History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I, Part 47

Author: L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts
Number of Pages: 700

USA > Massachusetts > History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I > Part 47

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The subsequent generations were as follows: 2d. Chileab. 3d. Ebenezer. 4th. Joho, who was a deacon in Granby, Mass. 5th. Nathan, also a deacon in the same town. The above generations were promineot owners of real-estate and leading men. 6th. Samuel, a deacon in Granby, Mass. 7th. Cyrus, the father of Dr. Smith, and after whom he was named. He was born in 1810, and died Ang. 13, 1849, in Huntington, Mass. He was a leading citizen in town affairs and active in support of the ehureh.

Ilis wife, and the mother of Dr. Smith, was Julia Ann Warner, boro in 1810, in Williamsburg, Mass., where she at present resides. She was the daughter of Silas Warner, of Williamsburg, who was the son of Jonathan, one of the first settlers of the towo, a wealthy land- owner, and prominent in military and civil affairs.

The ancestral line of the Warner family can be traced back to the Waldenses or Iluguenots, who emigrated to England, and settled in Wales, shortly after the Reformation. The original name was " Wer- ner," but it is quite probable the " Warners" of this country gener- ally ean trace their genealogy back to this Welsh origin.

Dr. Cyrus Burnett Smith was born April 24, 1839, in South Hladley,

Mass. When he was two years old his father removed to West Springfield, Mass., and when he was six years old to Springfield. Mass., where he engaged in the mercantile business. The next year his father removed to Huntington, Mass. Three years later his father died, leaving his mother and four children. Mrs. Smith removed to Ilaydenville, Mass. There she carefully trained her family of four boys, all of whom are now meu of standiog and influence in their respective communities.

8. Warner Smith, the eldest son, lives in Haydenville, Mass., and also Lewis Finley Smith, the third son. Dr. Smith is the second son ; the fourth is William W. Smith, who resides in Ilartford, Conn.

Dr. Smith attended the public schools in the towns in which the family lived until his seventeenth year, partially supporting himself by his own labor. Ile also attended school in Hartford, Conn., and the high school in Northampton, Mass., and supplemented this edu- cation by private instructions in Latin, French, and in music.

Selveting the medical profession, he entered the office of Drs. D. & J. Thompson, of Northampton, Mass., and later read with Drs. Thompson & Chamberlain, of the same place. Diligently pursuing his studies, he supported himself (with some assistance from home) by teaching instrumental and vocal music.

After a few months he entered the office of Profs. T. & II. H. Childs, of Pittsfield, Mass. While there he attended the Berkshire Medical College, taking the full course, and graduated in November, 1859

l'hoto. by Lewis.

the youngest member of bis elass, and was vice-president of the Alumni Association of the college. He commenced the practice of his profession at Indian Orchard (Springfield), Mass., where he remaioed until the spring of 1862, when he removed to Granby, Mass.

At the time of his departure from Indian Orchard his friends pre- sented him with a valuable horse. Ile practiced in Granby and Indian Orchard until July, 1862, when he was examined by the board of surgeons in Boston, and was commissioned by Gov. Andrew, July 31st, assistant surgeon of the 34th Massachusetts Infantry. When he left Granby for the army his friends in that town presented him with a beautiful and valuable sword. During his first two years of service he was with the regiment, and on hospital duty at Wash- ington, D. C., and about Alexandria, Va., and filled various positions as operating surgeon. He was appointed post-sorgeon, and also placed in charge of the hospital at Harper's Ferry. Va., and was subsequently promoted surgeon of the Ilth Massachusetts Infantry, Army of the Potomac. Ile had charge of the 3d Division hospitals, Army of West Virginia, with Hunter, Sigel, and Sheridan, in West Virginia ; after the battle of Winchester, Va., in charge of the Smith llospital several months.

lle subsequently had charge of the field hospital, and was opera- tive surgeon in this army department. lle was also, for a time, in charge of the general hospital. He was mustered out of the service

in August, 1865, and returned to Granby, Mass., where he has since practiced his profession.

Dr. Smith bas been a contributor to the medical journals of the day ; has prepared valuable papers on the "Treatment of Asphyxia by Chloroform," which was published in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, and also an article on " Compatibility of Medicines," which was published in the Philadelphia Medical and Surgical Reporter. Ile was elected in 1878 president of the Ilampshire District Medical Society, and re-elected in 1879, and is one of the councillors of the Massachusetts Medieal Society.

