USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Woodbury > History of ancient Woodbury, Connecticut : from the first Indian dead in 1659 to 1872, Vol. II > Part 41
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Creek,' and came to a halt under a steep bank, from the crest of which the rebels poured down a murderous fire. Two lines were formed, the 2d Connecticut Volunteer Artillery and 65th New York in the second line. Everything being ready, 'Forward !' sounded along the whole line, and away we went up the hill, un- der a very hot fire. It was tough work to get over the crest, but at last we got the Johnnies started, and made good time after them. The 2d Heavies captured Malone's head quarter's train, and many prisoners, besides one battle flag. We were badly broken, but after running on for some distance, were finally halted and re- formed. Colonel Hubbard and Major Jones came up in time to present ns to Generals Sheridan, Wright, Wheaton and Hamblin, who all rode along to the front. We also advanced soon after, and found things in a promising condition. General Ewell and staff, and several thousand other prisoners, had been taken, to- gether with wagon trains, guns, caissons, and small arms without number. One of the prisoners told us that they had but three guns left. Our loss in the charge was seven wounded, three of them mortally, viz: Emory W. Castle and Erastus W. Converse, of D, and Charles Griswold, of F. At ten o'clock we moved np a mile further to the front, and bivonaced for the night." ?
Gen. Lee was now forced to capitulate, and unconditionally sur- render his whole army. About noon on Sunday, April 9th, 1865, in a farm house at Appomattox Court House, sat the chiefs, Grant and Lee, and signed the death-warrant of the Confederacy.
The subjoined letters, from a young man who enlisted from Woodbury, in Company I as a private, and by good conduct at- tained the rank of Brevet Major, show the feelings with which our brave soldiers witnessed the collapse of the rebellion ;-
" QUARTERMASTER'S OFFICE, RICHMOND, Va., April 5th, 1865. S
" FRIEND COTHREN ;- Here I am in Richmond, Va., in old Jeff. Davis' private parlor, writing to you, with no secesh to make me afraid. The private residence of the arch traitor is now the head- quarters of Gen. Weitzel. It is furnished in splendid style-Jeff. left everything-guess he's left the place.
" The inhabitants welcomed us with the waiving of handker-
1 A small tributary of the Appomattox.
2 Vaill's 19th Conn.
28
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chiefs, and other demonstrations of joy. The young ladies seemed to vie with each other in kindness and greeting to ns.
" The accursed rebs set fire to the business portion of the city, and it is now a mass of smoking ruins. We labored to check the flames, but did not succeed until great havoc had been made. The rebs did not gain many friends by running away by the light of their own dwellings.
"I expect to go to Petersburg to-day, where I hope to find the 2d Connectient boys. Perhaps you may wonder how I came up here, as you last heard from me at Wilmington. Gen. Terry's forces joined Sherman in Goldsboro. I was ordered by Gen. Scho- field to report at the Chief Quartermaster's, at the headquarters of the Lieut .- General commanding U. S. forces, at City Point or in the field. I followed General Grant to Lynchburg. I have given up the chase till he comes here, where he is expected every day.
"President Lincoln was here yesterday, and rode through the principal streets of the city. He took refreshments at Gen. Weit- zel's residence.
" Richmond is a beautiful place, situated on a number of hills overlooking the river. I send you some confederate money. There is any amount of it lying around with 'no takers.' What a harvest for John Bull !
" I havn't time to write another word.
JAMES M. BRADLEY,
Major-General Terry's Staff."
" WILMINGTON, N. C., Feb. 25, 1865.
" FRIEND COTHREN ;- Here we are in Wilmington. We drove the last of Hoke's troops through this place on the birthday of Washington (Feb. 22). Well, I have felt elated and proud of our successes before this day ; but as I rode with Gen. Terry at the head of the advance, and saw that ' hotbed of secession' get down on its knees before our veteran troops-words cannot express my feelings. Neither can I express my horror and indignation as I saw the union prisoners that they had left in this town, because they could not carry them away. May God forgive them for such fiendish work, for I cannot and never will. I will not try to tell you of their misery ; my pen is not equal to the task. From ex- posure and hunger they were crazy, idiots, living, moving skele
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tons. Five dead bodies of our men (prisoners) were burned by the rebels, because (as they said) there was no place to bury them. So they set fire to the house they were in, and burned it to the ground. We have about 1,000 of the Union prisoners who esca- ped from the rebs as they were marched out of the place.
