THOMAS
HOPKINS
57th New York Volunteers
Company I
Private
Coram
Thomas Hopkins
Private, 57th New York Volunteers, Company I
Coram
Thomas Hopkins was born in Coram in 1842.
He was a farmer by trade, working for Japeth and Ham
Smith in Coram when the Civil War broke out. Along with
several other local boys looking to get away from farming
and to serve their country, Hopkins traveled to Camp
Leslie at Dobbs Ferry. They enlisted with the 57th New
York Infantry on August 14, 1861. Hopkins was nineteen
years old at the time, and stood five feet five and
one-half inches, and his hair and eyes were brown.
Colonel Samuel Zook commanded the 57th.
The troops were stationed at New Dorp on Staten Island.
The men stayed at Camp Lafayette drilling and preparing
for war. The unit then moved to Camp Wilder near
Washington, D.C., and continued their training.
On November 28, 1861, the 57th left for
Camp California in Virginia, singing the song
"Dixie" as they marched. The regiment was
attached to the Army of the Potomac under General George
McClellan. The 57th became part of the Peninsula
Campaign, designed to capture Richmond by moving forces
along the James and York Rivers. The men engaged in their
first combat at Fair Oaks, Virginia, on June 1, 1861, and
suffered eighteen casualties. They next fought with
Confederate forces at the Seven Days' Battle.
Private Joel Ruland, Company I, 57th
New York. Ruland was from Moriches and was one of several
friends who joined the 57th New York Infantry. Ruland was
killed during the attack at Antietam, and cried out,
"My God I am dead" as he pitched forward after
being shot. Photo from the collection of Nate Carter.
On September 17, the regiment was
involved in the furious battle at Antietam. Hopkins'
friend from Yaphank, William Homan, was wounded during
this battle. With over 23,000 casualties, Antietam has
been called the bloodiest day in the Civil War. Although
it resulted in a draw, General Robert E. Lee was forced
to retreat from Maryland. Just after this battle,
President Lincoln announced the Emancipation
Proclamation.
Confederate dead at "Bloody
Lane"
Hopkins was promoted to Corporal on
October 13, 1862. A few months later, Lincoln replaced
General McClellan with General Ambrose Burnside. In
mid-November, Burnside began to move his forces toward
Fredricksburg. The General decided that the troops should
build four pontoon bridges in order to cross the
Rappahannock River into Fredricksburg. Before they could
advance, however, Confederate sharpshooters took a
fearful toll on Union soldiers waiting to cross the river
on December 10. Despite these losses, the next day Union
forces opened fire on Fredricksburg with 147 artillery
pieces. That afternoon, troops crossed the river into the
city.
Meanwhile, General Lee's forces were
firmly entrenching themselves on Marye's Heights
overlooking the city. Many of Burnside's commanders were
unhappy with Lee's dominant position on the top of
Marye's Heights and asked Burnside not to make the
attack. Burnside ignored their recommendations, and at
noon on December 13, the Battle of Fredricksburg began.
The 57th left the cover of the city into
an open field where it began its march up the slope to
meet the Confederates. The Confederates began a murderous
fire, with shells landing in the middle of advancing
soldiers, throwing bodies into the air. Under this deadly
fire, soldiers pulled their caps down over their eyes and
pressed on. The 57th made it to within thirty yards of
the wall but were forced to retreat.
The battle was a disaster for Union
troops. With such high casualties, Union soldiers doubted
the ability of their leaders. Burnside resigned, but it
took many months to restore the confidence of the troops.
Hopkins was wounded during the attack up
the hill. After the battle, he was sent to an army
hospital at Washington, D.C., where he remained for five
months. He rejoined the regiment in May, in time to
participate in the Battle of Gettysburg.
Pontoon bridges, used by Union forces
to cross into Fredricksburg.
Picture of the stone wall at the base
of Marye's Heights. Confederates postioned behind this
wall poured a deadly fire into advancing Union troops.
The battle of Gettysburg began on July 1,
1863. The 57th was marching toward Gettysburg during the
first day of the battle. The regiment saw action on July
2 when Confederate forces broke through the left side of
the Union line at the Peach Orchard. That afternoon,
around four o'clock, General Zook led the 57th N.Y. to
meet rebel forces. As Zook led his men into the
Wheatfield, however, he was shot from his horse and
killed.
Nevertheless, Lee's forces were unable to
penetrate the Union line, and the second day of the
battle came to a close. On the third day, Lee's men
suffered terrible losses as Pickett's charge tried to
penetrate the center of the Union line. Lee never
recovered from this huge loss at Gettysburg. The Union
army was able to begin closing in.
Dead killed on July 2,
1863 in the Wheatfield.
In September, the regiment moved across
the Rappahannock to pursue Lee's army. Federal troops
pursued Lee as he made his way back to Virginia. On
October 13, 1863, Corporal Hopkins and his company began
a march pursuing Lee's forces. This lasted twenty-one
hours, and included wading across a river called Cedar
Run.
After the regiment reached the top of the
hill, they halted to rest. They put coffeepots over
fires, took off their wet shoes and socks to dry, when a
rebel battery opened fire. Union forces ran for cover,
knocking over the coffeepots as they scurried. Veterans
of this battle fondly recalled this as the "Battle
of Coffee Hill." The regiment silenced that rebel
battery, and they were given orders to hold the advancing
Confederates. The regiment held for a while, but was then
forced to retreat. The men began a mad rush for the
woods. Many jumped into a ditch just before the forest so
they could rest. Those who made it into the forest
escaped. Confederates captured Hopkins and fourteen
others who were still in the ditch.
Following his capture, Hopkins was sent
to Libby Prison in Virginia. In February of 1864, he was
transferred to the infamous prison at Andersonville.
Little in his life could have prepared Hopkins for what
he witnessed and experienced at this prison camp. It was
extremely overcrowded, sanitation was poor to
non-existent, and there was never enough to eat.
Prisoners were dying at a rate of 100 per day. Hopkins
succumbed to the malnutrition, and was admitted to the
hospital at Andersonville with Sorrbitus (scurvy).
He was returned to his unit on April 21,
1865, while they were at Vicksburg, Mississippi. In early
May, he returned to New York, and was discharged on May
30, 1865.
After the war, Hopkins returned to Coram.
