The Bay State Monthly. Volume 2, No. 6, March, 1885

Not knowing for what particular purpose you wish this communication, I have been precise in details as to time, etc., as it will be remembered by most of the officers of the Second Brigade.

    I am, sir, your obedient servant,
    J.A. STRICKLAND,
    Colonel Commanding Fiftieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

General McGinnis to General Wallace:

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, February 21, 1868.

GENERAL: In reply to your note of this date, I would say, that being in command of the Eleventh Indiana Infantry, I was attached to the First Brigade, Third Division, Army of the Tennessee, commanded by you, and encamped at Crump's Landing, on the morning of the first day of the battle of Pittsburg Landing.

At daylight of said day, our command was aroused by heavy and continuous firing from the direction of Pittsburg Landing, which led us to believe that a general battle was being fought. I do not think more than twenty minutes had elapsed from the time that the battle commenced until our whole brigade had received orders to hold ourselves in readiness, (with three days' rations) to march to any point required; and that point all understood from indications would be Pittsburg Landing.

For the purpose of concentrating the division, our Brigade marched to Winn's Farm, two and a half miles from Crump's Landing, where the Second Brigade of the Third Division was then encamped. The road taken by our division, after concentrating, intersected the Purdy road (from Pittsburg Landing) at a point near Snake Creek, and not far from the ground occupied by General Sherman's division on the morning of the battle, being the right of the army. This, in my opinion, was the shortest and most direct route to the point at which the right of the army was resting, when the battle began.

Orders were not received for the division to march to the field of battle, until about12 o'clock, A.M. and no time was lost during the march, as we moved with the utmost rapidity.

In the history of that battle, written by (Badeau) who was not there and who could not have had personal knowledge of the facts in relation thereto, serious and gross injustice has been done you.

    Very respectfully,
    G.F. McGinnis,
    Late Brigadier General U.S.A.

[General Fred Knefler's letter to General Lew Wallace corroborating the statements made by the other members of the staff will be found on page 367—ED.]

Captain Ware to General Wallace:

GENERAL: I submit the following statement in regard to the movement of your division, on Sunday, April 6, 1862, as far as came under my observation.

The first intimation I had that an engagement was progressing was about 6 o'clock, A.M. I heard firing in the direction of the camps at Pittsburg Landing. Soon after I was ordered by you to proceed to Adamsville, where the Third Brigade, under Colonel Wood was encamped, with orders to have his tents, and baggage train sent immediately to the river, and his command to march back to the Second Brigade, which was then stationed two and a half miles from Crump's Landing. I also ordered the First Brigade, under Colonel Morgan L. Smith, to move out to the same point. The Second Brigade, under Colonel John M. Thayer, was also ordered to be ready to move at a moment's notice. I returned to your headquarters and with you proceeded to the above-mentioned point. At twenty minutes of 12 an order was to you delivered, by Captain Baxter, A.Q.M., directing "you to move your division up and join General Shermans' right," on the road leading from Pittsburg Landing to Purdy, that being the extreme right of General Grant's position.

Two Regiments of Infantry and one piece of artillery were left at the camp of the Second Brigade, to protect the camp equipage and baggage. I am, General, very respectfully,

    Your obedient servant,
    AD WARE, JR., A.D.C.
    To MAJOR GENERAL LEW WALLACE.

General John M. Thayer to General Wallace:

UNITED STATES SENATE CHAMBER,

WASHINGTON. March 4. 1868.