" We followed Hoke twelve miles from here towards Goldsbo- ro, and pressed him so hard that we captured his pontoons and many prisoners.
" We find a great many Union men here in this former paradise for blockade runners. These men are Union to the heart. The rebs burned most of the cotton, so that we captured but little of the boasted ' Southern king.'
" It is so dark that I cannot see to write more at this time. You will hear from me again, as we expect to go on with this job, and may wish to tell you how it was accomplished.
" JAMES W. BRADLEY, Lt. and A. D. C., Maj. Gen. Terry's Staff, Wilmington, N. C."
Capt. Walter Burnham, having been the Captain of the Wood- bury Company I during its " fighting period," furnishes the wri- ter the following record of his brave company with no unbecom- ing pride.
" We were finally ordered to join the Army of the Potomac,- which junction was made at Spottsylvania, Va., where we joined our fortunes with the " fighting 6th Corps," on the night of the 16th of May, just in time to witness, on the evening of the 17th, the last grand charge, which was to cover the flanking movement of the extreme left of Grant's line; though not participating in the charge, yet in fair sight of it-the sight of which did not sharpen our desire, I assure you, for a like encounter, which was likely to occur at any time ; at least I am free to confess it did not mine.
" From the night of the 19th, till June 1st, (the day of the Cold Harbor battle,) the marches we made were rapid and severe, and between marching and throwing up breastworks at every camp- ing place, our rest but short. On the morning of June Ist, we made a forced march of some fourteen or sixteen miles, reaching Cold Harbor about 12 o'clock, completely exhausted-Company I, with one other company, being immediately detailed to throw up a breastwork in our front,-completing. the work about four
-
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o'clock, P. M., having just time to make a cup of coffee before the charge was ordered, which was at half-past four, the result of which, to company I, was a loss of 16 killed and wounded, being a larger number from company I than any company in the 3d battalion-company I being the left center company.
" Company I was the first to enter the rebel works, and held them for nearly an hour before any other company joined them. In fact, the regiment was so broken up, and companies so disor- ganized, that no company, as a company, joined us during the night, though by daylight on the morning of the 2d, nearly the whole regiment that were left were in the breastworks. Indeed so eager were some of the men for an advance, at the time of the charge, that two of the Woodbury boys, went quite a distance in advance of the regiment and company, and took up fighting on their own account-Hubbard Hotchkiss and Romayn Hard-and from Hotchkiss' account of their exploit, there was one less rebel General in the field ; and as his account corresponded with a sub- sequent account in a Richmond paper, that came into our lines a few days after, giving an account of the battle, and of a promi- nent Rebel General having been killed, just at the right of the Cold Harbor road, we came to the conclusion that Hubbard had killed his man.
" Were you an old soldier, you would realize more fully than it is possible for you to do now, the tremendous, heavy, and contin- uons musketry firing the regiment was under at this battle, when I tell you that of all the battles during the war, the musket- ry fire just at the right of the Cold Harbor road, on June 1st, 1864, was the most continuous and severe of them all. Yet this, I am told by an officer high in rank, connected with 'Freedman's Burean,' at Richmond, Va., is an acknowledged fact, both by Union and Rebel Generals.
"From this time forward I took more pride in my company than I had done previously, and the company, as a company, took more pride in themselves, reporting, on most accasions, more men for daily duty, -arriving in camp at the end of those hard, wea- risome marches, with more men than any other company in the regiment.
"From Cold Harbor, another flanking movement was made, which brought the 6th Corps near Bermuda Hundred, on the James river, where we remained but a short time, and from thence
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to Petersburg, where, upon a skirmish line, June 26th, company I lost two men, neither of them from Woodbury.
"July 9th were ordered to Washington to repulse Early's threat- ened attack upon that city. Early retreated by way of Snicker's Gap, our Corps, of course, following hard upon him. About this time commenced a series of marchings up and down the valley, which was anything but agreeable. The first battle in which our regiment was engaged, was at Winchester, on the 19th of Sept., 1864, in which Co. I lost some twenty-eight men, out of some- where from seventy to eighty-this being a larger number lost than from any other company in the regiment.
