The brand-new, barely trained 16th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Regiment suffered heavy losses during its first action at Antietam.
The regiment’s service is honored with a multi-colored granite obelisk, dedicated in 1894, on the western edge of the 40-Acre Cornfield off Antietam’s Branch Avenue.
The monument’s west face bears a dedication reading, “Position of the 16th Conn. Vol. Infantry 5 p.m., Sept. 17, 1862.”
The west face also bears a bronze plaque depicting a scene from the battle. The plaque is a 1998 reproduction sponsored by the reenactment and preservation group Company G, 14th Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry 1861-1865.
The monument’s south face lists the regiment’s casualty total from Antietam. Out of the 779 engaged, 43 were killed and 161 were wounded (for a total of 204 casualties, or 26 percent of the regiment’s roster). The south face also bears an engraved Hartford seal, reflecting the unit’s recruitment in that city.
The east face bears an engraved Connecticut seal and lists the unit’s affiliations: 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 9th Army Corps.
The north face lists the monument’s erection by the State of Connecticut in 1894 and displays an engraved trophy with a cannon and an anchor.
The monument is best approached as a stop along the park’s Final Attack Trail.
During the battle, the regiment was, along with the 4th Rhode Island, posted on the left flank of the 9th Corp units advancing west from the Burnside Bridge area. The regiment suffered heavy losses on the flank when it was hit by a Confederate counterattack late in the afternoon.
The 16th Regiment mustered into service in late August of 1862 and, like their counterparts in the 14th Regiment, saw their first action at Antietam. The unit had received almost no training before arriving at Antietam, and had loaded their weapons for the first time only the previous day.
The regiment would serve through the remainder of the war, and would have a large number of members held in the Andersonville prisoner of war camp after an 1864 battle in Plymouth, North Carolina.
Tags: Antietam