Location: In front of Buckland Historical Museum, 20 Upper Street, Buckland
Coordinates: 42°35’32.2″N 72°47’28.7″W
Date dedicated: June 25, 2011
Design/Sculptor/Manufacturer: Unknown
In the late 20th century, Buckland, Massachusetts recognized the need for a public monument honoring its war veterans. Unlike many New England towns, it had never erected a major Civil War monument or general war memorial. To address this, the community came together around the turn of the millennium to establish a lasting tribute. The effort culminated on June 25, 2011 with the dedication of a granite veterans memorial in front of the old Buckland Town Hall (built in 1890 and now home to the Buckland Historical Museum).[1] Commissioned by the town with support from local residents and veterans’ organizations, it honors all Buckland servicemen and women from the Civil War through modern conflicts. Separate bronze plaques for each war are set into the face of a single monolithic stone.
According to The Recorder (Greenfield, MA), the plaques for the World Wars were ready in time for the June dedication. Apparently, the Civil War plaque was not yet installed due to lack of funding. With later donations, the Civil War plaque followed in the fall of 2011.[2]
The Civil War plaque lists the names of 120 men from Buckland who served. Stars highlight five men who were killed in action. Those who died in service under different circumstances (of wounds or disease) are not indicated, as is typically the practice in other such honor roll memorials. These Buckland volunteers served in a variety of Massachusetts regiments.
The largest contingent, 27 men, served with the 52nd Massachusetts Infantry. The 52nd Massachusetts was a nine-month volunteer regiment formed in the fall of 1862, largely composed of men from western Massachusetts. After training at Camp Miller in Greenfield, the regiment was sent to Louisiana as part of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks’s campaign in the Department of the Gulf. It participated in key operations around Port Hudson, including the Battle of Plains Store and the siege that led to the Confederate surrender in July 1863. The 52nd Massachusetts endured harsh conditions in the Louisiana bayous and during the deadly Siege of Port Hudson.
The second largest contingent, 18 men, served with the 10th Massachusetts Infantry. The 10th Massachusetts Infantry was organized in Springfield and mustered into service in June 1861, serving for three years in the Army of the Potomac. The regiment saw action in major campaigns including the Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, enduring heavy casualties throughout its service. After participating in the Overland Campaign in 1864, the 10th Massachusetts was mustered out in Springfield in July 1864, having earned a reputation for discipline and steadfastness under fire.
At least 12 Buckland men died in service from battle wounds or disease. Countless others returned home with injuries or the effects of camp illnesses.
“Brother against brother” stories are rare in Massachusetts. They tend to be more common in border states where families tended to be divided in their loyalties. But Buckland has an unusual example of two brothers fighting for the different sides—the Wilder brothers. Joseph G. Wilder, born in Buckland in 1841, enlisted in the Union Army, serving with many other Buckland men in Company E of the 52nd Massachusetts Infantry. He died of disease in a hospital in New Orleans on June 19, 1863.I contrast, his elder brother Lorenzo “L.C” Wilder had moved south before the war – and ended up serving in the Confederate Army. L.C. Wilder enlisted in Company H of the 24th Alabama Infantry.
Another notable soldier from Buckland, Sergeant Silas Nims was one of the earliest Buckland men to answer the call to arms. He mustered into Company H of the 10th Massachusetts Infantry in June 1861, very soon after the war began. The 10th Massachusetts was among the first regiments raised in the state. Nims served through the initial year of the war; unfortunately, he was discharged due to pulmonary problems in 1862. He made it home but sadly succumbed on July 28, 1862 to the illness contracted during his service.[3]
[1] The Recorder, June 8, 2011, 7.
[2] The Recorder, October 25, 2011, 13.
[3] “Sgt. Silas Nims,” https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65828082/silas-nims