Eighth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, Company A, Inc.

We are the Eighth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, Company A, Inc., a non-profit living history organization. We are raising funds for an important Civil War preservation project, and we need your generous and timely support!

The original soldiers of the Eighth Conn. Vols. were engaged in many of the major battles of the Civil War. Yet, their most successful day came with a small affair in the tidewater area of Virginia. During the Siege of Suffolk, April 11 to May 4, 1863, they were engaged at Hill’s Point Battery, or Fort Huger, a Confederate fortification on the Nansemond River. The battery was manned by Capt. Robert Stribling's 59 artillerists, and Capt. David Bozeman's two companies of the 44th Alabama.

At dusk on April 19th, 1863, Union Gen. George Getty, Capt. Hazard Stevens, and Navy Lt. Roswell Lamson led six companies of the 8th Connecticut under Col. J. E. Ward, and five companies of the 89th New York under Lt. Col. T. L. England, aboard the gunboat USS Stepping Stones. They ran downstream and landed, out of sight, above the fort.

The infantry swarmed ashore and charged bayonet on the flank and rear of the fort. In minutes the fort was captured. The daring plan was a complete surprise, and a complete success. The next morning, Union reinforcements successfully repulse a counter attack by the 48th Alabama and 55th North Carolina.

The 8th Connecticut and the 89th New York were the pride of the Army. They planted their colors on the ramparts simultaneously. They were heralded in many newspaper headlines of their day. Yet, their story has all but faded away in time.

The earthen fort still remains today. Over the years, it was on a farm, then a golf course, and now part of a community development. The current homeowner’s association has set aside the land surrounding the fort. It is preserved, but it is in desperate need of interpretive information for any visitors to the site.

Civil War Trails is the world’s largest open-air museum, offering more than 1500 sites across six states. Armed with one of their paper maps, you can stand in the footsteps of the common soldiers and the great generals. You can follow the great campaigns turn by turn. You can request free brochures shipped right to your door. They provide interpretive materials, markers, signs, and marketing to encourage access, visitation, and education.

With the close historic connection between the Eighth Conn. Vols. and Hill’s Point Battery, our organization is sponsoring erection of an interpretive Civil War Trails marker at the fort. It is our passion and our mission to keep those soldier’s story and legacy alive, and this project is the best way to do it.

This project is ambitious, and more expensive than our little non-profit organization can handle. We need all history buffs to step up and pitch in what they can to help achieve our goal. We need to raise $3500 to complete this installation. Our deadline to have the funds available is October of this year. Your donations will go directly to paying for the creation, fabrication, and installation of the interpretive sign, along with directional signs to the site, maps, brochures, and online resources.

Please help us make this project a reality. Every donation is important to achieving our goal. You can take pride in making their story known. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” If you can’t donate right now, sharing this fundraiser is also a valuable contribution. Please consider joining our march to success! Thank you!