Federal Regiment

12th Massachusetts Infantry

"Webster Regiment"
Organized: Fort Warren, MA; mustered in 6/26/1861
Disbanded/Mustered out: 7/8/1864

Commanding Officers on the Antietam Campaign:
  Maj. Elisha Burbank
  Capt. David Allen, Jr.
  Capt. Benjamin F. Cook

This Regiment's Chain of Command:
  Army - Army of the Potomac
  Corps - First Army Corps
  Division - 2nd Division, 1st Corps
  Brigade - 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Corps

Unit history

Named for their first commander, they were organized at Boston in 1861. Colonel Fletcher Webster (son of Senator Daniel Webster) was killed in command of the Regiment at 2nd Bull Run on 30 August 1862.

On the Antietam Campaign

A three-year unit recruited largely from Boston, the 12th suffered the highest percentage of casualties among all Federal Regiments at Antietam.

"The reorganization of the army in early September, 1862, made Ricketts' Division a part of Hooker's (1st) Corps, and as a part of Hartsuff's Brigade the 12th Regt. joined in the operations which forced the Confederates out of Frederick, Md., and on toward South Mountain. The 12th was engaged in the battle of South Mountain, Sept. 14, suffering only slight loss. On the 17th, at Antietam, it fought in the [Miller's] Bloody Cornfield, losing 224 officers and men, of whom 74, including Major Elisha Burbank and Assistant Surgeon A. A. Kendall, were killed or mortally wounded. Here it came into conflict with the famous Texas Brigade and captured the colors of the 1st Texas Infantry"1.

Colonel Coulter, in his after-action report for the Brigade said

"The Twelfth Massachusetts had killed and disabled eleven officers of fifteen taken into the field. The loss of this regiment, owing to its position, was by far the most severe in the brigade. Major Burbank commanded at the commencement of the action and was disabled early. He performed his whole duty while in the field. Captain Allen, who next assumed command, was also severely wounded. I cannot express too high an opinion of this officer. He has proved himself one of the most gallant officers in the brigade. The command of this regiment next devolved upon Capt. B. F. Cook, who commanded during the reminder of the action, and brought the regiment off the field."

Statistics

Initial Strength: 334; Killed in Action (KIA): 49; Wounded (WIA): 165;
Losses, % of Initial Strength: 64.1%

Maps Showing this Unit

Detail Map #1: Hookers First Corps Sweeps Down the Hagerstown Pike (5-7 am)
Detail Map #2: Hood's Division Retakes Miller's Cornfield (7-8 am)

Battlefield Tablets for this Unit

Tablet #1: First Army Corps - 16 Sep, 2 PM to 16 Sep, 6 PM
Tablet #14: Ricketts' Division, First Army Corps - 16 Sep, 2 PM to 16 Sep, 8 PM
Tablet #120: Army of the Potomac - 17 Sep, 5 AM to 17 Sep, 12 PM
Tablet #7: Ricketts' Division, First Army Corps - 17 Sep, 6 AM to 17 Sep, 5 PM
Tablet #10: Hartsuff's Brigade, Ricketts' Division - 17 Sep, 6 AM to 17 Sep, 8 AM
Tablet #81: Ricketts' Division, First Army Corps - 17 Sep, 6 AM to 17 Sep, 9 AM

We have 223 individuals in the AotW database who were on the Maryland Campaign with this unit:

