MASSACHUSETTS REGIMENT by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This poem-letter is a satirical piece from James Russell Lowell's *Biglow Papers*.
The poem
[This letter of Mr. Sawin's was not originally written in verse. Mr. Biglow, thinking it peculiarly susceptible of metrical adornment, translated it, so to speak, into his own vernacular tongue. This is not the time to consider the question, whether rhyme be a mode of expression natural to the human race. If leisure from other and more important avocations be granted, I will handle the matter more at large in an appendix to the present volume. In this place I will barely remark, that I have sometimes noticed in the unlanguaged prattlings of infants a fondness for alliteration, assonance, and even rhyme, in which natural predisposition we may trace the three degrees through which our Anglo-Saxon verse rose to its culmination in the poetry of Pope. I would not be understood as questioning in these remarks that pious theory which supposes that children, if left entirely to themselves, would naturally discourse in Hebrew. For this the authority of one experiment is claimed, and I could, with Sir Thomas Browne, desire its establishment, inasmuch as the acquirement of that sacred tongue would thereby be facilitated. I am aware that Herodotus states the conclusion of Psammetieus to have been in favor of a dialect of the Phrygian. But, beside the chance that a trial of this importance would hardly be blessed to a Pagan monarch whose only motive was curiosity, we have on the Hebrew side the comparatively recent investigation of James the Fourth of Scotland. I will add to this prefatory remark, that Mr. Sawin, though a native of Jaalam, has never been a stated attendant on the religious exercises of my congregation. I consider my humble efforts prospered in that not one of my sheep hath ever indued the wolf's clothing of war, save for the comparatively innocent diversion of a militia training. Not that my flock are backward to undergo the hardships of _defensive_ warfare. They serve cheerfully in the great army which fights, even unto death _pro aris et focis_, accoutred with the spade, the axe, the plane, the sledge, the spelling-book, and other such effectual weapons against want and ignorance and unthrift. I have taught them (under God) to esteem our human institutions as but tents of a night, to be stricken whenever Truth puts the bugle to her lips and sounds a march to the heights of wider-viewed intelligence and more perfect organization.--H.W.] MISTER BUCKINUM, the follerin Billet was writ hum by a Yung feller of our town that wuz cussed fool enuff to goe atrottin inter Miss Chiff arter a Drum and fife, it ain't Nater for a feller to let on that he's sick o' any bizness that He went intu off his own free will and a Cord, but I rather cal'late he's middlin tired o' voluntearin By this Time. I bleeve u may put dependunts on his statemence. For I never heered nothin bad on him let Alone his havin what Parson Wilbur cals a _pong shong_ for cocktales, and he ses it wuz a soshiashun of idees sot him agoin arter the Crootin Sargient cos he wore a cocktale onto his hat. his Folks gin the letter to me and i shew it to parson Wilbur and he ses it oughter Bee printed. send It to mister Buckinum, ses he, i don't ollers agree with him, ses he, but by Time,[11] ses he, I _du_ like a feller that aint a Feared. I have intusspussed a Few refleckshuns hear and thar. We're a kind o'prest with Hayin. Ewers respecfly
This poem-letter is a satirical piece from James Russell Lowell's *Biglow Papers*. It's written from the perspective of a naive young man from rural Massachusetts who joined the army during the Mexican-American War and now feels regret. Lowell employs a thick Yankee dialect and humorous misspellings to poke fun at the war and the politicians who stirred up excitement for it. The humor lies in the notion that the "letter" was originally penned in straightforward prose but was "translated into verse" by the fictional editor Hosea Biglow. This approach allows Lowell to critique patriotic war poetry while subtly delivering sharp anti-war commentary.
Line-by-line
[This letter of Mr. Sawin's was not originally written in verse...]
MISTER BUCKINUM, the follerin Billet was writ hum by a Yung feller of our town...
his Folks gin the letter to me and i shew it to parson Wilbur...
Tone & mood
Comic and satirical on the surface, but with a real anger bubbling underneath. Lowell employs dialect spelling and clumsy fictional narrators to elicit laughter from the reader, yet the true target — politicians and recruiters sending young men off to die for questionable reasons — is met with genuine contempt. The tone fluctuates between a fond mockery of the rural New England characters and a chilling rage at the war machine they've been caught up in.
