Samuel Proal Hatfield Civil War photograph album
Scope and Contents
In researching Civil War photographs, many photos in this album were found in books and authoritative websites attributed to various well known Civil War photographers such as George Bernard and Matthew Brady. None of the photographs in this album are identified and credited to its photographer by Samuel Hatfield. This album is an informative collection of well-known and historically significant photographs, maps and drawings of battles, forts, geographic locations, and people divided into eight sections.
- Part I
- Section I: Hartford, CT camp to Connecticut River, vicinity of Hagerstown, Funkstown, Williamsport, Falling Waters, Maryland and vicinity of Harpers Ferry, Alexandria and Hampton, Virginia.
- Section II: Yorktown, VA
- Section III: Peninsular Campaign
- Section IV: Fredericksburg
- Part II : Broadway Landing, Seige Train Depot and Headquarters
- Section V : Petersburg Lines
- Section VI : Our Mortar
- Section VII : Bermuda Hundred & James River
- Section VIII : Fort Fisher
"Presented to the Library of Wesleyan University 1915. Co. G, 4th Connecticut Volunteers was organized by the students and mustered into State service in April. The regiment was offered to the United States as part of the State contingent of troops for three months' service. It was not accepted as such, but its services were requested for three years, to which the regiment agreed and were so mustered May 22, 1861. It was the first regiment mustered into the United States service for the long term. The designation was changed in January 1862, to "1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery" and as such served through the war.
"This album shows some of the scenes through which the regiment and students from the University passed, and may be of interest as a record of the peculiar nature of its (Artillery) services.
"It is desired to be of record that, of the students thus engaged, at the last, in the breaking of the Confederate line at Fort Mahone, Petersburg, April 2, 1865, the University was actively represented and the supply of ammunition to the Union troops maintained through the day, when repeated attacks were made to recover the fort. By breaking the Confederate line here, Richmond was evacuated that night and the Confederacy dissolved like a broken bubble. Wesleyan was part of the bayonet point that broke it up, and the Union was saved." S.P. Hatfield, Class of 1862
Dates
- Creation: 1861-1865
Creator
- Hatfield, Samuel P. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
In public domain - No Copyright - United States
Biographical / Historical
Samuel Proal Hatfield was a non-graduate of Wesleyan in the class of 1862. He enlisted as private, 4th Conn. Infantry in 1861. He then served as First Lieutenant, 1st Conn. Heavy Artillery from 1862-64, and later served as major of the same.
Extent
2 Linear Feet (1 flat hollinger box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This photograph album of the 4th Connecticut Volunteers, Company G (later renamed the 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery) is an informative collection of well-known and historically significant photographs, maps and drawings of battles, forts, geographic locations, and people divided into eight sections. Locations photographed are primarily in Virginia, including Yorktown, Fredericksburg, Petersburg, Broadway Landing, the Peninsular Campaign, and the Bermuda Hundred area. There are also photographs from Fort Fisher, North Carolina.
Arrangement
Each photograph is listed in the order it appears in the album.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Given to Wesleyan University by Samuel Proal Hatfield in 1915.
Subject
- Hatfield, Samuel P. (Person)
Geographic
- Bermuda Hundred (Va.)
- Bermuda Hundred Region (Va.) -- History, Military
- Broadway (Va.)
- Broadway (Va.) -- History
- Connecticut -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
- Fort Fisher (N.C. : Fort) -- Siege, 1864-1865
- Petersburg (Va.) -- History
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Battlefields -- Pictorial works
- Virginia -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
- Yorktown (Va.) -- History
Topical
- Title
- Samuel Proal Hatfield Civil War photograph album, 1861-1865
- Status
- Unprocessed
- Author
- Processed by Linda Hurteau, August 2006 Encoded by Valerie Gillispie, August 2006 Migrated to ArchivesSpace by Amanda Nelson, May 2020
- Date
- May 29, 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the University Archives Repository