Keene and the Fifth NH Regiment
FIFTH REGIMENT
Extracted from “A History of the Town of
Keene”
by S. G. Griffin, Keene NH
Sentinel Printing
Company 1904
Thirty
men from Keene joined the Fifth New Hampshire Volunteers. That regiment
was organized at Concord in September and October, 1861, with Edward E.
Cross, of Lancaster, an experienced soldier in the Mexican and Indian wars,
as colonel. Company P was recruited chiefly from Cheshire county, with
Horace T. H. Pierce, captain, and Samuel S. Quinn, second lieutenant, both of
Keene and both from the First New Hampshire Volunteers. The regiment
left New Hampshire for Washington on the 29th of October, was assigned to
Sumner's division, of the Army of the Potomac, and encamped near Alexandria,
where it remained until the following March. It was then assigned to
Richardson's division, Second army corps, and was with the army at the siege
of Yorktown and through the peninsular campaign, suffering heavy loss at Fair
Oaks, Savage Station, White Oak Swamp and Malvern Hill. It returned
with the army to Alexandria and Washington and was in the Maryland campaign
in 1862. At South Mountain it was held in reserve, but at Antietam it
was engaged and lost about one-third of its members present.
At Fredericksburg,
December 13, it was with the forces that stormed Marye's Heights, and
suffered severely. Six color bearers were shot down, and of nineteen
commissioned officers, eight were killed or mortally wounded, and five others
wounded. Of 303 officers and men present for duty the total loss was
193, or more than sixty per cent. It was engaged in the battle of
Chancellorsville, May 1-5, 1863, joined in the retreat of the army into
Maryland, and was hotly engaged at Gettysburg, where Col. Cross was mortally
wounded. The total loss of the regiment in that battle was about
one-half of the whole number present. The Fifth joined in the pursuit
of Lee's army as far as Warrenton, Va., when it was ordered home to recruit,
remained in New Hampshire until November, then returned to the front and
spent the winter of 1863-4 at Point Lookout, Md., with the Second and Twelfth
New Hampshire Volunteers, guarding Confederate prisoners. At the
opening of Grant's campaign through the Wilderness in 1864, it rejoined the
Army of the Potomac and was assigned to Barlow's division of Hancock's
(Second) corps.
At Cold Harbor, Va., it
again suffered a loss of thirty-four killed or mortally wounded, and 192
wounded, out of a total of about 500. Crossing the James with the army,
it took part in the siege of Petersburg, during which it twice recrossed the
James and was engaged in the action at Deep Bottom, July 27, and again at the
same place August 16, and at Ream's Station on the 25th. It then
returned to the lines in front of Petersburg, and in the final struggle was
engaged at Dinwiddie Court House, March 31, 1865. It made its last
charge at FarmviIle on the 7th of April, where it was overpowered and lost
its colors and some prisoners, but all were regained on the 9th, when Lee
surrendered. It returned to Washington with the army, marched in the
final grand review, and was mustered out at Alexandria on the 28th of June.
Below are given the
records of Keene men, privates and residents of Keene unless otherwise
stated:
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Bailey, Augustus.
Co. F; age 18; enl. Oct. 23, '61; died, dis. Jan. 15, '62 , near
Alexandria, Va.
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Bromley, Joshua R. Co. F;
age 29; enl. Oct. 23, '61; app. sergt; killed, June 6, '64, Cold
Harbor, Va.
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Carey, Gilman. Co.
F; age 21; enl. Oct. 2, '61; wd. June 3, '64, Cold Harbor; must.
out Oct. 29, '64.
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Crown, Andrew J. Co. F;
age 33; enl. Sept. 26, '61; disch. disab. Sept. 25, '62.
See V. R. C.
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Duren, John A. Non-com.
staff; age 29; enl. Sept. 18, '61; app. Q. M. sergt; app. 2d
lieut. Co. B, April 1, '63; lst lieut. Co. 1, Oct. 1, '63;
captd. June 3, '64, Cold Harbor, Va.; released; disch. March 16,
1865.
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Farewell, Frederick A. Co.
F; age 35; drafted Oct. 8, '63; must. out June 28, '65.
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Fisk, Sewell A. Co. A; age
33; enl. Dec. 26, '63; wd. June 4, '64, Cold Harbor; disch.
May ll,'65, Washington D. C.
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Foss, Benjamin H. Co. F;
age 21; drafted Oct. 8, '63, transl to navy April 26, 64; deserted July 6,
'65.
