During the summer and autumn of 1860 “the Derby Blues,” conducted drills in the armory on Main Street and street parades. George Dana Russell was captain, Sanford E. Chaffee was First Lieutenant and Napoleon Lemareaux was Second Lieutenant. “The Derby Blues” numbered, rank and file, about 82 members and on nearly every evening in the week except Sundays they assembled for drill. The street parades of ” The Derby Blues ” attracted the interest of young men in Birmingham (Derby). During this same time the Wide-Awakes (subject of a future post) were also conducting frequent street parades, now commanded by Captain Charles L. Russell, the former leader of the Derby Blues. They wore their cape uniforms with each member of the organization bearing in his hand a lighted torch.
On the evening of April 19, 1861, only five days after the assault on Fort Sumter, a meeting was held in Nathan’s Hall in Derby. Nearly a thousand people attended packing the hall with some sitting or standing on the long flight of stairs leading from the street up to the hall. Speeches were made by William B. Wooster, Esquire, one of the leading lawyers of Connecticut; Thomas Burlock, a prominent businessman; Robert N. Bassett, another local businessman; Captain Charles L. Russell, and Dr. Ambrose E. Beardsley, a prominent local physician. Edward N. Shelton, a leading businessman, presided over the meeting. A liberal sum of money for the war was pledged- three thousand dollars, and this increased to five thousand dollars the next day. Enlistment was opened for recruits and before the meeting closed nearly an entire company of recruits volunteered for service. The company was attached to the Second CT Volunteer Infantry— and with this regiment participated in the first battle of Bull Run. Charles L. Russell served as the regiment’s Adjutant.
Despite its small size “The Derby Blues” furnished an astonishing number of officers for the war including four colonels, one lieutenant-colonel, four captains and a lieutenant. The colonels were Charles L. Russell, John L. Chatfield, Elisha S. Kellogg and Ledyard Colburn. Frank Hawkins rose to be Lieutenant-Colonel of the 10th CT Volunteer Infantry after serving four years in the Union army he died in a military hospital in New York. The captains were George D. Russell, Thomas Gilbert, Sandford E. Chaffee and James Foley. The Lieutenant was Napoleon Lemareaux.
Three of the four Colonels and their families paid the ultimate sacrifice with two of the Colonels killed in combat on the field and one dying of battle wounds at home less than a month after returning there. Each of them will be covered in their own post highlighting their extraordinary sacrifice. Charles L. Russell was colonel of the 10th CT Volunteer Infantry; he was instantly killed by a bullet from a Confederate sharpshooter at the battle of Roanoke Island, North Carolina. John L. Chatfield was colonel of the 6th CT Volunteer Infantry; he died at home from a left leg wound after infection set in.
Elisha S. Kellogg was colonel of the 2nd CT Heavy Artillery; he was killed at the battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia. When found, his body, “riddled with bullets” was lying on top of the abattis in front of the Confederate earthworks. Ledyard Colburn was colonel of the 12th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry; he died in Louisiana after the close of the Civil War. Captain George D. Russell commanded a company of the 2nd CT Volunteer Infantry in the first battle of Bull Run; he died at home after the close of the Civil War. Thomas Gilbert was commander of Company A of the 1st CT Heavy Artillery; he also survived the Civil War. Sanford E. Chaffee was commander of Company B of the 20th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry; after creditable service in the Union army he returned home and was for several terms postmaster of Derby. James Foley was captain of a company in the 20th CT Volunteer Infantry. Napoleon Lemareaux was a lieutenant in the 2nd CT Volunteer Infantry and took part in the first battle of Bull Run. He died at home.
Second Regiment Infantry, Connecticut Volunteers, Company D
Ledyard Colburn, major.
Charles L. Russell, adjutant.
Company D officers
George D. Russell, captain.
Sanford E. Chaffee, first lieutenant.
Azre Lamoureux, second lieutenant.
