Civil War Years

“One must fight to preserve a natione”

There were 132 men who fought in the Civil War whose military records list them as having come from Granby. The first of these to enlist was Everett Griswold, 1st Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, on April 19, 1861, only seven days after Fort Sumter was fired upon. Other enlistments quickly followed, some men enlisting independently, but the majority enlisting in groups of five or more, often mustering into the same unit.

The first of our ancestors to enlist was David H. Holmes, the son of Robert Holmes Jr. and Eliza Ann Barrett. David enlisted as a Private in Company E, 10th Regiment Connecticut Infantry on October 14, 1861. He was wounded in the thigh by a rifle ball at the Battle of Kinston, NC on December 14, 1862. Unfit for service for 30 days, the company surgeon suggested he be, “permitted to go North.”

He was promoted to Full Sergeant on February 7, 1864; Full Sergeant 1st Class on November 1, 1864; and Full Sergeant 2nd Class on January 27, 1865. His letter of resignation was signed at camp in Richmond, VA on May 30, 1865:

“Sir, I have the honor to herewith tender my resignation as 2d Lieut. 10th Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, U.S.A. for the reasons hereafter noted. I have a small farm in the state of Connecticut, which at the present time is in a very ruinous condition from the fact that I have no one to attend to it except a widowed Mother who is entirely dependent upon me for support, and is suffering severely at the present time in a pecuniary (sp?) sense from my absence. Also for the reason that I have a title to other property now in litigation to secure which my presence is absolutely necessary. I certify on honor that I am not indebted to the U.S. on any account whatsoever, and that I am not responsible for any government property except that I am prepared to turn over to the proper Officer on the acceptance of my resignation and that I was last paid by Major Dorman (sp?) U.S.A. to include the 24th day of January 1865. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, David H. Holmes.”

10th Regiment Infantry Service

• Organized at Hartford, CT October 22, 1861.
• Left State for Annapolis, MD October 31 and duty there until January 6, 1862.
• Burnside's expedition to Hatteras Inlet and Roanoke Island, NC, January 7-February 8.
• Battle of Roanoke Island February 8.
• At Roanoke Island until March 11.
• Moved to Newberne March 11-13.
• Battle of Newberne March 14.
• Duty at Newberne until October.
• Expedition from Newberne October 30-November 12.
• Action at Rawle's Mills November 2.
• Foster's expedition to Goldsboro December 11-20.
• Kinston December 14.
• Whitehall December 16.
• Goldsboro December 17.
• Moved from Newberne to Hilton Head, SC, January 26-29, 1863.
• Camp at St. Helena Island, SC, until March 27 and at Seabrook Island, SC, to July 6.
• Skirmish Edisto Island June 18.
• Expedition to James Island July 9-16.
• Battle of Secessionville July 16.
• Assault on Fort Wagner, Morris Island, SC, July 18.
• Siege operations against Forts Wagner and Gregg, Morris Island, and against Fort Sumter and Charlestown, SC, July 18-September 7.
• Capture of Forts Wagner and Gregg September 7.
• Operations against Forts Sumter and Charlestown until October 25.
• Moved to St. Augustine, FL, October 26, and duty there until April, 1864.
• Ordered to Gloucester Point, VA, April 20.
• Butler's operations on south side of the James and against Petersburg and Richmond, VA, May 5-28.
• Occupation of Bermuda Hundred, VA, May 5.
• Port Walthal Junction, Chester Station, May 7.
• Operations against Fort Darling May 12-16.
• Battle of Drewry's Bluff May 14-16.
• On Bermuda Hundred front May 17-July 21.
• Action Bermuda Hundred June 2.
• Petersburg June 9. Walthal Junction June 16-17.
• Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865.
• Demonstration on north side of the James July 27-29.
• Deep Bottom July 27-28 and August 1.
• Strawberry Plains August 14-18.
• Duty in trenches before Petersburg August 25-September 27.
• Movement to north of James September 27-28.
• Chaffin's Farm, New Market Heights, September 28-30.
• Darbytown and New Market Roads October 7.
• Reconnaissance on Darbytown Road October 13.
• Battle of Fair Oaks October 27-28.
• Johnston's Plantation October 29.
• Detached for duty at New York City during Presidential election of 1864, November 2-17.
• Duty in trenches before Richmond November 17, 1864, to March 27, 1865.
• Movement to Hatcher's Run March 27-28.
• Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9.
• Assault on and fall of Petersburg April 2.
• Pursuit of Lee April 3-9.
• Rice's Station April 6.
• Appomattox C. H. April 9.
• Surrender of Lee and his army. Duty at Richmond, VA, and in the Dept. of VA until August.
• Mustered out August 15, 1865.

