Charles B. Stoughton

Charles Bradley Stoughton (October 31, 1841 – January 17, 1898) was an officer and regimental commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Charles B. Stoughton. Photo is before July, 1863, when he was wounded and lost an eye.

Early life

Charles B. Stoughton was born in Chester, Vermont on October 31, 1841. He was the son of Henry Evander and Laura (Clark) Stoughton.[1] Stoughton was educated in Bellows Falls, Vermont, graduated from Norwich University in 1861, and delayed plans to study law so he could enlist in the Army.

Military career

He was commissioned adjutant of the 4th Vermont Infantry on August 1, 1861 with the rank of Captain, and mustered into military service on September 21. The 4th Vermont was commanded by his brother, Colonel Edwin H. Stoughton. Charles Stoughton was promoted to Major on February 25, 1862. He took part in the action at all the regiment's battles during the Peninsula Campaign.[2][3]

Stoughton was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on July 17, 1862, and saw action at Crampton's Gap, where the regiment captured 121 men and the colors of the 15th Virginia Infantry. He subsequently served at Antietam in September, 1862. When his brother was promoted to Brigadier General and assumed command of a brigade in November, 1862, Charles Stoughton took command of the regiment and was promoted to Colonel.[4]

Stoughton led the regiment at the Battle of Fredericksburg, on December 13, 1862, where the 4th Vermont suffered 56 casualties. He reported "My colors were completely riddled with canister and musket balls, scarcely hanging together. The top of the staff, upon which is a brass eagle, was shot away by canister, but saved, and brought away."[5]

He continued to lead the regiment during its participation in the battles of Marye's Heights, Salem Church, and Gettysburg.[6] On July 10, 1863, during the Union army's pursuit of the retreating Army of Northern Virginia, Stoughton was severely wounded in an engagement near Funkstown, Maryland, resulting in the loss of his right eye.[7] He resigned on February 2, 1864, as a result of his wounds.[8] In the omnibus promotions that followed the end of the war, he was brevetted a Brigadier General to date from March 13, 1865 in recognition of his faithful and meritorious service.[9]

Post-war career
Stoughton after the Civil War.

After the war Stoughton studied law with his father, attained admission to the bar, and became an attorney in the New York City practice of his uncle, Edwin W. Stoughton.[10]

He was a trustee of Norwich University from 1871 to 1887, and received an honorary Master of Arts in 1872 and an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) in 1884.[11]

Retirement and death

In his later years, Stoughton practiced law in New Haven, Connecticut, and he lived there after retiring. His health began to decline, and he moved to the Vermont Soldiers Home in Bennington, Vermont, where he died on January 17, 1898.[12] He was buried at Immanuel Cemetery in Rockingham, Vermont.[13]

Family

In April, 1869 Stoughton married Ada Ripley Hooper of Boston, Massachusetts. They were the parents of one son and five daughters: Bradley; Laura; Leila; Mildred; and Isabel.[14]

Mildred Stoughton was the wife of Benjamin I. Spock. Mr. and Mrs. Spock were the parents of Dr. Benjamin McLane Spock (1903–1998), a leading pediatrician and peace advocate.[15]

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References
  1. "The Genealogy Page". unm.edu. Archived from the original on 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2006-08-14.
  2. Robert F. O'Neill, Chasing Jeb Stuart and John Mosby: The Union Cavalry in Northern Virginia, 2012, page 63
  3. James T. White & Company, The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, Volume XIV, Supplement I, 1915, page 265
  4. Gilbert Adams Hays, Life and Letters of Alexander Hays: Brevet Colonel United States Army, 1919, page 298
  5. Report of Charles B. Stoughton to Peter T. Washburn, December 16, 1862, Report of the Adjutant & Inspector General of the State of Vermont, from November 1, 1862, to October 1, 1863, Montpelier: Walton's Steam Printing Establishment, 1863, p. 73.
  6. Vermont in the Civil War, Cemetery Database, Virtual Cemetery, Stoughton, Charles Bradley Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved March 28, 2014
  7. Eric J. Wittenberg, J. David Petruzzi, One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863, 2008, page 221
  8. United States Army Adjutant General, Official Army Register of the Volunteer Force of the United States Army, 1865, page 103
  9. Jesse Bowman Young, The Battle of Gettysburg: A Comprehensive Narrative, 1913, page 406
  10. Thomas Hooper, compiler, Charles H. Pope (Boston), publisher Hooper Genealogy, 1908, pages 151-152
  11. William Arba Ellis, Norwich University, 1819-1911: Her History, Her Graduates, Her Roll of Honor, Volume II, 1911, pages 653-654
  12. The Cyclopædia of American Biography, Volume 5, 1915, page Stoughton-Sturgis
  13. Roger D. Hunt, Jack Brown, Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue, 1990, page 593
  14. James T. White & Company, The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, Volume XIV, Supplement I, 1910, page 265
  15. "Notable Descendants of Henry and Margaret Howland". newenglandancestors.org. Archived from the original on 2006-10-03. Retrieved 2006-08-14.

Sources
  • Benedict, G. G., Vermont in the Civil War. A History of the part taken by the Vermont Soldiers And Sailors in the War For The Union, 1861-5. Burlington, VT.: The Free Press Association, 1888, i:158, 161, 163-164, 166-167, 353, 394, 414.
  • Crockett, Walter Hill, Vermont The Green Mountain State, New York: The Century History Company, Inc., 1921, pp. 541, 575.
  • Peck, Theodore S., compiler, Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers and lists of Vermonters Who Served in the Army and Navy of the United States During the War of the Rebellion, 1861–66, Montpelier, VT.: Press of the Watchman Publishing Co., 1892, pp. 108, 750-751.
  • "Charles B. Stoughton". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
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