The 27th Connecticut Infantry served as a member of Brooke’s Brigade in Caldwell’s Division of the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac. In its nine months of service, the 27th fought in the three largest campaigns in the eastern theatre of the war. The 27th Connecticut embarked on their last campaign of their nine-month service which culminated with the campaign and Battle of Gettysburg, on July 1, 2 and 3, 1863. Here, in the late afternoon of July 2, the 27th entered the battle with a total of 3 companies only 160 men out of the original 829 who had joined just nine months earlier. They occupied the portion of the union line known as "The Wheatfield," where the regiment successfully held back the rebels. On July 18, 1863, what remained of the 27th was released from the Army of the Potomac and sent back to New Haven to be discharged. In its nine months of service, the Regiment lost 533 men who were killed, wounded, captured, and died of disease out of 829 enrolle
The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry C. Merwin (1839-1863), who was killed here on the second day of the battle. Merwin was a businessman from New Haven before the war. Merwin led 160 men into battle at Gettysburg. Lt. Colonel Merwin led the 27th Connecticut Infantry Regiment through Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. He was mortally wounded during the charge across the Wheatfield on July 2 and Major James H. Coburn took command of the regiment. His last words were, "My poor regiment is suffering fearfully." The 27th Connecticut lost 10 killed, 23 wounded and 4 missing at Gettysburg out of 75 men - a casualty rate of almost 50%. Most of the regiment had been captured at Chancellorsville in May, and it mustered only two companies at the Battle of Gettysburg.
The monument to Lieutenant Colonel Henry C. Merwin is south of Gettysburg along Wheatfield Road on the north edge of the Wheatfield. The monument was erected in 1880 at the location in the Wheatfield where Lieutenant Colonel Merwin was mortally wounded. In 1885 the regimental monument was placed at that location by the regimental association and Merwin's memorial was relocated to nearby Wheatfield Road, with this additional inscription at the bottom of the monument added:
In Memory of
Lt. Col.
Henry C. Merwin
27th C.V.
who fell mortally
wounded where
the monument of his
regiment now stands.
The 27th Connecticut Infantry Monument is located inside the Wheatfield off of Ayres Avenue which gives the best access. The Wheatfield was quite overgrown with weeds and wild flowers when I visited and as such, I had to use small dirt paths to get in and out, which were only accessible form Ayres Avenue. If traveling southwest along the road , the monument will be on the right or northwest part of the road. The monument is 239 feet from the road but the walk is longer as the path is not straight but windy so as to visit the other monuments located inside this patch of land. Parking is available at small, cutout shoulders along the road, some wide, some narrow. Be sure to stay off the grass or you will be ticketed by park police. I visited this monument on Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 1:17 P.M. I was at an elevation of 552 feet, ASL. I used a Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos.
The Draw the Sword site helped out by the NPS narrative and the SIRIS site offers the following description: Four-sided shaft stands on a square pedestal on a tiered base. Relief elements include the Connecticut coat of arms, the insignia of the Union II Corps and a trefoil. An eagle with outstretched wings tops the monument. Monument is a 2.3 foot square granite obelisk topped with a bronze eagle and set on a six foot square triple layered base. Overall height is 20.9 foot. The obelisk has a raised cut trefoil insignia of the Second Corps on the north side and an inscription tablet on the south face. Flanking marker has a polished slant face, 1.6 foot square. It was placed by the Regimental Association and cost $950.00. It is one of five monuments to the 27th Connecticut at Gettysburg. It marks the place where Col. Henry Merwin was killed while leading the regiment through the field towards Rose Grove.
The monument was erected on October 22, 1885 by the State of Connecticut. The monument is of granite with white bronze elements. The granite monument's dimensions are overall 38 x 6 x 6 ft. with the obelisk itself almost twenty-one feet high. The monument was fabricated by the St. Johnsbury Granite Company. There is an inscription on the front of the monument which reads:
(Front):Erected 1885.
The 27th Regt. Conn. Vols.
commanded by
Lieut. Colonel Henry C. Merwin,
and forming a part of the
4th Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Corps
charged over this ground, the afternoon of
July 2, 1863.
The 4th Brigade forced the enemy from the
Wheat Field and beyond the woods in front
where the advanced position of the 27th Regt.
is indicated by a tablet on the crest of
the ledge.
On this spot Lieut. Col. Merwin was killed
while gallantly leading his command of
75 officers and men. 38 of whom were killed
or wounded in the charge. Eight companies of the
Regt. captured at Chancellorsvile were still
prisoners of war.
Capt. Jedediah Chapman Jr. was also killed in the
charge while commanding a company organized from
detached members of the eight companies taken
prisoners at Chancellorsville.
The 27th Regt. Conn. Vols.
was recruited an organized
in New Haven County State
of Connecticut.
July 2, 1863
The 27th Connecticut Infantry Monument is a contributing feature to the Gettysburg National Military Park Historic District which is nationally significant under NR Criteria A, B, C & D. Areas of Significance: Military, Politics/Government, Landscape Architecture, Conservation, Archeology-Historic. Period of Significance: 1863-1938. The original National Register Nomination was approved by the Keeper March 19, 1975. An update to this nomination was approved by the Keeper on January 23, 2004. The monument is identified as structure number MN136-A.
From the Nomination Form:
Marks place where Col. Henry Merwin was killed while leading 27th Connecticut Infantry through Wheatfield toward Rose Grove. 1 of 8 mns in Park to Connecticut commands at Gettysburg. Located E of center of Wheatfield & S of Wheatfield Rd.
Short Physical Description:
Mn & flank. marker. Triple layered base, 6'sq. Obelisk, 2'3" sq. topped w/ bronze eagle. All 20'9" high. obelisk w/ raised cut trefoil insignia of Union II Corps on N face. Inscription tablet on S. face. Flank. marker on boulder, polished slant face, 1'6"x1'6"x1'6".
Long Physical Description:
Monument that has one flanking marker. Monument is a 2.3 foot square granite obelisk topped with a bronze eagle and set on a six foot square triple layered base. Overall height is 20.9 foot. The obelisk has a raised cut trefoil insignia of the Second Corps on the north side and an inscription tablet on the south face. Flanking marker has a polished slant face, 1.6 foot square. Located east of the center of the Wheatfield and south of the Wheatfield Road.
** Please note the NRHP page has listed the wrong picture. There are two monuments for this regiment and it seems it was just too much to get the pictures straight. **
My Sources
1.
NRHP Nomination Form
2.
SIRIS
3.
Stone Sentinels
4.
Virtual Gettysburg
5.
Draw the Sword
6.
Historical Marker Database
7.
Quinnipiac University