In pursuance of a proclamation by the President of the United States, the Governor of this State, in a proclamation dated at Concord this day, has ordered the enlistment of one regiment of infantry within the State of New Hampshire, to be held in readiness for service whenever called for. The regiment will consist of one Colonel, one Lieutenant-Colonel, one Major, one Adjutant, one Quartermaster, one Quartermaster-Sergeant, one Paymaster, one Surgeon, one Surgeon's Mate, one Chaplain, one Sergeant-Major, one Drum-Major, and one Fife-Major. Each company will consist of one Captain, one First Lieutenant, one Second Lieutenant, four Sergeants, four Corporals, two Musicians, and sixty-four Privates. The officers of the volunteers will be commissioned according to the laws of the State of New Hampshire. None under the rank of commissioned officers will be received who are under the age of eighteen or over the age of forty-five. Volunteers who shall be accepted will be uniformed, armed and equipped at the expense of the State, and their pay will be the same as that of the corresponding rank in the army of the United States. Any military company at present existing, or any number of citizens desirous of associating for the support of the laws and the defense of their country, or any individual desirous of entering upon the service of the United States, are requested to report themselves to this Department forthwith. By order of His Excellency, the Governor and Commander-in-Chief. JOSEPH C. ABBOTT, Adjutant and Inspector-General. To raise the regiment called for from New Hampshire by the President's proclamation, in the shortest possible time, enlistment papers were immediately issued by the Adjutant-General for twenty-eight stations, in different parts of the State, and offices were opened for the enlistment of soldiers for three months' service. Col. Henry O. Kent, of Lancaster, Major Frank S. Fiske, of Keene, and Col. Jeremiah C. Tilton, of Sanbornton, were appointed aids to the Adjutant General, to assist in obtaining the requisite number of men, and send them to rendezvous at Concord, as soon as practicable. Daily reports were required to be made by the several enlisting officers to the Adjutant-General, of the number of men enrolled by each, with other needed information. The greatest activity and enthusiasm was manifested in every part of the State, and almost every farm, workshop and business establishment within her borders, sent forth its representative to the field. While the men were engaged in the work of raising soldiers, the women organized and were making flannel shirts, drawers and other articles for the comfort of the soldiers in the field, and gathering linen and winding bandages for hospitals. Every individual felt that there was a duty to perform in the emergency in which the country was placed by the action of South Carolina and other seceded States of the old Union. Public meetings were called in every considerable town, which were largely attended by men and women; patriotic speeches were made and measures taken to encourage enlistments, and funds pledged by individuals and towns to assist the families of those who should go to the field. It appearing by reports from the different recruiting stations that men enough had been enlisted to fill the regiment, orders were issued on the 24th of April to take them to Concord, where a camp was established, and Cal. John H. Gage, of Nashua, was ordered to assume command. The camp was upon the Fair Grounds of the Merrimack County Agricultural Society, about a mile east from the State House. Col. Gage called it Camp Union," by which name it was afterwards known. Men were brought in by companies and squads from every part of the State, and it was soon found that more than enough had assembled to fill the regiment called for, when it was determined by the State authorities to organize, arm, equip, and make ready for the field, and hold subject to orders from the War Department at Washington, two regiments, of seven hundred and eighty officers and men each. To this end, after a partial organization of the first regiment, the residue of the men were sent to Portsmouth, with a view to placing a portion of them in Fort Constitution to garrison that post, which was deemed of importance to the security of the sea-coast of the State. Brigadier General George Stark, of Nashua, was ordered to Portsmouth to take charge of the men and the preliminary organization of the second regiment, and arrived there on the 30th of April. Col. Henry O. Kent, of Lancaster, was placed in charge of the Quartermaster Department. The camp at Portsmouth was named "Camp Constitution." The following is the whole number of men enlisted for three months, between the 17th of April, when the first papers were issued, and the 30th of the same month, with the places where they were enlisted and the names Claremont, of enlisting officers. This will show that New Hampshire, though with no organized militia which could be placed immediately under the orders of the War Department, like Massachusetts and some of the other States, was not behind them in zeal and devotion to the cause of the country: Towns. Concord, Lancaster, Enlisting Officers. E. E. Sturtevant. W. II. Wyman, No. of Men. 223 62 M. W. Tappan, 10 W. O. Sides, 37 60 81 Conway, Joshua Chapman, 23 Hampton, C. F. Dunbar, 53 Peterborough, Littleton, Plymouth, West Lebanon, F. Comings, 35 Contoocookville, Nashua, J. N. Patterson, 43 North Stratford, Exeter, Whole number, Niagara Company, Cheshire Light Guards, Soon after the arrival of the men at Portsmouth, and before the organization of the second regiment was completed, orders were received by the Governor from the 2004 War Department to hold in readiness for its call one regiment only of three months' men; and to enlist, organize, arm, equip, and make ready for service one regiment, of ten hundred and forty-six officers and men, for three years, or during the war. On the 19th of May, by direction of the Governor, a general order was issued, directing that the opportunity to enlist in the three years' regiment should be offered first to the three months' men assembled in the camp at Portsmouth. Enlistment papers were accordingly distributed on the 21st, and four hundred and ninety-six of those men who had enlisted for three months, immediately re-enlisted for three years, or during the war, as follows:: The men thus re-enlisted, having left their business, families and homes, for an absence of three months only, were given furloughs of from three to six days, to enable them to make arrangements for such absence as their new enlistment involved. The remainder of the men enlisted for three months, were then carefully examined by a surgeon, a portion of them discharged for disability, others at their own request, 274 sent to Fort Constitution, in Portsmouth harbor, to serve out their term of enlistment, and 38 returned to Camp Union, Concord. Orders had been sent to different recruiting stations |