Thursday, December 14, 2017

Honoring a 15-year-old, mortally wounded at Fredericksburg

Gravestone of  Private Daniel H. Otis in Maromas Cemetery in Middletown, Conn.
(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE.)

Like this blog on Facebook | Check out this excellent site for more on Daniel Otis

Daniel H. Otis
As 15-year-old Daniel H. Otis crossed a bridge over a millrace during the first wave of attacks on Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg on Dec. 13, 1862, the 14th Connecticut private suffered a mortal wound from an artillery shell. The youngest soldier in the regiment died four days later. Daniel's broken-hearted father, Erastus, recovered the remains for re-burial in a small cemetery in Middletown, Conn. Erastus died on Aug. 4, 1864 — the second anniversary's of his son's enlistment in the U.S. Army. On the 155th anniversary of Daniel's wounding, I visited the teen's grave in Maromas Cemetery (watch video below).



Have something to add (or correct) in this post? E-mail me here.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:27 AM

    I can't imagine my 15 year old grandson enlisting and fighting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Far too many young people fighting and dying in that useless war. Thank you for telling his story, sir!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Useless war???You have got to be kidding...

      Delete
  3. Thank you for posting these stories. May the memory of these brave never be forgotten.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9:28 PM

    Children dying is always sad, but he was a volunteer and victim of an unjustified attack on the Commonwealth of Virginia.

    ReplyDelete