Henry Edwin Hall was a resident of Mansfield on September 22, 1863, when he enlisted as a Private in Co. F of the 6th Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry; he was captured May 16, 1864 at Drewry’s Bluff, Virginia. He was imprisoned at Andersonville, paroled February 22, 1865 and mustered out August 21, 1865.
He was born December 25, 1841 in Mansfield to Henry C. and Orilla (Simonds) Hall. After the Civil War he returned to Mansfield and was a farmer. Henry E. Hall married Annette F. Dodd, daughter of Mansfield Civil War soldier Enoch Dodd between 1870 and 1880. Children included: Burton H. Dodd, born about September, 1882 and Charles G. Dodd, born about January 1889. Annette F. (Dodd) Hall died on June 15, 1890. Henry Hall married second, Ida M. ______ about 1904.
On March 1, 1885, he applied for an invalid pension, No.642,986 that was granted under certificate No. 415,435. His widow applied for a pension on December 21, 1929.
Henry Edwin Hall died on December 6, 1929 and is buried at the New Mansfield Center Cemetery in Mansfield.
The Hall Letters
Henry Hall leaves an impactful perspective that many soldiers may lack: he was captured and placed as a POW at the infamous Andersonville Prison.
“It has been my misfortune to be taken a prisoner by our enemy’s Calvary on the 16th of May on the Railroad between Chester Station and Petersburg”
Petersburg VA. May 24th, 1864. Hall to his parents.
Hall’s letters to his family, as well as a continued letter of Hall’s to his wife by John Hunter, speaks of Hall’s military journey. Describing his experience before imprisonment, imprisonment itself, and his life once he’s released, Hall’s letters give a timeline over the 2 years he served under the 6th regiment.
“I have no doubt he is taken prisoner”
John Hunter to Henry Hall’s Mother, May 23rd, 1864, Original unfinished letter 5/11/1864
More Resources
The Mansfield Historical Society has letters either to/from/about Hall ranging from 1863 to 1865. All other transcripts and letter scans can be found under Hall Letters.