Bacon, Richard M.

Philip Bacon was born to Richard and Laura Bacon on April 8, 1827, in Simsbury, Connecticut. On April 22, 1861, he enlisted as a private in the Union Army, serving first in Virginia with the 1st Connecticut Infantry Regiment. The regiment was disbanded on July 31, 1861, and on December 12, Bacon enlisted in the 12th Connecticut Infantry Regiment. He served as a corporal at Camp Parapet and in New Orleans before mustering out on September 3, 1863. A firm abolitionist, Bacon acted as assistant superintendant of freedmen in the area around New Orleans for over a year, and remained in Louisiana following his military service. During the remainder of the war and for the first years of Reconstruction, Bacon leased and farmed at least two plantations, where he planted cotton, sugar cane, and other crops. His interest in the plight of African Americans continued after the war, and Bacon founded a school for emancipated slaves in New Orleans. Philip Bacon died in Connecticut on November 18, 1910.

From the guide to the Philip Bacon papers, Bacon, Philip papers, 1862-1867, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)

Epithet: of county Essex

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000566.0x00032f