9th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers

9th Connecticut Regiment Monument

NPS Photo

Monument located at Grant's Canal, near Delta, LA. In June 1862, this regiment was part of the expeditionary force led by Gen. Thomas Williams up the Mississippi River in the first Union campaign to capture Vicksburg. Lacking sufficient numbers for an assault or siege, the troops were put to work excavating Williams' Canal in an attempt to bypass the Vicksburg batteries.

The regiment arrived at De Soto Point, opposite Vicksburg, on June 25, 1862, and began work on the canal, but was soon hampered by supply problems, lack of drinking water, and temperatures that reached above 100 degrees. Malaria, dysentery, and heatstroke spread throughout the command, incapacitating the troops. Coupling this with the drop in the river level, the canal project was abandoned on July 24, far short of completion. Some 153 men of the 9th died within a four-month period following their arrival at the canal. While seeing no further action at Vicksburg, the unit participated in the Battle of Baton Rouge in August, and was then assigned to defenses in the New Orleans area.

 

Digging Williams' Canal