BENJAMIN JACKSON MAGOON -- 83rd and 97th INFANTRYWOUNDED AT THE WILDERNESS - Benjamin Jackson Magoon's name was mentionedin the Plattsburgh Republican of July 18, 1863. It was in a list of allthe men who had been drafted in Clinton County separated by Town. Thelist takes up 3 columns on pages 2 and 3 of the paper. Although the menmay have been drafted, there was no guarantee that they would enter themilitary -- they still had to receive the doctor's OK. Maybe yourancestor's name is on it. See the list at:http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031979/1863-07-18/ed-1/seq-2/Benjamin Magowan or Magoon, as the family came to be known, was born inCanada in 1832. He received \$200 for enlisting in the 83rd Infantryon July 7, 1863. Two other men from Ellenburg enlisted and were musteredin on the same day -- Ebra Begor and Joseph Hobbs.Benjamin met up with his regiment after their hard year of fighting.During the 12 months before he joined them, the 83rd had received 410casualties, so he and his companions were replacement troops. The 83rdwas in a few month's hiatus regrouping from the heavy fighting of theprevious year, including the Battle of Gettysburg fought in the samemonth as his enlistment where they 8 men killed or mortally wounded, 15injured and 58 men who went missing or were captured. During the 3-yearlife of the regiment, a total of 2,129 was recorded in its roster.From the time he joined the regiment until May 7, 1864, all went wellwith Benjamin. His only major engagement had been the Mine Run Campaignin Virginia at the end of 1863, but the Battle of the Wilderness in Maybrought an end to his military career. He was shot through the jaw, andspent the rest of his time in hospital recovering from his terriblewound. On June 7, 1864, he was transferred to the 97th Infantry onpaper and was discharged on May 19, 1865, in Washington by General Orderof the War Department that said that all men who were healthy enough toreturn home should do so.Thus, Benjamin, who was born in Canada to Benjamin Magoon and BetseyJackson, came home to Ellenburg Center and endured his horrific injuryfor the rest of his life. He and his wife, Harriet Hammond, who he hadmarried in 1854, had one child during their marriage, Merritt, who wasborn in March 1864, while his father was at war.From 1866, Benjamin received an Invalid's Pension for the rest of hislife. He died in 1916 at 83 years and 8 months of age, and was buried inthe Riverside Cemetery in Ellenburg Center.
