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The loyal North did not falter. The great majority of the people of Connecticut were united in the determination that the rebellion must be crushed at whatever cost of blood and treasure. The efforts that were made in a few places to express sympathy with the action of the South, met with an indignant remonstrance that proved the general spirit of loyalty to the Union. Enthusiastic war-meetings not only gave vent to the spirit of patriotism that surged through every community, but gathered volunteers in such numbers that within a month six regiments were organized. The Fifth, admirably equipped, had hastened to the front a week after the repulse at Bull Run.
The death of General Lyon,1 killed (August 10) while leading his troops in the battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri,
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1861.
made a deep impression upon the people of his native State. Quiet and unassuming in manner, noble and unselfish in character, uncompromising in loyalty, and brave in action, his name is worthy of an honored place among the sons of Connecticut.
During the summer and early autumn, the work of enlist- ment for three-years' service went rapidly forward ; and the ranks of the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Regiments were filled.
Late in October, the Sixth and Seventh Connecticut, with regiments from other States, embarked at Annapolis for South Carolina. The expedition, in command of General T. W. Sherman and Admiral Dupont, was delayed for several days at Fortress Monroe. After putting out to sea, the fleet was scattered by a severe storm, and two of the transports were sunk. On the 7th of November, a naval battle, by the ships in command of Dupont, resulted in the capture of Port Royal. The Connecticut troops were the first to land, and they also made GENERAL NATHANIEL LYON. the earliest advance from Hilton Head. This was the beginning of the distin- guished military career of Alfred H. Terry, then colonel of the Sixth Regiment.
A special session of the Legislature in October authorized the further raising of troops ; and before the close of the year the First Light Battery and the First Battalion of Cavalry had been mustered in, and three more infantry regiments were organized.
Early in November, 1861, the Eighth, Tenth, and Eleventh Connecticut sailed from Annapolis as a part of the expedi- tion under Burnside. After many delays and disasters, they entered Pamlico Sound, and prepared for the attack on Roa-
263
CAPTURE OF ROANOKE ISLAND.
1862.]
noke Island. On the 7th of February, 1862, the gun-boats bombarded the fort ; and during the night the troops effected a landing. In the advance, Colonel Russell 2 of Derby was killed while leading his regiment under a heavy fire. A month later, at the battle of Newbern, both the Tenth and Eleventh suffered severely ; and in April, the Eighth acted a foremost part in the capture of Fort Macon. At the siege of Fort Pulaski, and at the various points to which they were ordered in this campaign, the Connecticut troops never flinched in the face of danger, and endured many, and often unnecessary, hardships with a spirit of patience, and even cheerfulness, that elicited the highest praise.
1 NATHANIEL LYON was born in that part of Ashford which is now Eastford, July 14, 1819. He graduated. at West Point in 1841, and was engaged in active service during the wars in Mexico and Florida. For many years he served in Kansas and on the frontier. At the out. break of the Rebellion, in 1861, he was in command of the arsenal at St. Louis, and dispersed a party of secessionists col- lected by Jackson, the governor of Mis- souri. Soon after this, he defeated a force of rebels at Booneville, June 17, 1861. He now received his commission as brigadier-general, and on the 2d of August won another victory over the Confederates near Springfield, Mo., and a week later fought the battle of Wil- son's Creek, where he was shot and in- stantly killed.
2 CHARLES L. RUSSELL was born in
the parish of Northfield in the town of Litchfield in 1828. When but a lad, his parents removed to Derby; and he was living in that place when the war broke out. He was among the first to enlist, and was selected by Colonel Terry as adjutant of the Second, who made special mention of his gallantry in the fight at Bull Run. In the summer of 1861 he raised a company for the Tenth, and was soon promoted to the colonelcy. His death was lamented by a wide circle of friends.
ALBERT W. DRAKE took command of the Tenth after the death of Colonel Russell. Colonel Drake, in connection with Joseph R. Hawley, started the first volunteer company that was raised in the State. Ile died of disease at his home in South Windsor, June 5, 1862.
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1862.
CHAPTER XLII. 1862.
BATTLE OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN.
