[3] Joel Blakesley, a farmer Wheeler NY, enlisted Aug. 21, 1862, assigned to company A. Description age 28, 5’-7” tall, sandy hair, light complexion, blue eyes. He did not waste much time with this soldier business. He deserted at Elmira Nov. 1862. No more record of him. He is a brother to George [Sr] & Robert.

[2] Robert Blakesley, a farmer from Wheeler or Jerusalem NY enlisted Aug. 25, 1862 assigned to company D. Description: age 26, 5’-7” tall , light hair & complexion, gray eyes. Robert probably participated in engagements at Baton Rouge, Port Hudson & Cox’s Plantation but was left sick at Brasher City, LA Sept. 2, 1863. He was discharged from service Jan, 31, 1864. Reason given: “Died of Chronic Diarrha” [diarrhea} on Jan. 10, 1864. He gave the last full measure in every sense of the word. Burial place : Baton Rouge National Cemetery, Sec 8, Site 426. R.I.P. He was the brother of George [Sr] & Joel.

[4] Abram Blakesley, a farmer from Wheeler NY enlisted Aug. 22, 1862 assigned to company D. Description : age 18, 5’- 8” tall, light hair & complexion, blue eyes. Abram was probably at the battles of Baton Rouge, Port Hudson & Cox’s Plantation. On Aug. 15 , 1863 the 161st was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 10th Army Corps for the expedition up the Red River. The object was to eliminate Rebel positions along the river. Four companies were assigned as sharpshooters on the gunboats. Abram & his company were assigned to the SACHEM. During the Battle of Sabine Pass on Sept. 8, 1863 the boat’s boiler was hit by artillery fire causing it to explode. Abram was one of 27 men listed as missing. He had been taken prisoner but was returned & died the next day of injuries from being scalded.  One member of the 161st said in a letter home, “The fleet have all returned and I think fully convinced that our expedition was not a very profitable one......An understatement if there ever was one. His burial place is unknown, probably Baton Rouge LA.  R.I.P. poor boy. He was the son of George [Sr].

[5] George F. Blakesley, a farm boy, from Wheeler or Bath NY, enlisted Aug. 20, 1862, assigned to

company D. Description: age given 18, actual age 16 or 17, 5’ - 4” tall, light hair & complexion, blue

eyes. George F. probably participated in engagements at Baton Rouge & Port Hudson. He was

wounded in the right arm at Cox’s Plantation on July 13, 1863. He recovered &  was taken prisoner

at Sabine Pass Sept. 8, 1863. Must have been on the SACHEM along with brother Abram & the

rest of company D. He was later released. He was left sick at Brasher City LA Sept. 17, 1863. He

died of “Chronic Diarrehea” at U S Barracks Hospital,New Orleans LA, on Jan. 13,1864 just 3 days after his uncle Robert died of the same thing. His burial place is unknown, probably in Baton

Rouge or New Orleans LA. R.I.P. poor boy. He was the son of George [Sr].

[6] The last family member to join the 161st was Venus P. Blakesley, a son of George [Sr], who enlisted under the name of Sylvenus P. Taylor. The reason given by his father much later was that his mother died when he was very young & he was brought up by a family named Taylor. He enlisted Dec. 29, 1863 just a few days before his brother George F. & uncle Robert died in LA. He was assigned to company A. Description: age given 18, actual age 15 years 6 months, 5’ - 3 1/2” tall, brown hair, light complexion, blue eyes. Sylvenus was probably at the battles of Sabine Crossroads & Pleasant Hill LA in the spring of 1864. He was left at University Hospital, New Orleans LA on Aug. 21, 1864 with what was probably typhoid fever & died Aug. 25 [ from service records]. Note: Death notice from  Steuben Co Newspapers, 1797-1884 by Heritage Books states he died Aug. 15, 1864 at age 16 years, 1 month, 15 days. When he died he was still owed $46 bonus & back pay. This may be why his father petitioned the Steuben Co.NY court on July 24, 1869 to settle his estate. The back pay was not mentioned, only that estate did not exceed $600. Did dad get it? Venus is buried in Chalmette National Park LA, sec. 60, site 4739. R.I.P. poor boy.

