ANDREW I. GORDEN – 77(th) INFANTRY15 MONTHS IN THE MILITARY - Andrew I. Gorden was on the Muster Roll ofthe 77(th) Infantry as one of sixty-five privates in Captain FranklinNorton’s Company I. He was destined to serve just over 15 months of hispromised three years of service.Andrew left for Washington on November 28, 1861, after drilling for amonth near Bemis Heights on the Hudson River near Saratoga.For the rest of the year the 77(th) served in the Defenses ofWashington in the 3(rd) Brigade of Casey’s Division. In March 1862,they were on the Virginia Peninsula. They started at Yorktown in March,went on to Williamsburg and Mechanicsville and then joined the SevenDays’ Battles in June, still having only received less than 30casualties.In July they were at Harrison’s Landing on the James River. They made itover Crampton’s Gap on South Mountain on September 14(th) and threedays later were at Antietam where they had 32 casualties.We don’t know if Andrew was with the regiment through all of the 1862engagements. His Muster Roll Abstract says his pay was docked $13 onaccount of his court martial. But he was back with the regiment by theend of October. In December, they were at Fredericksburg before spendingthe winter at Falmouth across the river from the battlefield. While theywere there, Andrew was discharged for disability on January 6, 1863. Twoweeks later the order came to march.Did he return to Wilmington where he was born or Black Brook where hewas recruited? Other names used in his records are Goodwin, Goodin,Gordon and Gaudin.
