PHILIP VAN NESS -- 118th INFANTRYRECRUITED BY HIS BEST FRIEND - When Philip Van Ness enlisted in the Town of Ausable in the 118th Infantry in August 12, 1862 he was mustered into Captain John S. Stone's Company K as a private. His brother-in-law, Henry Mould, his recruiter, was already mustered in as a 2nd lieutenant. By August 30th Philip, formerly a merchant, was promoted to 5th sergeant, and the next day, the regiment was on its way to Washington.The 118th stayed in the capital area until the next year and found themselves at the Siege of Suffolk on the Virginia Peninsula in April 1863. They were in the field until July and by October were near Norfolk, VA, and Newport News where they stayed for the winter.In January 1864, Philip was promoted to 2nd lieutenant. For most of 1864, the regiment was in the area around the Richmond/Petersburg area suffering over 400 casualties. At Drewry's Bluff in May, they had 40 men killed in action and 15 mortally wounded.In the spring of 1865, the 118th was at the Fall of Petersburg and he was mustered out on June 13th at Richmond. On the Town of Au Sable records of 1865, he said he had been in battle at Bermuda Hundred, Cold Harbor, Chaffin's Farm, 2nd Fair Oaks, Petersburg, Swift Creek, Richmond and Drewry's Bluff.Philip returned to Keeseville and married his best friend's sister, Harriet Mould, in 1871.\In 1893, he started receiving an Invalid's Pension and, when he died in 1897, Harriet received her Widow's Pension. She got it for the next 31 years.They are both buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Keeseville.Photo on Ancestry from Channing Mould.
