Berne during the Civil War

Pvt. Reuben L. Weidman, Company I, 15th Cavalry<br.>NYS Military Museum

From Our Heritage

The story of Civil War soldiers from Berne and the War's impact on the community is told in the book, Our Heritage, the history of the town of Berne. In a section titled, "Berne Serves In the Civil War", Euretha Wolford Stapleton, historian for the town of Berne, writes the following:

According to the records the town of Berne had as least 77 men who volunteered in the War Between the States. Many of them were just farm boys, who, caught up in the wave of enthusiasm, had enlisted to save the union and to end slavery. The first enlistments were for only three months. It was three years before many who survived battles, swamps, Libby or Andersonville, returned to Berne. Some had lost an arm or leg; others had their health broken by disease. Very few Berne men saw action in the early campaigns. The majority fought in Louisiana and in the final battles near Richmond.

We have recorded a few stories of those who died:

Joel Wilson., born in Berne in 1842, joined the 177th New York Regiment in 1862 and was sent to Louisiana, he died there of typhus fever and his body returned to Berne. Among those who mourned was his fiance, Ann West. Joel was buried in the Methodist Cemetery on West Mountain, a location which adjoined the Wilson farm.

Jesse D. Wood., born in Berne in 1846, joined the Union Army at the age of 16 in the 10th New York Regiment and was also sent to Louisiana. He died at Port Hudson on August 13, 1863 at the age of 17. His grave in the family plot just outside of Berne is marked by a stone topped by a small replica of a Union soldier's hat.

Another young volunteer was Corporal Alonzo Grove Ludden., son of Alonzo Payson Ludden. Rev. A. Ludden , pastor of the Lutheran Church of Berne. In 1864, at age 16, Alonzo joined the 177th Regiment and contracted disease in the expedition against Port Hudson, La. Sent home, he never regained his health and died February 16, 1865.

Of the soldiers who survived the war, William M. Blade. of Berne managed to live through imprisonment at Andersonville. It was said that while in prison, he saw another Berne boy, Nathaniel Wright., starve to death. Mr. Blade weighed only 75 pounds when released, and was unable to walk for some time.

Zadock B. West| Zade West.of South Berne became a surveyor for the Union Army. He helped map bridges, road, and areas of attack. Wounded in the left leg, he returned to South Berne, lived to be 96, and died in 1920.

Azor T. Hayes, born in Berne in 1843, was the son of a widow and had several brothers and sisters. His mother did not want him to enlist, but at age 19, he left with many others. In 1866, after the war was over, Azor reenlisted and was killed about a year later. There is no record of the details of his death or place of burial.

Andrew Willsey and Irene Dotysent as least 3 of their nine children to the Civil War; Elias Willsey, Stephen H. Willsey, and Abraham T. Willsey. All of them survived and the Willsey family is fortunate to have a collection of letters which the young men wrote while at war.

Among other Berne boys who were killed were John Jost Bogardus, at Cedar Creek in 1864 and William A. Post at Cold Harbor in 1864, age 22.

These young men of Berne, who played a role in the most bloody war of American history, went off with a fervor unmatched in recent times. Each year, small flags honor their resting places on Memorial Day.

Regiments in which men from Berne served

7th Regiment, New York Heavy Artillery

There were at least 35 men from Berne who served in the 7th Regiment. Some of the Regiments major battles were at Petersburg, Cold Harbor, Weldon Station, Spotsyvania. Six of the men from Berne were killed in battle, or died shortly there after of their wounds. Nine were captured, six of whom died in prison of starvation or disease. One was missing in action. Eight were wounded, of which four were discharged for disability. Click here for more about the 7th Regiment and a listing of the men from the Hilltowns who served in it.

Diaries of George H. Warner

The Civil War Diaries of George H. Warner from 1862 and 1863 are posted on the Berne Historical Project site. George was 17 when he went off to war. He returned home less than a year later and died September 28, 1863 from sickness he had contracted while serving in the Union Army in Louisiana. The following January his younger brother, Peter William Warner, lied about his age and joined the Union Army. Peter died November 1864 in Andersonville Prison at the age of 15.

Letters of Carpenter N. Wright

Also on the Internet are the Civil War letters that Carpenter N. Wright wrote to his father Albert Wright. In his last letter from a camp near Alexandria Virginia he wrote:

dear father i take my pen in hand to inform you that i am not Well yet i am very Sick i am getting my

Additional Media

• 

  Berne CW Soldiers, from History of Albany County, by Howell and Tenney
• 

  Berne CW Soldiers, from History of Albany County, by Howell and Tenney (continued)

BERNE MEN WHO JOINED THE UNION ARMY

We are trying to collect information for a book on Hilltown men who were in the Civil War. The information is being posted here in their biographies in preparation for writing the book. While we have volunteers adding information little by little, it will still only be what information they can glean from public records. We are encouraging family researchers to post additional information on each of these men: photographs, obituaries, copies of letters home, pictures of headstones, memorabilia, etc. We hope to publish the book in 2011, the 150th anniversary of the start for the war.

