Civil War Manuscripts Project

Alphabetical Name List S - T

 
     
 

A-B || C || D || E-F || G-H || I-J || K-L || M-N || O-P || Q-R || S-T || U-V || W-X || Y-Z
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S
 
 

Sackett, Augustine (b.1841)
Second Assistant Engineer
Warren
U. S. Navy
1863 August 11; 1864 October 14
2 Items

Letters to sister Flora Sackett (b.1847). Sacket enlisted in 1861 as Third Assistant Engineer and was promoted to Second Assistant Engineer in 1863. He resigned in 1865. On 11 August 1863, Sackett writes from aboard the U.S. gunboat Chippewa near Port Royal, SC, and on 14 October 1864 from aboard the U. S. S. Mattabesett, part of the 3rd Division, North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, "I mean to cast my vote for Old Abe. We have only one or two McClellan officers on the ship." Sackett also writes of ending the blockade-running into Wilmington. He considers the election of Union candidates as important to the preservation of the Union as battlefield victories and also discusses draft resistors. Augustine is the brother of Homer Skipp Sackett; see following entry.
Location: MS 90815

 
   
 

Sackett, Homer Skipp (b.1838)
Sergeant
Warren
Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery, Company H
1863-1864
4 Items

Letters to his sister Flora Sackett (b.1847). Sackett, an unmarried farmer, enlisted on 6 August 1862 and was mustered-in a Private on 11 September 1862. He was promoted to Corporal on 16 March 1865 and to Sergeant on 25 May 1865. He was discharged on 7 July 1865. This soldier had a refreshing sense of humor, writing on 22 November 1863, "I undertook to write you a letter & smoke at the same time this morning. And as a natural result have the pleasure of copying it.... Write soon I like to read letters much better than to write them." His letter of 1 May 1864 bears an account of a deserter being marched to his execution to the beat of the "Death March," then made to sit on his coffin while he was shot. Noted hundreds of soldiers washing their clothes in the Monocacy River in Maryland. On 3 August 1864 he writes, "We each of us had a little piece of chockolate just enough for one cup, given us by the Sanitary it seemed like a small present but when one looked round & saw the number of pieces there must be he saw it must take a good large pile to go round, & was thankful for small favors." Homer was the brother of Augustine Sackett; see previous entry.
Location: MS 90814

 
   
 

Salisbury, Connecticut
1862, 1864-1865
42 Items

Papers and documents consisting of bounty and substitute receipts and correspondence with the Connecticut Adjutant General's office. Included are bounty or substitute receipts for the following Salisbury men: Jacob Warner, Charles Powell, Patrick Elwood, Henry Burgess, Harlow P. Harris, Nathaniel Ward, Monroe Whiteman, Joseph Brennan, James Hubbard, Amos Woodin, William Waters, Jr., Wesley Gibbs, Daniel T. Clark, Adam Ostrander, Milo Harris, Jr., George V. Capron, John C. Holley, Henry Hubbard, R. H. Ball, S. P. Ensign, F. A. Dauchy, William Bissell, Admath Bates, Alfred White, Frank Miller, Frank Benedict, D. J. Warner, William Clark, Daniel Glaven and Elijah A. Briggs.
Location: MS Civil War Box I, Folder 13

 
   
 

Sanford, John Ferdinand (b.1843)
Milford
Twenty-Seventh Connecticut Infantry, Company C , Sergeant
First Connecticut Heavy Artillery , Unassigned Recruit
Thirty-First United States Colored Troops, Company E , First Lieutenant
1865 December 22
1 Item

Letter, 1 p., to General Amos B. Eaton giving an approximate statement of sales to officers of the 31st U. S. C. T. from 18-31 March 1865 and the disposition of these funds. Apparently his original papers were lost. Sanford, at that time, was Acting Commissary Sergeant of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 25th Army Corps. Sanford, an unmarried clerk, served with the 27th Connecticut Infantry from September 1862 to July 1863; he was a mustered but unassigned recruit in the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery in February 1864; he enlisted in the 31st U.S.C.T. on 17 February 1864 and was mustered-in a Second Lieutenant, Company E, on 22 March 1864. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on 30 November 1864 and was mustered-out on 7 November 1865.
Lcoation: MS 72372

 
   
 

Saunders, Mary Elizabeth
South Norwalk
Civilian, Female
1859-1865
36 Items

Correspondence from friends and relatives in Norwalk, Danbury and Bethel. Writes of lively times with banjo and melodeon playing, oyster suppers, graping, and horseback riding. A letter from L. B. Shepard of Danbury dated 28 September 1862 reads, "our boys have both enlisted and gone to the war." Collection also contains two letters from "Libbie’s" cousin Private William S. Shepard of Sharon, 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery, Company G, dated 3 December 1864 and 20 January 1865, both written from Lincoln Hospital. Also included in the collection are six letters from her cousin Private Allen Dauchey of Norwalk, 8th Connecticut Infantry, Company F, dated 11 June and 16 August 1863, 22 and 28 November 1864, and 10 and 16 December 1864, the latter two letters are from U. S. General Hospital in Readville, MA (Dauchey was wounded twice in May 1864). Dauchey’s letter of 28 November 1864 reads, "tha ar gitan up a Company of Comdend [condemned] Yankes for the Invalid core I can git in it if I chose but it ant a very plesant burth for every body is holaran [hollering] at them for the close [clothes] that tha ware is not like the sute that We ware now." Collection also includes two letters from friend Henry W. Young, 9th Massachusetts Infantry, dated 15 April 1864 and 29 March 1865. In May of 1860 Libbie was working in a "straw factory."
Location: MS 84454