Co.	Rank	Name	Casualty?
A	Pvt	Burke, Dennis A.	WIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Dwelley, George C.	WIA 09/17
A	Corp	Dyer, Nathaniel H.	KIA 09/17
A	Corp	Ferguson, William	WIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Hinds, Patrick	WIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Kelleher, Patrick	WIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Kimball, George
A	Corp	Kimball, William Lewis	WIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Kummer, Jr., Heinrich Wilhelm	AWOL 09/17
A	Pvt	McCabe, James	WIA 09/17
A	Pvt	McCarthy, Thomas F.	KIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Murdock, George	WIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Norwood, james W.	KIA 09/17
A	Pvt	O'Brien, James	KIA 09/17
A	Pvt	O'Donnell, Michael	KIA 09/17
A	Lt	Orne, George Washington	MWIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Seavey, William H.	WIA 09/17
A	Corp	Sprague, Jr., Samuel	WIA 09/17
A	Sgt	Tinkham, Cornelius Granville	MWIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Tobin, John	WIA 09/17
A	Lt	White, William Greenough	MWIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Whitney, Edmund S.	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Baldwin, Joseph H.	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Campbell, Patrick	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Cavanaugh, John	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Collins, James	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Cronan, Daniel	AWOL 09/12
B	Pvt	Cushing, Thomas J.	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Daley, James	AWOL 09/16
B	Pvt	Davidson, Herbert	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Desmond, Bartholomew	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Dobson, William	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Donovan, Patrick	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Duran, Alonzo G.	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Edmester, Lemuel A.	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Fernald, Robert	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Foster, Ansel J.	WIA 09/17
B	Sgt	French, George H.	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Gorman, James B.	WIA 09/17
B	Sgt	Hough, Palmer W.	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Isaac, Alexander	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Keefe, John A.	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Kelley, Andrew	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Little, Milo G.	WIA 09/17
B	Sgt	Mann, Richard	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Murray, Robert	KIA 09/17
B	Capt	Packard, Charles T.	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Porter, George W.	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Prescott, Asa D.	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Rogers, Nathan A.	MWIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Ryerson, John R.	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Sargent, Walter H.	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Savage, Miner W.	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Smith, Granville Haven	Died (d) 10/20
B	Pvt	Tuttle, Joseph P. S.	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Wentworth, George C. S.	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Clayton, William H.	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Deere, Elias H.	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Gillespie, Robert	WIA 09/17
C	Corp	Hazeltine, Moses	MWIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Jenks, John B.	MWIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Kiernan, Felix	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Leatherman, Benjamin R.	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Leonard, James F.	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Lyons, Branch	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	McCaslin, Frank	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	McLaughlin, Michael	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Morrison, George H.	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	O'Toole, Patrick	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Perry, James E.	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Preston, Michael	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Rand, William L.	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Randolph, Joseph J.	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Richardson, Sylvester B.	KIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Ryan, James F.	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Simonds, Timothy	MWIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Whitmarsh, John Q.	KIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Whittier, Charles	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Casperson, John P.	KIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Dunlop, James	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Frost, Edward M.	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Frye, Daniel M.	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Grant, Thomas	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Lewis, James	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Parker, Robert	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Pierce, Sidney C.	KIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Rollins, Andrew J.	KIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Seymour, Robert J.	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Turner, Warren C.	KIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Willey, Charles	WIA 09/17
D	Lt	Williams, Joseph Otis	WIA 09/17
E	Corp	Ayers, Benjamin F.	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Bemis, Harry	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Brown, William B.	WIA 09/17
E	Corp	Carey, Charles E.	KIA 09/17
E	Capt	Cook, Benjamin Franklin
E	Pvt	Davis, Franklin	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Driscoll, Patrick	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Ellsworth, Daniel W.	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Fisk, Charles H.	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Fitzsimmons, James H.	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Fletcher, Giles E.	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Gale, Josiah B.	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Gibbs, Benjamin S.	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Grant, John S.	WIA 09/17
E	Corp	Grover, Hazel L.	MWIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Hicks, Charles H.	AWOL 09/10
