Members of the 8th Connecticut on Local Civil War Monuments, Part I

After the war many small towns and cities raisied money to erect monuments to honor their citizens who volunteered to protect the Union. Today starts a series of posts showcasing those monuments who mention a member of the 8th Connecticut Regiment.

Today's monument is located in Union Park in Middletown, Connecticut. The monument erected in 1874 bears the name of one soldier from Company K, John K. Doolittle. Doolittle first enlisted in May of 1861 and served in Co. B of the 3rd Connecticut Regiment. The 3rd Connecticut saw limited action in the First Battle of Bull Run before returning home in August to muster out.

A little less than two months after returning home, John enlisted again . After enlisting, he was mustered into Company K, one of the 8th Connecticut's flank companies. He would be present during Burnside's eastern North Carolina campaign in 1861. Company K was kept especially busy with constant duty on the skirmish line. When the regiment was transferred to Virginia in the summer of 1862, Doolittle was with them. Marching northward and then westward to counter Robert E. Lee's 1862 Maryland invasion, the 8th Connecticut was engaged at Antietam where Company K was deployed on the regiment's left flank during the "Final Assault." During the assault upon the Harper's Ferry road, Company K briefly captured the abandoned guns of the Pee Dee South Carolina Artillery. As A.P. Hill Division launched its assault, Company K was forced to abandon the guns and fall back to the regiment. The regiment continued to stand its ground alone in front of the Harper's Ferry Road for over 20 minutes being attacked on three sides. Eventually it was forced to retire back to the Lower Bridge.

The regiment lost almost half its strength that day, including Doolittle who had been wounded in the knee. As the Army of the Potomac gave chase to the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia after the battle, Doolittle remained in the Sharpsburg area in a field hospital. He would remain there until October 9th, when he succumbed to his wound and died.