James Atwater Barrett, Concord, MA

851.          5. James Atwater Barrett, b. May 7, 1832. At the commencement of the
              rebellion, he was acting as a clerk in the store of James P. Swain &
              Company, in New York City.

              Upon the news of the battle of Bull Run, and the call of the President
              immediately after, for 75,000 additional troops, Mr. Barrett as once re-
              solved to go to the rescue, and in July, 1861, enlisted as a first Sgt.
              in the Company H., Captain D. W. Strickland, 48th Regiment, New York
              Volunteer Infantry, James H. Perry, Colonel. The regiment was ordered
              south, in the expedition to Hilton Head, So. Carolina, where they arrived
              after a perilous and dangerous passage, being closely crowded, in an un-
              safe steamer. Witnessed the magnificent display of our Navy in the cap-
              ture of the fortifications at Hilton Head, and the glorious and triumph-
              ant victory it there achieved, on the 8th of November, 1861.

              In the spring of 1863, they went in the expedition against Charleston,
              South Carolina, by way of Folly Island, having spent the previous year
              at Hilton Head, and in the reduction and capture of Fort Pulaski, Ga.,
              a most fatiguing process and unhealthy situation.

              The Regiment participated in the capture of Morris Island, Charleston,
              South Carolina on the 10th of July, 1863, and in the unadvised, ill-
              timed and unsuccessful assault upon Fort Wagner, which proved so de-
              structive to hundreds of the brave volunteers of the Union Army.

              Sergeant Barrett had been promoted to Second and then First Lieutenant.
              The assault on Fort Wagner was made, and injudiciously, as our best
              military officers say, in the night, which was the principal cause of
              the failure.

              The men went into the conflict with determined courage and enthusiasm.
              They waded the moat and sealed the parapet. While about half way up the
              parapet, Lieutenant Barrett, as he was leading and encouraging his men,
              received a wound by a fragment of shell passing through his right thigh,
              but as it did not hit the bone or lacerate any of the large blood vessels,
              he was able to stand, and soon expecting to gain a decided victory, his
              enthusiasm impelled him onward, and he gained the summit - leaped into
              the bastion amid total darkness. The men soon became confused and the
              Union men fired upon each other. A retreat was soon ordered although
              there were but few, for those who were killed or wounded.

              Lieutenant Barrett crawled out over the dead and wounded and by the
              help of his sword, he eventually succeeded in reaching camp, success-
              fully eluding the vigilance of the rebel patrol that were pacing the
              beach. Upon reaching camp and having his wound dressed, and the excite-
              ment over, he became perfectly helpless and exhausted. His company of
              500 men came out with but 200 men. After the wound was partially healed,
              and he was able to ride, but not yet able to walk, he was placed in
              charge of an outpost as a commander of Company A, and soon after re-
              moved to Pope's Plantation on Hilton Head, to perform picket duty.

              Here were about 500 negroes, and Lieut. Barrett embraced the opportunity
              to learn their habits and opinions, which were favorable, if honestly
              dealt with, but in their illiterate and uncultivated state, were liable
              to be imposed upon by wicked, designing men. They made good soldiers.
              They had a grand Thanksgiving dinner and a good time, soon after which,
              Lieutenant Barrett was restored to his own company and in December 1863,
              the company re-enlisted, with few exceptions. It had been recruited up
              to 300. This entitled them to thirty day's furlough, and to receive the
              honorable title of "veterans". After the furlough the company proceed-
              ed south and joined the regiment in Florida, soon after it had fought
              the unfortunate battle of Olustee, February 20th, under the command of
              General Seymour, who planned the unsuccessful assault on Fort Wagner.

              The army having lost all confidence in him as a commanding officer, Gen.
              Seymour was relieved of duty, to the joy of all. The regiment was soon
              ordered north to join the army on James River, Virginia, under General
              Butler. They landed at Gloucester Point, where they prepared for field
              service, and sailed for Bermuda Hundred, thence by a tedious march to
              the vicinity of Drury's Bluff. On the 15th of May, the army advanced
              on the works at Drury's Bluff and captured two lines of works. The next
              morning, May 16th, by reason of a dense fog, of which the rebels took
              advantage, the Union Army was suddenly assailed on right, left and
              center, and forced to retire and abandon the capture of Richmond, for
              the present.

