Pvt. Elias C. Andrew

A member of Company H 15th Connecticut Infantry, Elias participated in two battles, Fredericksburg, and he was killed in the Battle of Wyse Fork which was in support of Sherman's supply lines from New Bern where his unit had been for more than a year. Elias was one of thirteen killed that day and his regiment captured. Elias was buried on the field, his remains recovered and removed to Connecticut by Elvira after the war ended. His unit suffered only 26 deaths from combat action during the entire war while disease accounted for nearly eight times that number.

Elias descends from William Andrew who was one of the earliest arrivals in Massachusetts. He had one son born in Rochester, NY where he was employed from 1840 until the summer of 1853 when they returned to Connecticut.

Elias enlisted in August 1862 and his third son was born in October of 1862. Early documents list his surname as Andrew while later documents and letters list his surname as Andrews which is what his wife and children used. It is apparent that people who were filling out documents were hearing what they wanted resulting in the morph into Andrews.

He left a wife, Elvira Clarissa 'Clara', who died in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1898 and three sons.

Edgar Clark b. 26 Jun 1851 in Rochester, New York,

William Henry b. 26 Jan 1856 in Oxford, Connecticut, and

Charles Emerson b. 28 Oct 1862 in Oxford, Connecticut d. Los Angeles 1951, buried Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, IN. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120737695/elias-c.-andrew