hundreds of steamboats and steamships to serve as transports, gunboats and blockade ships. Commonwealth would escape this fate, continuing through the war to operate on her usual Long Island Sound routes. In this role she would still however contribute to the war effort, as part of the transport network that brought newly recruited regiments and their supplies from the northeastern United States to the battlefront. thumb | upright | in New York Harbor, 1860. Union troops aboard Commonwealth in late 1862 had excellent views of the mammoth steamship. As early as May 1861, Commonwealth was engaged in transporting troops from Connecticut to New Jersey, when elements of the 40th "Mozart" Regiment, New York Volunteers, embarked at Stonington on the 31st. Numerous full regiments followed, including the 1st Massachusetts Infantry (June 1861); the 7th Massachusetts Infantry(July); the 16th Maine and 19th Maine Volunteers (August 1862); and the 27th Maine and 11th Rhode Island Volunteers. Commonwealth was capable of accommodating an entire 1,000-man regiment plus additional passengers on a single voyage, but conditions in such circumstances were not always ideal—the 11th Rhode Island, for example, complained of a shortage of suitable sleeping arrangements. Regiments transported on Commonwealth in late 1862 were treated to "fine view[s]" of the mammoth British steamship , then laid up in New York Harbor for extended repairs. When transporting troops, Commonwealths usual route from Stonington to New York City was slightly altered, with the point of embarkation sometimes moved to Groton, Connecticut and the destination to Jersey City. After disembarking at Jersey, regiments then typically travelled on by train to Philadelphia. Here they were invariably given an enthusiastic reception by the local populace, which included a "splendid repast" at the Cooper Shop Refreshment Saloon, a venue maintained for the troops throughout the war by local volunteers. While the meal was greatly appreciated, some soldiers are said to have left the city with fonder memories still of the passionate embraces of the local females, who lined the streets to bid them farewell on their departure. After the war, some regiments would also return to their homes on Commonwealth. In late 1863, Commonwealth suffered a series of collisions with other vessels, all of them relatively minor. On October 20, the British propeller Salidan, setting out for Jamaica, struck Commonwealth as the latter was exiting her Cortlandt Street berth. Commonwealths starboard paddle guard was torn off, and some damage done to