Location: Town Common, Otis Stage Road and North Blandford Road, Blandford
Coordinates: 42°10’49.8″N 72°55’45.1″W
Date dedicated: Unknown
Design/Sculptor/Manufacturer: Unknown
At present, no definitive source has been found that clearly documents the exact date of placement for Blandford’s first war memorial on the Town Common—a bronze plaque set into a granite boulder honoring local service in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War I. Based on available evidence, it was likely installed during the 1920s, part of a broader post–World War I movement to commemorate local veterans. A 1935 publication describing the Town Common notes the presence of “monuments,” confirming that the memorial was in place by that time. The precise year of dedication may be recorded in town meeting minutes or other municipal records, which are not currently accessible. This page will be updated as new information becomes available.[1]
The plaque lists the names of 84 men from Blandford who served in the Civil War. According to Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil War, at least twelve of these men died during the conflict. Their service ranged across a number of regiments.
The largest group of Blandford men—27 in total—served in the 46th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, a nine-month regiment raised in the fall of 1862. The 46th was stationed in North Carolina, where its members performed a mix of garrison duty and participated in expeditions near New Bern and Goldsboro. Though they were not involved in major battles, the 46th played a crucial role in maintaining Union control over a strategically vital southern port. Their service represented the middle phase of the war, when calls for fresh volunteers were high and enthusiasm among rural communities like Blandford remained strong.
The second-largest contingent—15 men—served in the 27th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, a regiment mustered for three years’ service in 1861. The 27th fought in major engagements in North Carolina, including Roanoke Island and New Bern, and later endured some of the bloodiest campaigns of the war, such as Cold Harbor and the siege of Petersburg. The regiment suffered heavy losses at Proctor’s Creek in 1864, where many were killed or captured. Blandford’s sons in the 27th saw long and difficult service, and their regiment is remembered as one of the hardest-hit from Massachusetts in terms of casualties and prisoners.
Among Blandford’s Civil War soldiers, Private Charles A. Taggart stands out as the town’s only recipient of the Medal of Honor. He served with the 37th Massachusetts Infantry, and was cited for gallantry during the Battle of Sailor’s Creek in April 1865—one of the final engagements of the war. In the chaos of that battle, Taggart seized a fallen Confederate flag just twenty feet from enemy lines. He was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 10, 1865, and lived a long life after the war, passing away in 1938 at the age of 95.[2]
[1] Blandford Historical Society, Master Plan Community Heritage Chapter (2021), accessed June 22, 2025, https://blandfordhistoricalsociety.org/master-plan-community-heritage/.
[2] “Charles A. Taggart,” Congressional Medal of Honor Society, accessed June 22, 2025, https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/charles-a-taggart. “Charles A. Taggart, Veteran of the Civil War, Dies of Old Age,” Dayton Herald, April 12, 1938, 13.