Civil War Veteran
Private, Co. E, 32nd Massachusetts Infantry

George was 33 and a Plymouth, MA resident when he enlisted on Dec. 2, 1861 and was mustered that same day as a Private in Co. E of the 32nd Massachusetts Infantry. His regiment garrisoned Fort Warren in Boston harbor from late November 1861 until late May 1862 when they were deployed to Washington. They "saw the elephant" for the first time, when as members of the Army of the Potomac's 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Fifth Corps, they were thrust into battle at Second Bull Run on Aug. 30th. Eyewitnesses to but not participants at the battle of Antietam, the 32nd was active in the Union debacle that was Fredericksburg on Dec. 13th. 1863 brought forth Chancellorsville in May and Gettysburg on July 2nd, where the regiment lost 79 in killed and wounded in the Wheatfield, or one-third of the number they took into the fight. The regiment wound up their year as participants in the Bristoe and Mine Run campaigns. During the latter action hundreds of Union soldiers literally froze to death from exposure to record cold. George re-enlisted for three additional years of service on Jan. 1, 1864, thereby earning a bounty of between $300 and $450, as well a 35-day furlough.

With Ulysses Grant in command, the Army of the Potomac launched a spring offensive in May 1864. Brutal fighting followed when the Fifth Corps "opened the ball" at the Wilderness on May 5th. The next month and a half entailed virtual non-stop fighting as the Union army pushed further into central Virginia, arriving in front of Petersburg where, following a failed assault, a siege began on Jun. 18th. A dangerous and deadly stalemate ensued as each side hunkered down in fortifications and trenches. In a foreshadowing of World War I, sharpshooters patiently waited their chance and picked off any soldiers careless enough to expose themselves. Fighting later flared at Hatcher's Run, Poplar's Farm, and Weldon Railroad in late summer and early fall.

After a February 1865 clash with Confederates at Hatcher's Run, siege conditions at Petersburg continued until April 1st when Lee's Army of Northern Virginia evacuated that city as well as Richmond slightly to the north. The 32nd and the Army of the Potomac pursued and fought one of the last great battles on the "sacred soil" at Five Forks. Lee capitulated at Appomattox on April 9th. Three days later when Confederates surrendered their weapons and battle flags, the 32nd Massachusetts, which lined both sides of the road leading into the town, was the first Union regiment that rebel forces filed past. Following the Grand Review of the armies at Washington, George and the remaining veterans of the 32nd were mustered out on Jun. 29th.

The following was researched and contributed by Find a Grave member Sandra Lennox:

Marriages Registered in the Town of Plymouth
March 12, 1871
GEORGE W. BARTLETT
Residence: Plymouth
Age: 41
Occupation: Operative
Place of birth: Plymouth
Names of parents:
George W. & Sarah
First marriage
FLORA A. HOLMES
Residence: Plymouth
Age: 23
Place of birth: Plymouth
Names of parents: David & Esther
First marriage
source: familysearch, film #1433029

1880 U.S. Census
Plymouth, Plymouth, Mass.
George W. Bartlett - 52y
Laborer
Flora A. Bartlett - 32y
Sydney Bartlett - 9y
LaFayette L. Bartlett - 2y
All born Mass.

Note: LaFayette L. was born
December 9, 1877, Plymouth.

Note: Flora A. (Holmes) Bartlett was
the daughter of David Holmes and
Esther Doten. She died in Charlestown,
Suffolk, Mass. on Feb. 12, 1896.

Note: I have found contradicting information
on the name of George's mother. I found
"Sarah" and "Malintha."

This memorial was updated on May 30, 2019.