“Mourning Victory” BY RICHARD SMITH Concord dead were three Before brothers, Asa, John and Samuel Melvin. The Melvin family were longtime Concord residents and had long been involved in the town’s history. One of their ancestors, Amos Melvin, rang the Concord courthouse bell on that fateful morning of April 19, 1775 when Dr. Samuel Prescott warned “the British are coming!” Asa was the oldest and was the first to volunteer in April 1861. His three-month term of enlistment ended after the Battle of Bull Run, but he re-enlisted and was joined by two of his brothers, John and Samuel. All three would serve in Company K, 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. James, the youngest brother, could not join the army in
Photos on this page courtesy of Concord Public Works
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Among the luminaries buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, few made greater sacrifices for their nation than did Asa, John, and Samuel Melvin. Their story echoes down the years and reflects the courage, commitment and integrity of one of Concord’s oldest families. The Civil War began on the morning of April 12, 1861 when Confederate forces fired on the Federal-held Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Sumter surrendered after 36 hours of continuous bombardment. Two days later, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 volunteers to come to the country’s aid. Four years of bloodshed, in a war that would claim over 600,000 lives, had begun. Nearly 160,000 Bay Staters would serve in the army and navy, and Concord did her part by sending 450 men off to war. Forty-eight of them would lose their lives on the battlefield or from disease. Among the
The Melvin Memorial
1861, but would do so in 1864. In the spring of 1864, General U.S. Grant’s Overland Campaign needed men, lots of them. He decided to move heavy artillery forces out of the forts and onto the front lines in Virginia. Men who had seen very little fighting – including the three eldest Melvin brothers - would now take part in some of the bloodiest battles of the war as
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2019 issue of Discover Concord. It has been updated for republication.
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Discover CONCORD
| Spring 2021
