The 15th Connecticut Infantry faced an enemy more feared than the Rebels—dreaded 'Yellow Jack'

摘要

For the soldiers of the 15th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, it had been a rather uneventful war. Since August 26, 1862, when 1,617 officers and men from the New Haven area were mustered in for three years' service, the regiment had seen little fighting. So when orders reached them near Portsmouth, Virginia, in January 1864 to report to New Berne, North Carolina, a city firmly held by Union forces since March 1862, the men had every reason to believe that military life would continue to be routine. By fall 1864, however, the 15th would confront an invisible foe against which trenches and breastworks would be no defense.