Dr. Smith has well sustained the traditions of his ancestors by his active interest in all matters pertaining to the welfare of his town. lle has been a member of the school committee for many years, and was a representative to the Legislature in 1872, serving also at the special session in the fall of that year.

Feb 18, 1865, he married, in Haydenville, Mass., Mary Jane, daugh- ter of Jerome and Triphena ( Root) Hulbert, of Pittsfield, Mas .. She died July 31, 1868, in Granby, Mass.

He married a second time, Nov. 3, 1869,-Louise Jane, daughter of Christopher C. and Ilannah ( Leach) Aldrich, of Granby, Mass. Her father was a prominent wooled manufacturer, since retired from business, and residing in Granby. The children by this marriage are two,-Cyrus Aldrich, born Sept. 30, 1872, and Mary Louise, boru Sept. 25, 1873.

JOSEPH KNIGHT TAYLOR.

JOSEPHI KNIGHT TAYLOR was descended in the fourth generation from Ebenezer Taylor, who was one of the first settlers of Granby, Mass., and a noted Indian-fighter. His ancestors were among the early settlers of Hadley, Mass.

Levi, the son of Ebenezer, was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary war, entering the army at the age of sixteen. He was at West Point, and while there witnessed Arnold's flight down the river to the British man-of-war " Vulcan."

His descendants now living remember hearing the old gentleman narrate many anecdotes of the Revolution. Like the Spartan mother, who, when her son went out to battle, said, " Return with your shiekl or upon it," so Levi Taylor's mother said to him, when he left his home to enter the

Continental army, " Levi, never let me hear of vour being a coward."

Willard, the son of Levi, was for many years a deacon of the Congregational Church in Granby, Mass., where he died at the age of forty-eight years. His son, Frederick Taylor, Esq., the father of Joseph Knight Taylor, is a resident of Granby. His business is located in South Had- ley, where he is engaged in the manufacture of paper.

The mother of Joseph K. Taylor was Sarah H., daughter of Rev. Joseph Knight, formerly pastor of the Congrega- tional Church in Granby, Mass.

Joseph Knight Taylor, whose portrait appears upon this page, was born in Granby, Dec. 6, 1840. Flis

Photo, by T. R. Lowis.

Das. M. Sayhon

preliminary education was obtained at Williston Seminary, Easthampton, Mass., entering Amherst College in 1861, where he remained about one year, when he enlisted in Co. F, 37th Massachusetts Infantry. The company was then under command of Capt. George L. Montague. He was promoted to first sergeant, and participated with his regi- ment in many of the battles of the Army of the Potomac.

On Aug. 21, 1864, he was wounded at Charleston, W. Va., where he rose from a sick-bed to accompany his comrades to battle. His wound, which was in the hip, was a severe one. The ball was extracted, and for a time hopes were entertained of his recovery ; and he wrote two letters in a hopeful spirit to his father ; but a relapse fol- lowed, and he died suddenly, nine days after the action, in the field hospital at Sandy Hook, Md. He was a brave

and efficient soldier, and would, undoubtedly, have received a commission had he survived his wound.

Sergt. Taylor belonged to that large class of the promising young men of the country who, leaving their homes and friends, cheerfully took up arms in defense of the imperiled liberties of the nation, and, whether in the duties of the camp, on the weary march, or amidst the clash of arms, did thoroughly and well whatever duty was assigned them.

While his great-grandfather, Levi Taylor, fought to establish a nation, so, ninety years later, Sergt. Taylor fought and died to save it.

His remains hie in the cemetery of his native town, to which they were taken by his bereaved father. On his tombstone are these words :

"Sweet after battle is the tired soldier's rest."

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

up our line of march, whose northern limit was Gettysburg. Our corps protected the rear, crossing the Potomac at Edwards' Ferry, June 27, 1863.

" At four o'clock P. M. on July 2, 1863, we reached the battle- field of Gettysburg, after a forced march of thirty-four miles, marching from nine o'clock P.M., July Ist, without a halt even long enough to make coffee. Almost immediately upon our arrival we were ordered on the double-quick to the support of our left, then hotly engaged in repelling the attack of Long- street's corps. The next day we were kept moving, much of the time at double-quick, from point to point of the line of battle. The heat was intense, and about 20 men fell in the ranks from sun-stroke.

" About three o'clock P. M., while marching from the right to the left centre, we passed through the most terrific shell-fire I ever witnessed, in the first two minutes losing 23 men killed and wounded. The steadiness of the men (exhibited in this, the severest test of the soldier, when he is obliged to receive blows with no chance to give) justly entitles them, beyond anything else, to the proud name of veterans. With no quick- ened step, with no confusion, straight through that feu d'enfer, they marched with a coolness, a steadiness, that deserves the highest praise."

