10th Connecticut Regiment Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 10th Connecticut Regiment Infantry was one of Connecticut
's most successful civil war
regiments, compling an exemplary record of service in the Union Army
. The 10th Regiment saw action in the coastal campaign during the early years of the war, which culminated with the siege of Charleston
. The 10th went on to fight the trench battles
of Richmond
, earning praise from Union generals and Ulysses S. Grant
. The 10th was active at the war’s very end, when they blocked Robert E. Lee
’s attempt to escape from Virginia
. And, the 10th was present at Appomattox Court House
when Lee surrendered to Grant. All told, the 10th regiment fought in twenty three battle
s and at least as many bloody skirmishes.
, in the summer of 1861, volunteers poured into the Union army ranks. In September, members of the 10th regiment started arriving at Camp Buckingham in Hartford
. Members of the 10th regiment came from Connecticut towns large and small, including, Hartford, New Haven
, Derby
, Manchester
, Sprague
, New London
, Stamford
and Greenwich
. After a few months at Camp Buckingham, the 10th regiment headed down to Annapolis, M.D.
for additional training before joining General Burnside’s
North Carolina Expedition to blockade vital Confederate ports.
in North Carolina
. After a harrowing sea voyage through a violent storm
, during which hundreds of Connecticut soldiers perished due to illness
, the Tenth was put ashore on the North Carolina coast. [5]
The two day battle for Roanoke Island started with Union gunboat
s bombarding the Confederate positions. The Tenth faced a daunting task trying to dislodge the 3,000 enemy defenders. Captain Pardee of the Tenth wrote, “ They had three pieces of artillery
fronting and commanding this clearing; and large numbers of riflemen
perched in trees, behind the turfed walls and under all possible covers.”
The Tenth along with the other Connecticut units made a determined advance and completely routed the Confederates. After the victory, the Tenth was recognized for their bravery and excellent soldierly actions by commanding General John G. Foster
. The Tenth also won praise from their comrades in the 8th Connecticut Volunteers, being written about as “the gallant Connecticut Tenth”.
The Tenth sustained the heaviest losses in the Battle of Roanoke Island
in North Carolina by any regiment engaged, with 56 soldiers killed or wounded.
and attack a Confederate position at Newbern, North Carolina, a strategic coastal town, west of the Outer Banks.
On the morning of March 13, General Burnside ordered the entire brigade to advance on the Confederate position. The Confederates had established a long line of impressive defensive fortification
s manned by 7,000 soldiers and a large number of heavy artillery.
Here, a heavy and sustained rifle fire from the Tenth Connecticut weakened parts of the Confederate line. This allowed the 8th Connecticut
and 4th Rhode Island
troops to charge and begin the rout of the enemy forces. Newbern was soon under Union control.
In his report, General Foster praised the men of the Tenth, writing, “...(the Tenth) advanced..., in line of battle, fired with the most remarkable steadiness,..., giving and taking the most severe fire.”
Action at Rawls Mills, N.C.
The Tenth remained in Newbern all throughout the summer of 1862. The next action for the Tenth came in November 1862, when the regiment was ordered to attack a rebel supply route near Rawls Mills, N.C. The Tenth was out in front of the Union troops, the first to take fire in leading the advance. Rebel troops were pushed back repeatedly as the Union troops marched through Williamston
and continued on to capture Rainbow Fort on the Roanoke River
. Two weeks later, the Tenth was back in Newbern having accomplished their mission.
attack on the Confederate capital of Richmond and to cut off the Wilmington Railroad. The first encounter with the Confederate forces was near the Kinston Bridge over the Neuse River.
The advance of the first two lines of Union troops was halted by the Confederate resistance and swamp
terrain. Here, General Foster called on the Tenth to make a breakthrough. The Tenth pressed the attack through a hailstorm of bullets. They charged the Confederate positions, and, after half an hour of murderous, close-range, rifle-exchanges, the Tenth gained the upper hand.