TN following the fortunes of the Connecticut regiments connected with the Army of the Potomac, a volume would be required, if the history were written fully. The record of the First Heavy Artillery in this eventful year would tell the story of the Peninsula campaign with its high hopes and grievous disappointments ; and the hard rides of the Con- necticut battalion of cavalry would take us into the wild scenery of the mountains of West Virginia, and give us varied incidents of danger in raids and skirmishes among the bushwhackers.
Late in May the Fifth Connecticut fought in the battle of Winchester for the possession of the Shenandoah Valley. Obliged to retreat before superior numbers, General Banks no sooner received re-enforcements than the Fifth was again upon the march. On the 9th of August the battle of Cedar Mountain opened with a fierce artillery-fire. Towards sun- set the order was given to charge a battery on the right front. This duty fell to Crawford's brigade, with which the Fifth was connected. In the face of a murderous fire they pushed bravely forward, but without avail. All of the field-officers were either killed 1 or made prisoners ; and all the other offi- cers, except five, were wounded.
In the summer of 1862 the tide of battle turned strongly in favor of the South. Again with earnest words Governor
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CALL FOR TROOPS.
1862.]
Buckingham called for a response to President Lincoln's proclamation asking for three hundred thousand volunteers for three-years' service. The fervor of patriotic feeling was kindled anew, and within forty-five days over eight thousand men had enlisted. The exigencies at the front were of such
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BATTLE-FIELDS OF THE CIVIL WAR.
a nature that another call was sent from Washington for three hundred thousand men for nine months. This made it necessary to raise seven additional regiments in Connecticut.
While the stir and excitement of regimental organization were going on at home, there was the gathering of contending forces upon the upper Potomac. The first of August found the Eighth and Eleventh Connecticut leaving Newport News
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
1862.
on the way North. After spending a month at Fredericks- burg on picket-duty, there came tidings of the defeat of Pope at Manassas ; and they were ordered with other troops to march for Washington. They embarked at Acquia Creek Sept. 3, and reached the city at nightfall. The army of Lee was advancing rapidly northward, and Mcclellan at once started in pursuit. In these columns were the Eighth and Eleventh, besides two new Connecticut regiments, the Fourteenth and Sixteenth, that had but just reached Washington.
The Confederate army, finding itself hard pressed, had taken a position along Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg. On the morning of the 17th of September the battle began in which the troops of Connecticut suf- fered greater loss than in any other during the war. Two of the regiments, the Fourteenth and Sixteenth, had never before been under fire, and were un- familiar with military tactics ; but the fearful ordeal of that eventful day was · a test of heroic manhood in which few GENERAL JOSEPH K. F. MANSFIELD. failed to do their duty. Early in the action Colonel Kingsbury 2 of the Elev- enth was mortally wounded ; and before nightfall no less than a hundred and thirty-six Connecticut men lay dead on the field of strife, and four hundred and sixty-six were suffering from wounds. In many a Connecticut home is still tenderly cherished the memory of brothers and friends who lost their lives at Antietam.3 In this list stands most prominent the honored name of General Joseph K. F. Mansfield. 4
At the battle of Fredericksburg (Dec. 13) the Fourteenth and Twenty-seventh were the Connecticut regiments that took the most active part in the fierce struggle that ended in
267
ANTIETAM AND FREDERICKSBURG.
1862.]
the defeat of the Union forces.5 While their comrades in the Army of the Potomac were passing through these eventful experiences, those who had joined the expeditions in the South were not exempt from arduous and often dangerous duty. At the battle of Kinston Bridge, in North Carolina (Dec. 14), of the three hundred and sixty-six officers and men of the Tenth Connecticut who were in the engagement, one hundred and six were killed or wounded.
1 MAJOR EDWARD F. BLAKE of New Haven was born in 1837. Graduating at Yale, in 1858, he commenced the study of law. In October, 1861, he was ap- pointed adjutant of the Fifth, and soon proved himself an accomplished soldier. He was soon promoted to the position of major. In the battle of Cedar Mountain he led the left of the regiment, and was instantly killed just as he had taken the flag from the hands of a fallen color- bearer.
LIEUTENANT HENRY M. DUTTON was a son of Ex-Governor Dutton of New Haven. He graduated at Yale in 1857, and afterwards commenced the practice of law at Litchfield. Enlisting as a private, he received a commission as lieutenant, for his services in recruiting. Ilis death was the cause of great sor- row in the regiment, of which he was a special favorite.
