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 Doty sent at 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

• Adams, Andrew J.
• Allen, Thomas killed in action at Petersburg , VA
• Alverson, James Knox wounded at Cold Harbor and discharged for disability.
• Alverson, John Amasa
• Ball, Henry Arthur wounded at Cold Harbor
• Ball, Jerome
• Ball, John H.
• Ball, Lucius E. killed in action at the battle of Cold Harbor
• Ball, Madison
• Ball, Seneca S.
• Ball, Teunis M.
• Barber, Cyrus
• Barber, Josiah W.
• Batcher, Jacob C.
• Bell, Albert
• Bell, Elias
• Bell, Edmund died of wounds received at Port Hudson
• Bell, John Michael
• Bell, William H. died of disease in Washington DC
• Billings, Nelson
• Blade, George
• Blade, William M. captured at Petersburg and imprisoned at Andersonville , GA, Charleston and Florence , N.C
• Bogardus, Charles B. killed in action at Cold Harbor
• Bogardus, John Jost killed in action at Cedar Creek
• Bogardus, Peter
• Bogardus, William missing in action at Cold Harbor , presumed dead
• Bouck, Peter G. died of disease at City Point , VA
• Bouton, Addison captured at Cold Harbor , imprisoned at Andersonville, GA
• Bradley, Theodore F.
• Brasett, Fabian
• Brate, Delinton V.
• Brate, George
• Brate, Lewis L.
• Brate, William H.
• Cannaday, Ira killed in action at Petersburg (source: Harry Cannaday [email protected])
• Canull, John Henry killed in action at Petersburg .
• Canull, William Harrison died of typhoid in Baltimore.
• Champenois, Harrision
• Chapman, Joseph
• Cole, Datus died of disease at Bonnet Carre, LA
• Cole, Joel B.
• Cook, Madison captured at Petersburg , imprisoned at Andersonville .
• Cornwell, Leonard killed in action at Gettysburg .
• Condon, Thomas
• Crary, George W. see Steiner, George Washington
• Craver, William
• Cummings, John
• Davis, George M.
• Devoe, David
• Dietz, Eli
• Dietz, Isaac M.
• Dietz, Samuel
• Drum, Joseph
• Duel, John W.
• Dunbar, Robert
• Engle, Robert D.
• Farquher, Thomas J. captured at Weldon Station , died Wilmington , NC while a prisoner of war
• Filkins, Morgan L.
• Flansburgh, Aaron
• Flansburgh, Adam
• Flansburgh, Alfred
• Flansburgh, Simon
• Flint, Seth served under the alias Charles M. Server
• Furman, James
• Gathen, David was blinded for life while on an unauthorized expedition
• Gifford, Albert Weaver
• Gifford, George Delos
• Gocha, Soloman Ruben wounded at Reams Station, discharged for disability.
• Haight, Jasper died at
• Hammond, James H. killed at
• Harp, Peter
• Havens, William wounded at Weldon Railroad ; died after his leg was amputated.

or:

