{{Infobox military unit , unit_name= 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery Regiment , dates= November 23, 1863, to August 18, 1865 , country=

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, allegiance=

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, branch= Heavy Artillery , equipment= , battles=

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses ...

Battle of Opequon The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confederate ...

Battle of Fisher's Hill The Battle of Fisher's Hill was fought September 21–22, 1864, near Strasburg, Virginia, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. Despite its strong defensive position, the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. Jub ...

Battle of Cedar Creek The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, was fought on October 19, 1864, during the American Civil War. The fighting took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia, near Cedar Creek, Middletown, and the Valley Pike. Du ...

Battle of Petersburg III The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was fought on April 2, 1865, south and southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, at the end of the 292-day Richmond–Petersburg Campaign (sometimes ...

Battle of Sailor's Creek The 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery Regiment (originally raised as the 19th Connecticut Infantry) was a volunteer infantry regiment which served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

History

The 19th Connecticut Infantry was mustered in on July 25, 1862. L.W. Wessells was

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and Elisha S. Kellogg

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. It was sent to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

a few weeks later. In September, Wessells resigned due to ill health and Kellogg was promoted to colonel in his place. The regiment was reorganized as a heavy artillery regiment on November 23, 1863, although it fought as infantry throughout the war. Civil War monument to the 2nd Connecticut Volunteer Heavy Artillery at Cold Harbor VA battlefield

Civil War monument to the 2nd Connecticut Volunteer Heavy Artillery at Cold Harbor VA battlefield

In May 1864, the 2nd was sent to the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

, where it was assigned to the Second Brigade, First Division,

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army du ...

. It suffered its first loss during skirmish duty along the

North Anna River The North Anna River is a principal tributary of the Pamunkey River, about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in central Virginia in the United States. ...

. The 2nd Connecticut's first battle was at

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

on June 1, 1864, where it suffered 323 men killed or wounded, including Kellogg dead with two bullets to the head. It managed to capture 300 prisoners and it briefly reached the Confederate breastworks, but Confederate fire was too heavy for the regiment to maintain its position. Major James Hubbard declined promotion to command of the regiment, so

Ranald S. Mackenzie Ranald Slidell Mackenzie, also called Bad Hand, (July 27, 1840 – January 19, 1889) was a career United States Army officer and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was described by General Ulysses S. Grant as its ...

was transferred from the engineers to take command. The regiment participated in the beginning stages of the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

. It was transferred to the

to participate in the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign, during which it suffered heavy losses. In December, the regiment was sent back to the Army of the Potomac. Mackenzie was promoted to

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on December 28, and Hubbard was promoted to colonel a week later. It fought in the breakthrough at Petersburg and the Appomattox Campaign. After the surrender at Appomattox Court House, the 2nd was sent to North Carolina to assist Maj. Gen.

William T. Sherman William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

in forcing the surrender of the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating i ...

. In May, the remaining members of the 14th Connecticut Infantry Regiment were assigned to the regiment. After participating in the Grand Review, the regiment garrisoned several forts around Washington. The 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery was mustered out on September 5, 1865, with only 183 original men who served with the 19th Connecticut remaining.

Casualties

Killed/died of wounds
12 Officers
242 Enlisted men Died by disease/accident
2 Officers
171 Enlisted men by disease

Battle of Cold Harbor

The 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery losses suffered at Cold Harbor on the June 1 assault, and held their position for 36 hours. Regimental commander-Colonel Elisha S. Kellogg (killed) First Battalion-Major James Hubbard Company A C:..........................Company B.......................Company K.......................Company E
''Capt. Wadham'' (wounded).......''Capt. Lewis''……...............…''Capt. Spencer''….................''Capt. Skinner''
17 killed…….…......................18 killed……...................…10 killed………….................17 killed
10 died of wounds................…7 died of wounds…..............8 dead of wounds…............4 died of wounds
28 wounded………..................26 wounded……..........….…19 wounded….......…..........25 wounded Second Battalion-Major James Rice Company L.......................Company C........................Company H........................Company G
''Capt. Deane'' (wounded)........''Capt. Fenn''..........................''Capt. Berry''.........................''Capt. Gold''
1 killed………........…...........4 killed…………..................3 killed...............................1 killed
2 died of wounds…...............3 died of wounds…..............1 dead of wounds................1 died of wounds
8 wounded……….................11 wounded.........................15 wounded.......................14 wounded Third Battalion- Major William B. Ells (wounded) Company M.......................Company D....................... Company I........................Company F
''Capt. Marsh''........................''Capt. Hosford''.......................''Capt. Burnham''...................''Capt. Jones''
1 killed…………..............….4 killed.................................2 killed...............................2 killed
- died of wounds…...............5 died of wounds...................1 died of wounds.................1 died of wounds
6 wounded.........................16 wounded...........................11 wounded........................9 wounded Total loss at Cold Harbor
81 killed
43 died of wounds
189 "recovered" wounded

References

* Vaill, Dudley Landon
''The County Regiment, A Sketch of the Second Regiment of Connecticut Volunteer Heavy Artillery, Originally the Nineteenth Volunteer Infantry, In the Civil War''
Litchfield County, Conn.: University Club, 1908. * Vaill, Theodore F
''History of the Second Connecticut Volunteer Heavy Artillery, Originally the Nineteenth Connecticut Vols.''
Winsted, Conn.: Winsted Printing Company, 1868.

External links

2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery Reenacting Group
Units and formations of the Union Army from Connecticut Artillery units and formations of the American Civil War 1863 establishments in Connecticut Military units and formations established in 1863 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

History

Casualties

Battle of Cold Harbor

See also

References

External links