Artifact of the Quarter | March 2020
Carte-de-visite (cdv) of Captain William Fosgate, 14th New Hampshire Infantry
Among the artifacts recently acquired by MCWI is a carte-de-visite (cdv) of Captain William Fosgate, 14th New Hampshire Infantry. The image was taken by Kimball, a photographer in Concord, New Hampshire. Born in Winchester, New Hampshire, Fosgate was 23 years old at the time of his enlistment in the regiment on Aug. 14, 1862. Fosgate joined the 14th New Hampshire as a second lieutenant. He was promoted to first lieutenant on Nov. 2, 1863. Several months later, on Feb. 19, 1864, Fosgate was promoted to captain.
During the Third Battle of Winchester, Sept. 19, 1864, Fosgate was killed instantly, being “shot through the heart.” He was one of 32 men from the 14th New Hampshire killed at the battle (12 others were mortally wounded). Following the battle, Fosgate’s widow, Marie (who married Fosgate on Feb. 2, 1864), filed a claim for a widow’s pension. The federal government awarded her a pension of $20 per month. Fosgate’s parents also submitted a claim for dependent parents, but it was “rejected on the ground the soldier left a widow surviving him.”
Captain Fosgate’s remains rest in the Winchester National Cemetery.