              From here, the regiment was soon sent to the White House, where upon
              landing, they drew three days' rations, but were ordered to march be-
              fore they were issued, but they secured coffee and sugar, which Lieut.
              Barrett designates as the soldier's "staff of life." After marching
              all night and the next forenoon, the regiment arrived at Cold Harbor
              about 2 o'clock, P.M., and were ordered immediately to charge the works,
              without giving them time even to relieve themselves of their knapsacks.
              The men made a gallant charge, captured one line of works and 500 prison-
              ers.

p.131         While rallying some stragglers lurking behind, Lieutenant Barrett re-
              ceived a wound in the right shoulder, but not sufficiently severe to
              disable him from duty. Among the prisoners captured on this excursion
              was the Captain of one of the Artillery Companies, who was a female,
              and it is said that the buriel party found several females among the
              slain Rebels.

              It was 10 O'clock, P.M., before the regiment was relieved and allowed a
              little rest. The next morning, June 2nd, the regiment advanced to the
              support of the attacking party, under a galling fire, and soon after
              arriving at the scene and taking their position, a ball from a sharp-
              shooter struck Lieutenant Barrett behind, or back of the right hip,
              passed completely through the thicknesses of his blanket and shattered
              the lower end of his spine. Two soldiers conveyed him to the rear, where
              8,000 wounded men lay waiting for transportation to the White House.

              Lieutenant Barrett lay on the ground her for two days before his turn
              arrived to be conveyed to the White House. After a few days he was put
              on board a steamer for Washington, and placed in a hospital, and shortly
              returned to his father's home in Concord, Massachusetts, where, by good
              nursing under the assiduous attention and skillful treatment from the
              family physician, Dr. Bartlett, he recovered. After remaining home for
              three months, he returned to his regiment, but was placed on light duty
              for five months longer - before he was able to take the field.

              But in the meantime his regiment had been active and fought many severe
              battles, and was now ordered in the expedition against Fort Fisher. Upon
              the arrival of 200 recruits for his regiment, Lieutenant Barrett was
              ordered to take them to the regiment at Fort Fisher. Many of them were
              substitutes and proved refractory and treacherous, but he succeeded in
              getting them to the place of destination, with three or four exceptions.
              He took command of his company, having been promoted to Captain, and
              performed full duty, being constantly marching and counter-marching,
              flanking the enemy, first at one point and then another, and on February
              21, 1865, had a severe skirmish with the enemy, and on the next day,
              February 22, 1865, marched triumphantly into Wilmington, No. Carolina,
              amid the hearty welcome and joyful demonstration of the population.

              From here our army made forced marches, in hope of recapturing the
              Union prisoners, then in the hands of the enemy, but by crossing the
              river and burning the bridge behind them, they failed to accomplish it.
              In a few days, however, the rebels consented to parole the prisoners.
              They were poor, filthy, famished creatures, merely walking skeletons.

                                      Major Barrett.
              Some of them were able to walk to Wilmington, where they were then well
              cared for, but very many of them were so far gone by starvation and cruel
              treatment by the Rebels, they died. The residue were sent north. About
              this time, the Major, having lost a leg in the battle before Wilmington,
              Captain Barrett was commissioned Major.

                                 President Lincoln Assinated.
              The regiment soon moved towards Raleigh, North Carolina, where it
              arrived, and where the whole army became highly exasperated at the
              news of the assination of President Lincoln.

              They were soon ordered to draw three days' rations and be ready at a
              moments' warning, to attack Johnson's army. But the news soon arriving
              that Johnson had surrendered, the order was countermanded, which virtu-
              ally closed the most wicked and uncalled for rebellion on record.

              Major James Atwater Barrett had the command of the regiment until the
              4th of July, when he was appointed Past Provost Marshall of Raleigh,
              where the people thronged to his office to take the Oath of Allegiance
              to the United States, some coming from 70 miles distant for that pur-
              pose. Major Barrett administered the Oath to a cousin of President
              Andrew Jackson, who could not write and was obliged to make his mark.

              On September 1, the regiment was ordered to prepare to return home and
              be discharged, which took place at Hart Island in New York harbor, about
              the middle of September and Major Barrett returned to his home, wearing
              honorable scars and an enviable reputation as a soldier and an officer.