DOB/DOD: February 28, 1843 (New London, CT) – November 22, 1929 (New London, CT); 86 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Josephine M. Dart (1844-1878). Remarried Emma G. Douglas (1849-1925) in 1885.
CHILDREN: Three sons, Richard S. (1870-1928), Lloyd P. (1873-1951), and Frederick H. (1875-1941). Three daughters, Lucy M. Beckwith Farmer Forrest (1871-1940), Josephine M. (1878-1955), and Georgiana D. (1871-1879). Stepdaughter Christine E. Hammell (1873-?).
ENLISTMENT: August 14, 1862.
DISCHARGE: Mustered out on June 16, 1865.
FAMILY: Born to Albert (1806-1879) and Lucy Harris Sprague Beckwith (1810-1888). Two brothers, Crandall S. (1835-1890) and Courtland A. (1839-1910).
OTHER: Member of Masonic Brainard Lodge #102 in New London, Connecticut. One of five members of the 21st Connecticut to receive the Medal of Honor.
MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING: Civil War
BRANCH OF SERVICE: Army
UNIT: Company F, 21st Connecticut Infantry
DATE OF ISSUE AND PRESENTATION: February 15, 1897 (35 years later)
AGE ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT: 19
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private Wallace A. Beckwith, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 13 December 1862, while serving with Company F, 21st Connecticut Infantry, in action at Fredericksburg, Virginia. Private Beckwith gallantly responded to a call for volunteers to man a battery, serving with great heroism until the termination of the engagement.
The Medal of Honor was issued on February 15, 1897. Corporal John G. Palmer of Company F was also awarded the Medal of Honor for this deed. He was one of five 21st Connecticut soldiers to be awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery during the Civil War (the others being Corporal F. Clarence Buck, Sergeant Robert A. Gray, Captain William S. Hubbell, and Corporal John G. Palmer).
From Beyer, W. F., & Keydel, O. F. (2000). Deeds of valor: How America’s Civil War Heroes won The Congressional Medal of Honor. Smithmark Publishers.
An example of dashing bravery and courage, which General Daniel E. Sickles designates “a heroic act,” was furnished by Corporal John G. Palmer and Private Wallace A. Beckwith of Company F, Twenty-first Connecticut Infantry. The story is interestingly told by Corporal Palmer:
“At the time of Burnside’s great battle of Fredericksburg, I was a boy seventeen years of age and a member of Company F, Twenty-first Connecticut Infantry. We were held in reserve in the streets of the city until the last afternoon of the desperate fight. At 4:30 p.m., we received a hurry order to go to the support of the Second Division. Away we went, glad to take an active part, as we had been under fire more or less for two or three days. As soon as we cleared the streets of the city, we were exposed to a perfect shower of bullets and exploding shells from a general attack which was now taking place all along the front. Amidst this terrible fire, we formed and moved rapidly towards the line of battle, our company marching for two or three blocks through the backyards of houses and dwellings. We had a most lively time pulling up and scaling numerous fences to keep up with that part of the line, which was meeting with less obstructions. We advanced to the scene of operations until the right of the regiment reached the railroad at the depot, the line extending to the left through some brick kilns. A light battery of four pieces, situated on a low ridge in front of the left of the regiment, was shelling the enemy, whose fronts were near, as fast as they could fire their guns.
“We were ordered to lie down, which we did in short order, and settled ourselves into the soft clay of the brickyard, which offered some degree of shelter from the iron and lead which were flying so furiously around and dangerously near our heads.
“After a time, the fire slackened. Our assault had met with a bloody repulse. Maneuvers were immediately ordered with a view of making one more grand final charge and ending the battle.
“As the attack ceased and the firing had become desultory, I raised up on my elbows; the colors of the regiment brushed my face. Pushing the flag aside, I glanced up and down the line. Our regiment appeared like two rows of dead men, everyone except the colonel, with his head face down in the mud as low as possible.
“Presently, the captain of a battery came running towards our regiment and hurriedly saluting the colonel, said: ‘For God’s sake, colonel, give me six men, quick, tho know something about firing a gun. I haven’t men enough left to work my battery in the coming charge.’
