Brockport in the Civil War

Not long ago your blogger posted in here about resources the library has available on the Civil War. Not only does the college support a wonderful library collection that has many sources on the Civil War, the college itself has historical connections to that conflict. A number of students, alumni and faculty from our predecessor, the Brockport Collegiate Institute, served in the war. Charlie Cowling, a librarian who helps Mary Jo Gigliotti maintain the college archives is, among other projects, working to establish as complete a list as possible of people from the college who served in the war.

We do know of some who served, including six alumni who served in one of the more well known Union regiments, the 140th NY Volunteer Infantry. This regiment was drawn from Monroe County, and Co. A was recruited from the Brockport area. The alumni who served in the 140th were: Issac Barnes, Charles Bellinger, James Hoy, Robert Lowery, George Moore and Theodore Whipple. Corporal Whipple was killed in action at the battle of Gettysburg, where the regiment played an important role in defending Little Round Top, a key point in the Union defenses, from Confederate assaults. The painting shown here is by area artist John Wagner and depicts the regiment in action at Gettysburg. There is a local reenactor group which commemorates the unit at various events.