Cont•Doc l 489 c c f· • 4 THE CONNECTICUT CIVIL WAR CENTENNIAL CONNECTICUT MILITARY AND NAVAL LEADERS IN THE CIVIL WAR CONNECTICUT CIVIL WAR CENTENNIAL COMMISSION • ALBERT D. PUTNAM, Chairman WILLIAM j. FINAN, Vice Chairman WILLIAM j . LoWRY, Secretary • E XEcUTIVE CoMMITTEE ALBERT D. PuTNAM .................... ............................ Ha·rtford WILLIAM j. FINAN ................................................ Woodmont WILLIAM j. LOWRY .............................................. Wethers field BENEDicT M. HoLDEN, jR• ................................ West l!artfortl EDWARD j. LoNERGAN ................................................ Hartford HAMILToN BAsso ........................................ ............ Westport VAN WYcK BRooKs .......... .................................. Bridgewater CHARLES A. BucK ................. ........................... West Hartford j. DoYLE DEWITT .... ............ .. ...... ............ .... .... West Hartford RoBERT EisENBERG ..... .. .................. ... ........................ Stratford ALLAN KELLER .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ....... Darien WILLIAM E. MILLs, jR. .......................................... Stamford EDwARD OLsEN ............................ ....... .. ................... Westbrook PROF. RoLLIN G. OsTERWEis ................................ New Havm FRANK E. RAYMOND ................................................ Rowayton ALBERT S. REDWAY ................................ .................... Hamden RoBERT SALE ........................................ .................... Hartford HAROLD L. ScoTT ................................. ......................... Bristol RoBERT PENN W AltltEN ............................................ Fairfield CoL. EGBERT WHITE ............................ ................ New Milford DR. joHN T. WINTERS ................. ........... ........ West Hartford joHN N. DEMPSEY, Governor ANTHONY J. ARMENTANO, Lt-Governor DEDICATION This pamphlet is d edicated to the thousands of Connecticut men who gave their lives that the Union might be preserved. COMPILED BY Col. E. P. Leddy, and Edward ] . Lonergan, Chairman, Hartford Member, Connecticut Civil War Centennial Civil War Centennial Committee Commission FOREWORD During the Centennial observance of the Civil War, the purpose of the Commission is to provide the public with information on Connec­ ticut's participation in the great struggle. This pamphlet provides data on Connecticut men who attained high rank in the Army and Navy. Our citizens may well feel proud of the fact that Connecticut furnished, in addition to the Secretary of the Navy, 4 Admirals; 6 Commodores; 18 Major Generals, and 35 Brigadier Generals. The roster of officers herein has been limited to natives of this State and those who adopted it as their residence. It does not include high ranking officers of other states who may have commanded Connecticut troops at times. The reader will note that three types of commtsswns were issued during the Civil War. The first type pertains to rank in the regular army. The second concerns those in the volunteers. This type was issued to all volunteer officers commissioned from civilian life. Most of the regular army officers also received commissions in the volunteer service. Thus, a man might hold a commission as Captain in the United States Army and be made a Brigadie-r General of Volunteers. It was a temporary rank held only during the War. Upon the termination of hostilities such a regular army officer was returned to his rank in the regular army. Thirdly, there were brevet ranks issued both as to the regular army and to the volunteers. A brevet rank is a commission promoting an officer to a higher rank without an increase in pay and with a limited exercise of the higher rank, although he may be addressed by his brevet title and wear the uniform of the brevet rank. It will be observed that a number of Colonels of Volunteers were given the brevet rank of Brigadier General of Volunteers for war services. E . P. LEDDY and E. J. LONERGAN CONTENTS Babbitt, E. B. ................................... 29 Loomis, G . ..................................... 34 Benham, H. W. .... .. .................. 14 Lyon, N. ...... .................... 35 Bibliography ...... ....... .. ......... .. ... .. 43 Mansfield, J. K. F. 21 Birge, H. W. .................. .................. 15 Mower, ] . A. .. .. .......... .. 22 Blakeslee, E. ..................... .................. 30 Meyers, F . ............................................. 36 Bradley, L. P. .................................... 30 Noble, W. H. ................................... 36 Burnham, J. A. ............................. 30 Otis, J. L. .......................... 37 Carrington, H. B . ...... ..........._.. ... 