 
   
 

Schurz, Carl (1829-1906)
Brigadier General
1863 March 13
1 Item

Letter, 2 pp., from near Stafford Court House, VA, to Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton in Washington, DC, recommending Lt. William Miller, then of the 74th Pennsylvania Infantry, for a commission in an African American regiment. Lt. Miller had formerly served in the military in Germany and in the "Mexican Campaign."
Location: MS Tracy Collection

 
   
 

Scranton, James A. (1841?-)
Private
New Haven/Fair Haven
Fifth Connecticut Infantry, Company E
1864-1865
2 Items

Documents: discharges dated 6 January 1864 and 19 July 1865. Scranton enlisted on 22 June 1861 and was mustered-in on 22 July 1861. He reenlisted on 21 December 1863 and was mustered-out on 19 July 1865.
Location: MS 72051 and 72052

 
   
 

Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery Association
1930
1 Item

Carbon of a typewritten copy (with pencilled corrections and additions), 25 leaves, of a report of the Association’s annual reunion at Litchfield in 1930, probably on 11 September, their date of original muster-in. Includes the text of addresses, in particular the address of Lewis Bissell and a letter to Commander Bissell from the Association. Also contains an anecdote regarding how General John Sedgwick earned his nickname, "Uncle John." The report states that 2,432 men served in the unit, 150 were killed (the regiment lost 119 killed at Cold Harbor alone), 160 were mortally wounded, 503 were wounded and 55 were taken prisoner of which 16 died in captivity.
Location: MS 70930

 
   
 

Sedgwick, Charles Frederick (1795-1882)
Sharon
Civilian, Male
1881 May 7
1 Item

Letter to D. W. Gooch of Boston, MA, on behalf of Polly M. Calkins, whose husband, Private Joseph L. Calkins, had died while serving with the 9th Connecticut Infantry, Company I. Calkins, of Monroe, had enlisted on 8 September 1861 and was mustered-in on 2 October 1861. He died on 24 October 1862. Mrs. Calkins requests a particular document from U. S. Pension agent Gooch in order to draw her widow’s pension payment.
Location: MS 93558

 
   
 


Seventeenth
Connecticut Volunteers Association
Fairfield County
1867-1937
6 Volumes

Records of the Association containing minutes of reunions and rosters of members. Also contains references to a flag which was to be maintained in perpetuity on Barlow’s Knoll on the Gettysburg, PA, battlefield and illustrations of the regimental badge. The Association was organized on 21 November 1867 in Bridgeport.
Location: MS 88249

 
   
 

Sexton, Henry D., Isaac H. Tuller and Martin L. Wadhams
Private(s)
Canton/Canton Center
Eighth Connecticut Infantry, Company A
1861 December 16
1 Item

Letter, 2 pp., from Annapolis, MD, to Sophronia Barber of Canton. The three young soldiers write, "Miss Barber... We have this day been the recipients of some mittens and stockings which we are informed you helped to knit..." Henry Sexton (1836?-), a married farmer, enlisted on 9 September 1861 and was mustered-in 25 September 1861. He died 7 January 1862. Isaac Tuller (1843?-), also a farmer, enlisted and was mustered-in on 25 September 1861. He died 9 April 1862. Martin Wadhams (1841?-), a teamster, enlisted and was mustered-in on 1 October 1861. He was killed in action at the battle of Antietam on 17 September 1862. Thus, within ten months from the date of this letter, all three young men from Canton were dead.
Location: MS Civil War Box II, Folder 2

 
   
 

Shepard, Samuel Brace (1834?-)
New Haven
Sixth Connecticut Infantry, Company F , Private
Seventh Connecticut Infantry , Assistant Surgeon
1862 July 30
1 Item

Letter, 10 pp., from Beaufort, SC, to friend Tom [surname unknown], a dentist in Madison. Shepard complains at great length and in great detail about the conditions of military service and the conduct of the war; a very bitter letter. Dr. Shepard, unmarried, enlisted on 26 August 1861 and was mustered-in a Private on 7 September 1861. He was promoted Assistant Surgeon, 7th Connecticut Infantry, on 22 May 1864. He was captured 2 June 1864 at Bermuda Hundred, VA, and was paroled in December 1864. He was mustered-out on 20 July 1865.
Location: MS

 
   
 

Sherman, Charles E.
Naugatuck
Civilian, Male
1863-1864
4 Items

Papers relating to the hire of a substitute. Collection contains a "Certificate of Exemption on Account of Having Furnished a Substitute," for Charles Sherman, a 22-year-old, 5'8" resident of Naugatuck who had been drafted on 8 August 1863 for three years military service. Also includes a note from Charles G. Wilson, a substitute broker in New Haven, who was given $325.00 to both secure a substitute and to procure for Sherman a certificate of exemption for three years. For $225.00, Oliver Davis of Naugatuck was hired. Davis enlisted in the Sixth Connecticut Infantry and was mustered-in a Private on 15 August 1863. He was promoted to Sergeant on 28 November 1864 and was mustered-out on 21 August 1865. Also includes an affidavit from Davis stating the events leading to his hire, dated 11 December 1863, and a letter from Chaplain Curtis T. Woodruff of the same date. It seems as if some sort of swindle was suspected by Sherman.
Location: MS 83825

