Susan M. Martin

The Sixth New York Cavalry was formed in October of 1861, companies were raised throughout New York State and sent to Staten Island. In December of that year the twelve company regiment was sent to York, Pennsylvania for training. Thomas C. Devin had been appointed colonel and he took his duties seriously, he drilled his men until they could perform maneuvers without a hitch. In July of 1862 they were finally supplied with horses and equipment and they went off to war.

During the war the Sixth New York Cavalry served with the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the Shenandoah, the troopers acted as scouts and as guards for generals, they manned picket posts, fought with swords, rifles, and revolvers, they fought both mounted dismounted. In December of 1863 Colonel Devin asked his men to re-enlist for as long as the war should last and most every member of the unit did so, making it a veteran volunteer regiment. Six troopers were awarded the Medal of Honor, the regiment captured more flags from the enemy than any other New York unit, its first commander rose to the rank of Brevet Major General. The New York cavalrymen earned the respect and praise of generals John Buford, Wesley Merritt, and Philip Sheridan; they were involved in over 150 battles and skirmishes; they suffered 473 causalities; 9 officers and 73 enlisted men were killed in action.

I will add new information from time to time, including brief biographies and illustrations of Sixth New York Cavalry officers and troopers. I would like to share information about the regiment and its soldiers, I have some unpublished sources and files on various troopers, plus a roster of men who served in the Sixth New York Cavalry. Please contact me at:

Sue Martin

Biographies

General Thomas Casimer Devin

The first commander of the Sixth New York Cavalry was Thomas C. Devin who was appointed colonel of the regiment in November of 1861. Colonel Devin was born in New York City in 1822 to Irish parents, he attended city school as a youth then later became part owner of a house painting business. While working in New York he joined the State Militia where he rose to become a lieutenant colonel of a cavalry regiment. Although that unit consisted of local men, most of whom did not even own horses, Devin gained valuable military experience. After the Civil War began Devin was mustered into the First New York Cavalry as a captain, he served in West Virginia with that unit for three months . Upon his appointment as colonel of the Sixth New York Cavalry he began the organization of his troopers at Staten Island and immediately won their respect. One of his men, Sergeant David Ashley, said, "We have a colonel of our own, one who takes a great deal of interest in the welfare of his men, and as he is (strictly in every sense of the term) a Soldier and one that has seen service... I take great pleasure in stating that from what I have seen of him he is far superior to any officer in the brigade". 1

