On the 5th of July, he
set out upon his first recruiting expedition. For
a few days after, he was busily occupied in re-
cruiting, and on the 16th of July, he slept for the
first time in the camp of the Twentieth Regiment
Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, at Readville.
He records in his journal that he slept on the
ground, as his men had no straw. He had recom-
mended as his first and second lieutenants George
N. Macy and Henry L. Abbott, and they had
been appointed and commissioned accordingly.
Recruiting was slow and difficult at this time, as
the regiments with lower numbers had exhausted
the first enthusiasm of the community, but his
company made steady gains in numbers, and its
material was exceptionally good.

The field and staff officers of the Twentieth
Regiment received commissions dated July 1,
and the commissions of the line officers were
dated July 10. It was, therefore, determined
that the regimental rank of the line officers
should be arranged in accordance with the esti-
mate formed of their soldierly capacity and effi-
ciency after a trial of five or six weeks, and the

6 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

Colonel ordered the Lieutenant-colonel, Major,
and Adjutant to confer together, and to report
the result to him. In pursuance of their action
under this order, Captain Bartlett was named
senior Captain, and he and his company there-
upon took the right of the line.

On the 4th of September, 1861, the regiment
left the State. It passed through New York,
Philadelphia, and Baltimore, to Washington,
where it made a short stay, and by Sunday, the
15th of September, it had marched some thirty-
six miles up the Potomac, and was established in
what proved to be its home for many months,
Camp Benton, between Poolesville and Edwards'
Ferry, the latter being a crossing of the Poto-
mac near the Virginia town of Leesburg.

The regiment had been hurried from the State,
in consequence of one of the scares which were
not uncommon at that time, when it was only
about two thirds full. It was well officered, in
the main, and was rapidly getting into extremely
good condition. It was brigaded with the Nine-
teenth Massachusetts, the Seventh Michigan, and
the Forty-second New York, commonly called
the Tammany Regiment. The force was under
the command of General Lander, and formed the
Third Brigade of what was then known as the
Corps of Observation, a Division of twelve regi-
ments of infantry, one of cavalry, and four bat-
teries, commanded by General Stone.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 7

In the five weeks of pleasant autumn weather
which followed the arrival of the regiment at
Poolesville, Captain Bartlett was occupied in
learning his duty as an officer in active service,
and in teaching his men, with the aid of his two
efficient lieutenants, to perform theirs. Besides
company and battalion drills, guard duty, and
the usual camp routine of a regiment in the field,
the regiment had its share of grand guard and
outpost duty, and Captain Bartlett was zealous,
intelligent, and faithful on whatever duty he was
sent. The following letters were written by hiin
during this period.

I have let one of my men copy this out of my journal,
which I wrote after we got here Sunday night. Part
of it was a letter to Ben. I am well and comfortable.

Camp Foster, September 15, 1861.
After three days' continual marching, we have ar-
rived at the • most magnificent spot I ever saw. To go
back : I last wrote home from Camp Burnside, near
Washington. We received orders on the 12th to move
immediately across the river. We had heard firing all
the day before, and every one was on the qui vive. We
had tents struck, baggage packed, and knapsacks slung,
and had reached the foot of the hill on which our camp
was pitched, when an aide-de-camp of General Lander
rode up at full speed, and asked for the Colonel. I
directed him, and in a moment the word came down the
line, " Column halt \ " The order for crossing the river
^ere bad been countermanded, and we were ordered to

8 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLE1T.

start for Poolesville, up the river towards Harper's
Ferry. We countermarched, and started up the main
road. It was very hot but not dusty. "We made about
nine miles over an uneven road, and at night bivouacked
under the starlit skies. The water was deep in the hol-
lows of our blankets in the morning, and the dew-drops
glistened on our noses and hair in the rising sun.

I caught no cold and never rose more refreshed. We
fell in for the march about half past nine. To-day it
was cooler on account of a fresh breeze from the west.
I led the column at a smart step until the Colonel rode
up and said that the men were complaining of having to
march too fast, and asked for an easier gait. We slack-
ened up. We marched on through a hilly country for
some miles, when we struck off the main road to the left
for Rockville. It now began to look more like my idea
of an army on the march, now fording a shallow stream
and now climbing a long, steep, and rocky hill. Being
at the head of the column, I could look back as we
reached the top, and see the bayonets glisten down the
narrow road until the rear was lost in a cloud of dust.

We stopped two miles outside of Rockville for dinner,
which consisted of hard bread and salt meat from our
haversacks. The men have an idea that we live better
than they do, wherever we are, but in many cases we
do not fare so well. After a short rest we fell in at the
beat of the drum, and struck Muddy Branch at sun-
down, passing through Rockville under the waving of
Union flags. In talking with natives here they are
strong Union, but this one and that one, their neighbors,
are secession.

We bivouacked at Muddy Branch, on a steep hillside,

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 9

where lying on the ground brought you to almost a per-
pendicular position. It was very wet before morning.
The sensation is a new and not altogether unpleasant
one, of opening your eyes and seeing the stars above
you. Saturday morning we received orders from Gen-
eral Lander to take extra precautions, as the rebel cav-
alry had crossed the river in great numbers, and were
intending to cut us off with our large baggage train and
ammunition.

An advanced guard of picked men of Company I
was sent forward under my command, with ten rounds
of ball cartridges, rifles loaded and capped. Caspar
Crowninshield, being second Captain, was given com-
mand of the rear guard, with an equal number of men.
The regiment had cartridges distributed, but were not
allowed to cap their pieces. We left Muddy Run at
ten, with a faint hope in my mind of meeting anything
like rebel cavalry, but the men were quite elated at
the idea of having a brush. "We had to halt several
times to make the streams fordable for the wagons, and
halted without adventure at Seneca Creek, six miles
from Poolesville, for the noonday rest and meal.

"We passed on our march within a mile of Gordon's
regiment, which is in camp near the road, and saw
Lientenan*. Morse of the same. During our halt, Cap-
tain Abbott, Little's1 brother, rode up, having heard of
our approach. Of course we were glad to see him.
All the fellows of their regiment are well and sent love.

1 Little, here and elsewhere, is Henry L. Abbott, the accom-
plished officer who was killed in the Wilderness in May, 1864,
as Major of his regiment. The story of his life is told in the
Harvard Memorial Biographies.

10 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Tom Robeson is at Washington on signal duty, tele-
graphing, etc. Ned Abbott rode on with us when we
marched, as far as Poolesville, where we halted. The
gradual rise to this place is imperceptible, until you see
before you in the distance what appear to be clouds in
the western horizon. They do not seem to change their
shape, and you recognize them soon as mountains, the
famous Blue Ridge of Virginia. But what is more sur-
prising, yon find yourself on a mountain, and looking
across a valley of some sixty or seventy miles, through
which the Potomac runs. Imagine yourself on the sum-
mit of Mount Washington, or higher if you please, and
then have the summit stretched out into a flat table-
land of fifty square miles, with nothing to obstruct the
horizon, and you have a slight idea of our position and
view. We were thousands ot feet above the level of
the sea, and still on every side it was perfectly level
until your eye stretched across the surrounding valley
and rested on the blue hills beyond. Towering above
the others was the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain, from
whose summit the signal fires tell the numbers and
movements of the foe.

The scenery was appreciated even by the tired men,
and exclamations of surprise would occasionally be heard
from the ranks. Our bivouac here at Poolesville has
surpassed all others. We are so high that very little
dew falls, our blankets being only damp in the morning,
and the air is so invigorating that a person is inclined to
be pleased with everything. Although this was our
third day on the march, and we had come farther than
on any other day, the men were in better spirits and
••eally not so tired as on the night of our first bivouac.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 11

The river is but four miles from here, and our pickets
there exchange shots daily with the rebels. To-day
one of ours was killed. Sometimes the pickets will
make friendly advances to each other across the river,
and leaving their arms will meet half way on the ford,
and chat in the most friendly manner. In one case
they exchanged a Boston Journal for a Mobile paper.
We have seen nothing of the Rebel cavalry, and before
stacking I ordered the guns to be uncapped.

September 15, Sunday, we had looked forward to as
a day of rest, literally, but at eleven we were ordered to
have dinner as early as possible, as we must start again
for a new camping ground two and a half miles nearer
the river. The sun was broiling. I picked up a tin
cup lying in the sun, without thinking, and dropped it
as though it was red. I believe if my hand had been
wet, it would have sizzled. We fell in at two, and pass-
ing the advanced regiment of Minnesota Volunteers, de-
scended from our table-land towards the river, and are
now in advance of everything in this direction. We
have the post of honor. In the first advance into Vir-
ginia, our regiment, having the right of the brigade,
leads ; Company I, having the right of our regiment,
also leads. The Minnesota regiment which is to sup-
port us is the same that behaved so well at Bull's Run,
and was the last to leave the field, and in good order.

The Colonel considers it a great compliment, placing
his regiment so well in advance. But we compare in
appearance and drill certainly with any that I have
seen since I left home. We reached our final camp
ground about four o'clock, have got our camp laid out,
9ur tents pitched, and guard mounted, and hope to stay

12 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

here a week or two to get up again on our drill, etc.,
which must have lost something from our late irregu-
larities. As soon as our brigade is full, we shall prob-
ably go on picket duty on the river, which they say is
quite pleasant, having just enough danger to make it
exciting. A whole company is detailed for a certain
number of days, perhaps a week, when it is relieved by
the next. I will write at the first opportunity, giving
you some of my adventures and experience on picket.

The Colonel was down at the river to-day with Gen-
eral Stone, and got one of our pickets to make advances
to his neighbor opposite, and draw him into conversa-
tion across the river. They kept in the back-ground,
and listened to the dialogue, which of course wasn't in
a whisper. The rebel said they had but two or three
hundred cavalry there, and ouly one or two batteries.
Of course their information goes for what it is worth.
But it seems rather laughable, the whole thing. It is
impossible for me to realize that we are so near the
enemy. I shall, perhaps, when I hear a bullet whistle
by my head.

I have written a good deal, considering we have been
on the march for the last four days, but I do not feel
tired in the least ; the men are somewhat used up, it
being their first march, but they have stood it very well,
especially my company. I haven't had one straggler.

I must stop, not for want of matter but for brevity of
candle. The air of the tent feels close and uncomfort-
able after living so long in the open air.

My next may be dated from the " Banks of the
Potomac."

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 13

Headquarters Twentieth Regiment Mass. Volunteers,
Camp Benton, Edwards' Ferry, Md.

September 24, 18R1.
Dear Mother: —

September 25, 9 A. m. I had just sat down to write a
long letter last eve. (my first opportunity for a week),
when an orderly from General Lander brought me writ-
ten orders to take command of a detachment for service
down at the river. So I had to stop just where I was.
I was disappointed, because I had made up my mind to
seize this my first spare eve., and do nothing else but
write.

I received five letters to-day from home, dated the
21st, 20th, 18th, 17th, and 16th, respectively. They
have been lying in Washington. Also a Boston paper,
17th. There are so many questions in each one, that it
would be useless to try and answer them separately, so
I will continue my story from where I left off.

I was in command of a battalion of three companies
and a section of the Third R. I. Battery, in an advance
position on the banks of the Potomac. I also had with
me a detachment of thirty sharpshooters under Captain
Saunders. I was recalled with my command Saturday
night, and marched home in a drenching rain six miles.
The last night I was there I suspected an attack. I
doubled the guards, set an extra picket of sharpshooters
on the shore of the river, and made every man in the
command sleep on his gun with all his equipments on.
I was up all night, round the camp and down at the river.
We could see the lights of the pickets just across the
river. About midnight, one of the boats on this side
got loose and floated off. I had to strip and swim after

14 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

it. It was a cold bath at that time of night. I did not
take any cold. I am beyond that now. We saw nothing
of the enemy. I lay down under a tree about 4 a. m.
and slept an hour or two.

They are erecting a battery on the other side of the
river here, a fortified camp. Sunday I had a little time
tc sleep, having been without it for so long.

Sunday night I was going to have a good sleep, when
at half-past six orders came to march for the river, infor-
mation having been received that the rebels had crossed
in force a little way up. I was put in command of a
battalion of three companies, and ordered to march to
the ferry, and thence up the tow path of the canal about
four miles. I marched them at single file, open order.
I marched ahead with a few sharpshooters. We bi-
vouacked on the path, where we halted. It was very
wet before morning. We returned to camp by day-
light, without having a skirmish. That night, Mon-
day, I got some sleep. As I said before, I expected
to write all last night, Tuesday. But at seven, or-
ders came to fall in. I received command of half
the regiment, all that was sent, five companies. I
took Lieutenant Abbott as aide-de-camp. We marched
quick time to the ferry. Then I sent Captain Trem-
lett up the tow path four miles with two companies,
and retaiued three with me. I formed my detachment
into a hollow square, stacked the guns, posted a guard,
and let the men lie down where they were. I slept on
the floor of a deserted double-roomed house which I
made headquarters. I went to sleep, having a sentinel
posted near me to wake me on the least alarm. I slept
by intervals till four a. m., when I got the captains to get

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 15

their companies under arms. I left before sunrise, and
got back to camp at reveille. Reported at headquarters,
and then lay down for a nap. I then thought that I
ought to write, and have put off sleeping until night,
when ten to one I may be sent off again on some mid-
night expedition. Yesterday I acted colonel, and re-
ceived the dress parade. This is the first time I have
ever had it. It would have looked queer at Readville
to see me taking dress parade and have all the officers
march up and salute me ; but it comes more natural after
having these captains under my command so many times.
We shall have a mail carrier soon, so that we may get.
our letters more punctually. I am afraid my trunk is
going to weigh too much according to the new orders.
If it does, I shall have to send it home and get another
one, a kind of camp trunk, price $8.00 ; then you can
send me anything you wish, if it doesn't take up room,
or is anything to eat. We live on hard bread and salt
meat, and coffee or tea. But I don't care for anything
else. I suppose I could buy pies and such things if I
wanted. I drill the men now almost altogether as skir-
mishers.

On Monday, the 21st day of October, 1861, he
was engaged in the battle of Ball's Bluff, at
which his company and five other companies of
the regiment, all under the command of Colonel
Lee, were present. It is not proposed to give in
this memoir detailed descriptions of the battles in
which the subject of it took part, but his own
report of his proceedings, and a letter to his
mother, written a few days after, are inserted here.

16 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Camp Benton, October 23, 1861.
To Gen. Stone, Commanding Corps of Observation : —

General, — I have to report that one hundred men
of the Twentieth Regiment crossed from Swan's (or
Harrison's) island on Monday morning, October 21st, to
support the detachment of the Fifteenth and cover its
retreat. We climbed the steep bank, one hundred and
fifty feet high, with difficulty, and took post on the right
of the open space above, sending out scouts in all direc-
tions. The detachment of the Twentieth consisted of
two companies, I and D, in all one hundred and two
men, under command of Colonel Lee.

A little after daylight, First Sergeant Eiddle of Co. I
was brought in, shot through the arm by some pickets
of the enemy on the right.

At 8 A. m., a splendid volley was heard from the di-
rection of the Fifteenth (who had advanced half a mile
up the road leading from the river), and soon wounded
men were brought in towards the river. "We were then
deployed by Colonel Lee as skirmishers, on each side of
the road mentioned, leaving an opening for the Fifteenth
to pass through in retreat. They fell back in good
order at about 10 A. M. At 11, the other companies of
the Fifteenth arrived from the island, and Colonel Dev-
ens with his command moved inland again. At this
time the remaining men of the Twentieth, under Major
Revere, joined us. Major Revere had during the morn-
ing brought round from the other side of the island a
small scow, the only means of transportation, excepting
the whale boat holding sixteen and the two skiffs hold-
ing four and five respectively, with which we crossed in
the morning. A.t 2 o'clock, the detachment of Baker's

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 17

Brigade and the Tammany Regiment had arrived, and
Colonel Baker, who disposed the troops under his com-
mand. The three hundred and eighteen men. of the
Twentieth were in the open space, the right up the
river ; the Fifteenth were in the edge of the woods on
the right a part of the California (Baker's) Regiment
on the left, touching at right angles our right.

One company of the Twentieth under Captain Put-
nam was deployed as skirmishers on the right in the
woods, one under Captain Crowninshield on the left.
Captain Putnam lost an arm in the beginning of the en-
gagement, and was carried to the rear. His company
kept their ground well under Lieutenant Hallowell. The
Fifteenth had before this, after the arrival of General
Baker, fallen back the second time, in good order, and
had been placed by General Baker as above mentioned.
The enemy now opened on us from the woods in front
with a heavy fire of musketry, which was very effective.
They fired low, the balls all going within from one to
four feet of the ground.

Three companies of the Twentieth were kept in re-
serve, but on the open ground, exposed to a destructive
fire. It was a continual fire now, with occasional pauses
of one or two minutes, until the last. The rifled cannon
was on the left, in the open ground, in front of a part of
Baker's regiment, exposed to a hot fire. It was not dis-
charged more than eight times. The gunners were shot
f.own in the first of the engagement, and I saw Colonel
Lee carry a charge to the gun with his own hand. The
last time that it was fired, the recoil carried it down the
rise to the edge of the bank. The men of the Twentieth
Regiment behaved admirably, and all that were left of
2

18 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BART LETT.

them were on the field, after the battle was declared lost
by General Baker. They acted, at least all under my
command, with great coolness and bravery, and obeyed
every command implicitly, and even after the intimation
had been given that we must surrender in order to save
the men that had been left, they cheerfully rallied and
delivered a well directed fire upon two companies which
we met, which had just advanced out of the woods.

We were slowly driven back by their fire in return,
and covered ourselves with the slight rise mentioned
above. We tried to induce the Colonel to attempt an
escape, and got him down the bank unhurt. I turned
to collect the remnant of my company, and when I re-
turned to the bank, they told me that the Colonel (Lee),
Major, and Adjutant had got into a small boat, and were
hy this time safely across. Feeling at ease then about
them, I collected all that I found of the Twentieth, and
gave permission to all those who could swim and wished
to, to take to the water, and sent over reports and mes-
sages by them. I then ordered those of the regiment
who could not swim to follow up the river, in order to
get them out of the murderous volleys which the enemy
were pouring down upon us from the top of the bank.
About twenty of the Twentieth Regiment, twenty of the
Fifteenth, and forty of the Tammany and California regi-
ments, followed us.

We went up as far as the large mill, where I found,
by means of a negro there, a small sunken skiff in the
mill-way, and induced him to get it out of water and
down to the river. It was capable of holding five men,
and I began to send them over, expecting every minute
to be discovered by the enemy. In an hour they were

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 19

all over, and I crossed with Lieutenant Abbott of my com-
pany, and Captain Tremlett of Company A, Twentieth.
I reported with the men at the hospital on the island.
They got across to this side during the night. They
were obliged to stop at the ferry and sleep out, many of
them without overcoats or blankets, till morning. Out
of twenty-two officers that were with us in the engage-
ment, thirteen are killed, wounded, or missing; of three
hundred and eighteen men, one hundred and forty-six
are killed, wounded, or missing. The Colonel (Lee), I
learned at the island, had not crossed, but I have since
learned that he and his companions went farther up the
river, found the boat which I afterwards used, thought it
impracticable, and went on. They were (by the report
of one or two men who have since come in) taken pris-
oners. Colonel Lee, Major Revere, Adjutant Peirson,
Dr. Revere, and Lieutenant Perry are supposed to have
been together. I supposed it was my duty to make this
report of that part of the regiment engaged, as senior
officer of those saved.

Camp Benton,
Saturday Night, October 25, 1861.

My dear Mother, — . . ■ I have not had time
or heart to write you, who had such good news to hear,
when I thought of those who could not get anything but
bad tidings. I have been very busy during the whole
week (which seems like one long day, or rather night),
being in command of the regiment nearly all the time.
To my great joy Lieutenant-colonel Palfrey returned in
safety with his men Wednesday night, when all the
forces were withdrawn from the Virginia shore by order
of McClellan, who was here.

20 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRASCIS BARTLETT.

General Lander was brought here wounded in the leg
that day, and when I went up to headquarters, I heard
that McClellan had just been up to see him. It was
cheering news for me, for I knew that we had bv this
time got four thousand men across, below our battle
ground, at Edwards' Ferry, and I was in hopes some
General would come who could take command. .
In your letter of Sunday, which I got Wednesday, you
hoped I should have a day of rest ; you little thought
that I should be the other side of the Potomac at
two the next morning. I had neither food nor sleep
from Saturday night until I got back to camp Tuesday
morning. We crossed the river, Caspar and I, under
command of Colonel Lee, in all one hundred men, in a
whale boat that would carry sixteen, and two small
boats holding five and four respectively. I went over
first, and found a steep bank one hundred and fifty feet
high, with thick wood on it. There was not room
enough to form ten men, and the banks were so slippery
that you could not stand. I formed the men in single
file up the path, waiting for the Colonel and the rest of
the men.

After they were all over, we wound our way up this
precipice and formed on the open space above. The
detachment of the Fifteenth, three hundred men, now
moved up the road leading from the top of the bank
inland. We were to remain there to support them, and
cover their retreat. We gave the men distinctly to un-
derstand that they must stand fast if the Fifteenth came
running down the road, wait till they had passed, and
then cover their retreat. It looked rather dubious.
The Fifteenth might get across, but we must check the

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 21

advance of the enemy and get cut to pieces. "We sent
oat scouts in all directions ; three men under a sergeant
composed each party.

My Firs* Sergeant Riddle went out on our right. At
this time we did not know how many of the enemy there
might be within gunshot of us. It was now about sun-
rise, when we heard three or four shots in rapid succes-
sion on our right. In a few minutes my First Sergeant
(Riddle) was brought in, shot through the elbow. He
was fainting from loss of blood. We tied a handker-
chief around his arm and sent him down to the river.
(I might as well finish with him here. It was a sad
opening for me, he was the best sergeant in the regi-
ment, a favorite of both the Colonel and General
Lander, and perfectly invaluable to me. He is now at
the hospital, and I am in hopes of saving his arm ; the
bone is shattered ; he has great pain but good spirits.)
It was nearly nine when we heard a splendid volley in the
direction of the Fifteenth. We knew we were in for it
then. Soon wounded men were brought down the road
mentioned. How large a force they had met we did not
know, but we learned from the wounded that the volley
was from the enemy. We expected now to see the
Fifteenth falling back on us. The firing ceased and we
were in suspense, thinking that they might have been
surrounded, and waiting to see the enemy come down
that road and sweep our hundred men into the river.
We were then deployed as skirmishers across the road,
Company I on the right, Caspar on the left, an opening
at the road to let the Fifteenth pass through to the river,
*nd then check their pursuers until they could get across.
» never expected to see Camp Benton again, then, and I

22 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

remember being sorry that my bundle had not yet come
from home before I left camp, and that there would be
no one there to open it when it came. I wondered
what yon were thiuking of at the time, and was glad that
you little dreamed of onr critical position.

At ten a. m. Colonel Devens with his men came down
the road in good order. He reported that there were
three to four regiments of the enemy, besides cavalry.
Our case was looking rather unpleasant* to say the least
"We were not attacked, the enemy fearing that we might
have a larger force. They seem to refuse a fight unless
you give them odds. At eleven, the remainder of the
Fifteenth came over, and they went back up the road
again, six hundred in all. The rest of our regiment
which crossed over on to the island with us the night be-
fore. — the island, Harrisou's. is midway between the two
shores, low and flat, — now came over to us. making with
Caspar's company and mine three hundred and eighteen.
The California Regiment, of Philadelphia, now began to
get over, and the prospect for a more even fight looked
better. But you can imagine what a long morning it
was. waiting either for reinforcements or the order to
withdraw, with nothing to eat since dinner the day be-
fore. My company being deployed as skirmishers, I had
given the order •■ Lie down,"* and I myself reclined on
my elbow and dozed for half an hour. I woke up and
found that nearly all my skirmishers lying down had
taken the opportunity to go to sleep, poor fellows. I
couldn't bear to wake them until the first volley of mus-
ketry was heard from the woods near us. It shows
that the boys were either indifferent to danger, or were
worn out with fatigue, to go to sleep on the field, where
balls were occasionally dropping in.

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MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 23

General Baker arrived with his regiment (California
it is called, composed of Philadelphia men). He dis-
posed the troops under his command as follows : —

The Twentieth, three hundred and eighteen men, in
the open space, their right up the river. The Fifteenth,
six hundred, in the edge of the woods on the right.
The California Regiment, part of it, on their left, touch-
ing at right angles our right.

A part of the Tammany Regiment was placed in front
of us by Baker, but I am sorry to say that after the first
volley there was nobody in front of us but the enemy ;
they broke and fell in behind us.

The following plan will show you our position after
one or two volleys had been fired on us. [See Plan.]

"Well the first volley came and the balls flew like hail.
You can see from our position on the plan that we were
exposed to their full fire. The whizzing of balls was a
new sensation. I had read so much about being under
fire and flying bullets that I was curious to experience
it. I had a fair chance. An old German soldier told
me that he had been in a good many battles, but that he
never saw such a concentrated fire before. They fired
beautifully, too, their balls all coming low, within from
one to four feet of the ground. The men now began to
drop around me; most of them were lying down in the first
of it, being ordered to keep in reserve. Those that were
lying down, if they lifted their foot or head it was
struck. One poor fellow near me was struck in the hip
while lying flat, and rose to go to the rear, when an-
other struck him on the head, and knocked him over. I
felt that if I was going to be hit, I should be, whether I
stood up or lay down, so I stood up and walked around

24 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

among the men, stepping over them and talking to them
in a joking way, to take away their thoughts from the
bullets, and keep them more self possessed. I was sur-
prised at first at my own coolness. I never felt better,
although I expected of course that I should feel the
lead every second, and I was wondering where it would
take me. I kept speaking to Little, surprised that he
was not hit amongst this rain of bullets. I said two or
three times " Why Lit., are n't you hit yet ? " I remember
Macy was lying where the grass was turned up, and I
4i roughed " him for getting his coat so awfully dirty.
Lit. was as cool and brave as I knew he would be. The
different companies began to wilt away under this ter-
rible fire. Still there was no terror among the men ;
they placed implicit confidence in their officers (I refer
to our regiment particularly), and you could see that
now was the time they respected and looked up to them.
We were driven back inch by inch, towards the top of
the bank. The rifled cannon was not fired more than
eight times ; the last time, the recoil carried it over the
bank, and it went crushing through the trees, wounding
many. General Baker was standing near me about four
o'clock ; he seemed indifferent to bullets. He said it was
of no use, it was all over with us. A few minutes after,
he fell, struck by eight balls all at once ; so you can judge
by this how thick they flew. No one took command
after he fell ; in fact the battle was lost some time before.
At this time I came on Captain Dreher ; he was shot
through the head in the upper part of his cheek. I took
hold of him, turned his face towards me, thought that he
tould not live but a few minutes, and pushed ahead.
When we fell back again, he had been taken to the

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 2o

rear, and was got across. He is now in a fair way to
recovery, the ball not striking any vital part. Lieuten-
ants Lowell and Putnam and Captain Schmitt were
now (Iowd, but were carried to the bank and taken
across.

Captain John Putnam, I forgot to say, was brought
down by where we were from the right, where he was
skirmishing, in the very first of the fight. I remember
how I envied him at getting off with the loss of an arm,
and I wished then that I could change places with him.
For I knew then, that we should either be killed or
taken prisoners. The field now began to look like my
preconceived idea of a battle field. The ground was
smoking and covered with blood, while the noise was
perfectly deafening. Men were lying under foot, and
here and there a horse struggling in death. Coats and
gun* strewn over the ground in all directions. I went
to the Colonel and he was sitting behind a tree, perfectly
composed. He told me there was nothing to be done
but '• surrender and save the men from being mur-
dered." Most of the men had now got down the bank.
I thought it over in my mind, and reasoned that we
might as well be shot advancing on the enemy, as to be
slaughtered like sheep at the foot of the bank.

I called for Company 1 for one last rally. Every man
that was left sprang forward, and also about six men
(all who were left) of Captain Dreher's company, and ten
men of Company H under Lieutenant Hallowell, all of
whom followed me up the rise. As we reached the top,
I found Little by my side. We came upon two fresh
companies of the enemy which had just come out of the
woods ; they had their flag with them. Both sides were

26 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT

so surprised at seeing each other — tbey at seeing ns
coming up with this handful of men, we at seeing these
two new companies drawn up in perfect order, — that each
side forgot to fire. And we stood looking at each other
(not a gun being fired) for some twenty seconds, and then
they let fly their volley at the same time we did.

If bullets had rained before, they came in sheets now.
It is surprising that any one could escape being hit We
were driven back again. I had to order sharply one or
two of my brave fellows before they would go back.
Everything was lost now.

One of the Philadelphia papers says, "After every-
thing was given up as lost, a captain of the Fifteenth
Regiment rallied the remnants of two companies, and
charged gallantly up the rise, but was driven back by
overpowering numbers, after delivering a well directed
volley." So far so good. Then it says. '• but seeing
the hopelessness of the case, he tied a white handkerchief
on his sword and surrendered himself and the remnant
of his regiment."

The officer in question did not get quite so far as the
last part of the story, nor did he belong to the Fif-
teenth Massachusetts, . . .

"When we got back to the bank, we induced the Colo-
nel to go down and try to escape. The Adjutant took his
left arm and I his right, and we got him down the bank
unhurt. Here was a horrible scene. Men crowded
together, the wounded and the dying. The water was
full of human beings, struggling with each other and
the water, the surface of which looked like a pond
when it rains, from the withering volleys that the en-
emy were pouring down from the top of the bank.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 27

Those who were not drowned ran the chance of being
shot. I turned back and left the Colonel, to collect
the remnant of my company, and when I returned he
was gone. I asked for him, and they told me that he,
the Major, and Adjutant had got into a small boat and
gone across safely. I looked, and saw a small boat
landing on the other side, and took it for granted they
were safe. I then, being in command, collected what I
could of the regiment, and told those who could swim,
and wished to, to take the water, it was the only means
of escape. Nearly all my company could swim, and I
made them stop and take off their clothes. We sent
over reports and messages by them. Little and I
thought it our duty to stay by those men who could not
swim. I allowed Macy to go, hoping that one of us
might get home to tell the story. Little sent his watch
over by Kelly, the bravest boy in our company, and
I told him to go to Boston, and go to you and tell you
that your son was probably a prisoner. What should
you have said to the news ? Little did you think or
know what was taking place on that Monday after-
noon, when

Volleys on right of us,

Volleys on left of us,

Volleys in front of ns,

Battled and thundered.

I now determined to get the men out of this foe, and
burrender without any more loss. I started up the
river, followed by about twenty men of the Twentieth
Regiment, twenty of the Fifteenth, and forty of the
Tammany and California regiments. Captain Trem-
lett, Company A, Twentieth, Lieutenant Whittier, ditto,

28 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

and Little Abbott went with me. An officer of the Fif-
teenth also was with the party. AVe followed up the
edjre of the river, and came to an old mill which we
knew was up in this direction. It was owned and run
by a man named Smart, who lived in Leesburg, so the
negro told me, whom I questioned as to who was there.
We expected to stumble on a party of the rebels every
step. I asked him where his boat was. He wondered
how I knew that they had one, and said it was up in
the mill -way.

I went up there and found a skiff under water, twenty
rods away from the edge of the river. It was capable
of holding five persons. Those with me declared it use-
less and impracticable, and proposed going into the mill,
get a good night's rest, and give ourselves up in the
morning. I thought, though, that if I only got one
load of five over, it would be worth trying ; so we got
it down to the river and began the transportation, ex-
pecting every minute to be discovered and fired at by
the rebels. When the boat was put into the water, the
whole crowd made a rush for it. I had to use a little
persuasion by stepping in front of it, drew my pistol
(for the first time this afternoon), and swore to God
that I would shoot the first man who moved without my
order. It was the only thing that saved them. They
were obedient and submissive, and avoided being shot
by me or taken prisoners by the enemy. I selected
five men of my own company and sent them across
first, with a man to bring back the boat. So, by de-
grees, I got those of the Twentieth, next those of the
Fifteenth (whose officer, by the way, sneaked off, got
across on a raft, and left his men on my hands), and

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 29

lastly those of the Tammany and California regiments.
I sent Lieutenant Whittier over in the second load, to
look out for the men as they came over. It was a tedi-
ous job. At last I went over with Tremlett and Little,
and was once more back on the island. We thus saved
eighty men and three officers from being taken prison-
ers. I learned afterwards that the Colonel, Major, and
Adjutant were ahead of me up the river, had been to
the mill, found tbe boat, thought it impracticable, and
went on. They were afterwards taken prisoners. Lieu-
tenant Perry and Dr. Revere were with them. We
went down to the hospital opposite our battle-field,
where we found the wounded being cared for. They
had heard, and believed, that I was shot, and the wel-
come that the men gave me brought the first tears to
my eyes.

I got to the Maryland side with all that I could find
of my company (five men) about twelve, midnight. Then
we had still that long walk down the tow-path and up
to our camp from the river, where we arrived at three
a. m. I got to bed pretty well tired out at half past
three. When I awoke there were several waiting at
my tent door for me to awake, to welcome me and con-
gratulate me on my safe return.

On waking, I sent telegraphs to Jane by mail to send
to Boston ; did you get them ?

By the time I was up, Colonel Palfrey had started off
with the only remaining company of the regiment (Com-
pany K) to cross the river at Edwards' Ferry. He
got back safe, as I told you, and relieved me from the
command of the regiment.

The first night that I was here in command, I thought

80 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.

it best to have a dress parade as usual, both to let the
men see that everything was not broken up, and to cheer
them with the music. It had a very good effect. I pub-
lished to them that night the following order : —

Headquarters Twentieth Regt. Mass. Vols.,
Camp Benton, October 23.

General Order No. —

It is the pleasant duty of the commanding officer to
congratulate the men of the Twentieth Regiment on
their admirable conduct in the late battle. Your cour-
age and bravery under a galling fire for hours was only
equaled by your coolness and steadiness throughout.

He laments, with you, the loss of so many brave offi-
cers and men ; but hopes, with you, that the time may
soon come when we may avenge that loss.

You have established your reputation for bravery,
and gained honor, though you lost the victory.

By order Commanding Officer.

The men were quite affected, and the next time the
Twentieth is engaged she will leave a mark that will
not be lost sight of in history.

Out of twenty-two officers that were engaged, only
aine returned safe. Of three hundred and eighteen
men, one hundred and forty-six were killed, wounded, or
missing ; a loss which, in proportion to the number en-
gaged, you seldom see. I send you a list of officers
killed, wounded, and missing, and also of Company I,
as they may send to you to learn.

Col. W Raymond Lee, missing, prisoner (unhurt).

Major P. J. Revere, missing, prisoner (unhurt).

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 31

Dr. E. H. R. Revere, missing, prisoner (unhurt).

Adj. C. L. Peirson, missing, prisoner.

Lieut. G. B. Perry, missing, prisoner.

Lieut. Wesselhoeft, missing, probably drowned.

Capt. Babo, missing, probably drowned.

Lieut. "YV L. Putnam, wounded, since died.

Capt. G. A. Schmitt, wounded badly, doing well.

Lieut. Lowell, wounded slightly (flesh), doing well.

Capt. Dreher, wounded in the head, doing well.

Capt. Putnam (John), wounded (lost right arm), do-
ing well.

Lieut. Holmes (0. TV.), wounded (breast), doing
well.

A sad report, but it might have been worse.

Of Company I, forty-eight men were engaged, twenty
(nearly half) were killed, wounded, or missing, as fol-
lows : —

Those that are missing were either shot or drowned
in the river.

First Sergt. Riddle (W R.), wounded, right arm shat-
tered.

Corp. Thomas Hollis, wounded (finger shot off), doing
well.

Private A. M. Barber, wounded (right arm), doing
well.

A. Davis, killed, shot through heart.

Thomas Dolan, wounded, finger shot off.

Lewis Dunn, missing, probably shot.

W. F. Hill, missing, probably shot.

Albert Kelly, missing, probably stot.

M. V Kempton, missing, probably a prisoner.

Sam. Lowell, missing, probably a prisoner.

32 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.

Tete McKeuDa (my pet and pride), missing, took the
water, probably shot.

G. C. Pratt, wounded badly (will recover).

Julius Strick, wounded (right arm).

James Seddon, wounded (heel), doing well.

Albert Stackpole, wounded, since died.

George G. Worth, missing, probably shot swimming.

Summerhays, wounded slightly in the hand.

0. Gammons, wounded, finger shot off.

E. V Skinner, missing, perhaps a prisoner.

1. Barker, missing, perhaps a prisoner.

Killed and wounded, 1 1 ; missing, 9 ; total loss, 20.

"Worth and McKenna were two noble fellows. I was
saying to Little a day or two before, how sorry I should
be to have any of these men killed, in whom we took
such an interest ! I send you a little piece of a knot of
crape which went through the fight on Monday last.
It was tied on to my sword hilt the day before. Cas-
par had a piece on his hilt, but said that he saw it
when we were marching up the tow-path, and tore it off
instantly. He and I were the only captains that had
crape on our swords, and were the only two that were
not hit. Captain Putnam is getting along finely. Cap-
tain Schmitt will recover. He has a great deal of pain,
but bears it splendidly.

Well, mother, I have written a pretty long letter,
but I guess you will be interested enough to read it
through. I have written of course what I should not
have done to any one else, and you must not show it.
My official report to General Stone was in substance
Hke this, except, of course, the parts relating to my-
self, which it did not become me to speak of to any one

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAKCIS BART LETT. 33

else but you at home. I have now been through my
first battle, and it was a fierce one. If we should have
a campaign of ten years, we could never get in such a
place where we should lose so many men or be under
such severe fire. General Stone told Colonel Palfrey
last night that the rebels' official report made them lose
three hundred men killed and wounded, and that they
had five thousand troops engaged to our sixteen hun-
dred. W.

In the night following the battle, the Lieuten-
ant-colonel of the Twentieth, with all of the bri-
gade left in camp, except a slender camp guard,
was ordered across the river at a point some
four miles below the battle-field, and he did not
return till the following Thursday morning. His
absence, and the capture of Coionei Lee and
Major Revere, left Bartlett the senior officer of
the regiment present for duty. His action dur-
ing these two days was wise and thoughtful. He
had a dress parade the next night after he got
back from the battle, " both to give the men the
idea that everything was not broken up, and also
to cheer them with the music of the band."

In his journal he wrote, a few days after, in
reference to some articles in the Boston and New
York papers : " They compliment me too highly,
who did nothing more than my duty. My cool-
ness was in me. I ought not to have, the credit
of it, but be grateful to God, who in his mercy

34 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

has spared me, for granting me the courage and
self-possession. "

The battle of Ball's Bluff cost the Twentieth
Regiment its colonel, major, adjutant, assistant
surgeon, and one first lieutenant taken prisoner,
a captain and two lieutenants killed, and three
captains and two lieutenants severely wounded, in
addition to about one hundred and fifty non-com-
missioned officers and privates killed, wounded,
and missing. Captain Bartlett became, by reason
of these casualties, the second officer of the regi-
ment present for duty, and he so continued during
the whole of the following six months, the period
of his stay with the regiment in the field. For
four months the regiment remained in its old
camp, and then it moved to Poolesville, where it
passed a few days. It then formed part of the
column which marched up to Harper's Ferry, in
support of General Banks, and moved out through
Charlestown to Berryville. It returned to Har-
per's Ferry, and was cantoned for a week at Boli-
var Heights, took rail for Washington, and thence
was transported by water to Fortress Monroe.
There the Corps of Observation, already for some
time under the command of General Sedgwick,
became the Second Division of the Second Army
Corps, under General Sumner. The brigade was
now commanded by General Dana. The regi-
ment moved up the Peninsula with the rest of the
army of McClellan, and took part in the so-called
3iege of Yorktown.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 85

During all this period, Captain Bartlett proved
himself fully equal to the onerous duties and
responsibilities to which the fortune of war had
called him. It is impossible to estimate too
highly the value of the assistance he gave to
his commanding officer, and of his services to
the command. While his class-mates were still
undergraduates, he rapidly made himself a most
efficient and accomplished second officer of a regi-
ment in the field. In those early days of the
war, none of us knew our duties too well, and
imperfect knowledge made the task of those who
strove to be faithful very laborious. The princi-
ple of the subdivision of labor, which applies in
the fullest force to a thoroughly organized regi-
ment, was very partially understood, and very
partially put in force. Every conscientious regi-
mental commander had his hands full, and the
calamity at Ball's Bluff brought an immense
amount of miscellaneous work upon the com-
mander of the Twentieth. The mail came day
afte' day, laden with letters for him, from the
friends of the killed, the wounded, the missing,
and of those who were safe, but had neglected to
report their safety to their homes. The daily
routine of the regiment had to be gone through
with, the numerous visitors to camp had to be
courteously received, the immense mass of corre-
spondence had to be disposed of, and late at night
came his final rounds in the hospitals in which

36 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXC1S BARTLETT.

the wounded lay. With even a respectable offi-
cer in the second place, something of what waa
done and ought to have been done must have
been more or less neglected, but, fortunately for
us all, Bartlett was more than a respectable offi-
cer. Always alert, always zealous, he kept cheer-
fully and successfully at work. He took a great
interest in tactics, and rapidly made himself a
proficient in the school of the battalion, and
drilled the regiment constantly and well. His
height, fine carriage, good horsemanship, and
powerful voice, caused him to appear in such
positions to the greatest advantage. It was char-
acteristic of him, that at this time he learned to
play the bugle sufficiently well to sound the in-
fantry calls. In some way or other he acquired
such a knowledge of the evolutions of the line
that one day, when he was unexpectedly called
upon to take the regiment out for brigade drill,
under a colonel accidentally in command of the
brigade, and who was believed to have been pri-
vately studying, in order to surprise and catch the
Twentieth, he manoeuvred his battalion smoothly
and without hesitation, while some of his neigh-
bors bungled.

About the first of December, 1861, at the invi-
tation of his commanding officer, he joined tents
with him, and their personal friendship, strength-
ened by this close relation, knew no change while
he lived, except to grow closer as time went on.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 37

The following letters describe some of his expe-
riences in the early part of the Peninsular Cam-
paign, of which he was only permitted to see the
commencement. His care of his men on the
evening following their first reconnoissance was
gratefully remembered and mentioned by them
when we turned in our colors on the 2 2d of
December, 1865.

Camp before Yokktown, April 10, 1862.

Dear Mother: — I have been through some danger
safely since I wrote you Sunday. Monday morning our
regiment, with the Nineteenth Massachusetts, went out
on a reconnoissance towards Yorktown. We marched
three or four miles through the woods and mud, when
we came to a rebel entrenchment on the opposite side of
a swamp, which they had made by damming a stream.

The engineer who went with the General reconnoitered
it, covered by our skirmishers. We exchanged perhaps
a hundred shots with them, without doing any damage to
any one, and, the engineer having accomplished his ob-
ject, we left, and kept to the left ; about two miles. We
came to another battery on the same stream. Here they
opened on us with shell from a thirty-two-pounder
Three men of the Nineteenth were wounded. One died
that night. We got under the cover of some woods and
covered the engineer while he reconnoitered. It looked
pretty squally when they opened on us with shell, as we
had no artillery with us. We withdrew about dark,
having effected the object of the reconnoissance. Wa
had lo march home in the dark, through the woods, in
viud up to our knees. It had rained hard all day.

38 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

I had the fortune to wear my rubber coat, so that
I was n't much wet above my waist. I walked, ind wore
my shoes. We were pretty tired when we got back.
The Colonel and I had a tent to sleep in, but the men
had nothing to do but lie down in the mud and let it
rain. Most of them stood up round the fires all night to
keep warm. I managed to get two dozen bottles of whis-
key from the sutler, which he had brought for officers,
and distributed it so that each man got a small drink of
hot whiskey and water. I stayed out till eleven o'clock
in the rain doing it. I then came in, took off my stock-
ings and pants, which were wet through, rubbed my feet
dry, and lay down and slept soundly enough. 1 woke
all right in the morning. It was still raining, and is to-
day, the third day. I hope it will stop soon. This has
delayed the advance very much, as it is impossible to
move artillery.

John Putnam is going back to Fort Monroe ; he
can't stand this, it is too rough for him. Riddle, the
same.

Two or three of the officers are sick, but I am as well
as ever. Arthur is a little unwell to-day, but you
need n't tell his mother, because he will be all right to-
morrow, and she would be only worried. General Sum-
ner arrived to-day with the rest of his corps. I have n't
Been General McClellan since he passed on the road.
He is here. Colonel Lee is at the fort. He will n>t
join us at present, he thinks.

Love to all. "W".

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 39

Sunday Eve.
Camp before Yorktown, April 20, 1862.

Dear Mother : — It is just six months ago to-night
since we crossed over to Harrison's Island and Ball's
Bluff. "We are having very hard duty just now, and
shall have for some time. We are camped in the same
swamp, within three quarters of a mile from the ene-
my's works. We have to go out every third day and
picket the whole brigade, close to them. Day before
yesterday we were out; we go again to-morrow. We
were firing all day, whenever we saw anything to shoot
at. We had one of our men badly wounded in the breast.
Last night we were turned out twice by a brisk volley of
musketry, which seemed just on the edge of the camp.
Our pickets were driven in, and the firing lasted about
fifteen minutes. Some of the bullets dropped into the
camp. They were driven back without our going out.
We were turned out again at two, and stood in the rain
and mud. This morning we expected a quiet day, al-
though the camp was all water and mud ; raining hard."
About ten, sharp firing commenced, and we had to fall
in, and our two brigades were marched out to the front,
where the other brigade was on picket. We expected
that we were in for a fight, as Sunday is the favorite day.
We lay out in the woods all day in the rain, and came in
to-night without doing anything; they did not see fit to
attack. We keep up a continual shelling of their works.
To-morrow we take our turn again. I suppose we shall
be turned out once or twice to-night ; that 's why I am
in no hurry to go to bed, as I want to wait until after
the first turn-out. I hope it won't rain to-morrow while
ve are out. I am fortunate in being so well, many of
-he officers being sick with diarrhoea.

40 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

We may have a week or more of this sort of duty
before the grand attack. It is very unpleasant duty. No
glory in being shot by a picket behind a tree. It ia
regular Indian fighting. I have not been exposed much.
I got a letter from you day before yesterday. I expect
to hear the rattle of musketry every minute, but I am
going to try and get some sleep. This is tne hard part
of a soldier's life ; the battle would be a holiday as a re-
lief from this. It will be pleasant to look back on this,
if I ever get back, and hear the rain beat on the cupola
and think of the nights I have lain out in it in the woods,
listening to the pickets firing and the shells bursting, wet
and dirty. When it does n't rain it is very hot. Night
before last, I lay in the woods under the sky, without
anything over me except my overcoat. The great trouble
here is from wood-ticks ; they get on to you and bury
their head in you, and you can't pull them out without
pulling their heads off, which makes a bad sore. The
only way is to cut them out. I have only had one fasten
on me yet, although I have stopped four or five before
they got hold. These trouble us a great deal more than
the rebel bullets. I must stop here, as it is getting late.
It is a certain thing that we shall be turned out under
arms about the time I get to sleep.

Good night. Love to all. W.

On the 24th of April, 1862, Captain Bartlett
was with his regiment at the outposts in front of
Yorktown. While at the outer line, kneeling,
and examining the enemy through his field-glass,
he received a wound from a sharp-shooter's rifle
which cost him his leg. His entry in his journal

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 41

is as follows : " While I was visiting the pick-
ets, watching the enemy with my glass, a sharp-
shooter hit me in the knee with a niinie' ball,
shattering the bone down to my ankle. Dr. Hay-
ward amputated it four inches above the knee,
and I started for Baltimore in the same after-
noon." Only this and nothing more.

He was carried to the rear on a stretcher very
soon after he i*eceived the wound, and the opera-
tion was performed at once. The writer was with
him all the time. He looked up once and said,
"• It 's rough, Frank, is n't it ? " and this was the
solitary word of complaint that escaped him.

His fine, slender figure had by this time filled
out to be a magnificent specimen of manly vigor,
and it was a pitiful sight to see it so maimed.

He remained in Baltimore several weeks, and
then went to his home in Massachusetts. He
recovered his strength rapidly, though his suffer-
ings were constant and often acute, but he bore
them with admirable cheerfulness and fortitude,
and he was able to get much enjoyment out of the
months he passed at home. He went to the class-
day of his class at Harvard, received his degree at
Commencement, and was treated with admiring
cordiality and attention wherever he went. The
following letters give some details of the manner
in which he received his wound, of the spirit in
which he accepted it, and of the progress of his
recovery, and also show his interest in his regi-
ment and his loyalty to it.

42 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Before Yorktown, Va., April 25, 1862.

