Civilian Support
During the Civil War the Union Army was supported by citizens of Norwich on every level. In addition to the brave men who volunteered to fight on the front lines, the women and the manufacturers in Norwich were supporting the troops. Of particular note was the Soldiers’ Aid Society. This group of women contributed countless hours of labor and huge sums of money. They also supplied food, medical supplies, clothing, money and countless other provisions.
The gun makers of Norwich produced thousands of muskets used by the Union Army. They also made bayonets and other weapons for the soldiers. Norwich was one of the leading producers of weapons for the Union Army.
1861-1865 SOLDIERS’ AID SOCIETY
LIZZIE GREENE, CARRIE THOMAS & ELIZA PERKINS
The women of Norwich supported the Civil War effort in countless ways. Before, during and after the war they provided support and comfort to the men who had volunteered to serve.
When the call for volunteer soldiers first arrived in Norwich, the ladies immediately began to meet daily in Breed Hall to outfit their soldiers. By the time Captain Frank Chester and his men embarked on their duty, the women were credited with having made 1,600 flannel and checked cotton shirts and other articles of clothing.
The Soldiers’ Aid Society was organized in September 1861 in response to a request for socks from the soldiers. Elizabeth C. (Lizzie) Greene (William P. Greene’s younger daughter) led the organization and shared its management with Carrie L. Thomas and Eliza P. Perkins. During the latter part of the war Emeline Norton also held a responsible position in the Society’s management and gave of her time and strength to keep up its efforts.
From October 1861 through September 1865 the group raised more than $7,100 ($191,000 in today’s dollars). According to their records they expended $7,909 ($212,750 in today’s dollars) over the years. The bulk of their expenditures were from flannel, sheeting and yarn.
More than 60% of the deaths of Union soldiers came as a result of disease. The items provided by the Soldiers’ Aid Society were sorely needed by the soldiers. To help offset the soldiers’ physical needs the Society contributed much more than money. According to the group’s records, they sent thousands of personal items to the troops. Some of these were: 6,587 socks; 1,213 quilts; 2,018 pillow cases; 1,993 flannel shirts; 2,359 cotton shirts; 793 second hand shirts; and, not to be forgotten 1,519 drawers. These were but a few of many items sent.
A Civil War Union Hospital
*Place cursor over photo to magnify
Another important role for the Soldier’s Aid Society was to support regimental hospitals. At Governor Buckingham’s suggestion, an arrangement was made with the Society to supply regimental hospitals. The women of Norwich assumed special care for the soldiers of the 6th, 8th, 11th, and 13th CVI regiments. They invited women from Windham County and the rest of New London County to also join them in meeting the soldiers’ needs.
The Soldiers’ Aid Society also supported the war effort in other states. Dr. C.B. Webster sent a request from Washington to Norwich on February 7, 1863. His letter mentioned that his medical facility, the Contraband Camp Hospital, had 1,100 refugees from slavery, of which 300 were sick and under medical treatment. They were also treating 200 small pox patients.
Dr. Webb requested clothing, shoes and socks. The Soldiers’ Aid Society at once issued their call for contributions, and with the usual success. Many items were sent to the camp, which attested to the wide sympathy of the ladies and the promptness of their reply.
A Civil War Square Meal
*Place cursor over photo to magnify
In November 1862 Colonel J.H. Almy requested the Society to furnish pies of the Thanksgiving dinner of the Connecticut soldiers encamped on Long Island. The troops received 160 pies of various kinds; carefully packed in boxes.
Two years later when a second appeal for Thanksgiving, the Society once again generously supported their men with both food and money. The contributions filled 21 barrels and seven boxes, and were forwarded to the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 21st and 29th regiments. $300 was spent on turkeys and chickens, $100 was spent on medical supplies, and $174 was spent on the comfort of the sick and wounded soldiers.
Lizzie Greene and Eliza Perkins also supported the fallen soldiers of Norwich after the war. In January 1869 it was resolved that a committee of seven would be appointed to solicit and collect funds for the erection of a monument to the Norwich soldiers and seamen who had fallen. This distinguished committee included William A. Buckingham, Elizabeth Greene and Eliza Perkins. The committee’s efforts, along with a city tax of assessment, and the sales of the “The Norwich Memorial” book (Info Source 1 below), funded the Civil War Soldiers’ Monument.
