A tag line in history for Antietam soldier

Cpl. William H. Secor was the only member of the 2nd Vermont Infantry killed at the Battle of Antietam. At the time of death, he was carrying two ID discs better known today as “dog tags.” One of the objects eventually found its way to California and in 1955 arrived at the Vermont Historical Society in Montpelier. Thirty-six years later, the author of this article removed Secor’s second ID tag from the sacred soil of Antietam. These two artifacts once owned by the young corporal provided background for the following story.

On a beautiful autumn afternoon — Oct. 18, 1991 — my brother Don and I were pushing our metal detectors over a cedar-covered ridge just north of the Antietam Battlefield. In the shadow of a huge tree, the detector sounded the first good signal of the day. Digging to a depth of 5 inches, I removed a small round piece of brass about the size of a quarter. Rubbing off some of the dirt, I saw a hole on the edge of the token.

After the new find soaked all night in a strong solution of household cleaner to remove some of the corrosion, faint gold letters slowly came into focus: “Corp. Wm Secor / Halfmoon, N.Y. / Co. A / 2nd Reg. / Vt. Vol.” The reverse bore an eagle emblem with the legend: “War of 1861 / United States.”

During the Civil War years, before official Army dog tags, these patriotic keepsakes were sold to soldiers by enterprising sutlers. The sutler, using a small hammer and a series of lettered dies, would stamp the soldier’s name, regiment, hometown, etc., into the gold-plated brass disc. Normally paying about 25 cents per pair, the soldier would retain one tag and send the other home to family or a loved one. As any veteran relic hunter will confirm, when it comes to metal-detecting for Civil War artifacts, anything personally ID’d is the ultimate discovery.

2nd Vermont

Who was Cpl. Secor? Was he married? Where was he buried? A research project became an obsession that would bring the 19th-century warrior to life.

Records of the National Archives state that on May 14, 1861, 21-year-old William Heath Secor enlisted in Company A, 2nd Vermont Regiment at Bennington. Mustered in as a private, he was described as 5 feet 61/4 inches tall, with blue eyes and brown hair. It should be noted that although Secor was from Halfmoon, N.Y., he enlisted in Vermont. It was not unusual for a volunteer to enlist in a neighboring state. Occasionally this was done simply to spend time with friends or relatives who also were going off to war.

On July 4, Independence Day 1861, the Bennington Banner paid tribute to the 2nd Vermont Volunteers:

“The material of which the regiment is composed is the very best. The men are young and athletic. Many of them are very tall — a little less than five feet, ten inches. They have been by occupation principally agriculturists; nearly all have been engaged in out of door employments. They are consequently capable of bearing a great amount of fatigue and the intelligent, honest and patriotic expression their countenances bear, indicate that the fame of the Green Mountain Boys will not suffer at their hands.”

The 2nd Vermont was part of the Vermont Brigade, a force composed of five Vermont regiments attached to the 6th Corps, Army of the Potomac. This Federal unit did commendable service early in the war during the Peninsula Campaign in Virginia. Secor was in its number for every engagement.

Bloody Lane

Early on the damp, misty morning of Sept. 17, 1862, the bloodiest day of the American Civil War began on the rolling land and wood lots just north of Sharpsburg, Md. Around 10 a.m., the Vermont Brigade (William F. Smith’s Division) reached the already bloody, smoking battleground. By this time, the fighting on the Union’s right flank at the Dunkard Church and the Cornfield was cooling off. A determined Rebel force, however, was holding its own in an old sunken farm road to the southeast — soon to be called Bloody Lane.

To give support to Gen. William H. French’s Division (2nd Corps), which was running low on ammunition, the Vermont Brigade was sent forward. Years later, 6th Corps surgeon George T. Stevens remembered: “The Vermonters behaved with their usual gallantry and although frequently subjected to the fire of artillery, they held their ground bravely.”

Finally, the battered Confederates pulled back from the country road, but not before both sides had paid a terrible price. Records of the 2nd Vermont showed “one man killed and several wounded.” The one man killed was Cpl. William H. Secor of Company A. When struck down, Secor was carrying the regimental flag — making an outstanding target for Confederate sharpshooters, who were enjoying a “field day.”

Smith Farm

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