In the early months of 1862 Colonel Devin and his troopers traveled to York, PA for training. The men had new barracks at Camp Harris but no horses, so the colonel devised a method of training cavalry maneuvers by having the troopers form squads while holding onto ropes, and trotting through the motions on foot. Although others may have laughed at the colonel's methods, his troopers became some of the best trained and most reliable men in the cavalry. When the Sixth new York received horses and equipment in July of 1862, part of the regiment was sent to the Peninsula to serve with General Sumner, and the rest of the men followed Colonel Devin into the many skirmishes and battles of that fall. One of his sergeants said, "To see him on the battlefield, absolutely self poised, to see the look of determination on his face as he placed himself in command of his regiment when the charge was made, to hear his clear ringing tones amid the clash of sabres and the rattle of carbines and musketry, was to understand something of his value as a soldier. Among the brilliant officers who led our cavalry squadrons to victory, few, if any, excelled our beloved commander". 2
In December of 1862 Devin was given command of the Second Brigade, Cavalry Division, Army of the Potomac. He led his brigade expertly, using his military experience and natural courage; he was inclined to go by the book in running the every-day affairs of the brigade but in battle he had an instinct for doing what was needed to succeed.. He had no time or use for newspaper reports, and made no effort to promote himself as so many other officers did, therefore his name was not brought to the attention of his superiors. He just quietly got the job done and let others go after promotions. The Colonel did, however, recognize the gallant service of his men; in an address to them in November of 1864 he said, "...At the Battle of Opequon, after charging and routing a superior force of the enemy's cavalry in your front, you whirled like a thunderbolt on the left of his infantry lines and rode them down, in the face of a withering fire, in two successive charges, capturing over five hundred prisoners and five battle flags. ...You have captured, during this short campaign, twenty-four guns, nine battle flags in action, and over one thousand prisoners. This brilliant success has not been affected without severe loss. One third of your number, including forty officers, have been killed or wounded. ...Praise from me is superfluous. The record of your deed is sufficient. You have done your duty and the brigade has maintained its old reputation." 3
General John Buford, commanding the First Cavalry Division, had recognized Devin's skill, especially at the battles of Brandy Station in June of 1863 and at Gettysburg in July. Unfortunately Buford died of typhoid in December of 1863, before he was able to get Devin the promotion he deserved. General Philip Sheridan, newly appointed to head the Army of the Shenandoah in 1864, had come to rely on Devin when the going was tough. In May of 1864 Sheridan found his troops in a difficult position near Richmond with Rebel forces almost surrounding them. As Sheridan surveyed the scene he spotted Colonel Devin bringing on his men, Sheridan sighed and said, "It is all right, there goes Tommy Devin." Sheridan gave Thomas Devin the rank of Brigadier General and put him in charge of the First Division of Cavalry, Army of the Shenandoah. In 1865 General Devin was given command of the First Division of Cavalry, Army of the Potomac, and he led his division with skill throughout that spring. The First Cavalry Division was present and prepared to charge when General Lee surrendered at Appomattox.
At the close of the war Devin was brevetted Major General of Volunteers. He chose to stay in the army and was then appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 8th United States Cavalry, later he became Colonel of the 3rd United States Cavalry. He served with honor on the western frontier where he was respected by soldiers and Indians warriors alike, but he suffered greatly from health problems, many of which were caused by his long hard service during the war. In 1878 he requested a leave of absence for health reasons and he returned to New York City in hopes of improving his condition. By that time his body was worn out from his many ills: gastro-enteritis complicated with hepatitis, malarial rheumatic affliction of the back and legs, chronic inflammation of the Eustachian tubes (causing deafness), anemia, cancer of the stomach, and chronic pharyngitis. On April 4th, 1878 he died at home, with his wife, Elizabeth, and his daughter, Jeanette, present. He was first buried in New York City but in 1897, after Elizabeth died, he and his wife were buried on the Academy grounds at West Point.

NOTES

1. David Ashley; Letter November 2, 1861, U.S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle, PA
2. Alonzo Foster, Reminiscences and Record of the Sixth new York Veteran Volunteer Cavalry
3. Hall, Besley, Wood, History of the Sixth New York Cavalry
Edward P. McKinney, Life in Tent and Field

Lieutenant Colonel Duncan McVicar

Duncan McVicar was from Scotland , born in Islay, Argylshire, and had been a member of the Royal Artillery for five years before coming to Canada. In Canada he met and married Susan McVicar (same name, no relation) and they had five children before they moved to Rochester New York in 1861. McVicar was interested in the abolitionist movement and is said to have worked with Frederick Douglass in helping slaves escape to Canada. In 1861 he volunteered to fight for the Union and began to recruit men for a Light Artillery unit in New York, soon after that he was appointed as Lieutenant Colonel of the Sixth New York Cavalry. When Colonel Thomas Devin of the Sixth New York was promoted to Brigade command in December of 1862, Duncan McVicar took over command of the regiment.
McVicar was well respected by his men who described him as an energetic, red-haired sturdy Scotch Presbyterian, a praying man who was loyal and a gallant soldier. Lieutenant Colonel McVicar had only a short time to prove his worth as a regimental commander. During the Chancellorsville campaign in the spring of 1863, he had been ordered to lead his men toward Spotsylvania Court House to meet other unidentified troops there. The Sixth had been our [Twelfth Corps] advanced .our skirmishers.. during entire march. They were few in number and the duty required was very fatiguing; but they had stood up to the work manfully, and had achieved for themselves a reputation for dash, pluck and efficiency rivaled by no other regiment in the service. So well were were they appreciated that detail after detail had been made from among them until but about two hundred and fifty men were left; but these were tried men and true. 1 On the night of April 30 Lieutenant Colonel McVicar, leading his men as ordered, was far from any support and on a dark wooded road when he spotted Rebel troopers coming toward his regiment. These men were part of General J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry, on the way to report to General Lee. They were taken by surprise finding enemy forces blocking their way on the narrow dark road. In the confusion that followed McVicar ordered his men into a field where they formed ranks ...there was but one course for him - to pierce through the enemy's line, leading the assault, sabre in hand, and he fell at the first charge. ...He was a Scotchman and a gallant soldier, and he died as he would have wished - cutting his way through the enemy. 2 The Confederate forces buried McVicar with respect and several days later his remains were sent to Rochester, New York. Thousands of citizens attended Duncan McVicar's funeral there, he was buried with honors in Mount Hope Cemetery. The chaplain of the Sixth new York Cavalry, George Crocker, paid tribute to the fallen hero and thanked the military and citizens who had extended their sympathy. His death is a serious loss to the service and to the country of his adoption. 3

