Civil War Soldiers Letters and Diaries Database

Soldier Profile - Gooch , Charles W.

Full Name: Gooch , Charles W.

Home State: Maine

Allegiance: Union

Unit/Service Branch: 27th Infantry

Charles W. Gooch was a 33-year-old shipbuilder from Kennebunk, Maine. In September 1862 he enlisted with the 27th Maine Volunteer Infantry. The 27th Maine was a nine-month regiment and spent most of their time encamped in northern Virginia guarding approaches to Washington, D.C.

In June 1863, the 27th Maine's enlistment time was at an end and Lee's second invasion of the North was just beginning. The War Department, desperate to keep up the defenses of Washington, offered any man in the 27th that stayed the Congressional Medal of Honor. Of the 864 men in the regiment, 311 did stay. Unfortunately, no list was kept of who had stayed on so the decision was made to award all 864 members of the 27th, the Medal of Hon

Letters Written by Gooch , Charles W.