So ends the family’s association with the notorious Gen. Banks

Chauncey Blakesley, a farmer from Hammondsport or Wheeler NY enlisted at Elmira NY on July,

24, 1862, assigned to company G of the 107th NYS Vol. Infantry. Description: age 30, 5’ - 8” tall,

light hair, fair complexion, blue eyes. The reg’t was in Washington, DC by Aug. 15. After a very brief period of training they were on the march. They were attached to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division 12th Corps & joined a loser, Gen. George B. McClellan. Went to Maryland, missing the battle at South Mountain but getting to Sharpsburg MD & the Battle of Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862. In this battle they were assigned to defend a artillery battery where they were they endured fire from the enemy as well as fire over their heads from their own guns for the entire day. Lucky for them they missed out on the bloody assaults of that day, but it was not pleasant for them & they had little chance  to fight back. The regiment lost 63 men killed, wounded & missing at Antietam. After that battle the regiment went on to many more, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Siege of Atlanta, but Chauncey was not with them. He deserted at Fairfax Station VA on Jan. 17, 1863. A notation in his service records states “Went after hoe cakes. Never returned. Going yet”. Where he was & what he did for the next 17 years is not known, but in 1880 he is living in Williamstown MI. On Feb. 14th of that year he filed a Declaration for Original Pension, claiming he “contracted Rheumatism caused by exposure” while on duty at Harper’s Ferry VA about Nov. 1862. This started a blizzard of paper work between the Bureau of Pensions [BP] & Chauncey [CB]. It went like this: BP; There is no record of you being in hospital, besides you have this desertion charge...... CB; I was taken prisoner & put in parole camp, went home & did not return....... BP; No record of you being a prisoner, besides you have this desertion charge...... [they even mentioned the hoe cakes] you need to get your record cleared by the War Department before we can act on a possible pension. Chauncey never acted on this advice, but  continued to send letters to the BP, with the same reply. Finally he sent a letter saying he was at the Battle of Antietam & he never received any pay while in the service & any soldier who was there should get payed.  This could be true. What he got back was a letter giving all the previous reasons for rejection & a ‘don’t bother us again’. The date of the final communications August 16 1906, 26 years after Chauncey started his pension quest! He may have told the truth about parole camp. His muster roll paper for Jan. - Feb. 1863 says “absent, parole camp Annapolis MD”. By 1908 he is in Kanona NY where he marries his 2nd wife, Jennie Chapmin. He spends the rest of his life in Steuben Co. NY. He dies in 1920 at Wheeler Hill.  He was a brother of Geo. Sr, Robert & Joel.

[1] George Blakesley[Sr] a farmer from Bath, enlisted Aug. 23, 1862, assigned to company D. Description age 36, 5’-5” tall, light hair & complexion, blue eyes. Sent to NY City Hospital Nov. 19, 1862 with a fever. Discharged from service Jan. 23, 1863 for disability : Disease of the heart. A gun marked G.B. sent back. He was lucky to miss the bungling of Gen. Banks but like a good patriot he will be back. He is the 2x great grandfather of the author.

Six members of the Blakesley family joined the 161st NYS Volunteer Infantry to fight for the Union cause. The unit was formed in Bath, Steuben Co. NY with enlistments starting in Aug. 1862. Enlistments were complete by late Oct. & the regiment was mustered into US service. The regiment left Elmira NY Nov. 17, 1862 for NYC where they encamped at Union Course. From there they shipped out Dec. 4 bound for New Orleans LA. There the regiment was assigned to to Gen. Banks’ Dept. of the Gulf, 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 19th Corps where it was engaged in all the battles of the ill-fated Red River campaign. By fall of i864 the Blakesley families association with the 161st had ended. The regiment went on without them to many more campaigns until the end of the war. For more on the regiment see their history in “History of Steuben County” [NY] by W W Clayton ca 1879 available at the county historians office.

    This page is dedicated to my BLAKESLEY family members who served in the American Civil War of 1861-1865. Most served with honor, some did not. All are recorded here.

                                                                                                                      R C BLAKESLEY 2009