Regiment lost during service: 13 Officers and 109 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded; 5 Officers and 155 Enlisted men by disease. Total 282.

With the exception of Alexander Pattison, each of our Civil War soldiers spent some time in New Bern, North Carolina [called Newberne back then]. During their stay, they may have taken a break to enjoy some entertainment at this opera house. Located on the lower floor of St. John's, it was occasionally used by the Union troops for homemade productions.

As you can see from this May 24, 1864 playbill, the troops gave old St. John's a name more to their liking!

John Burns II was the husband of Delilah M. Holmes (daughter of David Holmes and Melinda Phelps). He enlisted as a Private in the 16th Regiment Infantry on August 6, 1862 and received a disability discharge on March 4, 1863.

Robert James Holmes was the son of James Holmes and Mary McRoy. He enlisted as a musician in company B of the 16th Regiment on August 14, 1862. He was captured at Plymouth, NC on April 20, 1864 and held prisoner at Andersonville, SC until December 11, 1864. On July 7, 1865 he was given an Honorable Discharge at Annapolis, MD. [For his full biography, see Civil War Years Part II.]

Joseph J. Jones was the husband of Nancy J. Holmes (daughter of David Holmes and Melinda Phelps). He enlisted as a Private in Company B, 16th Regiment Infantry on August 24, 1862 and was wounded at Antietam, NC less than a month later on September 17. Joseph was captured at Plymouth, NC on April 20, 1864 and taken to Andersonville, GA where he died on September 2, 1864. He is buried at the Andersonville National Cemetery. [Ref. Page 230, Code 17570, Grave #7570]

16th Regiment Infantry Service

• Organized at Hartford August 24, 1862.
• Moved to Washington, DC, August 29-31.
• Maryland Campaign September-October, 1862.
• Battle of Antietam, MD, September 16-17.
• Duty in Pleasant Valley, MD, October 27.
• Movement to Falmouth, VA, October 27-November 17.
• Battle of Fredericksburg December 12-15.
• Burnside's 2nd Campaign, "Mud March," January 20-24, 1863.
• Moved to Newport News February 6-9, thence to Suffolk March 13.
• Siege of Suffolk April 12-May 4.
• Edenton Road April 24.
• Providence Church Road and Nansemond River May 3.
• Siege of Suffolk raised May 4.
• Reconnaissance to the Chickahominy June 9-17.
• Dix's Peninsula Campaign June 24-July 7.
• Expedition from White House to South Anna River July 1-7.
• Moved to Portsmouth, VA Duty there and at Norfolk January, 1864.
• Skirmish at Harrellsville January 20 (Detachment).
• Moved to Morehead City, thence to Newberne and Plymouth January 24-28.
• Skirmish at Windsor January 30.
• Duty at Newberne February 2 to March 20, and at Plymouth, NC, April.
• Siege of Plymouth April 17-20.
• Captured April 20, and prisoners of war March, 1865. Those not captured, on duty at Newberne and Roanoke Island, NC, June, 1865.
• Mustered out June 24, 1865.

Alexander Pattison was the husband of Eliza Ann Barrett-Holmes (widow of Robert Holmes, Jr.). He enlisted as a Private in Company E, 25th Regiment Connecticut Infantry on August 2, 1862. Alexander was wounded at Irish Bend, LA on April 14, 1863 and again at Port Hudson, LA on June 15 1863. He mustered out in Hartford, CT on August 26, 1863.

25th Regiment Connecticut Infantry Service

• Attached to Grover's Division, Dept. of the Gulf, to January, 1863.
• Duty at Baton Rouge until March, 1863.
• Operations against Port Hudson March 7-27.
• Moved to Donaldsonville March 28.
• Operations in Western Louisiana April 9-May 14.
• Teche Campaign April 11-20.
• Porter's and McWilliams' Plantation at Indian Bend April 13.
• Irish Bend April 14.
• Bayou Vermillion April 17.
• Expedition to Alexandria and Simsport May 5-18.
• Moved to Bayou Sara, thence to Port Hudson May 22-25.
• Siege of Port Hudson May 25-July 9.
• Assaults on Port Hudson May 27 and June 14.
• Surrender of Port Hudson July 9.
• Moved to Donaldsonville July 11.
• Duty in Plaquemine District until August.
• Mustered out August 26, 1863.

Regiment lost during service: 3 Officers and 26 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded; 4 Officers and 61 Enlisted men by disease. Total 94.