By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | January 24, 2019
The Sixth NH Regiment was raised in the Fall of 1861. Its men received a $10 enlistment bounty, and $13 per month pay, with rations. They were to be armed with Springfield rifled muskets with sabre bayonets. They left for Washington, DC, by train on Christmas day and passed through New York City on December 26, 1861. There they were issued Austrian rifles, rather than Springfield rifles.
The Sixth NH Regiment went with General Burnside on his Cape Hatteras expedition in early 1862. They fought at the Battle of South Mills (aka Camden), April 19, 1862. It spent some time at New Berne, N.C., prior to transferring to the Army of Virginia. There it fought in the second Battle of Bull Run, August 29, 1862. Alonzo Downing and Moses Cook were wounded there.
After the battle the army withdrew to the Washington defenses. From there they fought at South Mountain, September 14, the Battle of Sharpsburg (or Antietam), September 17, 1862, and the Battle of Fredericksburg, December 11-15, 1862.
In 1863, the Sixth NH Regiment was sent with General Burnside to Kentucky. From there, it participated in the siege of Vicksburg and the Mississippi campaign. Vicksburg fell on July 4, 1863. Eli Wentworth, for whom Milton’s GAR Post would be named, died at Snyder’s Bluff, MS, July 18, 1863. Timothy Emery died at Milldale, MS, July 20, 1863. The regiment then returned to Knoxville, KY.
Many men re-enlisted in the Fall and received furloughs to New Hampshire. New NH replacements joined also in November and December 1863, and January 1864. Dudley F. Brown, Samuel Chipman, and William Nettles, all of Milton, and Moses W. Cook of Dover, joined in December 1863, and Charles H. French of Rochester joined in January 1864.
In 1864, the Sixth NH Regiment came east again. They participated in General Grant’s overland campaign of 1864, which included the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor.
Then followed the siege warfare at Petersburg, VA. Moses W. Cook was wounded at Petersburg, July 4, 1864. Samuel Chipman was captured at Peebles’ Farm, Poplar Spring Church, on September 30, 1864, when General Grant launched flank attacks. (Chipman died in a Confederate prison camp at Salisbury, NC, the following January).
In 1865, the Sixth NH Regiment fought in the defense of Fort Stedman in March 1865. The Confederate assault on that emplacement was their last attempt to break the siege of Petersburg. General Lee withdrew after towards Appomattox Courthouse. The Sixth NH Regiment formed part of the ring that encircled the Confederate forces and forced their surrender, April 9, 1865.
It marched in the final Grand Review in Washington, DC, May 23, 1865. The men mustered out July 17, 1865, and took a train for home, July 19, 1865. They stopped over in New York City, July 20-21, and arrived back in Concord, NH, July 23, 1865. (Back pay was delayed for the better part of a week. Half the regiment expressed their impatience on July 26).
Milton Men Who Enlisted in the 6th NH Regiment:
BROWN, DUDLEY F.; Co. A; b. Seabrook; 18; res. Milton, Dec. 29, ’63, for 3 yrs.; must. in, Dec. 29, ’63; volunteer; App. Corp; Sergt., July 1, ’65; Must. out, July 17, ’65. P.O. address, Kensington, N.H.
CHIPMAN, SAMUEL; Co. A; b. Boston, Mass.; 18; res. Milton, Dec. 29, ’63, for 3 yrs.; must. in, Dec. 29, ’63; volunteer; Capd., Sept. 30, ’64, Poplar Springs Church, Va. Died dis. and starvation, Jan. 25, ’65, Salisbury, N.C.
EMERY, TIMOTHY; Co. G; b. Milton; 35; res. Milton, June 13, 1862, for 3 yrs.; must. in, August 19, 1862; volunteer; died disease, July 20, ’63, Milldale, Miss.