2 COLONEL HENRY W. KINGSBURY was a graduate of West Point, and won distinction for his services during the Peninsula campaign.
3 CAPTAIN JOHN GRISWOLD of Lyme was a graduate of Yale, of the class of 1857. Just before his death he said to a friend, " I die as I have ever wished to die, - for my country. Tell my mother that I died at the head of my company."
CAPTAIN N. S. MANROSS of Bristol graduated at Yale in 1850. After study- ing in Europe, he was connected as a scientific expert with a mining company in New York. In 1861 he accepted the position of professor of chemistry and
botany in Amherst College. While spending a vacation in Bristol, he was urged to take the command of a com- pany from that town. Professor James A. Dana said of him, "His death is a great loss to the scientific world."
4 JOSEPH K. F. MANSFIELD was born in New Haven, Dec. 22, 1803. His par- ents, while he was quite young, removed to Middletown; and through the influ- ence of his uncle, Colonel Jared Mans- field, then surveyor-general of the United States, he was admitted at West Point in 1822. Having graduated with honor, he was first employed as engineer in New-York Harbor, and then in the con- struction of Fortress Monroe and Fort Pulaski. At the breaking out of the war with Mexico, he was chief engineer on General Taylor's staff. He built Fort Brown, opposite Matamoras, and had command of the forces at that point. The fort was besieged by the Mexicans, but was held after a gallant defence. At the battle of Monterey, Mansfield led a division, and was seriously wounded. The battle-field of Buena Vista was se- lected by him, and the batteries stationed under his direction. These distinguished services were recognized by promotion to be colonel in the regular army. He was appointed inspector-general by President Pierce, and he was engaged in the duties of this office prior to the breaking out of the Rebellion. He was aware of the real condition of affairs, and was not sur. prised at the breaking out of the war. On account of his age and long service,
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
his friends advised him to retire from the army ; but his reply was, " I owe my country every hour that remains of my life; and in such a struggle as is now endangering her existence, I can not, and shall not, refuse to answer her call." He was put in command of the defences about Washington; and all of the forts around the city were engineered by him, and built under his direction. Mansfield was for a time in charge at Newport News, and from here was transferred to the command of Banks's corps. He
reached the army at Sharpsburg the night before the battle. The following day, after the repulse of Rickett's divis- ion, Mansfield placed himself at the head of his troops, and was leading them gal- lantly forward, when he fell mortally wounded. A noble Christian gentleman and soldier, the country mourned his death.
5 THE Eighth, Eleventh, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and the Twenty-first, met with slight losses.
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CONNECTICUT IN THE CIVIL WAR.
1863.]
CHAPTER XLIII. 1863.
BATTLE OF CHANCELLORSVILLE.
TN the spring of 1863, the monotonous barrack-life of the winter was broken by the stir of military movements. Hooker was now in command of the Army of the Potomac, and the troops were eager and ready to commence the march towards Richmond. Five Connecticut regiments were with the mighty host of ninety thousand men that late in April crossed the Rappahannock, and, by forced marches, within a few hours faced the army of Lee at Chancellorsville.1 The result of the terrible conflict was again disastrous to the Union army. Some one had blundered, and the hoped-for victory proved a veritable slaughter of as brave a body of men as ever faced death on the battle-field.2
In June, Lee, with an army numbering seventy thousand men, moved up to the Shenandoah Valley ; while Hooker placed his army of one hundred thousand men in a position to protect Washington. The purpose of Lee to again invade the North was soon evident. Crossing the Potomac at Har- per's Ferry, the Confederate hosts marched through Mary- land, and entered Pennsylvania. The Union forces followed close after them in command of General George B. Meade ; and when Lee's army turned from Chambersburg towards Philadelphia, they were confronted by the Army of the Potomac. On the afternoon of July 1, the conflict opened. During the three days in which the struggle continued, the
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1863.