 
   
 

Sherman, William Tecumseh (1820-1891)
Major General
1863 December 19; 1864 April 12
2 Items

Letters. Letter, 1 p., dated 19 December 1863 from Bridgeport, TN, to an unknown party offers a guarded opinion on "the solution of the Negro Problem." Sherman was commanding the Department of the Tennessee at this time. Letter, 4 pp., dated 12 April 1864 from Nashville, TN, to General Lorenzo Thomas at Vicksburg, MS, offers his views of the sentiment of whites in the south regarding slavery and an opinion on what to do with African Americans in the vicinity. Sherman reviews the plantation scheme, the lessee scheme and colonization. Also discussed are related military concerns.
Location: MS Tracy Collection

 
   
 

Simons, Thomas
Sergeant
Cheshire
Twentieth Connecticut Infantry, Company A
1862 August 6
1 Item

Document: volunteer enlistment certificate, 2 pp. Simons, a 29-year-old, 5'9" mechanic, enlisted on 6 August 1862 and was mustered-in a Corporal on 8 September 1862. He was promoted to Sergeant on 7 January 1863 and was wounded in action at Gettysburg on 3 July 1863. He died 23 July 1863. Simons, who was born in Wallingford, had enlisted for three years.
Location: MS 71618

 
   
 

Simons, William Henry (b.ca.1835)
Private
Norwich
Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored), Company D
Undated
1 Item

Letter from Camp Parapet, LA, to his sister Abby Simons Cross in Griswold, CT. This African American soldier died 20 August 1864 at Fort Jackson, LA, of malarial fever. Simons was the brother-in-law of Joseph O. Cross (See Cross, Joseph). The letter is very difficult to decipher due to irregular spelling, erratic sentence structure and absence of punctuation. The Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artilley (Colored) later became the 11th United States Heavy Artillery (Colored). A complete transcription of this letter was published in The Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin, Vol. 60, Nos. 3-4. Contact Jill Padelford for ordering information.
Location: MS 74274

 
   
 

Simpson, Francis (d.1864)
Private
Bridgeport
Second Connecticut Light Battery
1864-1873
53 Items

Papers and correspondence. Collection contains letters to his mother Mary Simpson of Bridgeport, from Brashear City, Algiers, and New Orleans, LA, which describe service as a cannoneer, a cook and a blacksmith. Simpson mentions soldiers who went to New York to quell the draft riots, the capture of Fort Morgan, AL, and having attended an African American church in Brashear City. Simpson enlisted and was mustered-in on 11 January 1864. He died on 17 October 1864. Contains correspondence regarding the tranportation of his body home to Connecticut for burial. A folder index is available with the collection.
Location: MS 92670

 
   
 

Smith, Charles W. (1838?-)
First Lieutenant
Torrington
First Connecticut Heavy Artillery, Companies E, H and I
1861-1863
1 Volume

Diary/Account Book. The 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery was originally formed as the Fourth Connecticut Infantry. Smith enlisted and was mustered-in a Private, Company I, on 23 May 1861. He was promoted Corporal on 15 October 1861 and Sergeant on 16 March 1863. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant, Company E, on 8 November 1864 and was breveted First Lieutenant on 9 April 1865. He was promoted to First Lieutenant, Company H, on 24 April 1865 and was mustered-out on 25 September 1865. On 23 August 1861 Smith notes a rebellion in camp resulting in Company K being sent to headquarters under guard for refusing to obey orders. On 4 September 1861 he mentions that S. A. Woodruff accidentally discharged his gun, shooting through the body and killing a soldier in Company G. On 11 November 1861 the unit celebrated McClellan’s birthday by holding a dance in camp. He notes the death of Edward Alvord in a hospital near Fort Richardson on 26 March 1862. Pleasant weather was noted on the Peninsula from 10-20 April 1862. He writes on 10 May 1862, "Norfolk was evacuated this morning & the Merrimack was blown up by the Rebels." On 22 May 1862, Smith wrote, "It comenced to rain about noon & rained like the devil for four hours we were out in all of it & got as wet as rats we marched about six miles while it was raining & the mud was up to our asses. we went into camp at 5 PM for the night --" The diary becomes very sporadic after early-July 1862.
Location: MS 85096

 
   
 

Smith, Moses (1830-1904)
Chaplain
Farmington
Eighth Connecticut Infantry
1848-1908
1 Box and 1 Volume

Scrapbook of clippings of letters to the Religious Herald in Hartford and papers, including correspondence, pension documents and sermons. Smith was drafted and was mustered-in a Private, Company A, on 15 August 1863. He was appointed Chaplain on 22 December 1863 and was mustered-out on 12 December 1865. A folder index is available with the collection.
Location: MS 93480

 
   
 

