and rapidly over
the parapets and went down to the bomb-proofs, when the fire slackened
and the cry went up that the fort had surrendered.
"But the remnant of the brave Sixth was
standing alone. Col. Chatfield
was lying on the parapet with his leg
shattered below the knee. The rebels charged three times upon the
unsupported but undaunted Connecticut men, as if to annihilate them.
The color bearer, Sgt. Gustave de Bouge of Waterbury, fell shot through
the head in the assault and before the colors could be taken from
beneath his dead body eight other men had fallen upon them, dead or
wounded. Among those who helped to keep the colors aloft was Col.
Chatfield himself who is remembered as the very incarnation of war in
that terrible hour. After he had fallen he still encouraged the men to
stand their ground in hope of support. And most nobly did they obey for
three long hours, retiring one by one only after all hope had vanished
and they were but a handful. Col. Chatfield, fearing that they would be
captured, attempted to drag himself from the fort, when a shot struck
his right hand, in which until that moment he had grimly held his
sword...
"He died at his home August 9. At his funeral
business was suspended, flags were at half mast and military
delegations from all parts of the state were present . . . "
Waterbury did not forget its hero. On September
13, 1886, an impressive monument to the Oxford born man was dedicated
at
Riverside Cemetery. The monument includes a seven foot pedestal,
surmounted by a life-size figure in bronze, representing Col. Chatfield
as a soldier on duty. The statue was designed by George E. Bissell, a
personal friend of Col. Chatfield.
In his address for the day, Gen. S.W. Kellogg
mentioned the last battle of Chatfield, saying, "As he was carried
bleeding from the scene of carnage in the strong arms of one of his
men, his thoughts went back to his regiment and its colors, so dear to
every true soldier. 'Are the colors saved?' he asked. When told that
all that was left of them had been safely brought off the field, he
replied, 'Thank God for that; I am glad they are safe; keep them as
long as there is a thread left."'