C. L. Bartlett, Esq.: —

My dear Sir, — Yesterday morning the Twentieth
Regiment was detailed for picket duty. Captain Bart-
lett went out a little before noon to visit the advanced
posts. He found what he considered a good and safe
position for observing the enemy. He knelt down be-
hind a tree and watched their movements through a
g*ass. He had been watching them some ten minutes,
when he received a shot from a rifle in his left knee.
A litter was sent for him and he was brought to the
rear. "When I got to him his color had not left him,
and he was suffering only at intervals, when spasms of
pain seized him for a moment, and quickly passed and
left him comparatively comfortable again. His thought-
fulness for others and self-forgetfulness were shown by
his repeatedly urging me to leave him, as I was suf-
fering from a slight lameness. He was carried to a
house near by, and then the surgeons gave him chloro-
form and examined his wound. Drs. Hayward and
Crehore of the Twentieth, Dr. Haven of the Fifteenth,
and Dr. Clark, a surgeon from Worcester, were unani-
mous in the opinion that amputation was not only
proper, but necessary. I urged upon them to be sure,
before proceeding, that there was no chance of recovery,
and that it would not do to delay for consultation with
other surgeons.

They assured me positively that there was no room
for doubt, and that the operation must be performed
jnmediately ; that the ball had totally destroyed the
knee joint, and shivered and destroyed the bone of the
leg for six inches below ; furthermore that delay would

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 43

materially diminish the chances of recovery. The leg
was taken off by Dr. Hayward, in the lower third of the
portion above the knee. Examination made subse-
quently fully confirmed the opinions of the surgeons,
and Brigade Surgeons Crosby and Dougherty, and Dr
Liddell, Medical Director of the Division, who arrived
presently, pronounced everything well and wisely done,
and every one of the surgeons were of the opinion that
your son had gone through the operation most favorably.
He suffered a good deal after he returned to conscious-
ness, but not to the point of faintness. His suffer-
ings arose mostly from the necessary dressings. He
bore the announcement of what had been done very
firmly, and told me that he had expected it. Every ex-
ertion was made to put him at once on his way to Wash-
ington, and he presently started for York River, in a
four horse ambulance, attended by Dr. Clark and my
servant, who is as gentle as a woman, and who has a
strong feeling of personal attachment for your son.
There went with him, also, seven or eight stout fellows
of his own company, to carry him on a litter, should the
motion of the ambulance increase his sufferings.

His color returned soon after the operation was ended,
his smile was ready and sweet, his eyes clear, the grasp
of his hand and the tone of his voice firm. I hardly
need tell you that he bore his fate with his own gallant
spirit, and that he did not break down for a moment.
His escort report that he arrived safely at the river, and
was there placed on board the Commodore.

To you who know so well my opinion of your son's
vaerits, and what close companionship has existed be-
tween us for six months, I need say little of the affile-

44 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

tion that this event causes me. The loss to the regi-
ment is terrible, and officers and men unite with me in
lamenting the misfortune. Your son was the most bril-
liant soldier I have known in the Volunteer Army, and
I anticipated for him the highest distinction. You have
my sincerest sympathy, you and Mrs. Bartlett and your
daughters, in this painful moment, and my love and ad-
miration for your son cause me to feel the most bitter
sorrow at this heavy calamity.

Very respectfully and truly yours,

F. W- Palfrey, Lieut.-coL, Comd'g.
The surgeons encourage me to believe that he will
be comparatively comfortable in a day or two.

FROM CAPTAIN BARTLETT's MOTHER.

Baltimore, Mat^8, 1862.
Thursday.

When this note may reach you, or where, 1 have no
idea, but I will "draw a bow at a venture," knowing you
will be very glad to hear of the progress of my patient.
Several days have passed since I wrote, and he has been
improving in general health and strength, and looking
more like himself than I supposed he would in so short
a time. The main cause of his troubles gives him al-
most constant twinges of pain, and he suffers much, al-
though he tries to make very light of it.

Your last favor was written May 1st, but you have
since been on the move, and Frank misses your cheer-
ful, kindly missives. I had written thus far when the
postman left your note of the 3d, and I have just fin-
ished reading it, and will let the one to whom it is ad-
iressed dictate his own response.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 45

Mr dear Frank, — I have just heard read your short
note of the 3d, and am glad for your sake that you have
the little Colonel and Major back again. I am very
sorry that I did not see them when they passed through
here. I expected them every time the door bell rang
for three or four days. They probably had to go right
through. Give my love to the Colonel ; tell him I shall
hope to see him before long. Remember me to the
Major too. "What do they do for horses ? I should .ike
to know where you are this morning. I hope your foot
did not trouble you when the advance was made. Were
you not taken by surprise ?

Your " Fourth of July cocktail " at Pitcher's looks more
practicable every day. I shall get to Boston before you,
though. I will have the house got ready and the table
spread against the time you come. I shall be round on
crutches (doubtful) in a week, at least that is my plan.
I am going to have a man here to measure me for them
to-day. Like being measured for a coffin, is it not ?
Mother writes that last under protest.

My leg has given me a good deal of pain since yester-
day, owing to its being too tightly baudaged. The last
ligature is away, and it ought to heal rapidly now. The
foot that is gone pains me most. It would seem that
somebody made it their amusement playing " stick -knife "
on it a greater part of the time. I am much better able
to bear it now than when I was weak. I smoked my
first cigarette day before yesterday, winning thereby a
box of cigars from my cousin, who foolishly wagered that
amount that I would not smoke for three weeks. Do
you know it is just two weeks to-day since I " stopped "
to neatly that pretty little bullet at just about tr is hour ?

46 MLMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.

I think I am very well advanced. I wrote Little yes-
terday, and g^ve him a short lecture about his signature.
How does the boy Arthur get along ? You must take
him under your special protection now that I am away.
I guess I will resign in favor of Mother. I must get
my foot into better discipline. I cannot have it going
on this way. Give a great deal of love to all the fellows,
and what you please for yourself, from your Fbank.

The above was jerked out between spasms of dread-
ful pain. The surgeon has been here since, and relieved
him somewhat, and assures me it is doiDg remarkably
well.

FROM CAPTAIN BARTLETT.

Baltimore, Sunday Morning, May 11.

I fear daily lest your kind disposition shall cause you
to take too much trouble in my behalf. I know that it
cannot be convenient for you to write me every day so
faithfully ; and much as I delight in your letters, I am
distressed by the thought that you are putting yourself
to too much trouble sometimes. I beg you won't feel
obliged to write every day, only when it is perfectly
convenient.

At this point enter Dr. at " L. C." Exeunt writing
materials, etc, R. U. E., " with life." (Patient looking
very innocent)

Dr. " Pulse a little fast this morning, probably from
sitting up."

Patient. " Yes sir, I suppose so." (At this point
enter second Dr., son of first, and the language becomes
technical.) .

The scenes have been shifted (t. e., the bandages).

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 47

The Drs. have retired, everything is going on well.
I am now at liberty to resume my writing, and make
those pulse move a little faster again.

I wish I were with you this pleasant Sunday morning,
or at least knew exactly where you were.

We hear of Franklin's and Sedgwick's Divisions being
engaged, and are anxious for particulars, but can get
none. The general report is, you were entirely vic-
torious, with the odds against you. We shall hear
soon.

I find my sword-arm is getting a little tired, and I
shall have to let mother vibrate her smoothly swinging
goose plume. (N. B. she writes with a quill.)

The weather is delightful and most favorable to me.
I see much people, now, daily.

I wish you would ask one Hayward, in your regiment,
if he intends to answer a letter that I wrote him some
months since, when I was first brought here.

Give a great deal of love to the Colonel and all the
fellows, and believe me as ever,

Yours most devotedly,

Frank.

News this morning that Norfolk, navy-yard and all,
is taken. It may be true. All anxious to hear of your
movements. F.

P. S. Quite a long letter for the first attempt
isn't it ?

P. S. WRITTEN BT CAPTAIN BARTLETT'S MOTHER.

Frank has left me little to say ; to be truthful, his pic-
ture should be shaded a little ; but he looks only on the
bright side.

48 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BART LETT.

He is, I have no doubt, doing remarkably well ; so the
surgeon assures me every day. Still, he suffers intensely,
at times, aud this has been a very hard day for him.
He has scarcely been free from pain a moment, and the
worst is in the poor shattered foot and leg which is
gone. He says, " Ask the Colonel if they gave my leg
Christian burial, for my foot torments me as if it were
ill at rest."

I had nearly forgotten to say, that all your letters
bave been received, but not in the order in which they
were written. The last bears date May 4, 8 p. m., and
we are now anxiously looking for news from West Point,
which is the last place where your Division is spoken of
as being engaged.

FROM CAPTAIN BARTLETT.

Baltimore, May 14.

Delighted by the receipt of two of your pleasant let-
ters this morning, bearing dates of the 7th, 8th, and 9th.

It comforted me to learn that " grim visaged war "
had " smoothed his wrinkled front " even a little ; and
that you were comparatively comfortable, and positively
in good spirits.

I was very anxious to hear from you after I heard
that Sedgwick's Division had been engaged at West
Point. Tell Arthur that I received his letter of the 8th
yesterday.

You are right in supposing that I am made as com-
fortable as is possible ; everything imaginable is done
for my convenience and gratification. But they can t
occupy my mind so that it won't turn southward with a
longing, homesick feeling, mingled with a vain regret

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 49

at being snatched away just at the moment when we
were about to see something of glorious and victorious
war.

I take hardly any interest in the war news now, ex-
cepting that which immediately concerns you. I dread
positively to hear of a great victory, as it seems to put
narrower limits to the time that I must get well in, if I
would be " in at the death." I am far, mind you, from
complaining of my lot. I think I am indeed fortunate
in making so successful a recovery, and in reaching such
delightful quarters. But, still it is hard to banish the
feeling, that I was taken away without having effected
anything, and at a time when every one was most needed
at his post.

With a great deal of love, I am always

Yours,
Frank.

"Winthrop, July 7, 1862.

My last date from you is Fair Oaks, June 25th.
How much has happened to you since then ! I am very
anxious to hear from you. I dread to look at the pa-
pers, lest I shall see the name of some one I love among
the " killed." I almost wish I could see yours among
the " slightly wounded," for then I could feel that you
were safe, and that I was about to see you. . .

I have not any decided opinion as yet on this last
move. It seems to have been that movement laid down
m tactics as the most dangerous — a change of f-ont in
the presence of the enemy.

You seem to have fought the move through like tigers,
against great odds, and have made them pay very dearly

50 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

for their attempted interruption. The Twentieth is
mentioned with especial honor for its steady and delib-
erate fire, etc., etc.

I hope the report of '' Twentieth, Captain Lowell,
killed," may not prove true. It would be very sad to
have it confirmed.

I told you in one of my last letters of the "set-back
that my leg seemed to have received. I told you it
was n't dangerous. I was right. It has gone on mend-
ing ever since, and now I think is as well as it was
before, and I think I have less pain. So perhaps I did
it good by •' tapping it."

You speak of my leaving the Twentieth. Many
friends here have offered to use their influence to place
me at the head of one of the new regiments. I have
been very grateful for the offers, of course, but have in-
variably discountenanced them. You know that I had
rather be a captain in the Twentieth than colonel of
any regiment that may be raised.

Promotion in the Twentieth would have been very
pleasant to me when it brought me nearer you. But,
since the 21st of October last, my happiness could not
have been increased by the addition of the golden leaf.

2so man is half a soldier who does not seek promo-
tion, but if mine should be occasioned by the execution
of your oft-uttered threat, to " leave the service when
Richmond is ours," I hope you will believe that it
would have lost its greatest charm.

In my heart (as I used to hint to you), I firmly be-
lieve, and more earnestly hope, that we shall take our
honorable discharges together, when the "scarred and
war-worn veterans " of the Twentieth shall be mustered
out of service on Boston Common. Nous verrons.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 51

. No one here suspects my impatience to rejoin
you, or my unfounded regrets at the tardiness of a re-
covery which has in fact been unusually rapid.
Such is poor human nature.

God keep you in safety through the midst of danger,
is the daily prayer of Yours,

Frank.

On the 6th of September, 1862, he "was offered
the command of a camp at Pittsfield, Massachu-
setts, known as Camp Briggs, where the Forty-
ninth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infan-
try, a nine months' regiment, was then assem-
bling. He accepted the offer with some reluc-
tance, and assumed command of the post on the
20th of the same month. His going to Pittsfield
had an important influence upon his life, for it
was there that he met the lady whom he married
at the end of the war, and there that he made his
home for most of the years of peace which he
lived to see. Mr. Johns, who has told extremely
well the story of " Life with the Forty-ninth
Massachusetts Volunteers," thus records the im-
pression he made at first sight : " His appearance
denotes much of intelligent energy, and his gen-
tlemanly manner, his soldierly bearing (for he
looks the soldier even on crutches), and our sym-
pathy with him in his great loss, have made him
at once a universal favorite." The favorable im-
pression which he made at first was deepened as
officers and men came to know him more. His

52 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT

popularity was based upon a sense of his merit,
and grew steadily, notwithstanding the personal
reserve which was natural to him, and to which
the average native American volunteer was quite
unaccustomed. The way in which he drilled the
men in the manual, without crutches, and going
through each motion with the musket himself,
was very remarkable, and seems almost incredible
in the telling. Mr. Johns says, writing when the
eight was a frequent occurrence : " It is a treat to
see that man go through the manual of arms.
He puts such a finish, such a vim to every motion.
For two hours at a time he will stand on that re-
maining leg, till half of us believe he never had
any need of the one buried at Yorktown, but it
was only a superfluous member or mere orna-
ment. If the Colonel (I will call him such)
needs rest, he takes it as a part of the exercise, so
we cannot tell which is manual of arms and which
rest. The cords of that right leg must stand out
like great whip-lashes. There is teill about all
this. It is this quiet, intense determination, this
fixedness of will, that makes us desire Colonel
Bartlett, with but one leg, for our commander,
over any other man with the full complement of
limbs. Somehow or other, we cannot tell why,
we believe that he will not be the mere buffet of
circumstances, but will ride over and lead us over
all difficulties." The Forty-ninth was a regiment
in which the right of election of officers was rec-

MEMOIR OF WIIL/AM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 53

ognized. The formal election took place on the
10th of November, 1862, and he was elected
Colonel, receiving all the votes cast. The elec-
tion took place at Camp Wool, at Worcester,
Massachusetts, to which point the regiment had
moved about ten days before. A short time
after, he appeared with his first artificial leg.

On the 28th of November, the regiment left
Worcester, and proceeded by cars and boat to
New York, from which it moved, on the 4th of
the following month, to Camp Banks, on Long
Island. Before it left the city, the regiment, in
full dress, made a parade march up Broadway.
The " Home Journal " of the day published an
article headed, " A Colonel with a Crutch," from
which the following extracts are taken, to show
how Colonel Bartlett impressed a spectator at
that time : —

" Our own chief object of interest was the Colonel in
command, armed, as we above mentioned, with the very
unaccustomed weapon of a crutch.

" The Colonel . was mounted on a Vermont horse.
The equipments, as well as the limbs of the rider,
were apparently all complete, each long boot with its
spur riding gracefully in its stirrup. Pistols and sword
were in their places. At the horseman's back, however,
poised like the long spear at the back of the lancer,
swung the strange implement which told the story, — a
long crutch with velvet handle, betraying the wooden
leg for which it stood ready to do service With

54 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

the wounds of his amputation healed, the heroic soldier
was now returning to active duty, leading his regiment to
the field with an alacrity that was little like a cripple."

The Colonel was already getting a strong hold
upon his regiment. In the Long Island camp, on
the 6th of January, Mr. Johns wrote : " Daily
he draws the reins of discipline lighter, but with
such judgment that we are learning subordination
without complaining." At this same camp he
had some experience of a command larger than
that of a regiment. When General Banks sailed
for New Orleans with the bulk of the forces des-
tined for operations in that neighborhood, a force
of several thousand men was left behind for a
while, under General Andrews. General An-
drews went to Boston twice before this part of
the expeditionary force left New York, and each
time he left Colonel Bartlett, though a junior
colonel, in command. One of these absences
lasted for six days, and thus the young Colonel
was placed in a position of much responsibility
and of no little labor. The following letters date
from this period, and describe his life, and the
manner in which, at the age of twenty-two, he
exerted himself to perform every duty which de-
volved upon him.

Headquarters Remainder Banks' Expedition,
No. 194 Broadway, New York, December 31, 1862.

As regards myself, I ride with ease, hardly
with comfort. My horse is wild, fractious, and stubborn.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 55

He is a valuable beast, of great strength, endurance, and
mettle. But I am not exactly in condition now to break
a wild brute. He rears with me, jumps, etc. My
friends beg me not to ride him, and I have not mounted
him for a week. My man, a splendid horseman, rides
him hard every day, and is breaking him. I am looking
for another one, more gentle, and may keep both. It is
a delightful sensation to me, to move about on a horse
after hobbling around on crutches so long.

You will wonder at the heading of this letter. Gen-
eral Andrews sent for me and desired me to take com-
mand during his absence of a week or so, notwithstand-
ing my telling him that my commission must be one of
the youngest of the eight still here. So that my com-
mand is just now about eight thousand, — rather ridicu-
lous, is n't it? . . My regiment I am getting into
excellent order. I drill the non-coms, in the manual,
an hour every morning, standing on one leg. In the
afternoon, I drill the whole line in the manual an hour
and a half. I visit the guard every night after twelve,
to see that the officer of the guard and day are doing
their duty, etc., etc. The officers and men are all inter-
ested in their work and everything goes well. .

Headquarters Remainder Banks' Expedition,
No. 194 Broadway, New York, January 3, 1863.

A great many perplexing questions have come
up during the week, involving heavy responsibilities, —
the ordering of the various ships to sea, — telegraphing
with the Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of
War in regard to duties on coal, etc., etc.

I have kept a stiff upper lip. Imagine me being

56 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

asked for advice and authority to do this aud that, by
Commodore Van Brunt, Commodore Vanderbilt, U. S.
quartermasters here, and "sich like." In cases of
doubt, which have required my authority and decision,
I have kept an old maxim of mine before me. Do that,
which according to your impartial judgment, tends most
to promote the " good of the service."

It has carried me safely through so far. . . .

On the 24th of January, 1863, the regiment
sailed for New Orleans in the steamer Illinois.
They had very bad weather for a week, and
the country-bred men of Western Massachusetts
who filled the ranks suffered excessively from
seasickness. When the vessel had passed Key
West, and had gotten into smoother water, the
Colonel did a wise thing for the health of his
men. On the 1st of February, Sunday, he writes
in his journal: "As cleanliness is next to godli-
ness, I think I have observed the day very well.
I have had every man in the regiment thoroughly
washed. I had one company at a time marched
up forward, stripped, and a stream of salt water
from the large force pump and hose played over
them I sate out forward in the sun super-
intending it all the morning until three o'clock."

On the 7th of February the regiment reached
New Orleans, and at once moved up the river
to Carrolton, where General Emory's Division
was encamped, but it did not disembark and go
into camp until the 9th. Things must have

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 57

been poorly managed in the Department of the
Gulf at that time, for Colonel Bartlett records on
the 7th that supper was the first meal he ate
that day, and again on the 11th : "I had no way
of getting breakfast this morning when I got
up, so I went without. The same at dinner-time,
so I went without, and till six P. M. I did not
put a mouthful of anything to eat or drink in my
mouth. , I wonder what a row there would

be if a private soldier had to go without eating
for twenty-four hours. I am glad to find I can
do it with ease in case of need."

On the 14th of the same month he estab-
lished in his camp the practice of the field, staff,
and company officers reporting to the Colonel at
reveille. He had seen this custom followed in
the camp of the Twentieth Regiment, and there
learned its value.

The camp was on low ground, and the rains,
which were frequent, laid it under water. On
the loth of February, it was a foot under water,
and the ridge on which the Colonel's tent stood,
was, he says, actually the only land in sight.
The state of the weather made it hard for every
one, and interfered with work. It was little bet-
ter in the tents than outside.

On the 16th, orders came to proceed by steamer
to Baton Rouge. It was dark when the embar-
kation began. Colonel Bartlett stood up over
the gangway superintending the work on the bag-

58 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BAR1LETT.

gage, and at about two o'clock in the morn-
ing lie fell asleep sitting on the rail, and it was
not till four in the morning, when everything
was on board, that he left the deck. On the
18th, the regiment arrived at Baton Rouge, and
encamped on very good ground as a part of the
first brigade of Augur's Division.

On the 22d of February, he was general offi-
cer of the day for the first time, and he was six
hours in the saddle visiting the outposts. The
fatiguing duty did not tire him so much that
he did not find time and disposition to draw a
very intelligible sketch of the roads in the neigh-
borhood, and of the position of the troops. On
the 24th he writes : " I should be content to have
it rain to-morrow, that I might write all day.
Otherwise my duties self-imposed keep me busy
all the time. I am glad enough to go to bed
at nine o'clock, and sorry enough to hear the
roll of the drum which makes me get up at
six A. M. ... The regiment is improving con-
stantly. I keep at work on them all the time.
It is consoling to know and feel that I am doing
the country such good service as making soldiers
for her."

By the 4th of March he had brought the regi-
ment into such condition that they not only ap-
peared to advantage on parade and at review,
standing steadily and marching well, but also
drilled to his satisfaction in charging and firing,

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 59

and he told them " if they would only do as well,
keep as steady, and fire as coolly in a real action
as they did then, not fire until they got the word
from me, no matter how near the enemy might
approach them, — when they did fire, aim low, at
the enemy's knees (if near), — they need not be
afraid of anything under heaven in the shape of
an enemy." And he adds: "I only hope I shall
not get shot until after I have had the regiment
in one good fight, for really they seem to be so
entirely dependent upon me, that if I should get
knocked over at first, I don't like to think what
would become of them."

On the 7th of March, he conducted a wagon
train a few miles beyond the outposts, himself
commanding the escort, which comprised his own
regiment, a troop of cavalry, and a section of
artillery. All his dispositions were made with
much judgment and intelligent care, and the
expedition returned safe and successful.

On the 14th of March, the army began its
march towards Port Hudson. Colonel Bartlett
kept his men from plundering, and they thought
it was hard. He writes : " The men made sad
work with the poultry and stock. This army will
be demoralized if this is allowed to go on. My
regiment think it hard that they are not al-
lowed to go in and plunder, when everybody
else does ; and it is. They not only steal poultry
and other live meat, but in some cases even go

60 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT

into the houses and take the food off the table,
and steal jewelry and other valuables. I will
Bhoot the first man I see doing it, and take the
consequences." Crippled as he was, he was very
tough in those days, and very patient of fatigue.
" I had been in the saddle since three in the
morning, twelve hours, but it made me laugh to
myself at hearing other officers complain of being
all tired out, etc." This movement upon Port
Hudson was not attended with any fighting of
consequence, and the troops soon returned to
Baton Rouge ; but the Forty-ninth Regiment had
assigned to it some fatiguing duty in the way,
especially by acting as a part of the advanced
guard in the retreat, which it was supposed that
the enemy would attempt to interrupt at a bayou
which crossed the line of retreat. Ill-judged
orders brought the command nearly to the ex-
haustion point, and fatigue and exposure very
nearly put their colonel on the sick list. On the
18th he wrote: "I feel very miserably this morn-
ing. It was a struggle to get up. Very weak
and dizzy. I hope it is not sickness coming. I
have lost all appetite, and only eat because it is
a duty, not that I am hungry." A little later,
on the same day, occur these affecting lines : " I
wonder if these men who go to the hospital and
off duty feel half as weak and ill as I do just now.
I suffer more in case of an attack of weakness
or illness than when I had two legs. It takes all

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 61

the strength and vigor of a healthy man to drag
round this ' ball and chain ' of a leg. My leg has
pained me more than usual lately. No one shall
know it, though." The instances are extremely
rare in which, even in the confidence of his pri-
vate journal, he makes any reference to the loss of
his leg. On the 24th of April, 1863, he writes :
" Just one year ago to-day at this hour, eleven
A. M., I lost my leg at Yorktown. It was just such
a day as this. It seems a short year, notwith-
standing all the suffering I have gone through."
With these few words he leaves the subject.

His life went on busily, and with little comfort,
and little pleasure other than the consciousness of
doing his duty and improving his regiment. He
read the service to his men on Sundays, accom-
plished them in shooting, drilled them constantly,
and by such little matters as causing them to
wear white gloves on parade he gave them an air,
and made them feel increased pride in their per-
sonal appearance.

In a letter to Governor Andrew, written at this
time, in reply to one in which the Governor re-
quested him to appoint a chaplain, he showed his
usual sense and tact : —

The position of chaplain I consider one of the most
difficult to fill, and I have seen such evils follow from
the presence of inefficient or unworthy chaplains (not in
Massachusetts regiments), that I have hesitated to nom-

62 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

inate any one for that position, unless I found some one
who was qualified, both in character and ability. Such
an one has not offered yet. Your correspondent is mis-
informed as to the observance of the Sabbath in this
regiment. There are the regular duties of the day, such
as guard-mounting, Sunday morning inspection, and
dress parade, which are never omitted ; but besides these
it is a day of rest.

I have always afforded every opportunity for the
men to attend divine worship on that day. I have also
read the services myself on that day to all who desired
to attend, it being one of the duties of the commanding
officer in the absence of a chaplain.

In the matter of the "white gloves, also, he
showed his tact. Mr. Johns says that the men
did not purchase them without some dissatisfac-
tion, but that the Colonel did not compel any
man to purchase them, but that he understood
that he sent for one of the malcontents and gave
him a pair, and that he heard of no trouble after-
wards. It may be remarked that the Forty-ninth
Regiment was not only a nine months' regiment,
but that it seems to have been made up of men
who did not expect to forego any of the usual
privileges of citizens while they were in the mili-
tary service of the United States, and thought
that all questions arising in camp should be set-
tled by a town meeting as much as in the vil-
lages they came from, and that to properly dis-
cipline such men was a task of peculiar deli-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 63

'acy. The neatness and cleanness which Colone*
Bartlett taught his men to observe not only im-
proved or preserved their health, but increased
their self-respect. He gave his personal atten-
tion to every work upon which his men were em-
ployed. Mr. Johns says : " The soldierly neat-
ness of our Colonel is apparent in the superiority
of our rifle-pits over those thrown up by other
regiments. With spade in hand, he showed us
how the work should be done. Our pits are as
finished as if they were parts of a permanent foi-
tification."

From the 12th to the 15th of May, he notes
that he is not well, and then for four days he
makes no regular entry, but writes thus in pen-
cil : " Never felt worse in my life. Never took
so much medicine. Worse and worse until Tues-
day, May 19th." Then he writes : —

Moved into the house near my tent. . I am
threatened with typhoid. Horrible pain in my head aL
day. Orders to-night, unfortunately, for us to march at
five a. m. to-morrow. Dr. Winsor (the regimental sur-
geon) says it is impossible for me to go. I must go. I
know the risk is great, but I have got to take it. If I
get killed, or wounded, or die of fever, people will say it
was rash, etc. I know my duty, though, better than any
one else. Colonel Chapin has offered me the use of a
spring wagon to ride in. I shall go in that. . .

Wednesday, May 20. Got up at five. Could hardly
stand. The regiment started. Dr. Winsor begged me

6*4 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

not to go. The carriage which Colonel Chapin was to
send did not come. Dr. W- rode on to see Colonel
Chapin, and find out if it was coming. Meanwhile I
got on my horse and started. I had got out about a
mile when I met the Doctor coming back. He said the
carriage was broken, but would be along soon ; made
me get off and go into the nearest house and rest. I
waited and waited hours, and then got word that the
wagon had by some mistake gone on, and was by this
time with the train. There was nothing to be done but
go home or keep on horseback. I resolved to try the
latter, and go as far as I could. It was now the very
heat of the day. I seemed to feel better, and kept on
to the Bayou Montesino of historic renown. I stopped
at Mr. Pike's house, where I was received very cor-
dially. I stayed to dinner, and passed the whole day
there very pleasantly. About four, a man came with the
buggy for me ; he had been looking everywhere ; Colo-
nel Chapin had sent him back, not to return without me.
So Steadman rode Billy and led Ned ; and, having bade
good-by to my kind friends (though rebels), we started
on our long ride. The dust was several inches deep.
"We reached the regiment, encamped in a beautiful spot,
about dark. The hearty cheers which they gave when
they saw me come into camp were pleasing. They had
been very blue all day, the officers said, and kept saying,
i: If we only had the Colonel along ! " I had a pretty
good sleep, and felt pretty well, considering the Doctor
had said I would have a high fever if I attempted to
come.

Thursday, May 21. Ordered to move at six a. m. I
rode in the buggy ; kept the horses near, in case I should

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 65

want them. "We had advanced about three and a half
miles, when we were saluted by some shells from rebel
batteries ahead. I immediately got on my horse Billy.
I had to be pretty careful to keep my balance, as I felt
very shaky still.

It was fortunate for the regiment that Colonel
Bartlett's determination caused him to be present
with them upon this occasion ; for, though the
affair of this day, dignified with the name of the
Battle of Plain's Store, was not a serious one,
and cost the regiment only three men -wounded
slightly, yet it was the regiment's first experience
of battle, and they were threatened for many
hours with immediate attack, and were exposed
for a part of the time to artillery fire. What was
worse, an ill-disciplined and feebly commanded
nine months' regiment, which was in front of the
Forty-ninth, broke to the rear and rushed through
its centre company while Bartlett was endeavor-
ing with his regiment to stop the rout, and so
divided the right wing from the left. He gave
his regiment a valuable lesson by drilling them
in the manual, at a moment which could be so
used, and thus restored or increased their self-pos-
session. It would seem that the exertion called
for and gallantly made was good for him also, as
for the next few days, and till he was wounded
in the assault upon Port Hudson on the 27th, his
journal contains no reference to his health. The
following letters give many interesting details of

66 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.

his camp life, before the first assault upon Port

Hudson : —

Camp Banks, Baton Rouge,
February 21, 1863.

. I am gradually getting this regiment into shape.
Field, staff, and company officers report to me every
morning immediately after reveille, as we of yore did
to '-Little Bill Lee," and you. All the little " dodges"
that we picked up together I am working in. Any first
sergeant knows, that if he should appear on guard-
mounting or dress parade, with his white gloves soiled,
he would have to take that lozenge out of his chev-
rons. I have only had to reduce two first sergeants
since I took the regiment. That for " absence without
leave." Ben sends me an orderly every morning, re-
splendent with brass and blacking

Headquarters Forty-Ninth Regiment, M. V M.
Camp Banks, Baton Rouge, La., March 4, 1863.

Dear Mother, — I wrote you last on the 28th.
Sunday, March 1, was a beautiful day. Ben and I
took a ride in the afternoon. Went down to the river,
up to General Dwight's quarters. Fletcher Abbott and
Charley Dwight rode home with us. I stopped at the
Fiftieth Regiment. Sam Duncan is not here yet; three
of their companies are down the river at quarantine ; he
is with them, and the Lieutenant-colonel. Colonel Tom.
Chickering called to see me after I got back. Dress
parade was the best we ever had. I felt very proud of
them, the result of my instruction and discipline on
them. General Augur came up to-day, March 2. I
saw him a few minutes.

March 3. Beautiful weather still. In the even ins

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 67

we sat out around the fire in the rear of my tent,
Bmoking our pipes ; bright moonlight ; the nights are
very cold, although the days are so hot.

March 4. This morning orders came for a review
in " heavy marching order," by General Augur. I
cautioned the men to " polish up," and at half past two
we turned out, as fine a looking line as you often see.
The men stood very steadily, and marched very well.
After going back to camp and leaving the knapsacks,
etc., I took them out to practice with blank cartridges.
At first they were nervous, and did poorly, but after
I had given them a very severe talking to, I tried them
again at charging in line, and they did it splendidly.
Their fire by battalion was like one gun. I then- formed
a hollow square, and fired from all sides. My horse,
inside the square, behaved beautifully. I don't care
to see any better drilling than they did after my lec-
ture. After we came into camp I closed column and
explained to them that if they would only do as well
as that in real action, keep cool, and not fire until they
were sure they had the word from me, no matter how
near the enemy approached — when they did fire, aim at
their opponents' knees (if near), — there was no enemy
in the world that could stand against them, etc.

I hope they will remember all I said. They prom-
ised, and were very much excited, and cheered loudly
for the drill. There is nothing more important than
to accustom men to firing, and getting used to the noise.
What I taught them this afternoon was of more use to
them, and will do them more good than all the brig-
ade drills under Colonel Chapin, with unheard of and
iseless movements.

68 MEMOm OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BAKTLETT.

This regiment is so entirely dependent upon me alone,
I hope I shan't get hit, for I dread to think what would
become of them if I should get put hors du combat.

General Dwight has been trying to get my regiment
in his brigade ; he wrote to Banks about it, but Augur
won't consent to lose it.

I hasten to get this in a mail which leaves for New
Orleans to-day. With much love,

W- F. B.

Headquarters Forty-ninth Regiment, M. V. M.
Camp Banks, Baton Rouge, La.

Dear Mother : —

March 5. Splendid weather still. I wish I was in
the brigade of some general instead of Colonel Chapin.

Met Chapin in the afternoon. He said Augur com-
plimented my regiment and the One Hundred and
Sixteenth very highly. Went to bed before tattoo,
pretty tired.

Saturday, March 7 Order came this morning before
I was up, to go out with my regiment as escort and
guard to wagon train outside the lines. There reported
to me quite a little force for the expedition, which I dis-
posed of as follows : In advance I sent a troop of cavalry,
McOee's Massachusetts, armed with carbines and sabres.
Next, seven companies of the Forty-ninth Regiment,
under Lieutenant-colonel Sumner. Next, a section of a
battery of regulars, Closson's Battery, twelve-pounders,
rifled. Then came the train of seventy-five wagons,
reaching half a mile. In rear of these, three companies
of the Forty-ninth, under Major Plunkett, as rear
guard. The whole command extended nearly a mile,

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 69

I rode ahead with the cavalry advance guard. It was
quite a pretty little force. Captain Hodge, Assistatt
Quartermaster, U. S. A., had immediate charge of the
wagon train. We marched about three miles beyond
the outposts, fairly into the enemy's country. The
plantation where we were going for wood, dried and
corded, belonged to a Dr. Laycock. It covers about a
thousand acres. He raises splendid sugar, molasses, and
cotton.

Just before we got to the place, the Clay Cut road,
which we were on, turns to the right, and you approach
the plantation through a thick belt of woods by a narrow
avenue.

I sent half a dozen troopers up the Clay Cut road
half a mile, to halt and keep on the look out. I sent
one company of the Forty-ninth up the same road quar-
ter of a mile, to support them, give alarm, and resist at-
tack. I then rode through the woods with the cavalry,
and found everything clear. The house stands in the
middle of a large clearing of fifty acres of perfectly level
land, a fine mansion, newer and in better repair than
most of the southern houses I have seen. The owner
was on the verandah when we rode up. He is a pro-
fessed Union man, has a safeguard from the General,
etc. While waiting for the column to come up, he in-
vited me and the officers who were with me, two of
General Augur's staff, Ben and Dr. Eice, to go in and
take some whiskey.

The others went in ; I went on with the cavalry to the
other side of the clearing, where the wood of many years'
seasoning was piled. It was near the sugar-house,
vhich was filled with sugar and molasses. Here I

70 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

posted the infantry and artillery, and went with a few
of the cavalry to the farther sides to reconnoitre. An
old darkey told me that five rebel cavalry men stopped
him in the morning, a little while before we got there,
and asked him if there had been any Federal pickets
there lately. I divided the cavalry into three parts,
guarding the three approaches to the place, and kept
one squad with me. I posted the artillery where it
could hold two roads, and let the men rest on their arms,
while the teams were being loaded. This took about an
hour and a half. When we were ready to return, I
started the rear guard, now become the advance, then
the teams, then the artillery and infantry, and after they
were well off, I drew in the outposts and videttes and
followed with the cavalry. I dare say the enemy was
watching us all the time, but wisely determined not to
molest us. I was rather hoping they would, for I was
all prepared for it, and had a very pretty little force
under my command. We got back to camp about four
p. m., after a very pleasant little trip into the country,
accomplishing all we went out for, and returning without
loss. The men got their canteens filled with rich New
Orleans syrup, and sugar enough to sweeten their coffee
.for many days.

Sunday, March 8. A beautiful day. In the after-
noon Ben and I took a ride down to the town. A
great many troops have come up lately. I suppose we
shall move up the river before long. After dress parade
I formed a hollow square and read the services. The
Doctor dined with us to-night. We had a good beef-
steak, fried potatoes, onions, tea, and rice. I don't know
what more you could ask for. For breakfast this morn-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 71

mg I had the same thing you did, fried hasty pudding,
with better molasses. To-morrow morning it will be
fried rice, and the next day fried hominy, then back to
Indian pudding again. A variety you see.
I am very well all over. Love to all.

Affectionately, W- F. B.

March 9. Orders to move at once, with two days*
cooked and five uncooked rations. No baggage or tents ;
sixty rounds of ammunition per man. I don't know
where we are going, I suppose Port Hudson.

Love to all. Good-by. W

Headquarters Forty-ninth Regiment M. V M.
Camp Banks, March 24, 1863.

My dear Mother : — This is the first time I have
had, when I could get at any paper, to write you since
our return from Port Hudson. I will copy from my
journal which I took with me. I wrote you last on
the 12th.

That day were reviewed Grover's and Emory's Divis-
ions. It took till one o'clock from eight. I saw Gen-
eral Andrews a few minutes. He has been made Chief
of Staff to General Banks. A very good thing. He is
just the man Banks needs. Spoke to General Banks a
few minutes. After the review, I rode over to the camp
of the Khode Island Cavalry, and " drew," by simply re-
ceipting for it, a fine McClellan saddle and bridle. By
the way, I wish, father, you would go to Baker's and tell
him that the saddle and bridle he sold me at such a big
price is a swindle. The brass parts are iron merely
tovered over with a flimsy plating of brass foil, which
peels off, in pieces, making it look worse than noth-

72 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

ing ; besides, in the case of the bits, scratching and cut-
ting the horse's face. The leather, too, is very poor,
many of the straps breaking at the least strain. Baker
will have to look out for his reputation and custom. If
I were he I would not want my name stamped on such
a sham affair. This one that I have drawn is just as
good leather ; the buckles and bits of blued steel. Now
all I want is my second horse, and my " establishment "
is complete. I have not used the new saddle myself;
it is for my groom Vantassel. I have been looking
for a good horse ever since I got out here ; have not
found him yet. I don't expect, or care, to get as fine a
one as my black beauty, only a strong, steady horse for
the groom, to go with me when I ride. I would ride
the second one into action, too, so as not to get mine
shot. The mess pail reached me last week, much to my
delight. I did not expect it so soon. It is perfectly
splendid. Just what I wanted. I never saw a better
one. The tea, too, is so much better than what we have
had to drink, I wish you had sent more of it. We
live in great style now. This morning for instance, I
don't want a better breakfast. Nice dip-toast, coffee,
fried hasty pudding, " crispy," better than you can make
it at home ! The other night I made a corn-cake,
merely poured boiling water on the meal, a little salt,
and stood it up in front of the fire to bake. It was very
nice indeed, and with butter, and honey '' drawn " from
some neighboring bee-hive, was about as good feed as
they make in these quarters. We don't always live like
this. Sometimes it is nothing but dry bread and mo-
lasses for days.

In regard to my saddle, and riding, I have got it well

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 73

arranged. You know the upper edge of my wooden leg,
coming against the hard saddle, used to cut through my
pants every time I rode. I had patches of cloth put
on, and afterwards patches of leather, but it even cut
through these, by riding two or three hours. I then got
a leather padded covering which fits on the seat of the
saddle, making the saddle look more dressy and finished,
and at the same time covering the wood, so that with a
leather patch on my pants now, it does not wear through
at all. Fletcher Abbott gave me the leather saddle-
cover. To go back to my journal.

Friday, March 13. Howard D wight called to see me
this afternoon. Grover's Division has started. We
shall start to-morrow.

Saturday, March 14. Got the order at midnight to
start at three a. m. It made a wild picture in the dark
morning, the camp fires blazing high, surrounded by dark
forms. A little piece of the old moon just rising in the
east. We bade good-by to the camp, marched through
the town, and about daylight struck the Bayou Sara
road towards Port Hudson. We knew then for the first
time in which direction we were going.

It was very pleasant marching in the cool of the
morning through the heavy woods. The road was per-
fectly straight, and we could see it narrowing until the
trees on each side seemed to meet, miles ahead. About
nine A. m. we reached the river, Bayou Montesino.
Two bridges crossed it, a pontoon and a plank. At this
time, General Banks passed through the lines to the
front. All was silence. I could not help thinking of
the time, nearly a year ago, when we were marching in
the Jame way, on a road very similar, towards Yorktown,

74 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

when McClellan passed along through the army, and for
miles and miles the cheers were deafening. We halted
at the bridge some time for the wagons to get over. At
noon we halted near a farm-house, fourteen miles from
Port Hudson. The men made sad work with the poul-
try and stock. This army will be demoralized, if this
pillaging is allowed to go on. My regiment think it
hard that I won't let them go in and plunder when
every body else is doing it. These marauders not only
steal poultry and other live meat, but in some cases even
go into the houses, and take the food off the table, steal
jewelry, and other valuables. I believe in "living on
the enemy's country," but the beef and other food should
be taken by the proper officers and issued to the troops
as it is required, not slaughtered recklessly and left un-
touched to waste. Besides, it is the moral effect on
troops, if they are allowed to steal and kill, each one for
himself. They soon become lawless and ungovernable,
— an armed mob.

My regiment shall not pillage in this way, if every
other regiment in this army does.

These people will be likely to favor the advance of a
federal army, if their houses are to be ransacked, furni-
ture broken, etc., by a mob of soldiers, every time a brig-
ade passes their door. Banks must publish some severe
order to stop this thing, or I would n't give much for his
army in a month's time.

(Since writing the above a week ago, an order has
been issued to remedy this evil. It is not severe enough
yet.)

We marched a few miles farther and went into biv-
ouac, in a large open field, and pitched the shelter tents.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 75

I had been in the saddle since three in the morning,
twelve hours, but it made me laugh to myself, at hearing
other mounted officers complain of "being all tired out,"
etc. I found a good place for the horses in a barn near
by, and then lay down on the grass and fell asleep,
waiting for the wagon with my tent and food to come
up. Got the tent pitched about sundown. Some hay
made a luxurious bed, into which I crawled as soon as I
had attended to everything, which was near nine p. M.
Grover's advance is within four or five miles of the
enemy's works; Emory's . between us and Grover. I
went to sleep the moment I touched the ground. Was
awakened at eleven by heavy cannonading at the front,
towards the river. It was the gunboats. We slept
after this with one eye open, hearing the terrific roar of
artillery.

At two in the morning, I was ordered to get the regi-
ment under arms and into line. It was now Sunday
morning, 15th. We expected we were going straight to
the front. The cannonading was still going on, but was
on the river, down nearer to us. Colonel Chapin came
to me and told me that we had been repulsed with great
loss. He ordered me to take the advance, to clear the
road back, with two regiments of infantry and a section of
artillery. They were afraid that our passage back would
be disputed at the bridge across the Bayou Montesino,
by the enemy's coming down on the Clinton Road, to

jut us off.

I was told to make for that bridge as fast as possible,

and hold it.

Just after we started, I saw an aide of General Emory's,
who told me that we had n't " got a gunboat left, and the

76 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

army was all cut to pieces." I knew this was impossible,
for we should have been ordered to the front if there
had been any fighting of the land force.

At this time a tremendous report came from the river,
a quarter of a mile on our right, and several shells
Beemed to burst directly over our heads. It was the
Mississippi when she blew up, a magnificent sight.
Everything seemed to give indication of a panic. Team-
sters were frightened, and were rushing and crowding
with their teams, blocking up the road.

I sent ahead and ordered the wagon train to be stopped,
as there were gaps of a mile in some places, which I had
to close up. At last I got the troops and artillery to the
front. The Forty-eighth had been ordered to start
ahead, and they were in such a hurry that I, not overtak-
ing them, sent Ben ahead to stop them till we came up.
When we got to the Bayou we found it all clear, the
two bridges still there. The plank bridge needed some
repair, and I left the Major with two companies to put it
in order and make it safe for the teams. I sent one
company across on to the Clinton Road to guard against
any attack of cavalry on our flank. After the wagon
train was well up, I kept on, intending to feel the way
into Baton Rouge. After we had marched a mile or two,
an order came from Banks to halt until further orders.
I waited two hours, and then had orders to go on to Batou
Rouge and go into camp. Meantime I heard from an
aide-de-camp that, as I supposed, the report of a repulse
was false. That two of our gunboats had succeeded in
passing the fort. The Mississippi had got aground,
been set on fire, floated down, and blown up. We had
got within a few rods of our old camp, the men were

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 77

tired, having been marching since three a. m., when an
order came to me to turn round and march back to the
Bayou again.

This was rather discouraging, but there was no help
for it. I let the men rest an hour, the artillery feed
their horses, etc. We got back to the Bayou about half
past four We met Banks and his staff going into
Baton Rouge as we were coming out. Charley Sargent
stopped and told me that they had done what they in-
tended to ; get the gunboats by. Banks had sent de-
spatches by Farragut to Grant at Vicksburg. The plan
had been to draw the enemy out to fight us at Port Hud-
son, but he had refused offer. I know however that
Banks was frightened in the morning, for I saw the or-
der from him himself, ordering the trains to the rear, and
back to Baton Rouge as soon as possible. I felt safe
from the first, for Banks has made so many good re-
treats that he must understand it pretty well. We went
into camp on the south side of the Bayou, in a large
cornfield. I did n't get off my horse till after five ; in the
saddle nearly fourteen hours the second day. It began
to rain now, and the field was soon two or three inches
deep with water and mud. I had just got off my horse
when I received an order, saying that the Forty-ninth
and Fiftieth Massachusetts regiments would be in read-
iness to march to-night or to-morrow morning on an im-
portant expedition, under command of Colonel Bartlett.
I was to report immediately to Banks at Baton Rouge,
for instructions. I knew that it was absolutely impossi-
ble for the men to march in the condition they were, all
used up ; no chance for sleep in the night on account of
the rain, etc.

78 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

I also thought it was rather " rubbing it in," to make
me ride all the way back to Baton Rouge in the rain, for
instructions, after I had been on the go since three that
morning, and it was by this time dark, and thence back
here again, and by the time I got here, start off on this
new tramp.

So I sent Ben over to Augur's Headquarters, from
whence the order came, to explain that my regiment had
just got in, had been marching all day, having been to
Baton Rouge and back. He said certainly they need
not go, that he "did not know they had been marching."
He " had designated Colonel Bartlett to go in command
of the expedition as a compliment," etc. This of course
was all very pleasant, and if it had been at any other
time I should have liked nothing better. But the regi-
ment was too much exhausted, and I was tired, to say
the least. I got some rails to keep us out of the water,
which was two or three inches deep in the tent, and
slept on these, like a log, till reveille.

I could hardly realize it when some one mentioned
that it was Sunday. So different from the quiet day a
week before.

Monday, 1 6th. Stopped raining this morning and the
sun is out very hot. I am sitting in the shade of my
tent, writing up my journal. I wonder what the first
reports of this affair will be in the Northern papers.
They will say nothing about the order to retreat, I im-
agine. Colonel Clark of Banks' Staff was wounded in
the leg day before yesterday, out at the front somewhere.

Over at Augur's quarters in the afternoon. They
blame Farragut for stopping to fight their batteries, in-
stead of pushing directly by. Farragut is to wait above

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 79

Port Hudson until Banks communicates with him, which
was the object of the expedition I was selected to com-
mand, to cross the river and go up above Port Hudson
on the other side.

Tuesday, 17th. Ben and I took a bath in a stream
back of our camp. Banks publishes in orders that " the
Hartford and Albatross passed the fort safely, and lie an-
chored above. The object of the expedition is accom-
plished."

I expect that the first news which reaches the North
will be through rebel sources, announcing the destruc-
tion of our fleet, etc.

Wednesday, ISth. Slept on my gridiron of rails till
late this morning, not feeling well. Three hours of a
cool northern breeze, and a good dinner at home or at
Parker's, would make me all right. What must it be
here in July ! We are likely to find out, I guess. When
we came away from Baton Rouge I left my little leather-
covered pocket flask on my bed. It was dark and no
one saw it, to bring it aloDg. I would not have lost it
for anything, I have had it so long. Some nigger
picked it up after we had gone, probably. While we
were lying in the shade this afternoon, tryfng to keep
cool, I began to make up some verses on the subject of
the present expedition. It reminded me, our marching
up to Port Hudson and then turning about and march-
.ug back again without fighting, of the

" King of France with twenty thousand men
Marched up the hill and then marched down again."

Perhaps I will send them to you, if you won't show
them. We tried to make them absurd. You can't
Understand all the " hits."

80 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Thursday, IWi. Allowed to sleep all night. Any one
who knows how I hate snakes and all sorts of reptiles,
will imagine my disgust at finding a lizard in my bed
after the blanket was taken off this morning. If I had
been the lizard I should have chosen a softer bed than
mine was. One of my officers killed eight snakes yes-
terday. One of the rattlesnakes had eleven rattles.

Yesterday afternoon the mess pail arrived. It quite
set me up. I have felt better ever since. To-day we
use it for the first time.

Friday, March 20. Orders this morning to march to
Baton Rouge. We got in about three p. m. "We got
our tents up and began to make ourselves at home again.

