CHAPTER XV.

The Summer of 1862.- The Fourteenth Regiment called for. The Military Situation. - Appeal of the Executive. - Enthusiastic Response by the People. - War-Meetings and Local Effort. - Recruiting Committees. The Fourteenth full.-New Haven raises the Fifteenth. - Hartford recruits the Sixteenth. - Seventeenth from Fairfield County. Eighteenth from New London County.-Nineteenth from Litchfield County. Twentieth and Twenty-first organized. - The Second Battery goes from Bridgeport. All assigned to the "Army of the Potomac."

URING the winter of 1861-2, the Union forces made constant inroads upon the Rebellion; and the magnificent prophecies of Mr. Seward seemed about to be fulfilled. The War De

partment issued orders, April 3, discontinuing the recruiting service in every State. Men about to enlist turned gratefully to peaceful pursuits, assured that no more soldiers would be needed. When, May 16, the Secretary of War made a requisition on Gov. Buckingham for six hundred men to fill up the Eighth, Tenth, and Eleventh Regiments, it is not surprising that the response of the people was feeble. The government had justified the impression that the army was strong enough for any probable contingency. Moreover, there was a demand for labor; and wages were high. The requisition not being met, it was modified to a call for another regiment to join the fifty thousand men designed for the "camp of instruction" at Annapolis. The governor summoned volunteers for the Fourteenth Dwight Morris of Bridgeport was commissioned to be its colonel; Dexter R. Wright of Meriden, lieutenantcolonel; and S. H. Perkins of Torrington, major. Companies were begun in Norwich, Waterbury, and Bridgeport; but the recruiting-sergeants met with little success. This state

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of apathy continued, while the Army of the Potomac was experiencing strange vicissitudes.

The Federal arms had been everywhere victorious until this midsummer of 1862. The Union troops had overrun and occupied Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee; the national flag was again unfurled in New Orleans; while the Atlantic seacoast was being brought under Federal rule in accordance with Scott's "anaconda" plan. Suddenly the tide of battle seemed to turn. The repulse of the gunboats in their attack on Fort Darling was followed by the failures of McClellan; Hunter's foothold in the Carolinas became precarious; and again the enemy advanced in the West.

This loss of ground caused great public solicitude, which resulted in a letter of the loyal governors to President Lincoln, urging him "to call upon the States for such numbers of men as might, in his judgment, be necessary to garrison and hold all the numerous cities and military positions that have been captured by our armies, and to speedily crush the Rebellion." The president immediately, July 1, issued a call for three hundred thousand volunteers for three years.

The quota of this State, under this call, was fixed at seven thousand one hundred and forty-five. Gov. Buckingham immediately issued the following appeal for volunteers:

CITIZENS OF CONNECTICUT, You are again called upon to rally to the support of the government. In the name of our common country, I call upon you to enroll your names for the immediate formation of six or more regiments of infantry to be used in suppressing the Rebellion. Our troops may be held in check, and our sons die on the battle-field; but the cause of civil liberty must be advanced, the supremacy of the government must be maintained. Prompt and decisive action will be economy in men and money. By our delay, the safety of our armies, even of the nation, may be imperiled. The Rebellion, contending with the desperation of a hopeless and wicked cause, must be met with equal energy. Close your manufactories and workshops, turn aside from your farms and your business, leave for a while your families and your homes, meet face to face the enemies of your liberties! Haste, and you will rescue many noble men now struggling against superior numbers, and speedily secure the blessings of peace and good government.

Given under my hand and the seal of the State, at New Haven, this third day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.

By his Excellency's command:

J. H. TRUMBULL, Secretary of State.

WM. A. BUCKINGHAM.

A bounty was now offered each volunteer, of a hundred dollars from the Federal Government, and ninety dollars from the State; and all the recruiting machinery was put in active operation. Authority to enlist was granted to young men in every county, accompanied with a commission as second lieutenant, to be forfeited in case of failure. All expenses incurred for subsistence, quarters, transportation, &c., prior to muster, were borne by the United States. A stirring circular letter was written by Adjutant-Gen. J. D. Williams to the selectmen of towns, appealing to them to hold local war-meetings "to set forth to the people the exigencies of the present hour," "to pledge private means to assist volunteers or their families," and to encourage enlistments in every way, and appoint men "of energetic habits and patriotic impulses to act as recruiting-officers."

