The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-08-11
No. 81
Patrick
Joseph
Saturday August Is,
Roscoe Fisher

Corporal Patrick Joseph Fenton,
volunteer in the 18th Connecticut regi-
ment of infantry, three times command
er of Sedgwick post, No. s, G. A. R,
of Brattleboro, and at present president
of the 18th Connecticut Regimental
association and an aide-de-camp on the
staff of Commander-in-C Chief Gardner
of the G. A. r., saw a lot of hard ser
vice daring the nearly two years he
spent in the service in GA and '65.
During that time, although his nose was
broken and he received three scratches
from bullets, he never missed a roll call.
Mr.. Fenton was born Aug s, 1871, ia
the village Of Carew, parish of Dun
quin. County Kerry, ireland, son Of
Joseph and Elaine (Fitzgerald) Fenton.
His father came to the United States
in lS47 and a year later sent for his
family to join him Mr.. Fenton has
very little recollection Of his native
! land, but remembers that they were six
weeks and three days making the trip
across the Atlantic and that the shiT
was on fire when it was about hall
way over.
They joined the husband and fathe]
at Iolvoke, where Mr.. Fenton s father
was employed on the construction of
/ the first dam ever built in that city. II
/ March. 1919. they came to BrattlebOro
whore Mr.. Fcuton, ST.. had employment
ON the construction of the Vermont Val
/ ley railroad. His family followed along
with him as the construction proceede,
and had their first shanty where til:
/ Bradley house now stands, They next
/ located for a time at the mouth of the
! West river and finally on the Haven
/ property i'm East Dummerston. Upon
\ the completion of that road in 1851 o.
Il lN52 the family came to Brattleboro
from East Dummerston and Mr.. Fentou
has since lived here.
Mr.. Fenton entered the employ OF
George Is. Folsom, a wealthy New York
resident. who had a summer home here
u.s. "A servant in 1877. During his ser
vice in the family he saw and knew
many men Of prominence of those days
including Generals Scott and Dix ano
such famous newspaper men as the elder
Bennett, Greeley and Raymond, VIII,
were many times guests at the home OF
his employer, and the Prince of Wales
who came over in 1860. Mr. FentoI
was still in the employ of Mr.. Folsom
whose son has a fine residence in Len
OK, Mass, when Sumter was fired ~
ON. He saw the first regiment thai
started for the frOnt-the eth New
York march through the streets OF
that city.
With Patrick o Grady, Mr.. FentoI
went TO Connecticut and enlisted 70
three years in the 18th Connecticu.
volunteers, being assigned to Compan,
: @ of that organization, company tina
> lost a total Of 1877 men during the ser
: vice from all causes, while the regi
. meHt 5 total losses were 1925.
Mr.. Fenton was the first of the re
cruits to be subjected to medical ex
animation and young o Grady, who wa
p, only an inch or two over five feet, be
came anxious as to whether he woul
: be accepted because of his small stat
. ire
:; When it came his turn the surgeo
=; asked him how tail he was. @ m no
sure. sir, whether ! am five feet 10 G
= 10 feet five replied O'Grady. Tn
: answer so pleased the surgeon that h
+ told the young recruit to put on hi
clothes, saying, "You II make a goo
. soldier lie did, too, is Mr.. Fenton
! comment upon the surgeon $ prediction
: The two friends went to a restauraI
/. and, during their meal addressed eac
;. other several times by the popular con
}. traction OF his first name. A parrot
!, a cage nearby finally gave advice t
!. the raw recruits, saying: "Pat bette
+ go home, - repeating the advice seve
y al times to the amusement of the con
d rades.
d Some months later as the two wei
lying with others of their command
d "a cornlield shivcring with the col
d o Grady, his teeth ehattering, aske
e Mr.. Fenton: "Do you remember VIII;
g. th"t DID parrot told us?'
K About $50 recruits for the regime
We're sent to Fort Tumble in New Lo
d don harbor for several weeks whe
they were drilled. On March 20, lSG
I'd they started for the front and arrive