uincy History

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy Historical Society No. 20 - Winter, 1989

Quincy Military History

Compiled by Thomas F. Hurlebaus

Military history is national and international by nature, much of it centered many miles from Quincy. It is also local history because Quincy men and women were part of the national and world events; and the effects of these events were felt not just in remote places but right here in Quincy. It is thus an important and proud part of our local heritage. One of the first if not the first Union soldier killed in combat in the Civil War lies not in the South but in Mount Wollaston Cemetery here in Quincy.

This paper will discuss briefly some of the military events of the past century, the participation of Quincy men and women, and some of the effects on life in Quincy.

Our country had enjoyed peace for a generation when Quincy became a city in 1888.Nevertheless the experience of the Civil War still influenced life in Quincy. The Grand Army of the Republic, the Civil War veterans' organization, was an important factor in the civic and social life of this and most other communities. Quincy's first mayor, Charles H. Porter was an officer in the Union Army and a member of the G.A.R. here.

The Spanish-AmericanWar AS the year of 1898approached,

~atr iot ic zeal and anti-S~anish feeling were rising in Quincy as in the rest of the country. The press

was filled with stories of Spain's long-continued misrule in Cuba and urging military action. The blowing up of the USS MAINE in Havana harbor in February raised the sentiments to fever heat. It now became just a question of when war would come. In Massachusetts

feelings were particularly strong due to a report that a Spanish fleet then at sea was headed for Boston.

Attention in Quincy was focused on the local Braintree-Quincy-Weymouth militia unit, Co. K of the 5th Massachusetts Volunteer

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In the impressive War Memorial area of Mount Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy honors her sons who served and died, and reminds us of the price paid for the freedoms we enjoy. The monuments right to left are vietnami ~ o r e a , Spanish-American, World War I1 podium, World War I, and the Civil War. The Revolutionary War Memorial is in Hancock Cemetery; the World War I Doughboy,- - . ~ l a a u e and hme capsule in front of the Adams ~ & d e m v Building. There is a vieinam memorial at Marina Bay, a number of neighbo;hood memorials, and memorial squares usually in the part of the city where the men had lived.

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Regiment. Although based in Braintree, it was over 60 percent Quincy men, about 15 percent Braintree, about 15 percent Weymouth and the rest from other towns. The commanding officer was Henry L. Kincaide, the prominent Quincy businessman. On April 21st, four days before war was declared, a call for more men raised the company from peacetime strength to wartime strength of 106 men. The city of Quincy donated 51 blankets.

The 5th Regiment was called into service on May 7, 1898. Co. K departed from the South Braintree Railroad Station two days later amid ceremonies and fervor that the newspapers compared to the departure of the Boys in Blue for the Civil War. The organization of the big event did not match its emotional and patriotic level. The story of the amusing episode is in the Winter 1982 issue of Quincy History. After the train ride the Company e m b a r k e d o n a steamboat for Gloucester on which the men proved that they were "good soldiers but poor sailors". After manning a coastal defense post in Rockport, the Company came home on May 17th. The next departure on June 29th was without ceremony on Capt. Kincaide's order.

The training session at Camp Dalton in Framingham was actively supported by the people of Quincy. The Friends of Co. K as well as business, church and social organizations sent delicacies as well as items to meet their needs. News from the camp was published daily and a timetable of train service to Framingham furnished for those who wished to visit.

On September 12th the regiment was moved to Camp Meade in

Middletown, Pa. The news contact and the home support continued. A turkey dinner was provided for Co. K's Thanksgiving. The next move was on November 25th to Camp Wetherhill at Greenville, S.C. Here the home support was particularly appreciated as the chances for foreign service lessened and then ended. The Patriot Ledgerstarted a fund that provided 200 lbs. of turkey for the Company's Christmas dinner.

The return of Co. K on April 3, 1899 was a grand event in Quincy's history. There were four days of b a n q u e t s a n d t es t imonia l s culminating in a banquet for which- 525 tickets were sold. Quincy was proud of the men of Co. K. Although disappointed in their hope of going to Cuba and into combat, they had answered their country's call and served honorably.