Biography

We would like to start a biography for each of these people with the basic data about their military service and anything else you care to add under one or more of the following categories as appropriate:

• Photo
• Birth (date, place, parents)
• Education
• Military Service
• Marriage and Children
• Occupation
• Death (date and burial)
• Other Media (newspaper articles, service papers, obituary, etc.)
• Gallery (photos)

Instructions

Please add a name below in alphabetical order. To do so, first register then sign in. You will see an Edit tab to the right. Click on it and enter a name in the sample format shown below. Go the bottom of this page and click Show Preview. The name should then appear in red. If it looks OK, go to the bottom of the page again and click on Save Page. If you click on the name you can then add a biography. You need not write a biography to add a name to the list.

Click on Instructions for Entering Service Personnel for additional help.

Service Personnel

• Andrew J. Adams.
• James Knox Alverson. wounded at Cold Harbor and discharged for disability.
• John Amasa Alverson
• Harvey A. Baldwin
• Henry Arthur Ball wounded at Cold Harbor
• Jerome Ball Ball, Jerome
• John H. Ball
• Lucias E. Ball killed in action at the battle of Cold Harbor
• Madison Ball
• Seneca S. Ball
• Teunis M. Ball
• Cyrus Barber
• Josiah W. Barber
• Jacob C. Batcher
• Albert Bell
• Elias Bell
• Edmund Bell died of wounds received at Port Hudson
• John Michael Bell
• William H. Bell died of disease in Washington DC
• Nelson Billings
• George Blade
• William M. Blade captured at Petersburg and imprisoned at Andersonville, GA, Charleston and Florence, N.C
• Charles B. Bogardus killed in action at Cold Harbor
• John Jost Bogardsu killed in action at Cedar Creek
• Peter Bogardus
• William H. Bogardus missing in action at Cold Harbor, presumed dead
• Peter G. Bouck died of disease at City Point, VA
• Addison Bouton captured at Cold Harbor, imprisoned at Andersonville, GA
• Theodore F. Bradley
• Fabian Brasett
• Delinton V. Brate
• George Brate
• Lewis L. Brate
• William H. Brate
• Ira Cannaday killed in action at Petersburg (source: Harry Cannaday [email protected])
• John Henry Canull killed in action at Petersburg.
• William Harrison Canull died of typhoid in Baltimore.
• Harrison Champenois
• Joseph Chapman
• Miner Chrysler
• Joel B. Cole
• Madison Cook captured at Petersburg, imprisoned at Andersonville
• Jacob Coons
• Marcus Cooper
• Leonard Cornwell killed in action at Gettysburg.
• Thomas Condon
• George W. Crary, see *George Washington Steiner
• William Craver
• John Cummings
• George M. Davis
• Abram B. Decker
• David Devoe
• Edward Crary Denison
• Eli Dietz Enlisted, got sick, got sent home to die.
• Franklin Dietz
• Isaac M. Dietz
• Samuel Dietz
• Joseph Drum
• John W. Duel
• Robert Dunbar
• Alexander Dyer
• Robert D. Engle
• Thomas J. Farquher captured at Weldon Station, died Wilmington, NC while a prisoner of war
• Morgan L. Filkins
• Aaron Flansburgh
• Adam Flansburgh
• Alfred Flansburgh
• Simon Flansburgh
• Seth Flint served under the alias Charles M. Server
• James Furman
• David Gathen was blinded for life while on an unauthorized expedition
• Albert Weaver Gifford
• George Delos Gifford
• Jasper Haight died at Fortress Monroe
• George Hallenbeck
• Harrison Hallenbeck
• Urias Hallenbeck
• James H. Hammond killed at Gettysburg
• Peter Harp
• George Havens
• William Havens wounded at Weldon Railroad; died after his leg was amputated.
• Edward Haverly
• Jacob Henry Haverly died of Typhoid Fever at2nd Army Hospital, City Point, Virginia.
• [[Bio:Azor T. Hayes|Azor T. Hayes killed at the Battle of the Wilderness
• Jacob Hillacas
• Charles Hochstrasser
• Caleb Brewster Hotaling
• Abner Hungerford captured at Petersburg; died at Millen prison
• Benjamin Hungerford
• William F. Hungerford
• Jacob S. Irons
• Allen Jones captured at Petersburg; released.
• Chauncey Jones
• James Edwin Jones enlisted in Co. D, 91st. N. Y. V. I.
• George F. Karker
• John R. King died of disease at Bonnet Carre (sp.?) (1865 census)
• Lyman P. Kneiskern
• George W. Laraway captured at Petersburg, died of scurvy at Andersonville
• Alonzo Grove Ludden
• John Lyon became ill and died.
• Michael Maher
• Thomas Jewett Mann
• Edmond J. Martin
• Edward Mattice
• Nelson Mattice
• Timothy McCarty accidentally drowned at West Troy before mustering in.
• John McChesney
• Charles McCulloch was killed at the Battle of Spotsylvania
• Daniel McCulloch
• William McCulloch
• Peter McIntosh
• Edwin R. McNary
• Joseph Addison McNary
• John Merrihew
• Orville A. Merrihew died at Millen prison,
• Addison B. Miller
• Minor S. Miller
• James H. Neeper
• Andrew Nelson
• George Nelson
• Holmes Nelson
• Joseph B. Northrup accidentally drowned at West Troy.
• Joseph C. Northrup
• Cyrus Ostrom killed in battle at Port Hudson
• James Phillips
• William Henry Harrison Posson
• George Post
• Henry Post
• William A. Post wounded in battle at Cold Harbor and died untreated on the field three days later
• Jeremiah W. Reed wounded at Totopotomoy and died in hosptial a month later.
• Adam H. Reinhart
• Addison Reinhart
• Paul Reinhart
• Peleg Reinhart
• William Reinhart
• John M. Salisburg
• Peter Saulsburgh
• Charles Schermerhorn
• Andrew Secor
• Andrew Secor, Jr.
• Francis Secor