Connecticut troops were often under the hottest fire.3 Their number was not large, for their ranks had been sadly thinned at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville ; but, in the army that won the victory upon the battle-field of Gettys- burg, none acquitted themselves more nobly than this band of veterans.4
The spring and summer of 1863 was an eventful period in the history of the Connecticut regiments stationed in the South. During the month of February, General Banks took command of the forces at Baton Rouge, and preparations were made for an assault on Port Hudson, twenty-five miles up the river. There were many vexatious delays, and the troops passed through severe and trying experiences during the months of April and May. The battle of Irish Bend 5 (April 14) was followed by sharp skirmishes and hard marches. Port Hudson was invested on the 24th of May ; and three days after, an advance was made, and the works stormed. The assault proved the heroic quality of the men engaged in it, but the stronghold still remained in the hands of the enemy.
In the attempt that was made, a few days later (June 14), to break through the Confederate lines, the Connecticut regi- ments held exposed positions, and suffered severely. On the following day (June 15) General Banks called for a storming-column of a thousand men. The soldiers of Con- necticut took the lead in this perilous enterprise. At his own request, Colonel Henry W. Birge was assigned the command ; and his old regiment, the Thirteenth, furnished one-fourth of the entire number of this forlorn hope.
Day after day these men were under arms, ready at any moment to make the assault ; but the surrender of Port Hud- son, on July 8, relieved them from their perilous position. The " storming-column " were the first to enter the captured fortress, " led by Colonel Birge to the music of a Connecticut band, and under the folds of a tattered Connecticut flag."
271
ANDERSONVILLE.
1863.]
While their comrades were rejoicing at the fall of Vicks- burg and Port Hudson, and the victory at Gettysburg, the Connecticut regiments near Charleston were passing through severe experiences. The arduous toil of building batteries, and mounting heavy cannon, on the sand-hills overlooking Morris Island, was followed early in July by a series of assaults, and the siege ending in the capture of Fort Wagner. The names of Terry, Rodman, Hawley, Chatfield,6 and others, came into prominence during this campaign, for skill in leadership, and bravery in action. Not less worthy of mention were the men in the rank and file, who never faltered in the hour of duty.
The only brigade of Connecticut regiments in the service, that in command of General Edward Harland of Norwich, spent the summer months near Portsmouth, Va. Early in the autumn, orders came that scattered these troops in differ- ent directions. The Sixteenth was sent to Plymouth, N.C. ; and in the following April, while defending its position against overwhelming numbers, it was captured, and the en- listed men taken to Andersonville. Here, for nearly a year, they suffered the horrors of this infamous prison-pen.7
While the soldiers in the camp and field were passing through their varied experiences, they were generously re- membered by kind friends at home. There is no chapter in the history of these sad years more tender and beautiful than that which records the gifts and services of the various or- ganizations, that labored in every way to add to the comfort of those in camp, and to alleviate the condition of those suf- fering in the hospitals from wounds and disease.
A further call during the year for men to fill the depleted ranks of regiments at the front, made it necessary to resort to a draft. This aroused a bitter feeling among those who did not favor the war, and Governor Buckingham took active measures to quell any hostile demonstrations. Before the year closed, many of the regiments, whose term of service
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1863.
had expired, returned home, and received a hearty welcome. A large portion of these men re-enlisted, and, after a brief veteran furlough, again left their homes, to join the army.
1 THE Fifth and Twentieth in the Twelfth Corps, the Fourteenth and Twenty-seventh in the Second Corps, and the Seventeenth in the Eleventh Corps.
2 THE Twentieth lost one-third of its number : twenty-seven officers and men were killed, sixty-two wounded, and one hundred and eight taken prisoners. Those who were taken prisoners in this and other regiments, were exchanged within a few days.
3 THE Fifth, Fourteenth, Seven- teenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-seventh were in the battle of Gettysburg, and also the Second Battery.
4 THE Seventeenth lost more than half its number. Twenty were left dead on the field, eighty-one were wounded, and ninety-seven taken prisoners. Lieu- tenant-Colonel Douglass Fowler of Nor- walk was struck down while leading his men in a gallant charge, and sleeps in an unknown grave on the battle-field. 'The senior captain of the regiment, James E. Moore, was among the killed. He was a color-bearer in the war with Mexico, and greatly beloved by his com- pany. The Twenty-seventh went into the battle with only seventy-four men :
of these, eleven were killed, and twenty- four wounded. Lieutenant - Colonel Henry C. Merwin fell in the assault of July 2. He was a brave and efficient officer.
