by Guy G. Lemieux © July 1995
August 24, 1862, was a hot summer day as the men of the Sixteenth Connecticut Regiment of Volunteer Infantry started their parade from Camp William's, through Hartford. Governor Buckingham and other State officials surely reviewed Hartford's finest as they passed. Thousands of family, friends and spectators lined the streets as these young men headed toward Morgan Street and the awaiting ships. Soon they would be on their way south to join the Army of the Potomac.
It was an exciting day for this newly formed regiment. This also was the day the 16th was mustered into federal service. The regiment was formed with the majority of men coming from the finest families in Hartford with a few from outlying towns. That they were going to war without their servants, was a local joke. The officers and non-coms were either elected or politically appointed. The only regular army officer was Colonel Frank Beach commanding.
This was very early in the war and as yet there had been no news accounts of the carnage that was to follow. Here was a great adventure for these young men. They were leaving Hartford in new blue wool uniforms heading south to help President Lincoln teach the rebels a lesson. They would probably be home for Christmas goose with a lot of decorations and some great war stories.
They boarded the "City of Hartford" and the "Geo C. Collins" which left Hartford at three PM. They sailed down the Connecticut river to New York where they transferred to the steamer "Kill Van Kull" for the trip to Elisabeth, New Jersey. Here they "took cars for Baltimore via Harrisburg". As with any group of young men, going on an adventure, they flirted with the girls of the towns as they traveled south.
They made a short stop at Fort Ward, which was 5 or 6 miles from Washington. While at Fort Ward they received no drill, no discipline and few instructions. On Sunday, the 7th of September, they had an inspection under arms. This is when they were issued rifled muskets. They left for Sharpsburg the same day. Here was a green regiment with inexperienced officers, newly issued arms and no drill, a disaster waiting to happen.
Picture Caption: The 1861 Springfield rifled musket with bayonet and paper cartridge. This was the standard union infantry weapon throughout the war. The rifle shown is an original from the collection of Mr. Vern Eklund.
Picture Credit: Courtesy of and my thanks to Mr. Vern Eklund
The military infantry arm, throughout the war was the Springfield Model 1861 Rifled Musket. It was a muzzle loader that fired a relatively new projectile called the minnie ball. The minnie ball was a .58 caliber lead, bullet shaped projectile. This gave the Springfield an effective range of two hundred and fifty yards. When this projectile hit, it shattered bone. This is what caused the large number of amputations performed during the war.
The troops carried cartridges made of a paper cylinder containing the correct charge of black powder and the minnie ball. To load, one end of the cartridge was bitten off, the powder charge dumped into the barrel followed by the minne ball, and then the load was seated with a steel ram rod. To fire the charge a musket cap was placed on the nipple. When the hammer struck the cap a flame was transmitted to the powder charge firing the weapon. If the enemy got too close for reloading, the bayonet came into play.
The Battle of Antietam (The first misfortune)
The 16th hurried forward to join Harland's 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division of General Burnside's 9th Corps at Sharpsburg (Antietam). The brigade they were to join was composed of the Connecticut 8th, 11th C.V. and the 4th Rhode Island. This was on September 16, 1862.
They came up late in the evening, after a "sever march" and joined the brigade after dark. They had marched all day over hot, dusty dirt roads.
Their wagons and rations had not arrived so they harvested the local fields of corn which they roasted. They added whatever green fruit was found to their meal of corn.
Picture Caption: Major General Ambrose E. Burnside
At 10 A. M. The next day General Burnside received orders from General McClellen to cross Antietam Creek and attack the rebels. There seems to have been a mix-up or delay in getting the movement orders to the 2nd Brigade and this caused a problem. Orders were sent by courier, junior officers on horseback carried the orders to the different commands. The 11th Connecticut, a veteran regiment, didn't get the order to move up until later. This left the 16th and 4th R. I., two green regiments in the vanguard of the movement. The 16th moved up to the line with Captain Frederick H Barber (from Manchester) and Company H in advance. This left the 16th on the extreme left of the line, not a good place to put a green regiment. This mix-up in orders seems to be responsible for their position in the line.
The battle line was formed to be able to concentrate the fire of the rifles into the mass of enemy before it. If the threat came from another direction, normal drill commands would allow the line to wheel, facing the new threat. The line could be used in an offensive posture prior to attack and advance or in a defensive posture to blunt an enemies attack.
