Chester's Civil War Heroes
COLONEL LOUIS BELL
1837 - 1865
4th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry
COLONEL LOUIS BELL
1837 - 1865
4th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry
A native of Chester, NH, born 8 March 1837
Graduated from Brown Univ. in 1853, at age 18, and from Yale in 1856. Admitted to the bar when 21 years old, and began practicing in Farmington, NH in 1859.
Captain of Company A, First New Hampshire Infantry, in 1861.
Commissioned Lieut. Col. of the 4th NH Infantry in Sept.1861
Promoted to Colonel in May, 1862
Mortally wounded by a Confederate sharpshooter during the Battle of Fort Fisher, NC, on 15 Jan. 1865, while leading his brigade.
His body was returned home for burial in the Village Cemetery.
Manchester, NH's GAR Post was named in honor of him, as was a Sons of Union Veterans Camp in Farmington.
Graduated from Brown Univ. in 1853, at age 18, and from Yale in 1856. Admitted to the bar when 21 years old, and began practicing in Farmington, NH in 1859.
Captain of Company A, First New Hampshire Infantry, in 1861.
Commissioned Lieut. Col. of the 4th NH Infantry in Sept.1861
Promoted to Colonel in May, 1862
Mortally wounded by a Confederate sharpshooter during the Battle of Fort Fisher, NC, on 15 Jan. 1865, while leading his brigade.
His body was returned home for burial in the Village Cemetery.
Manchester, NH's GAR Post was named in honor of him, as was a Sons of Union Veterans Camp in Farmington.
Col. Bell, on several occasions, temporarily filled the brigadier general seat when needed. Due to this, many newspapers called him "Gen. Bell" following his death, and his family included this rank on his gravestone. The New Hampshire Statesman, on Feb. 3rd, 1865, wrote that Secretary Stanton had posthumously promoted Bell to Brevet Brigadier General, but later reports claim this was not true.