SIDNEY WELLS -- 83rd, 96th and 97th INFANTRYPRISONER OF WAR FOR 7 MONTHS - There are three Muster Roll Abstractsbelonging to Sidney Wells. The first is for his muster into the 96thInfantry in Plattsburgh on October 8, 1861, to serve for 3 years. He wasin the regiment for only 6 months before he deserted at Washington, DC.Just over a year later, Sidney enlisted again. He enlisted in the 83rdInfantry in Plattsburgh on June 7, 1863 for 3 years and was with theregiment in the Army of the Potomac for about a year and then wastransferred in the field to the 96th Infantry.From June 1864 to August he was in the 97th Infantry. In mid-Augustthe 97th was at the Battle of Weldon Railroad also known as the Battleof Globe Tavern. During this engagement, 92 men were taken prisoner.Sidney and seven of the men with whom he had enlisted in Plattsburghwere taken south to spend time at Libby and Belle Isle prisons inRichmond. Seven months later, Sidney was paroled on February 23, 1865,from Richmond, VA. He was mustered out from hospital at Annapolis, MD,on June 15, 1865, and returned home.Sidney lived in northern New York for the rest of his life. In 1890, heapplied for and received an Invalid's Pension and three years later,married Josephine Facto, a widow with several children. In 1895, theyhad one child together, Rebecca. He died in 1926 and was buried in thePine Ridge Cemetery in Saranac Lake. Josephine died in 1930 and was alsoburied there. When Rebecca died in 1957, she was buried with herparents.