Symbols & metaphors
- The drum and fife — The traditional tools of military recruitment illustrate the alluring yet superficial charm of war—an enticing display that draws in young men before they truly grasp what they're committing to.
- The cocktail feather on the sergeant's hat — A seemingly insignificant decoration that prompts the young man to enlist through 'a soshiashun of idees.' It symbolizes the absurd and random reasons behind life-changing decisions, as well as the cynical tactics used by military recruiters.
- The dialect spelling — Lowell's phonetic Yankee spelling serves as a marker — it identifies the speaker as uneducated and thus genuine, unlike the refined language used by politicians and generals who send working-class men to fight in wars.
- Parson Wilbur's footnotes and digressions — The Reverend's extensive discussion about Hebrew, Phrygian, and Scottish kings shows how educated institutions complicate straightforward moral questions with so much language that the human cost gets completely lost.
- Hayin (haying season) — The poem's final reference to being burdened by haying ties it to the tangible realities of rural labor. It represents the everyday existence that war disrupts and subtly implies that genuine work in the fields holds greater value than the glory found on a battlefield.
Historical context
Lowell published the first series of *The Biglow Papers* between 1846 and 1848, during the Mexican-American War. Many New Englanders viewed this conflict as a Southern attempt to expand slavery into new territories. As a dedicated abolitionist, Lowell used these poems as his most effective political tool. He created three fictional characters — the naive farm boy Hosea Biglow, the self-important Reverend Wilbur, and the unfortunate soldier Birdofredum Sawin — to critique the war from various perspectives. The thick Yankee dialect was a purposeful choice, conveying authenticity and common sense against the flowery patriotism of pro-war newspapers. The *Papers* catapulted Lowell to national fame and are regarded as some of the earliest significant works of American political satire in verse.
FAQ
*The Biglow Papers* is a collection of satirical poems and prose that Lowell published amid the Mexican-American War (1846–48). This excerpt comes from the first series, where we meet the framing device: a fictional editor named Parson Wilbur and a rural correspondent named Hosea Biglow, who share letters from a soldier called Birdofredum Sawin. Sawin is now disillusioned with the war he once eagerly signed up for.
Lowell uses a phonetic Yankee dialect to portray the characters as authentic, uneducated rural New Englanders. The deliberate misspellings add a comedic touch, but they also serve a political purpose: the straightforward farmer understands the war's propaganda better than any educated commentator.
Birdofredum Sawin is Lowell's fictional soldier—a young man from the town of Jaalam, Massachusetts, who signed up on a whim and now wishes he hadn’t. While he often comes off as a comic character, his letters from the front reveal Lowell's most poignant anti-war sentiments. Sawin is significant because he represents the human toll of political choices made by those who will never see battle.
The Mexican-American War (1846–1848). Many abolitionists in the North, including Lowell, saw it as an aggressive move aimed at extending slave territory into lands acquired from Mexico. Lowell points to Sawin's disillusionment as evidence that it is ordinary soldiers who suffer due to the ambitions of politicians.
That's the joke. Wilbur is an arrogant academic who can't help but flaunt his knowledge, even when he's just presenting a soldier's letter. Lowell is poking fun at the type of intellectual who complicates every human issue with unnecessary scholarship. The more Wilbur goes on and on, the funnier and more striking the contrast with the soldier's straightforward suffering becomes.
It's a Latin phrase that translates to 'for hearth and home' — literally 'for altars and firesides.' Parson Wilbur uses it to illustrate the genuine defensive battle his congregation faces: against poverty, ignorance, and waste, wielding spades and spelling books instead of rifles. This reflects Lowell's belief that honest labor represents a more valid struggle than seeking foreign conquest.
Lowell opposes this specific war, as well as the politicians and recruiters who benefit from it. Parson Wilbur clearly states that his congregation supports *defensive* warfare. The focus is on aggressive, expansionist wars that serve the interests of slaveholders, rather than the soldiers themselves, who are seen as victims of manipulation.
It's a minor character trait that makes Sawin feel more human and flawed instead of just being a martyr. It also leads to a clever satirical punchline: Sawin enlisted because the recruiting sergeant had a cocktail feather on his hat, and Sawin's love for cocktails made him connect the feather with excitement. Lowell is pointing out that wars often arise from these kinds of trivial, irrational impulses.