12th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry

Brief History
The 12th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry was organized at Readville October 3 to December 29, 1862, mustered out July 25. 1865.

For more information see the following:

The wikipedia article, 12th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry(accessed 29 September 2011)

The Civil War Archives section, 12th Massachusetts Infantry, (accessed 12 April 2013).

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.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 2,144 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

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.


 * Monument to the 12th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, (accessed 12 April 2013).


 * Civil War in the East, 12th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, (accessed 12 April 2013).


 * Images of the 12th Massachusetts Infantry, (accessed 12 April 2013).


 * Beale, James. Chancellorsville : a paper read before the United Service Club, Philadelphia, Penna. on Wednesday, February 8, 1888. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1991),.


 * Bruce, George Anson. The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865 : at the request of the officers' association of the regiment. (Boston, Massachusetts : Houghton Mifflin, 1906),