NOTES

1. New York Times, Letter From Chancellorsville, May 4, 1863
2. New York Times, May 5, 1863
3. Rochester N.Y. Democrat, May 5, 1863

Major William E. Beardsley

William E. Beardsley was born in Connecticut in 1826; at the age of twenty-one he married Rebecca Olmstead in an Episcopal ceremony in Bedford, New York. When the Civil War broke out he signed up for three months with the Seventy-First New York Infantry, then in September 1861 he enlisted with the Sixth New York Cavalry. He was mustered in as a captain in Company E. Beardsley was described as a tall man, well built, with a long black bread, ...and a noble bearing, in fact he was one of the best appearing officers of the command, he was very healthy and full of life and was accustomed to joke at [the need for] surgeons. 1.
In the summer of 1862 he served on recruiting duty in New York City, returning to his regiment in September of that year. On the eve of the battle at Sharpsburg Captain Beardsley was riding his horse and leading another when his horse stumbled and fell on him, causing serious injuries (dislocated shoulder and severe back pain). There were conflicting stories about the accident, one account reported, He was injured by becoming entangled in a lariat rope. He rode a fine stallion and between the stallion and his led horse... he was caught and dragged some distance. I recollect seeing him helped up. I know that at first he could not speak, but placed his hand upon the small of his back and ever afterwards complained of it. So much so that at the fight between Aldie and Upperville VA he could not keep his horse and was compelled to dismount. In spite of his discomfort Captain Beardsley continued to carry on. 2.
Lieutenant Colonel McVicar, in command of the regiment, nominated Captain Beardsley for promotion to major in March of 1863. Captain Beardsley had always been strong willed and independent, which had caused him to come to the attention of Colonel Devin, who at that time was in command of the Second Brigade of the First Cavalry Division. Devin objected to Beardsley's promotion, pointing out that the captain had been under arrest three times for acts of insubordination and contempt of General Orders. The officers of the regiment however, liked Beardsley and thought that as the senior captain he deserved the promotion so they put their feelings in a letter to Colonel Devin. After further consideration and in recognition of the fact that the officers had requested the promotion, the captain's conduct had more recently been in accordance with propriety, and admitting that two junior captains had already been promoted, Devin approved Beardsley's promotion. 3.
Not long after becoming a major Beardsley found himself unexpectedly in command of the regiment. On April 30th, 1863 Lieutenant Colonel McVicar was killed in the fight at Alsop's field and the regiment had been so depleted by death and disease that Major Beardsley was next in line for command. The major did an effective job as commander, serving through some of the fiercest battles of the war, but he suffered constantly from the injuries sustained in the accident of 1862. When his three year term of duty was up in October of 1864 he resigned and went home to recuperate. However he found no peace in being away from the war and his friends in the cavalry, so in March of 1865 he signed on as a major (later amended to lieutenant colonel) in the Twenty-Sixth New York Cavalry. He was assigned to Court Martial duty in Albany, and in July of 1865 he was mustered out with the rest of that unit.
The years after the war were not what Major Beardsley had hoped for, he settled with his wife in Akron, Ohio and earned a living as a traveling salesman. He was often in pain, his shoulder ached and his arm was numb, he had a scar on his neck from an abscess, and his kidneys had started to fail. In 1883, after much pleading from his wife, he finally saw a doctor. The physician reported that Beardsley had pain and restricted movement in his shoulder, hip, and back, all most likely due to his 1862 injuries. He also now had an enlarged heart, a chronic cough, edema, vomiting, and uremic blood poisoning due to Bight's disease; and he was unable to lie down - his constant sitting position causing extreme exhaustion. The doctor believed most of his medical troubles were the result of the hardships of life in the wartime Cavalry. On December twenty-fifth, 1884 William Beardsley died. 4.