The Confederate lines collapsed. As they retreated, the Confederate troops set fire to the strategic Kinston bridge
. Undeterred, the Tenth managed to douse the flames, capture the bridge and drive off the enemy forces. In this battle, the Tenth captured 100 Confederate soldiers and all of the Confederate artillery.
This had been the most difficult fighting that the Tenth had experienced, thus far. The losses were large, both in officers and enlisted ranks. Of the three hundred and sixty officers and men sent into action, over a third were killed in action or died within four days of the battle. General Foster again hailed the Tenth as the “bravest among the brave”.
Goldsborough Expedition, N.C.
The tattered Tenth was given no time to rest. The regiment moved on toward the town of Goldsborough, N.C. Again the Tenth was at the front of the Union force. At Goldsborough the regiment destroyed Confederate railroad tracks and a burned a railroad bridge. With the mission accomplished, the Tenth returned to Newbern, having absorbed one fourth of all Union losses in this expedition.
.
The Tenth finally moved out of Newbern, North Carolina, in January 1863. [22] The regiment was ordered to St. Helena Island, South Carolina, near Charleston
. The Union blockade of Charleston harbor was effective, but the city remained in Confederate hands.
In early July, the Tenth was ordered to join a large-scale assault on Fort Wagner
, situated on nearby Morris Island
. This was part of the second Union attempt to capture Charleston. The Tenth’s main role in the assault was a successful diversionary action. The main attack force consisted of the African American
troops of the 54th Massachusetts
and the 6th Connecticut
, as depicted in the motion picture “Glory”.
The attack on Fort Wagner did not initially succeed, although Union forces did breach the fort’s defenses. After the attack, Union soldiers spent months digging trench
es parallel to the Confederate lines. This tactic eventually proved a successful strategy
as the Confederate troops abandoned Fort Wagner in early September.
Down the Atlantic coast to St. Agustine, Florida
In late October 1863, the Tenth was ordered down the Atlantic coast for rest and recuperation in St. Augustine, Florida
. The men of the Tenth were able to regain their strength at St. Augustine, but the enemy was always nearby. In fact, twenty two soldiers of the regiment were captured and one soldier was killed during a Confederate ambush
. The men of the 10th were escorting a wood chopping
detail near the base when the Confederates attacked.
, in the summer of 1863, had turned the tide of the war. As 1864 began, the Union Armies of the Potomac
and the James
were methodically pushing General Lee’s Army to the strong defenses of the Confederate capital of Richmond.
During February 1864, Connecticut veterans of the war were given furlough
s. Veterans of the Tenth arrived in New Haven on February 19 and then travelled to Hartford. They were warmly received and praised by town and state leaders. Veterans of the Tenth re-enlisted for another three years and inspired new recruits to join the Union cause.
In May 1864, men of the Tenth Connecticut were back on the front line. The regiment was assigned to the Tenth Corps in the Army of the James
. Their first mission was to take the strategic riverfront
s at City Point
and Bermuda Hundred
in Virginia. The 10th regiment and accompanying Union troops accomplished this mission by moving quickly up the James River, surprising the Confederate forces, and landing unopposed. [28]
City Point, situated on the confluence of the James and Appomattox River
s, would later become General Grant’s main headquarters and the Union’s staging area for the siege of Petersburg
and Richmond.
, a strong defensive position on the James River, near Drury’s Bluff and just south of Richmond.
The assault on Fort Darling did not succeed. However, the Tenth fought bravely, mainly in rearguard
action, protecting other Union regiments. Despite this setback, Union troops continued on toward Richmond.
Repelling an attack on the march to Richmond
In early October, the advancing Union army was suddenly counterattacked by Confederate cavalry
and infantry
units. [31] The Tenth fended off the attack despite fighting with an exposed flank, as an adjacent New York
regiment turned and ran when the Confederates charged.
General H.M. Plaisted, commander of the Tenth Army Corps, wrote of the Tenth Connecticut, “In my opinion, the conduct of the Tenth Regiment, when the troops on its right broke and fled, saved the Army of the James.”