“Our colonel faced the colors and repeated the call. Though I was the youngest member of the company, I had heard and seen enough for several days, and especially during the previous hour, to know the seriousness of the situation, to realize the probable consequences of the act, and to compare the exposure on the knoll with the safety of the shelter of the brick kilns.
“It took but a few moments for me to determine what to do. By the time the colonel had pronounced the word ‘men,’ I stepped from the ranks, closely followed by Comrade Beckwith and four others. We had but a few moments to look over the field and receive instructions from the Sergeant when the Captain, reading the signals from the church belfry, gave the order to stand by the guns, ready for action.
“The troops that were selected to make the final attack moved forward to the charge.
“Suddenly, the enemy opened with every gun and musket that could be brought to bear. As we occupied the only rise of ground on our side and were the only battery in action on our left, we found that several of the enemy’s batteries were paying us particular attention and that we had to take their concentrated fire. The battle grew more fierce.
“Twilight came on; twilight passed to darkness. It was a grand and awe-inspiring spectacle – one mighty and thundering roar.
“Around us rained a perfect shower of bullets, which completely riddled a board fence in front of the knoll. They struck the guns and splintered the spokes of the wheels.
Shells exploded constantly over and around us and knocked down several of my comrades. Many officers and men were killed, and a great number, including several in my own regiment, were wounded in our immediate rear. We kept our little battery
barking. Our commander said that our shells were bursting squarely in the ranks of the enemy, but our army could not accomplish the impossible. The heights were too strong with earthworks, cannons, and men, and the assault ended the battle for the night.
“We lived through the entire attack uninjured. Sunday morning, the Captain of the battery thanked us heartily for our services and told us to return to our regiment. Our colonel said, as he received us: ‘I am proud of my men.'”
Fredericksburg. – In December 1862, General Burnside, superseding McClellan as commander-in-chief of the Union Army, directed an attack against Fredericksburg, Virginia, on the southern bank of the Rappahannock. The town is situated on the steep slopes of one of the three wooded terraces in the narrow valley. The battle took place on the second terrace, while on the third, the enemy under Lee had gathered a force of 90,000 men.
Burnside, stationed at Falmouth, was occupied from December 11 to 13 in building bridges and throwing across the river the two divisions of Franklin and Sumner. On the 13th, assaults were made by these divisions, which were repulsed with great loss. Hooker, ordered across, had the same experience. The Union troops were gathered at Fredericksburg and withdrawn across the river.
Burnside’s losses amounted to 13,000 men, while the Confederate loss was not more than a third of that number.
From The New York Times November 12, 1929
CIVIL WAR VETERAN, 86, WAS DECORATED FOR BRAVERY
NEW LONDON, Conn., November 22 – Wallace A. Beckwith, who received the Medal of Honor for Distinguished Service in the Civil War, died this morning at his home here. He was 86 years old.
He was born in this city on February 28, 1843. He was cited for gallantry under fire at Fredericksburg, Virginia.
In 1890, he was made an inspector in the Customs Service and continued in that office until 1894, when he left the service for five years. He returned to serve until 1923, when he was retired on a pension.
Mr. Beckwith made his home with his stepdaughter, Miss Christine Hammel. Besides Miss Hammel, he is survived by two daughters, Miss Josephine Beckwith and Mrs. Lucy Abels; two sons, Frederick Beckwith and Lloyd Beckwith; and a brother.
From The Day (New London, Connecticut) November 9, 1987
HERO OF 1862 BATTLE WILL HAVE A HEADSTONE
WATERFORD – Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars will honor a Civil War veteran who received the Medal of Honor in 1897 but whose grave was unmarked for decades in a Veteran’s Day ceremony in Jordan Cemetery.
The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. Wednesday, thanks to the efforts of Thomas Durning, a veteran of the Vietnam War who has spent two years documenting Connecticut’s Medal of Honor winners and making sure their graves are marked with a Veteran’s Administration gravestone indicating that they had been awarded the medal.
During his research, Durning discovered the grave of Wallace A. Beckwith, a Private in Connecticut’s regiment of volunteers who was honored for extraordinary heroism in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1862. Beckwith did not receive the medal until 35 years later. He was one of five soldiers in his regiment to receive the medal, the nation’s highest military award.