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Handy, George E. Co. P;
age 18; enl. Oct. 23,'61; miss. June 1, '62, Fair Oaks, Va.;
returned from miss.; disch. April 25, '64. See miscel. org.
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Heustis, William E. Co. F;
age 17; enl. Oct. 23, '61; must. as muse.; reenl. Feb. 19, '64;
disch. disab. Sept. 1, '64.
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Houghton, Abel. Co.
F; age 43; enl. Oct. 23, '61; must. as muse.; disch. disab. Dec.
31, '62. See V. R. C.
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Houghton, George E. Co. P;
age 18; app. corp.; transf. to I. C., Sept. 16, '63; app. sergt.;
disch. Oct. 25, '64, at Fortress Monroe, term exp.
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Howard, William. Co.
F; age 45; enl. Oct. 23, '61; died dis. July 4, '62, Harrison's
Landing, Va.
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Kidder, Henry. Co.
F; age 34; drafted Oct. 9, '63; disch. May 20, '65.
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Parker, Warren M. Co. P;
age 18; enl. Oct. 23, '61; app. corp.; killed July 2, '63, Gettysburg.
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Pierce, Horace T. H. Co.
P; age 37; app. capt. Oct. 12, '61; resigned Jan. 29, '63. See
First N. H. V.
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Quinn, Charles A. Co. P;
age 24; enl. Oct. 23, '61; wd ' Sept. 17, '62, Antietam, Md . ; died,
wds., Nov. 17, '62, Sbarpsburg, Md.
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Quinn, Samuel S. Co. F;
age 21; res. Swanzey, after the war, Keene; app. 2d lieut. Oct.
12, '61; wd..July 1, '62, Malvern Hill; app. lst lieut. Co. D, Aug. 1,
'62; app. capt. Dec. 17, '62; resigned Feb. 17, '63. See First N.
H. V.
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Reed, John A. Co. F; age
19; enl. Oct. 23, '61; wd. June 1, '62, Fair Oaks, Va.; died,
wds., June 24, '62, Philadelphia.
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Robbins, Isaiah, Jr. Co.
F; age 23; drafted Oct. 9, '63; wd. June 3, '64, Cold Harbor, Va.;
disch. disab. May 28, '65.
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Roby, Charles. Co.
P; age 31; drafted Oct. 9, '63; died, dis., June 24, '64, Washington, D. C.
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Stone, Sydney C. Co. F;
age 26; enl. Oct. 23, '61; wd. June 1, '62, Fair Oaks, Va.;
disch., wds., Sept. 8, '62, New York city; drafted, Oct. 8, '63; miss.
April 7, '65, Farmville, Va.; returned; must. out June 28, '65.
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Sturtevant, Edward B. Co.
A; b. Keene; res. Concord; age 33; app. capt. Oct. 12, '61;
wd. June 1, '62, Fair Oaks, Va.; app. major, July 30, '62; killed Dec.
13, '62, Fredericksburg, Va. See First N. H. V.
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Towne, Elbridge. Co.
P; age 32; enl. Oct. 23, '61; wd. May, '63, Chancellorsville,
Va.; wd. June 4, '64, Cold Harbor; died, wds. July 1, '64,
Alexandria, Va.
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Trask, Daniel W. Co. F;
age 19; enl. Oct. 23, '61; wd. June, '62, Fair Oaks; wd.
Dec. 13, '62, Fredericksburg, Va.; wd. May, '63, Chancellorsville;
reenl. Feb. 22, '64; disch. June 28, '65.
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Trask, William H. Co. F;
age 43; enl. Dec. 18, '63; captd. April 7, '65, Farmville, Va.;
exchanged; disch. June 2, '65, Washington, D. C.
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Wait, John H. Co. F; age
22; enl. Oct. 23, '61; app. corp.; killed, Dec. 13, '62,
Fredericksburg, Va. See First N . H. V.
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Waite, George W. Co. F;
age 23; drafted, Oct. 9, '63; wd. Aug. 25, '64, Ream's Station, Va.;
disch. disab. May 31, '65, Manchester, N. H.
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Willard, George H. Co. C;
age 24; drafted, Oct. 9, '63; wd. July 12, '64, near Petersburg, Va.;
disch. May 5, '65, Washington, D. C. Supposed identical with George H.
Willard, band, Second N. H. V.
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Winslow, Jesse C. Co. F;
age 34; drafted Oct. 9, '63; wd, June 3, '64, Cold Harbor; wd. Aug. 16,
'64, Deep Bottom, Va.; miss. April 7, '65; returned; must. out June 28,
'65.
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