The 7th Connecticut Infantry Regiment was an

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 marine i ...

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 ...

that 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 ...

. Because it was in the same brigade as the 7th New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment, both regiments were often jointly called the '77th New England'.

Service

The 7th Connecticut Infantry Regiment was organized at

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, on September 13, 1861. It mustered out on July 20, 1865, and discharged at New Haven, Connecticut, on August 11, 1865. In October and November 1863, the regiment's status changed. It was equipped as a "boat infantry" for the specific purpose of leading an amphibious night assault on

Fort Sumter, South Carolina 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 Battle ...

. Although the 7th trained at

Folly Island, South Carolina Folly Island is a barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean near Charleston, South Carolina. It is one of the Sea Islands and is within the boundaries of Charleston County, South Carolina. During the American Civil War, the island served as a major ...

, the project was ultimately ended because it was deemed impractical.

Total strength and casualties

The Regiment, which numbered 1000 men, lost during service 11 Officers and 157 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 4 Officers and 192 Enlisted men by disease. Total 364.

Officers

Alfred Terry Alfred Howe Terry (November 10, 1827 – December 16, 1890) was a Union general in the American Civil War and the military commander of the Dakota Territory from 1866 to 1869, and again from 1872 to 1886. In 1865, Terry led Union troops to vic ...

, Major General, raised and led the regiment *

Joseph Roswell Hawley Joseph Roswell Hawley (October 31, 1826March 18, 1905) was the 42nd Governor of Connecticut, a U.S. politician in the Republican and Free Soil parties, a Civil War general, and a journalist and newspaper editor. He served two terms in the Unit ...

, Lieutenant Colonel * Benjamin F. Skinner, Captain and company commander *

Thomas T. Minor Thomas T. Minor (February 20, 1844 – December 2, 1889) was a physician, businessman, civic and political leader who founded the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway and served as mayor of Seattle and Port Townsend, Washington. Biography E ...

, Surgeon of the regiment Seagar S. Atwell, Colonel

Enlisted men

Frederick H. Dyer Frederick Henry Dyer (July 2, 1849 – September 21, 1917) served as a drummer boy in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he wrote ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' – a complete record of every regiment ...

, drummer boy * Pvt. Jerome Dupoy of

Redding, Connecticut Redding is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,765 at the 2020 census. History Early settlement and establishment At the time colonials began receiving grants for land within the boundaries of present-d ...

Augustus Riley Robinson
of North Haven, Connecticut (1843-1885) * Pvt. John Rowley of

Ridgefield, Connecticut Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York ...

. He was found guilty of the murder of Pvt. Jerome Dupoy by General Court Martial and hung on September 3, 1864, in

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

. * Pvt. William Norton, Company C * Pvt. Stephen Walkley, Company A of

Southington, Connecticut Southington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 43,501. Southington contains the villages of Marion, Milldale, and Plantsville. Geography Southington is situa ...

* Corporal Edward D. Phelps of New Haven, Ct, Company F, 7th Regiment Ct Volunteer Infantry, Captured at Drury's Bluff, 16 May 1864. POW at Andersonville-survived ref: Andersonville, Georgia. Andersonville Prisoner of War Database. Andersonville, GA, USA: National Park Service, Andersonville National Historic Site; Andersonville Prisoners of War atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. * Pvt. Thomas W. Leslie of Southington, enlisted Sept. 5 1861, Co. A, as Pvt. Thomas W. Lesley (subsequently corrected to Leslie), was wounded at the June 16, 1862

Battle of Secessionville The Battle of Secessionville (or the First Battle of James Island) was fought on June 16, 1862, during the American Civil War. Confederate forces defeated the Union's only attempt to capture Charleston, South Carolina, by land. It's noted for ...

, James Island, South Carolina, and was subsequently medically discharged Aug. 8, 1862 and returned home. His recuperation from his wounds was sufficient for him to enlist in 1st CT Cavalry Reg, Co L, on December 21, 1863. At some point he transferred to the Veterans Reserve Corp and stayed there until mustered out in Sept. 1865.NPS Soldier Search
/ref> * William H Thorp of Montville, CT. 7th Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. Company H. * Private John Cole, Enlisted May 24, 1777. Died June 10, 1778.7th Connecticut Regiment Commanded by Col. Heman Swift

Principal engagements

Battle of Olustee The Battle of Olustee or Battle of Ocean Pond was fought in Baker County, Florida on February 20, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the largest battle fought in Florida during the war. Union General Truman Seymour had landed troops a ...

Siege of Fort Pulaski The siege of Fort Pulaski (or the Siege and Reduction of Fort Pulaski) concluded with the Battle of Fort Pulaski fought April 10–11, 1862, during the American Civil War. Union forces on Tybee Island and naval operations conducted a 112-day si ...

Battle of James Island The Battle of James Island was a minor engagement on November 14, 1782, just outside Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal ...

Battery Wagner Fort Wagner or Battery Wagner was a beachhead fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston Harbor. It was the site of two American Civil War battles in the campaign known as Operations Agains ...

Battle of Drewry's Bluff The Battle of Drewry's Bluff, also known as the Battle of Fort Darling, or Fort Drewry, took place on May 15, 1862, in Chesterfield County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Four Union Navy warships, inclu ...

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 ...

Battle of Chaffin's Farm The Battle of Chaffin's Farm and New Market Heights, also known as Laurel Hill and combats at Forts Harrison, Johnson, and Gilmer, was fought in Virginia on September 29–30, 1864, as part of the siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War. ...

Second Battle of Fort Fisher The Second Battle of Fort Fisher was a successful assault by the Union Army, Navy and Marine Corps against Fort Fisher, south of Wilmington, North Carolina, near the end of the American Civil War in January 1865. Sometimes referred to as the "Gib ...

Notes

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References

* ''Record of Service of Connecticut Men in the Army and Navy of the United States During the War of the Rebellion'' - compiled by authority of the General Assembly under the direction of the Adjutants-General Smith, Camp, Barbour, and White. Case, Lockwood, and Brainard Co, 188

* Moore, David M. Seventh Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry: Joe Hawley's Boys - In Their Own Words, a Detailed, Illustrated History of the Regiment and Its Service in the Civil War. Volumes 1 & 2. 2016. 1,204 pages. * Walkley, Stephen
History of the Seventh Connecticut Volunteer Infantry : Hawley's Brigade, Terry's Division, Tenth Army Corps 1861-1865
1905. Units and formations of the Union Army from Connecticut

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

1861 establishments in Connecticut Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865