Notes

1. Augustus Clarke, MD, General Affidavit 1887, National Archives
2. George VanBuren, General Affidavit 1887, National Archives
3. Thomas Devin, Letter March 1862, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
4. A.F. Chandler, MD, Physician's Affidavit, 1887

Major Floyd Clarkson

On April 17, 1861 Floyd Clarkson enrolled in the Seventh Militia to serve one month. He was thirty years old and mustered in as a private in that unit. In September of 1861 he joined the Sixth New York Cavalry to serve three years. In November of that year he was mustered in as a major, probably due to his previous (if brief) experience in the military and his acquaintance with other officers of the regiment. In March of 1862 Major Clarkson was put in charge of the first armed and mounted battalion of the Sixth New York Cavalry, and sent to the Peninsula to report to General Keyes. While there, one of his men, Captain Diodate Hannahs, was murdered by a member of the Fifth Pennsylvania Cavalry, a regiment that had recently run in confusion from an encounter with the enemy and had been subsequently rescued by the Sixth New York Cavalry. Major Clarkson wrote, He [Hannahs} went out to get his dinner at a private house leaving his horse in charge of a negroe [sic]. A drunken trooper [from the Fifth PA Cavalry] seeing the horse, took it from the negroe and when Capt. Hannahs, just then coming out, objected and ordered him to desist, the trooper drew his pistol and shot the Captain in the left side of the neck, the ball lodging in the right lung... This is a great loss to us, apart from his loss as a soldier, he had won very favorable notice from the General. As a companion we shall miss him exceedingly. Highly educated, a close observer of men and things, of a social disposition, he was ever cheerful... Had he fallen in battle, it would not have been so bitter a cup to drink - that is a soldier's fate, but to be murdered by men whose regiment has disgraced itself and to whose side he had gallantly gone is a horrid death. 1.
Major Clarkson took his duties very seriously and was especially anxious that his men be promoted according to merit. He dared to express these thoughts to Colonel Devin in a letter written after an incompetent trooper in his command had been promoted solely by seniority over more deserving men. Will you allow me to make some suggestions, it seems to me that in making promotions that the majors might be consulted somewhat as to their battalions and the Captains to their Companies... Is it taken for granted that the Company has no good Sergeants, or Corporals, or Privates now competent to be commissioned officers? Would the adoption of the Rule promote that gallantry which the true soldiers have, be they officers or enlisted men, and which is called forth by the desire of promotion? - I think not! Soon after writing the above to Colonel Devin, Clarkson requested a leave of absence to attend to some personal business at home; the leave was denied. Colonel Devin had not been pleased to have his authority questioned and his resulting coolness to Major Clarkson may have been one of the reasons for Clarkson's resignation in October of 1862. In addition Clarkson's health was not good, he had been suffering from "malarial fevers". Eventually the Major recovered and went on to serve in the Fourteenth New York Cavalry. 2.