By early April, Union forces were at the outer defenses of Petersburg. The Tenth was now poised to attack Fort Gregg, an intimidating defensive position, consisting of well constructed trenches and earthworks
, backed up by many artillery pieces. On April 2 the Tenth, supported by the 100th New York, advanced toward Fort Gregg, facing murderous cannon
and rifle
fire. Many of the Tenth fell far short of their objective. But, the main body of the regiment reached the fort, and there began fierce hand-to-hand combat.
Croffut and Morris wrote of the battle, “The record of modern warfare rarely shows a more desperate encounter than that upon the parapet of Fort Gregg. Union and rebel soldiers were found dead in each others grasp. Thirteen rebels were found inside the fort, killed by bayonet
-thrust; and scores were wounded by the same weapon.”
The Connecticut flag was first to be placed on the parapet of the fort. [36] And, after the brutal struggle, the Tenth Connecticut emerged victorious. Victory came at a high cost. Half of the Tenth’s Fort Gregg assault force were either killed or wounded. After the battle, Major General John Gibbon
, presented to the Tenth Connecticut, an ornate bronze eagle, resting on a globe to place atop the Connecticut state flag. This distinction went to the men of the Tenth for "...for gallant conduct in the assault on Fort Gregg...", as stated by Major General Gibbon.
and looked to link up with General Johnston’s army in North Carolina. At dawn, on April 9, Lee tried to break through Union lines near Appomattox Station, 100 miles west of Richmond. After an initial surge forward by the Confederate troops, the Tenth and First Connecticut Cavalry blocked Lee’s escape. [39] The war lost, Lee signed the surrender
of the Army of Northern Virginia
, just hours later, at Appomattox Court House. The 10th Connecticut was present.
. [40] Soldiers of the Tenth Connecticut left a legacy of bravery, steadiness under fire and a determined fighting spirit.
:Category:People of Connecticut in the American Civil War Connecticut citizens in the American Civil War
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
's most successful civil war
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
regiments, compling an exemplary record of service in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
. The 10th Regiment saw action in the coastal campaign during the early years of the war, which culminated with the siege of Charleston
Siege of Charleston
The Siege of Charleston was one of the major battles which took place towards the end of the American Revolutionary War, after the British began to shift their strategic focus towards the American Southern Colonies. After about six weeks of siege, Continental Army Major General Benjamin Lincoln...
. The 10th went on to fight the trench battles
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, earning praise from Union generals and Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
. The 10th was active at the war’s very end, when they blocked Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
’s attempt to escape from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. And, the 10th was present at Appomattox Court House
Appomattox Court House
The Appomattox Courthouse is the current courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia built in 1892. It is located in the middle of the state about three miles northwest of the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, once known as Clover Hill - home of the original Old Appomattox Court House...
when Lee surrendered to Grant. All told, the 10th regiment fought in twenty three battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
s and at least as many bloody skirmishes.
Formation of the Regiment
The 10th Connecticut Regiment Infantry was originally formed from the 10th Connecticut Volunteers. After the Union loss at the first Battle of Bull RunFirst Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...
, in the summer of 1861, volunteers poured into the Union army ranks. In September, members of the 10th regiment started arriving at Camp Buckingham in Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
. Members of the 10th regiment came from Connecticut towns large and small, including, Hartford, New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, Derby
Derby, Connecticut
Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,391 at the 2000 census. With of land area, Derby is Connecticut's smallest municipality.The city has a Metro-North railroad station called Derby – Shelton.-History:...
, Manchester
Manchester, Connecticut
Manchester is a township and city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 58,241.- History :...
, Sprague
Sprague, Connecticut
Sprague is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town was named after William Sprague, who laid out the industrial section. The population was 2,971 at the 2000 census...
, New London
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, Stamford
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
and Greenwich
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
. After a few months at Camp Buckingham, the 10th regiment headed down to Annapolis, M.D.
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
for additional training before joining General Burnside’s
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
North Carolina Expedition to blockade vital Confederate ports.
Battle of Roanoke Island, N.C. (February 1862)
One of the first objectives for Burnside’s expeditionary force was to capture Roanoke IslandRoanoke Island
Roanoke Island is an island in Dare County near the coast of North Carolina, United States. It was named after the historical Roanoke Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English exploration....
