to Petersburg, where, upon a skirmish line, June 26th, company I lost two men, neither of them from Woodbury.

July 9th were ordered to Washington to repulse Early's threatened attack upon that city. Early retreated by way of Snicker's Gap, our Corps, of course, following hard upon him. About this time commenced a series of marchings up and down the valley, which was anything but agreeable. The first battle in which our regiment was engaged, was at Winchester, on the 19th of Sept., 1864, in which Co. I lost some twenty-eight men, out of somewhere from seventy to eighty-this being a larger number lost. than from any other company in the regiment.

"The 2d fight in the valley was at Fisher's Hill, on the 22d of September the regiment losing but few men; Company I but

one man.

"Oct. 19th was the battle of Cedar Creek-Company I again losing more men than any company in the regiment—some twentyeight or thirty men men, out of say about fifty. So you see that Company I.'s record is all that could be desired.

"The official report of the casualties of a regiment or company subsequently to a fight, shows pretty conclusively the valor and bravery of its men, and Company I, in my estimation, stands second to no other.

"Please pardon my egotism in giving you here a compliment, which I received from Colonel, now Brig. and Brev. Major Gen. Mackenzie, who called me to his quarters the day previous to the Cedar Creek battle, and said: 'Capt. Burnham, I consider your company one of the best companies in my regiment. You may have thought that I have found a good deal of fault with you officers, and been too strict. Gen. Sheridan tells me that I have one of the best, most reliable regiments in his command. The regiment is one of the best drilled and best disciplined I ever saw.'

"I considered myself highly complimented in having one of the best companies, and belonging to one of the best Regiments Sheridan's command; and Company I's record of the following day certainly did not detract from it."

The expressions of these letters are not extravagant, when we remember what it cost "our boys" to be able to say them.

"Connecticut troops witnessed the capitulation, The 1st cavalry, under Col. Ives, acted as an escort to Gen. Grant, when he went

forward to the conference with Lee. The 14th, under Col. Moore, was hard by, within sight of the memorable house. The 2d Artillery, under Col. James Hubbard, was with the 6th Corps, a short distance north; and the 10th was a mile west, where it had helped to turn back the desperate charge of Gordon.

"The armies were foes no longer, and the victors shared their rations with the vanquished. Among the paroled, there was, besides the mortification of defeat, a feeling of relief from a terrible and sanguinary combat. Among the Union troops there was, superadded to the delight of victory and the joyful foreshadowing of peace, an exultant consciousness that the Army of the Potomac, often censured and always disparaged, had at last won a title to the nation's gratitude."

1

We have already said, that Woodbury was substantially a unit in support of the war. There were a few exceptions, of no account. No leading man refused his support. It became necessary for U. S. Marshal Carr to write letters of warning to a few disloyal persons, who discouraged enlistments. There were one or two instances, also, in which the people took the matter into their own hands. The most notable case was that of Burr B. Atwood, residing in Upper Nonne waug. He, with his family, consisting of himself, wife, one or two daughters and as many sons, living at home, though he had a son honorably serving in the union armies, was quite free in expressing disloyal sentiments, and finally displayed a rebel flag from his house, inscribed with a disloyal sentiment. Without concert, in utter ignorance of each other's movements, a large company of the leading young men of Waterbury, and another from Woodbury, proceeded to Atwood's house, meeting just before they arrived at his house. The

pur

pose of this journey was to compel Atwood to take down his rebel flag. He however had seen the procession approaching, and took down and hid the flag. They demanded it, but he refused to produce it, and his whole family denied that they knew where it was. A thorough search revealed its hiding place among refuse articles in the sink. It was taken possession of, and carried away. Atwood was asked to recant his treasonable words, but he would not. The production of a rope, and a threat to hang him up to a neighboring tree, worked repentance in his heart, and he mounted his horse block, and took the oath of allegiance from a magistrate

1 Brofut & Morris.

present. All the members of his family then followed suit in taking the oath upon the block. A noisy relative of the same family appeared upon the scene about this time, made some careless and unhappy remarks in regard to the proceedings of the patriotic assemblage, and was not over enthusiastic in expressing his love and admiration for the stars and stripes, and the cause of the union. He was therefore ordered to mount the block, and take the oath of allegiance, which he stoutly refused to do, and continued his resistance till the tightening of the rope about his neck assured him the "boys" were deadly in earnest, when he reluctantly took the oath. But on being released, disloyal words again found utterance, when the oath upon the block was again administered to him. And it is related to the writer, who was not present on this solemn occasion, that it became necessary to administer the oath to him six times before his rebellious spirit was quelled, and he became a quiet union man.

