HENRY SAMUEL RANSOM -- 118th INFANTRYRAISED A COMPANY FOR THE 118th INFANTRY -- Chazy-born Henry SawyerRansom, raised his own company for the 118th Infantry in August 1861.During the course of the war, 115 men cycled through the company.Ransom's company was Company I that contained men from Champlain, Chazy,Dannemora and Mooers.The regiment stayed in Washington for the first year and a half, untilthe Siege of Suffolk in April 1863. Everything went well for Harry untilthe Battle of Drewry's Bluff on the James River about 10 miles south ofRichmond, on May 16, 1864, as part of the operations before Richmond andPetersburg in the Bermuda Hundred Campaign.See an enlarged, extremely detailed map of the area by clicking on themap at: http://civilwardailygazette.com/\.../01/may16battlemap.jpgJohn Cunningham wrote about May 16th in his history of the regiment,"...We stood to arms this morning at 3 o'clock...a heavy fog filled theatmosphere...before sunrise we noticed troops approaching...a few shotsmade the approaching troops lie down...Captain Ransom, Company I,impatient at the hesitation, sprang upon the works, exclaimed, "This ismy reception of such friends," and fired his revolver at the approachingmen. The last of his 5 shots had hardly been fired when he fell, shotthough the arm and lungs." You can read the whole story of that day onpage 113 at:https://books.google.com/books?id=e19KAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA213\...Another version of the 118th's participation at Drewry's Bluff can beseen at:https://books.google.com/books?id=OMALAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1\... on page 279of, "The Military and Civil History of the County of Essex, NY."Private Lewis Bolia, was credited with saving the life of Captain Ransomwhen he helped him off the field. Harry's arm was amputated on November4, when he returned home after being paroled and discharged fordisability. The Rebel sharpshooter was killed by Lewis on the same day.Harry returned to Plattsburgh to his wife and family and had severalhigh-profile jobs in the community. Two additional children were bornafter the war.He died in 1888 and his obituary was in the Plattsburgh Sentinel of June29, 1888 --The Death of Captain Harry S. Ransom --"Not unexpectedly, our old and esteemed citizen, Capt. Harry S. Ransom,died at his residence in Plattsburgh last night, June 28.Captain Ransom was 64 years of age. He was born in Chazy, May 7, 1824,where he spent the greater portion of his early life. He resided a whilein Madrid, MO, Watertown, WI, and previous to 1862, Marysville, CA.In the summer of 1862, he recruited Company I, of the 118th Regiment ofNew York Volunteers, and as its captain he did gallant service for hiscountry, and at Drewry's Bluff lost his right arm and received otherserious wounds.In 1865, Captain Ransom was elected Sheriff of Clinton County, and in1869, he was appointed Post Master at Plattsburgh, which position heheld until Cleveland's Democratic administration.Captain Ransom was a noble, Christian man and a patriot. He was anenthusiastic Republican, from the organization of the party.He leaves a wife and five sons, Henry B., George B., Charles H., WilliamS., and Harry S., Jr."One of their sons, Captain George B. Ransom, U. S. N., was ChiefEngineer of the U. S. S. Concord at the Battle of Manila Bay. For hiseminent and conspicuous conduct was given a medal by Congress.
