CHARLES L. PALMER -- 2nd OH CAVALRY and 2nd NY VETERAN CAVALRYWILLIAM RUFUS PALMER -- 16th NY INFANTY and 2nd NY VETERAN CAVALRYRAILROAD WORKERS JOINED THE ARMY - In 1863, two sons of William Palmerand Jerusha Bacon enlisted in the 2nd Veteran Cavalry -- Charles andWilliam. Charles L., the elder of the two, enlisted on the same day asWilliam Rufus in Plattsburgh, July 23, 1863. Both had been in the Armypreviously. Charles was in the 2nd OH Cavalry and William had servedtwo years in the 16th NY Infantry. Before they were in the military,Charles was a telegraph operator and William a fireman.The 2nd Veteran Cavalry was just forming in Saratoga when the brothersenlisted. At first, they patrolled the streets of Washington and thenwere ordered to the Department of the Gulf in March 1864. Charles wasquickly promoted to quartermaster sergeant and before winter quarters in1864, was commissioned 2nd lieutenant.The regiment was in seventeen engagements in the ill-fated Red RiverCampaign which lasted from March to the end of May. Between June andDecember, they were in twenty-three battles and skirmishes back andforth across the Mississippi.In 1865 the regiment was in Florida and patrolled and skirmished inFlorida and Alabama. William missed all of the engagements because hewas captured on February 18th and wasn't exchanged until May 27th.He was mustered out on September 26th at Montgomery, AL. Charles wasmustered out on November 8th in Talladega, AL.Both brothers returned to Clinton County and became railroad firemen. Inlater life, Charles left Mooers and spent many years in and out of fourdifferent veterans hospitals. He died of heart disease and pneumonia onMarch 20, 1914, in Hampton, VA. He was buried in the Hampton NationalCemetery with several other men who had enlisted in Clinton County.William continued working on the railroad and in 1900 was an engineer.He died in 1905 and was buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Mooers withhis parents. His wife, Minnie Manor, died in 1953, and was buried withthem.