Smith, Sylvester (1808-1893)
Seymour [?]
Civilian, Male
1856-1863
6 Items

Letters to Henry B. Stiles. Letter of 1 August 1862 mentions his son, Wilbur Watson Smith (b.1829), of Seymour: "my oldest son is going to the war and my farmer inclines the same way." A later letter mentions a letter from his son published in the Christian Advocate regarding the battle of Gettysburg. Wilbur Smith enlisted on 5 August 1862 and was mustered-in a 1st Lieutenant, Company H, 20th Connecticut Infantry, on 8 September 1862. He was promoted Captain, Company C, on 24 February 1863. He was captured at Chancellorsville on 3 May 1863 and was paroled on 14 May 1863. Wilbur Smith was mustered-out on 13 June 1865.
Location: MS 91122, Folder F

 
   
 

Smithson, Walter (b.1843)
Private
Enfield
Eighth Connecticut Infantry, Company B
1864-1909
4 Items

Documents: discharges, 4 January 1864 and 12 December 1865, record that Smithson was born in England, was 5’7" with a light complexion and hair and blue eyes. His occupation was listed as a farmer. Collection also includes his Master Mason’s certificate, Doric Lodge No. 94, Enfield, and a GAR "Memorial Record Blank for Post Historian" which records Smithson’s record of service. Apparently, Smithson received a gunshot wound in the left side at Cold Harbor, VA, on 3 June 1864 and was sent to the hospital in New Haven for treatment. His most intimate comrades were listed as Sergeant Henry Moody, Private John Harris (died 2 March 1864) and Sergeant Joseph Glover (killed 2 July 1864 at Petersburg, VA). Smithson enlisted on 18 September 1861 and was mustered-in on 27 September 1861. Surviving his wound at Cold Harbor, he was mustered-out on 12 December 1865. Smithson was present during engagements at: New Bern, NC, 14 March 1862; Siege of Fort Macon, NC, April 1862; Antietam, 17 September 1862; Fredericksburg, VA, 13 December 1862; and Fort Darling, VA, in May of 1864.
Location: MS 65522

 
   
 

Snow, Henry (1839?-)
Corporal
Chatham/East Hampton
Twenty-First Connecticut Infantry, Company H
1861 May 12-1865 May 20
140 Items

Correspondence of the Snow family in East Hampton. During his term of service Snow wrote home to his mother Eunice, brother Rufus and sister Lavinia. Lavinia died of scarlet fever in May 1863. Snow, an unmarried mechanic, enlisted on 15 August 1862 and was mustered-in a Private on 5 September 1862. He was promoted Corporal on 1 March 1865 and was mustered-out on 16 June 1865. Due to illness Henry did not participate in the battle of Fredericksburg, VA, in December 1862.
Location: MS 66721

 
   
 

Solon, Nehemiah (d.1864)
Carterville, IA
Third Iowa Cavalry, Company I
1864
1 Volume

Journal/Surgeon’s book; also used by Oliver Gates, 16th Connecticut Infantry, at Florence prison, SC, to record deaths and releases within the First Ward, November and December 1864. Gates records name, regiment and company when known. It appears that Gates acquired the journal at Andersonville or Florence. Solon enlisted on 20 August 1861 and was mustered-in 6 September 1861. He was captured near Ripley, MS, on 11 June 1864. He died in the Florence, SC, stockade on 4 November 1864. Entries by Solon are dated June 1, June 10-13, June 16, and June 19, 1864 when he arrived at Andersonville. Solon gives a two-page description of Andersonville (typed transcript available).
Location: MS 78606

 
   
 

Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte (1819-1899)
Georgetown, DC
Civilian, Female
1863 July 7
1 Item

Letter, 1 p., to General Lorenzo Thomas recommending her son, Richmond I. Southworth, for a Second Lieutenant’s commission in the 1st United States Colored Troops. Richmond Southworth was then "Acting Medical Cadet" at Columbian College Hospital. Emma Southworth was a novelist.
Location: MS Tracy Collection

 
   
 

Spencer, Edson W. (1840-1862)
Private
Burlington
Sixth Connecticut Infantry, Company G
22 August 1862
1 Item

Letter from Marshall [Dowd?] informing a gentleman, perhaps a friend or relative, of Edson’s death, possibly from heat stroke. Edson Spencer, an unmarried farmer, enlisted on 3 September 1861 and was mustered-in on 4 September 1861. He died 12 August 1862 at Beaufort, SC, at age 22. The tentative author idenification is based on the fact that the only soldier in Company G with either the Christian name or surname of Marshall was Sgt. Marshall W. Dowd of New Hartford.
Location: MS Civil War Box I, Bartlett, John S.

 
   
 

Spencer, Stephen
Hartford
Civilian, Male
1860-1861
6 Items

Letters (all are letter-press and very difficult to read). Letter 14 October 1861 to Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy, regarding the distribution of Dr. Hawes's sermon; Letter 14 October 1861 to Junius Morgan, London, again, regarding the distribution of Dr. Hawes's (Center Church, Hartford) sermon and regarding Hartford Mayor Henry Deming "who a few weeks since refused to preside at a meeting of Union men of all 'old political parties' has come out right side up. He has received and accepted a Curnels Commission in . . . the 12th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers & has mounted the Epauletts & is now said to be taking lessons of Major Gen Butler in Military tactics." Letter to nephew James B. Gilman in Mobile, AL, dated November 1860, discusses the election of Lincoln. Spencer thinks it will be a great blessing to the country; another letter to this same nephew, dated 31 December 1860, notes South Carolina had seceded from the Union. Spencer does not believe the Union can be dissolved without a revolution, nor does he believe that any civilized nation would come to the aid of a confederacy fighting to extend slavery; a third letter to his nephew in Mobile, dated 31 January 1861, implies that nephew James Gilman obviously held different views from his uncle and Spencer also notes, "I have no doubt that old Abe will prove competent. . ."; a fourth letter to his nephew, dated 16 April 1861, notes that Abraham Lincoln had arrived safely in Washington and mentions the attack on Fort Sumter; and the final letter to his nephew dated 22 April 1861 notes that the 7th Massachusetts Volunteers had been attacked by a mob in Baltimore.
Location: MS 70007