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. After a harrowing sea voyage through a violent storm
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
, during which hundreds of Connecticut soldiers perished due to illness
Illness
Illness is a state of poor health. Illness is sometimes considered another word for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist...
, the Tenth was put ashore on the North Carolina coast. [5]
The two day battle for Roanoke Island started with Union gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
s bombarding the Confederate positions. The Tenth faced a daunting task trying to dislodge the 3,000 enemy defenders. Captain Pardee of the Tenth wrote, “ They had three pieces of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
fronting and commanding this clearing; and large numbers of riflemen
Rifleman
Although ultimately originating with the 16th century handgunners and the 17th century musketeers and streltsy, the term rifleman originated from the 18th century. It would later become the term for the archetypal common soldier.-History:...
perched in trees, behind the turfed walls and under all possible covers.”
The Tenth along with the other Connecticut units made a determined advance and completely routed the Confederates. After the victory, the Tenth was recognized for their bravery and excellent soldierly actions by commanding General John G. Foster
John G. Foster
John Gray Foster was a career military officer in the United States Army and a Union general during the American Civil War whose most distinguished services were in North and South Carolina. A postbellum expert in underwater demolition, he wrote the definitive treatise on the subject.-Early...
. The Tenth also won praise from their comrades in the 8th Connecticut Volunteers, being written about as “the gallant Connecticut Tenth”.
The Tenth sustained the heaviest losses in the Battle of Roanoke Island
Battle of Roanoke Island
The opening phase of what came to be called the Burnside Expedition, the Battle of Roanoke Island was an amphibious operation of the American Civil War, fought on February 7–8, 1862, in the North Carolina Sounds a short distance south of the Virginia border...
in North Carolina by any regiment engaged, with 56 soldiers killed or wounded.
Battle of Newbern, N.C. (March 1862)
After taking Roanoke Island, the next Union objective was to move up the Neuse RiverNeuse River
The Neuse River is a river rising in the Piedmont of North Carolina and emptying into Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately , making it the longest river entirely contained in North Carolina. The Trent River joins it at New Bern. Its drainage basin, measuring in area,...
and attack a Confederate position at Newbern, North Carolina, a strategic coastal town, west of the Outer Banks.
On the morning of March 13, General Burnside ordered the entire brigade to advance on the Confederate position. The Confederates had established a long line of impressive defensive fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s manned by 7,000 soldiers and a large number of heavy artillery.
Here, a heavy and sustained rifle fire from the Tenth Connecticut weakened parts of the Confederate line. This allowed the 8th Connecticut
8th Connecticut Regiment
The 8th Connecticut Regiment also known as 17th Continental Regiment was raised on September 16, 1776 at Danbury, Connecticut. The regiment would see action in the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown and the Battle of Monmouth. The regiment was merged into the 1st Connecticut Regiment on...
and 4th Rhode Island
4th Rhode Island Infantry
4th Regiment, Rhode Island Infantry was organized during the American Civil War from 1861 and 1864.-History:Organized at Providence, 1861. Left state for Washington, D. C., October 2. At Camp Casey till November 28, and at Camp California till December 14. Mustered in October 30, 1861. Attached to...
troops to charge and begin the rout of the enemy forces. Newbern was soon under Union control.
In his report, General Foster praised the men of the Tenth, writing, “...(the Tenth) advanced..., in line of battle, fired with the most remarkable steadiness,..., giving and taking the most severe fire.”
Action at Rawls Mills, N.C.
The Tenth remained in Newbern all throughout the summer of 1862. The next action for the Tenth came in November 1862, when the regiment was ordered to attack a rebel supply route near Rawls Mills, N.C. The Tenth was out in front of the Union troops, the first to take fire in leading the advance. Rebel troops were pushed back repeatedly as the Union troops marched through Williamston
Williamston, North Carolina
Williamston is a town in Martin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,843 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Martin County. The closest major city is Greenville, approx. 28 mi to the southwest.-Geography:...
and continued on to capture Rainbow Fort on the Roanoke River
Roanoke River
The Roanoke River is a river in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States, 410 mi long. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains southeast across the Piedmont...