They lay behind a low ridge in the rear of the J. E. Miller house on the Rohrback farm, fifty rods (1 Rod = 5.5 yards) from the creek and A. P. Hill's Confederate Division.
The second brigade, of which the 16th was a part, was advanced to support artillery batteries near the creek. This placed the 16th under a "sharp fire" from rebel batteries.
Picture Caption: The "Burnside Bridge" on a peaceful day.
At 1 P. M. the bridge across the creek was carried. The 16th crossed below the bridge wading across the creek in waist deep water. They took positions on the slope of a hill on the farm of J. H. Snively. The cannonade was furious as General Longstreet's entire artillery started firing. Solid shot swept the crest of the hill in front and tore up the ground behind. Shells burst overhead showering the 16th with fragments of grape and canister. Grape shot and canister were the equivalent of shotgun shells for cannon. They were wire envelopes filled with a small round shot, that burst after leaving the cannon muzzle forming a cloud of deadly missiles. The crest of the hill was some protection to them, even so about a dozen men were wounded.
B. F. Blakelee recounts, "While we were lying here, we were suddenly ordered to attention, when a terrible volley was fired into us from behind a stone wall, about five rods in front of us. We were ordered to fix bayonets and advance. In a moment we were riddled with shot. Many necessary orders were given, which were not understood. Neither the line officers nor the men had any knowledge of regimental movements." The battlefield was filled with the noise of battle, men hollering, the deep throated booming of the cannon and the staccato repeated reports of the rifle fire. The smoke caused by the black powder used was obscuring and filled the air.
"The most helpless confusion ensured". Another regiment rushed, panic stricken past them, to the rear. The rebels quickly discovered the disorder and came down in a heavy column. The 16th and the 4th Rhode Island stood for a few moments, trying to rally, swept by a destructive fire. The order was given to fall back and this was done with some panic on the part of these green troops. Scammon's brigade in making a charge to the left, checked the rebels advance. This gave the survivors a chance to extract themselves from the fray. The brigade was soon reformed in a defensive position. Lieutenant Colonel Frank Cheney and Major Washburn of the 16th, were severely wounded, while three Captains, a Lieutenant and forty enlisted men were dead.
Assuredly there seems to be some confusion on whether an order was given to fall back, nevertheless they did flee in confusion. It was hard for anyone to show cowardice because your regiment was filled with your neighbors, friends and relations and anything you did during a battle would follow you home. So whatever happened they did as a unit.
The 16th had crossed Antietan Creek with 940 men that morning, only 210 were present when regrouping near the bridge later in the day. After sunset the brigade moved back across the river to retire for the night. Sleep was hard due to the cries and groans of the wounded and dying on the battlefield.
When the morning of the 18th arrived General Burnside rode up and spoke to the troops telling them, "Only hold out this day boys and the war is ended". Colonel Harland's brigade was moved forward into the line where they remained until the end of the battle. They were then detached to care for their wounded, who were still lying on the field of battle.
Now they could see the effects of war. The fences, homes and trees showed bullet and cannon damage. There were bodies of men and horses lying in the late summer heat.
They marched by hospitals with piles of amputated limbs thrown out a window, not a confidence building scene for these young men. "All the houses and barns for miles around were converted into hospitals, and yards and fields were strewn with straw and the wounded laid there without shelter." ( B. F. Blakeslee)
This battle was very costly in men to both sides. Never before or since have so many Americans been killed in a battle. This is the misfortune suffered by the 16th regiment.
On October 13, 1862, Corporal William H. Robinson of Bolton was promoted to 1st Sergeant of Company H ( My Great Grandfather). Six weeks later, General McCellan's army started tardily after General Lee. The Connecticut 8th, 11th, 16th and the newly joined 21st regiments were together in the brigade (9th Corp). They moved south from Pleasant V
alley Maryland, across the river at Berlin, just below Harper's Ferry. They passed southwest of the East Ridge of the Blue Ridge mountains.
The Battle of Fredericksburg
Due to General McCellan's slowness to follow up the battle at Sharpsburg, he was relieved of command by President Lincoln. General Burnside, commander of the 9th Corp, was appointed in his place. The plan was again to threaten Richmond and the route chosen was to cross the Rapahannock River and through Fredericksburg.