 
   
 

Squires, Charles
Roxbury, CT
Fifth Connecticut, Company E
1861-1864
25 items

Charles Squires was a hatter living in Roxbury, Connecticut, when he enlisted with the "Woodbury Reds", afterward Company E, 5th Connecticut Volunteers. His letters home, written primarily on patriotic stationery with patriotic images on the envelopes, described the Army of the Potomac's incessant marching in Maryland and Virginia throughout 1861 and 1862. He also described his continuing medical problems (dysentery), the rough nature of camp life, collecting souvenirs, and foraging for food. In September 1861, he wrote to his sister that "From all accounts I think you have more fighting at home than we have down here", an expression of his frustration at not engaging in battle. The collection also includes two recipes, one for a washing fluid and the other to treat pains in the stomach. Squire's sister was Sophronia Evans.
Location: 100800

 
   
 

Stanton, Edwin McMasters (1814-1869)
Washington, DC
Secretary of War
1864 February 2
1 Item

Letter, 1 p., to Major Foster, U. S. Bureau of Colored Troops, Washington, DC, forwards the application of Private Robert H. King, 87th Pennsylvania Infantry, to appear before the Board of Examination for officers of African American troops, with the request that the privilege be granted.
Location: MS Tracy Collection

 
   
 

Staples, George A. (1837-1903)
First Sergeant
Bridgeport
Sixth Connecticut Infantry, Company I
1861-1863
1 Volume

Diary which describes the bombardment and capture of Port Royal, SC, and Fort Pulaski, GA, the battle at Pocotaligo, SC, and the gathering up of human body parts of dead Confederates. Staples enlisted on 25 August 1861 and was mustered-in a Corporal on 5 September 1861. He was promoted Sergeant on 9 November 1863 and First Sergeant on 7 June 1864. He was discharged on 11 September 1864.
Location: MS 92928

 
   
 

Stedman, Griffin Alexander, Jr. (1838-1864)
Hartford
Fifth Connecticut Infantry, Company I , Captain
Eleventh Connecticut Infantry , Brevet Brigadier General
1861 October 29
1 Item

Letter, 2 pp., from Camp Banks near Darnestown, MD, to Samuel Colt (1814-1862). Stedman, an unmarried "gentleman," enlisted on 22 June 1861 and was mustered-in a Captain, Company I, 5th Connecticut Infantry, on 22 July 1861. He later joined the 11th Connecticut Infantry and rose to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General. Stedman inquires about a position in Colt’s regiment, which was originally intended to become a part of the Regular Army. Stedman writes that he would exchange his Captain’s commission for a Lieutenancy in the regular army, though he would prefer to join the Cavalry. Young Stedman is very anxious for a transfer. Finally, he thanks Colt, "for the elegant pistol you so kindly bestowed upon me." Also see following entry.
Location: MS Colt, Samuel, Papers, Box 8

Stedman, Griffin Alexander, Jr. (1838-1864)
Hartford
Fifth Connecticut Infantry, Company I , Captain
Eleventh Connecticut Infantry , Brevet Brigadier General
1861-1864
21 Items

Letters to Charles Jeremy Hoadley (1828-1900), Hartford, from Philadelphia and various locations in the south. After prior service in the 5th Connecticut Infantry, Stedman was promoted to Major, 11th Connecticut Infantry, on 27 November 1861. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 11 June 1862 and was wounded in action during the battle of Antietam on 17 September 1862. He was promoted Colonel on 25 September 1862 and was breveted Brigadier General on 5 August 1864. He was killed the next day at Petersburg, VA. The collection also contains a printed memorial poem by Lydia H. Sigourney in honor of General Stedman and a photograph of three unidentified women. Also see previous entry.
Location: MS Hoadley Collection, Box 7, Miscellaneous

Stedman, Griffin Alexander (1838-1864)
Hartford
Fifth Connecticut Infantry, Company I , Captain
Eleventh Connecticut Infantry , Brevet Brigadier General
1863
3 Items

Correspondence from Griffin Stedman, probably drafts of letters sent. Letter dated 14 January 1863, Camp opposite Fredericksburg, VA, to Lt. Watson Webb (1833-1876), regarding three deserters who had been absent for about six months and who now wished to produce a surgeon's certificate to explain their absence. Stedman refers to them as "stragglers, skulkers and cowards" and writes, "I am unwilling to have these fellows treated honorably --" Letter dated 13 April 1863, Suffolk, VA, to an unnamed party, regarding deserter Alfred West, states that he believes West left intending to desert and, though West had left on a furlough, had never given any indication of his desire to report back to the regiment. Stedman notes that West had been considered a deserter for "a long time" and begs "leave to inform you that no step can be taken which will obtain a descriptive list - which will enable him to obtain for him pay during this time --" Letter of 3 June 1863, Suffolk, VA, to Governor William A. Buckingham (1804-1875) notes that Stedman had received a letter from Colonel Gates to and forwarded by Governor Buckingham to Stedman regarding men recruited by Captain Lewis. Though 140 men were shown on the books as enlisted and forwarded to Fort Trumbull, only 20 men had made it to the regiment. Stedman was not consoled by the fact that the recruits were of "bad material" but felt a week with the regiment would have changed that fact. Stedman felt that the men should have been forwarded to the regiment immediately and not held "at a Post for months . . . [where their] liberties and indulgences are unlimited - " This letter is incomplete and probably represents a draft form of the letter sent.
Location: MS 94765

