By Rit Carter

Standing tall on a knoll in Bristol’s hilly West Cemetery is the Soldiers Monument engraved with the names of the men from Bristol that fought and died in the Civil War.  

Josiah Tracy Peck, a prominent Bristol resident at the time, conceived the idea of a monument. Through the generosity of donations by the citizens of Bristol, the funds were raised for its construction and James G. Batterson of Hartford was tapped to build a 35’ tall obelisk with a brownstone eagle as the crown. 

The dedication ceremony and exercises occurred on a warm spring day in 1866, making it one of the oldest Civil War monuments in Connecticut.  Each side of the monument is inscribed with the battles Bristol soldiers participated, and the names of those men who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The name of the youngest soldier etched on the monument is Adna E. Nichols, who died as a prisoner of war in Andersonville, GA, in August of 1864 at the age of 16.

The oldest is 54-year-old Noble Andrus, an Army Private who died at Battle Creek.

In 1966, following the annual Memorial Day parade, a rededication ceremony was held marking its 100^th anniversary. 

Alas, the names of the following men and boys are chiseled into the War Soldiers Monument in West Cemetery: 

Members of the K Company, Sixteenth Regiment, Conn Vols.

Captain Newton S. Manross, Antietam September 17, 1862 age 37

Henry Aldrich, Antietam September 17, 1862, age 41

Frank E. Wilcox, died in hospital, age 18

Prisoner of War:

Lawrence Shaine, died of wounds at Raleigh, NC, June 15, 1864, age 15

George Graham, died at Andersonville, GA, July 1, 1864, age 19

Adna E. Nichols, died at Andersonville, GA, August 8, 1864, age 16

Henry G. Way, died at Andersonville, GA, August 18, 1864, age 18

Charles Dagnon, died at Andersonville, GA, August 21, 1864, age 50

Henry Robinson, died at Andersonville, GA, August 24, 1964, age 18

Michael Cullen, died at Andersonville, GA, August 31, 1864, age 21

Silas J. Matthews, died at Andersonville, GA, September 10, 1864, age 22

Karl Shupert, died at Andersonville, GA, September 29, 1964, age 26

William Emmett, died at Andersonville, GA, October 27, 1864, age 23

Franklin Hays, died Andersonville, GA, October 27, 1864, age 22

Members of sundry regiments died in hospitals:

Horace E. Lane, Co. B, 5^th C.V. February 23, 1862, age 19

Frederick S. Hills, Co. B, 5^th C.V., August 23, 1862, age 40

William O’Brien, Co. D, 5^th, C.V., died February 26, 1864, age 28

Ansel Barnes, Co. C, 7^th C.V., died November 26, 1864, age 28

John T. Barry, Co. C, 9^th C.V., died November 28, 1864, age 43

Silas Hubbard, Co. C, 10^th C.V., died March 28, 1862, age 19

George Wilcox, Co. C, 10^th C.V., died December 27, 1864, age 25

Philip B. Johnson, Co. C, 12^th C.V., died December 27, 1862, age 23

James W. Blakesley, Co. H, 13^th C.V. October 20, 1863, age 21

John L. Griggs, Co. G, 16^th, C.V., died September 1, 1862, age 19

Lucius F. Osbourne, heavy artillery died July 26, 1864, age 28

Francis E. Johnson, heavy artillery, died August 29, 1865, age 30

“Fredericksburg” “Plymouth”

Bristol Co, 16^th Conn Vols

William W. Way, Florence, S.C., September 20, 1864, age 23

Amos Foster, Florence, S.C., October 2, 1864, age 29

Charles Churchill, Jr., Florence, S.C., November 3, 1864, age 20

Lyman Perkins, Florence, S.C., November 30, 1864, age 36

Russell Fellomen, Florence, S.C., November 30, 1864, age 23

Samuel Richards, Florence, S.C., December 4, 1864, age 23

Henry J. Funck, Florence, S.C. February 15, 1864, age 31

Richard H. Morse, Florence, S.C., February 1, 1865, age 31

Thomas W. Stone, Charleston, S.C., October 5, 1864, age 32

Francis D. Pardee, Charleston, S.C, October 5, 1864, age 19

Martin Blakesley, Charleston, S.C, December 9, 1864, age 23

George E. Nettleton, Annapolis, MD, December 25, 1864, age 30

Aretus Culver, Bristol, CT, February 9, 1865, age 45

Lost at Sea

Elbert Sutlift, on the General Lyon, March 30, 1865, age 25

Edward Smith, on the Black Diamond, April 24, 1865, age 21

“Fort Wagner,” “Irish Bend“

Members of the sundry regiments killed at battle

Charles W. Checini, Co. B, 5^th C.V., killed at Cedar Mountain, August 9, 1865, age 20

Robert O. Lane, Co. B, 5^th C.V., killed at Cedar Mountain, August 9, 1862, age 26

Alfred Goodrich, Co. B, 5^th C.V., died at Marietta, GA, June 22, 1864, age 21

Horace Gray, Co. A, 7^th C.V., killed at Fort Wagner, July 12, 1863, age 21

Lieutenant Franklin Candee, Second Heavy Artillery, killed at Winchester, VA, September 19, 1864, age 26

Noble Andrus, Second Heavy Artillery, killed at Battle Creek, October, age 54

John G. Hanson, Co. A, 83^rd N.Y.V., Bull Run, August 30, 1862, age 18

Dwight R. Ives, Co. C, 2^nd N.Y.V., age 23

Morridon Bennett, Co. C, 2^nd N.Y.V., Gettysburg, PA, age 32

Bristol, Co, I 25^th Regiment C.V.

Henry E. Rockwell, killed at Baton Rouge, March 10, 1863, age 27

Henry D. Duight, killed at Irish Bend, April 24, 1863, age 21

Charles S. Cook, wounded at Irish Bend, died May 28, 1863, age 25

John M. Francis, died at Baton Rouge, June 9, 1863, age 32

Rit Carter is a contributing editor to The Bristol Edition.

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