Saturday, March 21. Rode down town this morning
to see Dr. Winsor, whom we left sick. He is much bet-
ter ; will be out in a few days.

I invited George Wheatland (of Salem), Major of the
Forty-eighth, to dine with me this evening. "We dine at
six. I gave him a very good dinner. We used the new
mess pail ; just right for three. I had a pork steak off a
young pig, French bread, which Jacques gets in Baton
Rouge, and chocolate, which the latter makes very well,
fried sweet potatoes, guava jelly, boiled rice, butter, and
for dessert, figs, coffee, and cigars, and a thimbleful of
whiskey. He said it was the first decent dinner he had
had since he left Boston. The mail came this evening
too, a letter from Mother and one from Anna and Nellie
Putnam.

Sunday, March 22. A beautiful morning, quite cool.
Banks went to New Orleans yesterday ; his staff remains
here still. A prisoner was brought in by my pickets
this morning. He just came from Port Hudson. Says

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 81

they have fifty thousand men there. They think we
have about sixty thousand here. If they knew that we
only had sixteen thousand fighting men here, perhaps
they would drop in on us some morning.

Monday, March 23. Eaining. My bed being pretty
comfortable I concluded to lie still until Jacques sum-
moned, " Dejeuner tout pret, Monsieur le Colonel," at
eight a. si. A nice one it was too. Dip toast, our reg-
ular morning dish (we get a pint of milk now twice a
day, ten cents per pint), and fried pudding. Fletcher
Abbott and Charley Sargent called in the afternoon. A
heavy shower coming up drove them off, and nearly
spoiled our dinner, which you know is cooked out doors,
on three or four bricks, just back of our tent.

Tuesday, March 24. Rode down to Baton Rouge,
saw Dr. Winsor; he is much better, will be out soon.
Banks' staff goes to New Orleans, to-day. A letter
from Uncle Edwin last night. Lieutenant-colonel Rod-
man (New Bedford), Massachusetts Thirty-eighth, called
this evening.

Wednesday, 25th. The prospect seems to be that we
shall stay here quiet now for the present, unless at-
tacked. It does not promise to be a very brilliant cam-
paign.

On Wednesday, May 27, 1863, Banks made
Lis first disastrous assault upon Port Hudson.
On this day Colonel Bartlett with his regiment
was with its brigade in a wood, and he thus de-
scribes the position and his experiences ; and the
record is the more solemn because he disapproved
the movement and anticipated its failure : —

82 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

" The edge of the woods was a few rods to the front,
and then there was open ground to the works, except
the obstructions. Soon the order came to assault. I
knew just what sort of a place there would be to go
through — I had seen Eebel fortifications before. I
knew it would be almost impossible to get through the
fallen trees, etc., even if I was not shot at. I knew,
being the only officer mounted, I should be much more
conspicuous. I knew that my chances for life were very
small. But I had to go horseback, or not at all. So
prayed that life and limb might be spared, and went in.
. We had got two thirds across the slaughter-field
when, just as I was shouting to the men to keep closed
on the color, pop I went off my horse like a rocket.
As for me, God had been very good. I was
spared life, and most probably limb. The ball, a round
one luckily, struck in the joint of my wrist, shattering
the bones. It was very painful. The other wound was
slight. A buck-shot struck the outside of my right
ankle, and glanced down, entering the flesh and passing
through the sole of my foot."

The ball was cut from the wrist after no long
delay, and the wound dressed. He was placed
in an ambulance, and carried to the river, and
thence by steamboat to Baton Rouge, where he
was placed in bed in a house near his old camp.
These words from his journal are worth quoting,
for their simplicity : " The ride reminded me of
mine from Yorktown to Shipping Point a year
before. It was about nine miles, a rough road."
Again only this, and nothing more.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 83

Mr. Johns thus tells the story of the Colonel's
experiences that day : —

" The Colonel was on horseback, the only mounted
man in the field. He had to go that way or stay behind.
With his regiment he would go. How he got through
the ditches and over all the obstructions I cannot con-
ceive. His little horse leaped obstacles that seemed
insurmountable to any horse flesh. Struck with his dar-
ing, it is said that the rebel officers commanded their
men not to fire on him ; but deadly missiles flew thick
and fast in that valley of death into which duty led
him, and, having gone about fifty rods, a bullet slightly
wounded him in the heel of his good leg, and another
shattered his left wrist. . It is said that when some

one came to help him, he asked them, ' Did you see
Billy ? He jumped like a rabbit.' " 1

1 Extract from a letter of Colonel Walter Cutting, A. D. C. :

" An assault on the fortifications of Port Hudson by the Nine-
teenth Corps, commanded by General Banks, was ordered for the
27th of May, 1863. It began on the left of the line, and about
noon, on that day, General Augur's Division (the centre) was or-
dered to assault the works in line of battle. Colonel W F. Bart-
lett, commanding the Forty-ninth Massachusetts Volunteers, was
in this division, and as, by reason of the loss of his leg, he could
not go on foot over the half mile of felled timber and abatis, he,
being unwilling to let his regiment go without him, led it on
horseback. Out of about three thousand men in the Division,
he was the only mounted man in the assaulting column. He fell
wounded, as you know. A few days after, on being sent under a
flag of truce to ask permission to bury our dead, I met a number
■){ the Confederate officers from the fort, who came out to meet
»e. After the formal preliminaries, some of them asked, ' Who
was that man on horseback 1 He was a gallant fellow ; ' ' a brave

84 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

The wound in the wrist proved a painful and
severe one, and very nearly cost Colonel Bartlett
his arm. It suppurated very freely, and the dis-
charge weakened him extremely, the more so that
the hot season had now fully arrived. He re-
mained at Baton Rouge for about three weeks,
and there he received the best attention that cir-
cumstances admitted; but everything seems to
have been mismanaged or neglected in that de-
partment. He records that one evening he sat
up till past ten, " waiting for the doctors, who
were to come, but did n't. Learned this morning
one was very drunk, the other taking care of him.
Good medical attendance!" His journal makes
almost daily mention of the condition of the
wound, but usually in the fewest words. On the
1 9th of June he writes at unusual length : " The
inflammation on the outside of my arm still con-
tinues, and is quite painful. My great fear is
that inflammation will set in, so that I shall lose
my arm above the elbow, or my life even. We
must pray not." He told the writer some years
after, that for a long time at this period men were
detailed to be with him day and night, and to
keep ice melting drop by drop upon his wrist, and

man ; ' ' the bravest and most daring thing we have yet seen done
in the war,' etc., etc. And after I had told them it was Colonel
Bartlett, etc., etc., they said, ' We thought him too brave a man to
te killed, so we ordered our men not to fire at him.' This was
repeated to me by several of them, and I, thinking it too good to
tte lost, gave it to the newspaper correspondents to publish."

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 85

bo to keep down the inflammation. He also said
that one day the surgeons at last decided that it
was no longer safe to try to save the hand, and
that they went away for their instruments, and
that when they returned and began their prepa-
rations for the operation, it was growing dark, and
candles were brought. He had a feeling, it was
nothing more, that if he was to lose another
limb, he would like better to have it done by
daylight, and he asked them if it would make any
real difference if they should wait till morning.
They said it would not, and went away. In the
morning they returned, laid out their instruments,
and removed the bandages. They looked at the
arm, then looked at each other, then consulted a
little, and then told him that they hardly dared
to say so, but that they fancied it looked a mere
shade better, and that at any rate they would
wait till afternoon. In the afternoon, the same
performance was repeated, and so on for several
days. The arm never looked worse, and could
hardly be said to look better, but by degrees that
were almost imperceptible it improved, until at
last its safety was declared. Thus by his respect
for what seemed a mere caprice of the moment,
or at best a sentiment, Colonel Bartlett had the
great good fortune to escape adding the loss of an
arm to the loss of a leg. The wound healed com-
pletely in time, but the wrist was permanently
stiffened, and the use of some of the fingers of
that hand was impaired.

86 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

At this time lie received and declined the offer
of the colonelcy of a regiment in the so-called
Corps d'Afrique, which General Andrews was
then forming in the Department of the Gulf.

He left Baton Rouge by steamer in the evening
of Sunday, July 19. He writes : " I never was
so glad to leave any place before. I hope never
to see it again." He reached New Orleans the
next morning, and remained there three or four
days. In the first twenty-four hours of his stay,
three large pieces of bone came out of his arm, and
he suffered very much from the excessive heat.
It may be well, as a contribution to the history of
the period, to quote the following lines written in
his journal by the patient, uncomplaining, sol-
dierly man, at the end of his stay in the Depart-
ment of the Gulf : " It is the way everything is
managed or rather mismanaged in this depart-
ment, which, if Heaven ever permits me to get
out of it alive, shall never be troubled by my
presence again."

Of the following letters, the first is from the
wife of the Surgeon of the regiment, giving ex-
tracts from a letter from her husband to Colonel
Bartlett's father. The others are from Colonel
Bartlett himself : —

June 10, 1863.
Mi dear Sir : — I have dates to-day to the 30th.
I suppose you have the same, but give extracts : —
" May 28. Colonel Bartlett got a ball in left wrist,

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 87

which I took out; the bone is broken, but I am sanguine
in the opinion that his arm and hand can be saved. His
pluck was splendid, and he thought far more of his regi-
ment than of himself. He is on his way to Baton Rouge.
Lieut-colonel got a ball in the shoulder, but no bones
broken."

" May 29. General Augur said every officer there
was brave, but Colonel Bartlett the bravest, and one of
his best colonels."

" May 30, 1\ a. m. Colonel Bartlett was hit in left
wrist by round musket ball, which went through from
one side to the other, where I took it out. The hand
will be saved."

Baton Rouge, June 13, 1863.
Dear Mother : — I have improved very much within
the last few days. My appetite has returned, and I feel
much better every way. My arm is suppurating very
freely under the application of warm woollen cloths,
which act like a mild poultice. All the doctors who
look at my arm say it is doing finely. Even those who
thought it was impossible to save the hand at first, think
now there is n't the least doubt. It will be a long time
getting well, on account of the little pieces of bone, two
of which came out this morning. I have no pain in the
wrist now, except when it has to be moved. My foot is
doing very well, almost all healed up. I keep simple
cerate on that, some of my old supply. I had a long
etter from Anna yesterday, from Baltimore. It was
quite an interesting letter, — all but the writing ; and
that was amusing. You must write to Sallie for me a
f«w lines. Had a letter from Little too, dated the latter
Dart of April. Have they published the account of our

88 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT

storming the works ? The New Orleans papers have
not been allowed to mention it. Did n't want to gratify
the many rebs there. General Augur told one of
Banks' staff the other day, in speaking of me, that I
"was the best colonel in his Division, and he had ratber
have lost any other ! "

Talk about your one leg, I don't see but it is as good
as some people's two. I have heard other things, which,
as the "correspondents" say, "I am not at liberty to
divulge at present."

I don't want all those strawberries to be gone before
I get there. They have the meanest strawberries and
the meanest tomatoes here that you can imagine. It's
a mean place anyway, the whole State, and I would n't
live here for it.

I long to get out on to salt water ; that will set me up,
I expect. Well, it won't be long now, I hope. I sup-
pose you are all worrying yourselves at a great rate, by
this time. You ought to have got my first letter now.

Love to all.

Your affectionate son, W- F. B.

The other officers, as far as I can find out, are doing
very well. Ben is well, at least he was a day or two
since.

Sunday, June 14. Feeling better. Big dinner to-
day. Colonel Sumner came to see me to-day. He is
doing well.

Baton Rouge, June 19, 1863.

. . • You needn't let them know, if you car avoid
it, that the wound in my wrist-joint is worse than I knew
of at first. If I had been told just how bad the wound

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BASTLETT. 89

was that afternoon on the field, I would have made the
surgeon take off the hand without a second thought.
The surgeon assured me so positively that I could save
the hand, that I didn't think to ask, " At how great a
risk, in how long a time ? " I want the surgeons to take
it off dow, and let me get well, instead of running the
risk of inflammation, and losing it above the elbow, or
worse. The surgeons say, wait.

As to the assault, Frank, it was a very nasty fight.
If Mr. Banks had been, as you and I had, at Howard's
Bridge and Yorktown, he would have seen what sort of
things rebel fortifications were. He had never seen any
of any account (nor Augur either, but he was much
opposed to storming the works). I had told myself
quietly, long before we had the order to storm, just what
sort of a place there would be to pass over after we
cleared the woods, and just about what we should catch
while we were scrambling over these obstacles. I was
sorry to find with how much truth I had told myself
that yarn. You know, Frank, just what it was. After
you got to the edge of the woods, you could see the
breastworks, two or three hundred yards distant. While
waiting in the edge of the woods, we were beyond reach
of their musketry, but the grape was profuse. The in-
tervening ground was, as you have seen it, covered with
trees ingeniously felled and cut up, so that they afforded
no shelter, but were great obstacles. It was pretty hard
getting through and over it on horseback. The rest you
know. It was hard to keep a line where men had to
pick their way and scramble over these things. I halted
them two or three times for a few seconds, just to get a
formation on the colors, which were carried beautifully.

90 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.

We lost pretty heavily, seventy-five out of two
hundred and twenty odd. Eleven officers out of eighteen
killed or wounded. I am glad to hear Holmes is

doing well. Give my love to him. Tell him we " tie
on the number of wounds ; we shall both have to try it
again to see who gets the rubber." .

He sailed for New York in the steamer Matan-
zas, on the 23d of July, and reached port on the
31st, after a very pleasant voyage, which did him
good. For the next month he did little but to
rest and enjoy himself, and recover his health.
His regiment reached Pittsfield on the 22d of Au-
gust, and he rode at its head, with his wounded
arm in a box-sling, in the procession which es-
corted it from the railway station, through the
streets of the town in which it was formed. It
was mustered out of the service a few days later,
but its muster-out did not bring repose to its
Colonel, for he had already accepted the colo-
nelcy of the Fifty-seventh Regiment, Massachu-
setts Volunteer Infantry, a regiment enlisted for
three years or the war, which he was to raise as
well as command. On the 26th of September,
Governor Andrew told him that Secretary Stan-
ton had expressed himself as much pleased with
his military career, and had promised that as soon
as he had raised his regiment, he should have a
brigadier-general's commission. Colonel Bartlett
was then a little more than twenty-three. His
journal contains not a word of exultation, only

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 91

these simple words : " This was very gratifying,
of course. I hope he will keep his promise."

For the rest of the year 1863, and until the
middle of April, 1864, Colonel Bartlett remained
in Massachusetts. The earlier portion of this
period, at least, was one of the pleasant times of
his life. His health was improving, his work was
light, his position was altogether gratifying.
After the responsibility and fatigue and discom-
fort of his life in Louisiana, home with its pleas-
ures and honors was a delightful change. It was
at the close of ^this period that he became engaged
to be married, though his engagement was not
announced for some months.

He was complimented by an offer which he
thus records : —

" October 30. The Governor sent for me and asked
if I would like to take the Fortieth Massachusetts Reg-
iment, now at Folly Island, Charleston Harbor. He
wanted some one to straighten it out. I told him if I
was well enough to take the field now, I would."

As the year 1863 drew to its close, he became
much busier, as the formation of his new regi-
ment advanced, and he began to spend much time
at Worcester, where its camp was established.
On the 7th of January, 1864, a fresh misfortune
befell him. On the evening of that day, he be-
came conscious that something was wrong with

!)2 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

his left eye and that side of his face. This was
in Boston. On the following day he went to
Worcester, but, the affection continuing on the
9th, he consulted a physician, who told him it
was paralysis, prescribed an external treatment,
and forbade him to go out or to read. His only
comment is, " Pretty dismal. Wish I had gone
home." On the next day he writes : " Kept the
house all day. My face the same. I don't know
of anything I had not rather have than such an
affliction as this. I thought I had endured enough
these last two years, but it seems not. This is
the worst of all. Not that I am proud of my
face, for it is not at best a handsome one, but to
lose all power of expression or motion on one side,
and not be able to laugh or eat without distorting
it, is rather hard." He left Worcester in a day
or two, and returned to his home, wnere he re-
mained very quietly for the next three weeks.
His ailment seems to have yielded readily to
treatment, for on the 29th he makes the sim-
ple entry : " My face is better. I can move
it." After this he seems to have resumed his
usual habits of life. The affection appears to
have been caused by a draught of cold air from
an open window while he sat at work near a hot
stove. The physicians feared it might prove seri-
ous, but they were mistaken, and, once gone, it
never returned. The ailment drew from his old

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 93

companion, Major Abbott of the Twentieth Mas-
sachusetts, the following letter : —

Near Stevensburg, Va., February 3, 1864.

My dear Frank: — I have just heard through let-
ters from home and hy Slocurn Milton of your new
misfortune, though nobody can tell me how serious the
paralysis is, and of your pluck and cheerfulness in stand-
ing it. Why, dear old fellow, you don't know how much
we all sympathize with you, and how much we admire
your resolution in bearing your sufferings. I trust the
evil is not so serious as reports make it, but I know at
the best it must be bad enough. It is your duty now to
think only of your own case and how to alleviate it, and
not fret about military matters. You have done and
suffered enough, not for one man but for a hundred, and
you ought to think of nothing but your own health.
You know, of course, Frank, and it must be some com-
pensation for your trials, you have won a name for ca-
pacity and gallantry and heroism, as great as any man of
your age in the whole army. God knows you have de-
served it, and I don't believe he will allow it to be your
only reward outside of yourself. You will weather it
all, so that you can enjoy as much physical comfort as of
old, in the possession of your laurels. For Heaven's
sake, don't be rash again in the smallest particular. I
was afraid when I saw you at home this last time, you
were overtasking your strength, and you are well enough
aware that it is your tendency to think too little of that
body of yours, which, with all its losses, is thought very
well of by your friends, if you disregard it yourself.

Of course I don't expect you to answer this ; I have

94 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

only written because I could n't help expressing my sym-
pathy in your unparalleled sufferings and fortitude.
With my kind regards to your family, I am,
Tour affectionate friend,

H. L. Abbott.

Nat and all the rest of the old fellows send their
warmest love.

On the 17th of March, 1864, he formed the
line of the Fifty-seventh Massachusetts Infantry
for the first time. On the 28th of the same month,
a sword was presented to him by the citizens of
the town of Winthrop, where his father's family
was then, and had for some years been living. The
ceremony took place in the Town Hall, which
was filled with the men and women of Winthrop.
The walls bore the names of " Ball's Bluff,"
" Yorktown," " Plains Store," and " Port Hud-
son," and the colors of the Twentieth Regiment
were placed upon the platform. The Governor of
the Commonwealth, several members of his staff,
and some officers who had seen service, were pres-
ent. In answer to a most flattering address from
an eminent and venerable citizen of Massachu-
setts, Colonel Bartlett spoke as follows : —

Mr. Chairman and Fellow Citizens, — I could
wish that it had been your fortune to present this testi-
monial to one who would have done more justice to it in
words more befitting the occasion and the gift. Had I
your own command of language I could hardly do jus-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 95

tice to it. If in the performance of my duties as a sol-
dier I have met your approbation, I am truly grateful
for it. The consciousness of duty performed is in itself
a sufficient reward, but to this to-day is added the knowl-
edge of the approval and applause of others, and the
assurance that those at home appreciate our sacrifices,
and that it is to keep a desolating war from their hearth-
stones that we take the field. You in this quiet North-
ern town know little of the misery of war, and the des-
olation that follows in the track of an army. If some
fine day you should see an army file into your fields,
and destroy your growing harvests, and dig a rifle pit in
your garden, or cut down your choicest trees because
they obstructed the view, you would see that the misery
that the South is now suffering is but the just reward of
her treachery and rebellion. His Excellency has just
assured me of his confidence by placing under my com-
mand another Massachusetts regiment. The last one I
had the honor to command was enlisted for only nine
months, but served nearly twelve, and I believe during
that term had its full share of danger, and I never knew
of its disgracing the service or the State. Massachu-
setts soldiers never do. The regiment I now command
will serve three years, and it is proposed to end the war
in a much shorter time ; but if we should be needed for
three times three years, we have enlisted for the war.
I see around me here the names of places which I can-
not soon forget — places where I have known the sad-
dest and the proudest moments of my life. I see the
tattered flags of the brave old Twentieth, under which
my earliest duties as a soldier were done on the field of
battle. If the names of all the gallant men who have

96 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

fought and fallen around you in your defense could be
inscribed in characters of gold within your folds, it would
be a fitting tribute of their devotion to the cause of which
you are to us the hallowed symbol. You at home hope
that this war will soon be over, and we hope so too, but
we will have no peace but an honorable one. If we
would have a lasting peace, we must realize that our
honor, our safety, our very existence as a nation, de-
pend upon our self-sacrifice and our valor. You must
put forth every exertion, you must give every dollar,
and if need be send every man, until we can win a vic-
torious peace. I go to the field in a few weeks and
shall carry this beautiful gift. I shall bring it back, if I
come, bruised and disfigured perhaps, but with no stain
of dishonor. For it, and for this flattering ovation, for
the presence here of so many friends, and among them
one whom the State and country loves and honors — for
this day never to be forgotten by me, I thank you.

On the 31st of March he writes in his journal :

" (one of his most valued officers) came

back last night. He is going to resign, I am sorry
to say. His wife has persuaded him. It is the
weakest thing I ever saw in him. I lose faith in
man's firmness and woman's fortitude."

On the 14th of April, the Governor visited the
camp of the Fifty-seventh Regiment, and pre-
sented to it the usual set of regimental colors.
His address concluded in these words : —

I commit these banners to you as an officer, as a citi-
zen of Massachusetts, and as a personal friend — an

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 97

officer firm and loyal, a citizen faithful and patriotic, a
friend in whom there is no guile — with a satisfaction
no words can express. And whatever fate may be be-
fore you, I know that neither on the white stripes of the
one flag nor the white field of the other will there ever
fall the slightest dishonor.

Colonel Bartlett replied as follows : —

Your Excellexcy, — I hope, sir, we shall do the
flag more credit in action, than we can do ourselves in
speech.

My Men ! This flag, which is the standard of our own
Massachusetts, and this which we have been taught to
look upon as the sacred emblem of our nation, have to-
day been formally entrusted to our keeping, to carry
and defend, by the Governor of our State. Can I say
to him for you, that you will try to do honor to this
trust ? That you will carry it and defend it, whenever
and wherever duty calls ; that you will never desert,
disown, or disgrace it ; that you will swear by it, pray
for it, live for it, and if need be, die for it ; and that you
will devote yourselves to its service until it shall be
feared and respected throughout the recreant South, as
it is loved and cherished by the loyal North ?

Ever since that flag was insulted by traitors in
Charleston harbor, it has had a warmer place in the
heart of every loyal man. When her high-toned orators
threatened the South's rebellion and secession, we en-
dured a great deal of personal insult and abuse, calmly
and silently. But when, viper-like, she turned and fired
upon that flag which had shielded and protected her, she
struck a blow which blood alone can atone for. She
7

98 MEM01H OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

made a blot on the page of our national history which
we are in arms to-day to wipe out. As it went slowly
and sullenly down on those battered walls, it went up
like magic on every hill-top and tower, on every steeple
and staff throughout the North ; and nearer and dearer
to us than anything else on earth, and reverenced next
to our religion, is that old flag still.

There are those at the South who, still true to their
country, are waiting silently and patiently till they see
the gleam of its folds again — a token of the return of
good government, the overthrow of despotism and re-
bellion ; and there are those, too, who wait hopefully,
prayerfully, for its coming, for they know that now and
hereafter, wherever that flag floats, all men are free.

On the 18th of April, 1864, the regiment left
Worcester, nine hundred and twenty-eight strong.
On the 20th, it reached Annapolis, and there be-
came part of the First Brigade, First Division,
Ninth Army Corps. It took up the march on the
23d, and passed through Washington, and by the
30th it had reached Rappahannock Station. It
marched well for a new regiment, for in the last
six of these eight days it accomplished one hun-
dred and one miles.

The letters which Colonel Bartlett wrote, and
the journal entries which he made from this time,
tell the story of his experiences and feelings so
fully that it is well to leave him to speak for
himself.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 99

Rappahannock Station, Va., May 3, 1864.
We move to-morrow morning with the grand army of
Lhe Potomac. I have been here three days, and not found
time to go over to the Twentieth, only five miles distant.
My regiment is in no condition to take into action, but I
must do the best I can. It will be a long and hard fight.
God, I hope, will give us the victory. The chances I
think are even. Grant, I fear, does not appreciate Lee's
ability, nor the qualities of his army. Let us hope for
the best. I am very well. . . Give me twenty

days and I could make a splendid regiment of this, but
man proposes and Grant disposes. Good-by.

Ever faithfully yours. Frank.

May 4. Hard marching. Thrown twice. Not hurt.
Brier caught in horse's flesh. Marching till four a. m.

May 5. To German na Ford. Cross Rap. We shall
fight to-morrow. I hope I may get through, but hardly
expect it. His will be done.

May 6. Move at three a. m. to the front. It will be
a bloody day. I believe I am prepared to die. God
bless my dear friends at home, — mother, father, sisters ,
Agnes. Went into action about eight. Thick woods.
Men behaved well. I was struck in head about eleven.
Carried to rear. Sent to the hospital in rear. Lay
there among the wounded and dying till night, when
there was a falling back, and I was put in an ambulance ;
. knocked about all night. I slept a good deal.
Morning, lay under some trees near the road to Chan-
cellorsville. Afternoon, persuaded to go in ambulance to
Rappahannock, thence to Washington, with rest ol the
wounded. Went to Ely's Ford. Stayed there till two

100 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

A. M. Only heard of five of my officers being wounded.

. . • Colonel Chandler behaved splendidly. General
Hancock ordered me to charge over a regiment lying in
front of us that would not move. We did it in perfect
Hue. Hancock said " Glorious ! " Saw Macy, as I was
carried to rear, wounded in leg.

Sunday, 8th. Ambulances moved to Chancellorsville,
halting here at half past nine A. m. Moved to Pine
Grove Church. Park wagons here. I don't know
what they propose to do with us. My idea is, Graut
is getting mixed. Went to ambulance Macy was in.
Little Abbott is dead. I knew it would be so. Oh, if
I could only have seen him ! Moved at six for Fred-
ericksburg. Halted about eleven for night. The loss
in my regiment is great. Nearly two hundred killed
and wounded. I am satisfied with their conduct.

May 9. Moved into Fredericksburg this morning at
sunrise, in a brick house here. Lived in ambulance
three days and nights. Long enough. I have been to
see Macy. It seems queer for him to be here — the
place he has fought in and fought for so much. I am
pretty weak. My head not bad. Stump painful. A
week or two will set me right again. . . . Very long,
long day. Sleep on the floor without any cover. Not
cold.

May 10. Long, miserable day. Hear that Sedgwick
is killed. I would rather that any other officer in the
army was gone than he. His body has come. Abbott's
body is here too. Afternoon, five of us hired a wagon
to take us to Belle Plain. Macy wanted to go more
than I did, so I gave up my chance. Very hot. Awful
amount of suffering here. Very little attendance. No
supplies. Here 's a chance for the Sanitary.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BAJRTLETT. 101

May 11. Start at ten A. M. in ambulance for Belle
Plain, fourteen miles, hard road. Colonel crazy-
most of the time. Got on board transport at four p. m.
. . Reached Washington at eleven. Good sup-
per and bath. Bad night, delirious, threatened with
fever.

A dramatic incident occurred at this battle of
the Wilderness. Bartlett and Macy had last seen
each other in the field on the 24th of April, 1862,
when they both were Captains in the 20th Mas-
sachusetts Infantry. In the battle of the Wilder-
ness, they were wounded nearly at the same time,
and as they emerged from the woods, Bartlett
drooping over the neck of his horse and with his
arms clinging round it, and Macy borne on a
stretcher, they met, both of them Colonels of
Massachusetts Infantry regiments. It was a
strange chance that men who had parted with
the rank of captain, should next meet in the field
more than two years after, both colonels, serving
in different corps d' armee, and both wounded in
the same battle.

Washington, May 12, 1864.
Dear Mother, — I reached here last night from
Fredericksburg. I was hit the second day's fight in the
Wilderness, just above the right temple. The ball
glanced off, only making a slight wound. I was stunned
for a short time, but was carried to the rear just in time
to avoid being taken prisoner. When I fell, I wrenched
my stump so that it has been very painful, and I am

102 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

not able to wear my leg. Otherwise I should not have
left the regiment. I have been living ever since (this
was Friday, sixth) in an ambulance, on nothing but hard
bread and whiskey. I had a bath last night, and a bed,
and shall soon be all right. It has been continual
marching and fighting since we left Rappahannock.
Little Abbott you know is killed. Macy wounded, leg.
"Bond wounded, and hosts of others whom you don't
know. Our greatest loss is Sedgwick. I shall try to
get a few days' leave to go on, get my other leg, and
have it fitted. It has been the hardest fighting of the
war, probably the hardest in history, those two days in
the Wilderness. Our loss is estimated from twenty to
thirty thousand.

With much love to all,

Aff. yours,

W. F. B.

May 12. Pretty miserable this morning. . . . Left

at twenty minutes past five for Baltimore Good

night's sleep. Plenty of quinine has kept off fever so far.

May 13. Much better this morning. Leave Balti-
more at ten a. m. Reach New York at seven p. m.
Found mother and father here at Fifth Avenue. Cheers
when I entered the hotel. Great excitement.

May 19. Leave for Boston.

May 20. Governor is to write Wilson about Brig.

May 23. Saw Wilson at state-house. Promised to
do what he could at Washington. If he does, it will be
all right.

June 3. Reached Washington. . . Wilson had
seen President. Papers had gone to Secretary of War.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 103

June 4. "Went to Secretary. Spoke kindly. Sent
(sic) my papers referred to General Halleck. I ex-
pect that will be the last of it.

June 6. To Baltimore.

Baltimore, June 11, 1864.

Dear Father : — I received your letter yesterday,
and could not imagine what you meant by " my letter in
the 'Post,'" until I saw the paper which Sallie received.
I should have thought you would have known that I
never wrote such a letter as that. It is disgraceful, and
I will give a month's pay to find out who wrote it. If
it was any man or officer of my regiment, I pity him.
If there is anything I detest in any officer, it is wri-
ting to a newspaper. Please give the enclosed to Mr.
Greene. He can make the statement, with authority,
without publishing my communication. Or if he pre-
fers, he can do that. I have written to the Editor of
the " Springfield Republican " to send me the manu-
script, that I may find out who has taken this liberty
with my name.

I leave for Washington this afternoon. I have had
a very pleasant week here, and am much better than
when I left home. I shall see General Augur to-
morrow. He was going to see Halleck when I came
away, with what result I do not yet know. Will write
you from Washington. Love to all.

In haste,
W F. B.

The allusion in the foregoing letter is to a letter
published in the " Boston Post," and copied from
the "Springfield Republican." It purported to be

104 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

written by Colonel Bartlett, and was a vainglori-
ous, poor affair, full of fulsome praise of the Fifty-
seventh Regiment, and of disparaging contrast be-
tween it and the other regiments of the Division,
and utterly unlike Bartlett in every respect. Two
or three days after, the " Post" published a very
short communication from Colonel Bartlett, in
which he pronounced it an absolute forgery.

Washington, June 14, 1864.

Your kind letter I found here on Sunday last when I
returned from Baltimore, where I passed last week very
quietly. I am much better than when I left you, and
feel that I am improving every day. I had a slight re-
lapse on Sunday for some reason or other. I had been
to church in the morning, and as I got out of the carriage
at the house I had a severe pain strike me. . .

I went to dinner in the afternoon, but this pain in-
creased so, that I had to leave the table. I came very
near tipping over; I never was so faint before, simply
from pain. I was alarmed, as that was a new spot for
me to have pain, and I could not account for it. I took
off my leg, and in ten minutes the pain had almost en-
tirely gone.

I came to Washington that night, expecting to go
down to the front this morning, but the Medical Director
here advised so strongly my waiting a few days longer
that I have consented. He explained the attack of
Sunday by saying that the socket must have pressed
induly upon, or strained, some particular nerve (I for-
get what it was, and you would not know if I should
tell you), and the pain was from sympathy or connection

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 105

with this nerve. I was relieved to know that it was
nothing worse. I have had one or two very slight
touches since. Surgeon says I must begin moderately
in using my leg.

I have not been to the President with your father's
letter. The fact is, I can't make up my mind to go to
these men and ask for anything. It was very kind of
your father to write such a letter for me. I only in-
tended to ask for a simple note of introduction, to say
that my name was B. and he knew it. General Augur
has been to see Stanton, and I hear that the papers have
been referred to General Halleck. I suppose they will
be pigeon-holed somewhere, and that will be the last of
it. I should have liked to have it come from Stanton,
as he voluntarily promised, and if it does come at all,
it must come of itself ; for I should be a very poor hand
pulling wires, or urging anything of the sort.

There are doubtless plenty of easy berths here that I
could have for the asking ; but I don't want them. I
feel that I am not adapted for office business here, such
as provost-marshal, etc. If I am of any value, it is in
the field, in the actual handling and government of
troops.

Still, it seems pretty hard for me to go down there
and take command of my one hundred men, a captain's
command, after the larger ones that I have had. I
heard from the regiment to-day. It has a good reputa-
tion throughout the corps. All speak of Colonel Chan-
dler's splendid bravery and coolness.
Believe me dear Frank,

As ever, yours,

F. B.

106 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

I think of poor Lit. so often, Frank; I can't realize
that I am never to see him any more.

I went to the Hospital yesterday to see Crowell, of I
(Twentieth) ; do you remember him ? He has lost a
leg. He seemed very glad to see me, and I was able to
make him more comfortable. He asked about you.

F.

June 12. At Baltimore. Bad pain at dinner time.
To Washington.

June 13. Saw General Augur. Halleck had not re-
ceived my papers when he was there. Got my pass ex-
tended ten days. Shall go down in disgust before that
unless I hear from Brig.

June 14. Went to Halleck's office. Found my
papers had been returned to Secretary of War.
Went up to Senate. Saw Sumner, Anthony, etc., Per-
ley Poore. Received a document printed from Pome-
roy. Nomination of W- F. B. for Brigadier-general
Volunteers, to my great surprise. So I am at last
really appointed. Now if I am confirmed it will give
me new heart. Saw Wilson, evening. Will put it
through this week. Vive la Guerre !

June 21. I was waked this morning by James, com-
ing in and reading to me that the Senate last night con-
firmed W. F. B. to be Brigadier-general Volunteers.
Thank God ! Went to Baltimore, evening.

June 24. To Washington.

June 28. Received my commission as Brigadier-gen«
eral, date June 20. Go to Ninth Corps.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 107

Washington, D. C, July 1, 1864.

Here it is July. Frank, and I am not out of this miser-
able place yet. I expect now to go down to the front
the first of next week. I am assigned to the Ninth
Corps, and shall keep the same brigade that I was in
before. It was very strong. — five regiments Massachu-
setts and two United States. Since I came away, the
Regulars have been transferred to the Fifth Corps. I
shall probably have no permanent staff at present. As
soon as we have a respite and reorganize a little, I shall
try to get together a congenial and efficient one. Ben
has been waiting for my promotion, to go on the staff.
I have written him that it is a bad time to join just
now, — heat, dirt, reduced commands, etc., — and it may
discourage him. Of course it will be pleasant for me
to have him for a companion. Herbert is here now.
Goes back to-night. He would like to go with me if he
could ride. He get" very impatient and blue at times.
If he could only ride !

Yes, Frank, I have got my commission at last, signed
by Abe and Stanton. Gotten up in great style, in a
brown tin case, with my name, rank, etc., in large letters
of gold on the outside. The appointment was made
early in June, but the Senate had no executive . session
till the 20th. You were right, Frank, in addressing my
letter as you did, although the confirmation was made
when I got it. I was very much annoyed by receiving
letters of congratulation, etc., before the confirmation.
Meant in all kindness, of course ; but I was sorry that
anything was known about it until it was confirmed. I
saw it, the appointment, in the paper (Boston paper at
that) first, just after I wrote you last. I must say I
hardly expected it.

108 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

The weather here has been fearfully hot. Almost un-
bearable. I gave a small dinner night before last at
Buhler's; Majors Cutting and Raymond, of Augur's
Staff, Caspar and Herb., with one or two others, made a
very pleasant little party. Buhler quite surpassed my
expectations. It is the best place in Washington, I
think, although I heard that it had fallen off.

Yesterday, Herb, and I drove out to Fall's Church, to
Caspar's Camp. I have found myself many times this
last week wishing that you were here; but you were
enjoying the cool breezes which I could not have pro-
cured for you here, and were better off.

I have too much in my mind that I want to say to
you to begin to put it on paper.

The " gobbling " of the old brigade that the Twenti-
eth was in was an unlucky termination to a long and
brave career. I am glad the Twentieth escaped.

I am getting quite thin. My stump gets smaller every
day. I have two thicknesses of leather, and two or
three wads of paper round my stump, to fill up the
socket. If it continues to wilt, I shall have to get an-
other new socket made, which will delay me.

Ever yours, Frank.

From the 1st to the 17th of July, he was mov-
ing about busily. From Washington he went
to Baltimore, thence to Philadelphia, where he re-
ceived many gratifying attentions, thence to New
York, and thence to Pittsfield, where he records
in his journal, " Very grateful for God's mercy
and loving kindness." From Pittsfield he went
to his home at Winthrop, and from there he re-
turned to Washington.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 109

Washington, July 18, 1864.

I have only time to write a few words to-night to say
good-by. I was very much disappointed at not seeing
you the day I was in Boston. You know I was n't
there quite twenty-four hours ; did not see Macy or
Arthur. I was anxious to get back here, because I did
not know what this raid might amount to. Entre nous,
this little town came nearer being taken last week than
you or I imagined. One Major-general, who talked
to me to-day about it, thinks they will be back again
soon. The Sixth Corps returns to the Army of the
Potomac at once, likewise the Nineteenth Corps.

I saw O. ~\V Holmes a moment this morning. He
goes home to be mustered out. I send you a poor pho-
tograph taken from a larger picture which Brady has of
me here. They are not good. I go down to Peters-
burg to-morrow. I can't tell you how much I regret
having missed an hour with you last Thursday, but
trust we are yet to have our little talk out.

I found your '• In Memoriam " here on my return.
I like it very much. "Write to me when you have
plenty of leisure, Frank (First Division Ninth Corps),
and don't forget to remember

Yours,

Frank Bartlett.

Pardon the haste, brevity, and style of this letter, and
heap coals of fire on my head in return. Good-by.

F.

You are at liberty to burn the picture if you object
to it.

110 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

On the 19th of July, 1864, he left Washington
for the army in front of Petersburg, going to City
Point by way of Fortress Monroe, to take com-
mand of the First Brigade of Ledlie's Division,
Ninth Army Corps.

July 21. Steady firing all the time. Headquarters
under shell and bullets. Danger of being hit any minute,
asleep or awake. I expect I shall get killed as soon as
I go down to the lines.

July 22. I assume command to-morrow. Hate to
relieve Colonel Gould, who has done so well. I must
write home to-morrow. They must be prepared to hear
bad news any moment. Under fire constantly. As I
write, a bullet strikes the tree near the tent. Another
goes humming a few feet over. People at home do not
appreciate what this army is doing and suffering for
them.

July 23. Assume command of First Brigade. . .
Quiet day. Occasional bullets through camp. . .
10 p. m. The bullets are flying through here very
lively to-night.

" Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake

Headquarters First Brigade, First Division,

Ninth Army Corps.
Before Petersburg, Va., July 23, 1864. Evening.

My dear Mother, — This is the first day since I

left Washington that I have been able to write at all.

Perhaps you will have thought that you ought to hear

from me before this reaches vou ; but I have taken the

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FBAXCIS BARTLETT. Ill

first opportunity and have not forgotten your injunc-
tions. I left Washington Tuesday p. m., reached here
Wednesday p. m. Came from Fortress Monroe on de-
spatch boat with General Ingalls, Chief Quartermaster
of Army, with whom I dined at City Point, where his
headquarters are. By chance found the Chaplain at
the Point, and sent for my horses. Ned and Billy were
both looking finely. After dinner started for the front.
Got as far as my Quartermaster's camp, and as it began
to rain, I stayed there all night with him. I slept very
well my first night on the ground. In the morning a
black snake over six feet long was killed within a few
feet of my bed. After breakfast, rode on up to Division
Hospital, where I found Dr. White, and several old let-
ters, among them the Nut's of June 6, which I found
time to read to-day. Afterwards went to Burnside's
Headquarters to report for duty. He was not in. I
dined with some of the staff; saw the General later.
He was glad to see me. I am assigned, as I supposed, to
the command of the First Brigade, First Division. Gen-
eral Ledlie commands the Division. There are now six
Massachusetts regiments and one Pennsylvania in the
brigade, not numbering more than 1,300 men altogether,
present for duty. If the regiments were filled up it
would be one of the largest and best brigades in the
Army, being all Massachusetts troops. I am trying to
get C. B. Amory, of Jamaica Plains, formerly of the
Twenty-fourth Regiment, who has been appointed As-
sistant Adjutant-general, transferred to this brigade.
I shall use for the present the staff that is here .
the surgeon, a Dr. Ingalls, of Boston, Fifty-ninth Regi-
ment, who is very much of a gentleman. I slept last

112 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

night and the night before at Division Headquarters with
Adjutant-general Mills, Fifty-sixth. He was hoping that
I would take the Division, but it seems Ledlie has with-
drawn his resignation. The brigade is in two lines of
breastworks, one hundred yards apart, in the front of
the enemy's works and within two hundred yards in
some places. Brigade Headquarters are two hundred
and fifty yards in rear of the second line. Division
Headquarters two hundred yards in rear of brigade ;
so you see all are in easy musket range of the enemy.
We are in pine woods, the trees not very thick. The
Headquarters have to be protected by a stockade of logs
against bullets, which are constantly coming through
here. Four officers of the Fifty-seventh have been hit
since I got here, one killed, three very badly wounded,
in the second line. Our stockade does not protect us
against shells, which fall in front and rear of us, but
have not hit the Headquarters yet. Some fall way in
the rear of Division Headquarters, and some near Corps
Headquarters, which are about one fourth of a mile in
rear of Division. We have a stockade to protect the
horses, too, but one of the orderlies' horses and one of
General Ledlie's were killed the other day. A bullet
goes whizzing over my tent every few minutes as I
write, and goes thud into one of the trees near, with
a sound that makes you think what a headache that
would have given you if your head had been where the
tree was. The bullets patter like rain at times against
the outside of this stockade of logs, the inside of which
my elbow touches as I write. It is a continual rattle of
musketry, sometimes swelling into a roar along the line,
and varied with the artillery and mortars. So you see

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 113

we are liable at any moment to be struck, even while
reading a paper or eating dinner. A bullet went
through Dr. Anderson's table as he was eating break-
fast this morning. You must be prepared to hear the
worst of me at any time. God grant it may not come,
for your sake, and for the sake of all I love and who love
me at home. But you must be prepared for it. It is
wearing to body and mind, this being constantly under
fire. People at the North who are enjoying themselves
and thinking of nothing but making money, little ap-
preciate what this brave army is enduring every day and
hour for them, and how much more cheerful and hope-
ful they are than people at home. I wish some of the
patriotic (?) ones at home who are making speeches (and
money), would just come out here and spend a week,
even back here at my Headquarters. They would not
care to go down to the lines where the men are day and
night fighting for their security and safety. I came
over here this morning and assumed command. To-
morrow I must go down and examine the lines, which
is of course dangerous ; but trust I shall get back safely.
I shan't go there any oftener than is necessary, but it is
my duty to visit them occasionally. To give you an
idea of the firing that is going on constantly, I will
count the shots in the next minute. It is more quiet
than usual to-night. Eighty-one, and one heavy mortar
shell, which burst in the air between here and second
line, but sounded as if it were in the next tent.
" There ! " at that moment a bullet went whizzing
through between mine and the one next, just above the
stockade (which is a little higher than your head when
sitting), and struck down somewhere between here and
8

11-4 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

Division Headquarters, Dear where the horses are. So
you see tbis letter is written literally under fire. I am
feeling very well, my leg is better iD the saddle than it
was before. I have got my valise, etc., and shall be
quite comfortable in a day or two (under the circum-
stances), if I am spared so long. 1 intend to have this
stockade built higher to-morrow, so as to afford more
protection from bullets. If the rebs knew just where
our Headquarters are, they would shell us out from
here in three minutes ; but fortunately they don't, and
can only guess. They guess inconveniently near at
times. As I may not have time to write, you can let
Frank Palfrey and Ben see this letter, if you see them,
and if the Nut chooses to copy it she can, and send it to
Aunt.

There goes another bullet. Frank Palfrey will
readily understand and appreciate our position here. I
hope I shall hear from you soon. The mail comes reg-
ularly every night. I will write as often as I can.
Have other letters to write to-night, so will finish this.
There is one pleasant thing to relieve the wear of this,
— I have a good band here at Headquarters, and it
plays at intervals through the day and evening, pro-
tected by a stockade. The rebs have the benefit of it
as much as I do, but I can't help it. They favor us
with a band sometimes. Tell the Nut and Miss Barnett
that they just played " When Johnny comes Marching
Home," and " Faust." " Thud ; " there go two ugly bul-
lets into a tree near by, one of them, George thinks, went
through the upper part of the tent. How should you
like to lie down and go to sleep with this going on all

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 115

aight ? I expect to sleep soundly. I have for two
nights. "With much love to all,

Ever your affectionate son,

"W. F. B.

Zip prrrrrr goes the last bullet you will hear, for I
close this now. That one went over to Division Head-
quarters. Here 's another before I could get my pen
off the paper. Good-night.

July 24. Quiet night. I go now down to the lines.
I hope I may get safely back. If not, His will be done.
Went through the second line. Got back safely,
thank God. . . Bullets flying very lively to-night.

Headquarters First Brigade.

July 24, 1864, 10 p. m.

Dear Mother, — T write, as I promised. I got
back safely from the lines. Just before I went there, a
captain of the Fifty-sixth and two lieutenants of the
Fifty-seventh were badly wounded by a shell which fell
and exploded where they were sitting. Lieutenant
Bowman of the Fifty-seventh cannot live.

This makes six officers of the Fifty-seventh who have
been killed or badly wounded since I have been here.
It is too bad. The firing has not ceased since I wrote
you last, nor indeed since I first got within sound of it.
The bullets are singing around my tent as usual. Spat !
there goes one into the tree, making the bark fly. It is
raining to-night, but it does not diminish the ardor of
these patriotic sportsmen, who keep up their target
practice with great zeal.

The weather has been very cool and pleasant.

I slept beautifully last night, and hope to to-night.

116 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Love to all at home. No letters yet ; two Advertisers

to-night, — 20th, 21st.

Affectionately,

W- F. B.

Did I tell you I went over to see the Twentieth yes-
terday ? Saw Patten, John Perry, and Dr. Hayward.
They are a mile and a half in rear of us.

July "25. . General of trenches to-morrow.
Relieved Colonel Thomas, who was at Pittsfield when I
went there first. He commands negro brigade. How
we drift together and separate in this world !

July 26. Brigade reviewed by General Ledlie. Did
not make very good appearance. Officers, even of old
regiments, ignorant. . Shell burst all around these

Headquarters in a very disagreeable way. I pray hourly
that I may be spared.

July 27. . Shells this p. m. come fearfully close.

Orders to be ready to move at a moment's notice. . .
God spare me for Agnes' sake and for dear mother's
sake ! I fear it will break their hearts if I am killed
here. That is what makes it all the harder for me,
thinking of their grief.

Headquarters First Brigade, First Division, Ninth A. C.
Before Petersburg, Va., July 27, 1864.

Yours of the 21st-24th reached me last evening. It

is pleasant to hear you talk, even at this distance, where

the sound of artillery and musketry is heard from the

time you wake till you sleep again. A stranger, if he

should at this moment be put down at my Headquarters

to make a little friendly visit, would hardly be prepared

to carry on a connected conversation with these mortar

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 117

shells bursting over and around him. At this very in-
stant one explodes, two — three — just over and in rear
of these tents. It is wonderful how we escape. The
pieces go humming in all directions. My stockade stops
all bullets, so that while behind that I am safe from
those. But these shells are inconveniently searching,
and dropped with a precision which would interest an
amateur (if he was iron-plated).

I don't know how long this thing is to continue.
The Second Corps crossed the James at Deep Bottom
this a. m. at daylight, and has met with some success, so
a telegram from Headquarters tells us. Taken four
guns, etc. My brigade is under orders to move at a
moment's notice, being in the reserve line to-day. (We
occupy the front line by brigades.) I should n't be very
sorry to leave this place. General Ledlie still commands
the Division. He has not been confirmed, but he ranks
me by appointment. He is not much liked by the of-
ficers of the Division, and it seems they hoped I was to
succeed him, but I think I had rather try a brigade be-
fore I venture any higher, although the whole Division
does not number so many as a full brigade of four regi-
ments should. I have six Massachusetts regiments and
one Pennsylvania.