 
   
 

Stillman, George Barber (1844-1906)
Private
New London
Thirteenth Connecticut Infantry, Company I
1862-1937
1 Envelope and 3 Volumes

Papers, diaries and letters while stationed in Louisiana. The 13th Connecticut Infantry served as General Benjamin F. Butler’s bodyguard in Louisiana. Some of the letters were written to family when Stillman was detailed as guard at the Collins plantation while recuperating from malaria. Collection also includes pension application papers. Stillman, an unmarried mariner, enlisted on 3 February 1862 and was mustered-in on 10 February 1862. He was discharged on 6 January 1865.
Location: MS 80504

 
   
 

Stillman Family
Wethersfield
1684-1912
13 Boxes

Papers, including correspondence, diaries, account books, receipts, sermons. The bulk of the collection dates from the 19th century; only those materials pertaining to the Civil War were examined. Some of the persons represented or named in the collection include: Bessie G., Clara F., Elizabeth Pamela (Goodrich) and Isabel Stillman; Annie M., James, James H., Jane C., John, Maria and Walter Francis; and James R., Joseph F., Joshua and Mary Ann (Welles) Goodrich. There is an unpublished digest of the Francis papers, by W. L. Holmes in the first box of the collection. Boxes labeled I-XVIII, XIX-XXVII, XXVIII-XXXVI and XXXVII all pre-date the Civil War. Box labeled XXXVIII, A-D contains letters from Elizabeth Pamela Goodrich Stillman to Jane Clarissa Francis ("Jennie"), 1850-1879. Letters in this box pertaining to the Civil War era are dated 13 May 1861 to February 1865. Elizabeth discusses war news, fashion, children, travel, etc. On 4 January 1865, she writes, "Jennie, there is a play that surpasses the American Cousin in humor - The People’s Lawyer or Solon Shingle . . ." Box labeled XXXVIII, E-G contains post-Civil War materials. Boxes labeled XXXVIII, H-J and XXXVIII, K-XL contain large files of undated letters, most of them post-Civil War. Box labeled XLI-XLIV contain letters from Maria Francis and Isabel Stillman to Jane Francis, 1851-1876 and Elizabeth Stillman to Maria Francis, 1840-1862. These letters talk of news of soldiers, soldiers' aid work, and end of the war celebrations (see letter of 15 April 1865). Included is the printed "Resolutions and Pledge" of the Loyal League of the Women of Hartford" (no date). Also included in this box is a song sheet with lyrics for the "Army Hymn," by O. W. Holmes, "America," "Star Spangled Banner," and "Red White & Blue." Box labeled XLV, A-D contains letters to Jane C. Francis ("Jennie") from Elizabeth P. G. Stillman and others, 1860-1871, containing local war news, deaths of friends and relatives, etc. Also included in this box, in undated folder, is a letter from cousin J. Francis Goodrich ("Frank"), Company I, 112th New York Volunteers, dated 17 February [1863] from Suffolk, VA, stating he weighs 154 pounds, up from 145 when he arrived in Suffolk. Frank notes he has been in "Dixie" 6 months (he enlisted 29 August 1862). Box labeled XLV-XLVI holds a miscellaneous folder in which is a printed circular, 8 September 1862, from "The Christian Women of Boston [Park Street Church] To their Sisters Scattered Throughout the United States," which proposes subjects for prayer and suggests that prayer meetings be held every Monday, for two hours, between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM. Folder also contains a small commemorative card of the death of Abraham Lincoln, "We Mourn a Beloved Patriot and Statesman." Also included is a newspaper clipping from the Hartford Evening Press, 15 April 1865, regarding the assassination of Lincoln. Box labeled XLVII-L contain Welles-Goodrich family papers, 1798-1877. In the folder labeled Welles-Goodrich Letters, 1833-1877, are five more letters from Corporal J. Francis Goodrich ("Frank") to his mother and sister Nellie G. Strong (Mrs. Henry A. Strong of Portland, CT) from Suffolk, VA, and Folly Island, SC, 26 September 1862-8 December [1863]. Frank, upon his enlistment, was a farmer in Fredonia, NY. He was discharged 18 May 1865. His letter of 6 October 1863 mentions he was restricted in what he wrote home and his letter of 19 November [1863] states, "You can form but a very limited idea of the gross profanity and foul vulgarity of camp life generally…"
Location: MS

 
   
 

Stowe, Nelson L. (1836-1933)
Musician
Waterbury
Fourteenth Connecticut Infantry, Company B
1865 January 1-May 31
1 Volume

