In February 1862, Judson J. Burdick, who was born and lived in Vermont, enlisted in the 96th Infantry in Plattsburgh. He was the son of Mackson Burdick and Rebecca O’Brien and had been a married for about ten years to Susan Banning and had two children. At one point he had been a daguerreotype artist, and, at the time of his enlistment, he was working as a carpenter.
He enlisted under the name James and was appointed as a musician just before the 96th left for Washington. The 96th spent a month at the Siege of Yorktown in April 1862 before marching up the Virginia Peninsula towards Richmond. They fought all the way to Richmond and spent seven days near the city in June and early July. General McLellan withdrew the Army of the Potomac to Harrison’s Landing, twenty-five miles to the south, after the Seven Days’ Battles. While at Harrison’s Landing, Judson was discharged for disability on August 19, 1862.
He returned to Vermont and in 1863, he was placed on the Draft Registration list although he never served again. Both his children died in 1864 and in 1866, they had son, Cassius, in 1866. Susan died in 1887 and in 1891 Judson married Rebecca LaPlant Hubbell. The couple lived in the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont, and in 1900, were living in Derby. Cassius died in May 1904 and was buried in Hardwick where the family had previously lived. Judson died in August 1904 and was buried in the Pleasant View Cemetery in Morrisville.Rebecca received her Widow’s Pension for ten years before she died and was buried next to him in 1914.
