The 15th MVI Reenactment Troop at Gettysburg 1998.

For living history purposes we all portray soldiers from different companies --usually someone from their own home town. In re-enactments we portray one company agreed upon beforehand.

During living history, we set up a camp and display what artifacts, both reproduction and authentic, that we have.  This tends to stimulate questions and encourage discussion with the public. We do this on a town common or park in conjunction with some local event.

For re-enactments we travel to a site, mostly in the north-east.  When we arrive on Friday evening, we set up camp and drop out of the 20th century until Sunday afternoon. During that time we sleep in dog tents, cook over an open fire, conduct company and battalion drill, go out on skirmishes, and on Saturday and Sunday afternoon we take part in a full scale battle -- many times not only with infantry, but including cavalry and artillery as well.

For myself, the first two years of re-enacting I enjoyed the full scale re-enactments best because of what I learned, but I now prefer doing living history more because it allows me to share what I have learned with the public.

(Bob notes: "We also do a Confederate impression of the 4th Alabama at some events, although some of us, myself included, would never think of galvanizing )

If you are interested, please contact Bob. As their plans develop, the schedule of activities and further information about the present day 15th MVI will be posted here.

The 15th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment

The 15th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was comprised of 1000 men made up from militia companies that came from 10 Worcester County towns. The 15th regiment saw action in nearly all the major battles that took place in the Eastern Theater of the war, and was among the 6 regiments in the Union army that sustained the heaviest losses throughout the entire struggle.

Their first engagement came only three months after being mustered into service, when on October 21 1861, at the battle of Ball's Bluff the regiment suffered 302 casualties of the 625 men that they sent across the Potomac River. The regiment now had indeed seen the elephant. After a winter of little activity and a spring that was spent near Harper's Ferry, the regiment which was now part of the 2nd Corps, Army of the Potomac, took part in the peninsula campaign where in June of 1862 they were engaged in the battles of Fair Oaks, Savage Station, White Oak Swamp, Glendale, and Malvern Hill.

After early summer efforts by the Union troops to reach Richmond had failed, the armies moved north, where on the morning of September 17, 1862 at the Battle of Antietam, the regiment experienced their most severe loss of the entire war, when in less than 20 minutes they suffered 343 casualties of the 606 men taken into action. On this bloodiest single day in American history, a day that would see 23,000 casualties, the 15th regiment suffered the greatest losses of any regiment on either side.

After being lightly engaged and suffering few casualties in the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, the 15th was once again called on to take a critical role at the center of the Union lines at Gettysburg, where of July 2 and 3 of 1863 they suffered 143 casualties, or 62% of the 239 men that they took into battle -- figure exceeded by only 4 other regiments in this pivotal battle of the war.

During the following fall and winter, the regiment took part in actions at Bristoe Station, Mine Run, and Morton's Ford. In May of 1864 the 15th regiment took part in their last campaign where they saw severe action in the Battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, North Anna River, and Cold Harbor, suffering casualties in each battle.

On June 22, 1864, the remaining 77 members of this regiment who were fit for duty were captured near Petersburg. Some of these men were then sent to Andersonville Prison where several died from starvation or disease, adding to the casualty list.

On July 12, all remaining members of the regiment who were in hospitals, on detached service, or still in the field were prepared to return home where they were to be mustered out. Only 85 men, or 5% of the 1765 men who had at one time or other belonged to this regiment could be assembled.

Few regiments throughout the war were more actively engaged or suffered greater losses than the 15th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. None have given more freely the blood of its bravest and its best.

From a speech given by Bob Ducharme at the rededication of the Civil War Monument in Webster Mass. on Memorial Day 1996.  (The speaker at the original dedication was Clara Barton.)