Durning, who is a firefighter in New Haven, began locating the state’s Medal of Honor winners after the National Medal of Honor Historical Society contacted him through the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, of which he is a member.
The Veteran’s Administration supplies all veterans with a gravestone, Durning said, and the state will pay for the installation of the stones for veterans who served during wartime.
“Some people have no that they’re entitled to a stone,” Durning said.
Durning, who attends such ceremonies dressed as a Union soldier, has located more than 70 Medal of Honor winners in Connecticut so far, although Congress’ record shows only 53. His
explanation for the discrepancy is that many Connecticut residents who received the medal were incorrectly listed as residents of other states.
While looking for Beckwith’s grave in Jordan Cemetery, Durning encountered John Rogers, a veteran himself, who is on the cemetery’s board of supervisors.
“He was amazed there was a medal winner right in his own cemetery,” Durning said.
Rogers, who is organizing Wednesday’s ceremony with the Waterford VFW, is excited about the event.
“Harry Truman said he would rather receive the medal than be President of the United States,” Rogers said.
From The Day (New London, CT) November 12, 1987
WATERFORD — Wallace A. Beckwith died more than a century ago, but his heroism in the Battle of Fredericksburg was extraordinary enough to bring more than 40 people out in Wednesday’s frigid winds to honor his name.
Despite the rain and freezing temperatures, a crowd gathered at the Jordan Cemetery for a Veterans Day ceremony honoring the Civil War veteran who Received the Medal of Honor in 1897.
Beckwith, a Waterford resident and a private in Connecticut’s 2ist Regiment of Volunteers, received the medal for his extraordinary heroism during the Virginia battle in 1862. He is buried in Jordan Cemetery.
Clad in a blue Union soldier’s uniform, Thomas Durning, whose research turned up the information that Beckwith was a medal recipient, opened the 11 a.m. ceremony with a short speech on the life and service of the soldier.
“The people in Waterford are honoring Beckwith, and I’m proud to be here,’ Durning said.
Many towns do nothing when they discover they have a Medal of Honor recipient, “but Waterford has given 100 percent,” he said. “I’m pleased to let you know about the heroics of one of your town folk.”
The Medal of Honor is the highest military honor awarded by the United States.
After his speech, members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and Brainard, Lodge of Masons took turns standing by Beckwith’s gravestone, speaking briefly about the soldier’s and the ceremony’s significance.
By remembering Beckwith, “we are honoring all veterans,” said John Rogers, the Americanism Chairman of the American Legion and the VFW, who coordinated the ceremony.
Richard Faulker of Waterford, a World War II veteran, said, “Somebody who has given so much to their country should be recognized and not overlooked.”
Jerry Brown of East Lyme, a member of the Norwich Vietnam Veterans Association, expressed the sentiment of most ceremony participants. “Having been in military combat, I know what he must have gone through and wanted to show my respect,” Brown said.
The Brainard Lodge was invited Monday to the ceremony when Rogers discovered Beckwith had been affiliated with the organization.
More than a dozen Masons attended the ceremony.
“We came on such short notice because (Beckwith) is a brother and a proud part of our heritage,” said Ralph Greene of Waterford, a Mason.
Christopher Wyld of Waterford, also a Mason, added, ‘‘He received the highest honor. The whole community should be here to honor him.”
Beckwith is one of more than 70 medal recipients Durning has located, although Congress’s record shows only 53.
Durning, a New Haven firefighter, and a Vietnam War veteran, became involved in documenting Connecticut’s Medal of Honor winners two years ago through his membership in the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
He began the project by getting a list of congressional veterans’ names and matching them against records in the state library in Hartford. If there was a match, he traveled to the gravesite and had the cemetery verify the name. His search took him to three other states – Massachusetts, New York and
Rhode Island.
Once winners are found, the Veterans Administration supplies the award-engraved gravestones, and the state pays for the installation, Durning said.
“One veteran said to me, ‘It’s a nice hobby.’ But it’s not a hobby. It’s a duty,” Durning said.
If the government is willing to recognize someone, we should be willing to go out and find them.
Buried in Jordan Cemetery, 240 Boston Post Road, Waterford, Connecticut; Old Section, Avenue L (3rd road from right), Lot 580, #3 from the front. Photos by Jeff DeWitt.
END