I am a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Yup, my grandfather was a member, my great grandfather was a member and my great-great grandfather was a veteran of the 57th Massachusetts Infantry and GAR member. I have his GAR medal along with a medal from an encampment that he attended back in the 1890s. I also had a great-great-great grandfather that served in the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry. Both of these men survived the war, and lived for many years after it. I have always been patriotic. I don't apologize for that. I was a boy scout and then a marine. My family has a history of serving in the military, on my mother's side in the United States, my father's side Great Britain. Both flags are displayed in my library. However, out of all my family members that have served in the military in the course of the last two-hundred years from Waterloo to the present, I have found only one who actually died in action. He was my uncle. His name was Cyrus Jones Clapp and this is his story.
Cyrus J. Clapp was born April 28, 1839 in Leicester Massachusetts. His parents were Lovell Clapp and Martha Jones. Cyrus was named after his maternal grandfather Cyrus Jones (1791-1846), who was a veteran of the War of 1812, and a hero to boot. Cyrus Jones was commissioned Captain of of a company in the 3rd Regiment of Infantry, 1st brigade, 12th Division of the Massachusetts State Militia. At the time, Maine was still part of Massachusetts. Captain Jones delivered a load of specie in a four-ox team in the winter from Portland to Canada, which must have been quite an adventure.
Cyrus J. Clapp had two brothers, Charles, born in 1840 and Albert born in 1841 and a sister Eliza Ann born in 1843. Leicester was a small New England mill town at the time. Cyrus' father worked in one of these mills and also worked his trade as a carpenter. Cyrus would have attended the local school with his brothers and possibly have known about the Leicester's Underground Railroad stop. Did this play into his future decision to enlist during the Civil War? I do not know. I wish that I did, but I will never know, unless a letter surfaces one day. Tragedy struck Clapp family and Cyrus when his mother passed away suddenly on February 01, 1847. Her cause of death is listed as "Brain Fever." This is an archaic term that was used to denote any number of illnesses that effected the mental state of a patient. In all probability Martha Clapp died of an infection due to either Meningitis, Encephalitis or Scarlet Fever. It was probably quick and sudden and it gave no time for Lovell Clapp to prepare for the care of his family which he almost certainly could not do himself as will be shown. Martha was only 28 years old when she died and Cyrus was not yet 8 years of age at the time.
The family must have been distraught at this event and it would change Cyrus' life. Lovell was now a single father of 4 children between the ages of 3 and 7. In order to support them he would have to work. Who would watch the youngest ones while he provided for the family? Cyrus, as the oldest was not yet 8. Too young to take care of his brothers and sisters. The children were sent to live with other families. Cyrus was sent to live in a boardinghouse in Oakham Massachusetts, a very small town a few miles to the northwest of Leicester. He attended school there and must have helped earn his meals and lodging by doing odd chores around the house and property, probably supplemented by his father who was living in nearby Templeton. It is probable that he visited with his father at times, but it must have been hard. It was 20 miles from Templeton to Oakham and this was in the days before rail travel was common. He would have probably hopped on the back of a wagon and hitched a ride if he wanted to visit his father.
Fort Sumter was attacked on April 12, 1861 and Cyrus enlisted in the 2nd Regiment Massachusetts Infantry shortly after this, probably in response to Lincoln's call. It must have been a sense of duty, or tradition that called him to arms along with an opportunity and a chance to make something of himself. He mustered out of the 2nd Massachusetts as a Private and then headed to Rindge New Hampshire where his younger brother Albert was living. While he was there he decided to enlist again, this time in the 6th New Hampshire Infantry.
Cyrus enlisted in Company K and when the Company was filled reported to Camp Brooks in Keene. The Regiment left Keene on Christmas 1861 on a train bound for Norwich where they boarded the steamer Connecticut for their journey south. It was to be the last time that Cyrus ever saw New England and he must have realized that there was a chance that he would never return.
The 6th N.H. landed on the coast of Cape Hatteras on January 12, 1862. A lot of the men were sea sick as they had run through a patch of bad weather. They were held as a reserve unit along with the 48th Pennsylvania. The 6th's first battle was at South Mills on April 19, 1862. Engaging the 3rd Georgia, they put that regiment to flight with only one killed and two wounded. They joined the 1st Brigade of the 9th Army Corps.
To be Continued....
