connyankee
Member
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Another great thread. I've lived on CT for the last 30 years or so, uh but I weren't born here. I grew up in New Jersey, uh but I weren't born there either. Actually, I was born on Lawngisland, New York. I guess it's only natural that I take particular note of the histories of these three states and their monuments and markers placed here and there in this land.
Of course, there are no CW battlefields in these parts (thank God) but what we do have are guns - lots of guns were manufactured in the area. If you happen by, please do visit the Springfield Armory in Springfield Mass. I'm not a gun nut, other than what is necessary to understand the war and how it was fought, but Springfield has a massive and interesting gun collection. Due to space limitations they only display a part of what they have. The other big collections I've seen are at Chickamauga Visitor Center and Gettysburg. I always look at the nameplates on the guns and find that many were made in the towns hereabouts where I live. The Armory never could produce enough rifle muskets so they contracted out to private companies in the area.
Of CT troops, the 27th Infantry had a tough time of it. They were a 9-month regiment formed in New Haven in Oct of '62. They were originally issued Austrian-made muskets and some were told if the rifles didn't fire to use the bayonet. Nice thing to tell your men when they are about to pitch in. These guys lost a third of their number at Fredericksburg. They were surrounded at Chancellorsville and captured - save two companies that were detached for other duty. At Gettysburg, they were, I think, the smallest regiment in the AoP and were sent into the Wheatfield where their Colonel (Merwin) and Brigade Commander (Zook) were killed. One account says that on the 3rd day, they mustered about 15 men. They were mustered out of the army at the end of July with their regimental flag.
Also at Gettysburg were the equally misfortuned 17th infantry who, while attempting to relieve PA reserves at Blocher's/Barlow's Knoll, turned and bolted to the rear when a Confederate shell burst in the face of the 17th's Lt. Col Fowler which in the words of LBG Gary Kross, helped start a chain of events that led the entire Union line to break down right-to-left and retreat through the town - all because one Lt. Col lost his head in battle.
At Antietam, the 11th CT had the misfortune of being one of the first units to try crossing Burnside's Bridge. The 8th CT were hit in the broadsides by A.P. Hill, late in the day.
I thought I'd mention also the 1st CT Heavy Artillary, since many of the pictures you see of people manning the seige guns around Richmond and Petersburg are of the 1st. I was mightily impressed when I visited Fort Brady on the James River and to take a photograph from the exact same spot as the photo that I am sure you are familiar with showing the 1st posing with a line of parrot rifles. That was awsome! Yep, everything is here - even the bombproof off to the right (big 'ol tree growing out of it though).
Last, but not least (weary), I got myself wrapped up in the story of the sub Hunley so I visited Charleston a couple of times and even attended the funeral of the last crew. It is someting that I will never forget. The CT connection, of course, is one Ezra Chamberlain of the 7th CT whose personal ID medallion was found on the sub. Nobody knows for sure how or why it got there and it will probably remain a mystery. Chamberlain was reported killed on Morris Island in 1863, buried there and most likely reburied at Beaufort, S.C. There is a gravestone in the family plot for Ezra at Old Westfield Cemetery in Danielson (Killingly), CT. Being an inquistive beast of sorts, I wandered out there one Sunday and located it. Hint: look for the family plot of "Miller" and you can find it in the old section. State archeologists have been there to poke around and satisfied themselves that there is no body in the grave. It was not at all uncommon for a family to place a family marker for a member lost in the war even if they could not retrieve a body. Good stuff to talk about. Hope I didn't leave you sleepy.
connyankee
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