The 17th Connecticut at the 1907 Andersonville dedication

The Connecticut monument located in the Andersonville National Cemetery, dedicated in October 1907.

I recently came across the book published by the State of Connecticut to commemorate the dedication of the Connecticut monument at Andersonville, Georgia. The monument committee had originally planned on locating the monument on the grounds of the former prison camp itself, but, after visiting the National Cemetery, decided upon that place for the monument instead. The monument depicts a young Civil War soldier, meant to represent the common soldier.

On October 21, 1907 nearly 80 survivors of Andersonville  from Connecticut regiments, along with family members and friends, boarded a train in New Haven for the trip back to Georgia. There, on October 23rd, the monument was dedicated. Due to some transportation problems, the monument was not actually in place until the following day, but concerns over the weather led to the dedication going forward anyway.

Although the majority of veterans in attendance were from the 16th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry (who had suffered greatly there after their capture at Plymouth, North Carolina), members of the 17th Connecticut made the trek as well.

By 1907, there were 18 surviving veterans from the 17th CVI who had been imprisoned at Andersonville. Looking at the list of those veterans, some showed Noroton Heights as their place of residence – Noroton Heights being the location of the Fitch Soldiers Home – and they were probably too frail to make the trip.

Survivors from various Connecticut regiments gather for a group photo at the Connecticut monument at Andersonville National Cemetery in October 1907.

5 veterans did make the trip to Georgia to attend the dedication: former 1st Sergeant George Scofield, Sergeant Lewis Scofield, and Martin Cash of Company B; former Musician Frederick Wilmot of Company D; and former Corporal Seth Remington of Company H.

The photograph of those veterans, all survivors of Andersonville, was probably taken on October 24, 1907 after the monument was placed on the oft-traveled pedestal. And somewhere in that group are probably the 5 attendees from the 17th Connecticut.

There is one soldier from the 17th Connecticut listed as being buried in the National Cemetery there – Private Edward S. Hoyt. Hoyt, a 28-year-old sailor and a Darien resident, was captured along with nearly all of Company B at Welaka, Florida on May 19, 1864. He died at Andersonville on August 27, 1864 and is buried in Grave #6964.

Andersonville National Cemetery is one of 14 National Cemeteries adminsitered by the National Park Service and is still an active cemetery. The former prison camp is a National Historic Site and also home to the National Prisoner of War Museum. This year and next marks the 150th anniversary of Andersonville.