BERNARD YOUNG -- 16th INFANTRYRAISED IN PLATTSBURGH - In 1850, Bernard Young was living in Plattsburghwith his father. Charles Young (Yon), who was a teamster, and AdelineRicard, his mother. Ten years later, the situation hadn't changed exceptthat he had three more siblings. The next year, on May 15, 1861, he wasmustered in as a private in the 16th Infantry when he was 18 yearsold.Bernard was sworn in to serve for two years and went into camp nearBethlehem, NY, near Albany, then left the state for Washington on June26. At first the 16th was assigned to the Army of NortheasternVirginia and moved to Alexandria on July 11th. From there they went toManassas thirty miles to the west to fight at the first Battle of BullRun, but they were shortly sent back to Alexandria. Each side had 30,000men on the field and each side had only 18,000 men actually engaged.Only two more small battles were fought that year before they went intowinter quarters near Fairfax Seminary.Before the 16th was boarded on the "Daniel Webster, No. 2", to takepart in the Peninsula Campaign, there were a couple of minor battles.Once on the coast about 200 miles from the capital, they participated inthe Siege of Yorktown then marched up the Peninsula to take part in theSeven Days' Battles near Richmond. Bernard was wounded at Gaine's Mill,the first of the battles, and was mustered out for disability onSeptember 30, 1862, at Fort Wood, a War of 1812 star fort that now formsthe base of the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe's Island.The fort had been garrisoned in 1861 and during the Civil War servedmany purposes such as a hospital, a recruiting station, and an ordnancedepot. The men stationed there never fired upon the Confederacy but werecalled upon to quell the New York City draft riots in 1863.