The "Vigilants" next visited the house of Chauncey Atwood, who was reported, also, to have used disloyal words. He utterly denied speaking the words, and declared for the union cause. As his veracity had never been doubted, his word was taken for truth; but the boys" said that they would call again on Friday, and suggested the propriety of his having a flag bearing the stars and stripes floating from his house on that occasion, to assure hist neighbors of the falsity of the injurious reports. The committee had previously required of Burr B. Atwood, that he should have the United States flag floating from his house on the same Friday, when, they assured him, they would return to see if their order had been complied with.

Friday came, and with it the said committee, with a large procession of the leading citizens, led by Sheriff Henry Minor, and preceeded by music, and the national flag. A twenty-five dollar silk flag was floating over the premises of Mr. C. Atwood, and he had provided refreshments under the shade of the fruit trees in his dooryard, in ample abundance for all his visitors, which were partaken of in great good feeling,-after which there was music, and speeches were made by several of the prominent gentlemen present, closing with a patriotic poem from Mr. Atwood.

After giving three cheers for the flag and three more for the host and hostess, the procession moved on to Burr B. Atwood's. A small United States flag was floating over his "tabernacle,” as per order, but no one was to be seen on the premises. After dili

gent search, the proprietor was found in a small lot in rear of his barn, mournfully ruminating over the sad necessity of appearing to be in favor of the union-the government under which he lived. He was encouraged to come forward, and receive the congratulations of his friends, who had so eagerly sought his conversion to patriotic principles. This he did, was handsomely received, and advised to continue loyal. The convocation then departed for their homes, and there was never again a sign of disloyalty in the town. One example had been sufficient.

With the surrender of Lee at Appomattox, the war was substantially closed, and Johnston very soon capitulated to Sherman, and the leader in the south west soon after him. The war-worn veterans now began to return home, and be mustered out of the service, in which they had won such glorious laurels.

As the rebellion collapsed, and it was seen that the war was to come to a close, there had been much solicitude in the minds of the thoughtful patriots at home, as to the course that would be taken by the soldiers on their muster out. Would they noiselessly and naturally return to their old habits of life, and quietly sink into the pursuit of the arts of peace, willingly laboring in their old avocations to obtain a livelihood?—or had they imbibed tastes and habits, in their army life, that would preclude their engaging in their former avocations, and leave them an idle and violent class, preying upon the communities they should afflict with their presence?

The result of the disbandment of our armies, and the return of the veterans, was peaceable beyond the expectations of the most hopeful. Every soldier, on his return, was almost painfully eager to take off the blue, and assume the sober garb of private life. The whole army dissolved into their original places in the community as naturally, as they could have done, if they had only been on a week's visit among friends! Not a jar, not a ripple disturbed the vast bosom of society, and everything socially passed on as smoothly as though the war had never existed.

The brave men now rapidly returned home, and they were received by the people with ovations, and acclamations, never exceeded in the history of the world. The people fully appreciated their heroic services, and expressed their appreciation with boundless joy.

And now the Woodbury soldiers returned to their firesides and homes, which had missed their presence for months and

years. The people, under the inspiration of the ladies, prepared to give them a fitting reception. The following is a brief account of the reception, as given in the "Waterbury American" at the

time:

"On Wednesday night, August 16th, 1865, the citizens of Ancient Woodbury had one of the pleasantest reunions ever held in the old town, on the occasion of the reception of our returned soldiers. For days, the ladies, who gave the reception, had been busy in decorating the Town Hall, and preparing refreshments for the soldiers and their families, and the families of the deceased. The weather was delightful, and when the eve came, a better decorated hall or more sumptuous tables have never been seen in Litchfield county. The ladies fully sustained their high reputation as caterers on our public local occasions.

"At sunset, the soldiers assembled at the house of William Cothren, at which, nearly every one who had gone to the

war had been enlisted and gone forth. His house was beautifully decorated in red, white and blue, with a large transparency over the main entrance, appropriately dressed in evergreens, bearing the motto:-" Soldiers, we greet you! Welcome home!"