Notes

1. Floyd Clarkson Letter, September 13, 1862
2. Floyd Clarkson Letter, October 13, 1862
A.P. Clarke, Surgeon 6th New York Cavalry, Letter, June 23, 1862

Major John Carwardine

Major John Carwardine served with the Sixth New York Cavalry from October of 1861 to March of 1863. He was an Englishman, having been born at Earls Colne, Essex on the two hundred year old family estate. His father was the Reverend John Carwardine, rector at Earls Colne. English records indicate that Major Carwardine was born in 1825 but he gave his age as 34 when he mustered in at New York City in 1861. Many Nineteenth Century Europeans came to the United States to fight in the Civil War either from a sense of adventure or to support ardent feelings about the slavery issue, and in the Major's family it was expected that the sons would either go into the clergy or military service. 1.
John Carwardine was mustered in as Captain in Company F of the Sixth New York Cavalry, but was soon promoted to Major. He was popular with the men of his regiment and was a brave soldier on the battlefield. At the Battle of Antietam he was put in charge of five companies (at that particular time about 300 men) and ordered to proceed to the mouth of Antietam Creek, there he and his troopers held in check one thousand Rebels who had threatened the Union left flank. In action at Loudon Heights, VA in October of 1862 Carwardine again demonstrated his leadership. The commanding general, John Geary, remarked, The detachment of cavalry remaining with me, led by Lt. Colonel McVicar, impetuously charged upon the enemy, who resisted them but a short time... Our Cavalry exhibited much bravery in their charge and throughout conducted themselves admirably. Colonel Devin, their commander, Lt. Colonel McVicar, and Major Carwardine are deserving of much approbation for their display of gallantry and ability. 2.
In March of 1863 Major Carwardine received news of the death of his father and older brother, which left him as the head of the family. He resigned from the Union Army and went home where he inherited the estate and became Lord of the Manor at Earls Colne. In 1864 he married the daughter of a JP, and they eventually had two sons and a daughter. In 1889 John Carwardine died of throat cancer. Towards the end of his illness it was reported that he visited all the workers on his estate and gave each of them a sovereign and told them he would not see them again. He was buried in the Earls Colne churchyard, next to his father. 3.

Notes

1. "An Essex Man in Lincoln's Army" Peter Lockwood
2. The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion
The History of the Sixth New York Cavalry, Hall, Besley, Wood
3. The Essex Standard, September 14, 1889

Lieutenant Franklin T. Saunders

Franklin Saunders was born in Franklinville, New York on March 29, 1836, the eighth child of ten born to Harvey and Sarah Saunders. His family had come from Norwalk, Connecticut to western New York by way of the Hudson River and Erie Canal in 1832. Frank (as he preferred to be called) came from a background of educated folks; three of his brothers were physicians and another was a teacher. Frank attended the Rushford Academy and Genesee College Law School, graduating with honors in 1861, after which he joined a law office to learn the profession. When Frank attended the Academy he and one of his brothers established a literary society there which they opened to the public. They sponsored political debates, discussions of national issues, and guest speakers, among them Horace Greely, Frederick Douglass, Henry Ward Beecher, and Josh Billings. So in the fall of 1861 when an officer came to town recruiting men for the Sixth New York Cavalry, Frank and his brother, Jim, were quick to enlist. Frank wrote to another brother, "We are all in good spirits and perhaps you may think us somewhat war-like when I tell you that Jim and myself are already enlisted in a company of cavalry...as members of the Ira Harris Guard." 1.
The recruits were soon sent off to Staten Island where the regiment was organized; Thomas C. Devin (later to command the First Division of Cavalry) was appointed Colonel of the regiment, and Frank was elected Sergeant in Company I, his brother, Jim, was a private in the same company. The new regiment was sent to York, PA for training , then to Washington, DC to await horses and orders. In the summer of 1862 Frank was sent to New York City to recruit more men for the regiment. He successfully recruited over one hundred and fifty men but his captain,William Crocker, got all the credit, and was then appointed to Major. Frank was appointed Orderly Sergeant in the fall of 1862, he went on to serve as Acting Sergeant Major of the regiment and Acting Adjutant; he was finally promoted to First Lieutenant in the spring of 1864 . Although he often became very discouraged (as did many of the enlisted troopers) with the promotion of incompetent officers, it never kept him from doing his duty. "But after all, the welfare of the country and not our own interests, is the primary object and the consciousness of having done our duty honestly and faithfully is the best recompense we can have." 2.
Lieutenant Saunders was present during all the major battles and skirmishes in which his regiment took part. He rode with his fellow troopers on long, hot, dusty marches, and he served on the picket lines in stormy winter weather. On a particularly cold day in 1863 he described riding to a picket line where the troopers were ordered to stay for twenty days, "Snow and hail with a strong wind rendered it tedious in the extreme. Several froze their ears and toes and all were chilled through." In April of 1863 he led a charge in a night-time battle against three of J.E.B. Stuart's regiments. In that fight at Alsop's Field the regimental commander, Lieutenant Colonel Duncan McVicar was killed, but Frank Saunders escaped with just a bullet in his stirrup. Lieutenant Saunders fought dismounted at Gettysburg and he battled the Rebels in the Shenandoah Valley. Fatigue and sickness brought him down twice; in the summer of 1863 he wrote, "We have been hard at work for a long time. We have had tough fighting and hard marches. Our company is large and since Lt. Phillips death, Capt. Pierce is our only commissioned officer. His health is not robust and this threw a great responsibility on me. I had been suffering al the while with diarrhea which taken together has run me down to a perfect skeleton and I found myself too badly used up to proceed further." 3.
In December of 1863 Colonel Devin spoke to the regiment and asked his men to re-enlist for as long as the war should last. Most every trooper did so, including Frank Saunders and his brother, Jim. By the fall of 1864 the hardships of constant fighting, picket duty, scouting, and illness had so depleted the regiment that although Frank had received his commission as First Lieutenant in Company H, he was actually in command of Company F, which had no other officer. "Fighting is the order of the day. We don't pretend to let a day pass without a row. In the last fight Sergeant Muldoon of Belfast was badly wounded and two other boys of our company were killed. I am in command of Company F at present." On October 2, 1864 Lieutenant Saunders was in charge of a skirmish line during a fight with the Rebel forces near Mount Crawford, VA. A Rebel sharpshooter, perched in a tree, got off a well aimed shot which found its mark. Lieutenant Saunders was mortally wounded and died nine days later in Winchester, VA. His brother, Jim, served until the end of the war. They are both buried in Mount Prospect Cemetery in Franklinville, New York. 4.