At the time of the battle of Pittsburg Landing I was in command of the Second Brigade of the division commanded by General Lew Wallace, and, with the Brigade, was in camp two and a half miles out from Crump's Landing, at a place called Stony Lonesome. At dawn of the morning of April 6, 1862, I heard cannonading in the direction of Pittsburg Landing. At an early hour I received orders from General Wallace, through a Staff Officer, to "hold my command in readiness to march at a moment's notice." General Wallace came to my camp, soon afterwards, and informed me that he was awaiting orders from General Grant to move to the battle-field. I knew he was very impatient to receive such orders. The Division was kept in readiness to move without delay. At about half past 11 o'clock an officer rode up to General Wallace with the expected order from General Grant, and, in a few minutes, the command was on the march towards the field of action. As we advanced the cannonading became more distinct. As we were moving on I recollect a Staff Officer passing up the column seeking General Wallace. Very soon we countermarched, with the view, as I understood, of crossing to the river road leading to Pittsburg Landing, and there reaching the right of our army, which we reached about dark. According to my recollection there was no halting while on the march, except to close up the column.

While waiting in my camp for the order of General Grant to move to the scene of action General Wallace manifested great anxiety to move forward, and did move immediately on receipt of the order. Very respectfully,

    JOHN M. THAYER,
    Late Brig. Gen'l and B'v't Maj Gen'l of Vols.

General Grant to General Wallace:

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES.

WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH, 10, 1868.

MY DEAR GENERAL:

Enclosed herewith, I return your letters from officers of the Army who served with you at the battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, giving their statement of your action on that occasion. I can only state that my orders to you were given verbally to a Staff Officer to communicate, and that they were substantially as given by General Badeau in his book. I always understood that the Staff Officer referred to, Captain Baxter, made a memorandum of the order he received and left it with you. That memorandum I never saw.

The statements which I now return seem to exonerate you from this great point of blame, your taking the wrong road, or different road from the one directed from Crump's Landing to Pittsburg Landing. All your subsequent military career showed you active and ready in the execution of every order you received. Your promptness in moving from Baltimore to Monocacy, Maryland, in 1864, and meeting the enemy in force far superior to your own, when Washington was threatened, is a case particularly in point, where you could scarcely have hoped for a victory; but you delayed the enemy, and enabled me to get troops from City Point, Virginia, in time to save the city. That act I regarded as most praiseworthy. I refer you to my report of 1865, touching your course there.

In view of the assaults made upon you now, I think it due to you, that you should publish what your own Staff and other subordinate officers have to say in exoneration of your course.

    Yours Truly,
    U.S. GRANT, GENERAL.
    To MAJOR GENERAL L. WALLACE,
    CRAWFORDSVILLE, Indiana.

Fitchburg In 1885

By Atherton P. Mason, M.D

In the January number of this magazine appeared an excellent and comprehensive historical sketch of Fitchburg. It is proposed in this article to portray as briefly as possible, and by the aid of engravings, the present condition and resources of our city.

Old Rollstone and its opposite neighbor, Pearl Hill, have witnessed the transformation of a rude, inhospitable wilderness into a beautiful and busy city. We of the present day, proud of our heritage, are striving to improve it by all means within our power.

Fitchburg owes her growth and prosperity pre-eminently to those energetic and plucky men who founded and fostered the great industries which now constitute her life and soul. Alvah Crocker, Salmon W. Putnam, Eugene T. Miles, and Walter Heywood, have left behind them great and lasting proofs of their toil and perseverance. Of Rodney Wallace, who is now in the midst of a useful and benevolent life among us, another will speak more fully and fittingly in other pages of this magazine; nor would we neglect to give due credit to the energetic men who are now either carrying on business established by their predecessors, or founding new industries which enhance the resources and good name of Fitchburg.

The little river (the north branch of the Nashua) which runs through the township, and which is formed by the confluence of several large brooks in the westerly part of the town, first invited the manufacturer to locate on its banks. Its water-power is still used, but steam is now the chief motor that propels the machinery, looms and spindles that daily pour forth products which go to the markets, not of this country alone, but of the world.

Perhaps no place of its size can boast of a greater diversity of industries than Fitchburg. In such an article as this attention must necessarily be confined to the chief among them, and but few words devoted to the description of separate establishments.

