The Old Nineteenth

The Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery, originally recruited as the 19th Infantry, ranks among the top ten Union regiments in casualties suffered during the Civil War. Under the command of their beloved Colonel Elisha Kellogg, they charged into the maelstrom of Cold Harbor on June 1, 1864 and suffered 129 killed or mortally wounded. It didn't end there: they would go on to fight in the battles around Petersburg, the Shenandoah Valley, and finally the Appomattox campaign in 1865. Taking the place of Kellogg was the hated Ranald Mackenzie (later a famed Indian fighter). His draconian treatment of the men led many to express their hopes he would be killed in battle, but after leading them to victory at Winchester, his men changed their minds and he won their admiration.