The fighting of the 3d virtually ended the series of terrible confliets which will go down to history as the battle of Gettys- burg. Gen. Lee, satisfied that any attempt at a farther ad- vance would end in irretrievable disaster, withdrew with his decimated battalions toward Virginia.

The Federal army followed the retreating enemy, and on the 19th of July the 6th Army Corps crossed the Potomac and advanced to Manassas Gap, where it took up a position near Warrenton, on the Sulphur Spring Road.

On the 30th of July the 37th was detailed by Gen. Sedg- wick for service in putting down the draft rioters who were disgracing the American name in the city of New York.

Arriving at that place on the 2d of August, the regiment was ordered to Fort Hamilton, and on the night previous to the beginning of the draft it bivouacked on Washington parade-ground, with the exception of two companies, who were stationed in the building where the drawing was to take place. After serving on this duty for three days it was ordered back to Fort Hamilton.

On the 14th of October the regiment was ordered to report to Gen. Halleck, at Washington, and on the 17th it rejoined its old brigade at Chantilly, and followed up the retreating rebel army.

On the 7th of November it was present at the battle of Rap- pahannock Station, though not closely engaged. On the 2d of December the army fell back and went into eamp near Brandy Station, where the regiment remained until the 29th of February, 1864, when it moved to one of its former camps near Madison Court-House. On the 24th of March it was tranferred to the 4th Brigade, 2d Division, 6th Corps.

At the commencement of the Wilderness compaign, May 4, 1864, the regiment numbered 29 offieers and 580 enlisted men present for duty. In the dreadful battles of the 5th and 6th of May the regiment was in the thickest of the fray and suf- fered severely, losing 150 men killed, wounded, and missing, among whom were Capts. J. L. Hayden and R. P. Lincoln, and Lieut. Chalmers.

On the 12th of May the regiment was again closely engaged, and captured a stand of colors from the enemy. From this date to the 2d of July it was constantly on duty in various directions, and on the 9th of July, along with the 6th Corps, it embarked for the defense of Washington against Gen. Early. At this time it numbered 17 officers and 308 men. Arriving at Washington, it was engaged in the affair at Fort Stevens on the 12th, where it lost 7 men, killed and wounded. On the 14th of July it was furnished with the Spencer repeat- ing-rifle. August 21st it was engaged in skirmishing nearly the whole day and lost 17 men, killed and wounded.

On the 16th of September the veterans and recruits of the 7th and 10th Massachusetts Regiments were consolidated with the 37th, pursuant to Special Order No. 302, War Depart- ment. This added 73 men to its ranks.

On the 19th of September the regiment, now numbering 296 guns, crossed the Opequan Creek and encountered the enemy in an action which lasted until dark, when they were driven through Winchester. In this affair the colors of Stonewall Jackson's old regiment were taken from the enemy. The 37th was warmly commended for its services on this occasion.

The regiment was engaged in provost duty at Winchester until the 13th of December, when it was ordered to Washing- ton, and thence to the 6th Corps, in front of Petersburg, where it was eneamped until April, 1865, with two short interruptions. These were on the occasions of the affairs at Hatcher's Run and Dabb's Mills, on the 5th and 7th of February, and on the 25th of March, at the time the enemy captured Fort Stedman, in the opening of the campaign of 1865. It was ordered to the lines in front of the fort, but had only marched a part of the distance when it was announced that the fort had been re-taken and the enemy driven into his own lines.

On the Ist of April the 37th participated in the attack upon the rebel lines, and was the first regiment to enter Petersburg, which surrendered to Col. Edwards.

On the 6th, after a four days' march, it was present and en- gaged in the last battle of the war, at Amelia Court-llouse. The following account of the share taken by the 37th is from the official report :

" At noon we had made a march of twenty-five miles, double-quicking nearly eight miles of the way, and were con- fronting the enemy, with a deep stream between us. Our brigade was on the extreme right of the line, and the 37th oc- cupied the left of the brigade. Rushing like an avalanche across Saylor's Creek, with the water up to our arm-pits, we dislodged the enemy from the opposite bank and drove them over the crest of the hill.