NOTES

1. Saunders Letter Oct. 28, 1861
2. Saunders Letter, April 13, 1863
3. Saunders Letter, March 14, 1863; July 13, 1863
4. Saunders Letter, August 23, 1864

Lieutenant Fergus Anzle Easton
Fergus Easton

Fergus Easton was born on September 24, 1842 in Langholm, Scotland, one of six children of Mary and George Easton. He and his brother, Douglas, immigrated to America via Castle Island, New York City on or about July 4, 1853. By 1860 the brothers were working as shoe tanners in South Hingham, MA. In 1861 Fergus answered the call of President Lincoln and mustered up with the Fourth Mass. Vol. Militia (also known as the "Minute Men of '61"). He was mustered out three months later as a private, then he signed on with the Lincoln Light Infantry, Forty-Second Mass. Vol. Militia. He mustered out of that regiment after three months, as a sergeant, and decided to try the cavalry. So he and some friends enlisted in a unit which they thought would be designated a United States Cavalry regiment, but it turned out to be the Sixth New York Cavalry. When his friends learned that they would not be eligible for the Massachusetts state bounty while serving in a New York regiment, they deserted. Easton, however, made the best of his situation and stayed. He adjusted easily to life in the Cavalry and soon was appointed a Second, then First Lieutenant. He was reported to be a popular and accomplished officer. While with the Sixth New York he took part in all of the skirmishes and battles of the first two years of his service and also served as an adjutant. In July of 1863 Lieutenant Easton had to resign due to ill health. 1.
After the war Easton returned to South Hingham to ,recuperate then moved to Hyde Park, MA where he and his brother opened a shoe tannery. He became a successful businessman and went on to open four stationery stores in the Boston area. He would marry and be widowed twice, then marry one last time in 1914. He had three children but only one, his daughter, Marie, survived childhood and went on to marry and have children of her own.
Throughout the remainder of his life Fergus Easton was dedicated to the men he had served with in the War of the Rebellion. He was instrumental in organizing the building of the regimental monument of the Sixth New York Cavalry on the Gettysburg battlefield, and he contributed greatly to the writing and publication of the Regimental History. Easton hosted many Sixth New York Veterans' Association Reunions at the various homes in which he lived over the years. After the 1916 reunion he wrote to the veterans who had not been able to attend, Your president [Fergus] opened the exercises by invoking divine blessings and, dinner concluded, gave a few facts concerning our regiment, just enough to show our friends present that our Reunion was not one of glorification but of thankfulness to Almighty God that we were allowed once more to cement the friendship formed in times of peril. Fergus Easton died later that year and was buried in Cohasset Central Cemetery, Cohasset, MA. He was a great and generous man to the end, truly a gentleman for God and Country. 2.
Contributed by Barbara Benn Spada, Fergus Easton's Great Grandniece

