The 23rd Connecticut Infantry Regiment was organized at Hartford, Connecticut, on November 14, 1862 and had in its ranks many men from Fairfield County. One of those men was Joseph Bishop of Danbury. The regiment was attached the defenses of New Orleans and District of La Fourche, Department of the Gulf under General Nathaniel Banks. The regiment lost a total of 59 men during during the war, 46 of those died of disease, including Bishop.
Thanks to a gift from WCSU Alum Carol Lieto, Bishops letters are now housed at the WCSU Archives. Among his letters is also his music notebook. Thanks to Ann Victor (a former member of our staff), one can now hear what the 23rd’s band was playing while in camp in far away Louisiana.