I am glad McLaughlin has the Fifty-seventh. If he
fills it up it will make a good regiment.

I am to have Charlie Amory, of Jamaica Plains, for
A. A. General, a very good one, I am told. Tom Ste-
venson had him appointed for him. Frank Wells, of
H. U. 1864, I have asked to have commissioned in the
Fifty-seventh to make an aide of. He is a gentleman,
;lever I believe, and has seen a little service. There is

118 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.

quite a collection of alumni here. Mills, Jarvis, Weld,
1860; Shurtleff, Lamb, of 1861. Mills is to be made
Captain and A. A. G., I hear. I wish we were together
this warm day, and certainly don't wish that you were
here.

Paradoxical as it may seem, I have & floor to my tent
of " store boards," and a bunk of the same, with hay in
it. A meal at Corps Headquarters keeps fresh in your
memory the existence of ice, claret, etc. It is like griz
zly bear hunting. So long as you hunt the bear it is
very pleasant pastime ; but if the bear takes it into his
head to hunt you, it has its drawbacks. I hope I shall
pull through safely, Frank, and get to see you again ;
but when or where, is beyond my ken.

I think pbysically I shall be able to endure it, al-
though this siege work, which won't admit of the use of
a horse, but requires that you should move very lively
across certain localities marked " Dangerous," is pretty
severe.

I have much that I must leave unsaid, but not the
injunction to write me a, few lines when you can.

With kind remembrances to all your family,

I remain ever yours, Frank.

Friday, July 29. Very warm. . . Afternoon, sent
for, Division Headquarters. We storm the works to-
morrow at daylight. Our Division leads. I hardly dare
hope to live through it. God have mercy. . If I

tould only ride, or had two legs, so I could lead my
brigade, I believe they would follow me anywhere. I
will try as it is. God have pity on dear mother, Agnes,
and all loved ones. March the brigade at one and half

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 119

(July 30) through covered way to front line. Mine sprung
at 4.40. We rushed across the open field. I got up to
the enemy's works about as soon as any one. Got into
the crater. Took the first and second lines of the enemy.
Held them till after one, when we were driven back by
repeated charges. I fought them for an hour after they
held the whole line, excepting the crater where we were,
their flag within seven feet of ours across the work.
They threw bayonets and bottles on us, and we returned
for we got out of ammunition. At last, to save further
slaughter, there beiug no hope of our being rescued, we
gave it up. That crater during that day I shall never
forget. A shell knocked down a bowlder of clay on to
my wood leg and crushed it to pieces, killing the man
next me. I surrendered to General Mahone.

July 31. Slept on a field of stones last night, negroes
and all together, without any covering. Not cold.
Nothing to eat all this time. Start for town of Peters-
burg. I was carried in ambulance. My belt taken from
me by Captain Porter, Provost Marshal Hill's corps, the
thief. Put on small island near the South Side Railroad
depot. No shelter or food. I drink too much water.
Thirst makes me crazy. "We wouldn't treat cattle as
we are being treated. Slept on some straw to night ; de-
lirious all night. Very weak. I cannot touch the food,
— raw bacon.

August 1. Start this A. M. for Danville. Ride in
dirty freight cars. Got to Burkesville Junction about
Jine. Wait there all day long in heat and dirt. Am
getting weaker every hour. Train does not come for us
till nearly nine p. m. So full that I had to ride on nar-
row platform of last car, which was a passenger-car, the

120 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.

conductor's, but he would not let us go in it. So thre*.
of us sat on this place all night, — Colonel Marshall,
Captain Amory, and I, — the most horrible night I ever
passed. Could not sleep, all cramped up. Humane
treatment of a prisoner of my rank, sick and wounded.
Southern chivalry ! Reached Danville early.

Tuesday, August 2. Carried in a dirty wagon without
any cover to the prison, a filthy place, an old warehouse
and stores. We were on the first floor, about three
hundred, as thick as we could lie. No ventilation. I
saw the Doctor in the morning ; he said he would send
me to the hospital. I could not eat anything; am fever-
ish and so weak. No crutches. I have to be partly
carried, partly hop along, when I move. Ration issued,
corn bread, thick loaf, and bacon. I can't touch either;
still drink water. If I do not get away from here very
soon, I never shall. Wagon came for me about six, an
open wagon or cart, used to carry bacon in, all covered
with dirt and grease ; gravel spread on the bottom to
cover the grease ; ride over rough road to hospital ;
am in a tent, old and ragged, but airy; good breeze.
(Small-pox.)

Wednesday, 3d. Hospital outside Danville. The past
few days seem like a horrible dream which I can never
forget. The misery that I have suffered is more than I
can ever tell. I was brought here that night in a filthy
cart from the prison. I could not have lived there much
longer. I have a straw bed here and slept well last
night. Got some milk this morning. Pain in my
oowels very bad ; very weak. Sent for tooth-brush this
morn, by Doctor, $6. Milk, $1 pt. I suppose they are
rery anxious at home about me. I hope I shall be able

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 121

to write soon ; will try to write up the past few days.
Wagon sent for me to go back to prison — said I could
not go. Wrote a note to Major Morfit, commanding,
telling I was too weak. He let me stay. Took the
captain who was here.

Thursday, ith. Get no better, yet wrote to General
Lee and Secretary of War this morning, asking for my
exchange or parole. I lope the)' are not much worried
at home. I am glad 'hey do not know the truth.
Much pain still; bowels very weak; no appetite. No
one can ever know the misery that I have suffered the
past few days. I don't know how long I can endure
this. It seems to be my lot to suffer. I must not be
ungrateful for all God's mercies though, in sparing my
life.

Friday, 5th. No better. Wrote mother, hope it will
get through. Officers sent to Columbia, S. C, yester-
day. Find two or three old Eclectic Magazines to read,
Rogers's Poetical Works, and Caudle Lectures. I never
knew what silly things those were before.

Changed $50 U. S. for $200 C. S. currency.

Prisoners' Hospital,
Danville, Va., August 5, 1864.

Dear Mother, — I will write a few lines in the hope

that they may reach you at some time. You know, of

course, that I was taken prisoner, that my leg (wooden)

was crushed; the man next me was killed by the same

shell. I was very much used up and have been very

weak from diarrhoea since. I was brought from the

prison to this place night before last. The other offi-

sers were all sent to Columbia, S. C, yesterday, Colonel

122 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Weld and Captain Amory included ; so I am all alone
I shall be sent there when I am well enough, I suppose.
I am in a tent here, and have plenty of fresh air. I hope
no blame is given me for the failure of Saturday. I
certainly did all in my power. I held the pit with
hardly any force after the rest of the line had been re-
taken. The rebel flag was within six feet of mine, just
the ridge of dirt between, for nearly an hour. It was
impossible to withraw without sacrificing all the men, so
I held on as long as possible in hope of reinforcements.
The negroes were crowded into the same pit with us
when they retreated in such confusion, and we have
been treated worse, an account of being taken with them.
I shall get better here, I think. I don't suppose you
will be able to send me anything. Tufts, the Massachu-
setts Agent in Washington, will know. Write me. Not
more than one page is allowed, I believe. Address
Prisoner of War, Danville, Va. Has George got home
yet? And my horses? Take good care of Ned. I
made arrangements to have him sent home in case any-
thing happened to me. The Chaplain and Dr. White
promised to see to it. If you can send me a small box
with something to eat and drink, some tea and coffee,
I should like it. It might get to me. Send it through
Tufts, Massachusetts Agent in Washington. Send this
letter to A. P. I shall not be able to write any more at
present. I have Uncle Edwin's " letter " with me, and
may be able to use it. Don't be worried about me, I
shall be well soon. I shall get a pair of crutches made
bo I can get about soon. My half-dollar pocket-piece
did me good service ; brought me eight dollars confeder-
ate money, with which I bought a tooth-brush. Milk

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 123

two dollars qt., etc. My love to all. Let them write
me often ; some will get through.

Your affectionate son,

W. F. Bartlett.
Brigadier-general U. S. A., Prisoner of War.

(Envelopes, $8. a package.)

There has been some talk of exchanging sick and
wounded prisoners. I hope it will be effected.

August 6. Little better this morning ; shall try to
send this to-day. Write on one leaf, but send the whole
sheet and an envelope.

Ag. P., — I have the little red velvet case with me
all safe. Don't be worried about me. F.

Saturday, 6th. Dr. Hunter put certificate on my letter
to Secretary of War. Got dozen eggs to-day, $5.00 ;
feel little better to-day ; pain bowels still ; rain this
p. m. ; my tent all rags, open at both ends. Just a week
since I was taken ; what a week of misery.

Sunday, 1th. Beautiful Sabbath morning, 11 A. M. I
wonder if they, are at church now at home. It must
have been an anxious week for them, but they don't
dream of what I have been suffering, fortunately for
them. Doctor gives me some new pills ; my liver is de-
ranged. Read Moore ; wish I had my little Church Ser-
vice here, I could be reading the same lesson that Agnes
is this morning. Hattie's birth-day, 1 believe. I should
like to be at home to-day. Began to carve out a pipe
yesterday.

Monday, 8th. Letter to General Lee goes this morn-
ing, probably. Another wretched, painful, weary day.
Mustard poultice on bowels this morn. Never passed

12i MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

such a horrible night as last; awake all night, passing
blood freely. The doctor could n't know anything about
his business, and does n't care. Keeps giving me pills.
Bought pint of brandy, $25 ; miserable stuff. Apple
brandy, tastes like burning-fluid.

Tuesday, 9th. More comfortable night than the one
before, less pain ; continue to run off the same. Long,
long day ; three geutlemen called this p. m., one left a
few tomatoes. I can't eat them. Indeed, I don't eat
anything. Another sleepless, painful night to-night.
If I die here, I hope my friends (written 10th) will sift
the matter and learn the truth.

Wednesday, 10th. General Young, C. S. A., called to
see me this a. si., offered to take letter to Ould ; wrote
and sent down to him this p. m. Hope he will succeed.
I get no better, same pain. "Weaker every day. I can-
not last long at this rate. If I could only live to get
in our lines or to Baltimore, I would die contented.
Mother would be there.

This Dr. Hunter does n't take the slightest interest in
my getting well, or else his indifference is put on to con-
ceal his ignorance.

Danville Va., August 10, 1864.
Brig.-gen. W. F. Bartlett, U. S. A. : —

General, — I am directed by General Young to say to
you that he will take great pleasure in handing your
letter to Judge Ould in person, and that he will use
every means in his power to procure you an exchange,
»r parole of honor, immediately. If he should fail,
General Young will do everything in his power to alle-
viate your pain, or to promote your recovery.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 125

You will hear from General Young as soon as he has
seen Judge Ould.

I am, General,

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
I. Pincknet Thomas,

Lt. $ A. D. C.

Thursday, 11th. Doctor not come to-day, little loss.
I am little more comfortable, less discharges ; very, very
weak. If I go now I must go on stretchers. No sleep
after 12.

Friday, 12th. No better, no sleep after 12. Some
milk porridge this morning. My tongue is fearfully
coated, brown. Dr. Hunter just glanced at it and says,
" Oh, yes, your tongue looks better." I said I did not
agree with him.

Saturday, 13th. Worse and weaker to-day. No sur-
geon, no medicine, no food suitable. I shall not write
much more in this book. I hope it will reach home.
Letter from Amory at Columbia. Patrick McHugh,
Co. E., One-hundredth Illinois, has promised to take it.
Nothing from General Young.

The following entry appears to belong to this
time. It is pencilled on a fly-leaf of his pocket
diary, without a date : —

It is hard to die here without a single friend, not
even an officer of our army, to hold my hand and take
my last words. I hardly dare trust to my body or any-
thing else getting home.

Sunday, lAth. Felt a little better after sat up this
i.. M. ; have got a prayer-book, great comfort in it ; have

126 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRASCIS BARTLETT.

been reading it all the morning. Seventieth Psalm,
fourteenth day lesson. It is well they do not know how
miserable I am. Have been taking comfort from this
book all day ; have been praying for forgiveness and help.
I feel a little better to-day. God is very merciful. I
shall never forget this day. I believe I shall be a better
man if I live. I wonder if Agnes thought of me as she
read the service this morning. Better all through the
day.

Monday, \5th. Slept well last night. Better this
morning. My bowels are more quiet and give me less
pain. Doctor got bottle " blueberry wine " yesterday,
$ 20.00 ; poor stuff, some stimulant. Bead prayer-book
with more interest than I ever felt before. The change
was very sudden. Saturday night was the worst night
I ever had, yet Sunday morning I sat up and seemed to
feel better. Took calomel and opium pills and white-
oak-bark solution. I can hardly account for the change.
Mouth not so awfully dry as it has been. God is very
merciful and has heard my prayers.

Tuesday, 1 6th. Good night last. Feel better to-day.
Believe I have turned the corner and am improving —
such a change from my feelings Saturday. I hope I
shall continue to improve. Nothing from General Young
yet. It is very strange. I am not so impatient now
that I am getting better. It is not the horror of living
but of dying here, that troubles me.

Wednesday, 17th. Stronger still. Rain (last night)
came through the tent on to my face in torrents. Sit-
ting up all day, making rings, etc., of peach-stones.
Such a change, 1 can hardly realize it, nor be gratefu?
enough.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 127

Heavy rain and squall to-night ; all wet, bed and bed-
ding ; the tent is so open that it did not blow down.

Thursday, \%ih. Another long day, merely weary wait-
ing ; read a book on birds. I am improving still, gain-
ing strength. Manage to get milk and eggs and apples.
Wrote Agnes a few lines on scrap of paper. Rain every
day now. Get no news from outside, know nothing of
what is going on. I wish our government could see the
suffering that their delay and quibbling about exchange
is causing. Men dying every hour, reproving their gov-
ernment for forgetting them and letting them lie here.
In Georgia it is worse.

Friday, \§th. Another day gone. I am still improv-
ing. Walk out on crutches a few steps. Am very,
very weak. Rainy still. Major Morfit, commanding
prison, must have noticed the scrap of paper on which I
wrote Agnes, for to-day he sent me up several sheets of
note-paper with his compliments. Reading all day,
"Artist's Bride," Emerson Bennett. Poor trash. I
long to hear from home. I have an egg for break-
fast now, with some toast, and clover or hay tea; for
dinner, boiled rice which has to be examined; for sup-
per, baked apple and tea.

Saturday, 20th. Another day and week gone. Three
weeks to-night since my capture. It seems like three
months at least. What a difference though between my
condition now and one week ago ! I did not then ex-
pect to be alive now. My only hope was that my body
should get sent home. To-night I am well, getting
stronger every day. Walked out on crutches a little ;
very weak still. But how much I have to be grateful
for! I hope I may never forget it. I wish I could re-

128 MLMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

lieve their anxiety at home. And Agnes, I fear she
worries. I am glad they have not known the worst
They think I am safe and comfortably off, I expect.

Prisoners' Hospital,
Danville, Va., August 20, 1864.

My dear Mother, — I have been very ill with dys-
entery, consequent on the exposure after the over-exer-
tion and exhaustion on the 30th of July. I am still very
weak, but have turned the corner and am out of danger.
General Young, C. S. A., came to see me while I was
sick, and told me he would see Commissioner Ould when
he went to Richmond, and do all that he could to get
me sent to our lines (either exchanged or paroled),
where I could soon get well, or at least die among
friends. I have not heard from him yet. It is more
than a week, and as he promised to write as soon as he
saw Ould, I fear his letter must have miscarried. I am
not so anxious, now that I am getting better. Still I
hope we shall be exchanged before long. All the other
generals have been exchanged down at Charleston, S. C.
I shall probably go to Columbia, S. C, as soon as I get
well enough. I had a letter from Captain Amory from
there a few days ago. They are much more comfortable
there, and want me to come. I shall be glad to get any-
where, where I can have company. I walked out a few
steps on crutches to-day for the first time. I am still
very weak. I have heard nothing from our lines since
our capture. See Richmond paper occasionally. Give
my love to all at home, and to Aunt Carry and Uncle
Edwin. Send them a copy of this letter if it reaches
you. Much love, TV F. B.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 129

I hope my horses and all my things got home safely.
Dr. White promised to see to it.

August 23. Still improving and gaining strength.

W-

Sunday, 2\st. This has been rather a pleasant Sab-
bath day. I have so much to be grateful for. I had a
very good dinner. My appetite has returned. Have been
reading Prayer-book and Rogers's "Italy." To-night
smoked my first and only cigar, one that has been in my
coat-pocket all the time. Just six weeks ago to-night,
at this very time, I went to see Agnes at the homestead.
Where shall I be six weeks hence? In our lines? I
fear the hope is vain. I wonder if they have been think-
ing of me at home to-day as much as I have of them.
I expect they have not as much spare time. Perhaps
they think that now I am out of danger, and on the
whole it 's rather a good thing ! !

Monday, 22d. Evening. Mark off another day ; one
day nearer home and liberty. Read " Villette ; " don't like
it much. My friend Jones brought me some nice beans
for dinner from the garden. I gave him some sugar in
return. To-night he brought me some peaches. Ru-
mors of fighting going on. Oh, what would n't I give
for a New York or Boston paper to-night, or a letter.
If I had two legs, I would not stay here long. Played
chess to-day with Pat. He beats me. I cannot get
interested in it. He beats me at checkers too. I be-
lieve I am getting stupid. I must get where I can have
somebody congenial to talk with. I dread the journey
to Columbia, two days. What are they doing at home
to night? I wish I could look in, invisible.
9

130 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Tuesday, 23rf. Another day gone without incident.
Holden, who has been in charge of the hospital here, a
private in Twenty-third Va., has gone home on a fur-
lough. I must remember him, he has been very friendly.
"Waters is now in charge. Beat Pat two games chess
to-day. I am out of reading. Have taken the Bible. I
find it interesting, " Joshua." Herman Viertel, my
Dutchman, washed my pants and handkerchiefs to-day.
I have sat in deshabille meantime. Kanna, a man of
West Virginia, a prisoner, has been entertaining me
with some accounts of his adventuring. If I had paper
I would write down things that I hear and see from day
to day. It would make a very interesting book. I
must try to remember them all. I fear I shan't do jus-
tice to some of them.

Wednesday, 2ith. Good-by one more day. Major
Morfit up here this eve ; looked in to see me ; thinks my
chance for exchange just as good here as at Columbia.
I don't know how much he knows about it, but I think
very little. Apropos, an epigram occurs.

Our jailer bears the name of Morfit
A name on which if any saw fit
By making rhymes his life to forfeit
He 'd swear By Allah and the Prophet
For nothing was this Major more fit.

Thursday, 25th. Very warm to-night. We have had
Borne success on the Weldon Railroad. They have
stopped our wheat bread ; nothing but this coarse corn
bread for these sick men. It will kill them at a fearful
rate ; indeed, it is beginning to appear in the number of
corpses that are carried by my tent to-day. Many will
die to-night, the ward-master tells me. God have mercy

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 131

on their souls, and console and sustain and protect theirs
at home ! I had a good dinner to-day, chicken broth.
Madigan, whom I have won with the filthy lucre, se-
cured it for me. He is one of the cooks here. My
friend Jones of the garden brought his flour biscuits to-
night. He 's a trump.

Friday, 26th. This morning after breakfast, Waters
came to my tent and told me he had an order from Ma-
jor Morfit, to send me to his office to go to Richmond !
Can it be exchange ? If so, God has quickly heard and
answered my prayers. I got my baggage together, a
cotton haversack, my cane, and wooden foot. In the
first I have some tea and hard bread, in the latter noth-
ing ! I was carted to Major Morfit in the same old wagon,
without springs, waited at his office till seven, when went
to the train, waited on the platform till nine. Then the
train came jammed full, no lights, do seats, one man
with me as guard. I must leave a description of this
night for some other place.

Saturday, 27th. Of course awake at daylight. Reached
Burkesville Junction shortly after, where we lay in the
sun all one day, en route to Danville. Reach Richmond
at nine. In Richmond at last. Saw Ould. To go
North by first flag truce boat! ! I wish they knew it at
home this night. Meantime I go to " Libby," and here
I am in Libby Prison Hospital, rather comfortably off.
Sedgwick, Twentieth, here. I shall sleep to-night after
last night's experience. How can I be grateful enough
to God for his great mercy.

Sunday, 28<A. Quiet, pleasant day. I live compara-
tively well here, and am quite comfortable. More pris-
oners come in to-day. Lieutenant-colonel Walker, Han-

132 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

tock's Assistant Adjutant-general, brought in recaptured
taken first at Beams Station; got within thirty yards
of our pickets on James, which he swam. Tells me
Macy is badly hurt. I dreamt it a week ago. Patten
lost a leg. Walker was dressed in rags and filth, but
how undisguisable the gentleman is. I was very much
taken with him. He knew me, but I had never seen
him. Roast mutton for dinner. I am treated with
marked consideration just now for some reason or other.
The surgeon marked for me good diet.

Libby Prison (HosriTAL),

Richmond, Auyust 28, 1864.
Dear Mother, — I was sent here from Danville on
Friday night. Traveled all night. I arrived here yes-
terday morning ; went to see Colonel Ould. I am •• to
be sent North by first flag of truce boat," so I hope I
may reach home before this letter does. I am still very
feeble and shall not be fit for duty for several months.
Nor then for active field duty. I am very well treated
here ; * as Colonel Ould said to me, " Libby is not half
bo bad as it has been represented."

Hoping to see you soon, I am ever your affectionate
son, W. F. Bartlett,

Brigadier General U. S. A.

Monday, 29th. Pleasant, comfortable day. Nothing
new. Read " Heart of Mid-Lothian." Played chess,
Captain Adams, Fifty-sixth. Sedgwick, Twentieth, is
here ; not well, looks badly. Very homesick I expect.

1 He told his mother afterwards that the statement as to good
treatment was inserted to meet the contingency of the openino- of
his letter.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 133

I hope the flag of truce boat will be here by Wednesday.
Still improving in health. I shall be quite well by the
time I get home if I keep on, and the boat does n't come
for a month or two !

Tuesday, 2>0th. This morning a letter was put in my
hands, directed in father's well-known hand, from mother,
dated August 3d. It was a comfort to get it, although
of so old a date. She says F. "VV- P. had written ; that
I have not received. My horses I trust are sent home
ere this. Dr. White promised to send them. George
should have known enough to have started for home
with all my other things.

Wednesday, 31st. The boat is here. We shall go to-
morrow I expect. To-day the steward brought me a
note from Arthur, who is tip stairs. I sent to Major
Turner, asking to let him come down. I had no idea
he was here. Everybody is anxious to-night, hoping it
may be his turn to-morrow. I shall leave Arthur every-
thing that I can. I trust this is my last night in this
horrible place. I want to be in Baltimore by Sunday.
Home and Saratoga by week after. A week at Sara-
toga would do me more good than all the medicine in
the world.

Thursday, September 1. Off at last. I gave Arthur
all that I had, money, etc., gave him a good breakfast
with me, took note for J. D., borrowed $20 of Captain
Fox, Thirty -fourth Massachusetts, gave Arthur $10,
Sedgwick $10, Arthur my watch-chain. He is very
well. Twenty other officers go. Go down to boat in
ambulances of boards. An order comes from Colonel
Ould. i" cannot go. It is a bitter, bitter blow after get-
ting so far. I must go back to prison. Ould says Gen-

134 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.

eral Walker was not sent up. There is some other
reason, I think. This is a sad disappointment. My heart
Binks at coming back here. I must wait patiently and
believe He doeth all things for the best. Poor mother,
if she only knew !

Friday, 2d. I have learned to play cribbage, it helps
to pass the time. I was not allowed even to send mes-
sages by those other officers who went yesterday. If I
do not go by the next boat I shall give up.

Try to communicate with Arthur ; failed. He will feel
awfully about it. He was so glad to think I was going
home.

Saturday, 3d. I am getting very well, my face is not
so thin as when I came here. I am stronger much. I
am reading " Harry Lorrequer," etc. I wonder where
everybody is of those I love. Agnes is at home. The
rest of the family must have returned from Swampscott.
We are all at home. Sallie is in Baltimore, etc. I think
Miss Wyeth has hardly ventured to leave 129 this sum-
mer. Got word to Arthur to-day.

Sunday, 4th. Cloudy, dull day. Morning, read the
service from eleven to twelve. I wish I could look in
on them at home to-day. I hope they have got some of
my letters, and have got the horses home. To-day I was
to have been in Baltimore and comfort and freedom, but
here I am still in misery, a prisoner. I have so much
to be grateful for, it would be base to murmur at my
lot. How much worse it might have been ! Not so
well to-day. No exercise, no out of doors, is beginning
to tell.

Monday, 5th. One day is like another. I play crib-
page with Sedgwick, or chess occasionally. The papers

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 185

say a boat is expected to-morrow. I don't look for it
till Sunday or Monday.

Tuesday, Qth. McClellan is nominated by the Chicago
convention for president. I fear there is not much
chance of his being elected. I don't like the names that
he is associated with.

Wednesday, lih. Atlanta is ours. The rebel papers
think it is n't a place of any importance after all. The
boat is expected daily. I am patient until Monday, 12th.

Thursday, 8th. My chance of going depends on Gen-
eral Walker's coming, I suppose. I shall be able to send
some message this time, at least. Some officers will go.
Rainy, cold.

Friday, 9th. Have been a little feverish (typhoid) for
a day or two ; took dose of quinine last night. Arthur
came down to-day. He is pretty well.

Saturday, 10th. (August 23. What wouldn't I give
for the promise that I should be at Saratoga with uncle
and aunt by this date ! Nous verrons. I shall probably
be in Columbia, S. C.) If I had only got away when I
started, the above wish might have been fulfilled ! It
is too late, even if I go Monday. The boat is up ; no
particulars. I hope I may get off, but hardly expect it.
Arthur is coming down from up stairs to-day.

Sunday, Wth. The boat goes to-morrow. Officers
permanently disabled are to be sent. My rank will
prevent my going under that head. I must expect to
be disappointed again. General Walker has not been
Bent up. Again my hopes and plans go overboard.
Wrote few lines to mother and Agnes ; sent by Cotting.
Sedgwick goes, promised to call see father. I have
made up my mind to wait.

136 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Libby Prison Hospital,, September 11, 1864.
Dear Mother, — I write this to send by some of-
ficer who goes by this flag of truce boat. I don't know
whether any of my letters have reached you or not. I
have sent three or four. I was sent to Richmond from
Danville, August 26, to be exchanged, and was to have
been sent north by first boat. The boat came Sep-
tember 1. I was carried down with the other officers in
the ambulance, got on board the boat, and then an order
came for me to go ashore again and back to prison.
Commissioner Ould said I could not go because the
(rebel) General Walker, for whom I was to be ex-
changed, had not been sent up. So back to prison I
came. It was a bitter disappointment, as you can im-
agine. I could not even send you messages by the offi-
cers who went, or to Major Mulford, our Agent of Ex-
change, to send General Walker by the next boat. I
hardly dare hope I shall get off on this boat. I suppose
it will depend on Walker's being sent up. I got your
letter of August 3 on the 30th, the only letter I have
had. I have been very sick, but am better. Arthur is
up stairs ; he is very well indeed. I was surprised to
find him here. I hope my horses and all my things are
6afely at home long before this. They should have been
sent at once. Dr. White promised to attend to it.

I am comparatively comfortable in this hospital. The
suffering among the prisoners here and farther south is
too horrible to speak of. It is a disgrace to our govern-
ment that they do not make a general exchange. The
rebel government is ready and willing to do it, on almost
any terms. I hope I shall get away before long. I am
improving in health, and so am not so anxious as I was

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 137

when so low with dysentery. Give my love to all. It
is useless for me to write, except by some officer going
North, or else I should often (if I could get the paper).
Hoping you are all well, I remain ever,

Your affectionate son, W- F. B.

Let Uncle Edwin and A. P. know that you have
heard from me, if you get this. Let Arthur's father and
mother know that he is in splendid health and spirits.
I got permission for him to come down and see me the
other day, when I expected to go away. Gave him a
good breakfast, and all the money, etc., that I had left.
I am going to have him come down again to-day.

Much love to all, W-

I wish you would give Mr. Cotting twenty dollars, as
a present, for me. He has been very kind to me while
I have been here. W F. B.

Monday, \~2lh. The boat goes this morning. Thirty
officers went. It was hard to see them go and think
that in twelve hours they would be under the old flag.
I hope I shall not see another load go away without me.
I am more contented than I was the last time. Arthur
being here makes it very pleasant. We play cribbage,
talk, smoke, and study Spanish together ; the time passes
very quickly. I shall try and keep him down here as
long as I can.

Tuesday, \3th. I have moved out into a quiet corner
of the ward; his bed is next mine. Fisher and Brady
next. A select party. It is a different thing altogether
having Arthur here. I don't feel badly about not going

138 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

now. I try not to think of it. Play poker this evening
until twelve, first night I have been up so late for a long
time. Twenty to Brady. Cold night — sleep well. I
am very grateful to God for all his goodness. I am
well, comfortable, and in good spirits. How much worse
off I might be.

Wednesday, 14<A. A letter from F. W P. at dinner,
September 2. Says father told him I had been ex-
changed as it was arranged. Tells me of Arthur's cap-
ture. Arthur and I were eating a good dinner together
when it was received. The time passes much more
quickly than it did. Beautiful moonlight nights now,
too bad to be shut up within prison bars. I hope the
next moon I shall see on salt water. I am tired of see-
ing it reflected on this river and canal. My leg pains
me a great deal to-day and to-night. We play poker —
six.

Thursday, \bth. It was just a month ago yesterday
that I began to mend and get well. Oh, how grateful
I am for the mercies of this past month ! I have suffered
two awful disappointments, but when I think how much
worse it might have been, I can only be thankful and
patient. A year ago I was at Pittsfield, just going to
Saratoga. What a pleasant time I had. That is past
for this year. I am still very anxious about my horses
— wish I knew they were safe at home. They are
safe anywhere so long as Tieman is with them. At the
Learn eds' one year ago.

Friday, \§th. I wish I could get home this month on
many accounts. The next boat is due a week from to-
day. Make a little charm of peach-stone. Play poker
in evening till ten. Fisher keeps us splitting with

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 139

laughter all the time. Not very well to-day. Beautiful
night, full moon, too pleasant to be in this place. I
cannot get my bowels regular. It is now nearly two
months since they have been so.

Saturday, 11th. Beautiful day. Oh, it is too bad to
lose all this lovely weather. This week has passed very
quickly. Arthur's being here accounts for it. We play
poker every evening. Another hitch in the exchange
question between Hood and Sherman. It is very dis-
heartening for the poor men.

Sunday, lQth. Chilly day. Read service all the morn-
ing. Had no book to read. Quite unwell to-day, very
weak.

Monday, 19th. Pleasant day. Just two months since
I left "Washington. It seems like two years. I hope
the end of this month will find me at home, or at least,
at liberty. Colonel Hooper came down to see me last
week. He is very well. I am to go and see his mother
when I get home. One year ago I was at Albany, on
my way to Saratoga with Mr. Learned.

Tuesday, 20th. Beautiful day. The Sergeant in one
of his whims has not been out to buy anything for us
for several days, so that we have been short. We are
dependent entirely on the whim of this low, ugly-dispo-
Bitioned brute. This steward can't manage him as well
as Cotting used to. Wrote F. W P. to send by boat.

Libby Prison Hospital,

.Richmond, September 20, 1864.

It was a happy surprise to me to get your letter o/

the 2d, a day or two since. It came through by the last

ioat. It is the only letter I have had, excepting one

140 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

from home (August 3d), since I was captured. You
did n't think when you wrote, telling me of Arthur's cap-
ture, that we should be sitting vis-a-vis partaking the
frugal meal together, when it reached me. Such was
the case. After I had been here in hospital five or six
days, I received a scrap of paper on which was written a
hasty salutation from Arthur. Imagine my surprise,
not having heard of his misfortune. As I was expect-
ing to go by the boat which went the next day, I asked
to have him allowed to come down and see me. He
came the next morning, just as I was going. I left with
him all the money, etc., that I had, and bade him good-by.
After going to the boat in ambulance, and getting nicely
on board, an order came from Colonel Ould that I must
go back to prison. I could not go until General "Walker
was sent up, etc. There was nothing to be said. I
could not help thinking that it would at least have been
considerate in Ould to have spared me the disappoint-
ment of going down on board the boat, to return again
to prison, when he had no intention of letting me go.
When I came to Richmond from Danville and reported
to him, he said I was " to be sent North by first flag
of truce boat," and so endorsed the order sending
me here. Nothing was said about its depending upon
Walker's coming up, and I believe that was an after-
thought. It was a sad disappointment to come back
within these prison walls and bars after getting so far
on my road to liberty. I looked forward then to the
next boat, but was doomed to disappointment again.

I hope the next one, which will be here the last of
this week, will bring Walker and take me away. In-
deed I hope more than I expect. If I was well, I should

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 141

not be so impatient, and am not so anxious now as when
I was so very ill. The Surgeon at Danville recom-
mended that I be exchanged, as I was in a criti-
cal condition, and " if I recovered would not be fit for
duty for many months." I am safely through, though,
thank God. The thought of dying there in that hos-
pital, with no one to speak to, not a siugle officer of our
army in the place, no one to whom I could trust either
effects or messages, was pretty hard to bear. I shall
have much to tell you when we meet, which time, I
pray, is not far distant. It is a great comfort to me,
having Arthur here. He is shamming sick in order to
stay here in hospital, where he is of course much more
comfortable than '"in quarters." He is very well in-
deed, and in excellent spirits. I am very anxious to
hear from home of many persons, especially Macy. I
heard that he was seriously injured internally by his
horse falling on him, and Patten has lost a leg ! I am
very sorry for him ; hope it is not above the knee. Poor
Charlie Peirson, his death was very sad. I fear there
must be others that I have not heard of yet.

I write this to send by some officer who goes by the
next boat. I don't know whether letters sent through
the regular channels reach you. They certainly do not
reach us. This is contraband, but can easily be smug-
gled inside a man's coat-lining. I fear you will have
trouble in deciphering it. I shall write mother by this
boat, but you might let them know that you hear from
me in case theirs should miscarry. I am doing com-
paratively well, remember, and am ready to endure it
«s long as may be necessary. My experience, I suppose.

142 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

wouldn't have been considered complete without this
phase.

Remember me to any who have not forgotten me.

Ever yours,

Frank B.

September 20th. The papers say that the boat is up
and General Walker on board, so I may get off this
time. If not, I shall give up.

Wednesday, 21st. The first thing I heard this morning
was, " We shall lose the General." I opened my eyes
and Arthur said, "Have you got your valise packed?
The papers say that the boat is up and General Walker
on board." So I hope to go by this boat. This may " go
back " on me again, but it would be very mean. I shall
hope to go. The boat goes Friday. Played poker,
evening. I am about $40 ahead ; shall leave it with
Arthur and Brady.

Thursday, 22d. Nothing about the boat to-day. I
shall get letter ready to send in case I do not go. After-
noon, told that the boat would go to-morrow. Ross told
me I was going ; shall not feel certain till I am under
the flag. Play poker and settle accounts ; I am about
$40 ahead ; give it to Brady, who was behind.

Friday, 23c?. The boat does not go this morning, some
delay, to-morrow now. To-night the roll is brought in
for us to sign. My name leads it again. Fisher the
flanker is down to go. Brady goes too. Arthur alone
of the quartette is left. The last night in Libby ! I
was taken with a bad diarrhoea, up all night, very weak.

Saturday, 24th. Off again. I am so ill I can hardly
stand. Bade Arthur good-by — left him my chain,

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 143

etc., again. On the Allison. I expected every moment
a summons to go on shore again. Off at last, twenty
minutes before 10 A. si., down the James. Ashore at
Varina. A grasp of a friendly hand, Major Mulford.
A short ride, and there floats the old flag. May I never
lose sight of it again. I am too ill to eat. Comfort-
able bed and state room — lie at landing all night.

Winchester, September 24, 1864.

My dear Sir, — It is with the greatest relief and
pleasure that I think how soon you are likely to have
your son, the General, with you again, bringing home
fresh laurels, with which he might well be content, if it
were for ambitious ends that he entered the service of
the country. But we know that he will be satisfied with
nothing short of doing his utmost for the nation ; and
that he has surely done ; at least, I cannot conceive that
he should be fit for service for many months to come.

Few outside of his immediate family can rejoice more
at his safe return than I do, little as I can hope to see
of him. I feel that this is a better world while my
former colonel is in it.

I beg that you will express to Mrs. Bartlett the sym-
pathy which Mrs. "Winsor and I feel for you in your
great happiness ; though its expression is somewhat
tardy, its existence is real.

Very truly and respectfully yours,

Frederick Winsor.

Sunday, 25th. Major Mulford tells me mother is at
Baltimore. Father has been down to Fortress Monroe.
I was exchanged early in August, and to think how near
I came to never being exchanged ! Arrive at Fortress

144 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Monroe half past five ; tug comes out. Is General Bart-
lett on board ? Yes, from fifty voices, and I am carried •
over the side and meet Charles Manning1 on board
Adelaide; hear all the news from Charlie. Good bed,
etc. ; talk late.

Monday, 26th. Reach Baltimore early, drive to 129.
Mother there. . Better this morning, ate good
breakfast, can't stand it. Dr. Baxley comes. Must go
on very low diet. " With care can get well in six
months/ " Pleasant prospect, still I am in God's coun-
try once more, and that is everything. Mother tells me
all about Agnes ; three letters from her, one from Win-
throp. Dear Agnes.

Tuesday, 27th. Do not go down stairs. I am weaker
than I supposed. Dr. B. is very serious. I hope to dis-
appoint him and be well in half the time that he says.
We leave for New York to-morrow. Agnes is there.
I had hoped to be well enough to go about there, but
must now keep the house.

Wednesday, 28th. Long, weary, trying ride to New
York. I thought I should have to give it up at Phil-
adelphia, but we are well through. Uncle Ed. and Aunt
Carry here. Agnes came in the evening. I saw her in
the little dining-room. It almost repays one for the
misery and pain, this meeting. Can it be possible that
I am here again, It is too good to be true

Never let me forget God's mercy to me undeserving.

Thursday, 29th. Agnes came again this morning. 1

have to keep my bed, very weak. Dr. Van Buren alters

my diet and medicine. Agnes sat by my bedside. Too

much to think of to talk much. Many callers and cards.

1 His brotlior-in-law

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 145

I see no one but the family. Agnes here in the evening,
6hort time.

Friday, 30th. Agnes came again this morning. She
had a pleasant visit to Winthrop. I wish I had been
there. She passed the evening with me. These are
very happy days, it makes up for everything.

Saturday, October 1st. Agnes goes to-day. I am not
well enough to go my way; shall wait till Monday.
She came this morning, bade good-by, — 't is not so
hard as the last time.

Sunday, 2d. Long day. Went down stairs to Aunt
Carry's in evening. Dr. Van Buren says I must not do
anything for six months at least. Wrote short note to
Agnes.

Monday, 3d. Cannot go to-day. To-morrow. Tel-
egraph to father. Miss Adams goes on with us. Down
stairs in evening.

Tuesday, Ath. Leave this afternoon for Boston, via
Stonington. Horrid route. I am not in the humor for
travelling at best.

Wednesday, 5th. Cars at seven, delay at Providence,
6low train, reach Boston at one. Carriage, Anna at
depot. Drive directly out. All glad to see me of course.
Shown to my room — should not know it, beautifully
furnished and adorned. Bookcase and desk from Agnes.

Thursday, 6th. Saw Ned and Billy last night. My
room looks very well. My swords huug in trophy. A
set of Prescott complete, from Uncle Ed. and Aunt
Carry. Paper knife from Miss Adams. This desk is
just what I wanted.

Friday, 1th. This being at home again is delicious ;
comfort and rest. May I never be separated from it
10

146 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

again by such an impassable barrier as that line of hos-
tile bayonets !

Saturday, 8th. Short note from Agnes in one o1
Anna's. Cattle-fair week there. I remember two years
ago very well.

Sunday, 9th. Beautiful day. Family go up to church.
Anna stays at home with me. Wrote Agnes in morn-
ing. Anna told me about their visit here.

Monday, 10th. Sent long letter to Agnes. Down
stairs in evening. Anna reading " Pendennis."

Tuesday, 11th. Letter from Agnes. Wrote E. C.
Adams, C. J. Mills, Brady, Mrs. Bramhall. Anna read
Prescott's review of Lockhart's " Life of Scott."
Arthur Curtis is released. Mulford kept his word. Dr.
White came down. Bought " Napier's Peuinsulai
War."

October 13, 1864.

I don't need to tell you that T am, and have been, im
patient to see you, but I have not seen any one, and am
not allowed to write, my eyes sharing with the rest of
my system a prostration which is something quite new
to me. My surgeons put on very grave faces, and tell
me I must have perfect rest and quiet, with careful
treatment, diet, etc., for six months, and predict very
unpleasant things otherwise. I propose to disappoint
them in regard to time. . . W F. B.

Wednesday, 12th. Went to Boston. Bought carpet,
table and cloth, brackets, etc. A beautiful bust of Gari-
baldi by Pietro Stefani. It is the best likeness that I
ever saw. Horse-car smashed carryall. Saw many
that I knew. Boston looks very gay.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 147

Thursday, 13th. Rain-storm. Wrote letters. Ar-
thur is out. Home to-night. Mulford kept his word.
Notes from Ben and F. W. P.

Friday, 14th. Rainy. Letter from Agnes at Copake.
Table and brackets came to-day.

Saturday, 15th. Rainy. Do not go to town,

Sunday, lQth. Sweet, long letter from my darling.
Wrote this afternoon.

Monday, 17th. Went to town, saw Ben and F. W P.,
Murray, many people. Saw Dr. Bigelow. Sent letter
to Agnes.

Friday, 21st. Put my leg on this morning, not very
comfortable yet. Three years ago to-day, Ball's Bluff.
Wrote Dr. J. Monroe, 560 Hudson St., New York, about
his leg.

Saturday, 22d. Had to go to bed this p. M. Bad
headache, etc., etc. Letter from Agnes, do not read it
to-night. Sent letter to Agnes.

Sunday, 23d. Keep my bed all day — read Agnes'
letter. It is rather discouraging, this slipping up so
often. I don't make any improvement.

Monday, 2ith. Dr. Bigelow is not at home. Sat up
to-day. Cannot read or be read to, it makes my head
ache.

Tuesday, 25th. Sit up. Not much better.

Wednesday, 26th. Little better; bad headache if I
hear reading or use my eyes.

Thursday, 21th. Dr. Crane came to see me.

Friday, 28th. Rain-storm. Sent letter to Agnes.
Frank Palfrey comes down. Very pleasant evening.
I smoked a " Manilla." Told him of my engagement,
ttc. Letter from leg man, New York.

148 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

For the remainder of the year 1864, there was
little that was noteworthy in his life. He re-
mained at his home at Winthrop for the most
part, but he made frequent excursions to Boston,
and one visit of several days to New York, where
he met his fiancee, and passed most of his time
with her. He rode occasionally, drove often, re-
ceived and made many visits, and passed much
time in reading and letter-writing. His health
improved upon the whole, but slowly. On the
12th of November he wrote : " I am very much
encouraged by my condition the last few days,
very little pain, no diarrhoea." The condition of
his stump also improved with his general condi-
tion, and he was able to wear his old wooden leg,
and also a new one which he procured at this
time, with more comfort than before. On Thanks-
giving Day, November 24, he wrote : " How
much I have to give thanks for on this day.
That I am here, as well as I am. When I think
of what easily might have been ! " and on the
last day of the year : —

" So ends 1864, an eventful year for me in more ways
than one. May the end of 1865 find me alive and well,
* better man, and more deserving of God's mercy and
goodness and the love of my darling Agnes. "

On the 16th of January, 1865, his engagement
to Miss Mary Agnes Pomeroy, of Pittsfield, Mas-
sachusetts, was formally announced at a great fes-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 149

tival at The Homestead, the residence of her father,
Mr. Robert Pomeroy, upon the occasion of his
silver wedding. He passed the winter and spring
of 1865 at his home and at Pittsfield. He was
much out of health, suffering constantly from his
prison dysentery and from weakness. He applied
ior duty on the 13th of April, but nothing came
of ihe application for some time. In the follow-
ing May, he recorded in his journal that he was
" much better than since last July " ; and on the
23d of that month he made another and formal
application to the War Department, accompany-
ing his letter with a surgeon s certificate that he
was able to return to duty.

On the 1st of June he commanded the mili-
tary escort of the great procession which that day
filled the streets of Boston, upon the occasion of
the ceremonies commemorative of the late Presi-
dent Lincoln ; and those who saw him then are not
likely to forget the striking appearance he pre-
sented as he rode, in full uniform, at the head of
his column of many thousand men of the three
irms.

On the 9th of June he received his orders from
the War Department to report without delay to
the General commanding the Ninth Corps, for
duty. He arrived in Washington on the 13th, and
reported himself at the War Department the same
day. On the 19th of June he took command of
%he First Division of the Ninth Corps, at Tenally-
town, near Washington.

150 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Headquarters First Division, Ninth Corps,
Near Washington, June 26, 1865.

Why should n't I send you a few lines this rainy af-
ternoon, to tell you where I am and what doing ? I was
very sorry not to see you before I came away, but you
had gone out of town. I got my orders Friday after-
noon, and left two p. m. Saturday, — rather a short time
in which to break up a seven months' camp. I was not
able to see any one, of course ; but good-by now was a
much less serious matter, and more easily omitted, than
it was seven months ago. I hope you and your wife are
out of town by this time, enjoying fresh air and exer-
cise.

I am rather pleasantly situated. I am commanding
the First Division of the Corps. My headquarters are
in a lovely oak grove, a few (2^) miles out from George-
town, on the Tenallytown Road, the old Rockville Pike
which we knew of old. I am just a little off the road,
in tents. I prefer sleeping in a tent, although there is
a very good house near by at my service.

The temperature out here under these trees is a very
different thing from the fiendish heat of that wretched
town that consists of the President's house and the Capi-
tol. I was there a week before I came out here, and it
nearly killed me.

My Division lies up the road towards Tenallytown
— three brigades, well situated for water, slope, and air.
One brigade is commanded by a brigadier, the other two
by colonels. I found the command in rather a slack
state of discipline. No attention paid to guard-duty or
drill. It is natural that men should feel, now that the
war for which they enlisted is over, that there is no fur-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 151

ther need of discipline, and that the strict performance
of guard-duty any longer is needless. (I only name
guard-duty as one of the points by which you judge of a
regiment's " breeding " and efficiency.) In this they are
rather encouraged by a certain class of officers, — you
well know what I mean if I say the Le Barnes school,
— and this feeling of expectancy and uncertainty about
getting mustered out is prejudicial to discipline.

I had all the regimental and brigade commanders here
the other night, and gave them a lecture of an hour and
a half. You would have smiled to see me laying down
the law, surrounded by about twenty of these old birds.
I fancy it woke them up, for I have been pleased to see
a marked change for the better already.

It seems funny to be here on this old road, in com-
mand of a Division, where I marched up under your
baton not many months ago on foot. I intend to ride
up to Poolesville as soon as the weather is a little cooler,
if we remain here, and going over to Ball's Bluff and
Leesburg. I wish you would come out and go too.

Charlie Whittier and Macy were over to see me the
other day. Whit, is the same fair boy as ever. I sup-
pose the Army of the Potomac will be dissolved soon ;
an order will soon be out mustering out "veterans,"
which will reduce it very much.

Miss Jennie Turnbull proposes to convert me from
my dislike to "Washington, so that I shall never want to
go away from here after a little while. I should like to
" give odds " on it.

Dear Frank, this is n't a very satisfactory letter.
There are many things that I have to talk with you
about.

152 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Remember me to all yours. Let me have a line from
you when you have a spare half hour, and believe me,
Always yours, Frank.

On the 2d of July, he speaks of seeing General
Parke, the Corps commander, and of his telling
him that all the troops in the Department were to
be mustered out, and he adds " I do not care how
soon I go. I find I am not able to stand it." The
hot weather was especially trying to him. He
left his command on the 14th July, when his
Division was broken up, and that was the last of
his actual service, though, through the kindness
of Mr. Stanton, the Secretary of War, he was not
mustered out of the military service till a much
later date. The following correspondence in re-
lation to a leave of absence which he desired,
though a little later in date than the letter which
immediately follows it, may conveniently be in-
serted here.

(Confidential.)

16 Bkoad Street, Boston, August 9, 1865.

Hon. E. M. Stanton : —

Dear Sir, — You were kind enough to say to me a
few weeks ago, when I called to pay my respects to you
before leaving Washington, that you would be glad to do
anything for me at any time. I take you at your word,
and ask you frankly for advice on a subject which has
been suggested by some of my friends, in the army and
■>ut.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 153

They are desirous that I should visit Europe bufore I
leave the army, — that I should be there while an officer
of the U. S. Volunteers, — and wish me to apply for a
six months' leave of absence. You are aware that I lost
my leg in the first year of the war, and have been in the
service (active) ever since, being badly wounded again
at the assault on Port Hudson in the arm and other
foot (where my conduct caused you to offer me a bri-
gadier-general's commission), and again in the "Wilder-
ness. My health was very much impaired by my im-
prisonment last summer, and I have not been well since,
although on duty in command of the First Division,
Ninth Corps, until within a few weeks, after I was fit for
any duty. I have not sought for assignment to anj' duty
since the muster-out of the troops, for I knew there
were a hundred applicants for every one place, and I
did not care to swell the number. I am at home, await-
ing orders. I thought I would take you at your word,
sir, and instead of sending a formal application for this
leave, backed by such influence as I might command,
I would simply ask you what favor such a request
would meet with from you.

