JOHN ABARE -- 153rd INFANTRYMOVED TO MICHIGAN AFTER THE WAR - There are two Muster Roll Abstractsrecording John Abare's mustering into the 153rd Infantry, and they bothsay the same thing. He was 18 years old when he enlisted in Mooers, wasborn in Canada, was an 18-year-old, farmer with black eyes, black hair,a dark complexion and was 5' 5" tall.He and 72 other men enlisted in August and September 1862 in CaptainAlexander Strain's Company H, and they left from Fonda, NY, on October18th to serve for 3 years.For the next fifteen months, the regiment patrolled the capital areafrom their headquarters in Alexandria. They acted as provost guards onboth sides of the Potomac River. They also performed garrison and guardduty in the District.In February 1864, the 153rd was transferred to the Department of theGulf and joined General Nathanial Banks' Red River Campaign. Thecampaign turned out to be an unsuccessful effort to seize control of thecotton-growing states of Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. The expeditionwent up the Red River with support of a Union River Fleet. After theregiment's defeat at Mansura, they were ordered back to the EasternTheater as part of the Defenses of Washington. After four more battlesin the autumn of 1864 -- Opequan, Fisher's Hill, Strasburg and CedarCreek -- and over 150 casualties, their battlefield days were over.They remained in the Shenandoah Valley maintaining order until April of1865, when they returned to Washington. In July, they sailed toSavannah, GA, and patrolled the streets there, until they were musteredout in October. John had served for three years and three months.After the war, John moved to northern Michigan and died there on April4, 1892. He was buried in the St. Joseph Calvary Cemetery in East Jordanon the shores of Lake Michigan.
