Luther Crawford Ladd (22 December 1843 – 19 April 1861) was a soldier 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 ...

who was killed during the

Baltimore riot of 1861 The Baltimore riot of 1861 (also called the "Pratt Street Riots" and the "Pratt Street Massacre") was a civil conflict on Friday, April 19, 1861, on Pratt Street, in Baltimore, Maryland. It occurred between antiwar "Copperhead" Democrats (the l ...

. He is often referred to as the first Union soldier killed in action 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 ...

. Luther Crawford Ladd was 17 years old at the time of his death.Detzer, p. 119. On April 13, 1861, Private Daniel Hough became the first non-combat casualty of the war when he was accidentally killed by a cannon that exploded along with an ammunition pile next to the gun during a salute to the flag at the U.S. Army's surrender of

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battl ...

to Confederate forces on April 13, 1861. Private Edward Galloway was mortally wounded by the same explosion and died three days later. Luther C. Ladd was born in

Bristol, New Hampshire Bristol is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,244 at the 2020 census. It is home to Wellington State Park, Sugar Hill State Forest, and Profile Falls on the Smith River. Surrounded by hills and lakes, Br ...

, the son of John Ladd. He resided on the Ladd farm, south of Fowler's River. In 1853 Luther and his father moved to nearby

Alexandria, New Hampshire Alexandria is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,776 at the 2020 census, up from 1,613 at the 2010 census. Newfound Lake is in the northeast corner, with Wellington State Park on the western shore. The ...

, where he attended district schools. At age 16 in 1860, Ladd left Alexandria for

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

, where he obtained employment at the Lowell Machine Shop. In April 1861 Luther answered President Lincoln's first call for 75,000 men by enlisting for three months in Co. D, 6th Massachusetts Militia. On April 19, 1861 while marching through the city of Baltimore this regiment was attacked by an angry mob. Luther C. Ladd was the first to fall. His injuries included a fractured skull and a fatal bullet wound that severed an artery in his thigh. Luther C. Ladd's remains were interred in the Alexandria Village Cemetery, later to be removed and buried beneath the Ladd & Whitney monument in Lowell, Massachusetts.

References

1843 births 1861 deaths 1861 in the United States 1861 riots People from Bristol, New Hampshire People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub