20th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry

Brief History
The 20th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry was organized at Readville August 29 to September 4, 1861. They mustered out July 16, 1865 and was discharged July 28, 1865. It was nicknamed the "Harvard Regiment" because the officers were young Harvard graduates.

For more information see the following:


 * The Wikipedia article, 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry(accessed 29 September 2011)


 * Sentinels in Stone, 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment (accessed 15 August 2012)

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

Roster of officers, staff, and band.

Company A - many men from Boston in Suffolk County and Wareham in Plymouth County. See Roster

Company B - many men from Boston in Suffolk County. See Roster.

Company C - many men from Roxbury and Boston in Suffolk County. See Roster.

Company D - many men from Boston in Suffolk County. See Roster.

Company E - many men from Boston in Suffolk County. See Roster.

Company F - many men from Boston in Suffolk County. See Roster.

Company G - many men from Boston in Suffolk County. See Roster.

Company H - many men from Boston in Suffolk County. See Roster.

Company I - many men from Nantucket in Nantucket County. See Roster.

Company K - many men from Boston in Suffolk County. See Roster.

Unassigned - many men from Boston in Suffolk County. See Roster.

The companies also included men from towns surrounding the ones given above.

The information about the counties comes from the rosters in General George A. Bruce's book, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865. Internet version: Internet Archive.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 5,150 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Regimental History and Roster

 * The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865. By George Anson Bruce. Boston : Houghton, Mifflin, 1906. Online at: Internet Archive

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Massachusetts in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Massachusetts in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Massachusetts, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Bruce, George A., General. The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin, 1906. A lengthy history of the regiment with a roster on pages 443-519. Internet version at Internet Archive..


 * Peirson, Charles Lawrence. Ball's Bluff : an episode and its consequences to some of us. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1991),.


 * Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment 150th Anniversary is a blog that commemorates and gives history about the military service of the Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment.


 * Monument and marker to the 20th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment,(accessed 15 April 2013).


 * Civil War in the East, 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, (accessed 15 April 2013).


 * Inages of the 20th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry,(accessed 15 April 2013).