Monroe Williams and the 12th Regiment

While researching the 7th Massachusetts Regiment for the Saturday blog, I visited Google Books to see if a regimental history was available for free. It was and in the history was this picture of First Lieutenant Monroe Williams:

Probably created from a carte de visite, the most common photograph size of the Civil War, to the best of my knowledge this engraving is the first portrait of an Easton man in uniform to be rediscovered. There may be a group photograph that includes Sergeant Philander Fecto of Easton, but I have not seen it for many years. It is ironic that Lt. Williams is pictured with an engraving rather than a photograph since he made his living as a photographer. His photo shop was on the west corner of Williams and Main Street. The old building disappeared when Williams Street was widened in 1905. Williams was severely wounded in the left shoulder at the Battle of Chancellorsville on May 3, 1863. The author of the regimental history was also wounded in that battle and his history details the suffering of the men as they were moved from hospital to hospital. "Moved" is not precisely the term as at one point the wounded had to crawl from one field hospital to a safer location. Williams remained in hospital for months before being discharged in August. His war experience may have given him post traumatic stress disorder since he didn't marry for seven years at the advanced age of 40. I admit that's pure speculation based on the age and the haunted look in the eyes of the engraving.

A quick word about the 12th Massachusetts Regiment to finish our Memorial Day Special about the first three year regiments to enlist. The 12th claimed to be the first three year regiment to be formed which is true to a point. The unit formed in April as another short term regiment under the command of Daniel Webster's son Fletcher. It was not included in the call that lead to the formation of the 2nd and 7th Regiments as three year units because it was already in training. A little wire pulling by Webster quickly rectified this and the 12th became a three year unit. Company F was recruited in Brockton and had a few Easton men at the start with more later. Martland's Band of Brockton enlisted en masse to become the regimental band. The regiment had a man named John Brown in it, and, while training at Fort Warren in Boston Harbor, the boys took an old southern hymn learned from a regular army unit posted at the fort and turned it into "John Brown's Body" as a joke about their friend and the famous abolitionist.  The 12th sang the song at every opportunity-the line about hanging Jeff Davis from a sour apple tree being particularly well received-and it became a national sensation. When Julia Ward Howe heard another unit singing the song while marching through Washington, she took the tune and added new lyrics creating "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Martland's Band continued in operation after the war and performed at the dedication of the Civil War Memorial in Easton on Memorial Day, 1882.