New Hampshire in the American Civil War was the story of a small state remote from the battlefield that contributed strongly in terms of soldiers, money and supplies. It sent 31,650 enlisted men and 836 officers, of whom about 20% were killed in action or died from disease or accident.

Soldiers: 1861–1865

As news arrived of the formation of a Confederate nations, by January 1861, top officials were secretly meeting with Governor John A. Andrew of Massachusetts to coordinate plans in case the war came. Plans were made to rush militia units to Washington in an emergency. New Hampshire fielded 31,650 enlisted men and 836 officers.Bruce D. Heald, ''New Hampshire and the Civil War: Voices from the Granite State'' (History Press, 2012). The state provided eighteen volunteer

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

s (thirteen of which were raised in 1861 in response to Lincoln's call to arms), three rifle regiments (who served in the

1st United States Sharpshooters The 1st United States Sharpshooters were an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. During battle, the mission of the sharpshooter was to kill enemy targets of importance (''i.e''., officers, Non-commissione ...

and

2nd United States Sharpshooters The 2nd United States Sharpshooters was a sharpshooter regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. From 1861 to January 1863 they were members of the " First Iron Brigade" also known as the "Iron Brigade of the East". S ...

), one cavalry battalion (the

1st New Hampshire Volunteer Cavalry The 1st New Hampshire Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service Four companies of cavalry were organized in Concord, New Hampshire, October 24-December 21, 1861, as a battalion ...

, which was attached to the 1st New England Volunteer Cavalry), and two

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieg ...

units (the

1st New Hampshire Light Battery 1st New Hampshire Light Artillery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 1st New Hampshire Artillery was organized in Manchester, New Hampshire and mustered in on September 21, 1861, for ...

and 1st New Hampshire Heavy Artillery), as well as 3000 men for the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

and

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

. Among the most celebrated of New Hampshire's units was the

5th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry The 5th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment has the unfortunate distinction of having sustained the greatest total loss in battles of any infantry or ...

, commanded by

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 ...

Edward Ephraim Cross.Mike Pride & Mark Travis, ''My Brave Boys: To War with Colonel Cross and the Fighting Fifth'', University Press of New England, 2001. Called the "Fighting Fifth" in newspaper accounts, the regiment was considered among the

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 ...

's best both during the war (Major General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

called the regiment "refined gold" in 1863) and by historians afterward. The Civil War veteran and early Civil War historian

William F. Fox Colonel William F. Fox (11 January 1840 – 16 June 1909) was the Superintendent of Forests at the Adirondack Park in New York State. Fox was born in Ballston Spa, New York on January 11, 1840. He graduated from the Engineering Department of Union ...

determined that this regiment had the highest number of battle-related deaths of any Union regiment. The 20th-century historian

Bruce Catton Charles Bruce Catton (October 9, 1899 – August 28, 1978) was an American historian and journalist, known best for his books concerning the American Civil War. Known as a narrative historian, Catton specialized in popular history, featuring in ...

said that the Fifth New Hampshire was "one of the best combat units in the army" and that Cross was "an uncommonly talented regimental commander." The critical post of state Adjutant General was held in 1861-64 by elderly politician Anthony C. Colby (1792-1873) and his son Daniel E. Colby (1816-1891). They were patriotic, but were overwhelmed with the complexity of their duties. The state had no track of men who enlisted after 1861; no personnel records or information on volunteers, substitutes, or draftees. There was no inventory of weaponry and supplies. Nathaniel Head (1828-1883) took over in 1864, obtained an adequate budget and office staff, and reconstructed the missing paperwork. As a result, widows, orphans, and disabled veterans received the postwar payments they had earned.Miller, ed., ''States at war'' (2013) 1: 366-7

Politics

In March 1861 Nathaniel S. Berry was first Republican governor. He was reelected in March 1862, and served from June 1861 to June 1863. Serving during the American Civil War, Berry was a strong supporter of the Union. During his governorship New Hampshire provided to the Union Army fifteen infantry regiments, three companies of sharpshooters, four companies of cavalry and one company of heavy artillery. In June 1862, Abraham Lincoln desired to issue a call for more recruits to join the Union Army, but hesitated because he wanted to demonstrate that the war effort still had popular support, following a perceived ebb in Union state morale as the result of several battlefield reverses. Berry was one of the organizers of an effort to send Lincoln a letter from the state governors to inform him that the states would respond positively if he issued a call for additional troops. Now able to demonstrate popular support for continuing the war effort, Lincoln requested the states to provide additional soldiers. Berry was also an active participant in the September 1862 War Governors' Conference. During this meeting Union state governors indicated their continued support for Lincoln's wartime policies, including the Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln indicated he intended to issue at an opportune moment.

Soldiers: 1861–1865

Politics

See also

References

Further reading