Soldiers and Sailors Memorial in Seaside Park

The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial was dedicated in August, 1876, to 180 men from the city of Bridgeport that gave their lives for the United States during the Civil War, 1861-1865. The Memorial was the first major monument to be erected in Seaside Park. The bronze sculptures on the Memorial were designed and cast by Melzar Hunt Mosman (who had served in the 46th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War): the female bronze figure atop the five-tier Maine granite base, representing the Republic, is 10 feet tall; the figure, modeled and designed by Mosman during a trip to Paris, is holding a laurel garland aloft with her right hand and has a sword in her left hand. Beneath the female bronze is a statue of “Liberty” (originally sculpted in marble). [In 1969, it was pulled down from the Memorial but broke into three pieces; the space remained empty for 40 years until the Friends of Seaside Park arranged to have a replacement copy (made from fiberglass and polyester resin) made in 2010 by Emily Bedard from Milton, VT. Standing 54 feet tall, the Memorial was the largest and most expensive monument in Connecticut at the time. The Tichnor Brothers hand painted post card images from the 1930s. You can view the entire collection here: www.digitalcommonwealth.org/collections/commonwealth:0p096w19r. Seaside Park was created in 1865 on farm land that had been used as a training ground called Camp Aiken by the 17th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Regiment. In 1867, plans for a seawall, a horse carriage driving track, and walkways were launched. The drawings for the park were developed by Frederick Law Olmsted and by Calvert Vaux, whose firm completed the work.  {Peter Evans and Guillermo L. Bosch co-created the above story.}

The 17th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Regiment was raised in Fairfield County and organized at Camp Aiken [what later became Seaside Park] in the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut; it was mustered into the service of the United States on August 28, 1862 (at the same time as the battle of Second Bull Run, Virginia, was taking place).  Its first commander was Colonel William H. Noble, a graduate of Yale College and a lawyer in Bridgeport.  The regiment served in various corps and departments in the United States Army, and saw action in different theaters and locations of the Civil War, until it was mustered out of service on July 19, 1865.

The regiment first served in the defenses of the city of Baltimore, Maryland, and in the District of Columbia, building fortifications and trenches, until it was transferred on October of 1862 to become part of the large Army of the Potomac of the United States, camped in Virginia.  From that time, the 17th Connecticut participated as a member of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division of the XI Corps in all of the movements, campaigns, and battles of the Army of the Potomac, particularly in the Fredericksburg Campaign in December of 1862; in the infamous “Mud March” on January 20-24, 1863; in the Chancellorsville campaign and battle, from April 27 to May 6, 1863 (Colonel Noble was seriously wounded at the battle of Chancellorsville and temporarily replaced by Major Allen G. Brady); and, in the Gettysburg campaign and battle, from June 11 to July 24, 1863 (Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Fowler was commanding the regiment at the battle of Gettysburg when he was killed on July 1st on Blocher (Barlow)’s Knoll; Major Brady again became the acting commander of the 17th Connecticut until he was wounded himself on the evening of July 2nd during the savage action at the foot of East Cemetery Hill against Louisiana and North Carolina troops; Major Brady remained in command during the battle at Hagerstown, Maryland, on July 11-13).

Thereafter, from August of 1863 to February of 1864, the 17th Connecticut was transferred to the Department of the South and became a part of the 2nd Brigade, Brigadier General George H. Gordon’s Division of the X Corps (Major General Quincy A. Gillmore), based at the South end of Folly Island, South Carolina; it took part in the various siege operations and assaults directed at capturing or reducing Fort Sumter and the city of Charleston, and other nearby rebel defensive works, leading to the capture of Fort Wagner and Battery Gregg on September 7, 1864.

In February, 1864, it was once again transferred, to the District of Florida.  Based primarily in Jacksonville and St. Augustine, it took part in a number of expeditions and operations in East Florida for the balance of the Civil War until July 7, 1865, when it was shipped home.  It was initially part of the 1st Brigade of Brigadier General Adelbert Ames’ Division (Ames was the 17th Connecticut’s former brigade commander at the battle of Gettysburg) of the District of Florida; later in October of 1864, it was shifted to become part of the 4th Separate Brigade.  While the 17th Connecticut was fortunate to miss the disastrous expedition resulting in the Battle of Olustee (or Ocean Pond) on February 20, 1864, it was engaged in several actions and expeditions in Florida, among which were, the expedition to John’s and James Islands on February 6-14, 1864; the action at Welaka on May 19th; the action at Milton on June 2nd; the action at Whitesville on July 24th; the action at Horse Landing on December 24th (where Colonel Noble, having returned to command of the regiment, was captured by rebel troops); the action at the House of Solona (Braddock’s Farm) near St. Augustine, on February 4, 1865; and the action at Dunn’s Lake on March 5th (where its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Albert H. Wilcoxson, was wounded and captured.)

Throughout its noble service in the United States Army during the Civil War, the 17th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Regiment suffered total deaths of 128: 5 officers and 48 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in action; and 1 officer and 74 enlisted men died of disease.  Many others were wounded, or captured and missing.  Undoubtedly, the regiment’s greatest loss came at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863, where it sustained 51% casualties.  Out of an estimated 386 men under arms and present for battle, 26 soldiers were killed, another 14 were mortally wounded, and 157 soldiers were wounded or captured.