Connecticut western news., 1911-07-06
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
WHEN FORT LYONS
 MAGAZINE BLEW UP
Explosion that Killed 23 and Scatter ed Debris for Miles Around-FieId and Staff Officers of the Original Second HeaVieS

Comrades You will remember the day that the magazine at Fort Lyon blew up. This was June 9th, 1863. At the noon hour while you were eating your dinner a terrible explosion occurred, that shook the country for miles aronnd. You were about one half miles distance and the debris was scattered for nearly amile. Timbers loft long used in it's construction, were hurled like small sticks.
 The magazine contained about eight tons of powder. You know that the ordnance officer was cleaning out shell near the door, using wire to scrape the illuminate off its walls when it exploded, communicating with and exploding the magazine. The door being open it iGnit- ed, and all went up. Cannon on the parapets weighing 5000 lbs. were ended over like sticks. The man cleaning out the spell never knew what hit hIm and 22 others were killed. Parts of their bodies were blown quarter of a mile, and such a shock was seldom heard. You will remember that the huge black sulphurous cloud that kept intact and 1oated out over the Potomac was seen like huge black monster for an hour. The 18th New York regiment garrisoned the fort, German regiment. A detail from your regiment was sent over to help straighten matters out and it was a terrible looking place, but was soon righted.
 You were frequently called out in the night to lie by the guns ill the forts. This to prepare you for any sudden emergency. October 14th, '63, six guns were brought to Fort Williams which you had to mount and place ill position. You know this fort was a new one, and you had to finish it up ready for service, which was done in a very short tune. This practically completed the line of Forts on the west shore of the Potomac. These were all connected by a series of rife pits These forts were all manned with the best guns then in use, and you learned to handle them as well as the best.
 Each fort also had bombproofs to pro- tect the different reliefs when in action. While one detail was in action two de- tails or reliefs were in the bombproofs for protection, so that in case of being attacked all would not be under fire at the same time. This is all very plain to you. Lest some of you may have forgot. ten the list of field, staff and line officers I will here give you roster of the same when you first went out:
 Colonel L. W. Vessels, commanding. Field and Staff, Lieutenant Colonel E. s. Kellogg, Major Nathaniel Smith, Ad- jutant Chales DuI n ng, Quarter Master Bradley Lee.
 Line officers were:
 Company A, Captain William Bissel. First Lieutenant Luman Wadhams, Sec ond Lieutenant A. B. ShUnway.
 Company B, Captain James Hubbard, First Lieutenant, F. A. Cook; Second Lieutenant, Orin H. Knight.
 Company 0, Captain James Q. Rice, First Lieutenant, William H. Spencer; Second Lieutenant, William H. Sanford;
 Company D, Captaln William B. Els, First Lieutenant; William H. Lewis Jr.; Second Lieutenant, Robert A. Potter
 Company E, Captain Jeffrey Skinner, First Lieutenant, B. E. Hosford; Second Lieutenant, c. D. Cleveland.
 Company F, Captain E, w. Jones, First Lieutenant, James E. Dean; Second Lien tenant,O. P. Loomis.
 Company G. Captain Edward F. Gold, First Lieutenant, T. Teiter; Second Lieu tenant.J. M. Gregory.
 Company H, Captain George S. Will cans, First Lieutenant, F. M. Berry; Second Lieutenant, Walter Burnhan.
 Company I. Captain Eli D. Sperry, First Lieutenant, Betts; Second Lieuten, ant, Crane.
 Company K, Captain E. O. Peck, First Lieutenant. August H. Fenn; Second Lieutenant, James N. Coe.
 The rank of line officers was soon changed by promotions, Hubbard after wards being Colonel of the Regiment; Rice, Ells, Jones, Skinner being major and lots of other promotions that will come later. Judge Fenn you will note is now deceased. Robert A. Potter now County Commissioner of Hartford coun- try and others are way up. The genial D c. Kilbourn. now clerk of Litchfield county court, and the late O. R. Fyler. Both of these were commissioned officers afterwards.
 II imagine it takes a great deal of