2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery
Encyclopedia
The 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery (originally raised as the 19th Connecticut Infantry) was a volunteer infantry regiment which served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

History

The 19th Connecticut Infantry was mustered in on July 25, 1862. L.W. Wessells was colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 and Elisha S. Kellogg lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...

. It was sent to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 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.

In May 1864, the 2nd was sent to the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...

, where it was assigned to the Second Brigade, First Division, VI Corps. It suffered its first loss during skirmish duty along the North Anna River. The 2nd Connecticut's first battle was at Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...

 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 reach the Confederate breastworks, but Confederate fire was too heavy for the regiment to maintain its position. Hubbard declined promotion to command of the regiment, so Ranald S. Mackenzie
Ranald S. Mackenzie
Ranald Slidell Mackenzie was a career United States Army officer and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, described by General Ulysses S. Grant as its most promising young officer...

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

.

It was transferred to the VI Corps
VI Corps (ACW)
The VI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Formation:The corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18, 1862, by uniting Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula, with Maj. Gen. William F. Smith's...

 to participate in the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign
Valley Campaigns of 1864
The Valley Campaigns of 1864 were American Civil War operations and battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October 1864. Military historians divide this period into three separate campaigns, but it is useful to consider the three together and how they...

, during which it suffered heavy losses. In December, the regiment was sent back to the Army of the Potomac. Mackenzie was promoted to brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

 on December 28, and Hubbard was promoted to colonel a week later. It fought in the breakthrough at Petersburg
Battle of Petersburg III
The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was a decisive Union assault on the Confederate trenches, ending the ten-month Siege of Petersburg and leading to the fall of Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia.-Fort Mahone:The Union IX Corps...

 and the Appomattox Campaign
Appomattox Campaign
The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865, in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E...

. After the surrender at Appomattox Court House
Appomattox Court House
The Appomattox Courthouse is the current courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia built in 1892. It is located in the middle of the state about three miles northwest of the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, once known as Clover Hill - home of the original Old Appomattox Court House...

, the 2nd was sent to North Carolina to assist Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...

 in forcing the surrender of the Army of Tennessee
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 in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...

. In May, the remaining members of the 14th Connecticut Infantry
14th Connecticut Infantry
The 14th Connecticut Infantry was an infantry regiment that participated in the American Civil War. It participated in the Battle of Gettysburg, helping to repulse the Confederate attack on the third day known as Pickett's Charge....

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/accidence


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 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 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 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
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