JAMES CLARENCE PILLING -- 153rd INFANTRYFROM PRIVATE TO 2nd LIEUTENANT IN 3 YEARS - James Clarence Pilling wasnamed after his grandfather, James Pilling, who emigrated from Englandin the early 1800s and settled in the Town of Ausable. By 1820, theelder Pilling was living in Peru with his wife and the first two of hischildren, one of whom, George, was the father of our soldier, James.James enlisted as a private in the newly-formed 153rd Infantry inSeptember 1862. He was promoted to corporal in Captain Davis Rich'sCompany I in Fonda, NY, where they organized, in October. For the firstyear of his service, James served in the Defenses of Washington, firstwith the Military District of Washington and then with the Department ofWashington DC.In early 1864, the regiment was ordered to the Department of the Gulf inLouisiana and stayed from March to May in the Red River Campaignreceiving 33 casualties. While he was there, he was promoted tosergeant. When they came back to Washington, they were immediatelyordered to the Shenandoah Valley and fought at Opequan, Fisher's Hill,Strasburg, and Cedar Creek. Receiving another 160 casualties. Thefighting ended for them in mid-October 1864.The regiment returned to Washington and stayed until the end of May whenthey participated in the Grand Review of the Armies. In Washington, hewas promoted to 1st sergeant and then commissioned as 2ndlieutenant. They sailed to Savannah to patrol the city and mustered outthere in October 1865.After the war and the burial of the immigrant grandfather in the AdgateCemetery at Au Sable Chasm in 1863, the family split up. James' fatherwent to Wisconsin where he died, and James went to Massachusetts. Hemarried, and for a time, worked in a chair making factory. After hebecame a widower in the early 1900's, James spent time in the VeteransHospital in Bath, NY, suffering from chronic diarrhea. He died a fewyears after his release.