The battle of Fredericksburg, Wednesday December 10, 1862, blunted the Union drive to Richmond. Logistics in getting pontoon bridges to the river delayed the crossing by three or four days. This gave General Lee time to bring up and position the armies of Generals Jackson and Longstreet. Both were tough veteran armies. After several Union direct attacks on entrenched rebels, in which there was heavy lose of men on the Union side General Burnside pulled back.
The 16th's role seems to be one of reserve, having had no part in the fighting. Prior to the battle, on December 6th, 1st Sergeant B. F. Blakeslee was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.
After the battle General Burnside was replaced by General Hooker and the Ninth Corp, of which the 16th was part, was ordered to Newport News, Virginia. This took the 16th out of the mainstream of the war.
In April of 1863 the 16th was ordered by General Harland to Suffolk, where it saw active service during the siege by General Longstreet's troops. The 16th fought at Edenton Road, Virginia on April 24, 1863 and Providence Church Road on May 3rd.
Map Caption: This is a map of the area during the war years. The large expanse of water necessitated a naval presence for the union army to control the area. With the forts around Portsmouth taken and later Fort Macon, South-East of Morehead City, there was not passage for Confederate shipping to enter the sounds.
Map Credit: From the "Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies 1861-1865", Courtesy of and my thanks to Mr. Cedric L. Robinson
The 16th moved to Portsmouth on June 16th, 1864. They were assigned to Fort Griswald, where they became involved in the construction of the camp and fortifications. Most of these hastily constructed forts were earthen works that contained the artillery and breastworks for the infantry. Wooden lattice works were constructed with pointed stakes to confine the attackers in lanes of fire, much the way troops use razor wire today.
On the 22nd of June, they were engaged in an exposition of General Dix. They moved up the peninsula to try to destroy General Lee's lines of communication with Richmond. The attempt was not successful and became known as the Blackberry Raid.
During the next several months of quiet, the regiment's military standing rose perceivably through proper drilling. In December of 1864, Lieutenant Burnham of the 16th was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, having done much to bring the 16th to a high state of discipline. This period helped raised their self confidence and skill as line infantry to a high level.
"There was not a cleaner, prompter, more loyal, reliable and honest regiment in the service." "No brighter arms, no quicker evaluations, no greater perfection in drill were to be found anywhere." (Lieutenant Blakeslee) During this period the 16th participated in several successful small raids to capture and destroy confederate supplies and to disrupt rebel cavalry units operating in the area.
On December 10th, the 15th and the 16th Connecticut were positioned above Camp Gettysville, near Portsmouth. On January 21, 1864, they broke camp to embark on steamers for Newberne, North Carolina. They disembarked at Morehead City to continue by rail. General Harland, being assigned to a military commission, left Colonel Beach in command.
Newberne
On March 3rd the 16th were again ordered to Newberne, which was threatened with attack. They went into barracks near the Neuse River. Company G went into Fort Stevenson. The rebels started an advance on Plymouth and the 15th responded in defense by moving up to Fort Williams. Very shortly the 16th was moved up to offer them support. If you look at the map of the area you can see there had to be a large naval presence to ferry the troops from position to position. There were no roads to speak of and few rail lines.
On March 20th, after the threat had subsided, the 16th returned to Portsmouth. A storm disabled the ship they were traveling on during the voyage down the Roanoke River. The men were rescued by the Steamer, General Berry. Later the 16th returned to the defensive positions above the city of Plymouth. These men were not green troopers anymore. They were seasoned, experienced well drilled troops of the line. These troops were now as good as any, fighting the major battles in the war.
The Battle for Fort Williams (the greatest misfortune)
On April 17th, a Sunday, General Hoke's confederate troops began to gather on the river, above the town (Plymouth) for an attack. General Hoke and his North Carolinian's were a veteran force having fought in many major engagements including Gettysburg. Company H, under Captain Joseph H. Barnum (from Hartford) of the 16th, had been sent out on escort duty, and was not present. The balance of the federal defense consisted of 1600 men of various regiments under the command of General Wessels. The confederate troops numbered 12,000.
