War on the Homefront:
Connecticut Goes to War, 1860-1945

The Civil War, 1861-1865

The Civil War was the first American conflict to be documented in photographs. Although the long exposures necessary at the time did not allow photographers, to capture action on the battlefield, the camera was an ideal instrument for documenting more sedentary activities, such as the mustering in of troops. Connecticut contributed over 54,000 soldiers to the Union Army during the course of the war, many of them Irish, German, Scottish or Scandinavian immigrants. Two African-American regiments served with distinction. Connecticut industry also played a key role in the wartime economy, producing guns, artillery, steam engines, and warships.

< The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery fired on Union-occupied Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. Connecticut men were among the first the answer President Lincoln's call for troops. The men pictured here are probably part of the Third Connecticut Volunteers, several companies of which mustered in on May 11, less than a month after the fall of Fort Sumter. These men fought in the Battle of Bull Run and mustered out on August 12, 1861.

Interior of Colt Armory after the fire
Hartford, February 1864
Photo CD number 2480
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< Orders for firearms increased dramatically with the outbreak of war. In response, Samuel Colt doubled the capacity of his Hartford firearms factory. Other Connecticut arms manufacturers included Christian Sharpe’s Rifle Company and the Norfolk Arms Company. In February 1864, at a time when Colt revolvers and muskets were desperately needed by the Union troops, the Colt factory was totally destroyed by a disastrous fire.

Link to other essays in this Journey:

>> Introduction: Connecticut Goes to War, 1860-1945
>> The Spanish-American War, 1898-1899
>> World War I, 1917-1919
>> World War II, 1941-1945

>> Guideposts
>> Suggestions for further reading