"The 2d fight in the valley was at Fisher's Hill, on the 22d of September-the regiment losing but few men ; Company I but one man.
"Oct. 19th was the battle of Cedar Creek-Company I again losing more men than any company in the regiment-some twenty- eight or thirty men men, out of say about fifty. So you see that Company I.'s record is all that could be desired.
" The official report of the casualties of a regiment or company subsequently to a fight, shows pretty conclusively the valor and bravery of its men, and Company I, in my estimation, stands sec- ond to no other.
"Please pardon my egotism in giving you here a compliment, which I received from Colonel, now Brig. and Brev. Major Gen. Mackenzie, who called me to his quarters the day previous to the Cedar Creek battle, and said : 'Capt. Burnham, I consider your company one of the best companies in my regiment. You may have thought that I have found a good deal of fault with you. officers, and been too strict. Gen. Sheridan tells me that I have one of the best, most reliable regiments in his command. The re- giment is one of the best drilled and best disciplined I ever saw.'
"I considered myself highly complimented in having one of the best companies, and belonging to one of the best Regiments Sheridan's command; and Company I's record of the following day certainly did not detract from it."
The expressions of these letters are not extravagant, when we remember what it cost " our boys " to be able to say them.
"Connecticut troops witnessed the capitulation, The Ist cavalry, under Col. Ives, acted as an escort to Gen. Grant, when he went
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forward to the conference with Lee. The 14th, under Col. Moore. was hard by. within sight of the memorable house. The 2d Artil- lery, under Col. James Hubbard, was with the 6th Corps, a short dis- tanee north ; and the 10th was a mile west, where it had helped to turn back the desperate charge of Gordon.
" The armies were foes no longer, and the victors shared their rations with the vanquished. Among the paroled, there was, be- sides the mortification of defeat, a feeling of relief from a terrible and sanguinary combat. Among the Union troops there was, su- peradded to the delight of victory and the joyful foreshadowing of peace, an exultant consciousness that the Army of the Potomac, often censured and always disparaged, had at last won a title to the nation's gratitude." 1
We have already said, that Woodbury was substantially a unit in support of the war. There were a few exceptions, of no ne- connt. No leading man refused his support. It became neces- sary for U. S. Marshal Carr to write letters of warning to a few disloyal persons, who discouraged enlistments. There were one or two instances, also, in which the people took the matter into their own hands. The most notable case was that of Burr B. At- wood, residing in Upper Nonnewang. He, with his family, con- sisting of himself, wife one or two daughters and as many sons, living at home, though he had a son honorably serving in the union armies, was quite free in expressing disloyal sentiments, and finally displayed a rebel flag from his house, inseribed with a disloyal sentiment. Without eoneert, in utter ignorance of each other's movements, a large company of the leading young men of Waterbury, and another from Woodbury, proceeded to Atwood's honse, meeting just before they arrived at his house. The pur- pose of this journey was to compel Atwood to take down his rebel flag. He however had seen the procession approaching, and took down and hid the flag. They demanded it, but he refused to produce it, and his whole family denied that they knew where it was, A thorough search revealed its hiding place among refuse artieles in the sink. It was taken possession of, and carried away. Atwood was asked to recant his treasonable words, but he would not. The production of a rope, and a threat to hang him up to a neighboring tree, worked repentance in his heart, and he mounted his horse block, and took the oath of allegiance from a magistrate
1 Brofut & Morris.
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present. All the members of his family then followed suit in taking the oath upon the block. A noisy relative of the same family appeared upon the scene about this time, made some careless and unhappy remarks in regard to the proceedings of the patriotic assemblage, and was not over enthusiastic in expressing his love and admiration for the stars and stripes, and the cause of the union. He was therefore ordered to mount the block, and take the oath of allegiance, which he stoutly refused to do, and continued his resistance till the tightening of the rope about his neck assured him the " boys" were deadly in earnest, when he re- luctantly took the oath. But on being released, disloyal words again found utterance, when the oath upon the block was again administered to him. And it is related to the writer, who was not present on this solemn occasion, that it became necessary to administer the oath to him six times before his rebellious spirit was quelled, and he became a quiet union man.
