JAMES HENRY VANDERWERKEN -- 46th INFANTRYIN THE MILITARY FOR LESS THAN 60 DAYS - James Henry Vanderwerken's family came from Meppel in the Netherlands to New York City in 1663. Within one generation, the family moved to the Saratoga area, and there they stayed. In September1864, nineteen-year-old James, the son of Francis Vanderwerken and Eliza Ann Devoell, enlisted in the 46th Infantry in Plattsburgh under the name Vanderwerker.The 3-year men from the 46th who had decided not to re-enlist went home in mid-April 1864, and the regiment was in need of new recruits. They had been active at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, Totopotomoy, and Cold Harbor before they were ordered to the Petersburg area in the assaults in June and at the Mine Explosion in July. After engagements at the Weldon Railroad and Poplar Spring Church, James joined the regiment but never got to the battlefield. He became ill and was immediately sent to hospital.He died of diphtheria at the Mount Pleasant Hospital in Washington on October 26, 1864 -- one month and 21 days after his enlistment as a substitute. No record of his burial has been found yet.In 1897, James' father, Francis, applied for and was granted a pension based on his son's service. Francis died in 1911.
