JAMES and CLIFFORD WESTON -- 77th INFANTRYONE BROTHER CAME HOME - Two young brothers, sons of James Weston and Olive Sebra Weston, enlisted in the 77th Infantry in Keeseville in October 1861. James E., the elder of the brothers, enlisted on the15th, and his brother, Clifford, who was 18 years old and 2 years younger, enlisted 10 days later. Both were mustered into Company I to serve for 3 years.The 77th, or Saratoga Regiment, sometimes known as the Bemis Heights Regiment, became part of the Army of the Potomac. They stayed in the Washington area after their arrival about December 1st, and the next spring, on April 5, 1862, were on the battlefield at the Siege of Yorktown. After leaving Yorktown at the end of April, the regiment was in 3 more engagements in Virginia, one of which was Mechanicsville. On June 24th they returned to Mechanicsville and, during a skirmish there, 1 man was killed and 2 were injured. Clifford was the soldier killed. He was buried on the battlefield.James carried on with his regiment and in September was at the Battle of Antietam in Maryland on September17th. During the battle 6 men were killed, 5 were mortally wounded and 21 were wounded. They went on to Fredericksburg, and after winter quarters, were at Marye's Heights and Salem Church near Chancellorsville where they had 83 casualties including 30 who were captured or went missing. For a month after this battle, he was assigned to Headquarters as a teamster, and then returned to his company. The day after Christmas 1863, James decided to re-enlist as a veteran and continued the fight until June 27, 1865, when he was mustered out in Washington. During those last 15 months, the 77th was in some of the worst battles of the war including The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Opequan and finally the Appomattox Campaign sustaining 279 more casualties.James returned home to Keeseville, married Harriet Goodspeed, and moved with their family to Cornwall, VT, before 1900, to continue farming. He died there on September 19, 1914 and was buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in West Cornwall, at 70 years, 6 months and 9 days of age.\The picture was put on Findagrave by James' great grandson, Stephen Payne. James is seated 3rd from left.
