GEORGE ALFRED MARSHALL -- 16th NY INFANTRY and 2nd VT INFANTRYFOUGHT FOR NEW YORK AND VERMONT - In January 1864, the Chief of theBureau of Military Statistics reported to the New York State Assemblythat New York had furnished 292,982 men between to the war effortbetween April I5,1861 and December 31, 1863. Of this number 230,442 weremustered for 3 years; 30,131 for 2 years; 2,516 for 9 months; 29,893 for3 months. Reduced to a common term, the State has furnished theequivalent of 253,649 three years men. This ratio applied to the loyalStates should produce an army of 1,439,500, or one soldier for every 13persons in the loyal States.George Alfred Marshall was one of the 30,000+ men who enlisted for 2years. He was mustered into the 16th Infantry in Plattsburgh at 33years old. one month after Lincoln called for the first 75,000 men onApril 15, 1861. Captain Frank Palmer had personally recruited him to bein his Company C. Companies C and E were recruited in the Plattsburgharea.On June 26th the regiment left for Washington. Their second battle wasat First Bull Run where it was only engaged on the northeast edge of theaction. In September and October there were two skirmishes near PohickChurch, VA, where George Washington and Robert E. Lee worshipped. Thenext month, the church was vandalized by the 2nd MI Infantry.In May 1862, they had 6 men killed and 11 injured at West Point on theYork River on their way to Richmond. Moving closer to the Capital of theConfederacy, they fought in the Seven Days' Battles. They suffered 231casualties during the first of the series of battles at Gaines' Mill --41 killed in action, 17 mortally wounded and 173 who were wounded butrecovered.In September, the regiment was ordered to Maryland and had 63 morecasualties at Crampton's Pass on the way to Antietam where they wereheld in reserve while they were recovering from their significantlosses. At Fredericksburg in December, the were ordered to picket duty.In January 1863, the 16th was with General Burnside and hisineffective Mud March. They then joined the Chancellorsville Campaignand, just a few weeks before they were to muster out, had 154 morecasualties at Salem Church and Marye's Heights on the western outskirtsof Fredericksburg in early May -- 24 killed in action, 12 mortallywounded, 101 wounded and 17 who went missing or were captured.George decided not to re-enlist and, because he was a 2-year man,returned home. In August of 1863, he enlisted in the 2nd VT Infantryas a substitute. He was wounded at The Wilderness in May 1864 and wasdischarged in January 1865 and immediately applied for a pension.In 1866, George married Delia Mallory andthey had two daughters. George died in 1885 and was buried in theRiverside Cemetery in Plattsburgh with his mother, Rebecca, who diedwhen he was born and his father, Paul, who died a few months after hereturned from the war. George's wife and daughters are also buried atRiverside.