• Havens, William wounded in foot on picket duty at Petersurg and died in a hospital following the amputation of his leg
• Haverly, Edward
• Haverly, Jacob Henry died of Typhoid Fever and 2nd Army Hospital, City Point, Virginia.
• Hayes, Azor T. killed at the Battle of the Wilderness
• Hochstrasser, Charles
• Hungerford, Abner captured at Petersburg ; died at Millen prison
• Jones, Allen captured at Petersburg; released.
• Jones, Alonzo I.
• Jones, Chauncey wounded.
• Jones, James Edwin enlisted in Co. D, 91st. N. Y. V. I.
• Karker, George F.
• King, John R. died of disease at Bonnet Carre (sp.?) (1865 census)
• Kneiskern, Lyman P.
• Laraway, George W. captured at Petersburg , died of scurvy at Andersonville
• Lyon, John became ill and died.
• Ludden, Alonzo Grove
• Maher, Michael
• Martin, Edmond J.
• Mattice, Edward
• Mattice, Nelson
• McCarty, Timothy accidentally drowned at West Troy.
• McIntosh, Peter
• McCulloch, Charles killed Battle of Spotsylvania
• McCulloch, William
• McNary, Edwin R.
• McNary, Joseph Addison
• Merrihew, John
• Merrihew, Orville A. died at Millen prison,
• Miller, Addison B.
• Nelson, Andrew
• Nelson, George
• Nelson, Holmes
• Newberry, John S.
• Northrup, Joseph B. accidentally drowned at West Troy.
• Northrup, Joseph C.
• Ostrom, Cyrus was killed in battle at
• Phillips, James
• Pindell, David L.
• Posson, William Henry Harrison
• Post, George
• Post, Henry
• Post, William A. wounded in battle at Cold Harbor and died untreated on the field three days later
• Quay, Lewis W. Corporal Heroes of Albany
• Reed, Jeremiah W. wounded at Totopotomoy and died in hosptial a month later.
• Reinhart, Adam H.
• Reinhart, Addison
• Reinhart, Paul
• Reinhart, Peleg
• Reinhart, William
• Salisburg, John M.
• Saulsburgh, Peter
• Schermerhorn, Charles
• Server, Charles M. see Flint, Seth
• Shafer, Elias M.
• Shafer, Miner see Shafer, Elias M.
• Shultes, Allen
• Shultes, Dewitt C.
• Shultes, John B.
• Shultes, William Adam
• Simons, George Albert
• Sitterly, Lawrence
• Slingerland, Oscar, N.
• Smith, Michael
• Smith, Samuel
• Snyder, John died of disease in Baltimore
• Spawn, John C. served in WI in the CW, moved to Berne before 1870.
• Spawn, William
• Stalker, Philip A.
• Stalker,William H. died of disease in Washington
• Stanton, Thomas E.
• Steiner, Chauncey A. died while a prisoner at Andersonville
• Steiner, Cornelius at age 61 was the oldest man in the 7th Regiment
• Steiner, Daniel H.
• Steiner, George Washington alias Crary, George W.
• Steiner, John M.
• Stringham, Harrison
• Taylor, James wounded at Petersburg , leg amputated and he was discharged for disability
• Taylor, John died in a hospital in Baltimore
• Towsan, Jacob
• VanDeusen, Daniel died at Port Hudson
• VanDeusen, William H. (source: 1865 census)
• wounded at and again at ; discharged for disability
• Waggoner, Francis
• Warner, Abram D.
• Warner, George H. died at home of disease before mustering out
• Warner, Henry
• Warner, Peter William died of starvation in prison at Andersonville
• Warner, William
• Watson, George M.
• Webster, James
• Weidman, Malachi
• Weidman, Reuben L.
• Weisgarver, Ezra
• West, Allen
• West, John 1836 John West, brother of Allen
• West, Zadock B. aka. West, Zade
• Westfall, Adam
• White, William B.
• Wilber, William Wellington
• Wilcox, William
• Wilday, Adam Miner
• Wilday, Alva
• Wilday, Cornelius
• Wilday, Hiram wounded in action at Petersburg and died a few days later
• Wilday, John Jr.
• Willsey, Abraham Ferris (Abram)
• Willsey, Elias
• Willsey, Stephen Holmes
• Wilson, Joel died of disease at Port Hudson
• Winne, Peter
• Wolford, Peter
• Wood, Hiram B. captured at Petersburg , imprisoned at Andersonville , died at Jacksonville Fl. while still a prisoner.
• Wood, James Edgar died of consumption
• Wood, Jesse D. died of disease at Port Hudson
• Wright, Carpenter N. died of disease
• Wright, Charles Wellington
• Wright, Nathaniel died while a prisoner at Salibury , NC
• Wright, Samuel S.
• Wright, Silas W.
• Zeh, Norton captured at Peterburg , imprisoned at Andersonville paroled, went AWOL from a military hospital and was dishonorably discharged for theft

Notes