Capt. Charles P. Hyatt, 11/22/1838 - 9/22/1864

KHyatt

Corporal
Joined
Jan 7, 2019
I wasn't sure where to post this, but since I have a couple of portraits to attach, I figured this forum would be OK. My g-g-grandfather, George Theodore Hyatt, was the second oldest of six brothers who all served the Union. The second youngest, Charles P. Hyatt, was first a (second?) lieutenant, later captain, in the 6th Wisconsin, of Iron Brigade fame. He is cited several times in Rufus Hawes' history, Service with the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers. Charles ("Charley") was in the thick of all of the major battles in which the 6th was engaged, including the famous assault on the railroad cut on July 1 at Gettysburg. My family has personal letters from Charley and his brothers, all of whom loved him dearly for his kind and gentle manner. As an example of what his comrades thought of him, the following is from a letter written by Brig. Gen. Edward S. Bragg after Charley's death, in 1864:

"You name Charley Hyatt. Captain Charles P. Hyatt was a gentleman and a soldier, with a manner as gentle as a woman. He was an excellent officer, and I was especially fond of him in command of a skirmish line. The hotter the fire, the cooler he grew, until, if I were telling a camp fire story, I would say that he 'froze the water in his canteen.' I made a special Aide-de-camp of him on my staff, and in the battle on the Weldon Railroad, I placed him in command of the Sixth in my front line. [Battle of the Weldon Railroad, August 18-21, 1864.] He fought the regiment splendidly. The next day we were attacked in strong force in our works and the assaulting party came so close that they could not get back, and they threw up their hands. The firing ceased and I detailed Captain Hyatt to take the sword of the commanding officer. He did so, and while returning, a stray [cannon] shot came flying across, and it tore off Hyatt's leg. He suffered an amputation and was sent to Alexandria, from where he wrote me a cheerful letter. He was moved again to Philadelphia, — gangrene set in, and glorious' man that he was, he died a soldier's death."

Of the six brothers in his family, Charley is the only one who did not survive the war; he was 25 years old and never married or had children. It chokes me up to think of him and countless others like him, and as we approach Memorial Day I wanted to give him some recognition - I thought this would be a good place to do so.

The two photos of Charley that are attached are undated, but both appear to have second lieutenant shoulder boards. If anyone sees something I may have missed, please let me know.

CPH 1.jpg


CPH 2.jpg
 
Thanks for the post @KHyatt
Brig. Gen. E S Bragg wrote a very nice tribute to Charley and I think its wonderful that you shared it here so close to Memorial Day. The portraits are wonderful. I especially like his expressive eyes. He was a very handsome young man.
 
Thanks, Mike. From those accounts and others Charles seems to have been a good soldier, an effective officer, and a fine young man. Since he has no descendants, my sister and I have sort of adopted him as our own and like to share his story.

Thank you all for your kind remarks!
 
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