Colonel Conolly, Adjutant-general (late) of forces in
Canada, is desirous that I should visit England while I
am still in the army.

Will you be kind enough to tell me your views on the
subject, and whether you will grant such a request?

I should expect to be mustered out at the expiration
of the leave unless my services were required, which is
not probable.

Even if the leave were to be on half or without pay,
trom the time when I should otherwise be mustered out,

154 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

it would meet the wishes of my friends, as far as still
being in the service is concerned. Hoping for an an-
swer as frank as my statement to you is, I remain, very
respectfully and sincerely,

Your obedient servant,

W. F. Bartlett, Brigadier-general.

War Department,
Washington City, August 12, 1865.

Dear Sir, — Your note of the 9th inst. reached
me this morning, and the Adjutant-general has been
directed to give you six months' leave of absence with
the privilege to go beyoud the limits of the United
States. I would be glad to continue the pay, but it
would lead to so many applications of a similar nature
as to become necessary perhaps to revoke alL The
question of pay therefore can remain suspended, but it
is probable that the service will require the absence to
be without pay. Yours truly,

Edwin M. Stanton.
Brevet Major-general Bartlett,
16 Broad Street, Boston.

(Draft of answer.)

August 19, 1865.

Dear Sir, — I cannot express to you my apprecia-
tion of and thanks for your very kind note of the 12th,
in which you so graciously grant my request for leave
of absence. I cannot forget your kindness in this mat-
ter, and shall try not to forfeit your favorable considera-
tion.

You addressed me as Brevet Major-genera/, and I
have been informed that such a brevet had been rec-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 155

ommended, and that Mr. S. had written to you con
cerning its confirmation, but I have not received any
official notice of it, and the leave is made out for Brig-
adier-general. In the matter of pay, you have said
all that I could expect, and I am content to leave the
question suspended, and await the decision that circum-
stances may dictate, judging that it is not doubtful up
to the time when I should otherwise have been mustered
out.

I have just received the leave from the Adjutant-
general's office. Yours, etc.

Headquarters, First Division, Ninth Corps.

July 8, 1865.

My last was written about the 24th ult., since which
time I have changed my views somewhat about re-
maining in the service. I find that it is a very different
thing from what it used to be in war times. There
is not half the incentive to labor on your command
that there once was, and especially now, when these
troops are restless and dissatisfied about getting mus-
tered out, it is almost impossible to get men or offi-
cers to do their duty properly. As I told you, I found
the Division in a poor state of discipline. I have suc-
ceeded in bringing it up somewhat, but it has only been
by my constant personal supervision.

I have roughed more officers, and reduced more non-
coms, to the ranks, these last two or three weeks, than in
any other year of service. There is a very visible and
gratifying change, still there is not that charm about the
life that used to fascinate. You feel that the object,
the aim, of this discipline is gone. You cannot feel that

156 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

next week, in the presence of the enemy, we shall reap
the benefit of this drill and training.

I am very glad that I came out here and satisfied
myself, otherwise I might have always regretted that I
had left the service, and been restless and discontented.
There are many pleasant things about it still.
There is always more or less of a feeling of pride and
pleasure in having a number of men under your control.
But I have not been quite so well here as I was at
home, and I really suppose it would be better for me to
be further north this summer. For all that, Frank, it
will be a very sad day for me, the one that I cease to be
a soldier. I shall be in Boston the 20th. I am

looking forward to the 21st with dread. I have been
informed that a few words would be expected from me,
among others, and, Frank, I'll swear I can't get up
before such a crowd as that, and speak. What can I
say? I am not joking. I feel very unpleasantly about
it. . . I was talking with Charley Whittier yester-
day; he is afraid he will be called on, and we were
groaning in sympathy.

By the way, Charley has one of the best appointments
in the service, better than he could have hoped for as a
volunteer officer, when so very few will be retained, —
Adjutant-general of one of the departments of the Pa-
cific, either Oregon or California. It is a very great
compliment to him, and every one here is glad; he is
a great favorite throughout the army. He will be in
Boston till the first of August. Macy has got a brigade
in the Provisional Army Potomac. He intends to stay,
I believe. I don't suppose he can after the Twentieth is
mustered out, but that is retained for the present. By

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 157

the way, I have something to tell you which will please
and interest you to know. I was recommended some
time since for a " Brevet Major-general " for " gallant
and meritorious conduct" at the Mine. I had never
heard of it before, and indeed had never thought of such
a thing, and I was not a little surprised, as you will be,
to hear it. Colonel Marshall told me that he saw the
report. Very few of the recommendations for brevets
have been acted upon in this Corps yet, and I suppose
mine is filed with the rest. So I don't expect to get it
before I leave the service. But it is rather gratifying
to know that the recommendation has been made, even
if there is nothing more. I never ask any questions,
and 1 sujmose that is why I did n't know of this before.
They seem to expect if a man wants a brevet, he will
apply or ask for it, which to me (I may have a false
idea about such things) seems a contradiction in terms.
An officer, speaking in a complimentary way of my for-
tunes the other night, asked me why I did n't " apply for
a brevet." To cut him down, for he was one of them,
I rather lied when I said, " I did n't know that was the
way you got them." I have learnt that, since I have
been out here. Why, Frank, we used to think that our
officers who had been brevetted in the Mexican War
were special heroes, and had done some extraordinary
feat of courage and devotion, but this sort of thing makes
me rather skeptical about the value of a brevet in the
armies of the Republic.

Yours ever, Frank.

July 21, 1865, was " Commemoration Day " at
Cambridge, when Harvard College welcomed her

158 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

eons who had served in the war. At the dinner
which closed the celebration, the President, after
many speeches had been made, introduced Gen-
eral Bartlett, by alluding to an ancient picture of
a warrior maimed and deprived of an eye, on
wbich was the inscription, " The heart is left," J
and said that General Bartlett's heart was left,
and was always in the right place for the service
of his country. General Bartlett rose to reply
with evident diffidence, and said that he did not
wish to detain the audience, and that if he had all
the eloquence in the world, he could not express
his feelings. Then he seemed to hesitate, and
Colonel Henry Lee, the Chief Marshal of the day,
rose and said : "As the Speaker of the House of
Burgesses of Virginia said to "Washington, Sit
down, sir, your modesty is equal to your valor,
and that surpasses the power of any language I
possess." Enthusiastic applause followed, and
the soldier said no more.

1 Memorandum from Colonel Henry Lee : —
" Josias, Comte deEantzau, 30Juin, 1645. Marechal de France,
1650.

" n dispersa ses membres et ?a gloire.
Tout abattu qu"il fut il demeura vainqueur.
Son sang fut en cent lieux le prix de la victoire,
Et Mars ne lui laissa rien d'entier que le coeur.

" This is the legend beneath the portrait of a handsome vonng
cavalier upon a caracoling horse, one eye covered with a handker-
chief, a hook for his sword-hand, a wooden leg in one stirrup.
The bearing and condition of this warrior recalled Bartlett, and
I gave Mr. Loriug the legend in French and English "

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 159

General Bartlett was married at Pittsfield, on
the 14th of October, 1865, to Miss Mary Agnes
Pomeroy, a most charming and admirable woman,
to whom he was devotedly attached, as she was to
him. He sailed for England with his wife on the
18th of the same month, and they returned to
America in June of the following year. Their
trip was successful and delightful, and was of
great service to the crippled and exhausted sol-
dier. His letters and journals tell with sufficient
fulness the story of their wanderings.

4 Westboubne Square, Hyde Park, West.
London, November 8, 1865.

There you have it in full, our present location. The
Pomeroys have taken a house, very nice one, comfort-
ably furnished and served, in Oxford Terrace, a short
ride from here; but Agnes' cousin insisted on having
us two with him. He lives in very good style in this,
one of the best localities. We are of course much more
comfortable here than we should be at hotel or lodgings,
and are hardly able to realize that we are in a foreign
land, for thus far we have been, both here and at Rock
Park (Liverpool), so much at home. We stayed nearly
a week at Rock Park, getting our land legs on again.

We had a very rough passage. I was quite sick the
first day or two, much to my disgust and surprise. But
Gus. Perkins, who was with us, consoled me by telling
me of his brother-in-law, who made fifteen passages
without being in the least sick, and the sixteenth suffered
dreadfully the whole voyage. Which, though it quieted

160 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

my feelings, did not affect my stomach. The rest of the
party were sick for the first few days. We had not one
6mooth day. It is perfectly impossible for me to write
anything satisfactory just now, as several people are
talking to me. I have been about London a little, do-
ing a little general sight-seeing, trying to get the " lay
of the land," etc.

Dear Coloxel Palfrey, — I can't resist just adding
my mite to Frank's letter. I shall report to you all the
honor done to one we both love so well. He is a won-
der to everybody, walking so well, and so young a gen-
eral. The ship-board people thought the story of his
having but one leg a Canterbury, and I did not wonder,
for he managed remarkably. I am very proud of him.
Do you think it unpardonable ? I am sure not. We
are enjoying every moment. I think it would be hard
to find two happier people than Frank and myself any-
where in Christendom. I am hoping he will see some
of the troops next week. General Weatherall of the
Horse-guards will be back then, and he is a great friend
of ours. We are going down to my cousin's hunting-
box on Friday. There is to be a " Meet " on Saturday.
Frank will ride, though he will not follow the hounds.
I expect we shall enjoy the novelty of the sight very
much. But I must not steal Frank's thunder, and I
shall just say good-by now, only adding much love for
your dear wife and my cordial remembrances to all your
family. I don't know what Frank will say to this in-
trusion, but I could not help it.

Very truly yours, Agnes Bartlett.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 161

Friday, \Oth. I was interrupted, and I find that
Agnes has been putting in a word, which you won't
mind. I have only a few minutes to write to-day, for
we are off in an hour or two to the country, where
George has a hunting-box. Agnes and Mrs. G. will
drive down in the coupe\ and I shall go by rail later. I
have a note from George this morning, who went down
yesterday, saying he had a good day. The " Meet " to-
morrow is about two miles from the " Box." I shall
ride one of his thorough-breds, but I do not expect to
follow the hounds, as it would be very foolish, not hav-
ing my own saddle, etc.

Lord Maiden is " master of the hounds " (it is a sub-
scription pack). I expect to enjoy meeting some of
these birds as much as seeing the hounds. I have n't
time to tell you about George, what a " swell " he is on
wines and cigars, and that sort of thing. I will write
you next week if it is a possible thing.

I have not done anything in the way of troops yet, as
General "Weatherall has gone into the country for a
week's shooting. Next week he will be here. I saw a
very handsome troop of horse-guards in the street, fine-
looking fellows, all mounted on black horses. But if I
were queen of England, I'll swear that I would have
better soldiers on guard in front of my quarters than
were in front of Buckingham Palace the day we drove
by there. They were not soldierly sentinels. They
neither marched well, nor came about well, nor carried
their pieces well, of which more anon.

I must say good-by, old fellow. I hope to hear a word
from you pretty soon. I am very well and strong. Take
my beer for lunch like a man. Love to all yours ; ex-
11

162 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

case this shabby letter. I know you will say it 's shabby,
for you never lie, even out of politeness.

And believe me, with much love, ever yours,

Frank Bartlett.

London, November 18, 1865.
Only time for a word this ship. Last Saturday, went
down to George's hunting-box, and if you will believe
it, rode one of his thorough -breds in tops and cords on
an English hunting-saddle after the hounds, and was in
at the death. It was great sport. I did not do anything
foolish in the way of big jumps, of course, but I never
wanted two legs so much in my life. I would have
shown the field some clean heels, I fancy, for my chest-
nut was a " goer," stands to win a steeple-chase, etc. I
rode upwards of twenty miles, and then, as the second
fox had been lost, and my leg began to chafe, I turned
home. It was a beautiful sight, Frank, — what I have
always wanted to see, but never supposed that I should
take part in it. Lord Maiden is master of the hounds,
and was much interested in my riding. I believe I am
to have the " brush." I wish you could see the horse
that my groom rode. He is a wicked one ; but if you
should "put him at" a barn he would rise to it (and if it
wasn't too absurd, I was going to say, could take it).
He is called " Greek Fire," and is one of the " strong-
est " goers in England. He had a hard hunt the day
before, and so was very quiet that day. Are n't you
glad I was able to see so much of a hunt ? I got along
in an English saddle much better than I expected. But
you know in riding here you put your foot way into the
iron up to your instep, so that was just the thing for my

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 163

wooden foot. I shall have to leave a good deal of this
to tell you.

Yesterday we came in from Walton on Thames, Stur-
gis's place, where we had been to dine and pass the
night, — splendid house, everything very swell and com-
fortable. I enjoy the life here very much, especially
the country life. I like their style in this thing. I wish
I had time to write you a long letter, but have patience.
I go to Aldershott next week, and "Woolwich, with
Colonel Conolly. He has written to General Sir James
Scarlett, commanding, that he is coming to bring me,
and so, if he is going to have anything worth seeing, to
put it off till the day we are there. He served twenty
years with Sir James, on his staff and otherwise, and I
could n't have a better man to go there with. I am go-
ing to see guard-mounting in St. James's Park, too, next
week, with him, and will tell you of that. It is not the
time of year to see troops here, as they have no field-
days and reviews now ; but nous verrons.

We dine with Weatherall next week. He is one of
the swells here in the army line. I saw him at the
Horse-guards yesterday. Also dine at the Army and
Navy Club one day with Conolly.

Yours, Frank.

November 29.
1 doubt my getting off a long letter to you this time.
1 have been kept in the house these last three days, and
indeed in my room, by a very severe boil (more like a
carbuncle, the Doctor says), just on the small of my back,
so that I could neither wear leg nor even pants. I shall
^et out to-morrow, I think. Since I sent you my last

164 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

scrap of a note, I have done nothing very important,
On the 21st we went down to .St. James's Palace with
Oonolly, and saw guard-mounting. One company of the
Grenadiers relieved a company of the Ouhlstreams.
Their guard-mounting is different from ours, you know.
The inspection is all done at the barracks before they
march out. The band forms in a circle at one side of
the quadrangle, and plays while the two guards stand
facing each other, about forty paces apart. The first
relief being sent out to post, when the relief gets
round the old guard marches off, the new guard sa-
luting, and every officer within sight of the colors, not
on duty nor even in uniform, lifting the beaver and
standing uncovered as reverently while England's color
goes by, as if it were England's queen, and I think it is
splendid, and as it should be in every country. I met
one or two pleasant men there, one Seymour, Captain
on Staff, and one Bramston, Colonel.

The next day but one Conolly had me to breakfast
at the Army and Navy Club, Pall Mall, and after that
we went down the river on one of the many swift-ply-
ing, dirty little steamboats, under the many bridges,
getting the best view of St. Paul's, and the Monument,
and Somerset House, an immense palace now used en-
tirely for government offices, and the old Tower with its
many associations. How I wish I could remember all
the stories about the Tower that I knew when a boy.
By the shipping of all nations "below bridge," and the
wonderful docks, by Greenwich and Blackwall and to
Woolwich, where the artillery camp, arsenal, school,
barracks, etc., are. We found Colonel Reilly, whom
we were looking for, just turning out with his troops

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 165

m full dress, for the burial of a soldier. The uniform
is very handsome, the horse artillery being the only
corps I believe that retains the full dress jacket or tunic.
The officers' dress was one labyrinth of gold lace and
bullion. Every man and officer has to turn out for the
burial of a private soldier and follow the coffin at slow
march to the grave. Again, as it should be in every
army. While they were gone we looked through the
new hospital, built here on a very large scale, and with
every modern improvement. Then we went through
the academy, which is devoted entirely to artillery stud-
ies. The cadets were fine looking fellows, wearing those
nobby little artillery fatigue caps on the side of their
head, and with their tight fitting jackets, looked very
soldierly. The gymnasium here is the best I ever saw.
Then we went back to Colonel Reilly's quarters. He
had not returned from the burial, but lunch was ready,
and Conolly and I being ready for it, we sailed in. The
Colonel returned soon and took us through the men's
quarters, etc., etc., which were in the order that you can
imagine. Officers do not return the salute of men with-
out arms here. We drove in the Colonel's trap over to
the chapel, which is very beautiful, and has one of the
finest arches that I have seen (Byzantine I believe).
Many of the windows are memorial, put up by the dif-
ferent troops of horse artillery. The mess-room in the
main barracks is a very large and elegant room, and the
silver superb. You would fancy yourself in some very
swell club, from the space and comfort. We came home
by rail, and dined at the Army and Navy Club.

I shall have to stop just where I am, for I must get
the parcel off in time, and this must go by mail to

166 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT

Moodie. I have put in one of the pockets of your coat
a trifling souvenir for Christmas, for yourself. I am
waiting patiently for a long letter from you. I suppose
it must be long from the time you have been taking to
write it. With much love to all yours,

Believe me sincerely, Frank.

Brighton, December 14, 1865.

Here we are at the Newport of England, in the
height of the season, in comfortable apartments fronting
on the Parade, where the world is continually passing
and repassing. We are on the ground floor, have a par-
lor and dining-room in front, dressing-room and largo
bed-room in rear. We have been trying for rooms for
two weeks, but everything is full. The Adamses have
been staying down here, but went to town this week.
We had a very kind note from Mrs. Adams yesterday,
asking us to go there Friday, but we had taken these
rooms and did not like to lose them. She had been ex-
pecting us down here, as I told Mr. Adams that we
were coming as soon as we could get suitable apart-
ments. Charlie Adams is with them now, and we shall
Bee him when we return to town.

Yesterday, Frank, was the best day I have had in
England. We went down to Aldershott, under charge
of Con oily, on invitation of Lieutenant-general Sir James
Scarlett. We found his carriage, etc., waiting at the sta-
tion, and were soon at his house, where we received a
cordial welcome from the old General. He is a fine
looking old fellow, white whiskers and moustache, tall
and stout. He won his K. C. B. in the Crimea. His
itaff were fine looking men, well decorated. The troops

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 167

were all out in line, awaiting our arrival, so we started
for the field at once. The General rode a stunning big
thorough-bred, and we went in his carriage with two of
Lady Abinger's nieces. The field of Aldershott extends
for miles without a tree or fence, nothing but barren
heath, with a fair division of hilly and level ground.
Of course at this season of the year the ground was wet
and soft in some places. The old General showed me
his morning report before we went out, where 1 saw
that out of 7,000 men he could only get out for work
about 4,500, and he asked me if I had not experienced
the same annoyance. We know just how to sympathize,
don't we, Frank? You see our army is not the only
one where your effective men are consumed by fur-
loughs, details, extra duty, etc., etc. Sir James's carriage
was allowed to drive inside the line of sentinels, and
stand just in rear of the reviewing officers' post. The
day, you must know, was perfect, the first sunny day I
have seen in England. This long line of cavalry, horse
and foot artillery, engineers, and infantry, all in their
brilliant uniform, was no common sight to an Ameri-
can soldier. There were two regiments of Highlanders,
which added color and effect to the picture. The Gen-
eral and staff started around the line, and the bands be-
gan each in turn, as with us, but, also, the commander
of each brigade, with his staff, accompanied the General
along the front of his own line, the commander of each
regiment and troop and battery the same, which I think
is a good plan, don't you ? for % regimental or brigade
commander likes to see how his men look and stand just
as well as the commanding general. The engineers had
their whole pontoon train out with them, the Division

168 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT

ambulances and wagons were drawn up, — in short, tin
Division was in perfect marching order, ready for a cam
paign. In marching past, the cavalry and artillery came
first, alternating, then the engineers, then infantry. They
marched by divisions, company officers on the flanks ;
only mounted officers saluted, and I noticed that the
General returned the salute of each, but did not salute
the colors as every other officer in the group did. The
Highlanders did the best marching. I have seen as good
in America. The bands of each brigade were massed in
one, which stood opposite us while its brigade passed,
and, as you can imagine, made great music. The cavalry
band, which merely fell back a little while the infantry
was passing, now came forward, as the cavalry was to
pass again at trot. This was very good, the horses ac-
tually keeping step with the quick staccato movement.
The saddles of the hussars and the harnesses of the ar-
tillery were beautiful to behold, the chains of steel were
burnished so that they looked like silver. The guns
were " browned " breach-loading Armstrong, three-inch.
The pontoons and wagons went by, also, at trot, their
equipments as perfect and the uniforms of the drivers
as handsome as in the artillery. It was something that
I wished many times that you were by my side to see
with me. The General now gave his brigadiers and
chiefs of artillery and cavalry a general idea of what he
wanted done, and then, telling us how we could best see
the movements, left us in charge of the provost marshal,
who had a guard to keep spectatois from interfering
with the troops. Sir James's carriage, with our party,
was inside this guard, and privileged to move about at
will, so as not to be in the way of the troops. If I had

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.* 169

known how it was to be, I should have gone prepared
to ride, as the General had a horse ready for me. But
we saw very well from the carriage. Front was changed
to the rear, the cavalry sent off to the left to harass the
flank of the enemy, a heavy skirmish line sent forward
which opened fire at once, advancing in beautiful order,
taking the different crests, which were quickly capped
with artillery, opening as soon as it was in position, the
first line and supports moving up, keeping their dis-
tances well, now moving to the right or left as imagined
necessity required.

It was all so natural and so real, that I expected every
minute to hear a bullet whiz by my ear, or a shell go
screeching over my head. I saw one flaw, which of
course I held my tongue about (but which the General
himself spoke about and condemned afterwards) ; the
pontoons were sent forward, ready to throw across a
canal that intersects the field, and they were right up
with the skirmish line without any support, and being
very large and heavy and conspicuous, they would have
been an easy mark for a good gunner, or have fallen an
easy prey to a determined dash of cavalry, which could
easily have broken through the skirmish line. The
pontoons are unlike ours, — open wooden boats, — but are
cylindrical buoys, about twenty feet long and four feet
diameter, on which the timbers are laid, and being made
of iron, air-tight, would be transformed into pepper-boxes
by a clever gunner in no time in such an open country
as that. However, the skirmishers cleared the way, and
the pontoons were got into the water in safety, and the
bridge very quickly laid, over which part of the infantry
passed ; the rest, and the artillery, which was all this time

170 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

firing over our heads from the crests in our rear, crossed
by a stone bridge farther to the right, the cavalry by
one on the left. We went over the pontoon, which was
very solid, sending the carriage around by the stone
bridge on account of the horses. It took them about
twenty-five minutes, I should think, to get the bridge
ready for troops. The enemy (?) now was in full re-
treat, and a general advance was made, while the cavalry
charged from the flank.

We drove around through the barracks, which were
the picture of neatness, back to Sir James's to lunch.
Lady Scarlett we found a nice, dignified old lady. We
also found that after an early breakfast and a long morn-
ing, we were quite ready for the substantial lunch to
which I presently handed in " my lady." After lunch, Sir
James spoke of the mistake of having those pontoons in
6uch an exposed position, and I was pleased to find that
I had seen it. He said I must go down there again in
the spring, when he will have twice as many troops, and
I shall only be too glad to do so. They were all very
cordial and kind, and I don't remember a more enjoya-
ble day. It only needed an enemy and ball cartridges,
without the lunch and ladies, to make it like many dis-
agreeable ones that we have seen. We had to go back
to London to take the Brighton train, and got here very
comfortably.

December 15. Yesterday we walked for an hour and
a half on the parade, and drove in the afternoon. It is
very crowded and gay here, and you see all the swell
turnouts.

But I must nut this short, or you will be bored.
Thanks for your nice letter, received last week. I am

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 171

delighted to know that you are so nicely " fixed " for
the winter. Agnes sends love to your wife, and says
your description of your cozy housekeeping just makes
us want to go and do likewise. "Write me when you
have time. Letters from home are a great treat, and
impatiently looked for from week to week.

"With a merry Christmas and happy New Year, and
with much love from both to both, ever yours,

Frank B.

We shall be in Paris by New Year's.

He enjoyed himself in Paris, but his leg was
painful. Theatre-lover as he was, he was singu-
larly little pleased by the French theatre. On
the other band, he was much impressed and
touched by the celebration of Mass in the Chapel
of the Invalides.

It was the most grand and impressive thing I ever
eaw or heard. To sit under those old battle- stained
flags and think of all the scenes they had been in,
of the blood that had been shed around them, and
then to listen to this splendid music from the Guides'
band, was more than I could stand. The associations
crowded upon me in a flood. Martial music always
affects me, but here to sit among the old heroes of the
first empire, under the very flags they had fought over
and won, under the same roof where lie the ashes of
emperor and leader, was to me intoxicating, overpow-
ering, and I cried like a child. It was foolish and
weak and sentimental, I suppose, but I could not help

172 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

it. It is the same sentimentality that makes me want
to shout "Vive l'Empereur" every time I go through
the Place Vendome.

They went to Marseilles and Nice, and thence
drove along the Corniche to Genoa. On the 19th
of January, 1866, he is on Italian soil, and he
writes : —

These Italian soldiers that we see now do not look
so trim and clean and dandy-like as the gallant little
Frenchmen. They would do just as good work, per-
haps, but there is a good deal in style.

His first impressions of Italian scenery are thus
recorded : —

Keeping through Bracco to the pass of Velva, or the
Col, we had a view more extensive than any I had ever
seen. Looking across a small bay and over a high hill,
we could see the blue waters of the Mediterranean to-
wards Genoa, while beyond all that were the beautiful
Alps, covered with snow, which we had kept in sight
from Nice. It was a very beautiful picture, and we shut
it out, as we entered the pass, regretfully. But regret
gave way to surprise when, turning from the view we
had left, we looked forward again, and there, overlook-
ing from our high position miles and miles of mountains
and valleys, the eyes rested at length on that grand bank
of white clouds rolling up from the horizon. That
grand bank of clouds is an eternal one, and those glo-
rious snow-covered mountains, tinged to purple in the

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 173

glanting sunlight, are the Apennines of Bologna, a hun-
dred and fifty miles away.

By Pisa they went to Florence, where he was
treated with distinction by the Minister of the
United States, the accomplished scholar and gen-
tleman who does so much to sustain the credit of
American diplomacy abroad. The growing ten-
dency of his mind and heart towards a deep inter-
est in religious matters was shown by the regular-
ity with which, in these continental wanderings,
he found a Protestant church to which to go on
Sunday.

" Bella Firejjze,"
Hotel de la Grande Bretagne, January 29, 18G6.

Beautiful Florence, it really is, dear Frank. I like
it immensely. We have been here three days, and have
made good progress in sight-seeing. That is, in our
comfortable way. I do not believe in making a bore of
it, and I don't intend to work any harder over here than
I should if I were on duty at home. If it were any one
else but you to whom I was writing, I should, perhaps,
make an apology for long silence ; but I know that no
such thing is necessary between us. I have received
two letters from you since I wrote ; one at Paris, and
one last night here. Both delightful ; the last doubly
so, because twice as long as the first.

We have been on the march most of the time sinc«
the last of December, when we left London for ths
continent. We left with more regret than Americans
generally do, I fancy, and Paris will have to be very

174 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT

■sweet and seductive to keep us from going back there
early in the spring.

I have felt that you would see my letters to the fam-
ily, and so know of all our doings, and latterly I have
felt that there was so much to tell you, that I did not
know where to begin. I am salting down a goodly lot
of food for " talk," either at your fireside or mine, for the
next few years, and I think of that so often when there
are so many things that I cannot write about.

To bring things down to this point from Paris: We
spent a week there. New Year's was very gay. Every-
body in the streets. The Boulevards lined with those
little booths or shops for the sale of every variety of
" top and whistle." Everybody in the streets good-na-
tured and happy.

The politeness and kindly feeling for each other
among the lowest classes is very striking. I could not
help noticing, for example, on New Year's morning,
there was a blind man opposite our windows in the Rue
de la Paix, and while the well-dressed and upper classes
passed him by with unconcern, only one now and then
stopping to drop something in his hat, not a single poor
person passed that way without bestowing his or her
mite from their own scanty store, — the woman with
the big load on her head balancing it with one hand
while with the other she hunts in the ragged pocket for
a copper sou ; the porter, hurrying by, sets down his
load and drops into the hat a coin, with a kindly word of
greeting to its owner. It was very touching, and I have
since seen more of the same traits.

Our quarters were very good at the Hotel Westmin-
ster, near the Tuileries and Boulevards, in sight of La

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 175

Place Vend6me with its beautiful column. Around the
foot of this shaft, you know, is an iron fence, and there
were the numberless wreaths of immortelles hanging on
the paling, placed there by the old soldiers of the Em-
pire and constantly renewed, and never removed except
by time. On the front of the pedestal are more costly
and elaborate ones, but not nearly so significant as those
simple offerings by humbler hands.

I did not do anything in the way of sight-seeing, but
devoted myself to getting a good idea of the city, and
now I can take you to any part. It is a very easy city
to learn, — very different in that respect from London,
which I believe is worse than Boston to a stranger. I
was there so long that I believe I know it pretty well
now.

We did the paintings in the Louvre in one day, and I
was disappointed at not finding any of Vernet's battle-
pieces there. They are all at Versailles, I believe.

The Bois de Boulogne is the resort in the afternoon.
It does not compare with the Central Park in the way
of artificial nature. There is more wood and water,
nothing else. Some of the woody drives, and especially
rides (Agnes and I rode one day), are very beautiful.
You see many swell turnouts, the best and most elegant
belonging to the demi-monde. These women, Frank, are
the leaders in the way of taste and style, and have such
a command of money that ladies cannot vie with them.
They set the fashions for the world.

Agnes thinks that I wrote you from Paris; but I
have not any record of it on my log-book. It seems,
though, as if I must have told you about going to the
Hotel des Invalides. I know I wrote Ben a letter from

176 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Paris, and it may be that I am thinking of that. I shall
have to tell you about that face to face, — nothing else
will satisfy me. The tomb of the Emperor is very mag-
nificent, but not nearly so impressive as I expected.

I must leave Paris or I shall never get through. The
journey to Marseilles and Nice was a long one. Mar-
seilles we found rather an interesting city. The view
from the hill overhanging the town, taking in the port
and bay, was very fine. In the bay is the Chateau d'lf,
where Monte Cristo was confined, you know. I found it
very hard to realize that that blue water was the Medi-
terranean. I could have stood there for hours recalling
all the, memories and associations that the sight of its
beautiful waters stirred up. I only wish I could remem-
ber all that I have ever known, or that you were with
me, with your faithful memory and large knowledge of
past times, to make these scenes doubly interesting.

Only one night at Marseilles. Then on to Nice
through Toulon with its harbor and forts and galleys,
through miles and miles of everlasting olive orchards,
the hills terraced to the top, looking like some giant's
stairway to the upper regions. Very few grapes, — now
and then a vineyard. At Nice we stayed a week, en-
joying much the warm sunshine and soft air after the
fogs of London and rain of Paris. The drives about
Nice were perfectly lovely, through groves of oranges
and hedges of roses in full bloom. The drive to Villa-
franca along the sea on the side of the cliff, we thought
most of, but since then we have seen so much finer and
bolder scenery that it is not worth telling you at this
late time of our impressions then. There were many
A.mericans and more English at Nice, and it must be a

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 177

good place for invalids. No one could be long ill in
such a delicious climate. From Nice to Genoa was by
vetturino, taking four days and three nights, starting in
the morning at about eight or nine, halting for lunch,
and getting into good quarters at sundown, finding each
day fires on the hearths, the table spread, and a good
dinner awaiting us. You have no idea of the comfort of
having a good courier. You have all the pleasure of
travelling without any of its annoyances. You get up
in the morning, and, after a good breakfast, go down and
get into your comfortable carriage with four smart horses,
find a lunch waiting at your halting-place, and at sunset
are shown into your parlor where the table is ready and
in your room your portmanteau unlocked and open,
everything at your hand. It is the poetry of travel.
We are fortunate in having a very good man. We give
him the purse, and he does all the rest. Of course I
suppose he makes his little perquisites, but I believe it is
really cheaper in the end, for you cannot be imposed
upon as a stranger, and even if it were more expensive,
it makes up for it double in the amount of solid com-
fort.

I can't tell you much now about the journey from
Nice to Genoa. It was too grand. Sometimes two
thousand feet above the sea, at others on its level, with
as many feet of perpendicular rock towering above us.
It is hard to say which is the grandest.

We were at Genoa three or four days in one of the
old ducal palaces, Palazzo del Sala. The rooms were
spacious, so much so that you had to take a long walk
to pick up your various things ; and so high that you felt
»s if you were out doors. The walls and ceilings cov-
12

178 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

ered with frescoes. There was nothing of cosy comfort
in such a place.

Genoa is very strong ; the walls of the town are very
well placed and in perfect preservation, and outside of
these, on the surrounding heights, is a chain of immense
forts, commanding everything. It would take an army
to garrison the place, but a larger one to invest it, and
with its port unblockaded, it could not be taken. It is
a queer old town.

The women wear for bonnets white lace or tarlatan
veils, pinned over the head and falling around the shoul-
ders. With a pretty face it is very becoming; but
pretty faces are what you do not see often in Italy.

The Italian troops are the best-looking of the male
population. The little Zouaves are very nobby, with
dark blue trousers, and tunic tight around the waist, the
skirt about four inches below the belt, and the hat with
a round top and wide flat brim with the most ample and
graceful mass of waving black cocks plumes. Aiguil-
lettes (how do you spell that ?) of dark green braid on
the breast, matching the shade of the feathers.

They are the tidiest, trimmest little fighting-men I
have seen, — " bar nothing." The officers, for the most
part, are good-looking men, and the discipline seems to
be very perfect. I have seen no larger body than a reg-
iment together.

The journey from Genoa to Spezzia, which took two
days, was even more glorious than the first ; the view at
the pass of Velva, where you are twenty-one hundred
feet above the sea, into which you could almost throw a
stone, with the maritime Alps behind you, away beyond
Genoa and Nice, and before you, beyond the tops of in-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 179

tervening ranges, more than a hundred miles away, white
with eternal snow, the Apennines, towards Bologna, — .
it was perfectly grand, and we hated to begin the descent
which gradually sunk those white peaks, with the rich
colors of the sunlight on them, behind these nearer and
smaller hills. As we reached the heights above Spez-
zia, we had a glimpse of them again, just as they were
tinged with purple at sunset.

From Spezzia we came by rail to Pisa, stopping only
a few hours for lunch, and a visit to the cathedral, tower,
etc., and a drive to the Cascine. The tower disappoints
you as you see it from the cars on entering the walls ;
but when you go to it, your disappointment is turned to
surprise and wonder. The cathedral is by far the most
superb that we have seen, and differs from the many in
being Byzantine instead of Gothic One of the altars,
a gift of the Medicis, is of solid silver, most beautifully
wrought. Many of the columns of the church are an-
tique, and brought from Greece and Rome. A few good
pictures. The Battisterio has the handsomest pulpit in
the world.

We reached Florence on Friday evening, and shall
leave for Rome Friday morning, via Leghorn and Civita
Vecchia. VTe have the best rooms in Rome, on the
Corso, the very windows of which command £100 apiece
sometimes during the carnival.

Florence is so rich in objects of interest and beauty,
that a person ought to be here six weeks to see what he
has to (and does n't) in as many days. The sculpture
here is my greatest pleasure. Michael Angelo's was
the master-hand, and you recognize it at once. The
Pitti and Uffizi palaces contain the finest collections of

180 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

paintings in the world. I am not very fond of old paint-
ings, but some of Murillo's and Raphael's and Andrea
del Sarto's and Titian's are very persuasive. I never
can write you about all these things, so you must wait
till we have a pow-wow.

I found on my arrival here a very kind invitation from
Garibaldi to visit him at Caprera. I look forward to
that with more pleasure than anything else. We shah
not go till our return from Naples, in about three weeks
from now. He is very popular here in Italy, much more
so than Victor Emmanuel, who, I am surprised to find,
is not much liked. As one of these people said the
other day in his excitement, " Why, if Garibaldi should
land at Leghorn or Naples and announce himself king
of Italy, the very paving-stones would rise up and shout
in his favor." But he is too good and wise to do any-
thing of the sort. I think he has all the more honor for
retiring to his island home. The island is near Sardinia,
about twelve hours' sail from Leghorn, and by the time
you get this I shall be there or on my way.

The American minister called again yesterday, and
was sorry to hear that I was to leave on Friday, as he
wished to give me a dinner on that day, and had already
6ent out some invitations. I am sorry, because he has
been very civil. Bigelow Lawrence, consul-general, has
also sent passes to various places of interest.

I shall not have time to write the family this week,
and shall wait till we get to Rome. We found nice long
•etters from them here. Anna's was a perfect treat, and
I wish she would do the same every week. I am glad
mother is better. Will you please let them know as
much as you choose of what I have written you, and say
our next will be from Rome.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 181

"With much love to you and yours, and to all who love
us, from Agnes and myself, I am

Tours, Frank.

They went by sea from Leghorn to Civita Vec-
chia, and thence to Rome, where they had an
apartment on the Corso, and saw the Carnival in
all its brilliancy. On the 8th of February he
writes : —

I find that the girl I have heen exchanging confetti
and bouquets with these last two days is the Queen of
Naples. Caught a bunch of violets this afternoon. She
is very pretty.

Again, on February 12th : —

Exchanged bouquets with the Queen again. She gave
me a little beauty, of her own colors.

On the 17th of February he notes that his foot
(his lost foot) is very painful. On the 22d, he
was present at the breakfast of Americans in
Rome, upon the occasion of the anniversary of
the birthday of Washington, and made a speech,
of which he says simply : —

People congratulated me on my speech, which I think
was pretty poor.

From Rome they went to Naples, and visited
Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri.

Many years before, when General Bartlett was
a boy, Garibaldi had come to Boston as master of

182 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT

an Italian vessel consigned to Mr. Bartlett, the
General's father, and had then given him a walk-
ing-stick. As the boy grew up, and Garibaldi be-
came famous, his career was watched with lively-
interest by the young American, and when he
went to Italy, still a young man, but a crippled
general officer of large experience, he made his
presence known to Garibaldi, and was by him
invited to visit him at his home in the Island of
Caprera. As the voyage was likely to be a rough
one, he left his wife with her family in Italy, and
crossed to the island alone. The accounts of his
visit, which he wrote in his journal and in a letter
to his mother, are both so interesting that both
are given, though each is, to a considerable degree,
a repetition of the other.

Journal. — March 11, 1866. The General was out
in the field somewhere: had not expected me so soon,
but came soon, and I went out to meet him. He came
forward with outstretched hands, his face beaming with
the same bright, kindly smile that I had carried in my
memory for thirteen years. His costume was, as usual,
a poncho of woollen stuff over the red shirt, with the
handkerchief tied loosely around his neck and hanging
down his back. I had grown from the boy to the man
in those thirteen years, and he would hardly have re-
membered my face elsewhere. He seemed very glad to
see me, and asked for all the family at home, and why I
had not brought my wife. He had expected her, and
had everything ready for her. He remembered the cane

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 183

that he had given me so many years before, and seemed
very much pleased to think I had kept it. He sent for
it at dinner to show to the table, and told the story of it
to the guests. After I was dressed and rested a little, he
same for me to take a walk, and we went down toward
the shore, where in a little bay the yacht lay. He asked
about America; is much interested in the Mexican
question ; says Napoleon cannot stay there. Showed
me the different shrubs, — all on the island are aromatic.
The lavender is very strong and fragrant. The wild
myrtle, and olive, and other names. He took me to see
his vines and orangery, and cut some of the ripe fruit to
give me. Can this simple man, whose whole interest
seems to be centered in his vine and fig-tree, be the man
who has given kingdom and power to a king, and
who will yet give freedom and unity to a nation ?
Dinner at one. The dishes are regular Italian ones. A
soup, thick with rice or maccaroni ; a stew, with olives
cooked in it, figs, oranges, cheese, and wine from the
island. At the lower end of the table are some of the
General's retainers, a rough set in the exterior, but
true of heart, — men who would go to the death for the
General. Then further up are the two Italians and the
Piedmontese, then Menotti and Mrs. Chambers. On
our side, Colonel Chambers, then Theresa, then myself,
while at the head sits the old hero, presiding over the
\ueer assembly with the grace and dignity of a king. I
never knew what a noble head and face the man has
before. I can hardly keep my eyes off him. His head
looks as if it were made to wear a crown. . "When

and where shall I see the General again next? 'Power-
ful at Rome, capital of a united Italy, I trust.

184 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLET1.

CArRERA, March 12, 1866.
Well, here I am " at home " in Garibaldi's house
When I woke up on Sunday morning, after being tor-
mented all night long, we had just come to anchor in
the snusr little harbor of Maddalena. I went ashore di-
rectly, and found the whole population of the town on
the shore to receive us. The arrival of the boat is the
event of the week, of course. There was a Custom
House, here as elsewhere, and my poor little valise had
to go and be opened. If it had been at the other end
of the town it was only a matter of a few steps, but it
was nearer. From the custom house I went towards
the hotel (?), followed by a small boy under the valise.
I had n't gone far when I was met by a great, fine-look-
ing fellow, who asked me in broken English if that were
General Bartlett. I knew it must be Menotti, the Gen-
eral's eldest son, for I had heard he was on the island.
He said his father was expecting me at Caprera. He
doesn't talk any English, but we got on in French. We
went to the hotel, wherein the grand room was about
twelve by seven, and seemed to be the kitchen, sitting,
dining, and sleeping-room. I took my cup of coffee and
crust of bread, and then went to the boat, where there
were three men to pull me over to the island. Menotti
stayed to bring the mail. It is about three miles from
Maddalena to Caprera, and the channel winds among
the islands and rocks very prettily. It was a walk of
about a quarter of a mile from the little cove where we
landed, up to the house. The island looks exactly like
one of the Isles of Shoals, all rocks, but here and there
on the way up to the house I saw several good fields,
that had been as it were hewn out of the rock. The

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 185

house is white, and one part of two stories, the last ad-
dition. The General was not in when I got there, but I
was shown into the dining-room, and in a few minutes
he came from one of his fields. I went out to meet him,
and he stretched out his hands, and the welcome that
he gave me was warm and kind. He seemed very glad
to see me, asked for all the family, and laughed heartily
when I recalled Fanny's speech to him. I talked with
him awhile, and then he took me to my room. He was
very sorry Agnes did not come ; he had a room next to
mine ready for her. I found I had Menotti's room. It
is on the ground floor, in the newest part of the house.
Across the entry are Colonel and Mrs. Chambers, some
English friends of the General. Above are Theresa
(Madame Canzio), his daughter, and her children, etc.
The General's room is in the other part, just across this
little garden. After I was dressed and rested a little,
he came for me to go to walk with him, and we went
down towards the cove where the yacht lies. He talked
about America and the war. He believed, and told the
Italians from the beginning, that there was only one
question in the world and that was the American ques-
tion. It was as important to them as it was to the
Americans themselves. That if the North did not suc-
ceed, liberty would be put back for all the world a hun-
dred years. That America must not allow Napoleon to
extend his despotism by putting Maximilian in Mexico.
That the Italians were waiting for him to be over-
thrown there, etc., etc. "We met Colonel and Mrs.
Chambers. They seem to be very decent people, and
ire devoted to the General. He has written a history of
" Garibaldi and Italian Unity," of which he has given

186 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

me a copy. It was published in England, just before
Garibaldi went there, and contains facts that I don't be-
lieve are known in America.

He took us back through his orange orchard and
vineyard. Each tree has to be walled around with a
screen of brush to guard it from the terrible winds that
sweep the island ; but they were in good condition, full
of fruit and blossoms. He took the gardener's knife,
which hangs at his side by a little chain, and cut some
of the fruit for me. It was hard to believe that this
noble-looking man, whose chief care seemed to be his
vines and trees, was the one who, as ''dictator of the
two Sicilies," had given kingdoms to a king. He
showed me the various shrubs on the island. They are
all aromatic. At about one o'clock the boat arrived
from Maddalena, with Menotti and three visitors who
had come in the same steamer with me, all Italians ; two
are engineers who are to see about sinking an artesian
well here ; the other, a Piedmontese, we think is a spy.
It is not unusual, — somebody or other comes by every
boat. Dinner is ready, and when I went in I found the
room full, the General at the head, standing till I should
come. The General put me on his left, Mrs. Chambers
on his right, and then told the others to be seated.
There are in all at the table about fifteen, and it is a
regular Italian meal, — soup, then a stew of some kind of
meat with olives cooked in it, bread from his own flour
and his own mill, wine from his own vineyard, oranges
and figs from his own trees, cheese from his own dairy.
This was the dinner, a most ample supply of everything.
The General would talk first to me and then to his Ital-
ians, and then interpret what he had been saying to

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 187

them. He was in good spirits, looks older, of course,
than we remember him, but walks with a cane very
well. It is a queer assembly around the board ; the
lower end do not go in much for dress, and are a rough-
looking set, but they are all devoted to the General, who
sits there in his usual costume, a poucho of dark woollen
stuff over the red shirt, a small fez or smoking-cap on
his head when in the house, and presiding over all with
the grace and dignity of a king. I never knew before
what a superb face he has, and what a glorious voice ;
when he would get warmed on any subject, it would
ring as clear and sweet as a bell.

At about six o'clock there is supper, and, as far as I
can see, it is the same thing repeated that we have at
one o'clock, except, instead of coffee afterwards, we have
tea. We all sit around the table for an hour after, and
then the General rises, bids good night to all, and goes
to his own room, and the day is over. I pass an hour
in the room of Colonel Chambers, and then to bed. I
breakfast at nine with Colonel and Mrs. C. on coffee
and dry bread. There is no butter on the island. The
island reminds me constantly of the Isles of Shoals, —
just that appearance of rock, — but in the ravines, where
the sun gets a chance, there is almost a tropical vegeta-
tion. From the rocks above the house there is a beauti-
ful view of this group of islands, and to the south Sar-
dinia and north Corsica with its snow-capped hills, which
teem within rifle-shot but are ninety miles away.

While he was in the midst of such interesting
scenes and people abroad, he did not lose his in-
terest in affairs at home, for at the same time we
§nd him writing to his mother : —

188 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

I have just read to-day in the Paris paper of the
President's veto on the Freedmen's Bill. I think his
reasons are very just and wise and sound. There seems
to be a party at home which is determined that we
shan't have " peace at any price."

March 15. Florence. We hear that President John-
son has made a speech in which he has " laid out " the
radical disunionists. We are anxious to see it. I think
his veto on the Freedmen's Bill was very good. He
believes, as I do, that if a white man is not quite as good
as a negro, he is almost, and therefore ought to have at
least an equal chance with him.

After his visit to Caprera, General Bartlett and
his "wife moved northward through the principal
Italian cities, and crossed Mont Cenis into Swit-
zerland, and thence journeyed on to Paris. At
Strasbourg he was not well, and at Nancy he had
typhoidal symptoms, but in Paris he felt better
again, though he records there on the 20th April,
" I have had a little touch of that nasty Naples
fever, but am all right again now, I believe, ex-
cept the pain in the head."

Fribourg, April 1, 18GR.

Here we are in this queer old Dutch town, the first
we have been in, Agnes and I. We separated from the
family at Culoz, after coming across the Alps by the
Mont Cenis.

We found Geneva, where we spent Thursday and
Good Friday, a very quiet, clean, delightful town, with

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 189

enticing shops, and beautiful views of snow-clad moun-
tains.

We found the most comfortable hotel there that we
have had anywhere. Our apartments and table were
more like what you would make them at home, and our
windows opened on that lovely lake, with those snow-
white mountains beyond, and Mont Blanc overlooking
all, when it was clear.

We left Geneva with regret yesterday afternoon, and
after skirting the lake to Lausanne, we crossed through
a country that looks very like our own, in hills and pine
trees, to Fribourg.

We wanted to hear the great organ, see the bridges,
and get away to-day at noon for Basle, but it being a
grand fete day — Easter — they are not allowed to ex-
hibit the first, and it being very rainy we could not see
to any advantage the second ; so here we have to stay
till to-morrow at noon. We went to the cathedral for
Mass, this morning, however, and heard the best singing
and music that we have found in any church in Europe.
The organ was played at intervals during the service,
but of course nothing to show its powers.

The bridges are very wonderful in lightness and
height. They look like cobwebs stretched across the
chasm two hundred feet below. They are very much
lighter in material than the English bridges, or ours at
Niagara. (A party of students, just about as drunk as
they make them at home sometimes, are just going un-
der our windows, singing as best they can " Ubi sunt o
pocula," etc.

We shall have the organ played for our especial bene-
fit to-morrow morning, take another look at the bridges,

190 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

if it does not ruin, and leave for Basle via Berne. At
Basle we touch the Rhine, From there we go up to
Strasbourg, thence to Paris through the Champague
country, stopping, perhaps, at Chalons-sur-Marne, to see
the French camp.

