Post War Connecticut

“Serves as a model of what a state-level survey of the Civil War can achieve . . . a potent combination of description and analysis.” —The Civil War Monitor Connecticut in the American Civil War offers a remarkable window into the state’s involvement in a conflict that challenged and defined the unity of a nation. The arc of the war is traced through the many facets and stories of battlefield, home front, and factory. Matthew Warshauer masterfully reveals the varied attitudes toward slavery and race before, during, and after the war; Connecticut’s reaction to the firing on Fort Sumter; the dissent in the state over whether or not the sword and musket should be raised against the South; the raising of troops; the sacrifice of those who served on the front and at home; and the need for closure after the war. This book is a concise, amazing account of a complex and troubling war. No one interested in this period of American history can afford to miss reading this important contribution to our national and local stories.

With the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan on December 7, 1941, and the United States' entry into World War II, our nation turned to Connecticut--as it did during World War I--for munitions, clothing, and other goods. And Connecticut answered the call: Manchester Mills increased silk production, Waterbury brass producers altered their manufacturing lines, and Bridgeport's Remington Arms--which had produced 50 percent of the US Army's small arms cartridges in World War I--increased its mass production capabilities. By the time Electric Boat, Hamilton Propellers, Pratt & Whitney, and many other Connecticut companies tallied up their production back in 1945, it amounted to over $8 billion in war contracts.

This is a real-life story of dedication, sacrifice, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil, centering on the Twenty-fifth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers, which was a regiment of young men from Hartford and Tolland Counties who were driven by patriotic motives. In the fall of 1862, they were recruited into the United States service and fought for the Union, eventually sailing to Ship Island, off the coast of Mississippi. Their destination was unknown, but they were eventually sent to New Orleans and landed at Baton Rouge. They were then brigaded under General Albert E. Payne of Wisconsin and then under Colonel H. W. Birge, an officer of rare ability and bravery who led them in many battles and marches. They witnessed the grand bombardment by Farragut and the burning of the frigate Mississippi. After the war, Adjutant-General Morse described the Twenty-fifth as "one of the best of our nine months' regiments," and their bravery and endurance won them a high and lasting reputation.