"The literature of the summer of 1862 has a peculiar interest to all those living now..."

William Warren, Private - Company C, 1886

Introduction

Fragile Volumes reveal the 17th's Regimental History

The 17th Connecticut Volunteer Association and William Warren's History

Index to Images in William Warren's History

The Warren Articles

Return to History Index Page

 17th CVI

Like the veterans of many other Civil War regiments, the survivors of the 17^th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry formed a post-war regimental association. Founded in November, 1867, the association conducted annual reunions until 1937. On the association's first roster (dated 1870) appears the name of William H. Warren, compiler of the vast, unofficial history of the regiment that now is in the historical collection of the Bridgeport Public Library. Warren's dealing with the association regarding his history are revealed in the association's annual reunion minutes, currently on file at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford.

The association's annual reunion was normally held on August 28^th of each year, the anniversary of the regiment's formation and acceptance into Federal service in 1862.

On August 28, 1891, in a reunion held in New Canaan, Warren presented his history and asked for the association to publish the work.

No such pledge to publish was made, but Warren turned over the history to the Association for review only, and in turn received a promise that no part of it would be "appropriated" by the group without Warren receiving compensation.

Apparently no agreement with Warren was ever reached, for the minutes of the 1895 reunion mention that Warren continued to refuse the association use of the work without compensation

The following year, 1896, saw the 17^th veterans back in New Canaan on August 28, marching from the depot to the Nichols Opera House in company with the New Canaan Town Band. That day, a committee was appointed to publish a history of the regiment, but Warren was not among its members. (The meeting also reported the death that year, of former H Company Private Justus Silliman. Silliman's letters home from the war were published by the New Canaan Historical Society in 1984. The book is still in print and available from the Society. Call (203) 966-1776 for information.)

The 1901 reunion saw another committee designated to publish a history, but the matter was dropped indefinitely at the 1902 reunion. It was not taken up again until after Warren's death in 1918.

Despite his continuing troubles with the association over the history, Warren remained active in the group. Each of the former 10 companies in the regiment named a vice president of the association at the annual reunion, and the minutes of 1906, 1914, and 1916 record Warren as being the vice president representing Danbury's C Company.

At the 1918 reunion, after Warren's death, the association formed a committee to contact Warren's family to try to obtain the history. The 1919 reunion minutes reflect that the committee's attempts to communicate with the Warrens had failed. And there the matter was dropped forever.

The association continued to meet annually, though most of the members were now children and grandchildren of the "comrades" (as the regimental veterans called themselves). By 1934, the Association's 72d annual reunion, only former Private Edward A. Pinkney of Greenwich's I Company, was able to attend, and the work of the association had clearly passed to the veterans' descendants. Pinkney's last attendance was recorded at the 74^th reunion in 1936.

The brief minutes of the 75^th reunion in 1937 mention no comrade in attendance. With that entry, the history of the 17^th Connecticut Volunteer Association concludes.