News

The Day (of New London) Local News, Friday July 11, 2025

‘Nobody wants to be forgotten’: One veteran's mission to remember the “Hometown Heroes of the Quiet Corner’

by Alison Cross

published July 4th 2025

Putnam - For more than 100 years, a bronze statue of a Union Soldier has stood on Grove Street. 

A plaque dedicates the monument to the memory of the soldiers and sailors of Putnam and vicinity who fought for the preservation of the Union, 1861-1865, erected by the A. G. Warner Women's Relief Corps.

Michael Rocchetti, a New London-born retired US Air Force Colonel, who now serves as the commander of Mayotte-Viens American legion Post #13 in town, stared at the non-descript name and decided to do some research.

What Rocchetti uncovered was the story of Addison Gazlay Warner, a Putnam school teacher who enlisted in the Union Army just 10 days after the first Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter. Warner rose to the rank of captain, leading more than 100 men from Connecticut in Company I, First Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, before he died in the Battle of Ashland, Virginia, on June 1st, 1864.

“This man was such a hero, and nobody really remembers him. Nobody really knows who he is. So I just thought it would be good to remind the people of Putnam, not only him but all the others” Rocchetti said. “Nobody wants to be forgotten.”

With the backing of Post 13, Rocchetti launched the “Hometown Heroes of the Quiet Corner” book series. The first volume, which is now available for purchase, contains dozens of in-depth profiles and complete service records of the 919 men from Putnam, Pomfret, Woodstock, and Thompson who served in the Union army during the Civil War.

In a forward for the first volume, American legion national Commander Jim LaCoursiere described the book as “a literary work of enduring historical value.”

“It's through collections like this that our history will remain immortalized for future generations,” Adjutant General of the Connecticut National Guard, Major General Francis J. Evon, Jr. added in an endorsement for the first volume. Evon provided the statement with the disclaimer explaining that the endorsement reflects his views and does not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense or its components. In the statement, Evon applauded Rocchetti for “the hard work and dedication put into this book.”

“Connecticut's Quiet Corner has a long and proud history of service to our great state and the nation stretching back to the American revolution and beyond,” Evon said. “Colonel (ret) Rocchetti has captured so many incredible stories of Connecticut service members during the Civil War.” 

While conducting his research, Rocchetti pored through the Aspinock Historical Society’s digital and physical archives, pulling articles from the Windham County Observer and the Putnam Patriot. Although both newspapers went into print years after the Civil War, Rocchetti said he collected a trove of information from the obituaries of veterans who lived well into old age. 

Rocchetti said he owes much of the book to the historical societies that painstakingly preserve documents, and the newspapers that first published the profiles of those who serve.

“I appreciate the people that told the story, the writers, the news editors and the publishers,” Rocchetti said “They told them back then, I'm just trying to bring these stories back to life.”

“It's history, but you want to make it compelling, you want to make it interesting, and you also want to present it in a way that people can really appreciate the service and sacrifice made by the servicemen,” Rocchetti explained. “When you read the stories, it's awe inspiring what these people did for their country.”

Although they have yet to be published, Rocchetti has completed three more books in the series. Volume 2 contains profiles of 110 local men who died during World War II. Volume 3 tells the story of those who served in World War I, as told through letters home that were published in local papers. Volume 4 returns to the Civil War, this time with service records and profiles of men who served from Killingly and Brooklyn.

Even with four history books under his belt and a 5th installment on the way, Rocchetti said he still doesn't think of himself as a historian. His mission is to keep the memory of service members alive.

“One of the core values of the American Legion, as stated in the preamble, is to preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in all wars,” Rocchetti said. 

“I just want to make sure that people don't forget what these servicemen did,” Rocchetti added. “Nobody wants to be forgotten.”

Copies of “Hometown Heroes of the Quiet Corner" are available at Wolperdinger Bookends in Putnam and Pourings and Passages in Killingly. All proceeds support Post 13's community programs, including the veterans-in-need fund, youth scholarships, state police youth academy, boys and girls state, American legion baseball, and Americanism initiatives.