Draft:Dartmouth Civil War Soldiers

Dartmouth men, both students and alumni, proudly stood up to serve during the Civil war. All these men quickly rose the ranks of the army and became officers, either due to their social status or talent. On the Union side, 155 Dartmouth men served as officers for the Union army, representing 31 classes from 1822-1863. The class of 1863 alone sent 56 men into battle, 53 for the Union and 3 for the Confederacy. For the Confederacy, 10 Dartmouth men died in battle. According to historian Charles Wood, and later purported by President Hopkins, “no college had a larger portion of her men enrolled in the armed forces.” This determination was seen all throughout the war, from the Dartmouth Zouaves to the Brigadier Generals commanding thousands of soldiers. The Dartmouth men who served in the war, however, had a multitude of experiences during the war, varying in allegiance, rank, and job.

Dartmouth Zouaves

The outbreak of the Civil war threw the college into new historical chapter, soon transforming the students’ lives. Upon the firing on Fort Sumter in April of 1861 and Lincoln’s first call for volunteers, in early summer of 1861, 41 members of the class of 1863 formed the “Dartmouth Zouaves.” According to their constitution, the Zouaves were “a military company for the purposes of improving ourselves in military tactics,” and so they drilled every day for the next year. The Zouaves drilled even though drilling had been suspended since 1845, thereby demonstrating the determination and preparedness of Dartmouth students early in the war.

Dartmouth Cavalry

The early momentum of the Zouaves carried into real action in the spring of 1862, when Sanford S. Burr, class of 1863, conceived the idea of an all-Dartmouth regiment. It was later purported that although all the students wanted to join the regiment, faculty protested, and the number was reduced to 35 men, with the rest of the regiment filled with by students from other universities. Indeed, S.S. Burr and his new regiment received pushback from many different authorities. Firstly, the regiment was ignored by the governors of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine; however, Rhode Island allowed for the regiment to join. So, on June 18^th, 1862, the company left Hanover, followed by a crowd of supporters, and went to Providence Rhode Island to train as part of the Seventh Squadron Rhode Island Cavalry. To send the soldiers off, President Nathan Lord gave a speech calling on God to protect the soldiers, “under a prevailing sense of thee, according to Thy Gospel… may they be qualified for the effectual service of God and their country, and become eminent benefactors of mankind."

With Burr as their captain, the seventh Rhode Island Cavalry drilled and was soon dispatched to Harpers Ferry on August 1. A month later, on September 14^th, the Dartmouth Cavalry made their big break: they forced through enemy lines and captured 85 wagons of supplies that belonged to General Longstreet. Such a capture was a success as there were no casualties and it was crucial for the Union’s military operations in the region. Riding on the success of their raid, they went with the supplies were then sent to Newcastle, Pennsylvania, in time for the battle of Antietam. During the battle of Antietam, September 17^th, 1862, the Dartmouth Cavaliers helped General McClellan force General Lee’s retreat and secure victory for the Union.

The Dartmouth Cavalry disbanded on October 1^st, returning to celebration in Hanover. The faculty immediately wanted these soldier-students to sit make-up examinations, but after hearing that Brown University would accept them without examinations, they waived the exams. And on Lee’s surrender, the college was jubilant, such news was “received with unbounded enthusiasm” knowing that the Dartmouth men’s valor and sacrifices were not in vain.

Notable Union Soldiers

• Samuel Augustus Duncan: class of 1858, was appointed colonel of the 4^th brigade of the United States Colored Troops, receiving honors for his “gallant and meritorious service." Alexander Ingram: class of 1858, served as physician and surgeon for the US army.
• Hobart Harrison: Class of 1842, was promoted to colonel of the 21^st Wisconsin, but was taken captured in Tennessee in 1863. While in the infamous Libby prison, however, Harrison led the charge of escape, involving a tunnel to the building across the street. He said, “the tunnel was about seventy feet long and eight feet below the surface of the street,” which allowed him and his men to escape, having only to endure four months in the prison. Harrison also helped in General Sherman’s advance to Atlanta and “march to the sea” and capture of Savannah. After such a feat he was promoted by Lincoln to Brigadier general for his “meritorious services."
• Lt. Frank Aretas Haskell: class of 1854, fought in Gettysburg and may have greatly exaggerated his role in the battle.

Notable Confederate Soldiers

• Simon Burney James: class of 1858 (non-graduate), A Choctaw Indian who was “captain of a company of Indians in Confederate service” and killed in service by one of his own men at For Arbuckle.
• Amos T Akerman: class of 1842, although he was a Union man, he adhered when his state, Georgia, seceded and served as an ordnance Officer in the 4^th Georgia Infantry.
• John Clay McKowen: class of 1866, served as Brigadier General in the Confederate army who was taken prisoner early, but later released in a deal. After being freed he remained in the North and decided to continue his education, so matriculated at Dartmouth in 1864 and graduated in 1866.