Page:The military and civil history of Connecticut during the war of 1861-65 - comprising a detailed account of the various regiments and batteries, through march, encampment, bivouac (IA 00359433.3197.emory.edu).pdf/13



The History of Copuecticut during the late civil war was announced by Chaplain John M. Morris more than two years ago, and was promised to the Publisher more than a year ago; but the difficulty of obtaining precise information was rastly greater than had been anticipated, while many im- perative duties of the projector consumed much coveted time. To prevent further delay, an arrangement was made whereby V A. Croffut became associated in the labor. The book has been mainly written by Mr. Croffut, from materials carefully collected by Mr. Morris. It is proper to bear testimouy, here, to the patient persistence, State pride, nnd devotedness to the cause, which have been exhibited by the Publisher, in overcoming the obsta- cles that so long postponed a completion of the volume. This work aims to gire a fair, accurate, and reasonably complete narrative of the scrriccs of the soldiers of Connecticut in the field, with a briefer record of the patriotic support furnished by citizens at home. It presents 10 scicutiſic discussion of strategy, and 10 profound reflections on the causes and results of the war for the Upion.

We offer no claborate description of battles, except at the points where the regiments of our State were involved: but troops fought under the tri- viued flag in crery rebellious State, and in almost erery important cugage- ment; so that we rise from our work to find that the story of the soldiers of Connecticut, preseats, with singular completeness, the story of thic war. This general outline is rendered more palpable by the fact, that, instead of following the plau of giving cach regimental record complete in itself, and detaclied from all the rest, we have rather tried to group events that are synchronous, and carry forward the whole with something of the con- secutive method of history.

It is impossible to estimate, even approximately, the number of men, much more tlic aggregate of power and character, which Connecticut con- tributed to the war. On every great battle-field her sons and grandsons lie. In the regiments of every State they bore muskets and held commis- sions. Tu erery pivotal lour of the war, leaders appeared among tlıc fore- most, wlio went back to her sterile but man-nourishing soil for clements of strength, skill, and valor. Not only Winthrop, Ellswortlı, Lyon, Foote, Sedgwick, Mansfield, Wadsworth, McClellan, Mower, Wright, Turry, but William Tecumseh Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, sprang straiglt from the loius of our sturdy little Commonwealth.

"The soldiers fight, and the kings are heroes," says a quaint proverb of the Talmud. It were an easy task to enumerate the illustrious officers,