BEST KNOWN IN THE COUNTY AFTER HE DIEDPlattsburgh Sentinel - May 27, 1892Captain Walter H. Benedict was a son of the late Edwin Benedict andEliza P. Halsey Benedict, residing on the old homestead nearPlattsburgh. He was among the most active and determined in recruitingfor the 96th NYS Volunteers.In March 1862, the officers and men of the 96th Infantry bid farewell totheir homes and friends and took their line of march for the seat ofwar. They left the barracks at Plattsburgh on March 19, 1862, under thecommand of Lieut.-Col. Gray. At Albany, they were met by Col. JamesFairman, who took command.They arrived in Washington on the 25th and received their arms. Theywere assigned to General Casey\'s Division, Keirns\' Brigade. Here theregiment was exposed to a severe storm of snow and rain, and beingwithout tents, many became sick and disheartened, but Walter maintaineda cheerful disposition and endeavored to keep his men in good heart.After leaving Washington, they crossed the long bridge and marched toAlexandria. There they embarked for the Peninsula, where they arrivedabout the 5th of April, and were put in the advance. During the Siege ofYorktown, they were stationed at Young\'s Mills.After the evacuation of Yorktown, the 96th was in the advance of thecorps, and the men were employed in building roads and doing picketduty. They suffered much from the inclement weather and severe laborthey were called to endure. They were in the battle of Williamsburgh andthe Siege of Yorktown, and after its evacuation, they followed close onthe rear of the enemy for some days. Walter, owing to exposure andsevere labor, was at this time very much out of health, yet he managedto attend to his duties most of the time.At the battle of Fair Oaks, the 96th was in the advance, and among thefirst attacked. They maintained their ground and made a noble defense,for which they received the thanks of Gen. Casey. Walter was then incommand of Co. A, and one of the last to leave the field, and received aformal acknowledgment in writing from his Colonel for his bravery andgood conduct during that hard-fought battle. He was wounded in thatbattle in his left arm by a ball which he carried to his death. He wasalso hit on his shoulder by a spent ball, from which he sufferedseverely.At this time, being wounded and sick with fever, he obtained a furloughand returned home. He remained home but a few weeks; but his heart waswith bis company, and while still unwell, he returned and joined hisregiment at Harrison\'s Landing, VA.When the army left the Peninsula, the regiment was assigned to thecommand of Gen. Peck, and stationed at Suffolk, VA. There, Walter wasvery ill, but owing to a scarcity of officers, still managed to do duty,and was engaged in some severe fighting on the Black Water, where theysucceeded in dislodging the enemy. The regiment at this time was reducedto less than three hundred men, and many of the officers had resigned,being unable to endure the hardships to which they were exposed. He wasadvised to resign, but like a true man, answered that he had enlisted toserve his country, and would spend his life in her cause if required.Leaving Suffolk, the regiment next was sent to New Bern, NC, under thecommand of Gen. Wessells. They soon marched from there under the commandof Gen. Foster, to attack the rebels at Kingston. They met the enemy onthe 14th, and after a severe fight, succeeded in routing them.Walter fell at the head of his regiment while making a charge to gain adisputed bridge. After the death of his Colonel, a portion of thecommand fell on Walter, and on the 15th, they again encountered theenemy at Whitehall, where they again succeeded in driving them, andpursued them to Goldsboro, where, on the 19th, they again made a standand were driven from it with a loss of many prisoners and had theirmeans of supply cut off.After this, Walter returned to New Bern, where they spent the winter.Here, he received his commission as Captain, with rank from September23,1862, and he was also presented by his company with a handsome sword,sash and belt. He was very ill here and confined to the hospital forsome time. His friends and physician advised him to resign and go forthif he wished to recover, but such was his strong desire to remain in theArmy, that he refused, and eventually regained his health and rejoinedhis regiment and company to the satisfaction and joy of both.In the spring of 1863, he was sent to Plymouth, NC, where they wereengaged in building forts and guarding against guerrillas. After this,they were ordered to Currituck Bridge and parts adjacent, to guard thetransportation of supplies. Here, they built Fort Wessells and remaineduntil the spring of 1864, when they were ordered to join Gen. Butler\'scommand at Fortress Monroe.In February, Walter was ordered to Plattsburgh on recruiting service,where he remained until May 2nd when he left to join his regiment, whichwas in the advance, under Butler, on the Peninsula. He arrived atBermuda Hundred on the 9th of May. and passed to the front and tookcommand of his company on the 12th, just in time, to participate in thehard fights of Friday and Saturday, the 13th and 14th. in which theytook the first line of the enemy\'s works before Fort Darling.Saturday night our troops threw up earth works to protect themselves,but they were not extensive enough to cover the whole line, and Walterand his company being on the extreme left, outside those earthworks,were entirely exposed to the fire of the enemy, whose battery was but afew rods in front of them. Here, this noble young man of 24 years ofage, who had gone through much hard service in defending the flag of hiscountry, was stricken down by a rifle shell and killed instantly,together with two or three of his men. In his death, his associates inarms, his parents, and many and dear friends who knew him, met with anirreparable loss. It may be said of him, and said truly, too, that inthe flower of his youth, his life was yielded up as an offering onbehalf of his country.