A great part of the southern coast was under the control of the union due to the federal navy controlling the harbors and waterways. General Burnside's troops had captured the forts that controlled North Carolina's access to the sea. These included Forts Morgan, Clark, Hatteras and later Fort Macon. By April of 1864, the union controlled all of the Pamlico and Arbemarle Sound waterways. This was the situation before this battle started.
Fort Williams was under the guns of several federal gunboats on the Roanoke River. As long as they had this protection the rebels kept their distance. The attack started with the appearance of a confederate ironclad ram named the "Albermarle". It succeeded in ramming and sinking the "Southfield", one of the gunboats and forced the rest to run for cover. The "Albermarle" was a novel ship being built in a cornfield from scrap iron in Hamilton, NC.
When the gunboats had been driven off the attack started. Before daybreak the rebels advanced up the Columbia Road and attacked two redoubts to the east. A redoubt was a small extension of the fort outside of the main walls.
A Massachusetts battery (probably the 2nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery), in one redoubt refused to fire on the advancing rebels, fearing to draw the fire of the Albermarle. This left only Colonel Beach and the 16th's two Napoleon guns to slow them up.
The 16th was divided with one wing of the regiment being east of the fort and the other west in redoubts. During this attack the fort was surrounded and within a short time the rebels brought up their large siege guns to pound the fort.
This left General Wessels and the 1600 men in the fort in a very difficult position. "A most desperate fight ensued in the defense of the fort. Five times the union lines were stormed and as many times repulsed, with great slaughter".( Lt. B. F. Blakeslee)"The rebels raised the Black Flag against the Negroes found in uniform and shot them down, three or four hundred were killed".( See Amended ) After four days the fort was forced to surrender.
Even though this was the 16th's greatest misfortune it was also their moment of greatest valor. They were part of the fort's complement that withstood four days of heavy artillery fire and five infantry assaults. Undoubtedly the surrender was due to expanded supplies and ammunition.
During the capture of the fort after all hope of escape was gone, the men of the 16th's color guard tore their battle flag into shreds and distributed them among the regiment, so it would not fall into the hands of the rebels. They concealed these remnants on their bodies.
Picture Caption: Each Regiment carried a battle flag
with the national colors to show which regiment was which. The blue flag
is the battle flag of the 23rd Regiment Connecticut Volunteers and I believe
the 16th's look very much like it before it was cut up at Plymouth. The
eagle is part of the resurrected battle flag. Both of these can be seen
at the State Capital Building.
Picture Credit: My thanks to Geraldine S. Caughman and the State Legislature for her help and their permission to use these photos.
The battle flag was very important. It was the symbol that the regiment fought under. Many designs reflected the national origin of the men in the regiment. The various Irish regiments would have Irish icons on their flag. It was the only way a battlefield commander could tell where his troops were on the battlefield. They were jealously guarded by the color guard of the regiment, so as not to fall into the hands of the enemy. It was a great prize when your regiment captured an enemy's battle flag.
On April 21st, Major General John J. Peck, in command of the department, from his headquarters in Newberne issued a statement proclaiming the heroic action of the men defending the fort. "They deserve the warmest thanks of the country". The losses for the 16th during this battle, including those captured, were 436 men.
The Albermarle, being partly responsible for the capture of the fort was targeted by the federal navy. It was attacked and sunk by a young naval lieutenant in a wild plan. He rebuilt a launch to include an explosive charge on an extended bow sprint. He sailed up the river and exploded this charge against the hull of the Albermarle. This sunk the Albermarle and the launch, Lieutenant Cushing barely escaped with his life.
The Capture of the 16th
The 16th fell into the hands of the 35th North Carolina and were treated with a certain respect. "They staid a while in Tarborough, thence by rail to Wilmington, thence to Charleston arriving on may 1st. Thence to Macon Georgia (here the officers found quarters) the enlisted men sped on another sixty miles south-west to Andersonville".
The Notorious Andersonville (Confederate Prison Camp)
The situation in Andersonville, during the war were such that it become notorious. Complete lack of any civility, rations, clothing, medical supplies and facilities. The hospital had sick men laying on the dirt floor with no blankets. The men were camped outside with and without tents and a deadline to keep them enclosed. Anyone crossing the deadline was shot by the guards (some in desperation, willing).