Much more detailed information about the Soldiers’ Aid Society can be found in Info Source 2.
Acknowledgements
“The Norwich Memorial: The Annals of Norwich, New London County, Connecticut in the Great Rebellion of 1861-65”, (1873), pp 177-201, by Malcom McGregor Dana
“Norwich and The Civil War”, pp 101-108, (2015), by Patricia F. Staley
National Archives
CivilWarAcademy.com
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Soldiers’ Aid Society” in the SEARCH box.
Civil War GunMakers
Norwich was considered the firearms center of New England from the Civil War period (1861-1865) until the early 1920s. It is said that in 1860, more firearms were produced in Norwich than in any other city.
In 1864 the Harper’s Magazine wrote : “We bid the reader to Norwich, rather than to some other of the many similar enterprises which have grown up in various parts of the land, because the works there, are of all others, the first in the magnitude of their operation, and in the assurance of perpetuity, when minor establishments may, and no doubt will, pass with the passing of the necessity which has called them into existence.”
One of the most important firearms used by Union soldiers was the Model 61 Musket and Norwich produced thousands of them.
The Eagle Manufacturing Company had a contract from the U.S. Government to produce 25,000 Model 61 muskets.
James D. Mowry was awarded a contract for 30,000 muskets. In 1863 the Eagle Mfg. Co. was reformed into the Norwich Arms Company. They produced about 1200 muskets, 3000 bayonets and 2000 locks each week in the mid 1860’s.
The Cole & Walker machine shop was used to help produce the muskets for both Eagle Manufacturing Company and James D. Mowry.
Many companies made components for the guns but three companies Eagle Manufacturing, James D. Mowry, and Norwich Arms are known to have made complete rifles. The Cole & Walker Machine shop made many of the parts.
If you click on one of the buttons below, you can learn more about the individual musket manufacturers.
“The Norwich Memorial: The Annals of Norwich, New London County, Connecticut in the Great Rebellion of 1861-65”, (1873), pp 128-129, by Malcom McGregor Dana
Post Civil War
After the Fall of Richmond, on Sunday April 2, 1865, there was great jubilation in all the northern states. Upon learning the news, American flags were hoisted from every staff in Norwich and a 6-pounder cannon was fired one hundred times to mark the occasion.
Later that evening Norwich citizens met in Breed Hall. This time the meeting’s purpose was not to recruit more soldiers, rather, it was to offer words of thanksgiving and gratitude. Amos W. Prentice presided and several distinguished leaders, including William A. Buckingham and Senator Foster, addressed the crowd. After the meeting the city was alive with blazing bonfires, tended by boys and youth of the city.
The news of the final ending of the rebellion, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered, reached Norwich on Sunday night, April 9, 1865. As Monday morning dawned the bells of all the churches pealed for an hour and gave notice of the glorious news. Signs of patriotism were displayed throughout the city. At noon, yet another meeting was held at Breed Hall. This time the hall was appropriately draped with flags. One flag behind the stage bore the inscription, which was the watchword of the day, VICTORY!
A few days later, this tumultuous joy was answered with deep grief. It was Good Friday and President and Mrs. Lincoln were on their way out for a much-needed night out. President Lincoln when he remarked to her, “We have had a hard time together since we came to Washington, but now that the was is over, and with God’s blessing upon us, we may hope for four years of happiness, and then we will go back to Illinois, and pass the remainder of our lives in peace”. He was assassinated several hours later.
The citizens of Norwich were appalled by the dreadful news and the city was filled with gloom. On Easter Sunday all the churches in town were dressed in mourning, and saddened discourses were preached throughout the town. In addition to the gloominess, Lincoln’s death also meant that Connecticut’s Senator from Norwich, Lafayette S. Foster. had effectively become Vice-President of the United States. That very afternoon, Senator Foster and Governor Buckingham, along with several other Norwich leaders, were escorted to Washington. They were en route to pay their respects and Senator Foster became one of Lincoln’s honorary pall bearers.
