Beschreibung:

William H. Hart was an active and energetic officer who was respected by his men and his superior officers, which is displayed through his military career. He rose from Sergeant to Lieutenant-Colonel and Brevet Colonel in the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery and 36th US Colored Troops, with whom he served from late 1862 to late 1866 in Virginia and Texas. In his young adult life, Hart was a shoemaker in Lynn, Massachusetts, when he enlisted and was mustered as a sergeant in Company M, 14th Massachusetts Regiment of Infantry, on February 28, 1862 and was promoted to Second Lieutenant on January 28, 1863. Hart’s regiment had been organized in June 1861 as the 14th Massachusetts Regiment of Infantry. Their branch of service was changed to heavy artillery in January 1862 with the addition of companies “L” and “M,” of which Hart was a member and were appropriately designated batteries, but official redesignation of the regiment as the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery did not take place until September 1863. The regiment served largely in the defenses of Washington, with several companies assigned to Harpers Ferry and elsewhere. They were reunited at Washington in November 1863 and sent to the field as infantry in May 1864. In the meantime, Hart had applied for a commission in the United States Colored Troops and was appointed Captain of Company H on April 26, 1864. He resigned from the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery and mustered into the 36th USCT on May 11, 1864. The 36th USCT was organized from the 2nd North Carolina Colored Infantry in February 1864. They saw service with the Army of the James as part of the 18th Corps and the 25th Corps. In 1864 they took part in several expeditions and were then involved in the siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond from July 1864 to the end of the war. They lost 49 men killed in action at battles such as Chaffin's Farm, New Market Heights, Fair Oaks, Dutch Gap, Indiantown, and in fighting north of the James River before Richmond until March 27, 1865, after which they took part in the occupation of Richmond on April 3, 1865, and the Appomattox Campaign. In May 1865 they were posted to Texas, serving along the Rio Grande and at other points until mustering out in October 1866. Hart was present with the regiment throughout its service except for some stints of staff duty and a brief furlough in February 1865. On September 24, 1864, he was promoted Major, over the heads of some senior captains, on the recommendation of several superior officers: “. . . he has always performed his duties promptly and faithfully. He is an able Tactician, no line officers in the Regt. excel him, he is reliable, energetic, and efficient, and better qualified to fill the office of Major than any other connected with the Regt.” He was in command of the regiment during its time in Texas. He was promoted to Lt. Colonel on February 25, 1866 and mustered in on March 15, 1866. He mustered out on October 28, 1866 and received a brevet in 1867 for his service, giving him the rank of Colonel from March 13, 1865. Hart returned to Massachusetts, lived in Chelsea, was a customs officer for a while and then graduated from Boston University law school in 1872 and became an attorney and counselor at law, held several trustee and corporate positions and was an officer of the Chelsea police court. He married in 1866, raised two daughters, and was active in the G.A.R. where he was a member at post 5. His wife died in 1895. Tragically, after living a fulfilling life and being respected by the soldiers he lead into battle and the community he resided in after the war, this upstanding soldier and community figure took his own life in the woods of Lynn, Massachusetts during 1897. Hart's final words were recorded in three letters which were addressed to his brother and two daughters which simply said goodbye and gave instructions for a funeral. Some suggested financial problems but it is unknown why Hart decided to end his ac