Bio: William T. Batchelder: Pittsfield, Merrimack County, New Hampshire

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Submitted by: Rick Giirtman rickman@worldpath.net
Date: March 9, 2001
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From the Book
'History of Pittsfield, N. H. in the Rebellion'
by H. L. Robinson, published 1893


WILLIAM  T.   BATCHELDER

William T. Batchelder came to Pittsfield about 1854 to work on a farm for a
Mrs. Berry who lived on the east side of Catamount, and whom he subsequently
married. He was a native of Loudon, where he was born September 25, 1823.
His parents were Jonathan and Lois (Wells) Batchelder. He enlisted in
Company F, Twelfth New Hampshire volunteers, August 22, 1862. He was in all
of the battles that this distinguished battalion participated in until the
Battle of Cold Harbor, where he was severely wounded in his left shoulder,
and rendered unfit for further service.

He was one of those soldiers who would always grumble ; if everything was
going smoothly he would find fault, if anything went wrong he would scold
harder than ever. At Chancellorsville he was wounded in the head, but still
he kept on fighting and when the order came to fall back, though the blood
was running over his face and clothes, he called out, " What is the use of
retreating? I thought we came out to fight, and we might as well fight now
as any time." When told that it was orders from headquarters he said,- " I
thought Joe Hooker knew something ! Call him ' fighting Joe 'he don't half
fight; " and turning to his comrades he said, " Let us go back and give them
rebels the d---l."

He was a man of rather small stature, yet from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor
he carried a musket and a spade. When ordered to intrench, he would stick
his bayonet and gun in the ground and scold because he could not fight; then
when the rebels would attack before his trench was done, and he had to seize
his gun to drive them back, he would scold because he could not finish his
trench.

In private life he was a good citizen and a very quiet man. He died in
Pittsfield, June 24, 1891, of disease contracted in the army.