" Beyond the stream, for a quarter of a mile, we advanced through a thick growth of underbrush, fighting as we went. The firing waxed hotter and hotter, until suddenly we found, to our dismay, that the regiment on our right had given way and the brigade on our left had broken the connection and halted some distance back. We were lost to our friends. Our nearest neighbor was our foe. The rebels came pouring down upon us, and within a few seconds had attacked and enveloped both flanks of the regiment. A hand-to-hand conflict ensued. Many men were wounded with the bayonet, and pistol-shots were freely exchanged.

" Meanwhile, the Spencer rifle was working the havoc for which it was intended. All down the front of our regiment the gaps that our fire opened in the enemy's ranks were fear- ful. They had started to attack us massed in heavy columns ; scattered fragments only reached us. They eame, throwing down their guns, raising their hands, and imploring a cessation of the fire. After the battle more than 70 corpses were counted on the ground in our immediate front ; and when we consider that the proportion of the slain to the disabled on the field of battle is usually only as 1 to 6, it will be seen that the carnage was terrific. Among the prisoners who fell into our hands was Maj .- Gen. Custis Lee, the son of the commander- in-chief of the rebel armies. We lost in this engagement 8 men killed and 31 wounded.

" Sergt. Bolton was a veteran, transferred to our regiment from the 10th Massachusetts Volunteers. He was one of the most perfeet soldiers the regiment could boast; was always a courteous gentleman, and lion-hearted in battle. After passing unscathed through nearly four years of the battles of the Army of the Potomae, he fell in the very last engagement of the war, just as his comrades were rejoicing in the finale of their hard labors.

"Capt. Hopkins commanded the regiment in the engage-

154

HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

ments of the 2d and 6th of April, and received great praise for the skill with which he handled his command. He was twice brevetted for his gallantry in battle. After the battle of Saylor's Creek, we followed the track of Lee's army until it surrendered, on the 9th, near Appomattox Court-House."

On the 18th of May, 1865, the regiment began its homeward march. It was reviewed on the 15th of June in Washing- ton, and left for Massachusetts on the 22d of the same month. It was finally mustered out and disbanded at Readville on the Ist of July. The following officers were killed or died in the service : Assist. Surg. J. J. Ellis, March 27, 1863, died of dis- ease ; Capt. Franklin W. Pease, May 14, 1864, died of wounds ; Lieut. Charles S. Bardwell, Oct. 6, 1864, died at Winchester, Va .; Lieut. George E. Cook, May 12, 1864, died of wounds ; Lieut. J. Foltansbee, May 23, 1864, died in hospital.

FORTY-SIXTH INFANTRY .*

The 46th Regiment included five companies from Hampden County,-viz., A, B, C, D, and E,-besides individuals in other companies. It was mustered into service in September and October, 1862, and was assigned to the Department of North Carolina. It arrived at Newbern on the 15th of November, 1862, and was placed in the brigade commanded by Col. Horace C. Lee, of the 27th Massachusetts.

Soon after its arrival, and while encamped on the Neuse River, two of its companies, A and K, were detached and assigned to outpost duty at Newport barracks, of which post Capt. Spooner was placed in command. During the winter the regiment remained most of the time in camp, engaged in fatigue duties and in perfecting its drill and discipline. It took part in the Goldsboro' expedition in December, 1862, and January, 1863, and returned to its camp on the 23d of Jan- uary.

The detached companies soon after rejoined the regiment, and its duties were continued, large details being made each day to work on the fortifications, until the 13th of March, when the enemy showed his columns in force in front of the place and evinced a determination to attempt its capture. A strong demonstration was made on the Trent road, and the 5th and 46th Massachusetts Regiments were assigned important positions in the defense. But, the enemy attacking on the north side of the Neuse River, Gen. Palmer, commanding the division to which these regiments belonged, withdrew his command inside the fortifications.

On the 14th of March the 46th was sent out on the Trent road to reinforce Col. Amory, but only had the satisfaction of following a retreating enemy during the three following days. From the date of its return to camp until March 26th it was en- gaged in its old duties. On the last-mentioned date, with the exception of two companies, the regiment was sent to Ply- mouth, N. C., a very important post, then heavily threatened by the rebels.

Under command of Col. Pickett, of the 25th Massachusetts Infantry, the whole land-force was employed in strength- ening and completing the fortifications.

The town of Washington was besieged during eighteen days by the enemy, and all this time the force under Col. Pickett worked uninterruptedly within sound of the besiegers' guns, expecting every hour that their own turn would come. But the enemy at length withdrew from the contest, having been defeated in every attempt, and the garrison at Plymouth escaped unscathed.