In addition to Co. K, an almost equal number of Quincy men enlisted independently in the army, navy and marine corps. The home support was extended to these men also. Letters from them and other news of their activities were published in the newspaper. It was from this group that Quincy lost three of her sons in the War. Kiiled in action were Charles E.W. Rinn, and Edward A. Bumpus son of Judge Everett C. Bumpus of Presidents Lane. Died of disease was John A. Boyd for whom the Quincy camp of the Spanish War veterans was named. He isburied in St. Mary's Cemetery in West Quincy near his father who was a Civil War veteran. Another man kiled in action was John Berry who had lived in West Quincy until two years before the war.

The Mexican Border In the years following the

Spanish-American War, a number of Quincy men were members of state militia units or other branches' of military service. These men either saw service or stood ready if their units were called for service on the

Mexican border. The Mexican bandit leader

known as Pancho Villa had been attacking and killing Americans in Mexico and even made a raid into New Mexico. In March of 1916, a force under Gen. John J. Pershing was sent to the border to "get Vila dead or alive". In the force that pursued Villa was Sgt. Edward Tingley of Quincy who was decorated for his service. The Jones boys Albert, Walter and Dr. Fred were militia officers awaiting a call to service. And there were others.

In Quincy a Machine Gun Company of the 6th Massachusetts Volunteers was formed with Lt. George Downes as commanding officer. The company consisted of 50 men and 20 in the Mounted Orderly Section. The unit was not called for service at this time but the men would be ready for action in the years that followed.

World War I On April 6, 1917 the United

States declared war on Germany. The response was immediate. It was a strong sense of duty to their country that motivated those who answered the call to defend it and all it stands for, and to make the world safe for democracy. They were to fight in a war that had beengoing on for three years. They knew of the horrors and disregard for human life to which they would be exposed, perils exceeding anything that the "civilized world" had known. In Quincy the reality of imminent danger was emphasized by the measures taken to safeguard the shipyard and its wartime activities. With the war already in progress against a fully-organized enemy, rapid mobilization was a necessity.

Quincy's youth did not hesitate to answer the call. In a matter of months, young people of Quincy moved from home, classroom and job to action in France or on the high seas. Quincy's Massachusetts National Guard company was

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inducted into Federal service. A total of 1,603 Quincy men and

women were in the service during the war. Of these 71 made the supreme sacrifice in the service. Thirty-five died following discharge, four from the effects of poison gas.

The first Quincy boy to lose his life in service was Cyril Peter Morrisette who died on February 24,1918 of wounds received the day before in a raid on the German lines in the vicinity of Chemin des Dames, France. He had enlisted on May 16, 1917 in Co. F, 9th Regiment, Massachusetts National Guard. Many honors were paid to him by the people of his City. A square bears his name and the Cyril P. Morrisette Post American Legion in West Quincy is named in his honor.

Dr. Daniel B. Reardon, beloved Quincy physician and father of the late Judge Paul C. Reardon, served with distinction in France in the Medical Corps. He wrote a book titled "The Roses of No Man's Land" telling of the horrors and the heroism that he witnessed, and his great admiration for the young women who served in the hospitals and at the front.

On their return from service, the veterans of Quincy formed World War Barracks #458 to perpetuate their comradship and to honor the memory of those who did not return. Today, seventy years after the Armistice of November 11, 1918, eight veterans of World War I reside in Quincy -Frank Anselmo, Mathew Clark, William Clement, Peter Dunne, Herbert Hollis, Frank Holzer, Henry Shirah, Joseph Walsh. They can tell of convoy duty in the Atlantic, gunnery training, naval aircraft operations, a ship rammed at sea at midnight, tent life, mud and the miseries of trench warfare.

Again, those who remained in Quincy answered the call for help in support of those in service.

Everyone bought Thrift Stamps and Liberty Bonds. Unused land tilled to produce food. Even fine lawns were ploughed up and worked by farmerettes and others. Young boys and girls left school to help farm land or work in factories. Through the Red Cross and other organizations, the women organized to produce by hand clothing and other necessities for those at the front. It was truly a nation at war, and Quincy was proud to be part of it.