James Foly, sergeant.
Austin P. Kirkham, sergeant.
Joseph Bailey, sergeant.
John Cornell, sergeant.
Frank Hawkins, corporal.
Carles E. Hawks, corporal. Prisoner of war.
Guilford M. Kirkham, corporal.
Elton W. Ware, corporal.
Musicians and privates
Anson Chaffee, musician.
Isaac J. Kirkham, musician.
Privates
Archer, Martin; Bailey, Barnabut M.; Baker, Charles E; Beach, Julius G.;
Beach, Edwin C.; Blood, John M.; Bodge, George E.; Bray, Morris;
Butterworth, George; Burlock, David; Bundy, George B.; Chaffee, James W.; Church, Frank; Chatfield, George A.; Cornett, Frederick; Cohen, Henry; Cowap, William H.; Coger, William; Dyer, Edward B.; Dyer, Charles B.; Eddy, John C; Engles, James S.; French, Richard B.; Gardner, Thomas; Gahagan, Joseph; Gilbert, Horace; Griffin; Harrison: Griffiths, David N.; Green, Shepard; Guilfoil, William; Hays, Minot; Herman, Max;
Hickerson, Francis; Inman, George; Johnson, Jerome; Johnson, Frank;
Kirk, Samuel; Lindley, Benjamin; Lindley, David; Lody, Edward; McCarty, John; McKenzie, George; McNalley, Thomas; Miller, John W.; Miller, James W.; Milliken, Charles D.; Moore, Charles; Nettleton, Joseph F.; Payton, John; Pullon, Pizarro; Robertson, David; Robertson, John; Schyer, William; Sherman, George W.; Smith, Seymour M.; Smith, Ira B.; Squires, Frank; Stonck, William; Tomlinson, Mark; Tyther, William H.; Tyler, Joseph; Whitney, Thomas B.; Wilbur, Warren; Wolfshon, Saul; Whipple, James B.
The 2nd Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered into service on May 7th for 90 days at New Haven, Connecticut. It was under the command of Colonel Alfred H. Terry, Lieutenant Colonel Young and Major Colburn. Three companies were made up of old and established militia units: the “Mansfield Guards” of Middletown under Captain Dickinson, the New Haven “Grays” under Captain Osborn, and the National Guard of Birmingham (Derby Blues) under Captain Russell. The remaining companies were recruited after President Lincoln’s call for volunteers. On May 10th the regiment left the state for Washington, D.C. on the steamship Cahawba with 798 men. Most of the regiment was armed with Sharps rifles, with two companies armed with Springfield muskets. They arrived in Washington on May 14th camping at Meridian Hill on the north side of town and were assigned to the Department of Washington. After crossing Long Bridge into Virginia on May 16th they continued on to Taylor’s Tavern on Oak Hill. They were attached to Key’s 1st Brigade in Tyler’s Division of the Army of the Potomac under the command of General Irvin McDowell. After advancing to Vienna and Falls Church, Virginia from June 1-3, they subsequently were on picket duty in Falls Church from June 4th to July 15th. They advanced to Manassas where during the battle on July 21st they crossed Bull Run at a ford just north of the Stone Bridge and advanced to the Robinson House where they fought until the collapse of the Federal army. They lost 2 men killed or mortally wounded and 16 captured. After the battle the regiment fell back to Centreville and continued on to Oak Hill. On August 7th they mustered out in New Haven.
Next we’ll do posts on three men that were members of the Derby Blues who subsequently became colonels in the Union army. They were either killed in action or died of their war injuries.
Colonel Charles Lambert Russell
Sources
History of the Second Connecticut Volunteers
Recollections of a half century and more. By Andrew M Sherman in Americana Illustrated Volume 11.
Connecticut Regimental Histories
The History of the Old Town of Derby, Connecticut, 1642-1880 with Biographies and Genealogies. By Samuel Orcutt and Ambrose Beardsley, M.D.