News from the Bull Run battlefield sped up the 10th's departure from Camp Adams in Medford. Extra baggage was sent to Boston on the July 24, 1861. Tents were struck and loaded at 7:30 A.M. of the 25th. The regiment marched to Medford at 2:00, formed a hollow square, and heard a presentation and charge by former governor George N. Briggs, father of the Colonel. The troop train arrived at Boston at 3:15. At Central wharf, Companies C, K ,B ,D , and G, under Colonel Briggs boarded the Spaulding, while Companies A, H, E, F, and I, with Lt. Col. Decker, boarded the Ben De Ford and steamed out of Boston Harbor en route to Washington D.C. The Ben De Ford docked at the Arsenal at 4:00 P.M. on the 27, while the Spaulding docked at the Navy Yard.
On the 29th, the 10th marched past the Capitol to Kalorama, two and one-half miles to the Northwest . As with many other regiments sworn into Federal service in 1861 that had their beginnings in local militia, the 10th Mass. arrived in Virginia resplendent in gray uniforms. On Sunday, August 4, new blue uniforms were issued to replace the original, which too closely resembled that of the enemy.
On August 6th, the regiment marched to 7th Street and pitched camp. Here, on this day, they were brigaded with the Seventh Massachusetts, Second Rhode Island, and the Thirty-Sixth New York (the Thirty-Seventh Massachusetts would join the brigade at a later date). The 2nd Rhode Island has lately gained fame as the regiment of Elisha Hunt Rhodes, who was widely quoted in Ken Burns' televised documentary on the Civil War. General Couch, newly appointed brigadier, inspected his brigade for the first time on August 9.
The Seventh Street site was deemed undesirable for a camp. On August 9, the brigade moved to Brightwood, where they would remain for seven months while building Fort Massachusetts (later renamed Fort Stevens, to honor the memory of Major General Isaac Ingalls Stevens) and defending the Capitol. Fort Stevens was the site from which Abraham Lincoln would witness his only battle during the war, during Early's Raid in July of 1864. It is said that during this battle , Lincoln was standing on the parapet of Fort Stevens when Oliver Wendell Holmes told him, "Get down, you fool, or you'll be killed".
General McClellan visited the camp on the 12th. Drills, inspections, reviews, and fatigue work on the fort continued. Reviews and inspections were frequent, as Generals McClellan, Couch, and Buell and Governor Andrews reviewed the troops. Many visitors from Western Massachusetts were received at Brightwood. Hardly a week went by without orders to prepare rations and be ready to march at a minutes notice, only to be countermanded. Sundays were spent in religious services.
October 15th, new blue fatigue hats were issued to replace the "hideous mud - colored felt hats" brought from Massachusetts.
John Donovan, CO.A, was a "deaf mute" and tailor from Lee who made several excellent drawings of Camp Brightwood before receiving an honorable discharge. He died around 1864.
October 13, the Lt. Col. of the 36th New York, thinking that the guard on duty was from his command, and that his weapon was unloaded, tried the guard to see if he understood his duties. The guard was Lucien Fogg, of the Tenth, Co. H, and his rifle was indeed loaded. The Lt. Col. gave the wrong countersign and fired his pistol close to Lucien. Lucien returned the compliment by firing his musket at the officer's head, shooting off a shoulder strap in the process. We can only hope that the Lt. Col. learned a valuable lesson.
September 30, the regiment was ordered to Fort Slocum. Four companies were sent to prepare the fort. While there, General Buell left his horse in the care of an unnamed soldier from Company A. The soldier, being "bibulously inclined", and recognizing the opportunity for a quick drink, jumped on the General's horse and raced to Graves Store, a mile away. On his way back, he was captured by the General's staff and returned to camp as a prisoner. His punishment was to stand on the head of a barrel carrying a knapsack full of sand for a week. Later in the war, a soldier from Company A was drummed out for being "an unworthy fellow", who may have been the culprit, unrepentant. The order to move to Fort Slocum was countermanded, and the 10th remained at Brightwood.
