SMITH W.
HIGGINS
132nd New York State Volunteers
U.S. Signal Corps
Yaphank
Smith W. Higgins
132nd New York State Volunteers, Company B
U.S. Signal Corps
Yaphank
Smith W. Higgins worked as a seaman until he enlisted in
the army on August 21, 1862. He was thirty-three years
old at the time, stood five feet four inches tall, and
had black eyes and dark hair. He left behind his wife of
three years, Harriet, whom he married in 1859; and their
son, Lloyd, who was born on October 29, 1860.
He went to Staten Island to join the
132nd New York State Volunteers, also referred to as
Spinola's Brigade, after the general who led them. Parts
of the regiment were made up of Iroquois Indians who were
recruited off of Seneca and Tuscarora reservations.
Higgins was quickly promoted to 3rd
Corporal on September 9, 1862. Soon after, on September
28, the regiment moved to Washington, D.C. On October 4,
the regiment boarded a transport to a station near
Suffolk, Virginia. Later that month, Higgins' company was
ordered to do a reconnaissance to the Blackwater River.
They left on October 30 with three days' rations, and
returned November 1. Company B formed part of an
expedition that again went to the Blackwater, and was
held in reserve at the skirmish at Zuni.
In December, the 132nd was ordered to New
Bern, a major railroad terminal in eastern North
Carolina. The men remained there until February. They set
up camp behind entrenchments to the right of Fort Totten,
where they were able to command the front approach to New
Bern. While there, Higgins was promoted to 1st Corporal,
on January 19, 1863.
On March 6, 1863, the company formed part
of an expedition to Pollacksville, Trenton and Young's
Cross Roads, returning on March 10. They were involved in
light skirmishing, but there were no casualties. During
April, the regiment engaged in a series of expeditions,
but there was no fighting.
On May 23rd, 1863, the regiment was
ordered to support the 58th Massachusetts at Bachellor's
Creek. Colonel Jones, leader of the 58th, was killed in
action, and some of his forces began to withdraw. The
132nd advanced, however, and pushed the Confederates back
to Kingston, North Carolina. Higgins' regiment remained
at Bachellor's Creek from June through August.
After passing an exam, Higgins
transferred to the U.S. Signal Corps, on August 28, 1863,
by order of Major General Foster. The role of the Signal
Corps was to send important information quickly. In the
early days of the Civil War, Generals relied on
dispatches delivered by horseback. This process was both
slow and unreliable. The Signal Corps devised a way of
sending information quickly. The Corps would follow the
army and set up forward observation posts on high ground,
allowing the men to observe the enemy through
high-powered telescopes. A soldier using a flag on a long
pole then sent a message to a central relay station. A
dip of the flag to the right or left indicated a number;
these numbers stood for letters that then made up the
message. The message was then sent by telegraph from the
central station to headquarters. At night, the men used
poles with torches, rather than flags. This,
unfortunately, made them excellent targets for
sharpshooters. Nevertheless, the Signal Corps served a
very important role in the Civil War.
United States Signal Corps training
camp at Georgetown District of Columbia
Higgins was assigned to Captain Clum of
the Signal Corps. After a year, he was granted furlough
on August 31, 1864. After his return, Higgins contracted
malarial fever and was treated at the regimental hospital
in Bachelor's Creek by Dr. Rice. He was later moved to
Foster General Hospital, where he was declared unfit for
duty in March of 1865. When the war ended, Higgins was
discharged from the army on June 30, 1865, in Georgetown.
Members of the Signal Corps on station
at Fort
Ethan Allen, Virginia across the Potomac River.
Smith Higgins then returned to his wife
and son in Yaphank. They had three more children: Anne,
born March 8, 1867; Charles, born April 8, 1873; and
Wilson, born August 7, 1882. Higgins was an active
community and church member in Yaphank. He completed the
1890 U.S. Census for Yaphank and surrounding areas. He
was also elected and served as the Yaphank school clerk
and librarian.
In addition, he was an active member of the G.A.R., a
political and social fraternity for Union veterans, and
participated in many of their gatherings. Along with more
than 50,000 other veterans, Higgins attended the G.A.R.
encampment at Boston in 1890. While there, he was
entertained at the home of Henry Cabot Lodge.
Smith W. Higgins passed away at the age
of seventy-eight on July 23, 1908, after suffering from
chronic bronchitis. He was buried in Yaphank.
Signal Corps
Association web page
Click here to see letter written byHiggins to the Patchogue Advance