ELEAZAR, ELI and SAMUEL CARTO -- 16th CAVALRY and 3rd VETERANCAVALRYTHREE MEN FROM THE TOWN OF CHAMPLAIN - Shortly after James Carto(Jacques Artau/Hertau) and Marguerite Robert dit Fountain came to settlein Clinton County, their last child, Eleazer Carter was born. Heenlisted in the 16th Cavalry on December 26, 1863, in Champlain, 10 daysafter his brother's son, Eli, enlisted.They were mustered into Captain Nathan A. Mooney's Company A inPlattsburgh where the regiment organized. Eleazer and his nephew foundthemselves in a company with men who were recruited in Plattsburgh,Syracuse, Massena, Mooers, New York City as well as Champlain.The 16th stayed in northwestern Virginia. By 1863, the cavalry was nolonger being used merely to patrol the countryside, guard and scout.Military commanders were using them more as advanced scouts before abattle and as mobile fighting forces. The two men joined the regimentwhile they were in winter quarters and had the first of their 26engagements of 1864 at Dranesville in February and their finalengagement at Vienna, VA, in December -- all of them in John SingletonMosby's territory. Eli's brother joined Company A in September 1864while they were near Culpeper. For his enlistment, he got a town bountyof \$600 and a county bounty of \$300.After winter quarters the 16th was in the field again at Warrenton onMarch 5, 1865. Two days later, Eli was killed at Flint Hill, VA, about20 miles west of Warrenton where Mosby later had a law practice. Eli, orElisha as he was known, has a memorial stone in the Mills Cemetery inPerry's Mills.Samuel was mustered out in May 1865 and married Martha Phaneuf in Mooersin 1866. Near the end of their lives, the couple moved to BritishColumbia. Martha died in 1909 and, the year before his death in 1913,Samuel married his second wife, Mary Kate Charles.Eleazer remained in the military until September 21, 1865, after beingtransferred to the 3rd Veteran Cavalry. He had married Matilda Roy in1863, and the couple moved to Massachusetts after the war. By 1885 theywere established in Holyoke. He died there in 1929.