The " Vigilants " next visited the house of Chauncey Atwood, who was reported, also, to have used disloyal words. He utterly denied speaking the words, and declared for the union cause. As his veracity had never been doubted, his word was taken for truth ; but the " boys " said that they would call again on Friday, and suggested the propriety of his having a flag bearing the stars and stripes floating from his house on that occasion, to assure his neighbors of the falsity of the injurious reports. The committee had previously required of Burr B. Atwood, that he should have the United States flag floating from his house on the same Friday, when, they assured him, they would return to see if their order had been complied with.
Friday came, and with it the said committee, with a large pro- cession of the leading citizens, led by Sheriff Henry Minor, and preceeded by music, and the national flag. A twenty-five dollar silk flag was floating over the premises of Mr. C. Atwood, and he had provided refreshments under the shade of the fruit trees in his dooryard, in ample abundance for all his visitors, which were partaken of in great good feeling,-after which there was music, and speeches were made by several of the prominent gentlemen present, closing with a patriotic poem from Mr. Atwood.
After giving three cheers for the flag and three more for the host and hostess, the procession moved on to Burr B. Atwood's. A small United States flag was floating over his " tabernacle," as per order, but no one was to be seen on the premises. After dili-
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gent search, the proprietor was found in a small lot in rear of his barn, mournfully ruminating over the sad necessity of appearing to be in favor of the union-the government under which he lived. He was encouraged to come forward, and receive the con- gratulations of his friends, who had so eagerly sought his conver- sion to patriotic principles. This he did, was handsomely re- ceived, and advised to continue loyal. The convocation then de- parted for their homes, and there was never again a sign of dis- loyalty in the town. One example had been sufficient.
With the surrender of Lee at Appomattox, the war was sub- stantially closed, and Johnston very soon capitulated to Sherman, and the leader in the south west soon after him. The war-worn veterans now began to return home, and be mustered out of the service, in which they had won such glorious laurels.
As the rebellion collapsed, and it was seen that the war was to come to a close, there had been much solicitude in the minds of the thoughtful patriots at home, as to the course that would be taken by the soldiers on their muster ont. Would they noiselessly and naturally return to their old habits of life, and quietly sink into the pursuit of the arts of peace, willingly laboring in their old avocations to obtain a livelihood ?- or had they imbibed tastes and habits, in their army life, that would preclude their engaging in their former avocations, and leave them an idle and violent class, preying upon the communities they should afflict with their presence ?
The result of the disbandment of our armies, and the return of the veterans, was peaceable beyond the expectations of the most hopeful. Every soldier, on his return, was almost painfully eager to take off the blue, and assume the sober garb of private life. The whole army dissolved into their original places in the com- munity as. naturally, as they could have done, if they had only been on a week's visit among friends! Not a jar, not a ripple dis- turbed the vast bosom of society, and everything socially passed on as smoothly as though the war had never existed.
The brave men now rapidly returned home, and they were re- ceived by the people with ovations, and acclamations, never ex- ceeded in the history of the world. The people fully appreciated their heroic services, and expressed their appreciation with bound- less joy.
And now the Woodbury soldiers returned to their firesides and homes, which had missed their presence for months and
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years. The people, under the inspiration of the ladies, prepared to give them a fitting reception. The following is a brief acconnt of the reception, as given in the " Waterbury American " at the time :---
" On Wednesday night, Angust 16th, 1865, the citizens of An- cient Woodbury had one of the pleasantest reunions ever held in the old town, on the occasion of the reception of our returned soldiers. For days, the ladies, who gave the reception, had been busy in decorating the Town Hall, and preparing refreshments for the soldiers and their families, and the families of the deceased. The weather was delightful, and when the eve came, a better dec- orated hall or more sumptuous tables have never been seen in Litchfield county. The ladies fully sustained their high reputation as caterers on our public local occasions.
"At sunset, the soldiers assembled at the house of William Cothren, at which, nearly every one who had gone to the
HOME
war had been enlisted and gone forth. His house was beau- tifully decorated in red, white and blue, with a large transparency over the main entrance, appropriately dressed in evergreens, bear- ing the motto :-- " Soldiers, we greet you! Welcome home !"
