The 27th Mass certainly sustained significant casualties at Cold Harbor (though not as bad as the 25th) as did many of the regiments that were engaged in that battle. However, there is no record that the 27th Mass lost any of its flags in that event. According to the regimental history, "Bearing Arms in the 27th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry" by W. P. Derby, the regiment lost three flags when their flank was turned at the Battle of Drury's Bluff in May 1864. As they were attacked from behind, the color guard was taken by surprise. Color Bearer Gage tried to save the "Ladies' [regimental] Flag" by tearing it from the standard, but was prevented from doing so by a confederate officer who held a revolver to his head. Color Bearer Manning and Color Sergeant Dickenson were forced to relinquish the State and U.S flags respectively. Several flank companies of the 27th, including my ancestors', were captured in this battle. One of my ancestors was captured in this battle (dying 6 months later in Andersonville), while his brother, my great, great grandfather, escaped capture because he was detatched on light duty in the Ambulance Corps while he recoverd from an earlier wound through his neck.

After being engaged at Cold Harbor and Petersburg, by December 1864, the regiment was severely decimated by almost 4 years in combat and numbered only about 350 men, of which over 100 were on the sick rolls. By March 1865, the unit numbered only about 200 effectives (9 officers and 191 enlisted men) and was serving in an operation in the area of Kingston, North Carolina, just south of the Neuse River in a place called Gum Swamp. Here the regiment (among others such as the 15th Conn.) was surrounded by a much larger Confederate force after over an hour of constant maneuver and fire to repeatedly face their enfilading enemy. Both color bearers had been wounded as was the regiment's colonel. In total, Upham's Brigade lost about 1000 men in this battle. The 27th's casualties were 7 killed, 40 wounded and 147 prisoners, which effectively wiped out the regiment. Only 7 men, including the regimental surgeon escaped with the ambulance train. Before their capture, those bearing the U.S. and Mass. State flags rolled them on their standards and hid them under a rotten log to prevent capture by the rebels. Upon their exchange a month later, the men who hid them returned to the battle site, recovered the flags and returned them to the regiment.