JOHN ARMSTRONG -- 1st ENGINEERSOne hundred and-fifty-four years ago today, John Armstrong, the son ofWilliam Armstrong and Susanna Williams, enlisted in the 1st Engineers.Both his parents were born in Ireland, his father in County Fermanagh,Northern Ireland. They were married in 1832, in the Presbyterian Churchin Hemmingford, Quebec.John was born 10 years later, in Mooers, and it was while he was farmingthere, he enlisted for a town bounty of \$300. He joined the regiment inthe field while some companies were supporting the operations beforePetersburg and Richmond and some remained with the Department of theSouth on the coast of South Carolina. His Company I, contained menrecruited in Mooers Forks, Schuyler Falls, Saranac, Plattsburgh andEllenburg as well as cities in southern New York and stayed in SouthCarolina until the end of the year. In 1865, the regiment witnessed thefall of Petersburg.He was back in Mooers Forks by June 10, 1865 and returned to farming.John died in 1879 and was buried in the Union Church Cemetery inHavelock Township, Quebec. It's on the Covey Hill Road, just west ofRte. 203, about 2 miles north of the US/Canadian border when you travelnorth from Rte. 11 on the Cannons Corners Road.
