Author Archives: 65th NY Guy

They had a few things in common. Though they ranged in age from their 20s to their 40s, the men from the Sodus area who enlisted in the 65th NY Volunteer regiment, joining Companies I or K, all joined in Auburn in mid-March 1865. Hence, they all served at the very end of the war.Continue reading “The Chasseurs of Wayne County, New York”

I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season, even if the Pandemic has put a damper on travels and family visits. With some time off from work this week, I have been tweaking a chapter of what I have been calling “Book #2.” The working title is “Following the Chasseurs: My Life with the 65thContinue reading “Happy Holidays! And Some Work to be Done…”

With the work on my regimental history of the 65th New York volunteers completed, but for fixing some typos and updating a few small things for a 2nd edition of No Flinching From Fire, it seems clear that a continuing connection to the men of the 65th NY is going to be my lot.  AtContinue reading “A Local Cemetery Trip to Rockland”

My daughter Rachel is something.  She spent 4 days traveling with me over the Memorial Day weekend this year, while socially distancing, to find the gravesites of 65th NY soldiers who are listed on a database made by the NY State Military History Museum as being buried across the state.  Finding the graves, we wouldContinue reading “4 Days Across New York State with My Daughter, Searching for Chasseur Graves”

Recently I found among my pile of papers a short narrative from the Longwood High School website with some letter excerpts from a 65th NY soldier which evidently I printed off the internet in 2002 and then forgot about for eighteen years. The narrative came from a collection of brief vignettes on local veterans apparentlyContinue reading “A Rediscovery of an Old Document Bears Fruit”

My daughter Rachel has been using the regimental roster and Findagrave.com to locate almost 100 more 65th NY soldier graves around the country. While it will necessitate another trip north to the Western part of New York state to visit up to 20 graves she has located, today I traveled to nearby New Rochelle, NYContinue reading “A trip on a hot day to two cemeteries near me to find two Chasseur graves”

Going to Ohio Some of the very first letters from 65th NY soldiers which I found, back in 2009, were at the Army Heritage Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  Charley Crockett wrote to Nellie about the early months of training, while flirting with her about the kiss she had promised him upon his return.  Sadly, heContinue reading “A Civil War Trip to Ohio”

My daughter Rachel and I embarked last Memorial Day weekend on a 3 day upstate tour in search of 8 graves of members of the 65th NY Volunteers, who we were honoring with flags this Memorial Day weekend. On the way home we also visited the grave site of the 121st NY commander, who brieflyContinue reading “An epic 4 day drive with my daughter Rachel around NY State, decorating 65th NY grave sites with American flags”

Andersonville on August 17, 1864 (Library of Congress) A trip to the site of the Andersonville prison camp, along with the sites of other, lesser known camps at Millen, Georgia and Florence, South Carolina, is a unique civil war trip for me for a number of reasons.  Firstly, a drive from my home in  WestchesterContinue reading “Going to Andersonville”

Among the pleasures of committing to retracing the steps of one’s Civil War ancestor, and his regiment, is the chance to share that passion with my family members.  My 1996 trip following the Overland Campaign with my father has already been mentioned.  My Dad was a World War II buff, his eldest brother having beenContinue reading “Getting Better at Being a Civil War Tourist/Researcher”