The Old Sixth Regiment, Its War Record, 1861-5

In Short

This regimental history chronicles the four-year service of the 6th Connecticut Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. Drawn directly from the personal diary of Sergeant Charles K. Cadwell, the text follows the unit from its initial muster in New Haven through coastal campaigns in South Carolina to hard-fought engagements in Virginia. It offers an authentic, ground-level perspective on military life, detailing the physical toll of fatigue labor, combat casualties, changing leadership, and the post-war efforts of veterans to preserve their shared history through annual reunions and memorials.

The Story

The narrative opens in 1861 at New Haven, Connecticut, where volunteer soldiers gather, drill, and learn the basic routines of army life. After receiving initial training, the regiment moves south through Washington, D.C., and Annapolis, Maryland, eventually embarking on coastal expeditions. Their early deployments place them in grueling environments along the southern coastline, where soldiers construct earthworks, dig trenches, and transport heavy artillery through mud and swamps under harsh weather conditions.

Combat actions quickly follow their physical labor. The regiment participates in the bombardment and capture of Fort Pulaski on Tybee Island, facing heavy artillery fire. Subsequent operations take the men through coastal South Carolina, including skirmishes near Pocotaligo and Beaufort. On Folly Island, the regiment spends weeks preparing for an assault on Morris Island. Moving stealthily by boats at dawn under cover of tall marsh grass, the troops land under heavy fire to engage enemy shore batteries.

The conflict demands a heavy toll in officer leadership and enlisted personnel. The regiment's commander, Colonel Chatfield, sustains severe wounds during the assault on Fort Wagner and later succumbs to his injuries, leaving a profound impact on the men. Command shifts to Redfield Duryee, whose strict enforcement of heavy fatigue duties and drill creates tension among troops who feel seasoned veterans were passed over for promotion. Duryee eventually resigns due to ill health, and command passes to Colonel Alfred P. Rockwell.

As the war progresses into 1864, the unit transfers to the Virginia theater, operating along the Appomattox and James rivers. The regiment faces fierce combat, including skirmishes in dense scrub oak forests, encounters with hidden sharpshooters, and counterattacks against entrenched positions. The fighting at Chapin's Farm and surrounding lines results in substantial casualties, captures, and repulses, illustrating the brutal nature of late-war operations.

Following the war's conclusion, the surviving veterans form the Association of the Sixth Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers. The book concludes by tracking their post-war gatherings, beginning with their initial organization in 1868 and continuing through annual reunions across Connecticut towns such as Bridgeport, Stamford, and New Britain. The volume closes with detailed company rosters, recording the dates of muster, promotions, wounds, deaths, discharges, and desertions for every soldier who passed through the ranks.

How It Unfolds

Mustering and initial training The regiment gathers in New Haven to learn squad and company tactics, adapting to army rations and daily routines before heading south to Washington, D.C.

Coastal operations and fortress sieges Stationed on Tybee and Folly Islands, the soldiers perform grueling physical labor, digging mud forts and hauling heavy artillery through coastal swamps to bombard enemy fortifications.

Amphibious assault on Morris Island Launching from launches at daybreak, the troops row through marshland under heavy grape and canister fire to storm shoreline earthworks and batteries.

Command transitions and heavy losses Following the loss of key officers to battle wounds and fever, new leadership enforces rigorous drill schedules while the ranks contend with high disease rates and constant fatigue duty.

Virginia campaigns and dense combat Transferred to the northern front, the regiment navigates treacherous thickets, ambushes, and entrenched lines along the James and Appomattox rivers, suffering steady casualties.

Post-war remembrance and record keeping Surviving members establish a regimental association, organizing yearly reunions and fundraising for officer monuments while assembling meticulous rosters of every soldier’s service history.

The People

Charles K. Cadwell A Sergeant in Company F who serves as the primary author and regimental historian. He keeps a detailed private diary throughout his service, using his firsthand observations to record an accurate account of his comrades' sacrifices, daily struggles, and post-war reunions.

Colonel Chatfield The regiment's initial commander, who instills strict discipline early on by instructing his men to avoid writing to newspapers, preferring their deeds to speak for themselves. He earns the deep affection and respect of his men through his brave leadership and personal character before dying from wounds received at Fort Wagner.

Colonel Redfield Duryee An officer appointed to lead the regiment after serving eighteen months on recruiting duty in the North. His promotion causes widespread resentment among veteran soldiers who feel the command should have gone to someone who endured field service, and he eventually resigns due to failing health.

Colonel Alfred P. Rockwell The former captain of the 1st Connecticut Battery who assumes command of the regiment following Duryee's resignation. He earns the respect of the men through his fearless leadership during the intense battles in Virginia.

In Its Own Voice

"Col. Chatfield instructed officers and men that it was unmilitary to write letters for the press; he desired that the War Record should know the record of the Sixth, and not the newspapers only."

The author explains why the regiment received less public attention during the war than other units.

"The task was very laborious, and many gave way to fevers and other diseases, which made extra duty for those who managed to survive."

Cadwell describes the exhausting manual labor required to build mud fortifications in coastal swamps.

"As the man-of-war’s men filed down the road dragging their guns, one old Jack Tar who had lost his right leg and from which the blood was still oozing, was strapped upon his gun, while his comrades were gently cheering him up."

An observation from the battlefield capturing a moment of grim endurance among the wounded.

What It's Really About

At its core, this narrative explores the gap between public perception and the lived reality of military service. By focusing on private journal entries rather than journalistic fanfare, the work highlights how a regiment’s true history is forged through unglamorous manual labor, muddy encampments, and endemic disease just as much as through high-profile combat.

The text also addresses the delicate balance of military authority and morale. The friction surrounding command appointments reveals how deeply volunteer soldiers valued shared suffering and proven field experience over formal rank. Ultimately, the book serves as an act of duty—a attempt to preserve the names, dates, and sacrifices of ordinary enlistees from being lost to time.

Why Read It Today

This account will appeal to military historians, Civil War enthusiasts, and readers seeking an unembellished, primary-source perspective on nineteenth-century soldiering. Rather than offering dramatic literary flourishes or high-level strategic analysis, the writing remains grounded, plainspoken, and direct. The reader feels the weight of daily routines: the endless squad drills, brackish drinking water, mosquito-ridden marshes, and constant fatigue duties that defined a soldier's existence long before they ever reached a battlefield.

Modern readers should note that the book reflects the plain, unadorned prose of a nineteenth-century soldier writing for his former comrades. A significant portion of the work consists of tabular data, listing company rosters, casualty tallies, and muster dates. Far from being dead weight, these structural elements ground the narrative in cold facts, illustrating how disease and desertion cut through the ranks alongside bullet wounds. It stands as an authentic memorial to a Connecticut unit that quietly bore the heavy burdens of war.