Documents of Battles and Campaign

Battle Flags of the 37th Regiment. Image from History of the Thirty-seventh Regiment, Mass., Volunteers (1884)

The majority of Forbes Library's Civil War Collection consists of administrative records from the 37th and 10th Massachusetts Regiments during the war and Grand Army of the Republic Posts #44 and #86 after the war's end.  Contemporary documents created during the war include Quartermaster Records like the examples below, including Lists of Stores Transferred, Lists of Clothing, Camp & Garrison Equipage, Stores Lost in River Crossing, Invoices and Ordnance Receipts. These documents can be used to understand individual events and battles and changes in equipment as the war progressed. The 37th Massachusetts regiment was one of the first regiments to be issued the new Spencer repeating rifle, on July 15, 1864 during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, increasing their firepower and necessitating a change in supply orders. On July 18, 1864, Elisha Hunt Rhodes of the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment (as featured in the PBS Ken Burns series) is said to have borrowed 40 Spencer Repeating Rifles  from the 37th Massachusetts to counter Rebel snipers. On September 19, at the battle of Winchester, the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment filled their pockets with .56 rounds and ran to the support of the 37th, which had used all its ammunition and was lying helpless under fire. Resupplied, the Bay State men rejoined the attack, which was ultimately successful.