The citizens of Norwich did not forget the brave actions of their fallen and returning soldiers. A year after the war, George W. Smith traveled to Andersonville, Georgia where he retrieved the remains of 15 Norwich soldiers who had died in the Rebel prison there. A few years afterward, General William A. Aiken, helped establish Connecticut’s first Grand Army of the Republic Post in Norwich. This organization support Union Army war veterans in countless ways. And, a few years after that, the town of Norwich erected a handsome monument to honor and remember the Civil War soldiers from Norwich that gave their live in the fight for freedom from slavery.
Norwich continues to and will always remember and honor her veterans!
“The Norwich Memorial: The Annals of Norwich, New London County, Connecticut in the Great Rebellion of 1861-65”, (1873), pp 289-315, by Malcom McGregor Dana
“Civil War Patriotic Flag”
acting Vice-president Lafayette S. Foster
Lafayette S. Foster of Norwich was elected President pro tempore of the Senate at the beginning of the 39th Congress on March 7, 1865, only a few weeks before the end of the Civil War.
Six days after the end of the Civil War, on April 15, 1865 President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Two of Booth’s accomplices also intended to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward as well. Seward’s intended assassin, Lewis Powell, struck but failed to kill. Johnson’s intended assassin, George Atzerodt, never acted. If Atzerodt had successfully assassinated Johnson, Foster would have been Lincoln’s successor as President of the United States. With Andrew Johnson’s elevation to the presidency, Mr. Foster became the acting vice president of the United States and served in that capacity until March 2, 1867.
Lafayette Foster was concerned about the rights and living conditions of both African Americans and Native Americans. A resolution of 38th Congress of the United States, approved March 3, 1865, directed the appointment of a special committee “to inquire into the present condition of the Indian tribes, and especially into the manner in which they are treated by the civil and military authorities of the United States”. Mr. Foster was appointed one of the members of this committee; and, as before they set out upon their investigation he had become acting Vice-President of the United States, he was made the prominent figure of the expedition.
Attended by a large military escort, the party visited several important points in Colorado and New Mexico, and were received with distinguished honor. At several places the visitors were called upon for addresses. Mr. Foster’s remarks on these occasions, which were printed in the local newspapers, exhibited a lively enthusiasm over the magnificence of the West, and an earnest interest in all measures, including the construction of the Pacific Railroad, which conduced to its welfare and progress.
Mr. Foster entered into this journey with great relish and enthusiasm. The grandeur and beauty of the country filled him with admiration.
Acknowledgements
“Memorial Sketch of Lafayette S. Foster”, (1881), page 42, by W. H. W. Campbell
“Memorial Sketch of Lafayette S. Foster”, (1881), page 2, by W. H. W. Campbell
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Foster” in the SEARCH box.
Andersonville Memorial : George W. Smith
George W. Smith is a man who should be memorialized for closing a sad chapter of American history with great dignity and honor.
During the Civil War the people in Norwich made a pledge that the bodies of any of their soldiers who fell during the war would be retrieved and brought back to Norwich so they could be buried on their home ground.
Following the Civil War, on January 2, 1866, George W. Smith departed Norwich and traveled to Andersonville Georgia in an attempt to retrieve the remains of 15 Norwich soldiers who were known to have died in the prison there. He returned to Norwich with 9 soldiers whose remains had positively been identified. There were 6 others that could not be identified.
Shortly after his return to Norwich with the bodies, there was a huge celebration. It was exactly 10:30 in the morning on Feb. 1, 1876, when all Norwich church bells began to ring. The tolling continued from 10:30 till 11:30. The funeral procession was a public event as the cortege with eight bodies formed on Main Street. Seven of the eight were to be interred at the Yantic Cemetery, where a circle of grave plots had been reserved to inter the soldiers. The body of Sylvans Downer, was also buried in the Yantic Cemetery, however, he was buried in his family’s plot, not within the soldier’s circle. The remaining soldier’s body, that of George W. Ward, was buried in his family’s plot in the old City Cemetery on Oak Street.
George W. Smith is buried in the West Plains Cemetery.
Acknowledgements
“Norwich Man Who Brought Dignity to War Dead”, by Bill Stanley
Bob Dees
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Andersonville” in the SEARCH box.
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, Union Navy, and Marines who served in the Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Springfield, Illinois, and grew to include hundreds of posts.
