William and Newton Cogswell

William H. Cogswell (1837-1864) was a member of the Schaghticoke tribe and was Connecticut’s first Native American to enlist during the war. He originally attempted to enlist at Winsted when the first companies were being formed. After Cogswell enlisted and was sworn into service, his fellow soldiers demanded that he be kicked out, on the grounds that he was not white. Cogswell’s enlistment was canceled and his name was erased from the muster rolls.

William Cogswell (from T.S. Gold's History of Cornwall)

On June 22, 1861, Cogswell once more tried to enlist, this time at Cornwall. Cogswell grew up in Cornwall, where he was well-known as the town’s fastest runner, easily winning any race held at local fairs. He had no difficulty joining a regiment at his hometown, enlisting as a Sergeant with Company I of the 5th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. During a skirmish at Harrisburg on May 3, 1862, Cogswell was taken prisoner by the Confederates. He was paroled and discharged on May 21, 1862, returning home for two months.

Sheet music sent by William Cogswell in 1862 to his friend, Miner Rogers, in Cornwall.

On July 21, 1862, Cogswell enlisted with Company B of the 19th Infantry (later the 2nd Heavy Artillery). His younger brother, Newton W. Cogswell (1835-1876), joined him in Company B, enlisting on November 21, 1863. The brothers served side-by-side. When Newton was wounded in the arm at the Battle of Cold Harbor on June 1, 1864, William was there to comfort him.

William Cogswell was admired by his fellow soldiers and commanding officers for his endurance and his optimism, despite the racism he encountered when he first attempted to enlist at Winsted. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant on March 5, 1864.

On September 19, 1864, Cogswell was wounded in the leg at the Battle of Winchester. His leg was amputated, and he died from related complications on October 7, 1864. He was given a hero’s burial in the North Cornwall Cemetery.

Cogswell obelisk, North Cornwall Cemetery.

William’s brother Newton survived the war physically, but appears to have suffered from PTSD. After his service ended, Newton returned to Cornwall and to his former life as a day laborer. He married Pauline M. Hoffman in 1867, and for a brief period things went well for him. But in 1875, Cogswell’s wife left him and applied for a divorce.

On December 30, 1875, Newton Cogswell snapped. He went to the Davidson home on Cream Hill, where his wife was staying, and shot at her five times, hitting her twice in the head. Cogswell fled the scene, and was found dead in a barn about a mile from his home in March, having killed himself with poison. His wife eventually recovered from her wounds. Newton was buried next to his brother William in the North Cornwall Cemetery.