World War I1 This was an all-out war. Very few

lives in Quincy were unaffected by it. Even the very young and the very old felt the effects of rationing, blackouts and other restrictions. The presence of Civil Defense and service personnel was a constant reminder that all were very close to the war and the war experience. Every business was affected by changes in their work force and production to suit the war effort. Many left school to become part of the military or civilian forces. Many lives were changed by the war.

For two years, the war had raged in Europe. The United States was strongly anti-Nazi German in its sentiments but chose neutrality, at the same time preparing for war if it was to come. The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 started the action that the nation had foreseen. Every eligible man had been registered by Selective Service. Men now enlisted or were called in large numbers t o supplement the already-strengt h- ened military and naval forces as well as other fields of service. The State Adjutant General's Office estimates that over 10,000 Quincy residents served in the armed services during World War 11. Of these 256 gave their lives, and many returned with permanent injuries from the wounds of war. Four Quincy men were recipients of our country's highest award for heroism, The Medal of Honor.

Quincy people in uniform came from all walks of life and served in all theatres of action. Mayor Thomas S. Burgin resigned to enter the Naval service. After the war he

again served as mayor. Charles W. Hedges left his seat in the M a s s a c h u s e t t s H o u s e of Representatives to serve in the Army Air Corps in the South Pacific where h e was wounded a t Guadalcanal. After the war he returned to the State House and was later Sheriff of Norfolk County.

While thousands left Quincy to serve away from home, other thousands came to Quincy to serve their country. Men and women in uniform trained at the Squantum Naval Air Station, manned the Nike installations at Squantum and in Merrymount Park, or were assigned to naval vessels being built at the Shipyard by other thousands who here made their contributions to the war effort.

Korean War Five years after the close of

World War 11, Quincy men and women again answered the call to serve their country in another foreign war. While some veterans returned to service, most were new enlistments and Selective Service men, and members of ROTC and other service organizations.

In June of 1950, a North Korean army invaded South Korea. The United Nations authorized its member nations to give support to South Korea. In response the United States and fifteen other nations sent military forces to South Korea. It was the world's first experiment in "collective security", freedom-loving nations working together to fight aggression. While there was some naval and air force involvement, it was primarily a war of ground fighting more reminiscent of World War I then World War 11, and fought under the worst of conditions.

The Korean War lasted three years. In lives sacrificed, wounds received and Americans taken prisoner, the conflict was almost as severe for the United States as World War I. Forty-one Quincy men gave their lives. In 1955 there were 1301 veterans of the Korean War living in Quincy including many who have since held high positions

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in the city and the state.

Vietnam The Vietnam War was unusual in

its impact on Quincy and the country generally. The conflict started in the 1960s between South Vietnam and insurgent communists backed by North Vietnam. In 1961 the United States signed a military and economic aid treaty with South Vietnam. In 1963 they requested aid under the treaty. American troops began arriving in 1965 and in 1968 numbered over one-half million. From that time the number was reduced with final withdrawal in 1973. South Vietnam fell in 1975.

The call for men and women in the armed services received a patriotic response to fight for the American principles of democracy and freedom. The war developed' into a long and grueling conflict that could not be won. The frustrating experience and fighting under the worst of conditions resulted in a situation and sacrifices that few in

le past have had to endure. About 2,500 men and women

,,am Quincy served in the Vietnam War. Some were drafted but the majority volunteered. Forty-five of these made the supreme sacrifice. A scroll in the lobby of City Hall

mors those who served. One man still missing in action. A special comradeship bonds

those who suffered together for their country. T h e Vietnam veterans are justly proud of their service, and now serve their community through the various veterans ' organizations and through their own veterans' chapter in Quincy.

