Second Massachusetts Infantry 1861-1865 - Boston, MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 17.351 W 071° 10.677
19T E 320442 N 4684181
At this location, the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry trained at Fort Andrew and left for the Civil War.
Waymark Code: WM9QQT
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 09/20/2010
Views: 5
In the West Roxbury section of Boston, along the access road to Gethsemane Gardens Cemetery, there is a quartz rock at a road intersection with a plaque on it that has the following statement:
1861-1865
Second Massachusetts Infantry
recruited mustered and drilled
on these grounds
known as Fort Andrew
Left here for the war for the union
July 8th 1861"
There is a flag and a flag holder with the U.S. American Legion shield. The stone is surrounded by bushes.
The stone is in front of a gate to a dirt road. This road generally meanders through a mixture of field and woods. Along the way, the road passes by the foundation of Margaret Fuller's cabin.
Fort Andrew was a temporary facility to train new soldiers for the Civil War. It was on the grounds where Brook Farm operated, which was a Transcendentalist utopian society that failed in 1847. The 2nd Massachusetts Infantry was an elite group of soldiers, which saw much action during the war. Robert Gould Shaw was with this group for a time before he commanded the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry. He was with this group for 18 months, serving in the battles of Battles of Cedar Mountain and Antietam, and he received the rank of Captain. The link below has a full list of activity.
To reach the site, from the VFW Parkway, go northwest onto Baker Street and travel approximately a quarter mile to the entrance to Gethsemane Gardens Cemetery. Take a left onto the access road and travel approximately a tenth mile to the stone on the right. Parking may be better at a pull-off just before the cemetery, a short distance further down.
Sources:
The Civil War Archive (Massachusetts):
Visit Site
Department of Conservation and Recreation (Brook Farm):
Visit Site