5 AT Irish Bend, the Thirteenth and Twenty-fifth suffered heavy losses. The latter regiment was under fire for the first time. Among the killed was Sam- uel S. Hayden of Windsor Locks, "a brave, tender - hearted, conscientious, Christian patriot."
6 COLONEL JOHN L. CHATFIELD was wounded while leading his regiment (Sixth), and died a few weeks after at his home in Waterbury. One of the first to raise a company at the beginning of the war, he developed remarkable gifts as an officer.
7 A LARGE portion of the prisoners at Andersonville from Connecticut, as well as other States, never left the place alive. Of those who survived, but few escaped the effects of weakness and disease caused by lack of wholesome -food and water. About the first of June, 1863, over two hundred Connecticut men were brought to Andersonville among the prisoners captured from Butler's army.
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CONNECTICUT IN THE CIVIL WAR.
1864.]
CHAPTER XLIV.
1864.
BATTLES OF DRURY'S BLUFF AND COLD HARBOR.
YIX of the veteran regiments of Connecticut that had been
SI engaged in service on the South-Atlantic coast, were ordered, in the spring of 1864, to join the army in command of General Butler.1 The purpose of this expedition was to ascend the James River, to a point near Petersburg, and · attack Richmond on that side. Early in May, General But- ler's force, numbering thirty thousand men, embarked on transports, and followed gun-boats up the James River. They landed at City Point and Bermuda Hundred 2 without opposition.
Within a few days, movements were made in the direction of Richmond, in which the Connecticut troops took an active part, and were engaged in several sharp skirmishes. The battle of Drury's Bluff opened on the morning of the 16th of May ; and the Union forces, after a brave resistance, were compelled to retire. The heroic conduct of the men, and the ability shown by General Terry in handling his division, and also by Colonel Hawley, who commanded a brigade, were recognized in every direction. The casualties of this fruit- less campaign fell heavily upon the Connecticut regiments ; but they fully sustained, under the most trying circumstances, the reputation they had already won.3
During these spring days the Army of the Potomac, in command of Grant, had commenced its march through the
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT. [1864.
Wilderness. The story of this hand-to-hand combat be- tween the armies of the North and South is one of the most terrible in the annals of war. In the cavalry skirmishes that were made in advance, the First Connecticut bore a gallant part. It was a company of this regiment that opened the battle of Spottsylvania, in which the Fourteenth Infantry was also actively engaged. On the second day of the battle (May 9), while surveying the ground to find a good position to post his troops, Major-General John Sedgwick 4 was in- stantly killed by the bullet of a sharp-shooter. In his death, not only his native State, but the entire country, mourned the loss of a great leader. A gradu- ate of West Point, he early won dis- tinction for meritorious conduct during the Mexican war. When the Rebel- lion broke out, with unswerving loyalty he did all in his power to sustain the Union. As commander of the famous Sixth Corps, he rescued the army from destruction at Fair Oaks, and MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN SEDGWICK. at Antietam was twice wounded while rallying and holding his men in the No sooner were these wounds healed,
thick of the conflict. than he again stood at the head of the brave men who idolized their beloved general. At Chancellorsville his com- mand not only stormed and held the heights of Freder- icksburg, but almost saved the fortunes of that ill-fated day. It is not strange that Lincoln and those about him felt that Sedgwick was the man for the hour. Modest, and distrustful of his own ability, he twice declined the com- mand of the Army of the Potomac. Few men have been more beloved than was this great soldier by those who knew him best. Lion-hearted, but gentle in spirit, he was always kind, and considerate of the feelings of others. Energetic, and courageous in action, his keen vision and cool judg-
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BATTLE OF COLD HARBOR.
1864.]
ment made him a grand leader of men upon the battle- field.
After the struggle at Spottsylvania Court-House, Grant, by light attacks in front, and at the same time pushing a large part of his force to the left, and thus getting in the rear of Lee's army, forced him to retreat to a new position. By the 1st of June, Grant had worked his way down to the Chickahominy, and the Confederate army was inside the main defences of Richmond, the centre of which was at Cold Harbor.
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