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As soon as it was dark the house was brilliantly illuminated in every part. Chinese lanterns filled the trees and verandahs, and " Lincoln torches" covered the fences. Under the direction of Capt. Sperry, the soldiers formed and marched through the whole of Main street, from Thomas Bull's to James Green's, the distance of a mile and a half, and for the whole distance, nearly all the houses were illuminated. The soldiers cheered every illuminated hosne, and were cheered in return. Many of the houses had appro- priate transparencies and lanterns. Among these, the houses of landlord Kelly, C. G. Judson, Esq., Enos Benham, Esq, Henry Minor, Esq., Alexander Gordon, Esq., Mrs. John P. Marshall and Col. Smith, were conspicnous. The Old Parsonage, built in 1700, was very conspicuous, from its antique structure."
The Town Hall was beautifully decorated with evergreens and flags. The name of each deceased soldier was encircled with a laurel wreath, placed upon the walls, and the names of the battles in which our soldiers had borne a part, were likewise wreathed with evergreens.
" After performing this march, healed by the Woodbury Drum Band, the soldiers entered the hall, when the following ode of welcome was sung by the Woodbury Glee Club ;-
SOLDIERS' WELCOME-BY WM. COTHREN.
Home from the war, from Southern hill and plain-
Home from freedom's battles on the land. on the main ; Home from the tented field, the wounded, and the slain- Ye battle-scarred heroes, we greet you again.
CHORUS-Home, home, sweet, sweet home- Yo battle-scarred heroes, we welcome you home.
Brave went ye forth on that fair Sabbath day, Ready for the battle-ready for the fray- Ready to meet sorrows then soon to come ; Yo battle-scarred heroes, we welcome you home
Home from the conflict, your duty well done; Home from the war with proud victory won, Covered with honor, permitted to come ; Ye battle,scarred heroes, we welcome you home!
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" P. M. Trowbridge, Esq, then made the following presentation address to the ladies, who were present in great force :-
ADDRESS-BY MR. TROWBRIDGE.
" LADIES OF WOODBURY :- Here are the guests I promised you a little more than a week ago. They are my friends-yea, more : comrades, brothers; for, during these long, sad, weary, bloody years, I have been one of them. The pestilence of camp, the ex- hausting march, the horrid battle-field, though far away, I have shared with them.
"Constant communion with them has made me familiar with the individual history of each, and I now present them to yon as true men. They have been tried and are not found wanting. They stood firmly, unflinchingly, and warded off the 'leaden rain and iron hail," from you and your loved ones. They have followed that Old Flag, the flag which had its conception beneath the dark portals of the Star-Chamber, which was ushered into existence amid numberless prayers and floods of tears, which was baptised in rivers of blood, which was consecrated to God and Liberty, which has been a terror to evil-doers and a praise to such as have done well ; I say they have followed that Old Flag from victory to victory, till its protecting folds now wave over the whole of this, our much loved land. Their work is done. They come crowned with honor, purchased with self-consecrated patriotism. It is meet then that you, noble women of Woodbury, should thus publicly say, ' Well done, good and faithful servants,' welcome to the sweets of home.
Ladies : there are others here whom I also promised you as guests this evening. They are the husbandless, the fatherless, the sonless, the brotherless. Made so by what ? Go to Heaven's re- cord and there read : ' These gave their husbands, their fathers, their sons, their brothers, to ernsh the most impious rebellion earth has known since Satan was cast over the battlements of this Most Holy City.' Could you have gone with me when those winged messengers came, telling of the fall of one after another, and broken the sad intelligence to anxious hearts, you would have wit- nessed scenes that would have dwelt with you so long as memory was yours. Yon would have seen a father, a mother, bowed to the earth because the stay of their declining years had fallen ;- you would have seen the heart-broken wife bathing with tears her
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little ones, as they were clustering about her, and crying, 'Mama, mama, won't dear papa come home any more ? '
" I have raised the curtain only partially, because the scenes are far too sacred for the world's eye. But you have seen enough, and you will surely greet these, too, and bid their sad hearts be glad ; and you will as surely smooth their lonely path way till they are welcomed to the Heavenly Home, where war and its sorrows are unknown."
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