E	Pvt	Hoyt, William C.	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Judson, Isaac D.	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Kidder, Chauncey H.	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Lajoy, Joseph	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Maguire, John	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	McFarland, William H.	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Murphy, James B.	MWIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Parker, Clark	KIA 09/14
E	Pvt	Peters, Adam	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Peters, John H.	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Place, John	WIA 09/17
E	Corp	Rice, Sylvester H.	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Riva, Charles E.	WIA 09/17
E	Corp	Swarman, Frederick	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Thorne, Benjamin F.	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Tower, Christopher P.	WIA 09/17
E	Sgt	Wehrum, Charles C.	WIA 09/17
F	Corp	Allen, James A.	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Bunker, Eli	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Burns, Henry	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Childs, George W.	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Dhalberg, F. Malcom	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Hurd, Hiram A.	KIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Manchester, Francis A.	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Perkins, George A.	KIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Snell, Luther T.	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Stevens, Harrison	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Stoddard, John S.	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Tinkham, George F.	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Wall, Thomas W.	WIA 09/17
G	Sgt	Arnold, Moses N.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Birmingham, Michael	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Cobb, Charles H.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Curtis, Benjamin	KIA 09/17
G	Lt	Cushing, Lysander F.	KIA 09/17
G	Corp	Damon, Henry	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Fitts, James	MWIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Foley, Maurice	KIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Ford, Elliott W.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Frisbie, Albert	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Gallagher, James H.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Gilman, George H.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Hooker, Edwin B.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Howland, Charles A.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Jacobs, William F,	KIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Jenkins, Edward P.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Kenney, Rufus J.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Knowles, Charles E.	WIA 09/17
G	Corp	McGill, Florence	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Perry, Jr., Josiah F.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Pool, Elbridge G.	MWIA 09/17
G	Corp	Pool, Francis W.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Porter, Richard	KIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Ramsdell, Seth	WIA 09/17
G	Capt	Reed, Edward Payson	WIA 09/17
G	Corp	Reed, Lewis	WIA 09/17
G	Sgt	Smith, James G.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Walker, William T.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Williamson, Franklin S.	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Adlington, Joseph S.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Austin, James H.	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Belcher, Edward E.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Bryant, Luther S.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Burnham, Isaac	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Carey, Patrick	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Clark, Joseph I.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Clow, Charles W.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Crockett, Daniel T.	WIA 09/17
I	Corp	Darling, Harvey A.	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Dyer, Abram B.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Ferris, Daniel	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Harnett, Garrett	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Hayden, George	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Hayward, James S.	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Heath, George E.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Henry, George P.	MWIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Holbrook, Randall J.	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Jaques, Charles H.	WIA 09/17
I	Sgt	Johnson, Charles E.	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Kimball, Charles Henry	MWIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Page, Walter S.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Peach, John	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Randall, Peleg F.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Rickards, Alden	KIA 09/17
I	Corp	Ripley, Henry W.	POW 09/15
I	Capt	Ripley, John	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Shergold, Nehemiah S.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Sherman, Henry C. R.	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Swallow, Alexander	WIA 09/17
I	Lt	Thompson, Warren	POW 09/15
I	Pvt	Wentworth, Henry M.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Wood, William A.	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Allen, Edward F.	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Allen, Isaac F.	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Allen, William	WIA 09/17
K	Capt	Allen, Jr., David	WIA 09/17
K	Corp	Crouse, James T.	MWIA 09/17
K	Sgt	Doten, Edward W.	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Driscoll, John O.	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Farnsworth, Andrew J.	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Forsyth, James	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Haskell, Edward	WIA 09/17
K	Corp	Haskell, William B.	WIA 09/17
K	Lt	Hazel, Edwin	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Ingersoll, Amos M.	MWIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Maxwell, Charles L.	KIA 09/17
K	Corp	Morey, James N.	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Rabardy, Julius Felix	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Simonds, John S.	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Staten, Henry	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Tracy, Charles	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Wilson, George	WIA 09/17
F&S	Maj	Burbank, Elisha	MWIA 09/17
F&S	Surg	Hayward, John McLean
F&S	ASrg	Kendall, Albert Asaph	MWIA 09/17
F&S	Sgt	Russell, Charles G.

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Federal Regiment

12th Massachusetts Infantry

Notes