31 Peck, F. H. 37 Champlin, S. ........ .. .... ......... .. ...... 12 Perry, ]. A. 37 Clark, W . T. .. ................ ...... .. ....... 15 Pierson, W. S. ................................. 38 Co it, J. B. ................... ........ .. ............ 31 Ripley, J. W. .. ................ 23 Couch, D . N . ............................... .. 16 Roberts, S. H . .... 38 Dennis, ] . B. ......... .................... 32 Rodgers, C. R. P. ....................... 11 Dutton, A. H . ....... ............ ............ 32 Rockwell, A. P. ............................ 38 Ellis, T. G. ............................. ......... 32 Ross, S. ................................................... 38 Ely, W. G . ....................................... 33 Sedgwick, J. .. .. ......................... 23 Ferry, 0 . S. ........................ .... .............. 17 Stedman, G. A . .................. ....... 39 Foote, A. H . 8 Shaler, A. ........................................... 24 Franklin, W . B. ........................ ...... 18 Terry, A. H . .................................... 25 Glynn, J. ....................... ...................... 12 Terry, H. D. 39 Goodyear, E. D . S. ..... 33 Totten, J. G. 26 Greeley, E. S. ......................... .......... 33 Tourteltotte, J. E. ............ ............ 39 Green, C. ............................................... 12 Tyler, R. 0. .................................. 27 Gregory, F. H . .............................. 9 Tyler, D. ............................................. 40 Harland, E. ............ ......................... 34 Von Steinwehr, A . W . A . F. 40 Hawley, J. R. ...... 20 Ward, H. C. ....................................... 41 Hitchcock, R. B. ........................... 13 Welles, G. ....................................... 7 Hubbard, J. ...................... ...... ......... 34 W essels, H. W. .............................. 41 Hull, J. B. ..... .. ............ .. .............. 13 Whitaker, E. W. .. .. ................ 42 Hunt, T. 13 Whittelsey, H. M . ..................... 42 Ives, B. ........ ........................................ 34 Williams, A. S. ............................ 29 Ketchum, W. S. ........ ..................... 20 Wright, H . G. ................................. 28 Lanman, J. ............ ............................. 10 5 GIDEON WELLES Secretary of the Navy Born in Glastonbury, Connecticut, on 1 July 1802, Gideon Welles received his education at Norwich University in Vermont. When 24 years old he became part owner and editor of the Hartford Times. While editor he served several terms in the State Legislature and one term as State Comptroller. Always liberal in his political views, he was an ardent Jacksonian Democrat. He was a candidate for the U. S. Congress in 1834, but was defeated. His position on the slavery question created a schism on the newspaper, and he resigned as editor in 1836. President Jackson then appointed him Postmaster of Hartford, a position which he held for seven years. From 1846-49 he served as Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing for the Navy. Subsequent to his return home he became a director of the Hartford Bank, the predecessor of the Hartford Bank and Trust Company. When the Republican Party was formed, Welles found himself in agreement with its stand on the slavery issue. He became an advocate of its principles, and an early organizer. In 1856 he helped to establish the Hartford Evening Press, a Republican newspaper. He was the unsuccessful candidate for Governor on the ticket of the new party in that year. When Abraham Lincoln came to Hartford in 1860 he was greeted by Gideon Welles. In 1860 he led the Con­ necticut delegation to the Republican Convention, and gave his whole-hearted support to Lincoln's nomination. Welles was ap­ pointed to Lincoln's Cabinet in 1861 as Secretary of the Navy. In that capacity he made a major contribution to the Union war effort. A fine judge of men, he chose able assistants and subordi­ nates. Refusing to bow to political pressure in granting promo­ tions, he organized the Navy into an efficient and powerful fighting force. He built it up from 90 ships and 9,000 men to 670 ships and 7 52,000 men. With a firm belief in the new armored vessels, he authorized the construction of the "MONITOR" and other ironclads. After Lincoln's death, Welles continued to serve as Secretary of the Navy until 1869, supporting President Johnson in his efforts to carry out the reconstruction policies in which Lincoln so firmly be­ lieved. He returned to the Democratic Party in 1876, supporting Tilden for the Presidency. His diary, which was later published, gives a de­ tailed picture of the Washington scene during the years of the Civil War, and is filled with remarkably astute sketches of his contempo­ raries.