Military conscription roiled Litchfield County in 1862

Historian Peter Vermilyea led Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society’s first talk of the summer at the South Canaan Meeting House on June 6.
Photo by Riley Klein
FALLS VILLAGE — Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society’s “First Tuesday at 7” lecture series began on June 6 at the South Canaan Meeting House.
Peter Vermilyea, who teaches history at the University of Connecticut and Housatonic Valley Regional High School, opened the series with a talk titled “The Strange Case of Dr. Beckwith: The Problem of Medical Examinations in the Civil War.”
Vermilyea’s talk highlighted a chapter from his upcoming book that examines Litchfield County during the led up to the Civil War.
Vermilyea explained that in the summer of 1862, congress authorized military conscription for the first time in the United States. Up to that point, all militias had relied on volunteer service.
“After August of 1862, there’s going to be a draft. And if you’re going to have a draft, you have to figure out who is exempt,” said Vermilyea.
The federal government created service quotas for each state but offered minimal guidance on who to exempt for the draft, citing only “people of great deformity of body or limb, permanent lameness, or loss of eye.”
To determine who should be exempt, the surgeon general of each state appointed three doctors per county to provide medical examinations and certificates of exemption, which would then be approved or denied by each town’s selectmen.
The three doctors in Litchfield County were Dr. Josiah Beckwith in Litchfield, Dr. James Welch in Winsted, and Dr. Sydney Lyman in Washington. Vermilyea said that each exam “costs a quarter whether you get an exemption or not.”
Beckwith began evaluating men aged 18 to 44 in Litchfield on Aug. 7, 1862, to determine if they were fit to serve. By Aug. 12, he had provided certificates of exemption to 691 of the 739 men that came for evaluations.
“There’s maybe about 7,500 men in the county and 10% of them show up at Dr. Beckwith’s office in three and a half days,” said Vermilyea. “If he was open 20 hours a day, that’s like 12 men an hour coming through and 91% of them are getting exempt.”
These results prompted suspicion in the local newspapers with the Winsted Herald writing, “We have observed Litchfield to be lively with not precisely the lame, the halt, and the blind, but so far as we can see, stout, able-bodied men anxiously inquiring the way to the doctor’s dispenser.”
“He was accused of accepting payment in exchange for a certificate, of playing party politics, of using his position as a medical examiner to make political statements about the war, and of having quote, ‘secessionist proclivities’,” said Vermilyea.
News quickly reached Hartford and Beckwith was asked to meet with Connecticut’s surgeon general on Aug. 10.
“He sat down in front of the surgeon general…and he’s asked to explain himself,” said Vermilyea. “He’s back in Litchfield by 5 p.m. on the second day and he opens his doors for business the next day. So, he has cleared his name.”
Beckwith returned to business as usual on Aug. 12, but at noon of that day he received a telegram from the surgeon general suspending his license as a medical examiner for the war. Following the suspension, he wrote a column in the Litchfield Enquirer in an attempt to salvage his reputation.
Vermilyea paraphrased Beckwith’s words, saying “I didn’t exempt anyone. I just put what I saw in these men and passed that along to the selectmen and they rubber-stamped all of it.”
Beckwith’s reputation did not recover, and he worked the rest of his days as a pharmacist.
The men that received medical exemptions for the war were ridiculed by the public. Vermilyea cited Woodbury’s Board of Selectmen, who approved every medical exemption they received, as an example of how the exempt were treated.
“They accepted every one of them and then voted to publish the names of the men, with their medical condition, and a whole bunch of snarky comments under the heading of ‘Certified Cowards’,” said Vermilyea.
He read from the list, “Frederick Bolton was diagnosed with a stiff shoulder, congestion of lungs, and tendency to consumption. But they put in italics ‘is known to walk five miles daily to his labor, does overwork in the factory, and can hold two 56-pound weights.’”
Vermilyea felt hyper-patriotism was the root cause behind the mindset of society at that time.
“I think the story is the way that Beckwith and the men were treated by the community,” said Vermilyea. “War fever had whipped up this frenzy that you were either a hero or a coward.”
When Connecticut eventually sent draft letters to 1,200 men, all but 12 (99%) of them furnished medical certificates of exemption. The state resorted to cash bounties in exchange for military service in order to fill Lincoln’s quota.
Vermilyea’s newest book is due to be published in the winter of 2024.
The next talk is Tuesday, July 11 with Dave Jacobs on “Early Housatonic Railroad Freight Operations.”
