Cattaraugus County G.A.R. Posts

# 58 - Olean - Post charter revoked March 1875
Colonel James Power McMahon, 164th NYSV. Born in 1836 in County Wexford, Ireland; emigrated to the U.S. with his brother, John; graduated from Fordham University in 1860; mustered Nov. 7, 1861 as Captain of Co. K, 69th NYSV; he served with Meagher's Irish Brigade before helping his brother raise a regiment in Buffalo; appointed Lt. Col. of the 155th NYSV and Provost-Marshal of the Corcoran Legion on Oct. 21, 1862; succeeded his brother as Col. of the 164th March 23, 1863; shot dead June 3, 1864 while planting the 164th NYSV's colors atop the Confederate breastworks at Cold Harbor, VA; buried on the battlefield but eventually moved to Holy Cross Cemetery; later re-interred in Utica in 1905.
# 85 - Portville - Jan. 11, 1879 to Nov. 1923
Brigadier General Henry Walton Wessells. Commander of the brigade that the 85th NYSV was attached to in the Army of the Potomac and XVIII Corps in the Department of North Carolina;surrendered Plymouth, NC to CSA General Hoke, April 20, 1864; died in 1889; buried in Arlington.
# 139 - Steamburg - Chartered Aug. 8, 1904
Cpl. James Randolph, Co. A, 154th NYSV. Enlisted in 1862, age 22, at Coldspring, NY; captured at Chancellorsville May 2, 1863; paroled May 14, 1863; promoted to Corporal; WIA May 8, 1864 at Rocky Face Ridge, GA; died Aug. 16, 1864 in a Nashville hospital; buried in the Steamburg Cemetery in town of Coldspring.
# 222 - Olean - Chartered June 23, 1881
General George Dashiell Bayard. 1st Lt. in US Cavalry; Major 3d NYSV June 20, 1861; Brigadier General USV April 28, 1862; died Dec. 14, 1863 of wounds received at the Battle of Fredericksburg; buried in Princeton, NJ.
# 232 - Ellicottville - Oct. 13, 1881 to 1894
Adjutant Samuel C. Noyes, 154th NYSV. A resident of Ellicottville when he enlisted, his family owned an estate in North Collins, Erie County, NY (see Post #220 in North Collins); KIA at Chancellorsville, VA; buried on the battlefield. (Post name later changed to 154th Surgeon Van Aernam.)
# 232 - Ellicottville - June 4, 1894 to 1924
Surgeon Henry Van Aernam, 154th NYSV. Born in 1819 at Marcellus, NY; became a teacher by 1834; was a contractor in canal-building in Virginia 1835-37; studied medicine at Geneva Medical College in 1845; moved to Franklinville in 1848; elected to NYS Assembly in 1857; enlisted in Jamestown Aug. 1862, age 45; discharged for disability 1864; was a Radical Republican elected to the US House of Rep.; pension commissioner 1869-71; reelected to Congress in 1878 and 1880; died June 1, 1894; buried in Mt. Prospect Cemetery in Franklinville, NY.
# 246 - Little Valley - Nov. 4, 1881 to 1925
Captain Henry Van Aernam Fuller, Co. F, 64th NYSV. Joined the 64th NYSV at Little Valley on Aug. 13, 1861, age 20; mustered Dec. 10, 1861 as 2d Lt. of Co. F; as 1st Lt. on July 22, 1862; as Captain on Dec. 30, 1862; KIA at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863; buried in Rural Cemetery, Little Valley, NY.
# 287 - Cattaraugus - Chartered Aug. 19, 1882 to 1912
Private Bela Rich, Co. A, 64th NYSV. Enlisted Oct. 30, 1861, age 43, at Gowanda; died of disease Sept. 22, 1862 at Craney Island, VA and is buried there.
# 297 - Randolph - Chartered Oct. 6, 1882
1st Lt. David T. Wiggins, Co. C, 64th NYSV. Joined 64th NYSV at Randolph, age 28, on Aug. 17, 1861; mustered Sept. 7, 1861 as Sgt. Co. B; as 1st Sgt. Oct. 3, 1862; mustered Sept. 1, 1863 as 2d Lt. of Co. C; mustered Feb. 4, 1864 as 1st Lt. of Co. C; KIA May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania; buried in Randolph Cemetery.
# 310 - Leon - Chartered Nov. 2, 1882
Captain William Fancher, Co. K, 64th NYSV. Joined the 64th NYSV at Leon, age 38, on Sept. 14, 1861; mustered Dec. 9, 1861 as Captain of Co. K; died of typhoid fever during leave at home in Leon on May 24, 1862; buried in Treat Memorial Cemetery in Leon.
# 329 - Machias - Chartered Jan. 12, 1883 to 1912
Private Norris Phillips, Co. A, 188th NYSV. Died Feb. 19, 1865 of wounds received at Dabneys Mill, VA.
# 357 - Great Valley - Chartered May 5, 1883
Private Lewis S. Rust, Co. C, 105th NYSV. Enlisted at Great Valley Jan. 15, 1862, age 42 (had a wife and three children); WIA Sept. 1, 1862 at Bull Run and died the next day; buried on the field; cenotaph at Willoughby Cemetery, Great Valley, NY.