Squantum Naval Air Station

For nearly forty years, the air s tat ion a t Squantum made important contributions to the military history of Quincy and the nation. Prior to the American entry into World War I, the Massachu-

setts Naval Militia esraonsned a small air base here. Within a month of America's entry into the war, it was taken over for a flight training school by the United States Navy. The first commander was Lt. Earle W. Spencer whose wife later became the Duchess of Windsor. The couple lived in Wollaston during his service here. Between then and late 1918,4,000 men were trained here and at the related Aviation Ground School at MIT.

In 1923 the base became a Naval Reserve training site. Richard E. Byrd, later the famous Admiral Byrd, was instrumental in the establishment of the reserve base. The executive officer 1931 to 1940 was Cdr. John J. Shea who died in action in the Pacific in 1942, one of the earliest Naval heroes of World War 11. The base in Squantum was named Shea Field in his honor in 1946, and the present Comm. Shea Boulevard is named for him.

Following the defeat of France, the Navy began to improve naval reserve air bases to increase their primary flight training capacity. At Squantum this involved lengthening the runways, dredging the seaplane approaches and opening a ship channel. On September 1,1943 the 6 3 1 - a c r e i n s t a l l a t i o n w a s redesignated a naval air station but continued its training mission. Concrete runways, new hangars, shops and other facilities were constructed. It became home for a Special Project Unit to flight test electronic equipment. It also housed some patrol units and carr ier air groups awaiting completion of their ships.

The Squantum Naval Air Station closed in 1954.

Shipbuilding The importance of the Quincy

shipyard was emphasized by the steps taken for its safety in both World War I and World War 11. In both conflicts attempts at sabotage were feared, and in World War I1 it was considered a prime target for a bombing attack.

It was the building of vessels for the U.S. Navy that caused the small Fore River Engine Company in 1900 to move to Quincy Neck and

become the Fore River Ship and Engine Company. There the shipyard grew to become one of the foremost in the country, a facility that could build ships when they were needed and of all types and complexity.

Mostly to meet wartime needs, the Shipyard built 7 battleships, 7 aircraft carriers, 23 heavy cruisers, 14 light cruisers, 113 destroyers including 45 built at Squantum, 12 destroyer escorts, 6 destroyer t r a n s p o r t s , 4 6 L S T s , 8 5 submarines.

The men and women who built these ships made a contribution to Quincy's military history that is a source of fame and pride. -

It must be noted also that smaller but urgently-needed vessels for World War I1 were built at the Quincy Adams Yacht Yard, and at the nearby George Lawley Yard at Neponset.

Veterans The veterans organizations

commemorate Quincy's military history and also contribute to it. They are a liaison between major historical events of the past in far- away places and the Quincy of today for all to learn from and appreciate. In Quincy this contact with history is unusually close. Here there a re presently thirteen veterans units located in all parts of the city, bringing the contact with people who played a part in making history down to the neighborhood level.

Quincy's Civil War veterans organization was the Col. Paul J. Revere Post 88 Grand Army of the Republic, named in honor of a man whose home was on Presidents Lane and who was killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. The GAR was an important factor in the city for many years. Many still recall the visits of GAR men to the schools with their messages on patriotism, loyalty and service. The Post disbanded on the death of the last member James H. Bishop in 1938. Its colors, collections and records are preserved at the Quincy Historical Society.

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who died in service, the John A. Boyd Camp No. 2, United Spanish W a r V e t e r a n s s e r v e d t h e community from its founding in 1900 until 1965. The last veteran, John A. Houston died in 1973 at age 92. The Camp's colors, collections and records are preserved at the Quincy Historical Society.

The present active veterans units are: American Legion

Quincy Post 95 Cyril P. Morrisette Post 294 Wollaston Post 295 Houghs Neck Post 380 Robert I. Nickerson Post 382

Veterans of Foreign Wars George F. Bryan Post 613 North Quincy Post 10277

American Veterans Memorial Post 7

Disabled American Veterans Quincy Cavanagh Chapter 79

World War I Veterans Quincy Barracks 458

Jewish War Veterans of America Post 193

Marine Corps League William R. Caddy Detachment

Vietnam Combat Veterans Combined Armed Forces

Quincy Chapter -A11 of the units have womens

auxiliaries that supplement their activities.