When the Regiment reached Brightwood, Charles H.Bagg of Company I became speechless, which the doctors called aphonia. The Sergeants were encouraged to try any ruse, such as to stick him with pins, sneak up on him, etc., to get him to speak, but to no avail. Thorough examinations by the doctors convinced them that he was critically ill, and would pass away very soon. He was given a disability discharge on December 4, 1861, and returned to his father's farm in West Springfield. On reaching the farm, he regained both his voice and his health, and Newell states that he never suffered a relapse.
During December, the troops did what they could to prepare the camp for winter, building log cabin style barracks.
1862 opened on a startling note: a smallpox scare. Henry Hunt of Company F was the only victim, however. The remaining troops received vaccinations, which at that time was done by a surgeon scoring three or four cuts on the arm with a lance, then punching the cuts with vaccine.
February 6th Pvt. Lewis Carter of Company K was on provost guard when James Mitchell of Company D, 7th Mass. tried to run the guard on his return from the city. When Carter ordered Mitchell to halt, he ran instead , and Carter fired, hitting Mitchell in the back. Mitchell subsequently died from his wound. There existed for a time considerable animosity between the 7th and the 10th.
On March 1, 1862, a Mr. Nolan, from Maryland, entered the 10th's camp, looking for his runaway slave. The boys of the 10th would not give him up, however, and allowed the slave to talk to Nolan "in a manner he never enjoyed before." That night, men from eight different squads were found to be missing. The men marched eight miles to Nolan's plantation and forced the Nolan family to take the oath of allegiance at gunpoint. They "liberated" livestock and supplies, and caused damage to the Nolan estate to the tune of $1,900. On return to camp, many of "Nolan's Raiders" were caught, sent to their quarters, and reprimanded. More severe punishment might have been meted out, had it not been for the March 5th order to be ready to move at any moment.
Charles Brewster states that there were five or six "contrabands" in the camp, performing mundane chores for the officers (Brewster included), and for at least one enlisted mess. In a letter dated March 4, 1862, Brewster says that the "whole Regiment is almost in a state of mutiny" over the question of the treatment of slaves and former slaves. Lt. Col. Decker, Major Marsh, and Captain Miller (Shelburne Falls) were the leaders of the pro-slavery faction, Miller being the most vehement, and had some followers in the ranks. Capt. Parson (Northampton), Capt. Walkey (Westfield), Capt. Lombard (Springfield), Lieutenant Shurtleff, Lieutenant Weatherill, and Brewster formed the abolitionist faction, and also had their supporters. The Abolitionists, while steadfast in their convictions, were not above using the "contrabands for their own amusement, staging head-butting contests, dances, etc.
While Col. Briggs was attending a Court Martial, Major Marsh issued an order for all "contrabands" to be driven from camp. Posters were placed around the camp "threatening dire things if they persisted in driving them off." Brewster and his followers refused. Eventually, Colonel Briggs "went over to the pro Slavery side body and soul" and ordered the expulsion of all "contraband "from the camp. The order was obeyed, reluctantly, under threat of charges of mutiny. For an excellent account of this subject, read When This Cruel War is Over, The Civil War Letters of Charles Harvey Brewster, edited by David W. Blight. See the bibliography section for details.
Note that the word "contraband" is used in preference over more offensive terms used at the time, even by ardent Abolitionists such as Charles Brewster.
The regiment finally left Brightwood on March 10th, crossed the Chain Bridge into Virginia, marched 12 miles to Prospect Hill, and joined Peck's and Graham's Brigades of Keye's division.
General Keyes was promoted to command of the corps; Couch to the division, and Briggs to the brigade on March 13. On the 14th, returned to the Chain Bridge, and on the 15th to Brightwood.
March 16th, left Brightwood for good. Companies G, E, and C on the Sea Shore, K, D, B, A, and I on the Ariel (with two schooners of horses and cavalry in tow) , H and F on the Donaldson, and sutlers wagons and baggage on the Mystic, steamed down the Potomac, landing at Hampton, Virginia on the 29th to participate in the Peninsula Campaign.