. Two weeks later, the Tenth was back in Newbern having accomplished their mission.
Battle at Kinston, N.C. (December 1862)
In December 1862, the Tenth moved out of Newbern to support General McClellan’sGeorge B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
attack on the Confederate capital of Richmond and to cut off the Wilmington Railroad. The first encounter with the Confederate forces was near the Kinston Bridge over the Neuse River.
The advance of the first two lines of Union troops was halted by the Confederate resistance and swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
terrain. Here, General Foster called on the Tenth to make a breakthrough. The Tenth pressed the attack through a hailstorm of bullets. They charged the Confederate positions, and, after half an hour of murderous, close-range, rifle-exchanges, the Tenth gained the upper hand.
The Confederate lines collapsed. As they retreated, the Confederate troops set fire to the strategic Kinston bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
. Undeterred, the Tenth managed to douse the flames, capture the bridge and drive off the enemy forces. In this battle, the Tenth captured 100 Confederate soldiers and all of the Confederate artillery.
This had been the most difficult fighting that the Tenth had experienced, thus far. The losses were large, both in officers and enlisted ranks. Of the three hundred and sixty officers and men sent into action, over a third were killed in action or died within four days of the battle. General Foster again hailed the Tenth as the “bravest among the brave”.
Goldsborough Expedition, N.C.
The tattered Tenth was given no time to rest. The regiment moved on toward the town of Goldsborough, N.C. Again the Tenth was at the front of the Union force. At Goldsborough the regiment destroyed Confederate railroad tracks and a burned a railroad bridge. With the mission accomplished, the Tenth returned to Newbern, having absorbed one fourth of all Union losses in this expedition.
Assault on Fort Wagner, S.C. (July 1863)
During 1862, despite the Union Army advances along the Carolina coast, the Confederacy had largely succeeded in defending its territory, beating back the stronger Union forces with superior battlefield leadership. At the beginning of 1863, the Union Army was still in search of a major, morale-boosting victoryVictory
Victory is successful conclusion of a fight or competition..Victory may refer to:**strategic victory**tactical victory** Pyrrhic victory, a victory at heavy cost to the victorious party**Victory columns**Victory Monuments**Victory personified...
.
The Tenth finally moved out of Newbern, North Carolina, in January 1863. [22] The regiment was ordered to St. Helena Island, South Carolina, near Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. The Union blockade of Charleston harbor was effective, but the city remained in Confederate hands.
In early July, the Tenth was ordered to join a large-scale assault on Fort Wagner
Fort Wagner
Fort Wagner was a beachhead fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor...
, situated on nearby Morris Island
Morris Island
Morris Island is an 840 acre uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat. The island lies in the outer reaches of the harbor and was thus a strategic location in the American Civil War.-History:...
. This was part of the second Union attempt to capture Charleston. The Tenth’s main role in the assault was a successful diversionary action. The main attack force consisted of the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
troops of the 54th Massachusetts
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was one of the first official black units in the United States during the Civil War...
and the 6th Connecticut
6th Connecticut Regiment
The 6th Connecticut Regiment was raised on May 1, 1775, at New Haven, Connecticut, as a provincial regiment for the Continental Army. It then became a regiment of the Continental Line on January 1, 1776, designated the 10th Continental Regiment, and a regiment of the Connecticut Line on January 1,...
, as depicted in the motion picture “Glory”.
The attack on Fort Wagner did not initially succeed, although Union forces did breach the fort’s defenses. After the attack, Union soldiers spent months digging trench
Trench
A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground. Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide , and by being narrow compared to their length ....
es parallel to the Confederate lines. This tactic eventually proved a successful strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
as the Confederate troops abandoned Fort Wagner in early September.
