Thursday August 21, 2008
The Blogster loves the Capitol’s Hall of Flags, the dark nook on the west side of the building that feature such artifacts as Lafayette’s laced-up field bed, where supposedly the term “sleep tight” originated; and the wheel from the Civil Way field-artillery piece that had a chunk taken out by shrapnel.
The flags themselves are awash in history, especially the one that Connecticut soldiers tore up and kept, rather than surrender to the Confederates. The flag was later pieced together after the survivors of the Rebel prison were freed.
In recent years, after stories in the Connecticut Post revealed that the state’s Civil War flags were crumbling away and in need of conservation, the General Assembly freed up hundreds of thousands of dollars to stabilize them.
That was, until this summer, when Gov. Jodi Rell axed one of the projects. It was only $2,500, but that’s another piece of the state’s legacy that may not be conserved.
Given that context, Rell yesterday showed off part of a new state monument that will be placed at “Grant’s Canal,” in the Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi.
During a ceremony at the Gov. William A. O’Neill Armory in Hartford, Rell said the state has a long, continuous history of sending off citizen soldiers to war.
The monument commemorates the 9th Connecticut Volunteer Regiment, known as the “Irish Regiment.” It was one of 30 state Civil War regiments.The 9th, which had volunteers from about 70 Connecticut towns, dug a canal across DeSoto Point, a peninsula in the Mississippi River.
Malaria was responsible for many of the unit’s 150 fatalities at Vicksburg. Unfortunately, the canal effort was abandoned after a month and the 9th was withdrawn. Vicksburg National Military Park has about 1,350 monuments – including 28 state memorials – and hosts nearly 1 million visitors a year.
“It is time – indeed, past time – that a tribute to the citizen-soldiers of Connecticut was placed there as well,” Rell said. “This monument will serve as a lasting memorial to the gallant men of the 9th Connecticut.” Vicksburg surrendered after a 46-day siege, on July 4, 1863.
In 2005, when the state was in better financial position, Rell authorized the 9th Connecticut Regiment Memorial Committee to commission a memorial to those who served at Vicksburg.
The black-and green-grantie monument is 10 feet by 10 feet, weighs 13,597 pounds and will be installed at Vicksburg in October.
Visitors to the state Capitol should know that down in the basement is what’s left of a large battleflag of the Regiment of African-American troops from New Haven who fought in the Civil War, who provided armed support at the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg, Va.