FOSS, BENJAMIN; Co. G; b. Strafford; 44; res. Milton, Aug. 16, 1862, for 3 yrs.; must. in, August 19, 1862; volunteer; disch. disab., Aug. 3, ’63, Camp Dennison, O. [Ohio]
NETTLES, WILLIAM; Co. F; b. Clark’s Ferry, Pa.; 19; res. Milton, Dec. 19, ’63, for 3 yrs.; must. in, Dec. 19, ’63; volunteer; Tr. from Co. F, 11th N.H.V., June 1, ’65; Must. out, July 17, ’65.
RICKER, HIRAM W.; Co. H; b. Wilton [SIC]; 42; res. Milton, Oct. 31, 1861, for 3 yrs.; must. in, Nov. 28, 1861; volunteer; disch. disab., Feb. 6, ’63, Concord, N.H.
VARNEY, JOHN H.; Co. H; b. Milton; 29; res. Milton, Nov. 4, 1861, for 3 yrs; must. in, Nov. 28, 1861; volunteer; Appt. Com. Sergt., Nov. 30, ’61; 2nd Lt. Co. K, Feb. 1, ’63; 1st Lt. Co. C, Feb. 1, ’64; disch. Jan. 5, ’65. P.O. address, Haverhill, Mass.
WENTWORTH, ELI; [Company G, Second Lieutenants;] Co. H.; b. Milton; 40; res. Milton, Oct. 18, 1861, for 3 yrs.; must. in, To Date Nov. 28, 1861; volunteer; Appt. 1st Lt., July 4, ’62; Q.M., March 19, ’63. Died dis., July 18, ’63, Snyder’s Bluff, Miss. See Company B.
WENTWORTH, JOHN C.; Co. G; b. Lebanon, Me.; 40; res. Milton, Aug. 17, 1862, for 3 yrs.; must. in, Aug. 19, 1862; volunteer; Disch. disab., Jan. 23, ’63, Falmouth, Va.
Non-Milton Men Who Were Credited to Milton:
DOWNING, ALONZO; Co. G; b. Holderness; 21; res. Farmington, Oct. 3, 1861, for 3 yrs; must. in, Nov. 28, 1861; volunteer; Tr. to Co. D, Dec. 1, ’61; Wd. Aug. 29, ’62, Bull Run, Va.; Re-enl. and must. in from Milton, Jan. 2, ’64; Des. Feb. 29, ’64; Reported May 9, ’65, under President’s Proclamation. Disch. May 9, ’65, Concord, N.H.
DOWNING, STEPHEN; Co. G; b. Holderness; 23; res. Farmington, Oct. 3, 1861, for 3 yrs; must. in, Nov. 28, 1861; volunteer; Tr. to Co. D, Dec. 1, ’61; Re-enl. and must. in from Milton, Jan. 2, ’64; Des. Feb. 29, ’64; Reported May 9, ’65, under President’s Proclamation. Disch. May 9, ’65, Concord, N.H.
Milton Natives, Who Resided and Enlisted Elsewhere:
COOK, MOSES; Co. H; b. Milton; 25; res. Centre Harbor, Dec. 7, 1861, for 3 yrs.; must. in, Dec. 7, 1861; volunteer; Wd. Aug. 29, ’62, Bull Run, Va. Disch. disab., May 15, ’63, Concord, N.H.
COOK, MOSES W.; Co. C; b. Milton; 27; res. Dover, Dec. 10, 1863, for 3 yrs; must. in, Dec. 10, 1863; volunteer; Wd. July 4, ’64, Petersburg, Va.; Must. out, July 17, ’65.
FRENCH, CHARLES H.; Co. B; b. Milton; 15; res. Rochester, Jan. 5, 1864, for 3 yrs.; must. in, Jan. 5, 1864; volunteer; Tr. to Co. E, July 6, ’64; must out, July 17, ’65. P.O. ad. Milton, N.H.
See also Milton in the Second NH Regiment – 1861-65
References:
Jackman, Lyman. (1891). History of the Sixth New Hampshire Regiment in the War for the Union. Retrieved from books.google.com/books?id=FFG5ulXEkKsC
Wikipedia. (2018, August 22). Salisbury National Cemetery. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury_National_Cemetery
Milton Observer 