Down the Atlantic coast to St. Agustine, Florida
In late October 1863, the Tenth was ordered down the Atlantic coast for rest and recuperation in St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
. The men of the Tenth were able to regain their strength at St. Augustine, but the enemy was always nearby. In fact, twenty two soldiers of the regiment were captured and one soldier was killed during a Confederate ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
. The men of the 10th were escorting a wood chopping
Wood chopping
Woodchop or wood chopping is a sport that has been around for hundreds of years in several cultures. In wood chopping competitions, skilled contestants attempt to be the first to cut or saw through a log or other block of wood...
detail near the base when the Confederates attacked.
On the James River, City Point and Bermuda Hundred, VA (May 1864)
The Union victory at GettysburgGettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
, in the summer of 1863, had turned the tide of the war. As 1864 began, the Union Armies of the Potomac
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
and the James
James River
The James River may refer to:Rivers in the United States and their namesakes* James River * James River , North Dakota, South Dakota* James River * James River * James River...
were methodically pushing General Lee’s Army to the strong defenses of the Confederate capital of Richmond.
During February 1864, Connecticut veterans of the war were given furlough
Furlough
In the United States a furlough is a temporary unpaid leave of some employees due to special needs of a company, which may be due to economic conditions at the specific employer or in the economy as a whole...
s. Veterans of the Tenth arrived in New Haven on February 19 and then travelled to Hartford. They were warmly received and praised by town and state leaders. Veterans of the Tenth re-enlisted for another three years and inspired new recruits to join the Union cause.
In May 1864, men of the Tenth Connecticut were back on the front line. The regiment was assigned to the Tenth Corps in the Army of the James
Army of the James
The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia.-History:...
. Their first mission was to take the strategic riverfront
Riverfront
A riverfront is a region along a river; often in larger cities that border a river, the riverfront will be lined with marinas, docks, parks, trees, or minor attractions. Today many riverfronts are a staple of modernism and city beautification....
s at City Point
City Point, Virginia
City Point was a town in Prince George County, Virginia that was annexed by the independent city of Hopewell in 1923. It served as headquarters of the Union Army during the Siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War.- History :...
and Bermuda Hundred
Bermuda Hundred, Virginia
Bermuda Hundred was the first incorporated town in the English colony of Virginia. It was founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1613, six years after Jamestown. At the southwestern edge of the confluence of the Appomattox and James Rivers opposite City Point, annexed to Hopewell, Virginia in 1923, ...
in Virginia. The 10th regiment and accompanying Union troops accomplished this mission by moving quickly up the James River, surprising the Confederate forces, and landing unopposed. [28]
City Point, situated on the confluence of the James and Appomattox River
Appomattox River
The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long, in central and eastern Virginia in the United States, named for the Appomattocs Indian tribe who lived along its lower banks in the 17th century...
s, would later become General Grant’s main headquarters and the Union’s staging area for the siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
and Richmond.
Battle of Fort Darling (Drury’s Bluff), VA (May 1864)
The next objective of the Union force was a march toward Richmond to encircle the Confederate capital. In their path stood Fort DarlingFort Darling
Fort Darling was a Confederate military installation during the American Civil War located at Drewry’s Bluff, a high point overlooking a bend in the James River south of Richmond in Chesterfield County, Virginia. It was the site of the 1862 Battle of Drewry's Bluff.It also served as the base of...
, a strong defensive position on the James River, near Drury’s Bluff and just south of Richmond.
The assault on Fort Darling did not succeed. However, the Tenth fought bravely, mainly in rearguard
Rearguard
Rearguard may refer to:* A military detachment protecting the rear of a larger military formation, especially when retreating from a pursuing enemy force. * Rear Guard , a computer game released in 1982...
action, protecting other Union regiments. Despite this setback, Union troops continued on toward Richmond.
Repelling an attack on the march to Richmond
In early October, the advancing Union army was suddenly counterattacked by Confederate cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
and infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
units. [31] The Tenth fended off the attack despite fighting with an exposed flank, as an adjacent New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
regiment turned and ran when the Confederates charged.
General H.M. Plaisted, commander of the Tenth Army Corps, wrote of the Tenth Connecticut, “In my opinion, the conduct of the Tenth Regiment, when the troops on its right broke and fled, saved the Army of the James.”