Server, Charles M. see Flint, Seth

• Elias M. Shafer
• Shafer, Miner see *Elias M. Shafer
• Allen Shultes
• Dewitt C. Shultes
• John B.Shultes
• William Adam Shultes
• George Albert Simons
• Oscar N. Slingerland
• Michael Smith
• Samuel Smith
• John Snyder
• John C. Spawn served in WI in the CW, moved to Berne before 1870.
• Philip A. Stalker
• William H. Stalker died of disease in Washington
• Thomas E. Stanton
• Chauncey A. Steiner died while a P.O.W. at Andersonville
• Cornelius Steiner at age 61 was the oldest man in the 7th Regiment
• George Washington Steiner alias Crary, George W.
• [[Bio:John M. Steiner|John M. Steiner]
• Harrison Stringham
• James Taylor wounded at Petersburg, leg amputated and he was discharged for disability
• John Taylor died in a hospital in Baltimore
• Daniel Townsend
• Jacob Towsan
• Daniel VanDeusen died at Port Hudson
• William H. VanDeusen
• Henry Van Zandt
• David Vincent
• Francis Waggoner
• Moses Wagoner wounded at Totopotmoy and again at Petersburg; discharged for disability
• Abram D. Warner
• David A. Warner
• Ezra Warner
• George H. Warner died at home of disease before mustering out
• Henry Warner
• Ira Warner
• Isaac Warner
• [[Bio:Peter William Warner|Peter William Warner died of starvation in prison at Andersonville
• William Warner
• George M. Watson
• Reuben L. Weidman
• Ezra Weisgarver
• Allen West
• [[Bio:John West 1836|John West 1836] brother of Allen West
• Zadock B. West aka. Zade West
• Adam Westfall
• Madison Whipple
• Elias White
• Isaac White
• William B. White
• William Wellington Wilber
• William Wilcox
• Adam Minor Wilday
• Alva Wilday
• Cornelius Wilday
• Hiram Wilday mortally wounded in action at Petersburg and died a few days later
• John Wilday, Jr.
• Abraham Ferris Willsey
• Elias Willsey
• Stephen Holmes Willsey
• Joel Wilson died of disease at Port Hudson
• Peter Winne
• Peter Wolford
• Hiram B. Wood captured at Petersburg, imprisoned at Andersonville, died at Jacksonville Fl. while still a prisoner.
• James Edgar Wood died of consumption
• Jesse D. Wood died of disease at Port Hudson
• Carpenter N. Wright died of disease
• Charles Wellington Wright
• Edward Wright
• Nathaniel Wright died while a prisoner at Salibury, NC
• Samuel S. Wright
• Silas W. Wright
• Norton Zeh captured at Peterburg, imprisoned at Andersonville paroled, went AWOL from army hospital and dishonorably discharged for theft

Notes