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Health & Fitness

Looking for local Civil War history you may have

I have been researching Camp Cameron and would love to find any new information you may have.

For several years I have been researching the history of Camp Cameron (later Camp Day). It was a Civil War camp on the West Somerville / North Cambridge town line from June 1861 - January 1863. It extended from what is now Mass. Avenue in Cambridge to Broadway in Somerville and centered around the current Cameron Ave. Camp and Cameron Ave. are named in its memory. Fair Oaks, Seven Pines, Glendale, Malvern and Yorktown Streets are all named for Civil War battles. Meecham (Just outside the camp) is named for a local, who served as a Lt. Col. at the camp. My research also includes Camp Ellsworth, a short lived camp on Fresh Pond. During this period the individual companies, that made up a regiment, were raised by towns and did not move to a state camp until they reached half strength. I would also be very interested in the time spent before the recruits moved to Camp Cameron. 

I grew up in a house that came into my family when my Great-great grand father purchased it. He was a member of the 28th Regiment at Camp Cameron.

Some of the readers out there may also be from families that have been in the area since the Civil War era or may just have an interest in local history. 

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The information you have may seem small or unimportant to you but when put together with other facts I have or may yet find could help fill in gaps in the story. The organizations that I know went through the camp are the 1st Mass. Infantry (June 13-June 15, 1861), 11th Infantry (June 15-June 24, 1861), the 11th band stayed another week, 16th Infantry (June 25-Aug. 17, 1861), 9th Regimental Band (July 3-July18+, 1861), 1st Light Battery (Aug. 27-Oct-3, 1861), 26th Infantry (Aug. 28-Sep. 23, 1861), 19th Regimental Band (Sep. 17?-Sep. 23, 1861), 28th Infanrty (Aug. 28, 1861 - Jan. 11, 1862), 32nd Infantry Co. E (Dec. 13-Dec. 29, 1861), 29th Infantry Co. H (Jan. ?-Jan. 13, 1862), 1st Heavy Artillery Co. L (Feb. 19-Mar. 2, 1862), 200+ disabled soldiers from many states returning from the front (May 16-?, 1862) 38th Infantry Co's A, B, & F (Aug. 4-Aug. 26, 1862). There may be more. Also during its final months, the camp began recruiting and training men as replacements for regiments already in the field. This means that in the second half of 1862 your ancestor may have enlisted in any existing Infantry, Artillery or Sharpshooter group and he may have spent time at Camp Day. I hope this is not confusing. If you have any diaries, letters, artifacts or images of the camp or its troops it would be of great interest to me. I have delivered one lecture on the camp and have been bloging on the subject. I will continue to do so. If I use your material I will give you credit. If you have material that you do not want published I understand that and would respect your wishes. I would still love to see it though. Any new information could help me understand other information. In addition it would be fun to see it. 

Thanks, 

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Dan Sullivan

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