DAVID A. SHELDON -- 9th CAVALRYAT LEE'S SURRENDER - About fifty men enlisted in Clinton County for the9th Cavalry. Most enlisted when the regiment first formed in late 1861.A year later, because so many men died of disease, were discharged fordisability, died or deserted, more recruits were needed to fill out theranks.Quebec-born David A. Sheldon was one of the second wave of recruits. Hewas born just over the border near Clarenceville to Henry Sheldon andHarriet Shadrach. David's Sheldon ancestors were some of the originalsettlers of Deerfield, MA. In 1860, he was living in Champlain with iswife, Emily Gokey, and the first four of his children.Almost three years later, he enlisted on Christmas Eve 1862, in BlackBrook. The 9th had received 43 casualties in their travels aroundnorthern Virginia in 1862 -- 20 of them captured by the enemy. In 1863,they had 46 engagements in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania --including Gettysburg in early July where they had 11 casualties fightingwith the Cavalry Corps. From January to December, the regiment hadalmost 200 casualties.In 1864, starting at The Wilderness and Spotsylvania, they had overfifty engagements during the next twelve months -- all of them inVirginia. During that time, they were not only in battle, but were inJohn Singleton Mosby territory who suffered many of their men to becaptured.In 1865, after leaving the Army of the Potomac for the Army of theShenandoah, the regiment was engaged four times in the Shenandoah Valleybefore joining in the Appomattox Campaign in MG Philip Sheridan'sCavalry Corps. In July 1865, David was mustered out at Cloud's Mills,VA, near Alexandria.He returned to his family and in 1870, was supporting his wife and sevenchildren as a butcher in Black Brook. By 1880 the family had moved toMoriah, NY. The 1890 Veterans Schedules were enumerated with Emily asthe witness because David had died two years before in Crown Point. Shestarted receiving her Widows Pension in the same year.
