Leading The Charge…

“We commend to the people of Fairfield County, as they love their rights and their liberties, to give expression to their vows in this crisis, which portends the doom of our beloved country, either by convention or otherwise, that the voice of Peace, and the Constitution, may be heard above the din of battle, and the Demon cry of War redder than blood.”

~ The Republican Farmer newspaper,
Stepney Green Cooperhead rally, dated Friday, October 21, 1864, Bridgeport, CT

The Save Our Stepney Task Force lead the charge in commemorating Monroe’s Civil War commemoration, by honoring those who served in the Great War of the rebellion on the Stepney Green and the Birdseye Plain Cemetery where 31 Civil War Veteran’s are buried.

The program included a Birdseye’s Plain Cemetery self-guided tour of Civil War veteran gravesites accompanied by re-enactors from Company A, 11th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry portraying soldiers buried at various sites.

The Connecticut Blues Fife and Drum Corps, lead off the official ceremony with a processional march from the Birdeye’s Plain/Stepney Cemetery on to the Green followed by the introduction of dignitaries and a brief history of the Stepney Green and it’s role as the site of two Civil War Copperhead Peace rallies, August 24, 1861 and October 21, 1864. These peace rallies were perhaps Monroe’s most significant Civil War activity.

Monroe Connecticut Civil War Veterans

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, this list of Civil War Veterans was sourced from a publication entitled: Leaving No Stone Unturned, written by Michele Oltra, of Trumbull, CT in 1994 for the Monroe Connecticut Historical Society with updating from members of the Save Our Stepney Task Force, August 2013

Birdsey’s Plain Cemetery Civil War Veterans — June 18, 2012
Source: Leaving No Stone Unturned, Michele Oltra, 1994

Ackerson, James T. 145th-123rd NY Vol INF 1862-65 86 yrs old
Booth Jr., John W. CoD 17th REGT CONN VOLS 67
Burckhardt, Louis 2nd CT LIGHT BATTERY
Canfield, George C. 6MCoK 17th REGT CONN VOLS 55
Coley, George S. CoM 1 CT HVY ARTY 73
Edwards, Levi H. CoG 7th REGT CONN VOLS
Edwards, Stephen M. CoA 2nd REGT CALV VOLS
Gilbert, David W. CoF 66 REGT NY VOLS 44
Gray, George S. 2nd CT LIGHT BATTERY
Hawley, Edward CoI 9th REGT CONN VOLS 21
Hill, Beach CoD 23rd REGT CONN VOLS
Hubbell Edward B. CoH 1st REGT CONN VOLS 23
Hubbell, Eugene CoD 17th REGT CONN VOLS 25
Kasson, Edgar N. CoK 17th REGT CONN VOLS 25
Lattin, John O. CoF 20th CONN VOLS 25
Leavenworth, Andrew CoD 17th REGT CONN VOLS 75
Lord, James CoK 17th REGT CONN VOLS 80
Lyon, Charles E. CoD 7th REGT CONN VOLS
Lyon, Edmond F. CoH 18th REGT NY VOLS 73
McLean, George CoG HVY ARTY CONN
Nichols, Sylvester B. 2nd LIGHT BATTERY 69
Oliver, John CoD 32 IND INF and 42 CoA 1st US CALV
Penfield, Ira CoD 17th REGT CONN VOLS 94
Platt, Orlando N. CoF 20th REGT CONN VOLS
Powell, John Lee CoI 9th REGY CONN VOLS
Purdy, William O. CoB 13 REGT NY VOLS 76
Seeley, Henry W. CoC 23rd REGT CONN VOLS 83
Slade, Abner L. MIGHIGAN VOLS 79
Wakeley, John P. CoF REGT NY VOLS
Wanzer, James N. CoC 13th INF REGT CONN VOLS 77
Wayland, John B. CoD 17th REGT CONN VOLS

 

Walkers Farm Cemetery Civil War Veterans
Source: Leaving No Stone Unturned, Michele Oltra, 1994

Bailey, Edwin A. CoC 2nd REGT MASS VOLS 63 yrs old
Murphy, Thomas O. CoC2 HVY ARTY CONN VOLS 65

Cutlers Farm Cemetery Civil War Veterans
Source: Leaving No Stone Unturned, Michele Oltra, 1994

Abbott, Gustavus A. CoI 6th REGT CONN VOLS 79 yrs old
Beardsley, Lewis B. CAPT CAPT CoB 95 NY VOLS 84
Burr, Erastus CoD 23rd REG CV 76
Burr, Henry D. CoH 2 CT HVY ARTY 61
Burr, Henry W. CoD1 CT CAV 61
Cutts, William H. CoH 20th REG CONN VOLS 65
Huntington, Samuel Gray CoD 15th REGT CONN VOLS 80
Mead, Edward CoH Conn. Heavy Artillery (killed at Cedar Creek) 20
Sharp, Henry Warren 50
Stevens, John G. MD 1st LT CoI 23rd REGT CONN VOLS 61
Wales, Joseph F. 1st LT CAV CONN VOLS 71

East Village Cemetery Civil War Veterans
Source: No Stone Unturned, Michele Oltra, 1994

Burr, Andrew L. CoD 1st CONN VOL CAV 68 yrs old
Bostwick, Curtis, L. B: May 13, 1820 D: Jan 16, 1901
Clarke, William H.H. D: May 9, 1883 40
Downs, Amaziah, B. Buried at Salisbury, NC 43
Hawkins, John H. 1840-1916
Johnson, George B. D: July 4, 1863 in New Orleans
Buried at New Orleans in Cyprus Gove Cemetery		 17
Lawrence Henry A. CO B 14th REG CONN VOLS
Died June 30,1887
Northrop, Lewis B. D: Dec.11, 1878 36
Tomlinson, George N. Aug. 31 1844-July 25, 1864 at Atlanta. GA.

