Civil War

At the onset of the Civil War, Loomis, and all of his 5 foot, six inch stature volunteered to fight for the Union Army. He joined Company B of the 46th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia on September 24th, 1862.

William Loomis’s Enlistment Notice for Company B, 46th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia 

Loomis saw action in North Carolina at New Berne and Goldsboro during the war. He was first stationed at Fort Totten in North Carolina which was a 5 bastion fort built after the Battle of New Berne in March of 1862. Loomis served in the volunteer militia with Oscar Ely, former high school classmate and future partner in the support of the public library. Later in his service, Loomis worked as an assistant to the Paymaster, who at that time was William B.C. Pearsons, the first mayor of Holyoke in 1873. Loomis showed an interest and awareness of future history and actively documented his own experiences, while also collecting unique ephemera from the war, including unique items from the Confederacy. 

Orders from W.BC. Pearsons, Paymaster, for William Loomis to pay the soldiers at Newport and return to Norfolk, VA the same day, October 24, 1864

Pass for William Loomis and a Lady two days prior to New Year’s Eve in Virginia, 1864

TO SEE THE ENTIRE WILLIAM

LOOMIS SCRAPBOOK CLICK HERE:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyokehistoryroom/sets/72157626175278942/