History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

"Battle of Chancdlorsvilk. — Sergt. Samuel Webster, of Sprague, who carried the United States flag, was 50 TIISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. wounded in the arm, and wa3 afterwards transferred to the Invalid Corps. "Battle of Morton's Ford. — Sergt. Amory Allen, of Hartford, bearer of the United States flag, and Corp. liiibert A. Cliadwick, of Kast Lyme, one of the color- guard, were killed in cliarging upon the enemy. Corp. John Hirst, of Roekville, took the flag after Sergt. Allen fell, and carried it during the remainder of the engagement. "Biitl/co/ Hatcher's Ran. — Corp. Henry Hospodsky, of Roekville, was wounded while acting as color- guard. "Battle of the Wi/dernen.^. — On the morning of the second day's fight the brigade to which the Four- teenth belonged drove back the rebel outposts for up- wards of half a mile. The enemy was then heavily reinforced, and poured in uj)on us perhaps the most destructive fire we ever experienced. After a severe conflict the brigade, as an organization, including the general commanding and his start', fell back nearly or quite to the cross-roads from whence we started in the morning. The colors of the Fourteenth, however, did not fall back more thau about a hundred yards, and were the only ones which were not swejit away by the deadly hail. It being almost impossilde to hear an order in the horrible din, the adjutant took the color-bearer by the shoulder, and, pointing to the trunk of a fallen tree, shouted for him to kneel by it. Many officers and men of the Fourteenth then rallied around the colors, together with a handful from other regiments. Other members of the Fourteenth ex- ten<Kil the lino by dci)loying as skirmishers and fight- ing from behind trees, Indian fashion. They com- pletely cheeked tlie rebel line of battle and caused it to fall back in disorder, and 'held the fort' for. several hours, until relieved by fresh troops. Corp. Charles W. Norton, of Berlin, was severely wounded at this time while guarding the flag. Later in the day, during an attack by Longstreet's corps, Corp. Henry K. Lyon, of New Haven, a brave recruit who carried the United States color, was mortally wounded. Handing the flag to Lieut.-Col. Moore, he said, 'Take it, colonel ; I have done my best.' Col. Moore gave it to John Hirst, of Roekville. The regiment at this time was almost surrounded anil in danger of being captured, but Sergt. Hirst brought the flag .safely from the field, and carried it from that time through every battle until he safely deposited it in Hartford after the regiment was mustered out. The State color had also a narrow e.-<eai)e from capture at this time, its bearer having planted it in the ground while attend- ing to his wdunded comrade, Corp. Lyon; but it \vas saved by the promptness and courage of Sergt. Thomp- son. Corp. Robert Wolfe, of Watcrbury, a member of the color-guard, was wounded in this engagement, and sul>«o<|Uently at the battle of Reams' Station. " B'ltt/e 11/ Sjmlt/ii//riiiiin Ctnirl-Iloime. — Following is an extrai't from Col. P'llis' dtTieial report : " ' We captured a greartiumber of prisoners, whom we sent to the rear in charge of Capt. Nickels. We pursued the flying enemy for about a quarter of a mile, when I found our men becoming scattered, our colors in advance of any other trooi)s, and the fire from the enemy's second line of works becoming seri- ous. I therefore ordered our men to fall back to the first line of works. In this line were the enemy's cannon, which were all captured. Many of these guns were turned on the enemy. Two of them were worked by men of the Fourteenth, under direction of Licut.-Col. Moore and Lieut. Morgan. These guns were all drawn ofl' by our men. "'The first State flag of the Fourteenth Regiment, becoming unfit for further use by reason of hard ser- vice, was sent home to Hartford in August, 1863, and its ])lace supplied by another furnished by the State of Connecticut. This in turn, together with its com- ])ani<)n, the United States flag, became at length very dilapidated, so that during the latter part of the war they were but seldom unfurled. Sergt. (afterwards Lieut.) Joseph F. Thompson, of Hartford, who car- ried the State color on many hard-fought fields, and always with credit to himself and regiment, had the good fortune to escajje unwounded. Sergt. John (ieatly, of Hridgci)ort, Corps. George C. Boomer, of Hartford, Fred. W. Beardslcy, of Orange, Andrew Flood, of Chatham, and Eugene Hart, of Hartford, were among their brave defenders, with others whose names the writer regrets that he cannot now remember. From the foregoing incidents, and by reference to the ofticial rejjorts, it will be seen that these colors pas.sed through not only numerous minor actions, but also some of the severest battles of the war, such as An- tietam, Fredericksburg, the Wilderness, etc. They were also present at Gettysburg, when five rebel colors were captured by the Fourteenth. When