 

Monroe Cemetery Civil War Veterans
Source: Leaving No Stone Unturned, Michele Oltra, 1994

Daley, James S. CoK REGT 13 CONN VOLS 36 yrs old
Fanton, David W. CoE 17 REGT CONN VOLS 45
Freeman, Henry CoF 29 CVI 78
Hubbell, Willam H. 2 LIGHT BATTERY CONN VOLS 38
Jeffery, Cyrus CoG 29 COL INF CONN VOLS 77
Lewis, George H. CoF 20 REGT CONN VOLS 39
Swift, Reuben A. CoA 2 REGT HVY ARTY CV 72
Wheeler, John W. CoG 91 CT HVY ARTY 61

Riverside Cemetery, Route 34, Oxford, CT
[Pleasant Vale Village Cemetery, originally located where Lake Zoar is today]
Source: Leaving No Stone Unturned, Michele Oltra, 1994

Bradley, Lyman F. CPRL CoI 8th CONN VOLS 73 yrs old
Downs, Oliver CoE 17th REGT CONN VOLS
Martin, George CoI 6th CONN VOLS 75
Smith, Pearl CoE 17th REGT CONN VOLS 4 total

 

A gatepost and flower detail of the cast iron work was typical of the late nineteenth century.

It could be said that a cemetery is the soul of a community or a nation, for those who are interned there have made the community what it is today.

Written Accounts of Monroe Connecticut Civil War Veterans, Birdseyes Plain Cemetery, Stepney, CT

The Save Our StepeneyTask Force provided a self-guided tour of 31 Civil War veteran graves at the Birdseyes Plain Cemetery as part of Monroe Commemorates the Civil War.

Here are their stories.

The written accounts of the lives of the various soldiers were taken from government census and military documents as well as additional sources as noted on the individual abstracts. The volunteer researchers and writers from Save Our Stepney Task Force compared sources to create the most accurate account for each soldier. These accounts were researched from January- September, 2013 as part of Monroe’ Connecticut’s Civil War Commemoration. All of those featured here have cemetery sites in the Birdseyes Plain Cemetery, in Stepney, CT which was one of fours sections of the Town of Monroe, CT at the time of the Civil War. Not all are interned at those grave sites.

Learn about the lives of:

Ackerson, James T.
Booth Jr., John W.
Burckhardt, Louis
Canfield, George C.
Coley, George S.
Edwards, Levi H.
Edwards, Stephen M.
Gilbert, David W.
Gray, George S.
Hawley, Edward
Hill, Beach
Hubbell Edward B.
Hubbell, Eugene
Kasson, Edgar N.
Lattin, John O.
Leavenworth, Andrew
Lord, James
Lyon, Charles E.
Lyon, Edmond F.

McLean, George
Nichols, Sylvester B.
Oliver, John Platt,
Orlando N.
Powell, John Lee
Purdy, William O.
Seeley, Henry W.
Slade, Abner L.
Wakeley, John P.
Wanzer, James N.
Wayland, John B.

Ed Lucano and Lee Hossler install the first Monroe 2013 Civil War Commemoration marker at the gravesite of Ira Penfield, Company D, 17th Connecticut Volunteers in the Birdeye’s Plain cemetery, Stepney, CT.

Civil War Gravesite markers designed to honor those who served

In commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, the Save Our Stepney Task Force and Browns Monument Works of Monroe, CT designed a granite marker to be placed at the grave-site of Civil War Veterans buried in Monroe cemeteries.

Each marker is approximately 12 inches wide x 6 inches deep and 4 inches tall with an inscription “2013 Civil War Commemoration Veteran” along with the Civil War shield and the initials “CW”. Ned Steinmetz and Rosemary Bosak-Talboys owners of Browns Monument Works have fabricated and donated the 65 markers. The markers will be installed in the following cemeteries: Birdseye’s Plain/Stepney, Cutlers Farm, East Village, Monroe Center, Walkers Farm and Riverside Cemetery in Oxford, CT.

According to the Catalog of Connecticut Volunteer Organizations in the Service of the United States, 1861-1865, thirty-four other men, the Missing Sons of Monroe, claimed Monroe as their residence at the time of enlisting in the Civil War. To date, no local gravesite has been found and they are presumed buried in battlefields or other USA locations. Plans are to create a plaque to list these men and their Civil War regiment to be displayed in the Monroe town hall.