JAMES AUGUSTUS METCALF -- 2nd CAVALRYDEATH IN 4 MONTHS AND 12 DAYS - In 1864, the 2nd Cavalry received over200 casualties. The vast majority of them being men who were captured bythe enemy. By the time 17-year-old James Augustus Metcalf, who was bornin Crown Point, joined the regiment, in September 1864, they had been inat least 40 battles and skirmishes while reconnoitering northernVirginia that year.In August and September 1864, 125 men enlisted in Plattsburgh to helpreplace the field casualties and men who had deserted, been disabled orwho had died of disease. They ranged in age from 17 to 43 years withJames, who was always known as Augustus, being the youngest. He was thefirst-born son of James Metcalf and Emily Downey who were living in theSchroon Lake area. Of the 125 new recruits, 4 of them were destined todie in January 1865, at the field hospital in Winchester, VA.Their first battle was at Opequan, VA, with the Army of the Shenandoahunder General Philip Sheridan who was fighting against General JubalEarly in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign -- 40,000 Union men againstabout 11,000 Confederates.After Opequan, the 2nd Cavalry had 20 more engagements and went intowinter quarters in mid-December. Somewhere between his first battle andthe end of the fighting season for the regiment, Augustus became ill andwas sent to hospital in Winchester, VA, where he died on January 13,1865.His body was returned to Pottersville in Warren County and he was buriedin the Pottersville Old Cemetery. His mother, Emily, died in 1888 andhis father, James, died in 1896, and both are buried in the samecemetery as their son.
