When we think of history in New England, maybe the Mayflower’s legendary journey to Plymouth comes to mind or perhaps the Boston Massacre, the Battle of Bunker Hill or even the political dynasties that were the Adamses and the Kennedys. Not many people, however, may be familiar with New England’s involvement in the American Civil War.

Many of the principle cast of the American Revolution came from New England, much of the causative factors in the Revolutionary War came from New England and of course, the war itself, part of it at least, was fought in New England.  When the sparks of the Civil War loomed on the horizon as far back as 1820, New England rose to the occasion much as it did during the time of our Founding Fathers—a surprise to many. The only major difference was that the battles of the American Civil War were not fought in the six states of New England, save perhaps St. Albans, Vermont, where wayward Confederate soldiers took a stand on their way to Canada.  Major figures of the Civil War also came from this area and we can certainly attribute many of the causes of the Civil War directly to New England roots.