Diary which describes heavy fighting at the battle of Hatcher’s Run, playing a dirge to march a deserter to his death, the soldiers’ reaction to hearing of Lee’s surrender on 9 April and gun salutes in commemoration of the late President Lincoln on 25 April. A typescript fragment inserted in the diary tells of the band playing the "Star Spangled Banner" amid the crashing shells during the battle of Chancellorsville to stem the tide of fleeing men. Stowe, a married mechanic, enlisted on 8 August 1862 and was mustered-in a Private on 20 August 1862. He was soon detailed Musician and was mustered-out on 31 May 1865.
Location: MS 78010

 
     
 
T
 
 

Tackaberry, William G.
1863 March 26
1 Item

Letter, 4 pp., from Lt. Tackaberry at Falmouth, VA, to Senator Charles Sumner (of Massachusetts) in Washington, DC, requests permission to raise a regiment of African American troops or for a field officer's commission in an existing regiment. This officer was at this time serving in the 1st Regiment, "Excelsior Brigade," apparently in the capacity of Captain, 90th New York Infantry. This self-recommendation was forwarded by Sumner to Secretary of War Stanton and was signed by the Senator.
Location: MS Tracy Collection

 
   
 

Talcott, Alfred [?]
Unknown Residence
Unidentified Regiment
1863 April 27
1 Item

Letter to his wife and mother, one of whom was named Mary Talcott. If correctly identified as Alfred Talcott, there is no record of a Connecticut enlistment. He mentions the 25th and 27th Connecticut Infantry and a Major Bell. Talcott is writing letters for the "Herald."
Location: MS Civil War Box II, Folder 2

 
   
 

Terry, Alfred Howe (1827-1890)
New Haven
Second Connecticut Infantry , Colonel
Seventh Connecticut Infantry , Major General
1862-1888
1 Volume, 1 Envelope and 8 Items

Military correspondence and papers, letterbook and 8 certificates or commissions. Terry, an unmarried lawyer, enlisted on 22 April 1861 and was mustered-in as commander of the 2nd Connecticut Infantry on 7 May 1861. He was mustered-out of this three-month unit on 7 August 1861. Terry reenlisted in the 7th Connecticut Infantry on 20 August 1861 and was mustered-in as Colonel on 17 September 1861. He was promoted to Brigadier General (U. S. Volunteers) on 25 April 1862, to Brevet Major General (U. S. Volunteers) on 26 August 1864 and to Major General (U. S. Volunteers) and Brigadier General (U. S. Regular Army) on 15 January 1865. Terry was promoted to Brevet Major General (U. S. Regular Army) on 13 March 1865. Alfred Terry retired a Major General from the U. S. Army in 1888. Terry's military correspondence, 1864-1888, includes two letters from General U. S. Grant (1822-1885) dated January 3 and 4, 1865. Terry's letterbook, one volume (207 pp. and 19 pp. index), "Letter Book of Brig. Gen. Alfred H. Terry," includes official correspondence 1863 October 9-1866 August 5. The collection also contains Terry's commissions as well as certificates of membership in various military organizations, 1862-1879.
Location: MS

 
   
 

Terry, William B. (d.1864)
Hartford
Third Connecticut Infantry, Rifle Company E, Private
Sixth Connecticut Infantry, Company B, Private
1862 March 11
1 Item

Letter, 3 pp., from Hilton Head, SC, to Lewis Munsway of Hartford. Terry reports much illness in his unit with several deaths resulting from the unhealthy living conditions of the enlisted men aboard the steamer Cosmopolitan. After serving in the 3rd Connecticut Infantry, Terry, an unmarried bookbinder, enlisted in the 6th Connecticut on 23 August 1861 and was mustered-in on 12 September 1861. He was wounded at Drewry’s Bluff, VA, on 17 May 1864 and died 1 November 1864.
Location: MS 93837

 
   
 

Thompson, Austin David (b.1841)
Sergeant
Bristol
Sixteenth Connecticut Infantry, Company K
1860-1916
1 Box

Correspondence (94 items). Letters to Electa Churchill (1843-1880), the future wife of Austin Thompson from both Austin and her cousin Charles Churchill, also of Company K, 16th Connecticut. Collection also contains two diaries kept by Electa Churchill, 1861 and 1864, which contain many domestic and social events. Letter of 21 September 1862 describes the battle of Antietam; letter of 26 September 1863 mentions the charge of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry (Colored) at Fort Wagner; letter of 15 November 1863 describes the execution of two substitutes for desertion; letter of 16 September 1877 discloses that Austin Thompson will attend the dedication of the soldiers' monument in Manchester. Thompson enlisted on 11 August 1862 and was mustered-in a Private on 24 August 1862. He was promoted to Corporal on 2 April 1963 and to Sergeant on 24 February 1864. He was captured at Plymouth, NC, on 20 April 1864 and was discharged on 8 June 1865. Charles Churchill, Jr., also of Bristol, enlisted 22 July 1862 and was mustered-in a Private on 24 August 1862. He was promoted to Corporal on 2 April 1863 but was reduced to the ranks on 4 October 1863. He was captured at Plymouth, NC, on 20 April 1864 and died in Florence, SC, on 20 November 1864.
Location: MS 94610

 
   
 

Thompson, Joseph Parrish (1819-1879)
Brattleboro, VT
Civilian, Male
1863 August 5
1 Item

