Description
Exceptional signed carte view of Captain William Marland of Massachusetts. William would initially enlist as a sergeant with the 6th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry not long after the commenced in April, 1861. One of the war’s first fully armed and equipped regiments, they were quickly dispatched to Washington. While passing through Baltimore several of the companies were set upon by an angry mob. In the ensuing street fight that followed , 4 members of the regiment were killed and another 36 would be wounded. Upon their arrival in Washington, they would spend the remainder of their 3 month term serving as guards in and around Baltimore. The regiment would be discharged that August after arriving home in Boston. The following January, William would muster as a 2nd lieutenant with the 2nd Massachusetts Light Artillery. Before years end he would be promoted to 1st lieutenant. Assigned to the Department of the Gulf, they would arrived in New Orleans in May, 1862. Armed with 6, rifled bronze cannon firing a 10.5 pound Schenkel shell, they would see their first action in a demonstration against Vicksburg. The following month they would repeal an attack on Baton Rouge by John Breckinridge. The winter of 1862 – 63 was spent in New Orleans before participating in the advance on Port Hudson during the spring and summer of 1863. Following Port Hudson they would proceed to Opelousas briefly before attempting to return to Bisland on November 1st. Two sections of the battery had already left with another remaining behind under Marland’s command. Marland’s battery would come under attack on November 2nd at Carrion Crow Bayou and then again the following day at Grand Coteau. It was for action here that William would be awarded the Medal of Honor. His official citation reads, “.. for extraordinary heroism on 3 November 1863, while serving with 2d Independent Battery, 2d Massachusetts Light Artillery, in action at Grand Coteau, Louisiana. After having been surrounded by the enemy’s cavalry, his support having surrendered, First Lieutenant Marland ordered a charge and saved the section of the battery that was under his command.”. William would later write in his own words “Here we were a mere handful, surrounded by an overwhelming force of mounted troops! I sent my orderly to see if the enemy held the bridge. He came back and reported they did. I moved to the edge of the timber and found the enemy drawn up in line. Only one course was now open to us to cut our way through their lines. May mind was quickly made up. I gave the order: ‘Limber to the rear; caissons to the left of pieces; cannoneers in line with lead drivers; draw revolvers and charge!’. We made straight for the rebels. Strange to say, they broke right and left. We dashed through the gap thus made and cut our way with only two of our men taken prisoners. The enemy drove us two miles till we reached the commands of Generals Cameron and McGinnis, who wear hastening to our support”. The winter of 1864 would be spent in Franklin before departing for the Red River Campaign in March, 1864. The following month they would be heavily engaged and overrun at Sabine Cross Roads where they would lose 3 men killed, 16 men wounded and 5 men captured along with 82 horses and all of their guns. Those that managed to escape along with Marland were transported back to New Orleans. William would re-enlist and be promoted to captain in January, 1865. He would take command of the regiment in March, 1865 and proceed to Mobile where they would take part in the attack on Fort Blakely with their new 3 inch rifles cannons which were received to replace those lost at Sabine Cross Roads. The same day that Fort Blakely was captured, Lee would tender his surrender at Appomattox. They would return to Vicksburg in June and on July 22nd, it’s guns and equipment were turned over to the United States government and the men were mustered out of service. William would receive a brevet to major that very same day. This view shows William dressed in uniform and sporting his cap with embroidered artillery insignia worn on the front of the cap. The front bottom bears a period ink inscription reading “Yours Truly Wm. Marland”. Back marked out of New Orleans.
