New Britain herald., 1917-06-30


 ~. | ou'r Topics The military history of New Brit ain has ever been one of which it's residents may feel proud and that in the present war the Hardware City
 boys will be found we'll to the front as | were their ancestors in the past is not doubted. The recruiting rally of Thursday night, in which Second
 lieutenant Rodman Wright Chamber
 lain of Company I, First Infantry, | took a part, was in some ways re- petition of the history of flfty-six years ago, for on the night of April 14. 1861, few hours after Major Anderson had evacuated Fort Sump- ter, the first regular var-meeting held | In Hartford County and one of the | first in the state pertaining to the war of the rebellion was held in the Center church with Rev. Samuel Rockwell presiding and at this initial rally Lieutenant Chamberlain's father, the late Judge Valentine B. Chamber lain, took prominent part. In view of the recruiting activity of the pres ent week glimpse into similar activ-
 itfes of half century ago would not be amiss. The late David N. Camp, in his history Of New Britain, says of this meeting: Resolutions to sup port the government were unanimous ly passed amid great enthusiasm. which was raised to the highest pitch when V. B. Chamberlain, Esq. presented to the audience, accom- panied by a thrilling speech. a por-, trait of Major Anderson. This hand some picture of the hero of Fort Sumpter had been encircled with 8
 laurel wreath prepared by a few la- dies of New Britain. An enlistment paper was presented, and the enlist ment of volunteers, headed by Frank Stanley, who was afterward killed at Irish Bend. Louisiana, was begun Following this meeting recruiting was brisk and on Monday, April 22. 1861 Company c, First Regiment, was mustered into the service from New Britain. On September 4, 1861, Com pany G of the Sixth Infantry, recruit ed with more than seventy men from this place. was mustered into the ser vice, going at once into camp at New Haven. About the same time Com pany A of the Seventh Regiment, was AAOot0kOu 4AtO L1l0 9SIV1C0. xAllUI1&
 it's numerous New Britain men was Lieutenant Rodman Chamberlain's father, who was commissioned as
 lieutenant himself at the time. On February IS, 1862, Company A of tho
 Thirteenth Regiment was mustered
 into the service with Henry l.. Bid-
 well, former New Britain man, as
 captain, and over fifty others from
 this place. Company of the Four
 teenth Regiment was mustered in on
 August 28, 1862 with sixty-five men and its principal officers from New
 Britain. Professor Camps history adds that 'ethe number of men fur
 nished by New Britain was, of the three months volunteers, 60, and of the three year mon, 645, or 105 more than tho quota of the town The
 history also relates that eighty of those who went from New Britain.
 either fell in battle, were wounded and died of their wounds. or were
 sick and died in hospitals or southern prisons." Concerning the record of V.
 B. Chamberlain, father of the young
 lieutenant of Company I. the history says that he enlisted in Company A Seventh Regiment. on August IT, 1861 and was commissioned a second lieu tenant on September 5. On ,septem- Der IS he was sent to Washington. was in the expedition sent to South Carolina in October and in the early part of November was with the sev.
 enth when 1t made it's first landing in that state. He was in the seige of Fort Pulaski in April and of James Island in June 1862. On July he was promoted to captain of the com- pany. During the second day of the battle of the assault upon .Fort Wag- ner at Morris Island. s. C., Captain Chamberlain was made prisoner of war and was confined at Charleston and Columbia, s. C., and at Char lotte and Raleigh, N. c. He escaped from Columbia but in making his way north through East Tennessee he was recaptured and was not parolled until March 1, 1865 at Wilmington, N. c. Already his son, although in the First
 Regiment only 8 little more than a year. has seen service along the Mex ican border.
 who enlisted from this city and were
 killed in action or died during the
 campaigns, were Captain J. E. Blinn. Co. F, 14th Regt., killed at Antietam; Theodore A. Stanley, lieutenant in Go. F, 14th Regt., mortally wounded, at fredericksburg; Sergeant Orville Campbell. Co. I, 18th Regt., killed at Antietam; Sergeant Charles R. Glad den, Co. A, 18th Regt., died at New
 Orleans; Michael Myers, died at An- dersonville Prison: Quartermaster
 Sergeant J. W. Post, co. F. 14th Regt., died at. Harpers Ferry; Ser
 geant Charles M. Scoville, Co. F, 14th
 Regt., mortally wounded at Spottsyl- xania. Francis E Stanley orderly aer-