HIRAM VANARAMAN -- 16th and 121st INFANTRY and U. S. SIGNAL CORPSONE OUT OF THREE BROTHERS CAME HOME - Before he was finally buried in 1910 under the name Vanaraman, Hiram, who was born in 1838, was mentioned in records under many variations of his name. His parents were Henry VanArman and Marcia Sherburne, who were living on a farm in Ellenburg when their son enlisted.Hiram's first enlistment was in the 16th Infantry on August 15, 1862. They mustered him in under the name Van Aranam. He enlisted with his older brother, James, who was recorded under another variation of their name. James was to die of diarrhea at Culpeper, VA, in 1864. A third brother, Horace, was already in the 96th Infantry when the brothers enlisted. He died of heart disease in Savannah, GA, in 1865.Hiram and James met up with the 16th after the Seven Days' Battles in June and July of 1862. At Gaines' Mill, the regiment had lost 231 men to casualty, including 41 men killed on the battlefield. Fighting to get over Crampton's Pass on September 14th, the brother's first battle, the regiment sustained another 63 casualties -- 18 killed on the east side of the hill. At Antietam three days later, the regiment was held in reserve and, during the horrendous Battle of Fredericksburg in December they were posted on picket duty. Thus only 3 injuries were received by the men.The brothers survived Marye's Heights and Salem Church in May of 1863 and were transferred in the field to the 121st Infantry. Hiram was recorded as Van Aunen. The brothers were separated when Hiram was transferred to the Signal Corps in August, where he remained until he was mustered out.By 1880, Hiram and his wife, Sarah Adgate, were keeping a hotel in Chesterfield in Essex County. Although the couple never had children, part of their household was Sarah's sister, Hannah Adgate, who lived with them until Hiram died in 1910. The sisters continued to live together after Hiram's death.