# 359 - Gowanda - Chartered March 30, 1883
Captain Henry H. Darby, Co. B, 64th NYSV. Enlisted as Private at Gowanda, age 19; WIA at Fair Oaks, VA, June 1, 1862; captured at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863; wounded April 7, 1865 at Farmville, VA; died of wounds near Burkeville, VA, on April 11, 1865.
# 380 - Salamanca - Chartered July 24, 1891
Private Sylvester Sherwood, Co. D, 85th NYSV. Enlisted Nov. 15, 1861, age 24; discharged Aug. 11, 1862 after three months in a NYC hospital with a lung inflammation; died 1891; buried in Wildwood Cemetery, Salamanca, NY.
# 386 - South Dayton - Chartered July 13, 1883
Private Clinton D. Nash, Co. K, 9th Cav. Enlisted Sept. 11, 1862, age 20; died April 29, 1862 of disease at Camp Scott, Yorktown, VA; buried in Cottage Cemetery, Dayton, NY.
# 390 - Delevan - Chartered July 19, 1883 to 1918
1st Lt. Frank A. Howell, 27th USCT. Born in 1840; served in 4th Vermont as enlisted man; commissioned in 27th USCT on May 6, 1865; buried in Yorkshire, NY, Cemetery.
# 461 - Waverly - March 10, 1884 - 1929
Colonel Walter Clark Hull, 2d NY Cavalry. Born in the village of Angelica, Allegany County, NY. His father, William B. Hull, was son of Judge Hull and his mother a daughter of Stanley Nichols Clark. When Walter was two, his father died in St Louis, MO, while on a trip. In 1859 at age 15, Walter came to Waverly to attend Waverly Institute. He graduated in 1861 but at age 19 enlisted that December as a private in Ellicottville, Co. I, 37th NYSV (commanded by his uncle Wm. T. Clarke) instead of enrolling in college. Some accounts say he was a student at Lima College in Livingstone County, NY. He nearly died of fever on the Peninsula and was promoted to Sgt. He was mustered as 2d Lt., Company K on 9/13/1862. Lt. Hull was discharged 5/29/63 to become Captain USV and Aide-de-Camp to Genšl Stoneman. He also served on Genl Wilsonšs staff. He was discharged in 1863 and then enlisted as Captain, Co. L, 2d NY Cavalry during September. Wounded in action 5/28/1864 at Hanover Court House, VA; transferred to Co. A August, 1864; mustered as Major to date 9/11/64; mustered to date 11/1/64 as Lt. Colonel; mustered to date 11/1/64 as Colonel, age 21. One of the waršs youngest colonels. He was killed 11/12/64 while leading a charge against Rosseršs Cavalry at Cartwellšs Springs, near Cedar Creek, VA. "The enemy made a stand at Mt. Zion Church near Cedar Creek and the bullets flew thick for a moment . . . Col. Hull reeled and fell to the ground on the left side of his horse. In a moment, he rose to his feet, remarking 'They hit me,' and mounted his horse only to fall off on the other side dead." His body was initially buried in Ellicottville, NY, but is now at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, NY.
# 508 - Franklinville - Chartered March 20, 1891
Captain Alanson Crosby, Co. D, 154th NYSV. Joined at Jamestown on Aug. 8, 1862, age 25; mustered as 2d Lt., Co. A on Sept. 26, 1862; mustered as 1st Lt., Co. D on April 4, 1863; appointed Adjutant on July 1, 1863; mustered as Captain of Co. D on June 9, 1864; WIA June 16, 1864 at Pilot Knob, GA; died of wounds July 9, 1864 in Nashville Hospital; buried in Prospect Cemetery, Franklinville, NY.
# 584 - Allegany - Chartered March 17, 1886 to 1916
2d Lt. Ira S. Thurber, Co. I, 64th NYSV. Joined at Allegany, age 30, on Aug. 28, 1861; mustered Sept. 10, 1861 as Sgt. of Co. I; promoted to 1st Sgt. on Feb. 25, 1863; mustered as 2d Lt. June 17, 1863; KIA July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg; buried in Protestant Cemetery at Allegany, NY.
# 616 - Ishua - Chartered July 6, 1887 to 1916
Fair Oaks. The first battle casualties of the 85th NYSV.
# 637 - Dayton - Chartered Oct. 8, 1888 to 1915
Private Barzilla Merrill, Co. K, 154th NYSV. Enlisted in 1862, age 44, at Dayton; KIA at Chancellorsville; buried in Cottage Cemetery, Dayton, NY.
# 651 - Onoville - Chartered Oct. 15, 1891 to 1914
1st Sgt. Henry F. Whipple, Co. H, 154th NYSV. Enlisted in 1862, age 42; captured July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg; held at Belle Isle and Andersonville; died at Andersonville July 9, 1864, grave #3084. May have been re-interred in Wildwood Cemetery in Salamanca.
# 655 - Otto - Chartered March 31, 1892
Cpl. William T. Wickham, Co. I, 37th NYSV. Enlisted May 1861 at Ellicottville, age 21; promoted to Cpl. on Oct. 6, 1862; KIA at Chancellorsville; buried on the field.
# 666 - East Randolph - Chartered Feb. 15, 1893 to 1919
Private Amos A. Hall, Co. E, 9th NY Cav. Enlisted Aug. 26, 1862, age 25; received disability discharge at NYC on Aug. 23, 1864 for injured knee; died in 1888; buried in East Randolph Cemetery in Randolph.

Maintained by Sue Greenhagen.
E-mail: greenhsh@morrisville.edu