New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-08-06
COL. VIM. ?. BACON
PASSES ON At 81
Veteran Of Over 90 Battles Of
the Civil War
GLASS SECRETARY SO YEARS

Zcn-Funcral VIII BE Held Thurs
day and VIII BE Private.
Colonel William Plumb Bacon, of
so Lexington street, aged 81 years,
died this morning at the Hartford
hospital and his death removes one
of the oldest Yale graduates of Con-
necticut, q we'll known veteran of
the Civil war and one of New Brit
aims leading citizens. Col. Bacon had
not been in rugged health for a few
years but his final illness was only
three weeks duration. He went to
tho hospital two weeks ago.
In the Civil war, Col. Bacon had
an excellent record of service. He
participated in more than so battles
and engagements. He served under
General Sheridan in the Shenandoah
Valley, with General Grant before
Petersburg, was in the second battle
of Bull Run and fought at Gettys-
burg. He was with Pope in the Vir-
ginia campaign and participated in
the raid on Richmond in 1864 with
kilpatric. He was also under Gen.
eral Wilson in the Virginia Central
railroad raids.
Col Bacon was an author of no
mean repute. He was forthe past 60
years secretary of the Yale class of
1858 of which he was a member. He
was the biographer of the class and
published books for the class in 1866
69-S3-9S and 1908. In 1908, upon
the completion of so years as secre-
tary of the class, he was presented
with a handsome loving cup by sur
viVing classmates, who assembled for
the annual reunion in New York The
graduating class of which he was a
member numbered 104 members and
now there are less Than 25 living.
Among the number were some of
Yales most distinguished graduates,
including such men as Josiah Willard
Gibbs of New Haven, who was one of
the three or four distinguished math-
ematicians in the world at the time
of his death: Daniel Garrison Brinton
of Pennsylvania the noted ethnologist;
the Hon. William t. Harris, United
States commissioner of education for
seventeen years, the first beneficiary
of the Carnegie foundation for ad-
vancement of education; Fred Hewitt
who died last August, bequeathing
half n million dollars to Yale, two
million to the New York Post Gradu-
ate Medical school and hospital and a
million and a half and his residuary
estate to the Metropolitan Museum of
Art In New York, and Addison Van
Name, a brother-in-law Of Gibbs, val
edictorian of his class, who recently
retired as librarian at Yale after for
ty years of service.
Much of Col. Bacon's time was
in i,to in,
connection with genealogies and he
was the author of numerous pam
phlets. In his research work Col. Ba-
con delved deeply into Civil War sta
tistics and his papers were of inter
EST.
Col. Bacon was the son of William
Walter Bacon, who was born in Mid
dletown, and Jane Plumb, who was
born in Westheld. Col. Bacon was
born in Middletown and spent the
early years of his life there. After
graduation from Yale he spent a year
abroad in study and then settled in
New York and engaged in the stock
market business. For twenty-five
years he was very successful and was
the owner OF seat in the New York
stock exchange.
Col Bacon came to New Britain
from New York and for II years was
associated with his brOther-in-laW
the late John Fl. Whittemore OF Maui
gatuck in the management of the
Vulcan Iron Works Co. With this
change of ownership in 1907 Mr..
Bacon retired from active business.
He was the treasurer of the company.
During the Civil war Col Bacon
served with the Fifth New York Cav
ulry. He was commissioned lieu
tenant and battalion adjutant October
S, 1861, and in September 1857 was
promoted to be regimental adJutant.
Two months later be became a major
and in March, 1864, was promoted to
be lieutenant colonel. He was honor
ably discharged September II, 1864.
The Bacon FAMILY, of which the
colonel was a member, fought In the
Revolutionary war. BY reason of his
ancestry he was entitled to member
ship in the Society of Cincinnati OF
Connecticut, his grandsire having
been an officer in the Revolution lie
(Continued on Ninth Pase)