Machinery takes the first rank among the manufactures of Fitchburg. The pioneers in this business here were two brothers, Salmon W. and John Putnam, who, in 1838, established the firm of J. & S.W. Putnam. In 1858 S.W. Putnam organized the Putnam Machine Company, which now has a wide and enviable reputation. Mr. Putnam was President and General Business Manager of the company until his death in 1872. Two of his surviving sons are now actively engaged in carrying on the business, Charles F. Putnam being President and Manager, and Henry O. Putnam Superintendent of the department in which special machinists' and railroad tools are made. There are six other departments devoted to special kinds of manufacture which are superintended by able men. Mr. Putnam's two other sons founded, in 1882, the Putnam Tool Company, located on Walnut street, of which Salmon W. Putnam is President, and George E. Putnam Treasurer, and is owned entirely by the Putnams. This company manufactures machinery, railroad and machine tools. The present location of the Putnam Machine Company, corner of Main and Putnam streets, comprising over twenty-six acres, was purchased in 1866, and the buildings were immediately erected at a cost of over $200,000. The works were built from plans designed by the late President, and are arranged with special reference to the variety of machines manufactured, consisting of railroad and machinists' tools, steam-engines, water-wheels, and shafting. They comprise machine shops, foundries and forges, and rank with the oldest and largest establishments of the kind in the United States.

The Putnams are descendants of Gen. Israel Putnam of Revolutionary fame.

The Fitchburg Machine Works occupy a large and convenient brick building on Main street, near its beginning, and manufacture machinists' tools principally. Opposite is the handsome brick building occupied by C.H. Brown and Company, manufacturers of the "Brown" automatic cut-off steam-engines, which have gained a wide reputation. A little further up on Main street is located the Simonds Manufacturing Company. This company was organized in 1868 with a capital of $150,000 and manufactures machine knives and the well-known "Simonds" Circular Saw.

On Water street are three machine shops to be noticed. The Union Machine Company makes paper machinery. The Rollstone Machine Company, manufactures the "Rollstone" Lathe and other wood-working machinery. The Fitchburg Steam Engine Company, whose business was established in 1871, manufactures steam-engines and boilers, making a specialty of the "Fitchburg" steam-engine, the great merits of which are everywhere acknowledged. The company, notwithstanding its comparatively recent organization, has a firm foothold in this country, and abroad also.

D.M. Dillon manufactures boilers and paper machinery. A.D. Waymouth and Company, and C.W. Wilder manufacture respectively the Waymouth wood-turning lathe and Wilder's patent lathe.

In 1866 Charles Burleigh of Fitchburg invented the Burleigh rock drill, and the next year the Burleigh Rock Drill Company was organized with a capital of $150,000, to make and sell this machine and the Burleigh Patent air-compressor. These drills have completely revolutionized the business of rock-tunneling. They were first used in the Hoosac Tunnel and, proved highly successful. Since then they have been employed at Hell Gate, in the Sutro Tunnel, and at various points in Europe.

The Rollstone Iron Foundry, the Fitchburg Iron Foundry, and M.J. Perault, manufacture castings of all kinds. W.A. Hardy operates a brass Foundry on Water street. There is no space to indulge further in details regarding machinery. In addition to the above are numerous individuals and firms here engaged in the manufacture of mowing machines and agricultural implements, boiler makers' tools, electric machinery and apparatus, files, grist and flouring-mill machinery, hay, straw, and machine, knives, wood-working machinery, machinists' tools, water motors, watch tools, paper machinery and the like.

The paper manufacturing interest in Fitchburg is valuable and extensive. The credit of successfully establishing this industry here belongs to Alvah Crocker, who, in 1826, built a paper mill of his own. Paper had, however, been made here to some extent previous to that time. In 1850 the firm of Crocker, Burbank and Company was formed, of which Mr. Crocker was the head until his death in 1874. The present members of the firm are C.T. Crocker, S.E. Crocker, G.F. Fay, G. H. Crocker and Alvah Crocker. The firm now operates five large paper mills in West Fitchburg. A sixth, the Snow Mill, was recently destroyed by fire. About 32,000 pounds of news, book and card paper are produced by these mills every twenty-four hours.