In addition to the large number and representation of the veterans units here, Quincy is very fortunate in having a strong and active Quincy Veterans Council of which the units are the members. The Council coordinates and supplements the activities of the member units. The Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances are handled by the Council; also the naming squares to honor veterans, the marking and decorating of graves, and other activities for the entire city. It is also the liaison between the veterans

organizations and the City, State and Federal Agencies.

Veterans' Services As a small return for the military

service rendered to the city and nation, and their continuing services as veterans, the city renders services to veterans. The Veterans' Services Department, City of Quincy, is responsible for making sure that veterans and their dependents receive benefits to which they are entitled. With the large number of veterans and dependents living in Quincy, this is truly an important service to the community.

Our Military Today As this is being written, men and

women from Quincy are serving in various branches of the armed services, are enrolled at one of the service academies or in a college ROTC program. In addition there are three military units active in Quincy,

The State Armory on Hancock Street was dedicated on April 22, 1924, the first armory to be built in Massachusetts after World War I. O p e r a t i n g h e r e w e r e t h e Headquarters Company of the 3rd Battalion and t h e Howitzer Company of the lOlst Infantry. Presently it is the Headquarters, 126th Signal Battalion, 26th Infantry Division with Lt. Col. William J. Raabe as commanding officer. There are about forty full-time guardsmen at the armory to supervise the training and to maintain the communications equipment and vehicles. Two hundred guardsmen attend the weekend training periods.

The Naval and Marine Corps Training Center on Sea Street was completed and accepted by the United States Navy on July 1,1959. Cdr. R.M. Holty is presently the commanding officer. Nineteen active-duty members are assigned here. Approximately 700 reservists are assigned to the twenty-eight units attached to the center. The units encompass such missions as coastal defense, naval control of shipping, marine support, fleet

Winter, 1989 -QUINCY HISTORY -Page 5 hospital, and construction. Their objectives are training and to ensure readiness in the event of a mobilization.

The Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program was started in the Quincy high schools in 1971, The Aerospace Science course earns five graduate academic credits per year. An officer and an assistant are assigned to each of the high schools. The course is operated completely by t h e s t u d e n t s t o provide a t progressive levels experience in leadership, management, challenge and responsibility, as well as the training in aerospace sciences. There are about one hundred students in each JROTC unit with a graduating class of twenty or twenty-one. There is no military commitment on completion but graduates have distinguished themselves a t the Air Force Academy and in other aviation and aerospace fields of activity.

Medal of Honor A proud chapter in Quincy's

military history is the record of five men who received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for military service.

Ralph Talbot, 2nd Lt. United States Marine Corps, Squadron C, 1st Marine Aviation Force, over Belgium October 14, 1918. For extraordinary heroism in air combat. He was killed in action 11 days later. A destroyer USS RALPH TALBOT, DD-390 and a street in Weymouth are named for him. He is buried in Mount Wollaston Cemetery. He was born in Weymouth.

William Robert Caddy, Private 1st Class, United States Marine Corps Reserve, Co. I, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division, at Iwo Jima, March 3, 1945. Sacrificed his life to save the others of his unit. A graduate of Montclair School and Quincy High School. The Quincy Marine Corps League Detachment and the memorial park on Quincy Shore Blvd. are named in his honor.

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C h a r l e s A. MacGillivary, Sergeant, United States Army, Co. I, 71st Infantry, 44th Infantry Division; Woelfing, France on January 1, 1945. For heroic singlehanded action against enemy that threatened his unit. He lived in Wollaston and attended North Quincy High School. He now lives in Braintree.

Frederick C. Murphy, Private 1st Class, United States Army, Medical Detachment, 259th Infantry, 65th Infantry Division, Siegfried Line at Saarlautern, Germany on March 18, 1945. Sacrificed his life to give medical aid to wounded under enemy fire, saving many before he was killed. A monument in his honor s t a n d s a t S e a S t r e e t a n d Narraganset Road, Merrymount near where he had lived. He attended Quincy High School and was graduated from Thayer Academy.

