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Note: This unit served as infantry for most of its time at the Siege of Petersburg and is classified as infantry.
Muster In: Organized at Camp Meigs, Readville. (in early 1864?)1
Muster Out: Mustered out October 31, 1865.2
Commander(s):
Colonel Henry S. Russell
3
Colonel Charles F. Adams, Jr.
Commander Image
Commander 3
Commander Image
First Offensive Order of Battle: First Brigade | Third Division | XVIII Corps | Army of the James | Union Army4,5
- Commander:
- Unit Strength: more than 400 officers and men PFD (June 15, 1864)8
- Weapons:
- Note: Duty at City Point, Va., as Infantry until June 16, 1864.9
Second Offensive Order of Battle: First Brigade | Third Division | XVIII Corps | Army of the James | Union Army10,11
- Commander:
- Unit Strength:
- Weapons:
- Note: Transferred to Point Lookout, Maryland, June 29.12
Third Offensive Order of Battle:
- Not present at the Siege of Petersburg.13
Fourth Offensive Order of Battle:
- Not present at the Siege of Petersburg.14
Fifth Offensive Order of Battle:
- Not present at the Siege of Petersburg.15mmander:
Sixth Offensive Order of Battle:
- Not present at the Siege of Petersburg.16
Seventh Offensive Order of Battle:
- Not present at the Siege of Petersburg.17
Eighth Offensive Order of Battle:
- Not present at the Siege of Petersburg.18
Ninth Offensive Order of Battle: Unattached Cavalry | Army of the James | Union Army (March ?-April 2, 1865)19,20
- Commander: Colonel Charles F. Adams, Jr. (March 31, 1865)21
- Unit Strength:
- Weapons:
- Note: The 5th Massachusetts Cavalry (Colored) returned to the Siege of Petersburg on an unspecified date in March 1865 after duty guarding prisoners at Point Lookout, Maryland.22
Dyer’s/Sifakis’ Compendium Info:
Siege of Petersburg Battles23:
- Duty at City Point, Va., as Infantry until June 16, 1864.
- Before Petersburg June 16-19.
- Siege of Petersburg June 16-28.
- Moved to Point Lookout, Md., June 30, and duty there guarding prisoners until March, 1865.
- Ordered to the field and duty near Richmond, March; near Petersburg, April.
Bibliography:
Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:
- 150 Years Ago Today at Petersburg: March 21, 1865
- 5th MA Cav: The Fifth Massachusetts Colored Cavalry in the Civil War
- MOLLUS MA V1: Fourteen Months’ Service with Colored Troops by Solon A. Carter
- NP: August 20, 1864 Cape Ann Light and Gloucester Telegraph: 23rd MA and the City Point Explosion
- NP: June 20, 1864 Philadelphia Inquirer: The Attack on Petersburg, June 15-18
- NP: June 29, 1864 New York Herald: Letter from a Son of Frederick Douglass
Sources:
- A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
- A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
- Henry S. Russell image. MOLLUS-Mass Civil War Photograph Collection, Vol. 95, Page 4859. United States Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, PA. ↩
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), p. 236 ↩
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), p. 555 ↩
- “Letter from a Son of Frederick Douglass.” New York Herald. June 29, 1864, p. ? col. ?: “Col. Russell then ordered Lieut. Mallery, myself, and 50 men, to take the piece of artillery that we had captured, and proceed on to camp, where I now am at present, though our regiment is at the front yet. I kept close to the Colonel during the whole of the engagement, and when he was wounded, I went to gather him some currants. Although wounded, he could not be persuaded to leave the field until the Surgeon insisted upon it. Major Adams was struck in the side by a piece of shell, and it is said that it may prove fatal. ” ↩
- “The Attack on Petersburg.” Philadelphia Inquirer. June 20, 1864, p. 1 col. 3-4: “Eighteenth Corps—Wounded…….The following are some of the casualties among the officers:—…..Col. Henry S. Russell, 5th Massachusetts Cav., shoulder.” ↩
- “Letter from a Son of Frederick Douglass.” New York Herald. June 29, 1864, p. ? col. ?: “At 2 o’clock the next morning (June 15) everything was ready for a march, which was soon ordered, and about 400 of our Regiment, the 5th Massachusetts, were soon into line, that being all we had left in camp, the rest of our regiment being on picket duty.” ↩
- A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), p. 236 ↩
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), p. 555 ↩
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), p. 236 ↩
- A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
- A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
- A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
- A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
- A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
- A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), page 576: “Organization of the Union Forces” (March 31, 1865) ↩
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), page 593: “Return of casualties in the Union Forces commanded by Lieut. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, March 29-April 9, 1865” ↩
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), page 576: “Organization of the Union Forces” (March 31, 1865) ↩
- A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
- A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