THE MILITARY AND CIVIL HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT DURING THE WAR OF 1861-65. COMPRISING A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE VARIOUS REGIMENTS AND BATTERIES, THROUGH MARCH, ENCAMPMENT, BIVOUAC, AND BATTLE; ALSO INSTANCES OF DISTINGUISHED PERSONAL GALLANTRY, AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF MANY HEROIC SOLDIERS: TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE PATRIOTIC ACTION OF CITIZENS AT HOME, AND OF THE LIBERAL SUPPORT FURNISHED BY THE STATE IN ITS EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENTS. BY W. A. CROFFUT AND JOHN M. MORRIS. ILLUSTRATED. THIRD EDITION, REVISED. NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY LEDYARD BILL, 75 FULTON STREET. 1869. 4345 1870, Jan. 29. of Hartford, Conn. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by LEDYARD BILL, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. GEO. C. RAND & Avery, Stereotypers and Printers, BOSTON. Το JOHN TURNER WAIT, LATE SPEAKER OF THE CONNECTICUT HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; A PATRIOT WHOSE ONLY SON FELL IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRY, AND WHOSE MANY ACTS OF KINDNESS HAVE ENDEARED HIM TO THE SOLDIERS OF CONNECTICUT; THIS VOLUME, THE RECORD OF THEIR SERVICES AND SUFFERINGS, IS CORDIALLY DEDICATED. who were lifted up in the gaze of all the world; but there is a sense pain and profound sorrow in the consciousness that it is impossible render justice to the nameless rank and file who never wore even a corp ral's chevron, but held to their duty with sublime patience. The last of t color-guard, who seized the standard that had dropped from the relax grasp of his comrades, and bore it on, and planted it and stood by it on t edge of the rebel rifle-pit; the martyr who perished in prison, and ev since has been marked "missing" upon the roll of regimental casualtie the thousand glorious obscure, who were mown down by the flaming bla of battle, and died singing songs of triumph, and praying for the establis ment of Liberty and Law, these are the true heroes and martyrs of the wars of the world. But, in a book of limited scope, we have no alte native but to mention the officer as the unit standing for his command. Connecticut sent to the struggle fifty thousand soldiers in her own re ments, and probably half as many more in the regiments of other State A simple catalogue of their names and muster would fill two books as lar as this; while a complete chronicle of the service of all her faithful so would require a volume for each. Yet we have striven to record every a of conspicuous gallantry or merit that has come to our knowledge, witho regard to rank, feeling rather that rare devotedness was nobler in the u titled hero, who had little incentive of military ambition, and little hop that his deed would ever be marked or mentioned. In treating of affairs at home, we have kept strictly to what had a dire bearing on the war; and, in touching upon local politics, we have writt in the spirit of fairness. In presenting the statistics of patriotic benevolence we confess to a di appointment. No people beset by war ever gave, of their own free will, lavishly as ours; and we hoped to compile a record of this liberality, specific and so remarkable, as to amaze the dwellers in this peaceful la when our villages shall have become cities, and our farms suburban garden But we find that our towns, societies, and churches kept, in most instance no systematic record whatever. The meager facts submitted will probab be received as possessing a certain interest and value. It is also proper to say that the portraits which appear in this volun have been selected with regard not only to the merits of the subjects, b also to the desirableness of representing different regiments, every ran and all sections of the State. Instead of relying upon some officer of each regiment to write the h tory of its service, we have preferred to have the whole book grow up u der our own hand; and to this end we have gathered facts with diligen and care from official reports, diaries, scrap-books, newspapers, priva letters, personal interviews, and every available source, seeking corrobor tion as far as practicable. By this, we have incurred an enormous labo but we have secured absolute impartiality, and have attained, we tru substantial accuracy, even in the multiplicity of detail and circumstance. |