Everett Parker Pope, Captain, United States Marine Corps, Co. C,

1st Battalion. 1st Marines. 1st Marine ~ivisibn, Pieliu Island, ~ a l a u Group, September 19-20,1944. For valiant leadership during a prolonged period of close-contact engagement with enemy forces. He was graduated from Quincy High School as an honor student. He now lives in New Hampshire

Credits Appreciation is expressed to the

following contributors: Paul W. O'Neill on World War 11; Frank J. Casey Jr. on Squantum Air Base; Charles A. Lopresti on Veterans Services; Robert LaFleur on Vietnam; Henry P. Bradley-on- --Quincy Veterans Council; James E. Fahey of the Military Records Division, Office of the Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard; Lt. Col. Joseph Ciampa, AFJROTC; Capt. Lee Fife, 126th Signal Battalion, Massachusetts National Guard; and Doris S. Oberg for the photograph.

Quincy Historical Society would welcome contributions of material

relating to Quincyk military history,

especialb World LVar 11.

The Ship Bethel

The finding of new historical

information generally requires deep research. Occasionally good fortune reveals interesting historical facts in most unexpected places.

In The American Neptune, winter 1988 issue, is a paper on Samuel Townsend, shipping merchant of Long Island, New York. In it is the following paragraph.

"On 24 May 1748 Prosperity d e p a r t e d New York for Madeira,.. ...He also brought news t h a t his seemingly uneventful voyage might easily have suffered a very different fate. Privateers of several nations infested the waters between the A z o r e s a n d t h e I b e r i a n Peninsula, and Captain Freeman in a Boston cruiser had just seized a Spanish ship mounting thirty-six guns and loaded with 160 chests of silver. When the

Bostonian reached Portugal he was imprisoned for several days, but finally released, and now awaited HMS Rainbow to convoy him home to New England." The date of this incident and the

mention of Captain Freeman tells us that the vessel referred to was the Ship BETHEL that is very much a part of our Quincy history. By its capture of the Spanish treasure ship, the BETHEL brought wealth to the Quincy family; and caused Col. Josiah Quincy to return to his native town and purchase the Hancock parsonage, the site John Adams chose for his Adams Academy. The quoted paragraph reveals details of this important episode in our history that were previously unknown.

For those interested in history, the book is never closed.

Town Of Quincy 1792

The Society recently acquired by purchase an interesting manuscript relating to the establishment of the town in 1792.

When the North Precinct of Old Braintree petitioned to become a separate town, they were joined in the petition by residents of Squantum and The Farms, now North Quincy, which until then had been part of Dorchester. The newly discovered document is the consent of the non-resident property owners of Squantum and the Farms to the petition.

Involved are a few pieces of meadow but most is salt marsh located along the Neponset River and New Squantum. It was a time when everyone needed firewood and salt hay and so would own a woodlot and a piece of salt marsh, generally located by necessity at a distance from the farm or residence. Salt marsh was valuable real estate which some people owned just as an investment.

Thirteen non-resident property owners signed the consent. From present Quincy were Peter Boylston Adams, Edmund Billings and Grizzel Apthorp. Eight were from Milton and two were residents of Dorchester. It is interesting to note that earlier both Gov. Thomas Hutchinson and Gov. Jonathan Belcher, both residents of Milton, owned salt marsh in the Squantum and The Farms area of Dorchester.

Quincy History Published by the

Quincy Historical Society

8 Adams Street

Quincy, MA 02169

A portion of the Quincy Historical Society's operating funds are from the support of the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities, a state agency, and through a grant from the Institute of Museum Services, a Federal agency.

Quincy Historical Society Newsletter 1973 - 2001 163Quincy Historical Society Newsletter 1973 - 2001 164Quincy Historical Society Newsletter 1973 - 2001 165Quincy Historical Society Newsletter 1973 - 2001 166Quincy Historical Society Newsletter 1973 - 2001 167Quincy Historical Society Newsletter 1973 - 2001 168