The GAR not only wielded great political clout but they were also very active in pension legislation, supporting voting rights for black veterans, establishing retirement homes for soldiers, and many other areas which concerned Union veterans. They helped establish of Civil War monuments dedicated to those brave men who served honorably in the war.
In 1868 the GAR called upon its members to pay tribute to their war casualties, missing-in-action and deceased veterans. This action effectively established the Memorial Day holiday that is now observed in America.
The Grand Army of the Republic badge, shown on the left, was worn on the uniform of Union Army veterans.
Norwich established the first of the 87 GAR posts formed in Connecticut. It opened its membership on February 15, 1867 as Sedgwick Post. No. 1, named for Major General John Sedgwick.
The first post commander was General William A. Aiken who had served as both the quartermaster general of Connecticut and a special envoy for Governor Buckingham. For the first five years members of the post met in rented rooms and in 1898, they purchased the building that had once been home to William and Eliza Buckingham. The building was used as their headquarters.
Acknowledgements
The Grand Army of the Republic was dissolved in 1956 at the death of its last member. The former Sedgwick Post No. 1 is now home to the Buckingham Memorial. Both the library of the Buckingham Memorial and the Sedgwick Post No. 1 sign have been recently restored. Click the Info Source buttons below to read the details.
Wikipedia
“Buckingham Memorial Ready to Show Off Library Restoration”, (02/05/2019), by Kevin Aherne
“Norwich Artist Restoring Buckingham Memorial’s Sign”, (04/29/2019), by John Barry
“Grand Army of the Republic Badge”, Public Domain
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Grand Army of the Republic” in the SEARCH box.
Civil War SoldierS' Monument
Soon after the end of the war the people of Norwich began to ask the question of how to best honor and remember their fallen soldiers. The list of those who had lost their lives while in the service of their country was long, and included some widely know and tenderly loved brethren.
After much discussion of the question in local newspapers, a public meeting was held at Breed Hall on June 14, 1869, with the mayor of Norwich Lorenzo Blackstone presiding. In his opening remarks he said, “that all would agree that there is a moral obligation resting on this community to erect a suitable monument to the memory of those who fell in the late war, and the object of this meeting is to raise funds for that purpose.”
By the end of the meeting it was resolved that a committee would be appointed to raise funds for a monument and that when enough money was raised they would create a plan to erect it.
It was also resolved that the committee would prepare and publish a manuscript containing an account of the service rendered in the war by representatives of Norwich. The receipts from the sale of the book would be used to help pay for the monument. The book, “The Norwich Memorial, The Annals of Norwich, New London County Connecticut, In the Great Rebellion of 1861-1865” was written by Malcom McGregor Dana, the pastor of the 2nd Congregational Church in Norwich. It was published in 1873.
Most of the Civil War information presented in this website was obtained from this book.
The monument was dedicated two years later on April 23, 1875. The names of each one of the 156 soldiers who did not return the war alive are written on the eight sides of the monument base. The words of the plaque, located directly in front of the monument on Chelsea Parade, may be read by placing your cursor over the photo shown on the left.
The monument measures ten feet square at the base, and the entire height is twenty-seven feet six inches. The base is built of a single white granite stone from a quarry near Westerly, RI, that weighs over fourteen tons. The 12-foot-tall soldier, sculpted by Charles Conrad, is believed to be the tallest soldier figure in Connecticut. The total cost of the monument was $16,000 and $2,200 for the brass plaque, shown in the photograph.
The last paragraph of Pastor Malcom McGregor Dana’s book reads :
“In making our story public, we are but telling what part we took in the preservation of our National Union; what sacrifices were made among us for the suppression of a rebellion that threatened destruction of all our dearest rights. This by ourselves and by our children, will ever be a story which will be read with honest pride, and in the hope that it may deepen our love of country, and help us to remember with tender hearts the heroic dead, has this record of the patriots services of the sons and daughters of Norwich been written.”
Acknowledgements
“The Norwich Memorial: The Annals of Norwich, New London County, Connecticut in the Great Rebellion of 1861-65”, (1873), pp 375-387, by Malcom McGregor Dana
by Bob Dees
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Soldiers Monument” in the SEARCH box.