Mr dear Colonel Palfrey, — I want just to tell
you that you were perfectly right in saying what you did
about Frank's French and Italian. He astonishes me
more and more every day by knowing, intuitively, just
what is necessary not only as regards these " strange
tongues," but about every locality, where the places of
interest are, which are worth seeing, and which may he
" cut." He is a sort of general guide-book to the whole
family, and nothing delights me so much as to see how
father depends upon Frank for everything. I have
always felt it would be so if ever they were thrown
much together, and you can imagine how happy and
proud I am to see that it is all coming true. Frank is
getting quite stout; still I do not feel alarmed as yet
lest he should grow corpulent. I know you will all
think he looks well and brown, — more like his old self
as you remember him in the old days when you two
were so inseparable. If Frank gets his extension, we
shall hope to be in London for next month. I must not
encroach on Frank's ground any longer.

Kind love to all your father's family, and believe me,
Bincerely yours, Agnes Bartlett.

I find my first sheet is filled, but I know you won't
mind the change in the writing. I let Agnes write very
little, and when she gets a vacant half-sheet, with a pen

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 191

at hand, she makes very quick work of it while one's
back is turned. She is very much better since we left
Naples. The enervating air there did not agree with
her at all, and I was very glad to have her further north.
The air of Venice was a complete change, and she has
been a different creature ever since. I have directed my
home letters lately to be turned over to you, and so you
know of our movements up to leaving Venice, which
we did regretfully on the "22d. I think I should like a
month or two there every summer. The first night,
halted inside the mighty walls of Verona. That night,
in looking over the book in which I wrote our names,
and which was begun iu 1818, I found among our illus-
trious predecessors the names of Bonaparte, R. C.
Winthrop, etc. I wish you could have been at Verona
with me ; the place is one of the strongest in Europe,
and cannot be taken except by a very long siege. Here
is the first square bastion that was ever built, and
where our present system of fortification may be said to
have been begun. The old gates are miracles of strength
and architecture combined. The walls command the
plain in every direction except the southeast, I think,
where the hill rises which is crowned by one of the
strongest works, the Castel San Pietro.

But your brother, who has not been there, can prob-
ably tell you more about it than I, who have.

The old Roman amphitheatre, built at the same time
with the Coliseum, is not so large, but wonderfully pre-
served, and is a beautiful sample of the Roman works.
I went to the top of it, and was repaid by a beautiful
view of the town and works and the Tyrolese Alps in the
distance. Went through the picture gallery, in which

192 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

there were only two decent paintings, modern pictures,
that I was expecting to find there, done by a man named
Rotta, a Venetian. They were the last two that I came
to, and rewarded me for wading through the others. If
my purse had been stronger, my story might have been
longer, etc.

Came to Milan that night, crossing the frontier at the
Lago di Garda, and exchanging the stupid, sullen, white-
coated Croats for the lithe, nobby little Bersaglieri.

Milan is more like one of our cities, clean, busy, bright.
It seemed more alive than Italian cities usually The
cathedral there is beyond comparison the most superb
and imposing thing in Europe. St. Peter's cannot be-
gin to compare with it, in my estimation.

Nothing is so impressive, so sublime, as those lofty
Gothic arches. You feel like falling on your knees and
saying your prayers. It was the first church, Frank,
where I have forgotten the cold, forgotten the fatigue of
standing on the marble floors, and been sorry to put on
my hat outside the great cloth doors that are hung from
the top in all these churches, and, weighing hundreds of
pounds, have a very wicked way of knocking a "heretic"
down. The Arch of Peace, begun by Napoleon, carried
on by the Austrians, finished by Victor Emmanuel and
his imperial ally, is a beautiful structure, with some very
good bronze horses on the top. Between this and the
town where the old castle stands, is one of the best pa-
rade grounds I have seen. You could review fifty thou-
sand men there with ease (if you had them), and I sup-
pose that is a place where fifty thousand men would have
been worth a good deal, many times. A drive on the
Corso, Sunday afternoon, shows you a great many fine

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 193

turnouts, — the yellow with powdered coachmen and foot
men- prevailing.

From Milan to Turin gives you some beautiful views
of the Alps, and Monte Rosa, — as * t is well named, —
as the sun was setting, was worth coming to Italy to see.
There will not be five days in the year when it is so
clear as it was that day.

Paris, Meukice's, April 5, 1866.

Here we are, dear Frank, back again in delightful
quarters in the Rue Rivoli, overlooking the gardens of
the Tuileries.

We left the snowy Alps on our right as we went north-
ward through a pretty country, which looks more like
our own than anything we have seen, — thrifty little
farmhouses in the midst of apple orchards, with now and
then a belt of pine woods. Everything looked neat and
tidy, — so different from lazy, oily Italy. The cars, too,
on the Swiss roads, are the best in Europe. We passed
through Olten and Basle, to Strasbourg, a good day's
journey. The next morning we sallied forth to do Stras-
bourg. The cathedral is a magnificent building inside,
very massive but very graceful Gothic, the windows very
beautiful. Outside, it is to my mind not graceful or well-
proportioned. The second spire, which was to have been
as high as the first, was never put up, and of course that
gives it an unfinished look. But it is very high, twice
the height of " Bunker Hill," and " open work," with
carved figures in stone, to the very top, which is sur-
mounted with a figure which looks life-size, but must of
course be immense and shapeless when near it. At
twelve we saw the wonderful clock strike, which looks
like a small cathedral in itself. I suppose there is the
J3

194 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

Bame crowd before it every day at that hour, of the cas-
ual passers-by, — the wooden-shod peasants who havo
come in from the country and heard of this wonderful
toy, and the better-dressed but no less curious and eager
strangers, — who have timed their visit to see the hour
of twelve announced by the puppets, the apostles, (he
hour-glass, the cock crow, etc. I think the cock is the
cleverest part of it.

We drove to the Rhine and walked across into Ger-
many over the bridge of boats at Kehl. It was very
queer to notice the different uniform and style of soldiers
at each end of the bridge.

This must go by to-night's mail, and I must close it
at once.

Love to all yours. In haste, Frank.

London, May 12, 1866.

I received your nice letter of the 18-2lst ult. this
week, and it differed not from all yours in being delight-
ful. We were very glad to get back to old London
again, although the past four months have been one
dream of pleasure. I cannot help feeling regret that my
illness in Paris prevented me from seeing more of the
life there, and knowing more of the French troops ; but
who knows ? we may be there together, one of these
days !

You were nearly right about a man's feelings at being
mustered out, but still I gave myself very little trouble
about it. I could expect nothing else, as the time of my
original leave had expired, and I did n't hope to stay in
longer than that when I took it. There are a great
many general officers who have suffered as much loss,

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 195

ind done infinitely more service, mustered out, and I
don't see why I should be retained any more than they.
I speak to you as I would to myself, you know.

Mr. Stanton has been very kind to me throughout,
and I suppose that it was by his means that my muster-
out has been again suspended. Until my leave is up, I
suppose, I can't think any longer — what I shall do then
remains to be seen. It will depend upon what I can
have in the regular army. I have made no application,
taken no steps to obtain an appointment, but I suppose,
like Mr. M., I shall " wait for something to turn up." I
think my uncle would prefer to have me stay in the
army to going into any other profession or business, for
the present ; and if I can earn my bread and butter, with
pleasant surroundings, why, it is all that I can ask. But
in the army or out, I hope I shall always be a soldier at
heart. No " General Order " can ever take that satis-
faction away from me, and until the " Special Order "
comes from the Higher Authority, mustering me out
altogether — or, excuse me, transferring me from this
corps (e), — I will try not to disgrace the name.

There is a terrible panic here just now ; one of the
largest banking companies in the kingdom failed yester-
day; liabilities only twenty-two million pounds sterling.
Several other banks will have to suspend to-day, and
everybody looks very blue. American securities, five-
twenties, could not be bought yesterday. No one will
part with them. Rather a let-down for people who were
sneering at our bankruptcy two years ago, and disposed
to facilitate it. Serves them i ight ; and the men over
here who have been true to the North, and backed her
by putting their money in her stocks, are now reaping
their reward.

196 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

The prospect for a European war seems almost cer-
tain. Napoleon can alone stop it, and I do not think he
is disposed to. I am very glad I have been through
that country. We could n't go there now, through
Venetia. If there is fighting, I shall understand it so
much better. The Italians are crazy for war, and the
demonstrations for Garibaldi as their leader, especially
in the south of Italy, are wildly enthusiastic. I know
that he did not want to move this year on account of the
cholera, but we shall see what we shall see. I should like
to stay over here, and go down there as a looker-on. I
must close. We, I say we, have ordered a hat for your
wife which I hope she will like, at Brown's. I don't
think there is much style in hats here, and in Paris we
saw very few. The bonnets of the period there are
very pretty, when you can discover them among the
hair.

Good-by, love to all yours ; by the time you get this
we shall, D. V., be about sailing, with a full moon and,
I hope, good weather.

Yours, Frank.

General Bartlett returned with his wife to
America in June, 1866, and from that time for
more than a year he made his home at Pittsfield,
in The Homestead. He was mustered out of the
military service of the United States in July. Or
the 16th of September his first child, a daughter,
was born. He seems to have had at first some
thoughts of seeking employment in the diplomatic
service of the government, but nothing came of

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 197

it. His uncle, Edwin Bartlett, between whom
and himself there existed strong ties of affection,
and for whose judgment he had great respect,
preferred that he should turn his attention to
business, preferably manufactures, and he warmly
commanded his refusal of the post of Collector of
the Port of Boston. To this matter, and to other
offers of political advancement, the following let-
ters relate, and they also show the general course
of his life after his return from Europe. It only
needs to be added, that from this time he was
frequently asked to be a delegate to, or an officer
of political conventions and the like, and that
these offers and applications show how remarka-
bly the young man of twenty-six had attracted
the attention of a community from which he had
gone forth as a college undergraduate, and with
which he had hardly mingled for five years ex-
cept as a wounded officer on sick leave of absence.

Pittsfiei-d, August 23, 1866.
I was sadly shocked to see the death of poor Hay-
ward1 in the paper. It does seem hard, these inscruta-
ble ways of Providence, in carrying men through dan-
gers of no ordinary sort, and then letting them suddenly
drop. You and I carry with us, always, mementoes of
Hayward's handiwork, that we shall cherish a whit more

1 Formerly surgeon of the Twentieth Massachusetts Infantry.
This gallant and accomplished man fell a victim, a short time be-
fore the day appointed for his marriage, to his devotion to charity
patients during the prevalence of cholera in St. Louis.

198 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.

kindly now that the comrade who served us so well has
gone.

I was very glad to see Humphreys' appointment. It
makes up for some of the disgusting ones. Augur is to
have West Point, which is also very satisfactory. He
is just the man for it, and was most popular there before
the war. The Philadelphia Convention seems to have
gone off to the satisfaction of all concerned in it. I
don't think the theatricals indulged in will count for
much. As scenic effect it was good. I see that my
name is put among some others as delegate to the Con-
vention on September 3. It struck me as rather queer,
but still — Of course I cannot think of " accepting the
honor." There seem to be many good names on the
list, and a few only of scaly ones.

My love to your wife. I suppose I ought to be very
glad that you are so busy, and I am ; but do not work
too hard.

I feel much more settled and contented since I had
that talk with Judge Abbott, and decided not to take
any government appointment. I feel so perfectly inde-
pendent. My uncle approves my learning the details of
manufacturing, and I shall be on the lookout for some
position in that line.

With much love, Yours, Frank.

Confidential. Boston, August 26, 1866.

I wanted very much to see you this morning, before
deciding about the offer. You must confess it was
rather staggering. The thing was to be done immedi-
ately, if I consented. Judge Abbott held to his advice of
jhe other day as to any subordinate position, but this was

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS B ART LEI T. 199

a different thing, — the second commercial office in the
country, with a salary from twelve to fifteen thousand
dollars and often upwards, — but it would involve being
here constantly for the next six weeks or two months,
a pretty thorough renovation of the Custom House,
standing any amount of abuse and blackguarding, which,
though it broke no bones, would be disagreeable, etc.

I believe my duty is clear, to stay with my wife, and
execute the trust and bear the responsibilities thrown
upon me by the detention of Mr. and Mrs. Pomeroy.
I have charge of everything up there, and it would be
impossible for me to leave within the next few days and
come here, as I should have to. I told Judge Abbott
that I did not see my way clear to take it. That the
honor of being selected for it would, perhaps, be mort.
pleasant than the actual possession of the office. I be-
lieve he approves of my resisting the temptation, and he
implied that he would have been glad to have had
Henry or Ned do the same under similar circumstances.
I hope you will agree with me that it was my duty to
refuse it. I don't believe I shall ever regret it. I wish
I could have a talk with you. Write me a few lines, if
you have time. Love to your wife.

In haste, yours,

Frank.

This is confidential. I would n't say anything about it.

The Homestead, Pittsfield, September 7, 1866.

I was very glad to get your letter, and know that you

approved of my decision in the Collector business. You

/ust confirmed my views in the matter. I don't think I

bave for a moment regretted it, and I believe I am much

200 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

happier to-day than I should have been had I been car-
ried away by the tempting offer. I am sorry to see that
the papers have me as one of the persons named in con-
nection with the office, together with John Adams, Geo.
AshmuD, General Couch, etc. I don't know how they
could have heard it, unless it had been spoken of be-
fore I heard it, for I have not said anything about it
After what has passed, I do not care to be thought a
disappointed office-seeker, as I shall be when the ap-
pointment is made ; and you are at liberty to state that
I am not a candidate for the office. That I have been
offered the position and refused it, I do not wish to state.
I do not think it would be fair to Judge Abbott and the
other party leaders who were so kind as to give me the
refusal of it.

I saw my name as one of the Vice-presidents of a meet-
ing in Tremont Temple a few nights since. That was,
of course, without consisting me. I fancy that as far as
the President goes, you and I think alike, and that we
are equally sorry to see the chief magistrate so lower-
ing the dignity o*" his high office. I had only a moment
in which to thank you for your good letter. Agnes con-
tinues persistently well, and I tell her it is all humbug
about her being ill at all. Mr. and Mrs. Pomeroy will
not be here till the 3d of October. Before that time I
hope she will be convalescent.

I see that our friend Butler is trying to get to Con-
gress. If he does, will it vacate his commission of Gen-
eral of the Militia ? Jf so, we must think about that.

Love to your wife, who is, I hope, as well as mine,
who sends love to you both, with mine to you.

Frank.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 201

September 11, 1866.

Yours of 9th received. I am very sorry that I can-
not be with you to-morrow. For though I have no
share in the honor of the Twentieth in all those battles,
still there is nothing on earth that I am prouder of than
her glorious record.

My love to every one who remembers me, and to
those who do not, my kind regards.

Agnes continues well. Glad you have found a house
and in such a good locality.

In haste, yours ever, Frank.

The foregoing letter refers to the presentation
at the State-house of Massachusetts of a regi-
mental color of the Twentieth Massachusetts In-
fantry, bearing the names of the battles which it
was authorized by General Orders to have in-
scribed upon it. To the Twentieth was assigned
the privilege of inscribing upon its colors more
names of battles than any other infantry regi-
ment in the army of the Potomac.

Pittsfield, September 17, 1866.
The telegram that I sent this morning will tell
you how relieved and happy we all are that Agues has
got through so nicely, and has such a strong, healthy,
and pretty baby. I was never very intimate with ladies
at this age, and am not a judge of female beauty on such
a small scale, but those who seem to be more compe-
tent, say that it is a remarkable good " specimen of the
style in the early ages." But I am so glad and relieved

202 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

that Agnes is so well, that I should not have complained
if it had been a monkey.

I suppose it ought to have been a hoy, to satisfy the
large family of which I am the only hope for the trans-
mittal of the name, but, as I say, I do not care a rap so
long as Agnes is all right. I know you will be glad to
hear such good news from her. Much love to your wife
and keep for yourself all that you want. You know you
have carte blanche there. Is n't it four years to-day
since you stopped that grape-shot ? I saw by the papers
that I was a delegate to the Cleveland Convention, but
on receipt of the notice " declined the honor." My uncle
entirely approved of my decision in re Coll., of which I
am glad. Yours ever, Frank.

(Confidential.) [Published with the permission of the writer.]

42 Court Street, Boston, September 25, 1866.

My dear Bartlett, — Subsequent events have
made me the more satisfied that I did not urge you,
under the circumstances, to take the place of Collector.
I can explain this to you when I see you, but I am sat-
isfied that I was right in not urging you.

I desire to know now, if you will permit your name to
be used as candidate for Governor of the Constitutional
Union Party, — not the Democratick, — in the coming
election ? Of course there is no danger of election. I
think, however, there will be a vote of over fifty thou-
sand, a very respectable number to begin with. I have
no doubt ground will be taken in favor of the soldiers'
bounties, and my belief is, you would get a large por-
tion of their votes. You can trust me that your name
will not be used unless the nomination would be sub-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 203

Btantially unanimous. If you yet think of a foreign mis-
sion, I think this would be advantageous. I think, too,
although very probably we may be defeated at the
coming election in the country, that we are right, and
shall be sure to prevail two years hence, when, from
present appearances, General Butler will be the candi-
date of the Radicals and General Grant of the other side.
Be kind enough to let me know by return of mail how
I may act in the matter. I don't want to urge you, but
certainly I think the nomination would be very compli-
mentary.

Very sincerely your friend, J. G. Abbott.

Pittsfhxd, September 27 , 1866.

My dear Judge, — It would be very strange if I did
not feel deeply the honor which your confidence and the
contents of your favor of the 25th do me.

I have not regretted the decision that I made in the
case of the collectorship, and I shall never forget your
delicacy and consideration at that time in not urging me
to do what I did not think was clearly my duty. I be-
lieve you acted by me as you would have done by Henry,
and I could ask nothing more. I believe that I decided
as he would have decided under the circumstances, and
you could ask nothing more. The present offer seems to
me to have more objections and fewer inducements. On
principle, I never like to attempt anything iu which
I do not intend to succeed, and here there is no chance
of success at the start.

The acceptance of the nomination would lose me more
friends than my election, even if that were possible,
would gain me ; you see I speak to you frankly and

204 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

selfishly. You know how fearfully one-sided politics are
in (his State.

I cannot tell you how it pains me to decline any offer
made by one whom I honor and respect so highly, and
I believe you know that if it were any service to you
personally, I would do it at any sacrifice.

I have succeeded thus far in keeping out of politics,
acting mainly on your good advice, and I feel that you
will say that I do wisely in shunning them still, by deny-
ing myself the honorable prominence which the nomina-
tion would give me, to end only in defeat.

I am, with sincere regard,

Ever yours, W F. B.

September 28, 1866, Saturday p. m.
This is really the first moment I have had for writing
you since I sent that telegram. I did not want to write
it out, but thought you would understand, as you did.
Before I received your answer, I had written Judge
Abbott substantially as follows : —

[Here follows a copy of the foregoing letter.]

I think that answer agrees pretty nearly with the
views expressed in your letter. You must excuse my
telegraphing in such an abrupt way, but you see how
directly my mind turns to you when I need advice. I
hope you will take it as I interpret it to myself, a proof
of my love and confidence.

This morning I had a note from the Judge, saying
he was glad I had decided as I had, although he thought
it was right that I should have been offered the nomina-
tion, which would have been unanimous.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 205

So, that is all settled. I wonder what will come next.
I hope something in the way of business soon.

Agnes improves every day — sate up to-day altogether
five hours. Is being very good and prudent.

The mail closes. "With much love to you and your
wile from us, Ever sincerely yours,

Frank.

I saw your brother's brevet and was delighted. It
was well earned.

General Bartlett passed the whole of the year
1867 in Berkshire County, most of it at The
Homestead in Pittsfield, and the rest in a snug
little house which he fitted up in the adjoining
town of Dalton, and which he named The Box.
The letters presently to be given contain some
account of the opportunities for honorable em-
ployment which came almost or quite within his
reach. Besides the presidency of the New York
Company, he was recommended for the post of
United States Marshal for the District of Massa-
chusetts ; but the appointment was not made.
Early in this year, he determined to take charge
of a paper-mill in Dalton, and the purchase of
that property was the occasion of his removing
to that town. From June onward he was ac-
tively occupied with this business.

Pittsfield, January 7, 1807.
I write a line in great haste, to tell you that if the
roads are not all filled up again, as they are likely to be

206 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

by the way the snow is blowing to-night, I shall leave
early to-morrow morning for my uncle's.

A letter from him to-day says: A new savings and
life insurance company is being formed under the au-
spices of such men as Dix, J. J. Cisco, banker, assistant
treasurer, etc., Hamilton Fish, ex-governor, Washington
Hunt, ex-governor. .

It is to combine savings-bank and life-insurance on
a principle which contains many things new in this
country, but from reading the plan I should think very
excellent ones. I will send you the plan when I have
another. The point is that the presidency of the thing
will probably be tendered to me. It was offered to Dix,
and he was to take it if he had not gone abroad.
Would n't it be a very nattering position for a young-
ster ? Do you think I am "up" to such a place? I
know you will tell me what you think. I should have
to reside in New York. That I should n't like, but I
would not of course let that stand in the way one mo-
ment of my having an honorable and profitable employ-
ment. The salary will be from eight to ten thousand
dollars. Of course it is all uncertain as yet, and you
won't speak of it unless you hear more from me. I am
to go to New York with my uncle to see some of the
parties, when I suppose it will be decided. Glad your
wife continues to improve. The baby's weight to-day
15£. Much love to you both.

Excuse haste, Frank.

You see how naturally I turn to you in any important
affair.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 207

Pittsfield, January 22, 1867.

1 suppose you think I am under the snow, if not
under the sod.

I came up from New York with my uncle last
Wednesday, and Thursday the storm began. My uncle
could not get away from here till Saturday evening, and
no news from Boston till Monday. Now the trains are
beginning to get through, but the air seems full of snow,
and there is no dependence to be placed on the weather.

I long to hear how you and your wife are, and the
little Marian. I found your kind letter in New York,
where we went on Monday, 14th. After talking over
the matter of which I wrote you, with my uncle, and
Mr. Aspinwall, and Mr. Alsop, we found many more
objections to my taking it than at first appealed. It
will necessarily be up-hill work for a year or two, with
pretty close confinement.

If I undertook it, I should not be able to leave it for
anything better until it was successfully established.

Mr. Pomeroy did not encourage it from the first.
He wants me to wait for an opportunity to go into
manufacturing, where, as he says, you can make more
in one year than you could there in five. Besides,
manufacturing would be more to my taste, better for
my health, give me more room for progress and promo-
tion. In the other place I should be confined to the
city, an office with $10,000 a year, but no hope of any-
thing beyond, and with the expenses of living in New
York we should not have a cent more at the end of the
year than at the beginning. Five thousand dollars in
Massachusetts, or even in Boston, would be worth more

208 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

than twice that in New York. As Aspinwall says, it
would not be so much what we would care to do, as
what we should have to do in such a position. It was
very hard for me to give it up, for I am so impatient to
be at work, but I want to act prudently and be guided
by the advice of older heads. The thing was proposed
to my uncle, when it was found that Dix was going to
Europe, and McClellan would not be home in time, and
he thought it was worth my looking into. He did not
wish to influence me too much, but is glad that I have
decided not to take it, all things considered. I will just
copy what I wrote to Mr. Entz, the gentleman with
whom I talked in New York.

"My dear Sir, — I have decided reluctantly to de-
cline the presidency of the new Life-Insurance and
Savings Company. It is not without mature delibera-
tion, and, for many reasons, sincere regret. One of the
principles of my life is, never to undertake anything
that I cannot give my whole heart and mind to. If I
should accept the office so flatteringly proposed, I should
wish to give my whole soul to achieving, with your val-
uable and necessary assistance, the success and reputa-
tion of the company. The business opportunities for
which I am waiting may offer at any day ; but had I
accepted, in the mean time, this position of trust and
responsibility, and my friends have taken an interest in
the company on my account, I should feel bound in
honor to stand by it and them, at no matter what per-
sonal and pecuniary sacrifice.

" This decision is the harder of the two for me to
make at this time, unoccupied as I am, but it seems dic-
tated by prudence and the right motives. I do not wish

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 209

to appear insensible of the great honor which the associ-
ation of my name with this office does me, and I trust
that you will readily find a far abler and equally suitable
man for the place.

" The company will always naturally have my best
wishes for its success, and you yourself the regard and
esteem of your obedient servant, etc."

So that is settled. I dare say many will think it
foolish to pass on such a position, but I expect that it
will prove for the best. The time to clam is at low
water, and many of the mills will have to " go under "
before long. Then will be the time to buy out and start
afresh.

I hope your wife is very well and the baby flourish-
ing. Ours is 16 \.

I don't advise your coming up here, Frank, at this
time, unless you will come prepared to stay a week or
more. Let me hear from you. The presidency is no
secret. With much love, yours, Frank.

Pittsfield, February, 27, 1867.

Every one is on the sick list, with colds, coughs, etc.,
etc.

The baby is much better, but Agnes has a miserable
influenza, which is very prevalent here just now. The
others are in different stages of the same cheerful com-
plaint, so I advise your not coming just now.

Nothing new from Washington in reference to the
collectorship. No appointment has yet been made, I be-
lieve.

I heard from Washington that the President was in-
14

210 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

clined to appoint me, but the pressure of the Massachu-
setts delegation for Gooch, their old associate, for whom
they were committed (except Hooper), before my name
was suggested to them, embarrassed him, as he wishes to
conciliate the party.

I have no one representing me in "Washington, and
under the circumstances should consider it rather re-
markable if I should be named, when so many other
candidates are in the field, working night and day. If
I should be nominated, I should try to fulfil the duties
of the place with credit ; if not, I shall be inclined to
feel that it is a fortunate escape from the many annoy-
ances and entanglements attendant upon the position.
I should think Clifford's name the best of all that are
mentioned in connection with the office.

I hope you and your wife are well.

With much love, yours ever, Frank.

Fifth Avenue Hotel, March 1, 1867

I sent you a very hurried and perhaps unintelligible
telegram yesterday afternoon as I left Pittsfield. The
cars were waiting for me, and I had to be very expedi-
tious. I wanted to say that I was going to "Washing-
ton, as I had had a telegram saying I had better come
on, and if your father was disposed to do it, not being
otherwise committed, I should like a letter from him to
the President. If he had any aversion to writing to the
President, I would n't have him think of it for a moment.
This is something that is very distasteful to me, and I
said last week I would not go on to Washington for the
place ; but my friends who are interested urge it, and I
suppose that it is only right that I should do what I can.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 211

Please explain to your father the abruptness of my tele-
gram. I hope he will not write if he has the slightest
feeling about it.

I expected to go on last night, but a telegram inter-
cepted me on the way down, saying that Mr. George
Ashtnun was in New York, and from what the letter
said, I thought I had better wait here and see him.

I shall go on to-night and shall try to come back
Monday.

It has been a wretched day — raining like mad.

Much love to your wife.

Yours, in haste, Frank.

Annandale on Hudson, September 12, 1867.
I have had, these last two days, a strong desire to
write you, even if only a few lines. In any great joy I
should turn to you to share it, and so in this great grief,
the first and greatest I have ever known, I turn to you
for sympathy. I thought we had got accustomed to
death, — we could lose comrades and brothers in war, and
be calm and stoical. But this is all new to me. I have
never lost a near relative before, one whom I knew well.
It depends' not so much upon the relationship as upon
the relations that you have with another. My uncle was
nearer to me that is, I went to him more freely

for advice, and now I feel as if I had lost every-

thing. But what is my loss, beside that of my dear
aunt ? The relation between these two has always been
a peculiarly close one. Dependent each on the other,
they have been for thirty-six years like engaged lovers,
never separated for a single day. She is utterly crushed
and stunned, but is doing more bravely than we corJd

212 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BART LETT.

expect. It was so sudden. He has not been well for
many weeks, but only took his bed last "Wednesday
week. I was with him on Friday and Saturday, when
he seemed to be better, and we thought he would rally.
We had no idea the eud was so near. When I left him
on Saturday I said, " I shall be back on Monday." And
he said with a voice as strong as ever, " You 11 find me
better on Monday." fie failed, however, on Sunday,
and when I got here Monday he had not noticed any-
thing for hours. My coming seemed to rouse him, and
he knew me and tried to speak. I did not leave his side
from that time till three o'clock Tuesday morning, when
he quietly breathed his last.

The surgeons term the disease purpura, a derange-
ment of the blood-vessels of the bowels, — what apo-
plexy is to the brain. He has been working too hard
this summer on some papers he has been drawing up for
the trustees of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. They
all looked to him for the brain-work, and the 10th was
the day of the meeting. There was the paper before
them, finished, perfect in its character, and there was the
telegram announcing his death that morning. Mr. Alsop
says it was the saddest meeting that ever was attended.
Oh, Frank, how I wish you had known him ! That was
one of my dreams, to have you come here. He would
have loved you, Frank, and you would have enjoyed his
uoble mind and lovely character.

We bury him on Friday, from the little chapel, and
then I fear for my poor aunt the worst will begin.

I hope you and yours are well.

With much love, ever yours, Frank.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 213

Agnes and the baby are in Pittsfield. She will come
nere after the funeral. The baby will be a great diver-
sion for my aunt. She has been expecting to be in
Pittsfield on the 16th, the little thing's birthday, with
uncle. She has never seen it ; he was there last win-
ter.

The death of his Uncle Edwin, who was child-
less, though married, seemed at first to place him
beyond the necessity of work. By his will, his
Uncle left his estate of Miramonte upon the
Hudson River to his wife for her life, and on her
death to his nephew, General William Francis
Bartlett, u in consideration of his gallantry and
devotion to his country in her late struggle for
self-preservation." He then gave one hundred
thousand dollars to his wife, and the residue to
two of his friends in trust to have the whole ap-
praised, to pay over one third to his wife, about
fifteen thousand dollars in legacies, and the res-
idue to General Bartlett. It is understood that
if General Bartlett had accepted the provisions
of this will, he would have come into immediate
possession of property then valued at close upon
two hundred thousand dollars. But he was young
and hopeful, and the country was prosperous, or
seemed so, and everything looked bright. He was
much attached to the wife of the man whom he
so tenderly loved, and he feared that she would
Snd the provision made for her inadequate to en-

214 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

able her to live in the manner to which she was
accustomed. Moved by these considerations, he
executed a paper instructing the trustees to retain
the property left to him, and to pay the income to
his aunt. It was a generous act, an act to which
the much abused term of chivalrous may fairly be
applied, but in the sequel it proved most unfortu-
nate. Its consequences, however, are too much
matter of private and family concern to admit of
their relation here.

The Box, December 1, 1867.
I am glad that you know me well enough not to think
it strange when you do not hear from me for months.
You will believe that you are none the less in my
thoughts. I hope before very long we can have a real
good pow-wow under this little roof. We are getting
very comfortably settled, and were never so happy in
our lives. Some people say, " Why, won't you find it
very quiet out in Dalton ? " (They are of that class
which believes that Pittsfield and the like are places of
excitement.) How little they know of the comfort of
quiet and seclusion when one has seen a fair share of the
noise and bustle of the world. Every one who comes
out here thinks we are very cosily settled, and are sur-
prised to see what can be made of a common little
country cottage of a story and a half.

Yours ever, Frank.

The year 1868 was for General Bartlett a
year of hard work, and, upon the whole, of de-
clining health. He remained at Dalton for some

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 215

thing more than half the year, and then took a
house in Pittsfield. The change of residence was
owing to his acceptance of the position of treas-
urer and general manager of the Pomeroy Iron
Works, at West Stockbridge. As this town and
Dalton were on opposite sides of Pittsfield, it
was much better for him to make his home in
the last-mentioned place. He associated with
himself in the paper business Colonel Walter
Cutting, who married a sister of his wife, and
Colonel Cutting soon qualified himself to take
charge of the mill at Dalton. As for the manu-
facture of iron, he devoted himself to it with his
usual intelligence and energy, and with such
success at first, that at the end of May he thought
himself authorized to assert that the weekly
report of his furnace showed " the best week's
work yet made at that or any other furnace in
this country."

His application and his way of life were un-
favorable to his health. Besides the fatigue
incident to his work, he had a long way to go
and to return each day, and the constant per-
sonal supervision which he gave to his furnace ex-
posed him to trying alternations of heat and cold.
In January, he had a bilious attack and symp-
toms of fever. These, however, yielded to qui-
nine and to alterative medicine, but in February
he continued indisposed. His trouble was then
thought to be owing to a want of bile. It was

216 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FAAXCIS BARTLETT.

attended with extreme soreness in the bowels and
back, with a tendency to peritoneal inflamma-
tion. His physician thought there was still some
of the old ulceration left from his prison dysen-
tery, and that he ought to avoid exposure and fa-
tigue ; but still he labored on, avoiding neither
exposure nor fatigue, and by the first of August
it was only too plain that he had worked too hard
all summer and that he needed a rest. He had
become very thin. Whenever be lost flesh, the
stump of his amputation was one of the first
places in which the loss appeared. This caused
his artificial leg to chafe, and was almost always
attended with pain in his lost foot. Of this the
world knew little. The absolute silence of the
man as to his own sufferings was a marked char-
acteristic of him, and his patient, cheerful endur-
ance was almost beyond belief. He went to
Philadelphia upon the occasion to which one of
the following letters refers, but it was already
becoming painfully apparent that he was not fit
for such efforts. The sword was wearing out the
sheath, and the war had worn the sheath very
thin.

The Homestead,
Pittsfield, May 13, 1868.

I suppose you think I am dead, or else have forgotten

you entirely. I had time only to read your' last kind

letter, but not to answer it. It was like a draught of

good, fresh, cool water, when one is tired and thirsty.

Vou can hardly imagine how busily I have been occu-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 217

pied these last two months. I begin to see land at last,
but it may yet be two or three weeks before I can really
sit down and take a long breath. I never knew until
this year what Sunday is to the working man, as a day
of rest. Well, I don't need to explain my condition;
the simple fact that I have not written, even you, for
nearly two months, tells the whole story. I cannot tell
you on paper, with any satisfaction, about the iron busi-
ness. You will be glad to know that it promises to
be a very pleasant and profitable occupation. I have
bought Moodie's interest in the paper mill, and taken in,
as partner in his place, Walter Cutting. He is taking
hold of the business with an earnestness and cleverness
which surprise me, and I feel great relief in that quar-
ter already.

He will live in Dalton, and take charge of the busi-
ness, so that I can devote my time almost exclusively to
the furnace. I hope to get to Boston next week on
business, and will not come away without a " sit-down "
with you of an hour or two, when I can put you in pos-
session of all the facts. Meantime, believe that you and
yours are not out of my thoughts, even in the busiest
days, and that I am constantly looking forward a few
years when we shall be nearer each other.

Much love to your wife, and kiss the lovely baby.
Yours, in haste. Frank.

Pittsfield, September 26, 1868.
I am just in receipt of your telegram of this date,
asking if I will " take command of Massachusetts dele-
gation to Soldiers' and Sailors' Convention at Philadel-
phia."

218 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

I have replied, by telegraph, that " if you, and such
as you, are of the delegation, I will go ; but I prefer
a less conspicuous place."

I mean by "you, and such as you," men who have no
personal political ambition to gratify, or place to seek;
men who would represent, as you do, the best blood of
Massachusetts, and who proved themselves worthy of
their origin on the field.

I am no politician. If I were to be classed at all, I
suppose it would be as a " War Democrat." And hav-
ing been a War Democrat during the war, now that the
war is over I most certainly desire peace. A peace that
we so steadily fought for; a peace that we so fairly won.
That peace would seem now to be threatened, unless
the men who surrendered unconditionally at Appomat-
tox are allowed to dictate terms to the men who taught
them, through four bloody years, that the way of rebell-
ion is hard. I believe in the utmost liberality and
magnanimity towards a fallen foe, and I would extend
the hand right heartily in token of forgiveness and
friendship.

Such liberality characterized Grant's terms as General
of the Army, when rebellion laid down its arms. Such
magnanimity and charity will, I believe, mark his course
as Commander-in-chief.

Believing, as I do, in the soundness of heart of the
soldiers of Massachusetts, their devotion to truth, to
valor, and to justice, I shall in peace follow with them ;
or failing a chief more worthy, shall with pride lead
Ihem. 1 am, sir, very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

W- F. Bartlett.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 219

The downward tendency of his physical con-
dition became yet more marked in 1869. His
home and his occupations were the same, but his
fitness to enjoy the one and to do justice to the
other was often greatly diminished. He was con-
fined to his bed in February, and was excessively
weak. His wife wrote : " It would go to your
heart to see hiin. He looks nearly as emaciated
as when he came home from the Libby. No
doubt this illness has been coming on for many
months." By the second of March he had re-
covered so far as to drive out for ten minutes.
During the summer he was better, but in Sep-
tember he was again ill in bed, suffering from
congestion of the bowels, unaccompanied at this
time with ulceration. Indeed, it may be said
that he never recovered from the dysentery which
attacked him after his capture at the explosion of
the mine before Petersburg. Besides his physical
sufferings, his business at this time began to do
less well. There was little of pleasant incident
for him in this year, but he took great interest in
planning a house for himself, which he began to
build in November, near The Homestead. His
Becond child, a daughter, was born on the 17th
of February in this year.

As it had been in 1869, so it was in 1870, but
worse. He toiled unremittingly till he could toil
no longer, and at last it was decided that he
should take a short vacation and go to England.

220 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

He announced his determination to his most con-
stant correspondent in the following letter : —

May 22, 1870.

Don't suppose there is anything very wrong with me.
It is a sort of conspiracy between the doctor and the rest
of them to get me out of the country. I have no doubt
the rest, and voyage out and back, will do me much
good, although I do not yet see how I can possibly leave
my affairs.

A man's experience at such times, though not flatter-
ing to himself, is, that things get along just about as well
without him ; and I presume that will be the result with
me. Much love to you both.

Ever yours, Frank.

His wife wrote, on the 2 2d of May : —

It is an absolute necessity, as far as his health is con-
cerned, that he should have immediate and entire rest
for mind and body. He has not been well for two or
three months, and the constant and fatiguing business
trips of the last few weeks have broken him down sadly.
The doctor says he must stop now, else he may have a
return of that terrible illness.

He wrote from Queenstown on his arrival there
" that the continuance of the miserable pain and
soreness has quite decided him to remain over till
Captain Moodie's July trip." He had hoped
that the sea voyage out and back would be suffi-
cient, with no longer stay in England than the
interval between the ship's arrival and departure ;
but the bow had been bent too long.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BAKTLETT. 221

Croxlbt House, July 4, 1870.

I was delighted to see your well known writing again,
and I thank you very much for taking the trouble to
write me such a nice long letter, telling me so much that
I wanted specially to hear. I have not written any
one but Agnes, giving myself over to complete lazi-
ness. I am doing very little in the way of going out
to dinners and theatres, etc., having cut it from the
first.

We are about twenty miles from London, in this old
place, which is very odd and thoroughly English. The
park of about thirteen acres is entirely enclosed in a
high masonry wall of some ten to fifteen feet outside,
but by raising the ground inside it seems only a few
feet high, viewed from the house, and that completely
covered with ivy, so that there is no sense of being
shut in.

I go to London for two or three days in the week,
spending the night, or coming down in time for dinner,
at half past seven, as I feel like it. Every afternoon
that I am down we drive four-in-hand through these
lovely English lanes and over the superb high roads.
Many parts of this country (Herts) remind me of the
Shenandoah valley, — that beautiful rolling green, al-
though there are no hills as high as the Blue Ridge in
sight. It is a favorite spot about here for gentlemen's
places. The adjoining one to this is an estate of about
eight hundred acres, " Cassiobury Park," the Earl of
Essex's ; next to that is Lord Clarendon's, " The
Grove ; " near by, Lord Ebury's " Moor Park ; " and
next, Lord Chesham's " Latimer " and " Loud Water."
You can see that so many fine places, so near, with their

222 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

hundreds of acres of park and wood, make the whole
country round here picturesque and beautiful. They
are suffering fearfully for want of rain, and will have
very slight crops of both hay and grain.

I believe that I am much better now than when I left
home, and I have no doubt whatever that the voyage
home will do me worlds of good, and that I shall reap
the benefit of this rest and change for the balance of the
year. For the first week or two after my arrival here
I did not mend a bit, and was quite disgusted, and re-
gretted that I had not gone back with Moodie. But I
am gaining now, I feel sure.

There is one thing, Frank, you may be sure of, and
one of these days you will confirm my belief, that the
oftener you leave home for this side, the better satisfied
you will be that with all her faults America is the place
of all the world to live in. The more you see of other
countries* the better you will love your own.

I am glad to hear such good accounts of your wife
and the bairns. Mine have the whooping-cough, but I
am assured that it is the most favorable time of year,
and that otherwise they are in superb health, and for
this we cannot be too grateful.

My best love to your wife, dear Frank, and what you
don't give to her, keep for yourself.

From your devoted Frank.

The good effects of his vacation did not last
long. In October his wife wrote: —

He is very far from well. . . The anxiety and
fatigue of those days and nights at the furnace have told
upon him seriously, and he is now suffering from much

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 223

Boreness and lameness in the bowels. . . He is not
6trong enough or robust enough for active business, and aa
he throws all his energy into whatever he undertakes,
he frequently exhausts himself, and then feels that he
cannot take the time to repair the waste, and so when
he gets down, it is very hard for him to get up again,
and he is injuring his constitution every day, and is in
a fair way to entirely ruin his wonderful recuperative
powers.

At this time, neither the paper nor the iron
business was yielding any return, and mental
anxiety was added to physical weakness. " He is
greatly harassed in many ways, and of course all
this worry of mind increases his trouble of the
bowels. . . He suffers a great deal, and some-
times longs for the rest of heaven." These words
again are from his wife. The days and nights at
the furnace to which she refers are those spent
there by her husband in the autumn of this year,
when the furnace had a " chill," and it required
excessive exertion and unremitting watchfulness
to keep it from going out of blast.

At the end of this year, he moved into his new
house, which was most satisfactory, and the
source of great enjoyment to himself and his
wife.

It is not to be understood that these years were
all dark. To do so would be to go very far from
the truth. He was most happily married, and
though he suffered more than almost any one

224 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

knew, he put a brave face upon it, and was always
firm and patient, and always, or almost always,
cheerful. He was most agreeably hospitable, in
a simple fashion, in his own home, and he found
time for frequent little visits to his family and
friends, and he always enjoyed and derived great
profit from such periods of relaxation. His pow-
ers of rallying were wonderful. Sometimes he
would come to a friend's house at the sea-shore
quite exhausted, silent, feeble, and without ap-
petite. At first he would sleep much, then he
would begin to take an interest in the table, and
presently he would seem like a new man, cheer-
ful in his serious way, enjoying his food and tak-
ing plenty of it, and ready to make the most of
every pleasure which his position afforded.

In the year 1871, he contended with increasing
ill-health. In March he was very far from well,
and he went to make a short visit to some friends
in Boston. While with them, he suffered from
his wearing pain, and had little appetite and lit-
tle strength, but he improved, as usual when he
gave himself the chance, and in April he was
much better in spirits and in health. He soon
fell off again, and had a serious illness iu the
early summer, — a touch of pleurisy with a con-
gestive chill. He went in August to Nantucket,
for two weeks, with his wife, and the sea air, sea
bathing, and rest set him up wonderfully, and he
was very well during the autumn. In December

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 225

he was ill again for some weeks with another at-
tack of pleurisy.

During this year he was very busy, whenever
he was able to work, and he began to take a zeal-
ous interest in the affairs of the church. In April,
he became senior warden of St. Stephen's Epis-
copal Church in Pittsfield, and in September he
was there confirmed by the bishop of the diocese.

On the 20th of November, in this year, his
first son was born. This event was a very great
joy to him. He was the only male representative
of his grandfather, in his generation, bearing the
name of Bartlett, and the qualities of the father's
nature were such as to make his personal desire
for a son very strong. The boy, a noble specimen
of babyhood, was christened Edwin, after his be-
loved and lamented uncle.

The year 1872 was a full and busy year for
him, and a year in which he came more prom-
inently before the public than he had done since
the war ended. In January, he accepted a posi-
tion upon the personal staff of the Governor of
Massachusetts, with the rank of colonel. His
health was, as he described it, " so, so," which,
from him, meant that it was very poor. He pro-
posed to go, early in the year, to Virginia, to at-
tend to some business, but his condition became
so much worse that he was obliged to defer the
visit for several weeks. By the end of March he
had been for some time in Virginia, and he pro-

15

226 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

nounced himself much the better for " roughing
it " there.

In the spring of 1872 an earnest effort was
making to secure a nomination for President of
the United States which should commend itself
to all the true friends of reform and good govern-
ment, irrespective of party lines. In this under-
taking General Bartlett took a very deep interest.
His sympathies were made known by the follow-
ing publication in the " Springfield Republican "
of April 10, 1872, and the following letters show
his feelings about the enterprise and its result : —

A FIRST GUN.

GENERAL BARTLETT UPON THE PRESIDENTIAL CONVENTIONS
AND CANDIDATES.

To the Editor of the Republican, — On my re-
turn from Virginia, after a short absence, I read in the
columns of your Boston correspondence, that " General
Bartlett, who has been selected by some of the wise
men of the East, in consultation with canny Berkshire,
as the proper person to represent Western Massachu-
setts at Philadelphia, is more of a soldier thau politician,
but is counted on to go for Grant as a soldier."

As I had, sometime previous to the date of the above
article, declined to allow the use of my name, I cannot
suppose that the selection would be approved ; but it
seems to me only the part of candor to declare, that
while I am flattered to learn that my name has been
considered in connection with so distinguished a posi-
tion, I am not "to be counted on to go for Grant," il

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 227

that means, as I fear it does, blind allegiance to the
group of politicians under whose control General Grant
has unfortunately placed himself, and whose solicitude
seems to be greater for the Republican party than for
the welfare of the country.

But I am waiting, as I know thousands of other good
soldiers, and good Republicans dow " counted on to go
for Grant," and good men of all parties, are waiting, for
the nomination of a man whose administration shall be
above suspicion, not above investigation ; who cannot be
used or abused by any set of selfish politicians of any
party; who will illustrate the true meaning of "civil
service reform " by benefiting and enriching the nation
and not the individual ; whose ability as a statesman is
balanced by his integrity as a man ; whose great services
to his country in the darkest days of our civil war, when
single-handed at the English Court he stemmed the tido
of foreign intervention with skill and fearlessness unsur-
passed, can never be forgotten by those to whom the
honor of their country is as dear as her success; whose
name is Charles Francis Adams, and whom, if the Cin-
cinnati Convention shall have the wisdom to nominate,
the people will have the independence to elect.

W F. Bartlett.

Pittsfield, April 21, 1872.

I have about decided that it is my duty to go to Cin-
cinnati. I am urged to do it by men who hope for Mr.
Adams's nomination there ; and I do not think the del-
egation of this State will be as strong as it should be,
in case there is any great difference of opinion as to the
strength of the three or four probable candidates. Mr

228 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Bowles especially urges my going. He says that my
letter has given me a position and influence which can
be of great use to Mr. Adams in the convention. I be-
lieve there is a strong Sumner feeling among certain
prominent men who are going there, but I do not believe
it will have any strength there after the first.

Of course I shall be hopeful for the success of the
movement, if it shall see fit to put Mr. Trumbull at the
head of the ticket, and shall support it, but I confess
my heart will not be in it, as it will if Mr. Adams is the

man. I have been with all the afternoon, and

I can assure you, he has a very strong belief in the
strength of the Cincinnati movement, and said, among
other things, that there was very little doubt of Illinois
going against Grant if Trumbull was on the ticket.
He believes, that if the Cincinnati Convention shall act
with wisdom, and nominate Trumbull, or Adams, the
Philadelphia Convention will be obliged to accept it.

This you must not repeat as from Mr. , but you

" have the information direct from high authority."

Mr. 's chief fear is, doing any thing that may

give back power to the Democratic party. I tell him
that the very way to prevent that, is for him and men
like him, who have taken an independent stand, to go in
and control this, and outnumber the liberal Democrats
who will join it. He sees it, and thinks the events of
the next few weeks will decide the thing.

I need not tell you how utterly distasteful the idea of
going to Cincinnati, both physically and morally, is to
me. I can neither afford the time, nor the cost, nor the
fatigue ; but it is a sacrifice of all, which I cannot refuse,
feeling as I do about the nomination and possible eleo

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 229

tion of Mr. Adams. And if by any chance I should
have an opportunity to assist in bringing it about, I
should be too proud for anything.

Why, Frank, just think of having a gentleman as well
as a statesman for President again ! I hope you will
talk Cincinnati among the men whom we know, espe-
cially soldiers, who would, in case of Adams's nomina-
tion, come out in a public indorsement of it. Why
won't you sound Sam. Quincy, who is in the House of
Representatives, and Codman ditto, and Cogswell, if you
choose, George Barnard, Osborne, and the like ? These
men I name, as they have had some experience and
prominence in affairs, and could organize such a move-
ment.

