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Commonwealth Museum   Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Commonwealth Museum Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin

From Activist to Statesman


“

"I am about to raise a Colored Regiment in Massachusetts. This I cannot but regard as perhaps the most important corps to be organized during the whole war.”

– Governor John Albion Andrew

”

During the Civil War Lewis Hayden worked at the Massachusetts State House and played an energetic role in recruiting African-American regiments for the Union army.

Governor Andrew and Lewis Hayden
 On his first trip to Massachusetts Lewis Hayden met a young abolitionist, John Albion Andrew. The two became life long friends. Andrew was elected as governor in 1860 and urged the Lincoln administration to allow black soldiers to fi ght. In 1863, after the Emancipation Proclamation, he received authorization. Massachusetts recruited three African-American regiments during the Civil War. Lewis Hayden recruited soldiers locally but also in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and by some accounts, in southern states.


A portrait of Hayden

Lewis Hayden

A portrait of Governor John Albion Andrew

Governor Andrew

Bronze relief sculpture of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw leading the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, commemorating their bravery during the Civil War.
This famous monument commemorates Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Regiment.
-  Massachusetts Archives

A photograph of the original Invitation to Governor Andrew for Thanksgiving Dinner

 

Invitation to Governor Andrew for Thanksgiving Dinner

Black and white abolitionists, including Lewis and Harriet Hayden, urged the recruitment of black troops. In 1862 the Hayden’s invited the “Great War Governor” to their home for Thanksgiving dinner and encouraged him to act.
- Massachusetts Historical Society

A historic petition signed by Lewis Hayden, advocating for the recruitment of Black soldiers in the Union Army. This document, housed in the Massachusetts Archives, represents a significant step towards racial equality in military service, preceding the Civil War.

 

Petition to Allow the Recruitment of Black Soldiers

The Massachusetts Archives vaults contain several petitions on this issue. Many date from before the Civil War. Signed by Lewis Hayden, this one came shortly before approval of this historic milestone.
- Massachusetts Archives