Notes

1. History of the Sixth New York Cavalry, Hall, Besley, Woods
2. Twenty-Fifth Reunion, 1916 Veterans' Association, Sixth New York Cavalry

Sergeant James Little

James Little was born in Glasgow, Scotland on April 10, 1838. He was the second of ten children born to John and Elizabeth Little, seven of whom would survive to adulthood. James' father had immigrated from Scotland to the United States, with his family in tow, sometime after James was born. They came to join relatives in New York in 1843, settling in Franklinville where John became the postmaster. James' boyhood days were spent in Olean, N.Y. and Franklinville but he left the area at the age of 16 to seek his fortune. In 1854 he went west to Minnesota and in 1857 took a pre-emption in Olmstead County.
When the Civil War broke out he returned to New York and enlisted in the Sixth New York Cavalry. James first position in the regiment was as an Orderly Sergeant. This job was explained by his future brother-in-law in a letter to his sister: The Orderly has to call all rolls, form the company into line when they go out on a drill or duty, make out a report to the Surgeon of the sick and take those able [to walk] to the Surgeon's tent, detail and mount guard every morning, make a monthly report to Headquarters, make requisitions for rations, and a thousand and one other things, besides he has to be present at drills, dress parades, and etc. His place is on the right of the company in the rear rank - the Captain occupying the front rank - the other Sergeants are in the rear of the company on a line with the Lieutenants. ...the pay of an Orderly sergeant is $20 per month. 1.
Sergeant Little served with the Sixth New York throughout the war and took part in most of the 143 battles and skirmishes of the regiment. Although he had three horses shot out from under him, he managed to escape with only one serious injury. That happened when his horse was wounded, he was thrown from the saddle while his foot was caught in the stirrup and he was dragged a ways. Sergeant Little kept a diary during the last year of the war, in the winter of 1865 he wrote, Weather very cold. Had to sleep alone and liked to froze ...Not any wood where with to build a fire. Snowed and was pretty cold. Had a very pleasant sleigh ride with our worthy friend, Stiles. Went down through town several time, fast horse, of course, making a mile in (?) if not less. Later he wrote, Commenced raining about 10 AM and rained all day. Ground very wet. Wind north, making it uncomfortable on account of smoke. The wind coming down the stove pipe in puffs. ... Beyond all question the coldest night of the year, at least the water froze harder. Or rather the ice in our tent was thicker this AM than any previous morning this winter. And in April that year he reported, Heard Old Abe was assassinated yesterday evening while leaving Ford Theater, also Secretary Stanton. ...Dark - Old Abe is dead. All exhibited sorrow at so great a calamity. All quiet throughout the lines. 2.
After the war Little returned to Minnesota and in 1867 he married Mary Oaks. He was employed as a grain buyer at Lake City where he and Mary lived for five years. In 1878 they moved to Canby MN and settled on their old homestead in Hammer Township. There they farmed the land and raised six children. James died in 1912 and his wife in 1927.
Contributed by Terry Schliewe, James Little's Great Great Granddaughter

Notes

1. Earnest, Sally A., Letters of Stephen Tippet Andrews to Miss Margaret Little. pg.29
2. Diary of James Little, January 2 -6 and April 15, 1865

Links

Buford's Union Cavalry
New York 154th Infantry
U.S.Cavalry Association

Civil War Cavalry