WALLACE WILCOX -- 77th INFANTRYTHREE YEARS OF CONSTANT BATTLES - Wallace Wilcox' parents, Calvin Wilcoxand Eliza Haskins, were born in Quebec. Wallace's Wilcox ancestors camefrom England in the early 1600s. His great grandfather, Abel, fought inthe Revolution. Wallace was born in Clayburg before the family includinghis parents and several siblings moved to Wilmington.Wallace enlisted in the newly formed 77th Infantry in Keeseville onOctober 1, 1861, when he was 21 years old. The original Muster Rollshows he was living 18 miles from his enlistment place showing he wasn'tliving with his parents that October. He was one of 65 privates whoenlisted in Keeseville, Saratoga and Black Brook and who were musteredinto Company I. Their captain was Franklin Norton. The regimentorganized in Saratoga and left for Washington at the end of November.During their three years in the field, the 77th was in all the majorbattles of the Eastern Theatre starting with the Peninsula Campaign andthe Seven Days Battles of 1862. Their most costly battle was at Antietamon September 17th where they had 32 casualties.They started fighting in May 1863 at Marye's Heights right out of winterquarters and had 85 casualties. They moved on to Gettysburg in Julywhere they weren't closely engaged. In May of 1864, their first battleswere at The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House and they receivedalmost 200 casualties, including Wallace who was sent to hospital for awhile. Later that year, he was promoted corporal and reenlisted as aveteran with a large bonus. He spent the rest of the war near Petersburgand in the Shenandoah Valley and the regiment lost another 100+ men tocasualty. Finally, they were at Appomattox Court House and the surrenderof Lee and were mustered out at the end of June 1865.Wallace returned home and spent most of his remaining years in Clayburgwith is wife, Laura Kenneston, and his growing family, however he workedin other places such as Saranac Lake. He died in 1890 and was buried inthe Pine Ridge Cemetery there. Laura immediately began receiving herpension and, when she died in 1920, she was buried beside him.