On the 8th of May the regiment went into barracks on the Neuse River, where it was employed in the construction of fortifications during the remainder of its stay, with the ex- ception of the period occupied in the expedition against the enemy's outposts at Dover Swamp, about eight miles from Kinston, which attack was eminently successful.

During the absence of the regiment at Plymouth, the de-

tachment left at Newbern took an active part in the defense of that place against a second threatened attack. It was also employed upon outpost duty at Bachelder's Creek, where it served with the command of Col. Jones, commanding the line of outposts, and rendered gallant and efficient service in hold- ing the position against a most determined attack made by the enemy on the 23d of May. In this severe encounter Col. Jones was killed, and in consequence of this deplorable event the detachment did not receive a just recognition of its services on the occasion.

Capt. Tifft received most honorable mention in connection with this affair for great bravery and soldierly conduct in holding his position when the command of Col. Jones, demor- alized for an instant by the fall of their leader, had fallen back. The brave captain valiantly held his post until discov- ered and relieved.

" The nine months' service, reckoning from the date of their muster into service, of five of the companies of the 46th Regi- ment expired on the 25th of June. It had been decided by the War Department that the term must be reckoned from the day of the muster in of the last, or tenth, company. This giving dissatisfaction on account of lengthening the terms of several other of the nine months' regiments, Gen. Foster issued a circular, leaving it to the option of the men to go home or remain. The 4th remained. Over 100 of the regi- ment re-enlisted, under command of Col. Frankle, who was recruiting at Newbern a regiment of heavy artillery," the 2d Massachusetts.

On the 23d of June the regiment reported to Gen. Halleck at Washington, D. C., for orders, and was assigned to Gen. Dix's command; which was preparing for a demonstration upon the rebel capital. Before reporting for duty, however, it was found that Gen. Dix did not desire the services of troops whose terms had so nearly expired ; and, upon the proposition of Gen. Naglee, the nine months' regiments were ordered to report to Gen. Schenck at Baltimore, Md., where the 46th was assigned to duty in the brigade of Gen. Tyler, command- ing the exterior defenses of that city. The brigade of nine months' men was stationed at "Camp Bradford," where it was employed in guard and patrol duty until the 6th of July, when it was ordered to occupy Maryland Heights, arriving there on the 7th of July. The brigade performed picket duty on the Sharpsburg road until July 11th, when it was sent to join the main Army of the Potomac.

It joined the Ist Corps, where it remained, momentarily ex- pecting orders for active operations, until the day on which the Army of the Potomac crossed the river at Berlin, when orders were received for the brigade to proceed to Massachu- setts for the purpose of being mustered out. On the 21st of July the 46th reached Springfield, and was mustered out of the service by Capt. Gardner.

The total losses of the 46th during its term of service were reported at 215 men, of whom 33 died of sickness.

CHAPTER XXXIIIt FIFTY-SECOND REGIMENT.

THIS regiment was recruited in the counties of Hampshire and Franklin in 1862, and served till August, 1863.

It was organized at Camp Miller, Greenfield, with the fol- lowing officers : Colonel, H. S. Greenleaf; Lieutenant-Colonel, S. J. Storrs ; Major, Henry Winn ; Surgeon, F. A. Sawyer ; Chaplain, J. F. Moors.

The regiment embarked for the Gulf of Mexico, on board the steamer " Illinois," on the 19th of November, 1862, and

t The greater, and by far the most interesting, portion of this chapter has been compiled from "The Color-Guard," by Rev. James K. Hosmer. # Nine months.

* Nine months.

EDWIN C. CLARK.

EDWIN C. CLARK, son of Allen and Sophia Cook Clark, was born in Northampton, Oct. 23, 1826. Here he passed his boyhood, and was educated in the public schools. In 1849, when the " gold fever" swept over the land, he, like many other adventurous spirits, left for California, where he worked in the mines one year, and returned to Northampton. Here he remained one season, and then went to New York, and was with Beebe & Co. four years, at the expiration of which time he again returned to his native county, and located in Southampton. In this town he conducted the lumber business for four years, then returned to Northampton and en-

gaged in the livery business, where he has since remained.

At the breaking out of the Rebellion he promptly -in April, 1861-enlisted in a rifle company ; but the government declining to accept a single company, he, with others, recruited Company A, 27th Regi- ment Massachusetts Volunteers, and was commis- sioned second lieutenant. His war record he may well be proud of.

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History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I, Part 47

Author: L.H. Everts & Co Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts Number of Pages: 700

Author: L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts
Number of Pages: 700