General Schouler has written me enthusiastically, and
Will go to Cincinnati if he can afford it. He was a
delegate to the late Worcester Convention, and one of
the vice-presidents. General Dale is heartily in favor
of it. The chairman of the Republican Soldiers' and
Sailors' Committee of New York State, H. A. Barnum,
has written me that they have had a meeting of repre-
sentative soldiers of the different States at Washington,
and decided to issue a circular letter preliminary to call-
ing a general meeting of soldiers to "protest against
the further progress of the alarming disintegration of
the Republican party which has taken place under the
administration of General Grant," — " and formally to
call on the Philadelphia Convention to nominate a can-
didate other than Grant, and one who can unite the
party, etc."

He tells me he finds the anti-Grant feeling very
strong among soldiers. That has been my experience

230 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

too. I wish I could see John or Charley Adams for a
half hour. They might have some views as to the best
course to be pursued at Cincinnati, which would be valu-
able. If you see either of them and they think it de-
sirable, I would go down for a day this week on receipt
of a telegram from you. Don't suggest this if you
think it would be, or seem to be, officious.

I hope you will write me this week, Frank. You
know how much I depend on you for counsel and sym-
pathy. Ever yours, Frank.

Pittsfield, April 27, 1872.

I am just off for Cincinnati, spending Sunday in
Rochester with friends, and so break up the journey. I
shall be with friends in Cincinnati, so that my personal
comfort there will be greater than if I had to take mj
chance at the hotels.

I have your letter, and am not discouraged entirely by
it. I am more hopeful than you that Mr. Adams will
be nominated, and if that is done, then the responsibility
of his non-election must rest on the men in this country
who, believing him to be the best man, will, under party
dictation, vote for some one else. My feeling about the
Cincinnati movement is simply this : If men are going
there to attempt to achieve their own ambitions by
pushing and bargaining for this or that particular man,
because he will serve their ends or carry out their spe-
cial theory, the sooner it is scattered to the winds the
better.

Mr. Adams has, as you very well know, no personal
following, no "claque." He is not popular with politi-
cians, and he can only be nominated by just such a

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 231

rising above personal considerations, and an honest
desire for better things, as I hope will show itself at
Cincinnati. If not, I shall come home very much
disappointed; but I cannot think I shall ever feel any
disgrace in having joined a forlorn hope for an assault
on a corrupt party management, even if the assault
should be repulsed; or that I shall lower myself in my
own or your estimation by advocating the nomination of
such a man as Mr. Adams against anybody.

With much love, yours hastily. Frank.

Pittsfield, May 20, 1872.
(Do you recognize the writing as seen in your youth ?)
I leave to-morrow for New York, whence I returned
Friday night, and expect now to go on from there to
Boston, arriving probably Thursday morning. I will
look in at your office during the forenoon, and tell you
more of my plans. I shall, I think, stay over Sunday
and Monday, when we are to be on duty I suppose. I
have been constantly busy since I returned from Cincin-
nati, where I was delayed several days by illness, par-
tially brought on, I dare say, by a "damned defeat " that
" was made " there at that time, of which more anon.
In haste. Ever yours, Frank.

Near the end of May, the furnace of the Pome-
roy Iron Works, at West Stockbridge, was de-
stroyed by fire. It was a heavy blow to Bartlett,
as he was both superintendent and personally a
large owner in the property. But he was not
given to lamentation, and it is in these words that
he refers to the event : " With my disheartening

232 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

disappointment at Cincinnati on the 3d, and this
blow on the 27th, I don't think I like this month
very much."

From the middle of this year he was much in
Richmond, where he proposed to make his home,
and near which was the property of the Pow-
hatan Iron Company, of which he was to be the
treasurer and manager. This property was owned
by northern men and supplied with northern
capital, and he had high hopes of its proving a
gainful enterprise, and he expected at the same
time to profit personally from a change of resi-
dence to a southern State. He worked very hard
getting things to rights at the Virginia furnace,
and also in rebuilding the furnace at West Stock-
bridge, which latter was lighted on the 14th of
October.

On the 24th of September, the Soldiers' Mon-
ument at Pittsfield was dedicated, with appropri-
ate ceremonies, and in the presence of a great
concourse of people. General Bartlett took a
great interest in this monument, and he was the
chairman of the committee on procuring it. He
wrote the dedicatory inscription which is cut upon
the base, and which reads as follows : —

On the west face,

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 233

FOE THE DEAD
A TRIBUTE.

FOE THE LIVING
A MEMORY.

FOR POSTERITY

AN EMBLEM

OF LOYALTY TO THE FLAG

OF THEIR COUNTRY.

On the east face,

WITH GRATEFUL RECOGNITION

OF THE SERVICES OF ALL HER

SONS

WHO UPHELD THE HONOR AND

INTEGRITY OF OUR BELOVED

COUNTRY

IN HER HOUR OF PERIL,

THE TOWN OF

PITTSFIELD

ERECTS THIS MONUMENT IN

LOVING MEMORY OF THOSE

WHO DIED THAT THE

NATION

MIGHT LIVE.

234 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

In the speech in which General Bartlett form-
ally delivered the monument to the town, he
spoke in terms of high praise of the artist, and
then said : —

He has taken for his subject, not the private soldier
nor the commissioned officer, but a greater hero than
either, — the man on whom so often hung the fate of
battle, the man on whose self-forgetting bravery and un-
flinching firmness the steadiness of the whole line de-
pended, the man who bore the colors. And, comrades,
was there ever any flag half so well worth fighting for,
half so well worth dying for, as the flag we followed ?
As I look upon your faces that I have seen amid the
smoke of battle, and remember how you closed up the
gaps made by the fall of those whom we honor to-day, I
am conscious that to you also belongs a share of the
honor, but with this difference : their fame was achieved
and secured by dying heroic deaths, — yours must yet
be maintained and preserved by living blameless lives.

The climate of Richmond seemed to fulfill the
expectations of the man who so much needed
every help that climate could give him, and he
wrote there, at the beginning of October, that he
believed himself to be better in health than for
many months. At the end of the same month he
established his family there, in one of the best
houses in the city. The people of Richmond
made an exception in his favor to their then usual
treatment of northerners, and before his family
had been there a month, they found themselves

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 235

" overwhelmed with kindness, cordiality, and hos-
pitality from the very nicest people here." His
wife writes of the following period : —

Frank was very hopeful and very busy that winter
and spring, getting things ready to start the furnace,
making excursions up the canal into the ore districts,
going down into mines, and doing things a whole man
would have shrunk from, — making contracts for ore,
getting leases of some very valuable beds, and in every
way busy, and working with bright hopes and a hearty
faith that all was going well and that the Virginia en-
terprise would be a complete success. He was
pretty well that year, for him. Hardly a week ever
passed without his suffering in one way or another. He
was better than in 1871, when he had that dreadful
congestive chill, and also better than iu 1872, when he
had the severe attack of pleurisy which laid him up for
so long a time.

He passed most of the year 1873 in Richmond.
His family went to their Pittsfield home at the
end of May and returned in October. He was
sometimes with them and sometimes on the water
during the summer, but he was more or less at
and near Richmond and at the ore-beds during
the whole time of their absence. The summer
was darkened for him by the death of his sister
Edith, his youngest sister and "his pet and
shadow."

The following letters belong to the first year of
his stay in Richmond : —

236 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS-BARTLETT.

Lynchburg, Va.,
Wednesday, March 13, 1872.

My dear Agxes, — I have just sent you a telegram,
to tell you that we h;ive returned safely from our
dreaded Echols expedition up into the mountains, and
got along much better than we feared. .

We got down from Echols's this A. m. about eight,
and are going down the canal on our beloved packet to-
night at six, to a place twenty miles or so below here.
We have traveled on this same old packet so long now
that we feel as if she was our private yacht, and the
captain and steward and all hands seem to think so too,
for they don't often have anybody, I fancy, that gives
them anything, and they would, any of them, jump over-
board for us, if we should ask them. We get down to
this place about twelve to-night, and expect to find
lodgings in a store on the canal till morning, when we
shall ride out to the ore-bed, about two and a half miles
from the river.

We expect to get b%ck to the canal and take the up
boat, which comes along about one o'clock at night, and
gets us back here Friday morning in time to take the
Washington train. If we get our clothes off Friday
night, it will be the first but one for a week. I don't
intend to be clean again till I get into a bath tub at
Washington. You feel just as well if you only get
used to it.

You want to know about the Echols trip. Well, we
set sail in our steam yacht, three-horse-power engines;
ihe steam is in the cabin, where the stove is kept at a
very even temperature, red hot all the time. If one of
the darkies sees the least sign of black about it, he

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 237

"goes for it" like mad, and soon restores it to its proper
condition. The " bridal state room," which I have al-
ready described, is pushed to the end of the cabin, as far
as possible from this beast of a stove, but my feet come
within about three feet of it then, and I dreamt last
night that I was John Rogers and you had two small
children and one at the breast. (Kniffin suggests that
I had better remark here that we brought back most of
the whiskey which we took with us, so that you need
not suppose my imagination has anything to do with the
above statement.) Well, to resume, we steamed out of
the harbor of this magnificent city in a blinding snow-
storm, at half past five Monday evening, and crossed
the bar at six. (You have to cross the bar to get to the
supper table, and our cook always gets us up something
extra when we are on board.) I tell you it looked
rather dusty when we thought of getting out on to the
canal bank at two o'clock in the morning, but we turned
in at the usual hour, and I slept the sleep of youth and
innocence on my downy table, wrapped in my cloak, till
Clay called us, and told us that Captain Echols was
coming on board. This was down at the junction of the
James and North rivers, where we meet the other
boat going up to Buckannon, while our boat keeps on
the North River up to Lexington. It seems that Cap-
tain Echols and his son had come down to the mouth of
the river to take the boat for Buckannon, and had sent
their horses on to meet them there in the morning. It
being such a rough night, they preferred the canal boat
to riding all night, and hearing from Clay (the steward)
that there were two gentlemen on our boat going to their
place, they turned back, and came on board to go back.

238 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.

Well, I felt relieved to think that we should arrive at
the man's house with him, but distressed to feel that we
had upset his plans, after being up all night. However,
he did n't seem to think anything of it, and so I com-
forted myself with the other view of it.

He and his son looked exactly like a couple of real
rebel officers, gray overcoats, felt slouch hats, boots, and
all. We landed at half past two, and, as they had a lan-
tern, we picked our way up to the house very comfort-
ably, although it was still snowing. We were shown
into the parlor, and a corn-cob fire was soon started,
and we found that they did n't feel very badly at being
back there instead of on the road. We lay down for a
while, I down stairs and Kniffin up aloft somewhere,
till about seven or eight, when I found a young darky
(Henry Clay by name) mousing round my leg, trying to
get my boots, I think. I gave him ten cents to let me
alone, and in a minute there were several just like him
that wanted to let me alone too. We had breakfast
down cellar with the family, — an aunt (Mrs. Echols
died about two years ago), two daughters, and three
small children, mates of the aforesaid nies.

After breakfast, we mounted our horses and started
for the mountain. It had stopped snowing and was
clearing away. We saw the ore bed, and the whole
property. There has been a pile of money spent on it,
and there is no doubt a large deposit of ore, and it is of
a very superior quality.

We returned to the Echols mansion about two, and
dined, and from that time till half past eleven, when the
boat came down, we passed in the parlor. Miss Echols
sang for us and played very sweetly, with the regular

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 239

southern accent ; but it was a treat and rest to bear
music so far out of the world as tbat seemed to be.
She sang several very pretty songs. They were alto-
gether cordial and hospitable, and he is a very excellent
man.

Our yacht arrived at half past eleven and took us on
board, and we came down through the Blue Ridge Gap.
It was a beautiful, bright starlight night, and as we stole
noiselessly along at the base of those perpendicular piles
of rock, going, apparently, straight into the side of the
mountain, till just at the last moment a sudden turn
showed a pass which the river had made for us, we
regretted that it was not daylight that we might see the
views. I stayed up for an hour or more, till we passed
the "Balcony Falls," and then was laid on the table.
We arrived here at eight this morning, and our yacht
swings gracefully at her moorings, waiting till six this
evening, when we start down the canal again for River-
ville, Amherst County. It seems to be impossible to go
any where, or come away from any place, on this canal,
except between the hours of midnight and two a. m. . .

I went into a bank here, The First National, to get
a New York draft for SI 00 cashed, and I really believe
it nearly broke them. They may have had a little cur-
rency left, but the last five dollars they had to make
out with small bills and fractional currency. .

Now, do be good, and get well, or I won't come home.
The canal was skimmed over with ice when I went on
deck this morning, and as it was before sunrise, I had a
good appetite for breakfast at seven.

Love to chicks. I hope little Agnes is all right
again. Ever your own loving Frank.

240 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLLTT.

I am living principally on hog and hominy three

times a day.

Balcony Falls, September 15, 1872.
Sunday Ere.

My darling Agnes, — As poor a man as I am, I
would have given a hundred dollars if you could have
been with me to-day. I got here with Captain Echols
Saturday morning, about three, and yesterday did a full
day's work. Explored the mine, going in over three
hundred feet, to the very end. It was pretty " pokerish,"
so long since any one had been in there, and they put me
on the car and pushed me ahead of them, as it was too
wet for me to walk. I thought of snakes and bears and
all sorts of things which I did n't see, but was glad when
I got through and turned to go out. I caught quite a
cold on the packet that night, and added to it in this
tunnel, I think, but I had to do it. I made four separate
contracts with various parties, all very satisfactory, and
settled all my business last eve.

This morning Captain Echols and I started on horse-
back for the Natural Bridge. About sixteen miles there
and back. Well, if I live, you have got to come up
here with me this fall, and go over there. I was com-
pletely astonished. I had seen the Natural Bridge in
my geographies as one of the seven wonders of the
world, but I did n't ever take much stock in it, and the
surprise was all the greater because I have seen photo-
graphs which I had supposed did it justice. After goinj;
round on top of the bridge, where I picked a piece of
arbor vitce from a tree that hangs directly over the abyss,
for you, we went round and climbed down below and
same up under the arch, which I can liken to nothing

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 241

else than the stupendous aisle of one of God's great cathe-
drals. The tree which stands in the bed of the brook and
which looked like a currant bush from the top, we sat
down under and ate our " snack," and found it stooa
ninety feet high over our heads and was a foot and a half
through at the base. While we were sitting there, we
heard the sound of many voices singing a hymn and ap-
proaching, and as there wound down the side of the
ravine, in procession, a party of colored people to a bap-
tism in the pool below, the effect of a cathedral that had
already impressed me was very much heightened. We
witnessed the service, and after cutting a little cross on
the tree to show you as my mark when I take you there,
we went up and found our horses, and turned towards
home. The scenery all about here is gorgeous.

I feel a little tired to-night from riding so far, but I
shall sleep all the better when I get on the boat, which
I expect along about eleven. .

The contrast between the weather to-day and last
Sunday is immense. There never was a more perfect
day than this has been. It is right cool to-night, but
I am warmly dressed. Captain Echols is a very nice
man, just as good and conscientious as he can be. I
couldn't have anybody else here in whom I could place
so much confidence. They are all so happy to have him
home again. He has been away nearly six months
from all these young children, without a mother, and
they are very fond of him, especially one of the older
girls, who is a cripple and invalid. And to have him
home to stay, with a position that pays him even more
than he was getting out on the railroad, makes them
16

242 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

all very happy, and me too, to be the means of do-
ing it. .

I was sorry to see the death of the poor old Bishop.
I wonder who we shall have in his place.

My love to the Storrs, and to Mrs. Newton, if you see
her. I thought of her to-day, for I think she has been
to the bridge.

How is Walter getting on ? You have n't said any-
thing about him, or the mill. My reports from the
furnace are very satisfactory. .

It seems as if I had a good deal to do to finish up in
Richmond and New York, and be with you before an-
other Sunday comes round, but I hope to do it. I did
want you so to-day, though, you darling, because you
would so appreciate and enjoy it. Captain Echols says,
we '11 have a picnic over there when you come.

Love to all. Is n't it little Agnes's birthday this
week? My best love and kisses to the dear little
woman. What a young lady she is getting to be !

Good-by, my sweet. Your own,

Frank.

Fisheksville, Va., June 8, 1873.
Sunday Eve.

Darling Agnes, — I can hardly believe that it was
only a week ago that I was with you in Pittsfield. I
have traveled so many long miles, and been in so many
places, and done so much, that it seems a month since I
left you. I wonder if you wore your seal-skin to church
to-day, for I wore my overcoat, and have been sitting by
a fire this evening.

It has been a lovely day. and cooler than we shall be

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 243

apt to have many of. I came down here from Stanton
yesterday morning, hoping to get through and take the
night train to Richmond ; but I found it could not be
done. So I took up my abode here with the Schmuk-
ers, and have had a very quiet day of rest, after a sat-
isfactory day at the ore bank yesterday.

The Gibson Bank is at last mine, and it puts us out
of all uncertainty as regards ore. What I have accom-
plished this last week is worth fifty thousand dollars to
the Powhatan Co. I can now be a seller of ore instead
of a buyer. No end of people have tried before to get
control of this bank, and failed, and since I have been
in negotiation for it people have made bigger offers than
mine.

It has taken diplomacy and money. I have bought
up and paid off the various claims and liens, and now
have absolute possession of the place for ten years.
I feel much happier than I did when I started up here,
and hope to find everything going right when I get back
to-morrow. I don't feel the same pleasure, though, in
getting back to Richmond now, to that empty house.
I shall find several letters from you, and hope you and
the dear children are all well, and that you can write me
you are feeling ever so much better, and getting fat.

This morning I went with George Schmuker to
church, and I wish I could begin to describe to you the
experience ; but it would take too long, writing by this
single tallow candle, and I must go to bed, as we break-
fast early every morning but Sundays. Last night I
asked Mr. Schmuker what time they would breakfast
this morning, thinking I would have a good sleep, and
he said, " Oh, we don't breakfast till late Sundays — not

244 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

befoie six o'clock, anyway." So I judge from that I
shall be turned out at four to-morrow and breakfast
about five, perhaps. "Well, the church is about two miles
from here, in the midst of a beautiful oak grove of fine
old trees. It is built of brick and is a fine building,
about as large as our St. Stephen's, though not so high.
It was a new building about twenty years ago, on the site
of the former church, which was one of the oldest in
this neighborhood — about one hundred and forty years
old. The old graves in the cemetery about it testify its
age. It is called, " Tinkling Spring Church," from a
beautiful spring which drips over a shelving rock near
by, and a bucket of the cool water stands in the porch
with a tin dipper, which is in constant use.

They tell a story of the original parson who estab-
lished the church in those early times, that he did not
like this location, but wanted it nearer to where Stanton
now is ; but the advantage of the spring carried the
majority of the parish against him, and he obstinately
declared that no water from that spring should ever
tinkle down his throat, and he kept his word.

When we came to the grove, every tree had one or
more horses tied to it, some with saddles and side-sad-
dles and pillions, others in carriages and wagons. Out-
side in front of the porch were assembled the men, talk-
ing, smoking (buying and selling on the sly), discussing
the crops, the weather, and after our arrival, evidently,
me. I was introduced to all the worthies, but the best
of them have a broken down, degraded look. (I be-
lieve eating hot bread and owning niggers will destroy
any race.) After a while, on a signal from a bell, we
went inside, where I found the pews already well filled

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 2 45

with women and children. I found a seat near the
door, and the services began with a voluntary from the
choir, accompanied by a melodeon. They sang two
verses all right. When singing the third, some well
dressed young man came in, and they all began to look
at him, lost their places, and completely broke down and
stopped, recovered on the fourth verse, and got through
the other three all right. Then a long Methodist look-
ing man made a short prayer and gave out a hymn
"omitting the sixth verse," and read it all through.
Then he read from the Bible, and explained the verses
as he went along, by transposing them into his own
language, which of course was not as good, or as clear
and simple as the original. Meantime, if you could
have heard the noise, you would wonder how the man
coidd go on at all. Babies of all ages, from those born
this morning up to five and six, were talking, singing,
eating, and crying, and very little attention seemed to
be paid to stopping them. After he began his sermon,
one child, especially, kept up a howl and talking, and it
was impossible for me, near the door, to hear the parson,
who spoke rather low.

The children made so much noise you couldn't sleep,
and the minister so little that you couldn't keep awake,
so that between the two you were thoroughly uncom-
fortable. He was too much for the babies, though, and
after three quarters of an hour he had them pretty well
exhausted, and they gradually fell off asleep or went out
to play, and he went on untiringly for half an hour
longer.

One hour and a quarter, by my watch, was the length
of his sermon, and not a thought or an idea in the barrel

2i6 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BART LETT.

of words. Then another long hymn, and two hours
and ten minutes from the time we went in, I crawled out
into the fresh air under the green trees, a worn out
sinner, hoping against common sense that these poor
people had found some grain of comfort or good in all
this "meeting-time" which seemed to be the only break
in the monotony of their lives. It made me very sad
for them, but I was very cross with the minister, and he
i> the principal of a young ladies' school at Stanton ! —
After the benediction, the women linger in the church
to talk, and the men assemble outside and resume the
operations interrupted by the bell. After a while they
begin to get away, and you see a man with two children
behind him on horseback, or a woman.

And some of these people come ten miles. God help
them, how little they know of life and comfort! I sup-
pose, though, they are contented in their ignorance,
knowing nothing better. I declined an invitation to the
"preaching" here in the village this afternoon, and took
a nap instead.

I did n't mean to spin such a long yarn, but as you
don't often get long letters from me in these weary
working days, you will not mind it, will you, old pre-
cious ? I go down to-morrow and shall be in Rich-
mond, D. V., at five p. m. I hope it will keep cool.

Love to all. Your own, Frank.

513 Grace Street, Richmond, Va.,
March, 24, 1873.
My dear Mr. Sumner, — I beg you will pardon the
intrusion of my expressing to you the disgust I feel for
£he creatures who have refused to remove from poor

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 247

old Massachusetts' record the disgrace which they and
their predecessors involved her in. I was asked to
head a petition in support of Mr. Whittier's, which I
did immediately, because to have refused would have
been misinterpreted. But it was only on the ground of
helping to remove the stain from Massachusetts that I
could bring myself to sue as petitioner to the grave and
reverend seignors of the present great and general court.
And I expressed myself to this effect, and more, in my
letter accompanying.

The fact is, my dear Mr. Sumner, these people cannot
comprehend nor appreciate the higher, truer patriotism,
which is embodied in your resolution. And many in-
telligent men, from whom you would expect better
things, are not yet ready or willing to think of this
country as a reunited one. They are not yet really good
Union men. They are not Americans, they are North-
erners.

But this is a view which I have not seen mentioned
in the varied discussions on the subject of the names of
battles on the United States flags, viz., ought it to be
any more distasteful for an ex-confederate to march un-
der a flag bearing the name of Gettysburg, than for an
ex-federal soldier to march under the name of Fredericks-
burg or Bull Run, or half the names on our flags which
mark defeats, not victories? If we had nothing but the
names of victories on our colors, then to efface them
would be noble, but as it is, where we efface a victory
we shall also wipe out a defeat ; where is the magnanim-
ity in that ?

I offer this suggestion, having little doubt, however,
that it has already occurred to yoi>

248 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

I a'n very glad to hear reports of your improving
health, which I sincerely trust may be completely re-
stored by rest, and remain

Very faithfully yours, W- F. Bartleit.

Washington, May 11, 1873.

My dear General, — Accept, if you please, the
apologies of an invalid for this too tardy acknowledg-
ment of your kind letter, dated as long ago as March
24th.

And please also to accept my sincere thanks. I do
not doubt that when the question of the flags is under-
stood, there will be no difference of opinion. It will be
hard for good people, and especially military men, to
dissent from the authority of Generals Scott, Anderson,
and Thomas, all of whom approved my resolution when
offered in 1862. It will be hard, also, to dissent from
the example of history. No civilized nation preserves
on its flags the names of battles between fellow-citizens.

The memory of such bloody discord must be con-
signed to history, and not be flaunted before our eyes.
England, France, Prussia, Italy, and Austria have fol-
lowed this commandment of patriotism and civilization.

As your letter is dated at Richmond I shall address
you there, although I fear you have left that place.

Believe me, dear General, faithfully yours,

Charles Sumner.

In 1874 he still made his home in Richmond.
At the beginning of the year he felt encouraged
us to the general aspect of business. In Feb-
ruary, upon one of his Virginia journeys, he

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 249

aaught a cold, which ended in a cough which
never afterwards left him. It is probable, how-
ever, that his constitution had by this time be-
come so weakened that causes slight in appear-
ance were sufficient to produce grave results. In
March of this year, twin boys were born to him.
In June he had a week's illness, but he was much
strengthened by a visit which he made to a
friend's house on the Beverly shore immediately
after. It was well for him to gather strength,
for one of the eventful days of his life was at
hand. On the 2od of June, the dedication of
Memorial Hall, the great building erected to com-
memorate the services in the war of the sons of
Harvard College, took place at Cambridge. The
next day was Commencement Day, and the com-
mencement dinner was served, for the first time,
in Memorial Hall. General Bartlett was the chief
marshal of the day. Cambridge commencement
dinners are crowded affairs, as a ride, but this
day the interest excited by the new building
drew together an unusual throng. After several
speeches of the customary degree of merit and
interest had been made, the president called upon
General Bartlett. A midsummer's day at Cam-
bridge is apt to be hot, and this day was not an
exception. By the time the dignitaries have made
meir speeches, the guests are getting weary and
uncomfortable, and the thought of the fresher air
without grows more and more tempting. It is

250 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRASCIS BART LETT.

not a favorable moment for the debut of an ora-
tor. And yet when Bartlett arose, and the first
words uttered by his deep and manly voice were
heard, and the audience became aware that they
came from the shattered soldier whose tall and
slender form and wasted face they had seen at the
head of the procession as he painfully marshaled
it that day, a great silence fell upon the multi-
tude, and he continued and finished his speech in
the midst of silence, except when it was broken,
as it was more than once, by spontaneous bursts
of cheering. When he took bis seat, enthusiastic
cheering followed, and all felt that an event had
taken place. It is within bounds to say that it is
many years since any speech made in New Eng-
land has produced so great an effect. He spoke
as follows : —

Mb. Pbesident, — The first meeting of the alumni
around the table in this hall, which we yesterday ded-
icated to the memory of our brothers, is one of no com-
mon interest to us ; and I think I speak for all their
comrades in arms when I say that the thoughtfulness
which assigns to us the honorable duties of this day, is
recognized and appreciated. The day is not without
sadness as we read the beloved names on those marble
tablets, and yet not without gladness as we reflect that
whatever change of fortune may come to us as the years
roll on, their fame is secure — immutable — immortal.
We shall grow old and wear out, but they will always
keep for us their glorious, spotless youth. I was glad

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 251

to hear from the lips of your distinguished orator yes-
terday such testimony to the absence of natural bitter-
ness among the mass of the people at the South ; that it
was due in great part to the energetic cultivation of hot-
brained leaders for selfish ends. I think that the nat-
ural instinct of the people everywhere is toward peace
and good will, and were it never thwarted by party
intrigue, we should be much nearer to a perfect union,
such as these men fought for, than we are to-day. The
occasioual fire-brands thrown in the path of reconcilia-
tion are from the hands of those who, while the battle
lasted, sought " bomb-proof" positions in the rear, and
they no more represent the fighting men of the South
than the plundering politicians who have spoiled thein
represent the true hearts at the North. I firmly be-
lieve that when the gallant men of Lee's army surren-
dered at Appomattox (touched by the delicate generosity
of Grant, who, obeying the dictates of his own honest
heart, showed no less magnanimity than political sagac-
ity), they followed the example of their heroic chief, and,
with their arms, laid down forever their disloyalty to
the Union. Take care, then, lest you repel, by injus-
tice, or suspicion, or even by indifference, the returning
love of men who now speak with pride of that flag as
"our flag." It was to make this a happy, reunited
country, where every man should be in reality free and
equal before the law, that our comrades fought, our
brothers fell. They died not that New England might
prosper or that the West might thrive. They died not
to defend the northern capitol, or preserve those marble
nails where the polished statesmen of the period conduct
'heir dignified debates ! They died for their country —

252 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT

for the South no less than for the North. And ihe
southern youth, in the days to come, will see this, and
as he stands in these hallowed halls and reads those
names, realizing the grandeur and power of a country
which, thanks to them, is still his, will exclaim, "These
men fought for my salvation as well as for their own.
They died to preserve not merely the unity of a nation,
but the destinies of a continent."

The remainder of the year 1874 was marked
for him only by an accident which threatened to
disable his right hand. A piece of broken glass
cut down to the bone of the thumb joint, making
a severe and dangerous wound. This happened
in July ; but his recovery was rapid, and in spite
of his suffering he had more appetite and less
rough than for several weeks before. He was
very much occupied, but his health seemed rather
to improve as the year drew to its close.

In March, 1875, he received an invitation from
the committee which had charge of the Centen-
nial Celebration at Lexington, to make a speech
at their dinner on the 19th of April. His first
inclination was to refuse it. The following ex-
tracts show the course of his thought upon the
subject, and the steps by which he was brought
to say that he would accept the invitation : —

March 25. I cannot think of accepting it. I could
Bay nothing worth going so far to say, or worthy of the
Dccasion or the audience.

April 3. My difficulty about speaking at Lexington is

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 253

this : that " the relations of the North to the South '
cannot be discussed from any point of view without crit-
icising severely the action of the President and the ad-
ministration party, who are in a great degree respon-
sible for the unfortunate situation. The President will
be the chief guest of my host on that day, and to say
anything in the slightest degree offensive to him would
be a breach of taste and hospitality.

April 8. Everybody says I ought to go to Lexington,
and I begin to think it over to see if I can avoid the
obstacle and still say anything worth saying to such an
audience.

April 15. Finally wrote committee I would be at
Lexington and say a few words at their dinner. I have
been in much doubt, and have given the subject most
careful and earnest thought, and there have come to me
a few words which I feel may perhaps fall on good
ground and bring forth the fruit of peace and reconcili-
ation. For why celebrate the centennial of the birth of
a nation if that nation is still to be divided and dis-
tracted by sectional hostility ; fostered, as I truly believe,
to a great extent, by politicians in both sections for sel-
fish or party ends. I never could be a politician, for I
should go for my country first and my party second and
myself last. With most of the politicians of the day
this order is reversed.

April 18. Worked on my speech. It would be easy
to write a long one, but to condense into a few minutes
anything worth saying in such a place, before the whole
country as audience, is more difficult. It is treading on
delicate ground, but I know I am sincere in my belief
that what I am to say is for the good of the whole couii-

254: MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

try, and if I can carry people with me it will do much
good.

The 19th of April was a bitterly cold, dis-
agreeable day. The crowd at Lexington was im-
mense, and the discomfort of the multitude was
excessive. General Bartlett was utterly unfit for
such an exertion and exposure, but he was not
the man to turn back. He drove from Boston to
Lexington, and spoke rather late in the day, in
response to the eighth toast, " The North and the
South." He was chilled through, and faint from
want of food. He spoke as follows : —

Mr. President, — When I opened the letter from
your committee asking me to come from five hundred
miles away, and say a few words here to-day, it seemed
impossible. But as I read further your desire that I
should speak on the " relations of the North to the
South," and your assertion that, as an unprejudiced ob-
server, what I might say would help to restore fraternal
relations between the two great sections of our country,
although knowing how greatly you overrated the value
of any poor words of mine, I felt that, if they could
lend the least aid to the result you described, inclination
and the cares of business must yield to the voice of
duty ; and I came. But, sir, I am not an " unprejudiced
observer." On the contrary, I have a prejudice, which
is shared by all soldiers, in favor of peace. And I
think I may safely say, that, between the soldiers of the
two great sections of our country, fraternal relations
were established long ago. I have also a strong preju-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 255

iice against any man or men who would divide or de-
stroy or retard the prosperity and progress of the na-
tion, whose corner-stone was laid in the blood of our
fathers one hundred years ago to-day. Moved by this
prejudice, fourteen years ago, I opposed the men who
preferred disunion to death. True to this prejudice, I
to-day despise the men who would, for the sake of self
or party, stand in the way of reconciliation and a united
couutry. The distinguished soldier who is your chief
guest to-day never came nearer to the hearts of the peo-
ple than when he said, '• Let us have peace." And, sir,
the only really belligerent people in the country to-day,
north and south, are those who, while the war lasted,
followed carefully the paths of peace. Do not believe
that the light and dirty froth which is blown northward
and scattered over the land (oftentimes for maliciom
purposes) represents the true current of public opinion
at the South. Look to their heroes, their leaders, —
their Gordons, their Lees, their Johnsons, Lamar, Ran-
som, and Ripley, — and tell me if you find in their utter-
ances anything but renewed loyalty and devotion to a
reunited country. These are the men, as our great and
good Governor Andrew told you at the close of the war,
these are the men by whom and through whom you
must restore the South, instead of the meaner men for
whom power is only a synonym for plunder. As I
begged you last summer, I entreat you again : do not
repel the returning love of these men by suspicion or
indifference. If you cannot in forgiveness "kill the
fatted calf," do not with coldness kill " the prodigal."
When the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment made
its gallant attack on Fort Wagner, in July, 1863, it lost,

256 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

with hundreds of its brave men, its leroic leader and It3
colors. A few weeks ago, that flag was gracefully re-
turned to the Governor of Massachusetts by the officer
who took it in action, with these noble words : —

" Under the existing state of things, I deem it deco-
rous, if not a positive duty, to promote the oblivion of
animosities which led to, and were engendered by, the
war. I prefer to look upon such trophies as mementoes
of the gallant conduct of men who, like Shaw, Putnam,
and other sons of Massachusetts, sealed with their lives
their devotion to the cause which they adopted, rather
than as evidences of prowess on the one side or the
other. The custodians of such a memento should be
the authorities of the state served by these gallant men ;
and I therefore transmit the flag to your Excellency
for such disposition as the authorities of Massachusetts
shall determine.

" Respectfully, your obedient servant,

" R. S. Ripley."

No one but a soldier can know how he would cling
to a trophy that he had taken in honorable battle. No
one but a soldier knows what it would cost to give it up,
unless compelled by the loftier motives of chivalrous
patriotism. And when General Ripley wrote that let-
ter, he thought not of self, not of South Carolina nor of
Massachusetts, but of a restored and a united country,
and his heart embraced a continent. There are tattered
flags in that sacred hall in yonder Capitol, around which,
in the shock of battle, I have seen dear friends and
brave men fall like autumn leaves. There are flags
'••here that I cannot look upon without tears of pride and

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 257

sorrow. But there is no flag there which has to-day
for us a deeper significance, or that bears within its folds
a brighter omen of " Peace on earth, good will to men,"
than that battle-stained emblem so tenderly restored by
a son of South Carolina, whom here, in the name of the
soldiers of Massachusetts, I thank and greet as a brother.
And I am proud that he was an American soldier. As
an American, I am as proud of the men who charged
so bravely with Pickett's Division on our lines at Gettys-
burg, as I am of the men who so bravely met and re-
pulsed them there. Men cannot always choose the right
cause ; but when, having chosen that which conscience
dictates, they are ready to die for it, if they justify not
their cause, they at least ennoble themselves. And the
men who, for conscience' sake, fought against their gov-
ernment at Gettysburg, ought easily to be forgiven by
the sons of men who, for conscience' sake, fought against
their government at Lexington and Bunker Hill.

Oh, sir, as Massachusetts was first in war, so let her
be first in peace, and she shall forever be first in the
hearts of her countrymen. And let us here resolve
that, true to her ancient motto, while in war " Ease petit
placidam," in peace she demands, not only for herself,
but for every inch of this great country, " sub liber tate
quietem."

He left the ground as soon as he had finished
speaking, and returned to Boston. He records in
his journal : —

Got back to town about 8, well used up. The British
certainly had their revenge on us to-day. We have had
17

258 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT

quite as uncomfortable a day as they had a hundred
years ago.

April 20. Papers have my speech in full, and speak
in a very flattering way of it. . Every one con-
gratulates me on my speech. It is very gratifying, and
I am very proud and happy.

He might well be proud and happy. It falls to
the lot of few to achieve such a success as his at
Lexington. There are sentences in his speech
which will linger long in the memories, not only
of the thousands who heard them, but of the tens
of thousands of those who read them, and recog-
nized in the worn soldier who uttered them the
possessor of true eloquence and genuine love of
country.

On the 28th of April, the ex-confederate sol-
diers of Richmond expressed their sense of his
speech by giving him a serenade, at which Gen-
eral Bradley Johnson spoke for them. General
Bartlett replied in a speech of some length, from
which the following paragraph is taken : —

" To cement the Union on a sounder foundation, and
avail ourselves of the promises of the future, is a solemn
task, well fitted to these centennial years. As soldiers
who fought the battle out in good faith, you can wield
the strongest influence for peace and right. Your worst
enemies at the South are the few men here and there
who talk more bravely than they fought, and it is the
same at the North ; but the people there, tired of these

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 259

politicians, whose voice is still for war, are fast replacing
them by men of less selfish purposes, whose views are
bounded by no narrow lines of state, or section, or party,
but who desire justice and prosperity for all. The war
through which we passed developed and proved, on both
sides, the noblest qualities of American manhood. It
has left to us soldiers, once foes, now friends, a memory
of hard-fought fields, of fearful sacrifices, of heroic valor,
and has taught us a lesson to be transmitted to our
children : that divided, we were terrible, — united, we
are forever invincible."

His speech, was sent all over the country by
the Associated Press. He writes in his journal,
April 30 : —

The papers in Massachusetts and elsewhere nominate
me for high office, as if that were the only reward a man
can seek. I don't propose to decline any office nntil it
is offered, but just as sure as I am offered the governor-
ship of Massachusetts, I shall take the opportunity to
prove that the satisfaction of doing one's duty so as to
win the applause and approval of good men, is a reward
greater than any office, and I am already repaid.

In May of this year, he was strongly urged to
go to the Mecklenburg Centennial Celebration, at
Charlotte, N. C, but he declined, because troubles
about coal made it impossible for him to leave
Richmond.

On the 6th of June, he writes thus in his
Journal : —

2G0 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

My birthday. I hope if I live to see another that
affairs will look more promising. Business looks very
blue. I wish I were out of it. I never ought to have
gone into it. I ought to have staved in the army, or
else accepted some of the salaried positions that were
offered me. Or even if I had begun to study law
at the end of the war, I might be better off now. But
God knows best, and we are in his hands. How little
we know what he has in store for us ! He has been
very indulgent and merciful to me in spite of my many
shortcomings.

And now this year, when I supposed that public
applause and the public approval of good men was a
thing of the past, I find myself suddenly more conspic-
uous than ever, and honorably so, for saying at Lex-
ington the words that were in my heart, and which I
believed would hasten the healing of the wounds of war
in our country.

At this time he was much annoyed and made
very anxious by coal strikes, and these came just
as he was giving up his residence in Richmond.
He was quite worn out, and gave himself some
rest for a fortnight after he reached the North ;
but he found time to prepare a little speech which
he had been asked to make at the approaching
Commencement dinner at Cambridge. He says
of it in his journal, June 28 : " Poor thing. I
will not do it again. Let those speak who can
easily." The following letter describes his feel-
ings on receiving the invitation : —

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 261

West Stockbridge, Mass., June 19, 1875.

.... I found in this same batch of letters one from
J. Russell Lowell, asking me to speak again at Com-
mencement. This involves, no matter how small the
result, a certain amount of thought and worry and de-
pression, which I do not want to undergo; besides, I
consider that I have done my share, and I know I have
nothing more worth saying.

They ask me to represent those who died in the war.
I sometimes feel quite ready to be sent as ambassador
to them.

The rest of the year 1875 was for him a period
of declining health and of declining fortunes.
His journal reveals the fact that he was realizing
with increasing clearness the fact that his end
was approaching. The following extracts are in
place here : —

July 5. I am not at all well, and ought to keep still
and do nothing, but I cannot.

July 14. Write little Edwin. Dear little man, how
I love him, and how I wish I could be spared long
enough to win his love and memory. If I were to go
this year or next, he would never remember me.
Dear boy, how I would like to watch him grow up. I
would try to guide and guard him to be a better man
Jhan his father, who loves him so dearly.

July 15. No man was ever blessed with such a per-
fect wife and lovely children. I pray their lives may
take no shadow from those which seem to hang about
«iine, now too near its close I fear.

262 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

July 19. Not much appetite. Felt like death yes-
terday.

August 2. A blue day for me. I am not strong,
and pretty well unnerved.

August 3. Pretty well used up.

August 7. Am very tired and used up, but can rest,
I hope.

August 8. Rest, rest. It is very sweet to be here
with my darling Agnes.

September 17. Am much better. Gaining weight.
Weight without leg, thin clothes, 123 pounds.

December 25. Christmas. I could not resist an ap-
peal to stay (at Pittsfield), as I do not feel sure of many
more of them.

These words were prophetic. It proved his
last Christmas.

Until December of this year, 1875, when he
established his family once more at Pittsfield,
they were most of the time at his uncle's estate
of Miramonte, on the North River, and he was
sometimes there, sometimes in New York and
other northern cities, but twice at least at Rich-
mond, where he spent much of the months of July
and September. The panic of 1873, which ar-
rested so suddenly and sharply the seeming pros-
perity of the country, had affected the iron in-
terest with especial severity. The capital which
General Bartlett could command was mainly em-
barked in the iron enterprises at West Stock-
oridge and at Richmond, and his distress of body

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 263

was aggravated by the distress of mind which at-
tended the mortification of failure and the pressure
of narrowing means. He labored with all the
vigor that was left him u> bring about a better
state of things, but in vain. He went to the
length of endorsing individually the paper of the
Richmond Company to get time.

While health and fortune were thus declining,
his life was not without pleasant incidents and
gratifying proofs of the growing regard of his
fellow citizens. The latter will receive more de-
tailed notice, but among the former may be men-
tioned his appearance as a speaker upon four
occasions. At the reunion of his old regiment,
the Forty-ninth Massachusetts Infantry, on the
9th of September, he spoke as follows : —

Comrades, — To call on me for a speech at one of
these reunions seems to me like calling on the father of
a family to make a formal address to his children at his
own table. For though you have outgrown my author-
ity, you were my children once, and I fear that you re-
member me as a rather " stern parent."

I certainly never was accused of " sparing the rod "
of discipline, and I hope you never were accused of being
" spoiled children."

I have no doubt that in the early part of your service,
and on your first marches, you thought your Colonel
was unnecessarily strict and severe. You could not see
why you were not permitted the same license that other
regiments in your vicinity had.

26i MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

But in your first battle, when you found yourselves
standing firm under fire, while some of those other regi-
ments broke and ran away, and where by your coolness
and discipline you turned defeat into victory, you recog-
nized the result where you had not understood the cause,
and you were from that day as proud of yourselves and
your regiment as I was.

The Forty-ninth was a peculiarly homogeneous regi-
ment. I mean by that, there was less inequality among
its members and between its men and their officers than
was usual. It was strictly a county regiment (I believe
there was not a man in it from outside of Berkshire),
and this gave it a certain local pride and " esprit de
corps " that was very valuable.

But the secret of your success was that proof of true
manhood, your cheerful and intelligent submission to
discipline, the subjugation of self to an idea. Not
cringing to a man (your equal or perhaps inferior at
home) because he wore a shoulder-strap, but subjecting
yourself to that emblem of authority without any loss
of self respect, because it was for the good of the ser-
vice, and for the sake of the country in whose service you
were offering your lives. This was the nobility of your
soldiership, and its memory must ever be your pride.

At the dedication of the Public Library in his
native town of Haverhill, November 11, 1875, he
spoke as follows : —

Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow-citizens of
Haverhill, — Standing as this beautiful structure does
on land formerly my ancestor's, within speaking dis-
tance, across the way, of the house were I was born, I

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 265

think I may still claim fellowship here. It would be
quite natural that you should forget the relationship,
but to me it is a matter of such pride that I never can.
And I am prouder than ever to-day of my native town.
Proud of her history ; proud of her historic names ;
proud of the men, some of whom I see about me, who
have inherited and added honor to those names ; proud
of her noble war record (which might have been pre-
dicted by any one familiar with her colonial and revolu-
tionary history) ; proud of her noble women, who in those
trying times proved themselves worthy of their noble
ancestry ; proud of her •• sweet singer" of the Merrimack,
our own beloved Whittier, whose absence to-day we
regret, but whose words you have heard, and whose
pure spirit and gentle verse shall be a benediction here,
while the peace-makers go to " inherit the kingdom of
heaven," and "the pure in heart" to "see God;" proud
of her material prosperity and wealth ; but prouder still
that she here recognizes the fact that there is something
worth more than riches, and that culture, refinement and
the dissemination of knowledge, are more to be desired
than silver and gold.

I am glad that you are to have a free library, abso-
lutely free, and I will tell you why. It is found that a
tax, however small and insignificant it might seem to
many of you, would debar some from using the library,
and those, the very people in whose hands we ought to
place our books. When the public library in Pittsfield
was opened to subscribers at the low rate of one dollar
a year, the number of book-takers was four hundred.
When the library became free, as it now is, the number
increased to nearly two thousand, and is constantly

266 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

growing. This in a town of ten thousand inhabitants.
Now, in regard to the class of books to be kept for cir-
culation, some believe that nothing but what is called
the better class of literature, instructive works, classics,
should be sent out, in order to elevate the taste of the
people. This, I think, is a mistake. It is like telling a
boy he shan't go into the water till he knows how to swim.
First create the taste, then elevate it as you can. If the
boy can't read the kind of books that interest him, he
simply won't read at all. Exclude novels from your
library, and see how the circulation will dwindle. The
explanation of this is to be found in the fact that if one
has a taste for poetry or classic prose, he buys the vol-
ume if his means permit, for he wants it always by him.
The novel he reads and has no further use for, and so
he takes it from the library. Do you ask how low in
the scale I would go ? To the very bottom, of course ex-
cluding any immoral trash. I would have the " Dime
Novels," by all means. They are highly sensational, but
morally harmless. My own reading has not been ex-
tensive enough to embrace these works, but my informa-
tion comes from one of the foremost critics and essayists
in this country, who has given much thought to this
subject in connection with the great public library of
Boston. And now let me tell you a little story about
the effect of thus putting the scale of reading down to
the capacity of the poorest and youngest. A dirty,
ragged little boy crawled into the public library of Bos-
ton, a few years ago, and asked for a dime novel. The
superintendent told him if he would go and wash his
face and hands and brush the dirt from his clothes, he
would give him the coveted book. The boy soon after

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 267

returned, much improved in appearance, and received a
dime novel. The next day he came for another, — tak-
ing care to appear cleaner than before, — and became a
regular applicant. A few years afterwards, a young man
applied to the superintendent for a certain rare edition
of Shakespeare, which was not in the collection, and on
conversing on the subject, he found that the young man
knew more about the various editions of Shakespeare
than he himself did. It was the boy to whom he had
issued the dime novel, a few years before, and the last
book that the librarian noticed as being taken out by
him was Paley's " Moral Philosophy." Now, I don't
mean to say that every boy who begins on dime novels
will rise to Paley. But I do insist that if that boy
could not have had the dime novel at that time, he
would never have read Paley or discussed the editions
of Shakespeare.

And it is for this reason that we should make our
public libraries attractive, not only to the scholar, but to
the very lowest and poorest, and give to all who come,
not only the sense of welcome, but the sense of equality,
also. For, as Ruskin has so well said, this court of
the past, where kings and statesmen and poets, the
purest and the wisest of all ages, stand waiting patiently
in those silent alcoves to talk with and instruct us when-
ever we will, differs from other courts and living aristo-
cracies. Into this society of the great and good of every
age and clime, the lowliest may enter, take rank and
fellowship, not from his birth and wealth, or lack of
either, but according to his desire. It is open to labor
and to merit, but to nothing else. No wealth can bribe,
no artifice deceive, no title overawe, the guardians of

268 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BAUTLETT.

those elysian gates. You deserve to enter because you
desire to enter. And so I say we should try to attract
especially the young and poor and friendless. For, the
lower we go in laying the foundation of modern society
by imparting knowledge, or creating a desire for it,

" Since but to wish more virtue is to gain,"
the safer aud nobler will be the structure above.

And if this library, founded, sir, by your liberality
and wisdom, shall be the means of raising only one of
these little ones from ignorance, poverty, and crime, to
knowledge, which is wealth, to civilization and to God,
you shall, one day, hear the words, " Well done," from
the lips of Him who said : "Inasmuch as ye have done
it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have
done it unto me."

And in introducing Mr. Schurz to an audience
collected at Pittsfield on the 27th of the same
month, as follows : —

It would be a poor expression of the love and respect
I have for the people of Berkshire, so largely repre-
sented here to-night, were I to fulfil the promise which
I see has been made for me, and delay you with an in-
troductory speech in the presence of the man whom you
have come to welcome and listen to. It would be only
a little less superfluous than the introduction itself which
I have been asked to make.

When Daniel Webster introduced William Wirt, then
Attorney-general of the United States, to the Supreme
Court of Massachusetts, in 1829, Mr. Wirt, in rising,
said that Mr. Webster had laid him under an obligation
which he could never hope to repay; for he was quite

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 269

sure that he could never introduce Mr. Webster to any
court where his name and fame had not already pre-
ceded him.

