Exhibit

History of the Seventeenth - Part Two - Chancellorsville and Gettysburg

excerpted from the History of Fairfield County
by William H. Noble

On the 26th of April, 1863, orders were issued to take in haversack seven days' rations, put everything in light marching order, and be in readiness for movement the next morning at daybreak. On that day the regiment marched westward to near Hartwood Church, and encamped for the night. This route was that of the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps. Early the next morning movement was made towards Barrett's Ford, on the Rappahannock. This river was then crossed on a pontoon-bridge by night, and the regiment bivouacked for a few hours' rest some mile or so beyond, in the adjacent woods. Here the Twelfth Corps passed it early in the morning, and all moved on towards Germania Ford of the Rapidan.

Some of the forces ahead of us had not so good luck as the Eleventh Corps, and many were forced to ford the river in a high state of flood, which was strong and up to their necks. The Seventeenth, however, and most of the Eleventh Corps, passed on a temporary bridge, and bivouacked for the rest of the night some mile or two beyond. Early the next day the movement was resumed, and about five o'clock in the afternoon the battle-ground of Chancellorsville was reached, near the Hatch house, which was made the headquarters of our brigade and division. This was the home of a man formerly from Milford, Conn., but as arrant a rebel as if a native Virginian. Our camp for this night was at the west of this Hatch house.

The next morning the regiment was put in line along the Culpeper road to receive Gen. Hooker. The whole corps were placed in similar positions. About eleven o'clock the general, with a brilliant staff, rode down the lines in review.

In the afternoon of that day the commander of our brigade, Gen. McLean, ordered the right wing of the regiment to be posted around the west and south borders of the Hatch house garden, which was in the rear of the Hatch house and south of the Culpeper Road. This was to be under the immediate command of Lieut.-Col. Walter. The left wing of the regiment, under the immediate command of Maj. Brady, was ordered into position along the Culpeper Road in support of Dykeman's Battery, which was stationed south of the road, and facing south. Col. Noble was ordered to take his position between the two wings, which were some rods apart, and to have oversight of the action and conduct of each.

The whole theory of the expected battle seemed to look for an attack from the south, and all the troops of the brigade and corps in sight of our position were aligned under that idea. Col. Noble was the next day, May 2nd, appointed officer of the day for the division, and as such had inspection of the picket-lines thrown forward to the south of our position and to the west of the Hatch house, in the wilderness.

When on his rounds, a cavalry vidette rode up from the front, with information of heavy forces of the enemy passing along our front towards the rear. He was told to ride to headquarters and give the information at the Hatch house, which was pointed out to him. Afterwards, during the day, another horseman rode up to our position with like information, and was again directed to report at the adjacent headquarters to Gen. Devens and Gen. McLean. He rode up to the front of the house, where they were seated.

At this time two companies of the regiment--Company G and Company I--were on picket in dense woods at our right, on the border of the wilderness. About five o'clock in the afternoon of May 2nd sharp firing of some light cannon was heard on our right. It seemed to be light field-pieces, and was supposed to be what is called a jackass-battery. All was quiet for a while, and then came a sharp, nervous firing on our right announcing an attack of the enemy driving in our pickets; this was the skirmish-line of Jackson's force. Large masses of the enemy soon poured down upon our flank, and the air seemed full of missiles. The shell fell among the horses of Dykeman's Battery and killed one; others screamed and burst fast over the battle-ground.

At this time, Col. Noble rode past Lieut.-Col. Walter to the front of the garden, where the right wing lay on their arms, as ordered, to inspect the coming in of his two companies on picket, Col. Walter, like the left wing, lay down at his proper position in the rear of his wing, rose as if to watch the progress of the action or perhaps out of respect for his commanding officer. As Col. Noble, having hailed those companies and directed them to our position turned to take his position between the two wings as ordered, Col. Walter again, as was supposed, resumed his recumbent position. But he was undoubtedly at this time shot, as the ball which killed him struck him in the forehead. When the colonel returned to his position, he found that Dykeman's Battery had limbered up and fled down the Culpeper road, and on looking farther to the front supposed he saw Maj. Brady with the left wing holding a corn-house at the north of the Hatch house and off the Culpeper road firing at the enemy, but he was mistaken. Maj. Brady had retreated with the left wing soon after the battery which he supported had fled.

At this time the right wing of the regiment still held its position around the Hatch house garden. It continued to hold it till all the regiments and Union force at the right had passed to the rear, and towards our left.

The crushing force of Stonewall Jackson's attack was in such irresistible mass, with such steady and unabating fire, that the air seemed full of whizzing rifle-balls. Their advancing light artillery threw a storm of shells down the lines of retreat. At this time the right wing of the Seventeenth retreated from the position around the Hatch house, and met Col. Noble, who had been looking for his left wing, with the news of Col. Walter's death. The right and the two companies who were out on picket passed with him to the first lines of the Schurz division, of which the Ninety-fourth New York had changed its position from parallel to a right angle with the Culpeper road and facing the attack of the enemy. Whilst Col. Noble, with the aid of his adjutant, Lieut. Chatfield, and the captains of the right wing, was reforming this line in rear of said regiment, its colonel was shot dead, and his regiment, under a terrible fire, broke and threw the entire force in inevitable retreat. In fact, lingering any longer in such an unequal contest would have been madness, all troops on the right having long since passed to the rear.

The Seventeenth moved along down the Culpeper road deliberately. While thus proceeding its colonel was shot through his left arm, severing the main artery, and, bleeding to exhaustion, he was guided and kept on his horse by two of his soldiers, after having given them his watch and money, and made ready to surrender himself, as he was unable to go alone. They led him to a field-hospital in the rear of the Chancellorsville House. Here his horse, which had been wounded near the Hatch house and borne him so far, died.

The regiment after this fell under the command of Maj. Brady, and was the next day moved from the right to the left of the army's position.

In Greeley's "American Conflict," where he speaks of that "grand burst of Stonewall Jackson with seventy-five thousand men upon the exposed flank of the Eleventh Corps," the Seventeenth Connecticut is the only regiment specially noted and commended for its action. At page 357 of his second volume the tremendous result of that attack is thus noted: "In a moment the First Division, Gen. Devens, was overwhelmed, its commander being among the wounded, and one-third of his force, including every general and colonel, either disabled or captured. Driven back in wild rout down the Chancellorsville road, upon the position of Gen. Schurz, it was found that his division had already retreated, and an attempt made to rally and form here proved abortive. The Seventeenth Connecticut, which bore a resolute part in the effort, had its lieutenant-colonel killed and its colonel wounded."

The Seventeenth had a list of one hundred and twenty killed, wounded, and missing in this fight. That night it made a brave stand near headquarters, at Chancellorsville House, and remained there all night supporting a battery, while the Third Corps was flung into the gap. The regiment was not again in action during that battle. Col. Noble was sent home by Dr. Hubbard, the acting medical director of the corps, and was unable to leave home for thirty-four days.