The response was spontaneous and vigorous. Again party differences seemed laid aside or forgotten, and the predominant love of country asserted itself. Enlisting, and persuading others to enlist, became once more the business of the hour. Every county was thronged with recruiting-officers. Almost every town held a war-meeting, and offered an additional bounty for men. In most cases, this was made fifty dollars at first, and increased to a hundred dollars, for each man. Windsor Locks early voted a hundred and twenty-five dollars, and increased it to a hundred and fifty dollars. Bridgewater also voted a hundred and fifty dollars. Hartford and New Ilaven gave a hundred and seventy-five dollars bounty. Enfield gave two hundred dollars, and Bloomfield and Watertown even as high as two hundred and fifty dollars. This generous rivalry was an effective agent; but it created great confusion in determining the proper credits and quotas. Prominent citizens acted as committees to forward enlistments, so that the government had an agent in every neighborhood. Mass-meetings were held in the cities and large villages, and the newspapers of the State were full of appeals and local military news. Hartford, New Haven, Norwich, Bridgeport, and Litchfield became centers of enlistment; and the mind and heart of the State were given supremely to the work. The result was seen in the fact, that, within forty

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five days, eight thousand and thirty-six men had volunteered, and were organized into eight full regiments and one light battery. Connecticut was the first State to fill her quota under the call, and a surplus of nearly one thousand had volunteered. Gen. Daniel Tyler came home, and rendered great service in equipping these regiments, and preparing them for the field.

The lonely squads that had been drilling for weeks as the nucleus of the Fourteenth were now immediately reinforced. Large war-meetings to this end were held in Bridgeport, Norwich, Middletown, Waterbury, New Haven, New Britain, Madison, Saybrook, New London, and the towns in Tolland County; the regiment being recruited from the State at large. It rendezvoused at Camp Foote, on the NewHaven Turnpike, near Hartford,-grounds which the Fifth formerly occupied. The colors of the regiment were furnished by the State.

Towns were represented in the regiment as follows: Company A, Capt. James D. Merritt, Bridgeport, forty-six; Putnam, eight; Stratford, six; Norwalk, five; Trumbull, four. Company B, Capt. Elijah W. Gibbons, Middletown, eightyseven; Durham, six. Company C, Capt. Samuel W. Carpenter, Waterbury, ninety. Company D, Capt. Thomas F. Burpee, Vernon, seventy-three; Ellington, eleven. Company E, Capt. William H. Tubbs, Norwich, eighteen; Middletown, sixteen; Hartford, fourteen; and twenty from Windham County. Company F, Capt. Jarvis E. Blinn, New Britain, sixty-three; Bloomfield, fifteen; Berlin, thirteen. Company G, Capt. Samuel F. Willard, Madison, fifty-three; Old Saybrook, ten; Westbrook, eight; Clinton, twelve. Company H, Capt. Samuel H. Davis, New London, fifty-nine; Waterford, twenty; East Lyme, five. Company I, Capt. Isaac R. Bronson, New Haven, twenty; Hartford, twelve; Guilford, twenty-five. Company K, Capt. James B. Coit, Hartford, fifteen; Norwich, nineteen; Chatham, twelve; Somers, Griswold; and Ledyard, fifteen.

On Aug. 25, with a numerical strength of a thousand and fifteen officers and men, it left Hartford on the steamer City of Hartford and the propeller Dudley Buck. At New York, it was transferred to cars for Washington.

The remaining seven regiments were recruited by counties. A large and spirited meeting was held at Music Hall, New Haven, as early as the 8th of July. Com. Foote presided; and speeches were made by Gov. Buckingham, Senator Dixon, Rev. Dr. Bacon, and Charles Chapman, of Hartford. It was resolved to put a regiment (the Fifteenth) into the field immediately. A recruiting committee was appointed, of which the active men were William S. Charnley, H. M. Welch, H. B. Harrison, S. D. Pardee, William H. Russell, A. D. Osborne, P. A. Pinkerman, Francis Wayland, jr., J. W. King, E. S. Quintard, D. J. Peck, Lyman Cowles, Lucius R. Finch, Wyllis Bristol, C. A. Lindsley, John Woodruff, Lucius Gilbert, E. J. Sanford, Eli Whitney, B. S. Bryan, James H. Lansing, J. C. Hollister, J. D. Candee, D. H. Carr, E. Downes, C. S. Bushnell, Charles W. Elliot, D. C. Gilman, Rev. William T. Eustis, John A. Porter, C. B. Rogers, John W. Farren, R. S. Fellows, L. R. Smith, H. E. Pardee, Alexander McAllister, H. D. White, N. D. Sperry.

At the first meeting of the committee, it was resolved to "postpone absolutely, for the present, all topics of dispute;" and authority was received from the governor to raise a regiment, and nominate its field-officers. Recruiting began without delay. Sessions of the committee were held from day to day. The organization was called "the Lyon Regiment;" and it was voted to distribute fifteen hundred dollars as an extra bounty among the first six companies raised within four weeks to the maximum number.

A vote was passed instructing the committee about to visit Washington (Hollister, Candee, and Sperry) to request the Secretary of War to cause the arrest and confinement of all persons discouraging enlistments in New-Haven County.

The camp was located at Oyster Point, where the Seventh had rendezvoused. Oyster Point soon became, and afterwards remained, a favorite resort of the citizens; for fathers, mothers, wives, and cousins; for patriotic and tender-hearted young women, who rode down to distribute needle-books, sweet pickles, bouquets, and smiles; for patriotic but reluctant young men, who rode down to discharge their surplus