Emergency responders block Amenia Union Road in Sharon Saturday, Oct. 11, while responding to the vehicle crash.
SHARON — Emergency crews were called Saturday, Oct. 11, to Amenia Union Road in Sharon for a report of a vehicle into a building with entrapment.
The call went out shortly after 3 p.m. with an update at 3:20 p.m. reporting one dead on arrival, two conscious. Emergency helicopter transport was requested.
State police released the following information: "Troopers from Troop B - North Canaan, responded to Amenia Union Rd in Sharon for a motor vehicle into a building. Serious injuries were reported, and LifeStar was dispatched to the scene. The roadway was closed in the area for several hours for the investigation but has since reopened. The investigation remains active, anything further will be posted to cspnews.org when available."
Updates will be posted.
LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.
Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.
In 1982 after graduating summa cum laude from Harvard College, Rhys returned to Hotchkiss to teach biology, where he met his wife of 35 years, Rebecca (Becky) Snow. After two years of teaching, he worked at a research field site in Borneo, then went on to the University of California, Davis where he earned a PhD in Animal Behavior in 1995.
Rather than follow an academic tenure track, Rhys preferred the solitary focus of field ornithology, and he spent several decades researching the ecology of bird species in California and on Cape Cod and the Islands. Rhys believed passionately in supporting biodiversity through habitat preservation. His proudest achievements, therefore, came through his work for the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, in New Hampshire, where he served on committees and the Board of Trustees for twenty years, including three years as Chair.
Deeply intellectual and curious, Rhys learned Homeric Greek so he could read The Odyssey and The Iliad in their original language. An amateur Melville scholar, he would wax poetic about reading Moby-Dick for the umpteenth time.Rhys’s spirit was filled by the performing arts. Concerts by the Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Early Music Festival often brought tears to his eyes, while Boston Bluegrass Union shows delivered toe-tapping fidgetiness.
Rhys will be missed by his wife, Becky Snow, his mother, Anne Bowen, extended family, friends, and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
A service will be held at The Hotchkiss School chapel on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at 1 p.m..
In honor of Rhys’s memory, donations can be made to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust.
LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.
Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.
In addition to her husband and parents, Kelsey is survived by her two beloved children, Hunter Horton and Aryanna Horton, both of Lakeville; a step-brother, Jason Tuncy of East Hartford, Connecticut; her mother-in-law, Frances “Fran” Horton and her brother-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton III and his wife Penny of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and their son, Alec, and several aunts, uncles, cousins and many dear friends. She was predeceased by her father-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton, Jr. in 2017.
There are no calling hours. A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Millerton American Legion Post # 178, Route 44, Millerton, NY 12546. A time to celebrate Kelsey and share stories and memories. Memorial contributions may be made to The Jane Lloyd Fund. Please make checks payable to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (please note in memo line, The Jane Lloyd Fund) and mail to: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, 800 N. Main Street, Sheffield, MA 01257.
To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Kelsey’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
SHARON — On Sept. 27, Eliot Warren Brown was shot and killed at age 47 at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a random act of violence by a young man in need of mental health services. Eliot was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, and attended Indian Mountain School and Concord Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife Brooke moved to New Orleans to answer the call for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and fell in love with the city.
In addition to his wife Brooke, Eliot leaves behind his parents Malcolm and Louise Brown, his sisters Lucia (Thaddeus) and Carla (Ruairi), three nephews, and extended family and friends spread far and wide.
Normally at this point one might list some interests, but in Eliot’s case, it’s easier to list what he wasn’t interested in: watching sports.
Eliot made a living as a fine craftsman and carpenter, but at heart he was an artist. He was well versed in music, painting, literature, biking, travel, Mardi Gras costumes, poker, pranks, street performance and on and on and on.Having previously hiked the entire Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal, he recently achieved another dream of summiting the highest stratovolcano in North America.
Eliot’s creative ability was astounding. His creations were designed to bring joy to others. He didn’t seek recognition or praise, and a large part of his work was anonymous. Pieces of art would appear in the community, encouraging people to think, connect and enjoy.
From the precociously funny and determinedly defiant boy that grew up in the Northwest corner of Connecticut, Eliot grew into a brilliant, gentle souled, boundlessly creative, ever mischievous, perpetually scraggly, and astoundingly wise and caring man who made an indelible impact on those who were lucky to have him in their lives.
In honor of Eliot, please consider making donations to organizations that work to end gun violence, support the arts, or provide mental health services. A service will be held at the Congregational Church in Salisbury on Sunday Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.