the enemy had burned the bridge over the Potomac at Harjjcr's Ferry, the men of the Fourteenth fi>rded the river and marched up through the city with fly- ing colors, passing the ruins of the arsenal and the engine-house where Old John Brown had stood at bay against the State of Virginia. As they marched the band played and the battalion joined in the chorus, — "' J(>lia IJrown*n IkmIv lies moulik'iiiig in tlic grave, His Boul goett ninrcliing ou !' " The colors of the Fourteenth also witnessed the fall of Petersburg and the final surrender of (Jen. Lee's army, and floated pmudly U])on the breeze on a cer- tain memorable day in May, l.Sti;"), when the regiment, at the head of the Second Army Corps, marched through the city of Richmond in triumph, passing on the route Libby Prison, Castle Thunder, and Belle Island, where not a few of our men had been con- fined. A Union wonuin, rushing from the crowd, begged the color-sergeant for one of the tattered frag- ments of the United States flag as a relic. They were also unfurled at the grand review at Washington in MILITARY HISTORY. 51 1865, and more rt'cently on Riittle-Flaa: T>i\y at Hart- ford, 8ei)t. 17, 1879. Many other inc-ideiits connected witli their history might be narrated, am! it is to be regretted tliat the names of some of those wlio fell in their immediate defense have eseajied tlie memory of the writer. Perhaps the spirit whirli aniiiiated these men has never been better expressed than in the fol- lowing lines by an anonymous writer in the Atlantic Mouthlij : *' ' " At (Uiwii," ho said. " I bill tliem jill farL-\v»-'Il, To go wlicie bugles rail ami litlis gleam ;" And with tills latest tliuiiglit lie fell asleep And glided into dreum. "* Before liim lay a broad hot plain, Throngh it a level liver slowly drawn : He moved with a vast host, and at its head Streamed banners like the dawn. " 'There came a blinding tla^ili, a deafening ri«ir, .■\nd dissonant cries of terror and ilismuy ; Blood trickled down the river's reedy shore. And with the tlead be lav. ' The morn broke in upon his solemn dre;\m. Yet still with kindling eye, ' Vhere bugles call," ho said, " and rifles gleam, I follow though I die 1" ' Wise youth ! by few is glory's wreath obtaineil. But death or soon or late awaiteth all; To tight in freedom's cause is something gained, And nothing lost to fall.'" TWENTY-TIIIRD KEGIMEXT.- The Twenty-third Kegiment was recruited mainly from Bridgeport, Danljury, Waterbury, Newtown, Fairfield, Georgetown, Bethel, Naugatuel;, Ansonia, Truml)ull, and Watertown, during the months of August, September, and Octol)er, 1802. It was de- signed as a nine-months' regiment, though every man served a year, and some two years before being mus- tered out of service. The companies rendezvoused at Camp Terry, ( )ystt>r Point, New Haven, early in Septendier, where they commenced the drill, and did guard duty until the IGtli of November, when they embarked on the .Sound steamer "Elm City" lor "Camp Buckingham," at Centrevillc Race Course, near Jamaica, L. I. This regiment was under the command of Col. Charles E. L. Holmes, of Waterbury, with Charles W. Wordin, of Bridgeport, for lieutenant-colonel, and David H. Miller, of Georgetown, as nnijor. Camp Buckingham was a mud-hole of the worst possible description, and the Twenty-third |)itclied tents in a rain-storm that lasted a week. November 30th the regiment marched twelve miles to the foot of Atlantic Street, Brooklyn, thence on board the " Che Kiang," a river steamer, totally unfit for " tmtside" weather; and because of being over- « C'ontriliutod by Capt. Wm. H. May. loaded, after three days, C<impanies H and I of the Twenty-Third, with one comi)any of the Tw<'Uty- cighth and another of the Twenty-fifth Coiinectieut Volunteers, were transferred to the barrac'ks at Pier 1, New York. All but these companies left New York City for the Gulf of Me.xieo, on the " Che Kiaug," Dee. .3, 1802. The steamer was lu^arly swamped in a terrific storm on the night of December .5t1i, and the sutfering on board for several days was very great. They arrived at Ship Island on the 11th. The portion of the regiment left in barracks at New York received orders, December 12tli, to go on board the ship " Windermere," while the balance were dis- patched on the shij) "Planter," an old hulk that was wrecked oft' Florida Keys. A few strtigglers reached Louisiami on the ship " Alice Couuee." These divisions arrived at New (Jrleans at long in- tervals apart, and when once there were assigned to guard duty along the eighty miles of the New (_)rlean.s, (J]>elousas and Great \\'estern Kailroail, and kept at such duty almo.st continuously till their term of ser- vice had exjiired, though they repeatedly asked that they might be relieved and sent to the front. The Twenty-third was never brigaded, but left to itself, shunned by paymasters for many months, kejit a year instead of nine months in service, and its officers, most of them, confined nearly fourteen months in rebel prison-pens.