Theodore Safford Peck

He Burned the Bridges and Saved a Garrison

Theodore Safford Peck was born on March 22, 1843, in Burlington, Vermont. During the American Civil War, he entered the United States Army and served with the 9th Vermont Infantry. His wartime career would eventually take him from junior officer to captain, but the action that earned him the Medal of Honor came while he was still a second lieutenant during a desperate defensive fight at Newport Barracks, North Carolina.

Peck entered military service at a young age and became an officer in the 9th Vermont Infantry. The regiment served in several important areas of the war, including operations along the Atlantic coast. By early 1864, Peck was stationed with Union forces at Newport Barracks, an important position connected with the defenses of the North Carolina coast.

On February 2, 1864, Confederate forces advanced against the Union position.

The attackers greatly outnumbered the defenders, placing the garrison in serious danger of being overwhelmed. Union troops could not simply abandon the area without creating the risk that Confederate forces would pursue them closely and turn an organized withdrawal into a disaster.

Peck and the men around him therefore faced a difficult task: delay the enemy long enough for the Union garrison to retreat.

He helped lead a prolonged resistance against the superior Confederate force. The purpose was not to win the entire battle through a direct stand, but to buy time.

As the withdrawal became necessary, bridges along the retreat route had to be destroyed so that Confederate troops could not quickly follow.

Peck helped carry out that dangerous mission.

Under enemy pressure, he took part in the destruction and burning of the bridges while the Union force moved away. Historical accounts describe him assisting with the work needed to ignite the structures, helping ensure that the pursuing enemy would be delayed.

The danger was immediate. The Confederate advance was close, and the men destroying the bridges risked being cut off if they remained too long.

Peck stayed long enough to complete the task.

His actions helped protect the retreat of the Union garrison and prevented the larger enemy force from immediately following across the same route. The combination of resistance and bridge destruction became the defining episode of his Civil War service.

Theodore Peck’s Medal of Honor recognition later emphasized precisely this achievement: his prolonged resistance against a superior force and his role in burning the bridges that covered the withdrawal.

His act was therefore one of battlefield leadership and calculated courage. He was not recognized for capturing a flag or for a single moment of hand-to-hand combat. His importance lay in maintaining resistance under severe pressure and helping create the time and distance needed for other soldiers to escape.

Peck continued serving after Newport Barracks.

He was promoted to first lieutenant later in 1864 and continued to advance as the war moved toward its conclusion. In March 1865, he became a captain and assistant quartermaster of United States Volunteers, the highest verified federal Army rank of his Civil War service.

His military career did not end when the Civil War did.

After returning to Vermont, Peck remained closely involved with military affairs and continued serving in the state militia and National Guard. Over the years he assumed increasing responsibility and became one of Vermont’s senior military figures. His later state service ultimately brought him the rank of brevet major general.

Recognition for his Civil War heroism came decades after the action itself.

On September 8, 1891, Theodore Safford Peck was awarded the Medal of Honor for his conduct at Newport Barracks on February 2, 1864.

By then, nearly three decades had passed since he had helped defend the Union position and destroy the bridges covering the retreat. The award formally preserved the significance of a decision made when a larger enemy force threatened to overwhelm the garrison.

The Medal of Honor represented Peck’s individual courage during that specific action. His broader wartime service is also represented by the Army Civil War Campaign Medal, which recognized qualifying Army and volunteer service performed during the conflict.

These two decorations represent different aspects of his military history. The Medal of Honor commemorates the dangerous defense and withdrawal at Newport Barracks. The Civil War campaign recognition represents the wider years of military service through which Peck developed from a young officer into an experienced veteran.

Peck remained an important figure in Vermont military life long after the Civil War generation had left active service. His career connected the volunteer armies of the 1860s with the organized state military institutions that developed in the decades afterward.

He lived until March 15, 1918, dying just days before his seventy-fifth birthday. He was buried in Lake View Cemetery in Burlington, Vermont.

Theodore Safford Peck’s legacy rests on leadership during a retreat that could easily have become a disaster.

A superior enemy force was advancing.

The Union garrison had to withdraw.

Someone had to remain long enough to resist the attack and destroy the bridges behind the retreating soldiers.

Peck helped do exactly that.

His courage at Newport Barracks did not come from refusing to retreat when retreat was necessary. It came from making that retreat possible. By helping hold back the enemy and burn the bridges behind the withdrawing Union troops, he helped protect the garrison and earned the Medal of Honor.