I am equally sure that Mr. Schurz cannot appear be-
fore any audience of cultivated people, anywhere in this
country of his adoption, where his name is not familiar,
and his fame held dear.

Now, why is this?

Not because of his early history, so romantic, so
heroic ; not because, when war in this country became
inevitable, he went to the field and defended with his
sword the principles which he had asserted and main-
tained with his pen ; not because he has held the high
office of Senator of the United States; but it is because,
while holding that sacred trust, he dared to remonstrate
with and oppose those leaders, or rather misleaders, of
the organization to which he belonged, when it became
evident that they intended to use the country for party
ends, rather than the party for their country's good. It
is because he placed principle higher than party, and for
the sake of right, honor, justice, and common sense, was
willing to sacrifice self, place, power, and the friendships
of years ; his only consolation, the pleasure, to which
Lord Bacon has said no other can be compared, " that
of standing on the vantage ground of truth." It is be-
cause when this same party, fearing defeat this fall in
the great State of Ohio, called on him to come over and
help it, he did not stop to debate whether he ought to
support a party which had insulted and driven from its
councils such men as Carl Schurz and Charles Sumner,
but, seeing that upon the great issue then before the peo-
ple, the party (whether from conviction or policy ha

270 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT

cared not) was right, that the honor and safety of the
nation was in danger, he needed no second call, but
hastening to the front at a critical moment, when the
result seemed most doubtful, when the party politicians
were talking over "war issues" and quibbling over
"school questions," and all felt that

" One blast upon his bugle horn
Were worth a thousand men "

such as they, he threw the weight of his eloquence and
the conviction of his sincerity into the scale, and turned
a threatened defeat into glorious victory. A victory,
which, in this part of the country, I am proud to say,
gave equal joy to both political parties. A victory
which buried the weightless body of " inflation " in
a grave — "not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a
church door," — but deep enough and wide enough to
receive the remains of any party which shall hereafter
attempt its resurrection.

I have trespassed too long on your patience, and our
friend's modesty. Mr. Schurz, you need no introduction
here ; but it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you
this assembly of my friends, your fellow-citizens of Berk-
shire, whose sincere welcome, if not at their fingers'
ends, awaits you more deeply in their hearts.

At the dinner of the New England Society in
New York, on Forefathers' Day, December 22,
1875, he replied as follows to the toast, " The
Reconstructed Republic : " —

Five and twenty years ago to-night you had as your
honored guest that great son of New England, whose

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 271

love for her was only equaled by his love for the whole
country, and his devotion to the Constitution and Union
under which it had advanced to power and prosperity.
There are those here to-night, I doubt not, who, looking
back a quarter of a century, will recall the presence and
perhaps the words of Daniel Webster. They wi'L re-
member how in imagination he summoned forth from
the Mayflower's company the form of Elder William
Brewster, and put into his mouth words of gratulation,
of caution, and of prophecy. We, too, on this anniver-
sary night, call forth in our imagination his own majestic
form, but who shall presume to put words into those
lips ? I shudder at the presumption which leads me to
say to him for you with plain sincerity what so many
among you might express with eloquence as well as
truth. I would tell him that in days gone by we have
thanked God that when his eyes were '• turned to behold
for the last time the sun in heaven," they did not see
him shining on the broken fragments of a once glorious
Union, on a land drenched with fraternal blood. It was
reserved for us who survived him to see the awful re-
ality which he so vividly pictured, and, happily, it was
reserved for us to pass through and see the light beyond
those clouds which darkened his fading vision. I would
have him know what I hope it is neither too early nor
too late for us to acknowledge, that the doctrines which
he instilled by the charm of his eloquence into the young
hearts of New England and the North, that this their
country was not a group of states, but a nation, great
and indivisible, had filled them with a spirit of exalted
patriotism, which, when the hour of that country's trial
came, carried them to the field as it would have carried

272 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

them to the stake in her defence ; not joyously, for their
country was in danger, and it meant civil war, but stead-
fastly, soberly, and with the determination that, since the
appeal to the sword had been made, by the sword should
be settled forever the question which, siuce the death of
Washington, had been a stumbling-block of offence in
the path of the nation's progress. If I know anything
of the motives of the soldiers of New England, they
fought neither for glory nor for conquest, and, when the
broken sword of secession was surrendered in good faith,
none were more ready than they to accept the pledge in
equal honor, to bind up the dreadful wounds of war, and
welcome their brothers back to a share in the glory of a
nation whose very existence that victory had made pos-
sible. I would have him know that from his own New
England came the first words of reconciliation, which,
yielding not one particle of principle, assured a brave
foe that all enmity had ceased " when the war-drum
throbbed no longer, and the battle-flags were furled ; "
that the thunder of those morning guns, saluting the
dawn of our second century on the field of Lexington
and Concord, broke the ice of estrangement and distrust,
and their echoes are still vibrating among the chords
that stretch from every battle-field of the Revolution to
every American heart.

Mighty son of New England, what fitter greeting
can we give thee than thine own words uttered here so
long age? Words which, with thy foreboding heart,
were the aspiration of hope, but to us have become the
inspiration of prophecy: "The day-spring from on high
has visited us. The country has been called back to
conscience and duty. There is no longer imminent

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 273

langer of dissolution in these United States. We shall
live and not die. "We shall live as united Americans,
and those who have supposed they could sever us, that
they could rend one American heart from another, and
that speculation and hypothesis, that secession and meta-
physics, could tear us asunder, will find themselves wo-
fully mistaken. Americans, North and South, will be
hereafter more and more united ; united now, and united
forever."

The following letter refers to the foregoing
speech.

N. T. Hotel, December 23, 1875.

I did not do anything about my speech early enough
to send it to you. Indeed I did n't feel sure that I was
to speak till I went there last evening, and found myself
marched in next the President, Sherman, Governor
Morgan, and Joe Choate. What I had prepared, after
a good deal of thought, fitted well enough the toast I
was given, of a " Reconstructed Republic."

But what I wanted your advice on, was the propriety
of introducing Daniel Webster (as I found it was in
1850, at their dinner, he made his great speech, from
which I quote), and whether it was too early, or too
late, to pay a little tribute to his fame, which at the last
had been clouded, and to the influence which I have
always believed he exerted in creating and consolidating
the intense Union feeling at the North, without which
the war never could have been carried through. The
speech was very well received, and I had many con-
gratulations. I delivered it very well, although my voice
was a little hoarse. You see how I talk to you, a* 1
18

274 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

would to no one else but to Agnes, about myself, be-
cause I feel so sure of your love that I think what con-
cerns me will interest you.

Yours ever, Frank B.

Though the proofs of the esteem in which he
was held by his fellow-citizens, which have been
already mentioned as received by liim in this
year, were gratifying, yet, as it happened, they
caused him no small embarrassment. In Septem-
ber, he was offered the Democratic nomination
for the place of Lieutenant-governor of Massa-
chusetts. His earlier sympathies had inclined
strongly to the Democratic side. The conduct of
the Democratic party during the war had turned
his sympathies the other way, and for some years
after the close of the war he had acted generally
with the Republican party. Of late, in common
with many of the best men at tbe North, he had
become excessively dissatisfied with the conduct
of the Republicans, especially in their treatment
of the South. But he was always a man who
cared more for substance than for names, more
for principles than for platforms, and he had
formed an enthusiastic admiration for the char-
acter of Mr. Charles Francis Adams. He thought
that Mr. Adams might receive the Republican
nomination for Governor, and his feeling for him
was such that he was personally unwilling to be a
candidate upon a ticket opposed to him, and, upon

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 275

the supposition that his name would lend strength
to the Democratic ticket, he was unwilling to con-
tribute to the defeat of the very man whose elec-
tion he ardently desired. Thus, though inclined
on other grounds to accept the nomination, he
notified the Democratic managers on the 18th,
two days after hearing from them, that he would
not be a candidate.

On the 23d, the Democratic Convention met,
and nominated General Bartlett for Lieutenant-
governor with great enthusiasm and very flatter-
ing resolutions. This action placed him in a dif-
ficult position, for it is a very different thing to
decline the nomination of a convention which has
assembled, acted, and dissolved, from what it is to
decline, beforehand, to accept a nomination. In
much perplexity, — urged by valued friends to take
the nomination and to decline it, assured by the
general voice of the newspapers of the day that
his name would give great strength to the ticket,
— unable, as all men were that autumn, to form
a reasonably confident conjecture as to what the
action of the Republican Convention (which was
to assemble the following week) would be, — he
determined to keep his own counsel till he should
receive official notice of his nomination, hoping
that in the time thus gained the Republican Con-
vention might meet, and by its action clear the
way so that he might wisely shape his own course.
There was one candidate who was said to have

276 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

some chance of receiving the Republican nomina-
tion, whom he was as eager to see fail as he was
to see Mr. Adams succeed. If the Republicans
should nominate either of these two, his course
would be clear.

On the 2bth of September, he went to "Wash-
ington, in compliance with a request which he re-
ceived by telegraph, and there learned that some
of the most powerful managers of the Republi-
can party in Massachusetts desired him to take
the Republican nomination for Governor. There
was much chance of his receiving the nomination
if he permitted his name to be used, and if he
were nominated he was reasonably certain of be-
ing elected. How he received the offer may best
be told in his own words. In his journal of the
same date he writes : —

I was dreadfully disturbed, but it seemed to me it
would look very dirty to go back on the Democrats
after what they had done, and accept a higher office
from the Republicans. It would look like selling my-
self to the highest bidder. Then it might be used to
defeat Mr. Adams's nomination. It was a temptation,
but I decided, after much prayerful thought, that, under
the circumstances, I ought to decline, and W- so tel-
egraphed to Worcester. Was any man ever placed in
just such a position before ? Came home to-day, wor-
ried greatly.

Three days after, he wrote the following let-
ter : —

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 277

Richmond, Va., October 1, 1875.

What would I not give for an hour's talk with you.
I never needed the advice and support of a real friend
as I have for the past ten days. In the first place, I
was offered, just as I was leaving Pittsfield, and uro-ed
strongly to accept, the nomination of Lieutenant-gov-
ernor at the approaching Democratic Convention. I
considered the matter carefully, and decided that while
there was a chance of Mr. Adams being nominated by
the Republicans, I could not run the risk of being on the
opposite ticket ; but I admitted that if Loring succeeded
in capturing the nomination, I would be willing to serve
for the sake of smashing him. Of this course I had
no doubt. I therefore wrote and telegraphed from New
York, September 18th, four days before the convention,
that I was compelled to decline the honor. The next
thing, I saw to my surprise that they had nominated me
in a very handsome and enthusiastic manner, recognizing
the fact that I am not a Democrat, and that they thrust
the honor upon me. (In short, they were willing to
take the risk of my declining, in the hope that Loring
would be nominated, or some man whom I could not
support.) I determined to await the result of the Re-
publican Convention, as I had no official notice of my
n imination, and could not decline again till I bad.

If Adams had been nominated, my course was plain,
— withdraw at once on being notified. This would
have been expected by the Democrats and acquiesced
in. If Loring had been nominated my course was
equally plain, — accept the nomination. As Rice has
oeen nominated, I am in doubt. My withdrawal now
will not be expected by the Democrats, and will no

278 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

doubt give them great offence, as it will seriously injure
their prospects, if I may believe what they say.

I do not look upon the office with the contempt that
vou express. It is an honorable position, of no great
responsibility or pecuniary reward ; but the estimate
which my friends put upon my abilities and deserts is
so much greater than I know to be true, that I would
much rather take an office that I could fill with honor,
than be honored by one that I could not fill with satis-
faction to myself or my friends.

The office would give me no trouble or anxiety, and
would give me an insight into public life that would be
valuable if I ever expect to fill a more responsible posi-
tion.

It would give me a satisfactory way of withdrawing
from the grinding anxiety of this work here, and settle
the question of continuing a residence here. If this fur-
nace stops, I should not have any salary from it. When
the West Stockbridge furnace stops, it will be very
small, I should think, if any, that I should feel justified
in taking. You see this office (if elected) would give
me something to live on in Pittsfield in a quiet way,
while I should be in a better position to find some morf
remunerative work to do. The idea of running for
office is, I confess, distasteful to me, but one cannot dic-
tate his fortune and preferences.

As a matter of principle, there is no issue between
the two parties. The platforms are the same. It seems
to me that by strengthening the hard money Demo-
ci its, we may help them overthrow this western lunacy
which threatens to rule the country. I have a very ur-
gent letter from Judge Abbott, in which he says I will

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 279

bear him witness that previously, when they have offered
me the nomination for Governor, although for the sake
of his party he would have liked it, he did not urge me,
and agreed with me that it was better for me to decline ;
now, he says, the thing is entirely changed, and he has
given the subject the careful thought that he would if it
were his own son, and he urges me as he would Henry
under similar circumstances. He says that it will make
me Governor next year, or put me on the national ticket
as Vice-president.

(I don't want to be Governor, and the other is almost
as likely to happen as I am to be struck by lightning,
but not quite.) They do not influence me. But will
the offence that my withdrawal will certainly give to a
large body of my fellow-citizens (although I am blame-
less in the matter), injure me more than my acceptance
of the place will with another body of my fellow-cit-
izens ? If I have character and reputation enough to
be thought worthy of a higher place, cannot that char-
acter sustain the shock of my taking and filling a lower
one?

I write down these thoughts as they have come up in
my mind, not clearly, perhaps, or in order, but to show
you some of the motives that must govern me. I want
to do what is right in the matter, and what, in the end,
will be best for me.

Do you think I would be elected if I ran ? Do you
ljolieve I could be elected even if Gaston were not ?
/should not do any work for myself or the ticket.

If you have no particle of doubt as to what is best for
me personally, without looking at it as a Republican or
a Democrat, telegraph me Monday, for I must reply at
once on receipt of their notification, if I decline.

280 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

If you have doubts, write me your views, with the de-
cision you incline to, and please don't feel any more
bored than you can help by this infliction.

Ever yours, W- F. B.

Excuse this hastily written sheet. After reading this,
I am inclined to tell you in strictest confidence, of an-
other thing that has helped to perplex, and disturb me
this week. I was summoned to Washington by tele-
graph Tuesday, and there it was proposed to me by
authority that I should allow my name to be brought
before the Republican Convention for Governor, after
the first or second ballot, with proper speech, etc., and
be carried by acclamation. This from the highest
authority. I was staggered for a minute, but it seemed
to me so much like a bribe, and that it would have the
appearance of selling myself to the highest bidder,
holding the Democratic nomination till I saw what the
Republicans would do, that I declined, and a pre-ar-
ranged telegram in cipher was sent to Worcester that
night, before the convention.

Another fear I had was, that my name might be used
to head off Mr. Adams in the convention, for I knew
that these people, though they, in their distress, would,
us a last resort, turn to Adams, would much rather have
me if that would satisfy the clamor (as I would not be
so unapproachable, I suppose).

But, Frank, think of the triumph that filled my
secret heart when the Republican party managers came
to me (three years after 1872, when I predicted what
has come to them, and urged them to come up higher),
•—came to me, and begged me to go on their ticket to

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS SARTLFTT. 281

save Massachusetts to the Republican party! Do you
wonder that I was disturbed? Don't you agree with
me, that it would have appeared mean, and black, al-
though it could be proved that it was not? Still one
would n't like to be tried for theft or adultery even
though he were sure of acquittal. Only you and four
other men and Agnes know this, so mum ! unless you
hear it from other sources. Yours, F.

Mr. Rice was nominated, and his most trusted
friends advised him to decline the Democratic
nomination. He accordingly did so, on the 8th
of October, upon receipt of formal notice of the
action of the convention, in a letter which was
warmly commended. In it he said : —

" I appreciate and applaud the spirit evinced by your
convention in its willingness to subordinate party names
to the public good; but having no desire for political
office, I cannot persuade myself that any public interest
demands, at this time, the sacrifice of my personal wishes.
If the time for such sacrifice comes, I shall be ready to
make it, whether it be with the Democratic party or the
Republican party (or, better still, the honest half of both),
so it shall be the party which the near future impera-
tively calls for to lead the way of true reform, pure ad-
ministration and intelligent progress. A party which
shall neither be obliged to content itself with the recital
of its past achievements, nor atone for its past mistakes."

Before the time arrived for him to receive the
l>ff cr of any other place of trust or dignity, his

282 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXC1S BARTLETT.

health had so far declined that he was no longei
in the race. As early as August of this year
(1875), he had been strongly urged by a trusty
friend to drop cares of every kind, and strive to
arrest his downward course by travel and absolute
rest of mind. In his reply, held back three weeks
for mature consideration, he wrote as follows : —

Pittsfield, September 11, 1875.

In regard to business, I know perfectly well that
somebody takes your place when you " fall in your
tracks," but you will admit there are often times when
it is a man's duty to fall in his tracks rather than desert
under fire. It looks as if the furnace at Richmond could
not go on much longer. I can save it, and those who
have left the whole thing to my care, from the total loss
which would ensue if I were to abandon it at this time.
I hope to put it in such a condition that I shall not have
to be there much, and be relieved from this anxiety and
worry.

The furnace here will stop November 1st, and my
responsibility here is shared by others and does not
weigh on me so dreadfully. Of course, with both fur-
naces stopped, I shall be out of work, and I must look
for something to do that will give me something like a
support for my family. I know that you will be on the
watch for anything that might by chance turn up that I
could take. There are very few things that I am fit for,
but I am tired of this struggling at manufacturing, and
rushing about the land, and would be glad of work that
would keep me quietly in an office.

The future doesn't seem very bright, but to have

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 283

bound to me such a friendship as yours, makes the pres-
ent seem more full of happiness than I thought it pos-
sible.

I am actually feeling better. I have been resting,
bodily, if not mentally, for more than a month, and since
I came back from Boston I have gained two pounds,
which has much encouraged me. I mean to think of
my health first, in all my movements for the next few
months, and will let you know my plans as soon as any
are formed. Ever yours, Frank Bartlett.

Early in 1876, he decided to go to Europe for
a few months, but he was delayed a good deal by
a severe illness, which seized him in New York
while he was on his way to Richmond to put the
Powhatan property theie in such condition that
he might feel at liberty to leave it. The follow-
ing letters were written before he sailed.

N. Y. Hotel, January 20.
I have boen detained here a week, not well
enough to go on to Richmond. The Tredegar

failure probably puts us hors du combat. I am not very
depressed. I made up my mind to the worst two years
aso, and have been so near the bottom ever since that I
had n't far to fall.

Richmond, Va., February 5, 1876.
.... My doctor in New York, Stimpson, says just
what Paddock and the others have said, that I have no
organic disease that will kill me if I stop now But my
nerve force is exhausted, and I have used my strength
faster than I have made it. Complete rest and change

284 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

will restore my general health, and with that restored
the other troubles will disappear. This all sounds well,
and I hope it is so. There have been times, though,
this last month, when I should not have dared to go to
sea, but felt that what little of life there was left must
not be spent away from home. I am feeling somewhat
better and stronger, and now look hopefully to being
able to get away on the Russia, March 1st. . I

find things here about as bad as possible, although we
have reduced our number and amount of debts very
much since last August, when it seemed as if we must
stop. The failure of the Tredegar throws their paper
on to us, and on to me individually, as the banks would
not discount without two names, and I have had to do
this thing for two years to carry the concern along, sup-
posing, of course, that this depression in business and
ruinous prices were temporary and not to last forever.
I have the bonds of the company as security for my in-
dorsements and loans, and if the banks and other cred-
itors look at the matter sensibly, and are ready to take
their chance with me, who am, in fact, the largest cred-
itor, they will eventually get all their money. I have
succeeded in paying off all the hands and employees and
small creditors, who could n't afford to lose or wait, and
on Monday the company will suspend payment. If the
Tredegar had not failed, I think we might have pulled
through, but I should have had to do the pulling, and I
am not in condition to do it. I am taking the thing very
calmly now. I think I went all through the agony of it
two years ago, and have been getting used to looking it
in the face ever since.

If I only felt as strong and well, even as I did three

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 285

years ago, I should not mind it so much, for I could get
some work to do, or some position that would give me a
living ; but now I must follow your advice — stop work
— get my health and strength again first, and then trust
to finding work to do when I come back. If I do not
get well and fit for work speedily, why the sooner I am

quietly "planted," the better

Ever yours, Frank Bartlett.

Richmond, "Va., February 14, 1876.
. . . Jersey seems to promise a good deal.
I think a month there will pick me up. I shall be gov-
erned by how I am when I get over, if I get over. If
I don't, I '11 try to keep above water till you get back,
dear old man, to take you by the hand.

Pittsfield, February 24, 1876.
I am better since I left Richmond and dropped
the oar. Some days, though, I certainly do feel a

little shaky about going. It is such an irrevocable step
after that ship leaves the dock. But we must hope for
the best, and it seems the only thing for me to do, so I
hope to give you good news of myself about the 15th
of March. . .

He sailed from New York for Liverpool on the
1st of March. He was unfortunate in having
an unusually rough and stormy voyage, and the
Bpring in Europe was very cold and raw. He
sailed from Liverpool on the 27th of May, and
arrived in New York on the 7th of June. His
trip did not do him the good that had been hoped.

286 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

He had waited too long before setting out. His
wonderful powers of rallying seemed to have de-
serted him. Sometimes he was like his old self,
and he was always patient, uncomplaining, and
even cheerful, but he was generally feeble and
averse to exertion of every kind. He slept much,
and often dropped asleep by day, as if from sheer
exhaustion. The following letters give a suffi-
cient description of his experiences : —

Croxley House, March 23, 1876.

1 received your letter from Paris at the Moodies' in
Liverpool, where I stayed ten days after lauding from a
very rough passage. The worst the Russia ever saw,
her officers said, and so much sea aboard constantly that
I could not be on deck at all. So I really did not pick
up as much from the voyage as I had hoped to do, but
I was able to telegraph Agnes from Queenstown, Friday
p. m., that notwithstanding a beastly passage I had stood
it very well, and was better. This all went in one word
under a code I wrote out before leaving. Since I landed,
the weather has been simply atrocious. It has actually
snowed every day until to-day, and I would not give odds
that it won't yet, though the sun is trying to get out.
I envy you Rome, and I should have gone directly on
to the nearest warm spot had I not felt the necessity of
resting at Moodies'. I came down here the 21st, and
shall go to London to-morrow and start for Jersey the
first of the week. I am certainly better in some things.
T am free from that dreadful pain in my lost foot which
had tortured me for two or three months, and that lets
me sleep o' nights, so that I am doing a good deal of

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 287

that. I have breakfast in bed, and doze on until nearly
noon before turning out. My appetite is decidedly
better, for I do not loathe the sight of food as I did for
weeks; indeed, I believe I am really glad when meals
are announced. I give you all these details at the risk of
being tiresome. T wish I could add that I am feeling
stronger than when I left home, but I suppose I must
not expect t<y> much in so short a time. I will write you
from Jersey when I get settled. I have n't felt up to
writing any one lately. Let me hear when you have a
spare ten minutes.

Ever yours, Frank B.

Hotel de la Pomme d'Ok, St. Helters,
Jersey, April 2, 1876.
This is only a line to say that I got here safely and
am inclined to think I shall like the place. The weather
has not let me out till within a day or two. I am about
the same as when I wrote to you. My chief motive for
writing you thus hastily is, to urge your not staying in
Rome. I find myself worrying about you all the time.
It has been deadly this year, and much is concealed. I
am demoralized about Rome, after seeing two men in
London who have been there most of the winter. Don't
go out and get all tired out sight-seeing and go without
lunch and stand in cold churches and galleries and do
other imprudent things, which the natives and the long
residents there don't do. And come away from there
quam primum to Florence, or Venice, or anywhere.
Hastily, but seriously and earnestly,

Your loving Frank.

288 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRAXCIS BARTLETT.

CnoxLEY House,
Rickmansworth, Heists, May 8, 1876.

I was thrown rudely on these shores yesterday by those
villainous seas that roll between us to-day, and I have
vowed never to cross the Channel again till the tunnel is
finished. It was clear, but very cold, and blew a perfect
gale, from northeast, I should say, and we were simply
rolled over and over, completely wet through. Don't let
Lou, or don't you, wear anything that salt water will hurt.
My beautiful new pea-jacket looks as if it had been in a
flour barrel, covered with salt. The cabin was full and
close and foul, everybody sick. I tried to be, but didn't
succeed, except iu reeling like death, and was more dead
than alive when I crawled up the steps at Folkestone.

If it is at all bad or windy weather, I advise you by
all means to go by Calais, as the boats are larger and
more comfortable, and I did n't find the getting up at
that hour a bit of trouble. The sunrise was lovely and
the morning air sweet and refreshing. Charles very
kindly helped me off and saved me many steps and
much trouble. I made close connection at Euston Sta-
tion and caught George's train, and was glad enough to
get out of my damp salt clothes, after reaching Croxley,
half an hour before dinner.

I slept well, and feel to-day only as if I had been on a
bad spree, and as if I had a left foot which somebody
was knifing. I suppose it comes from cold yesterday,
and I don't believe it will stay long. Bright and cold to-
day; real good winter weather outdoors, but not inside,
for there isn't a thermometer in the house that stands
over 50° . .

With loads of love. Always yours, W- F. B.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 289

Journal, June 7, 1876. At the dock this mornino-
early. Beautiful day. An American day, and thank
God I am safely back here again. . I am so glad
to be at home again. There is no place on earth like it,
and I thank God for bringing me through dangers seen
and unseen.

His life was prolonged for a little more than six
months after his arrival in America, but his
course was steadily downward. He never after-
wards seemed so strong as on the day when he
left the ship. His decline was not without some
of those periods of apparent improvement which
are common to consumptive patients, and he
sometimes seemed at least to be encouraged, and
to hope for something approaching permanent
improvement, but from time to time he fell away
in a marked manner, and the rally which followed
was never sufficient to bring him back to the
point which he had left. He wrote at first such
hopeful and cheerful letters as the two which fol-
low, but the next one shows his growing weak-
ness. His longed-for visit to Cohasset was post-
poned at first, and then given up. After the
latter part of July he seldom, if ever, wrote a
letter, and his journeyings were limited to short
drives, and they too, soon ceased.

Pittsfield, June 14, 1876.
This is the first moment I have had pen in hand since
I saw you, and I naturally send you the first word. I
19

290 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

found myself pretty well tired the day after I got home,
and have kept very still ever since, gaining every day
since Saturday last. I dare say it was the sudden
change of temperature, or the fatigue and reaction, but
now I am much better, and really feel stronger every
day under this lovely sunshine and luxuriant foliage.

Oh, Frank, was n't the country more lovely than you
ever saw it, that afternoon as you got out of New York ?
I went up by the Housatonic, and as the sun set be-
hind one range of hills, and after an hour or two a su-
perb moon burst out from behind an opposite range,
I thought that those Englishmen who landed with U3
must fancy this a land of enchantment. .

But, dear Frank, it is lovely to get home and enjoy
the lovely sunshine filtered thro' the elms. We sit on
the piazza constantly, and I fancy that you enjoy yours
more than ever before.

Dr. Paddock thinks I am decidedly better than when
I went away, and he has seen me only in my played-out
condition of the last week. To-day I am more like my-
self than any day since we landed (he has not seen me
for two days), and feel perfectly confident now of going
on gaining. The country never looked half so lovely.

" Every prospect pleases and only man is vile," as [
fear we shall hear from Cincinnati to-morrow.

I have not had a business letter, and should not have
opened it if I had. The break from that worry is com-
plete still, and I don't mean to take it up till I am much
better able to. Meantime, keep your ears open for some
situation for a sober and industrious young man next
fa'l ; no objection on account of large salary and little
work. Always your devoted

Frank.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 291

Pittsfield, June 26, 1876.

I have your kind letter, dear , and I

need n't say how I appreciate your efforts to put me in
the way of work, nor how eagerly I look for something
to do that shall help me keep the wolf from the door.
I am gaining under the lovely June skies, and am look-
ing forward to going down to Cohasset about the 10th
July. _ Lovingly yours,

Frank.

Pittsfield, July 17, 1876.

I am going on about the same, one day up, the next
down. As soon as I am well enough, I am going down
to Cohasset. 1 think the cough is decidedly better;
appetite seems to be the main thing wanting now. I
think if I could see something ahead for me to do, it
would be an incentive and encouragement. And I have
reached that point in thinking about myself that the
man had who admitted that he did wish his wife would
either get well, or, or — something. You will be sur-
prised to hear we are about moving back into our own
house. It was too late in the season when I came home,
I suppose, for I have not been able to rent it, and it
seems better that we should occupy it than have it stand
vacant It will be cooler, and, in all ways, more com-
fortable than this house, and not necessarily more ex-
pensive to run. Still, if I could rent it for a term of
years, at a fair price, I should do so, and take a more
humble dwelling.

It is n't going to be a very serious task to move, as
everything is in a small space here, and there is no fur-
niture to move. Ever yours, Fr ink.

292 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

The following extracts from a letter from Mrs.
Bartlett, dated August 20, 1876, show his condi-
tion a£ that time, the activity of his mind, and
the interest which he continued to take in public
affairs.

Frank has a better appetite than for a good while,
and lives on birds, principally woodcock, of which he
manages one for his dinner, with great ease, nearly
every day. His digestion seems to be improving, and
a slow though perceptible gain made each day. Frank
is taking the electric baths, and they seem to benefit
him. He did not suppose you would believe the report
of that interview in the " Post," to be correct. He had
no idea that a verbatim report was intended, for the
man took no notes, and Frank requested him not to
"spread" him, and he supposed that he would merely
announce what he did tell him, in general terms, that he
was earnestly in favor of Tilden's election. He failed,
however, to state what Frank particularly told him, that
he was a strong Bristow man, and should have supported
him with enthusiasm, had he not been beaten at Cincin-
nati by the men who control the Republican party,
whom he hopes to see deposed this fall. Frank felt
much annoyed by it, but believed that those friends
whose opinion he valued most would take the same
view of it that you did.

By the 10th of September, he was passing most
of his time in bed, but dressed and sitting up in
the afternoon. The sweet, serious expression of
bis face was unchanged, his voice was firm, and

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 293

the grasp of his hand strong, but his breathing
was audible and rather quick, and his face and
throat were pitifully thin.

On the 24th of the same month, a daughter
was born to him. She was named Edith, after
the lost sister whom he so tenderly mourned.

For the rest of his life he was simply waiting.
His sufferings were very great, but they were borne
with absolute fortitude and sweetness. The pow-
ers of his mind remained unimpaired to the last,
and his cheerful playfulness did not desert him.
On the 6th of November he proposed to have his
little daughter christened, and in sending to invite
a valued friend to be present, he asked that it be
suggested to him (election day coming just then,
and the friend being an anti-Tilden man) that
they could "pair off;" that if his friend would
not vote, he would not.

The christening took place in his room on the
appointed day, and after that he partook of the
communion. In all these days, as his strength
permitted, he talked freely and unreservedly with
his beloved wife about the future, and told her
what he wished done about many things. Hard
as all this was, he told his wife that it would be an
inexpressible comfort to her afterwards, and she
was brave and firm enough to go through with it.
He told ber that if he should be spared, and if
strength should be given him again, no harm was
•Jone that they had talked of his going, and that

294 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT.

if he went soon, he was sure she would never
regret what then seemed so very hard to bear.

In the last month of his life there was almost
always towards night some exhausting turn, and
his evenings were full of weariness. His foot and
ankle began to swell, and such symptoms de-
stroyed any hope, if such there were in any heart,
of any real improvement. Feeble and exhausted
as he was, his mind was actively occupied, and
even minute details received his careful attention.
He had directed that he should be buried in his
uniform of a Major-general, and he wished to
leave to his three sons and his most valued friend
the four silver stars which he wore upon his
shoulders ; and he caused to be procured four stars
of like appearance to take their place upon his
uniform, when it should be placed upon him, never
to be taken off again.

There is no need of describing his sufferings
more fully. They were very great and very vari-
ous, but such relief as the most tender care could
yield was not wanting. He had the untiring de-
votion of his wife from the time when her recov-
ery from her confinement made it possible for her
to resume her place at his bedside, and all through
the period of her separation from him, and to the
end, he had the added happiness of having his
mother with him. The wise and watchful nursing
Df these two admirable women was an unspeakable
comfort and blessing to him, and their strong self-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 295

control united with his grand endurance to make
the sick-room always a cheerful place. Death
from consumption is a long and sore trial, which
many loving hearts have had to watch with pity.
In his case, the burden was made heavier by the
physical pain which followed the loss of his leg,
and by the distress of mind which flowed from his
misfortunes in business. All his efforts had been
unsuccessful. All that he had, and more, had
been swept away, and he had to face the prospect
of leaving his wife and his six children utterly
unprovided for. Fortunately, these facts became
known in time to enable his friends to relieve
his worst anxieties, and nearly three weeks be-
fore he died he knew that a modest subsistence
was secured to his family. This knowledge eased
and lightened his heart, and, as he said, made it
much easier for him to go.

From the 10th of December the change was
more rapid ; but, though his weakness was great,
he was in many respects more comfortable. On
Sunday, the 17th of December, 1876, he called
his family and nearest friends around him, spoke
words of comfort and encouragement and farewell
to them all, and then passed peacefully away.

On Wednesday, December 20th, the coffin con-
taining the body of the General, dressed in his
uniform, was borne from his house to the hearse,
and from the hearse to the church, by six of his
comrades in the war. The quiet of the town and

296 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

the throng in the church bore testimony to the
general sense of loss. After the burial service
had been read, one of the officiating clergymen
came down to the side of the bier, and paid a
touching and feeling tribute to the worth of the
departed as a man and as a Christian. Just as
the sun of a cold, bright, still winter day was set-
ting, he was lowered into the grave made for him
in the Pittsfield Cemetery, and left to his rest in
the pure silence of the snow.

" The Massachusetts of this generation has bred
no so heroic a character as that of the man whom
she will bury, with sadness and with honor, in
Berkshire, this week." These are understood to
have been the words of a man now no more,
who knew General Bartlett well, and who had in
his day few equals in judging of character. It
is hoped that the story of a life has been so told
in the foregoing pages, that the judgment of the
reader will confirm this high estimate.

The qualities which first attracted attention
to the subject of this memoir, were bravery and
judgment. Bravery is always a fascinating qual-
ity ; but, fortunately for mankind, it is not rare.
In his first engagement, Bartlett showed not only
courage, but coolness and nerve, and it was per-
ceived that there was an old head upon the young
shoulders of the gallant soldier. As the war went
on, those who were near him recognized in him
the possession of clear faculties and absolute integ-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 297

rity, as well as brilliant bravery and a mind that
remained equal in the midst of difficulties, while
those who perhaps never saw him were struck
with admiration at beholding the tenacity of pur-
pose with which he went back to the field after
so many enforced absences. After the return of
peace, his neighbors were charmed with the vir-
tues and graces of his private life, and had con-
stant proofs that the accomplished soldier was a
citizen of great and growing usefulness. His in-
terest in what is most valuable to every commu-
nity, in religion, in education, in the elevation of
polities, in true reform, was always fresh. What-
ever his sufferings or his weariness might be,
whatever the demands of business or the anxieties
of narrowing means, he was always ready to lend
a helping hand to every cause which his clear
eyes saw to be a good one. As the years of his
life drew near their end, his sudden eloquence
thrilled many listeners, and thousands of hearts,
North as well as South, were touched at the spec-
tacle presented by the crippled hero, the first to
counsel reconciliation with those whose arms had
shattered the promise of his life. His patriot-
ism was true patriotism. His love of country
embraced the whole country. His absolute devo-
tion to the flag made him eager that every Amer-
ican should love and honor that flag as he did.

The impression which General Bartlett made
upon those who knew him only by reputation,

298 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

was deepened in those who saw him, by the rich
gifts of nature. His figure was tall, slender, and
erect, his head small and well set, his eyes clear,
his features well cut and full of character, his
carriage conspicuous by its grace and dignity.
There was about him altogether a certain stately
air which the New England men of this genera-
tion have hardly seen equaled. A share of com-
posure and reserve was natural to him, but his
manners were courteous and his smile engaging.
His voice was deep, full-toned, and powerful. He
was a born leader of the best men, and he had
large endowments for controlling the worst. The
fatality which attended his military career, — he
never went into action but once without being dis-
abled,— deprived him of the opportunity of show-
ing what he could do in the exercise of a large
command, but he proved himself to be not only a
most gallant, but a most useful soldier. He was
very successful in establishing discipline, improv-
ing drill, developing and maintaining tone, and
by doing thoroughly well whatever was given
him to do, he gave the best assurance possible that
if the fortune of war had been but commonly
favorable to him, he would have been found equal
to the high places of command. The men who
served under him feel and say that the memory
of his heroic character is apt to make them better
men, and that their love for him and devotion
to him were complete. The chaplain of his last

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 299

regiment, an excellent and accomplished clergy-
man, speaks lovingly of his gentle modesty, of
his grave dignity, of his magnetism as a leader,
of his kindness and his inflexible justice, and
adds the interesting fact that this intrepid man
never went into action without a certain presenti
ment of extreme suffering or death.

Wherever he went he was observed. Wher
ever he was known he was admired and loved.
His life was a blessing to those among whom he
lived. One of the last letters he received con-
tained this tribute to his usefulness : " Some men
do their best life-work in the influences of nobler
manhood that go forth from them, — the vague,
unrealizable, but most potent of all works. How
many are truer and better men for your influ-
ence, my dear friend, you may not know. Your
life is already in many another man."

While he laid hold of the enthusiasm of the
educated and refined, he had equal success in en-
gaging the affections and winning the respect of
the rough foundrymen in his employ. His strict
discipline did not alienate them. His will was law
to them, but they found him sympathetic, prompt
to visit their homes when they were sick or in
trouble, and ready to help them according to his
means. As his trusted foreman said, "his great
heart could take in the lowly."

Of his domestic character it is not necessary
to add to the showing of his letters and journals.

300 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

In his friendships, when his friendship was given,
he was more like a lover than a friend. To those
who knew him thoroughly, his life filled a place
and his death left a void such as are not likely to
be paralleled in a single human experience.

As early as 1864, at the sword presentation at
Winthrop, Governor Andrew pronounced him
the most conspicuous soldier of Massachusetts in
the Department of the Gulf. When the war
ended, he was the most conspicuous soldier of all
whom Massachusetts sent to the field. In the
years which followed, his career was so useful and
so brilliant as to give good reason for believing
that, had his life been spared, the most conspicuous
soldier of Massachusetts would have been one of
the most honored and beloved of her sons.

APPENDIX.

Of the following tributes to the memory of General
Bartlett, the first is understood to have been written by
the late Mr. Bowles. It appeared in the " Springfield
Republican : " —

GENERAL BARTLETT.

The recognition by the press of the heroic character-
istics of General Bartlett is quick and wide. We have
dwelt upon his qualities and his services, his opinions
and his acts, not only as an act of justice, but in the
belief that they furnish a greatly needed example, and
in the hope that from his grave there might go new and
richer influences, so that even dead he will yet speak
with more potent eloquence than ever. It is not given
to many men to have his simple, quick perception of the
kernel truth, or his equally simple and natural way of
speaking and acting it. It never seemed to cost him
anything to think rightly, or to speak and act what he
thought; it did itself, as it were; not only without hes-
itation or fear of the consequences, but without the rec-
ognition that there were any consequences that should
be considered. Few men are, indeed, so wonderfully

302 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT

endowed as this ; but all of us, by seeking, may find this
God of Truth. It was a conspicuous life that he lived
before his fellow-citizens in Massachusetts. No life so
impressive in its features, or furnishing so noble an ex-
ample, has been lived before us in this generation. But
it was lived without his thought of its character or its
consequences to himself. And if he can live again in
any degree in the lives and characters of his comrades
and successors, of the young men who knew him or
have read his story and felt its inspiration, the dead
hero will be again the living hero, and the glory of his
life will take on at once its true immortality.

WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

Oh, well may Essex sit forlorn
Beside her sea-blown shore ;

Her well beloved, her noblest born
Is hers in life no more !

If early from the mother's side
Her favored child went forth,

Her pride so amply justified
Is in a hero's birth.

No lapse of years can render less
Her memory's sacred claim ;

No fountain of forgetfulness
Can wet the lips of fame.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETV. 303

A grief alike to wound and heal,

A thought to soothe and pain,
The sad, sweet pride that mothers feel

To her must still remain.

Good men and true she has not lacked,

And brave men yet shall be ;
The perfect flower, the crowning fact,

Of all her years was he !

As Galahad pure, as Merlin sage,
What worthier knight was found

To grace in Arthur's golden age
The fabled Table Round ?

A voice, the battle's trumpet-note,

To welcome and restore ;
A hand, that all unwilling smote,

To heal and build once more !

A soul of fire, a tender heart

Too warm for hate, he knew
The generous victor's graceful part,

To sheathe the sword he drew.

The more than Sidney of our day,

Above the sin and wrong
Of civil strife, he heard alway

The angels' Advent song !

When Earth, as if on evil dreams,
Looks back upon her wars,

304 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

And the white light of Christ outstreams
From the red disk of Mars,

His fame who led the stormy van

Of battle well may cease,
But never that which crowns the man

Whose victory was Peace.

Mourn, Essex, on thy sea-blown shore

Thy beautiful and brave,
Whose failing hand the olive bore,

Whose dying lips forgave !

Let age lament the youthful chief,

And tender eyes be dim ;
The tears are more of joy than grief

That fall for one like him !

John Greenleaf Whittier.

MILITAKY ORDER, LOYAL LEGION, UNITED STATES,

COMMANDERT OP THE STATE OP MASSACHUSETTS.

TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF COMPANION BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL
WILLIAM P. BABTLETT, U. S. VOLS.

Adopted at a stated meeting of this Commandery, held
on Wednesday, February 7, 1877.

" Our late Companion William Francis Bartlett,
Brevet Major-general U. S. Volunteers, died at Pitts-
field on the seventeenth day of December, 1876.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 305

" It is among the objects of our order to cherish the
memories and associations of the war waged in defense
of the Unity and Indivisibility of the Republic, to en-
force unqualified allegiance to the General Government,
and to maintain National Honor, Union, and Independ-
ence.

"We recognize in our late Companion one who was
foremost among the men of Massachusetts, both in war
and in peace, in supporting the Government and in
maintaining National Honor, Union, and Independence.

" We contemplate with pride his brilliant military
career, which entailed heavy sacrifices and sufferings
upon himself, but did not end till the war ended. Im-
prisonment, illness, and repeated wounds were alike
powerless to shake the absolute tenacity of purpose with
which he followed and upheld the Flag. From the
commencement of hostilities to the close, whenever his
physical condition would permit, he was always at the
front.

" From the humble position of a private in a militia
organization he rose to be a Division Commander.
Wherever he went, he enforced discipline, diffused the
soldierly spirit, cared thoughtfully and wisely for his
men, led them with conspicuous gallantry, shared all
their privations, and thought always first of their welfare
and of the welfare of his country. At Ball's Bluff, in
the Peninsular campaign, at the siege of Port Hudson,
in the Wilderness, and at the siege of Petersburg, his
record was that of perfect soldierly faithfulness ; our
enemies admired him, as well as his comrades and the
great Northern people for whom he fought so well.
Four years of fighting raised him to high rank in the
20

306 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT.

army, and won for him a great name, but they left him
with a shattered constitution and a crippled frame, at
the age of twenty-five.

" We contemplate with equal pride and admiration the
civil career of our deceased Companion. In every re-
lation of his life he showed himself the true citizen and
the Christian gentleman. Graceful and stately in his
bearing, courteous in his manners, he moved among us a
man of correct and attractive example. Never allured
by the frivolous pleasures of life, he divided his time
between the cares of business and the relaxations of his
home. He was a devoted husband, a tender father, and
a faithful friend. The burden of pain and weakness
grew steadily heavier as his days went on, but it never
caused him to halt, and seldom to pause in his march.
The best and highest interests of the community always
enlisted his earnest and active sympathy, and he was un-
tiring in his efforts to promote them. The church, edu-
cation, and politics, especially political reform, all had a
share of his faithful service. By attentive observation
and patient thought, he freed his mind from the obscuring
influences of the passions of the hour, and came to enter-
tain broad and high views, and so learned to frame those
impressive sentences which, first spoken in Memorial
Hall, at once echoed through the land, and made his
grand voice known to South as well as North, as that
of one calling to large-hearted union and loyalty.

"The life of our deceased Companion was so full of
promise, as well as of performance, that our gratitude
for what he did, and for the influence of his example, is
mingled with deep regret for our loss of what might
have been his future. With proud and tender recollec-

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BART LETT. 307

tion, we record our testimony to our belief, that he was
one of the noblest of the soldiers and citizens whom
Massachusetts has numbered among her sons.

" Resolved, That these resolutions be entered upon
our records, and a copy of them sent to the family of
our deceased Companion."

The following words were spoken at General Bart-
lett's funeral by one who had known him well in his
earlier days, and who had been permitted during the last
months of his life to receive his most sacred confidences.

They refer chiefly to one subject, upon which, in his
letters, he has said but little, but which became more
and more prominent in his thoughts as his life drew
toward its close. That life's latest chapter was its sub-
limest ; to those who were nearest him during those last
days the memory of his faith has seemed as sacred a
trust as the memory of his deeds, and with this thought
in view they have wished to see added to the foregoing
pages this heartfelt testimony uttered at his burial.

A. L.

"It is not the custom, as you know, of our church, to
add to her burial service words of human eulogy or
human judgment. It is our wont to read, over the mor-
tal bodies of the rich and poor, the lowly and the great
Alike, the same words of Scripture ; to utter the same
prayers hallowed by centuries of use, and to commend
the immortal soul into His presence with whom is no
respect of persons, and before whom all must appear,

308 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANC M BARTLETT.

alike unveiled, or clothed alike with the righteousness
of Christ.

" But there comes now and then a time when the world
is not content to let a hero pass from its sight without a
word of farewell ; and it falls to my lot, to-day, to speak
over one that has gone, on behalf of those who loved
him, a few words of tender remembrance. I am not
here to eulogize his record as a soldier ; that is graven
already upon your memories more deeply than any words
of mine could print it. I am not here to eulogize his
record as a patriot ; although you well remember that
when the war cloud lifted and around the sword was
twined the olive, no voice was sooner raised than his,
with no uncertain sound, in words of ' peace on earth,
good will toward men.' But my friends, his life had
another utterance, and from his sick room and dying bed
there goes out a testimony no less noble, no less real, —
the lesson of a Christian faith. To this testimony it is
my privilege as a Christian minister to give voice, and
to say to you that his life at its close was no less elo-
quent than in its mid-career. He whom you have known
as a brave soldier in the field, died the ' good soldier of
Jesus Christ.' Great in his life, he was greater yet in
his death. When, laid upon his bed of sickness, he bore
unflinching the pain which racked his shattered frame ;
when, turning calmly away from the earthly honors
pressed upon him, he counted them as nothing ; when,
spite of home affection — too tender to be spoken here
— he calmly yielded to God's will ; when, a few short
weeks ago, he raised to his lips with a trembling hand
the sacramental cup, and his voice, still unbroken, sang
with humble penitence the words, —

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM FRANCIS BARTLETT. 309

" ' Jesus, Saviour of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly, —

" ' All my trust on thee is stayed,

All my hope from thee I bring ' —

I say that he was greater than when that same voice
rang out across the field of battle or spoke at Lexington.

" And oh, my friends, with what power do such a life
and such a record speak to us of an hereafter ! You,
whose brain has come to teach you that there is no
hereafter,- no resurrection of the dead, no life of the
world to come, does your heart rest satisfied with that
belief as you look upon him who lies here ? Are you
content with that position ? Is this all ? Do you mean
to say that when this gallant frame crumbles again to its
dust, the soul that has animated it is extinguished, like a
flame blown out ? That that soul's work is over ? That
the only immortality which remains for him is that of
living in the memory of men who die ?

" We, who share his faith, can tell you better ; that a
nobler career has begun for him ; that

" ' Doubtless unto him is given

A life that bears immortal fruit,
In such great offices as suit
The full-grown energies of heaven.'

And in this faith we leave him. In this sure and cer-
tain hope we lay him out of our sight. And we sum up
the lesson of his life with the words which these cold
lips might utter, could they speak : —

" ' I have fought a good fight ; I have finished my
course ; I have kept the faith. Henceforth there remains
for me a crown of glory, — one which fadeth not away.' "

Boston, February 13, 1879.

Jos. W. Alsop esquire :

Dear Sir, — Having been informed by you that pas-
sages in my Memoir of the late General William F.
Bartlett have seemed to Mrs. Edwin Bartlett and to
certain of her friends to do her injustice, by creating the
impression that the General never received anything
from his Uncle's estate, I desire to state that if any
passages in that Memoir are justly chargeable with
creating such an impression, they need correction, for
it is within my knowledge that the General borrowed
largely from his Uncle's estate, after his death, with his
Aunt's consent, and also borrowed from his Aunt, and
that these loans were never repaid.
Yours truly,

FRANCIS W. PALFREY.