When the 16th arrived the daily ration was a pint and a half of cornmeal, two ounces of "musty" bacon and a pinch of salt. During this month the rations were halved and by June 1st it was down to a "few teaspoons of uncooked rice with the two ounces of bacon". The situation for the union troops were so bad that most escape attempts were betrayed before they had a chance to happen.
About July 4th, a petition to President Lincoln was circulated to the troops, for an exchange of prisoners. The 16th generally refused to sign it so as not to embarrass the union.
The 16th Exchanged
In September the surviving men of the 16th, (400 men went into captivity for almost a year, less than 200 survived) were transported to Charleston under pretext of a prisoner exchange. But again they were imprisoned in a camp on the race course. In October the yellow fever made its appearance among the prisoners. They were then taken to another prison in Florance. In December the surviving members of the 16th were taken to Savannah and exchanged. They were taken north immediately on a steamer. Some of the captured officers were exchanged and paroled before the rest of the regiment. Several escaped. In March of 1865 the officers of the 16th were exchanged "about a mile" from Marlborough, North Carolina.
Company H, 16th Regiment
The men of the 16th regiment (Company H) that escaped capture remained on Roanoke Island under Captain Barnum, re-enforced now by a few officers and a squad of men, (exchanged). During December the detachment proceeded to Plymouth and went thence on a raid to Foster's Mills. During the raid they destroyed the mills and a large quantity of grain.
In March when General Schofield moved out of Newberne, the detachment left Roanoke Island and went across to the city. Here it was quartered, reunited with the exchanged prisoners, and they remained in Newberne as provost guard until the end of the war.
Epilog
The 16th Connecticut was recognized by General Grant, as they were appointed his personal escort, on the occasion of his visit to General Sherman's headquarters at Raleigh, North Carolina in April of 1865.
The 16th (131 men) was mustered out of service in Newberne on the 24th of June, 1865. The 16th was described by Lieutenant B. F. Blakeslee as an "Unfortunate regiment, for if there was any special hardship to endure the regiment was sure to be called upon to experience it either by accident or otherwise, it was our Hard Luck".
The adjantents generals report lists the following for the 16th:
| Killed | 50 |
| Missing in Action | 3 |
| Accidental Deaths | 9 |
| Fatally Wounded | 26 |
| Wounded | 167 |
| Captured | 459 |
| Died in Prison | 166 |
| Died of Disease | 76 |
| Unaccounted for at Muster Out | 11 |
Military Civil History Connecticut War of 1861-1865
by W. A. Croffut & John M Morris
Published 1868
This book contains a chronicle of all the Connecticut regiments and the actions they fought. A good place to start.
Record of Service of Connecticut Men in the Army and Navy of the United States During the War of the Rebellion (Published in Hartford 1889)
This book contains a complete record by names and towns of all those who served in the Connecticut regiments. It also includes the names of those wounded and killed.
History of the Sixteenth Connecticut Volunteers*
by B. F. Blakeslee, Late Second Lieutenant, Company G, 16th C.V. Published 1875, Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.
This is a brief history of the 16th Connecticut Volunteers written from his personal journal.
Sixteenth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers, Excursion and Reunion, at Antietam Battlefield, September 17, 1889*
Published Hartford Connecticut: Press of The Case Lockwood & Brainard Company. 1889
* Copies of this book were given to the veterans of the 16th as they left for a reunion at the Antietam battlefield.
I started this research after finding out my Great Great Grandfather was 1st Sergeant William H. Robinson of Company H, 16th Regiment C.V. I have tried to be as accurate as possible with names and dates. These changed from book to book, so I relied on B. F. Blakeslee for these, as the other books quoted his writings for much of their content. He kept a personal journal and was part of the regiment. G. G. L.
Amended
December 28, 1997
The Massacre at Plymouth
This account was present in more than one of the books I used to research the history of the 16th. The reason I put it in quotations is it left me with a feeling of question. Recently I found what I think sounds true in a book entitled, "Ironsides And Columbiads", by William R. Trotter. This book details the campaigns in the State of North Carolina. He addresses this account of a massacre at Plymouth recounting the sworn statement by Samuel Johnson. Upon an investigation in 1909 by historians making the finial editorial changes to a history of the 103rd Pennsylvania, this statement was refuted and discounted. I believe this massacre did not happen. G. G. L.
For a roster of the 16th Regiment visit
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