Letter, 4 pp., to Dr. A. B. Webster (no location stated), recommending his son Joseph P. Thompson, Jr., who was currently attending Williams College, for a lieutenant's commission in an African American regiment. Thompson was an editor, author and Congregational clergyman. Another son (unnamed) had died in March 1863 while serving as a Sergeant in the 106th New York Infantry.
Location: MS Tracy Collection

 
   
 

Thresher, Seneca S.
New London
1862 December 8-1863 May 27
1 Volume

Diary, 148 pp., of a New London attorney. Thresher was admitted to the bar on 19 November 1862 and opened his office on 8 December 1862. He frequently handled the legal affairs of local soldiers and their families, helping them collect bounties, back pay, pensions, etc. Mentioned in the book (list not complete) are: Thomas Wilbur (regarding Daniel Wilbur, Company F, 18th Connecticut); Mrs. Daffet (regarding Lewis Daffet, musician, Company C, 6th Connecticut); Lyman Smiley (Company K, 12th Connecticut); Erastus Maynard (Company K, 14th Connecticut, died 16 January 1863 at Frederick, MD); John Delaney (Company H, 9th Connecticut); Isaac Vergason (Company H, 26th Connecticut); Asa Hughes (Company K, 14th Connecticut); John Osborn (no regiment stated); Joseph Harrington (Company B, 9th Connecticut); Charles T. Smith (Company F, 10th Connecticut); E. H. Winchester (Rhode Island Light Artillery); James Conners (Company G, 11th Connecticut, regarding an artificial leg); Thomas Wright (Company H, 3rd Maryland); Edward Dwyer (Company E, 21st Connecticut); Andrew McGarry (Company H, 9th Connecticut, spelled McGarvey in Record of Service); John Wheeler (Company C, 21st Connecticut); Patrick Reardon (Company H, 9th Connecticut); Albert E. Maker and George W. Kidder (both of Rhode Island); Thomas Maguire (Company F, 21st Connecticut, died 1862); D. Thomas (teamster, 7th Rhode Island, lost an eye at the battle of Fredericksburg); John Gleason (Company H, 9th Connecticut); Michael Roche (Company H, 7th Connecticut); Nelson J. Bemont (Company K, 14th Connecticut); John Kerley (Company H, 9th Connecticut); John Kelly (Company F, 1st New York?); Edward Tisdale (Company H, 9th Connecticut and later the 1st Connecticut Cavalry, died at Andersonville); Jeremiah Driscoll (Company H, 9th Connecticut); Timothy Desmond (Company E, 10th Connecticut); Nicholas T. Allen (Chaplain, 26th Connecticut); Ezra M. Loomis (Company H, 11th Connecticut); Jacob Obennauer (Company E, 14th Connecticut); and Thomas Edwards (Company D, 8th Connecticut). On 6 April 1863, Thresher notes that he went to the town hall and cast his vote for the Union ticket: William A. Buckingham (for Governor) and A. Brandegee (for Congress).
Location: MS 73236

 
   
 

Tompkins, Odell D. (d.1912), compiler.
1910-1914
5 Items

Correspondence and notes regarding Mr. Tompkins's search for the names of Civil War soldiers buried in various national cemeteries of the South. Letter, 22 April 1911, from F. M. Brist, relates Connecticut burials in the National Cemetery, Richmond, VA, and includes the names of men from the 7th, 8th, 10th and 29th (Colored) Connecticut Infantry Regiments. Names mentioned include: R. Warner, J. Griffing, O. Smith, G. Bradley, J. Brown, F. Cook, J. Lynch, A. Smith and C. Smith. Notes, dated 1914, relate information on Connecticut burials at the National Cemetery in New Bern, NC, and includes the names of men from the 8th and 21st Connecticut Infantry Regiments. Notes, dated 1914, relate information on Connecticut burials at the National Cemetery in Hampton, VA, and includes the names of men in the 8th and 21st Connecticut Infantry Regiments. Tompkins also wrote to the War Department in 1911 inquiring about the burial locations of Connecticut soldiers in national cemeteries and was furnished with a hand-written list from the Quartermaster General's office recording the locales of graves and numbers of interments for the 8th and 21st Connecticut Infantry Regiments along with a circular entitled, "List of Nat'l Cemeteries," which illustrates the area in acreage and total number of interments as of 30 June 1910.
Location: MS 72371

 
   
 

Tracy, Henry G. (1842?-1905?)
Private
Coventry
Eighteenth Connecticut Infantry, Company H
1863; 1887-1905
1 Folder and 1 Volume

Diary, 1863 May 22-July 14, and papers, 1887-1905. Collection contains materials from Fort Marshall (near Baltimore, MD); Winchester and Libby Prison, VA; and Bath, NY. Includes summary of Civil War service and affidavits and letters from the Chaplain of the Soldiers’ Home in Bath, NY. Tracy, an unmarried farmer, enlisted on 6 August 1862 and was mustered-in on 18 August 1862. He was captured at Winchester, VA, on 15 June 1863 and was paroled 14 July 1863. He was wounded at Snicker’s Ford, VA, on 17 July 1864 and was mustered-out on 27 June 1865.
Location: MS 77592

 
 
 

Trumbull, Lyman (1813-1896)
Senator from Illinois
1863 February 14
1 Item

Letter, 1 p., from Washington, DC, to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, also in Washington, introducing Colonel M. S. Littlefield of Illinois, with the request that the officer be given "an audience."
Location: MS Tracy Collection