Battle for Fort Gregg, VA (April 1865)
At the dawn of 1865, the Union was on the offensive, rolling back Confederate opposition on all fronts. In Virginia, the Army of the James had Lee immobilized in Petersburg and Richmond fortifications.By early April, Union forces were at the outer defenses of Petersburg. The Tenth was now poised to attack Fort Gregg, an intimidating defensive position, consisting of well constructed trenches and earthworks
Earthworks (engineering)
Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...
, backed up by many artillery pieces. On April 2 the Tenth, supported by the 100th New York, advanced toward Fort Gregg, facing murderous cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
and rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
fire. Many of the Tenth fell far short of their objective. But, the main body of the regiment reached the fort, and there began fierce hand-to-hand combat.
Croffut and Morris wrote of the battle, “The record of modern warfare rarely shows a more desperate encounter than that upon the parapet of Fort Gregg. Union and rebel soldiers were found dead in each others grasp. Thirteen rebels were found inside the fort, killed by bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
-thrust; and scores were wounded by the same weapon.”
The Connecticut flag was first to be placed on the parapet of the fort. [36] And, after the brutal struggle, the Tenth Connecticut emerged victorious. Victory came at a high cost. Half of the Tenth’s Fort Gregg assault force were either killed or wounded. After the battle, Major General John Gibbon
John Gibbon
John Gibbon was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
, presented to the Tenth Connecticut, an ornate bronze eagle, resting on a globe to place atop the Connecticut state flag. This distinction went to the men of the Tenth for "...for gallant conduct in the assault on Fort Gregg...", as stated by Major General Gibbon.
Appomattox Court House, VA (April 1865)
The men of the Tenth were pressed into action once again in pursuit of the retreating Robert E. Lee. Lee withdrew from Richmond to Danville, VirginiaDanville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for...
and looked to link up with General Johnston’s army in North Carolina. At dawn, on April 9, Lee tried to break through Union lines near Appomattox Station, 100 miles west of Richmond. After an initial surge forward by the Confederate troops, the Tenth and First Connecticut Cavalry blocked Lee’s escape. [39] The war lost, Lee signed the surrender
Surrender (military)
Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
of the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
, just hours later, at Appomattox Court House. The 10th Connecticut was present.
10th Connecticut Civil War Record and Legacy
The Tenth Connecticut was mustered out of the Union Army on August 25, 1865. During the four year war, the Tenth Connecticut saw service from 2,124 men. These men fought in 23 battles and at least as many harrowing skirmishes. Fifty seven men were killed in action. Fifty nine died of wounds and one hundred fifty two died of diseaseDisease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
. [40] Soldiers of the Tenth Connecticut left a legacy of bravery, steadiness under fire and a determined fighting spirit.
External links
- http://www.ctfortheunion.com Connecticut for the Union! - Website with Connecticut Civil War documentary film clip and photoshows
:Category:People of Connecticut in the American Civil War Connecticut citizens in the American Civil War
- Greenwich in the American Civil WarGreenwich in the American Civil WarThe town of Greenwich, Connecticut, contributed 437 men to twenty six Connecticut regiments during the American civil war.[1] Greenwich soldiers fought in almost every major Union campaign, including Bull Run, Gettysburg and the siege of Petersburg...
Greenwich in the American Civil War - Connecticut in the American Civil WarConnecticut in the American Civil WarThe New England state of Connecticut played a relatively small, but important role in the American Civil War, providing arms, equipment, money, supplies, and manpower for the Union Army, as well as the Union Navy...
- Overview of Connecticut's role in the Civil War - List of Connecticut Civil War units
Further reading
- Croffut, W.A. and Morris, John, M., “The Military and Civil History of Connecticut during the war of 1861-1865”, (New York, Ledyard Bill on Fulton Street, 1869)
- Mead, Edgar, T. “Greenwich Grows Up”, (Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich, 1990)
- Mead, Spencer, P. "Ye Historie of ye Town of Greenwich, County of Fairfield, State of Connecticut", (New York, The Knickerbocker Press, 1919).