WILLIAM T. COYLE -- 16th INFANTRY and 2nd VETERAN CAVALRYONE OF EIGHT FROM CLINTON COUNTY -- William T. Coyle was born inMiddlebury, VT, but he was living in Plattsburgh when he enlisted in the16th Infantry during the initial round of recruiting. Captain FrankPalmer of Company C personally recruited William as one of his 64privates.The regiment organized in Albany and left for Washington on June 26,1861. The regiment spent the rest of the year in the capital or withing20 miles of it. In the spring of 1862, the went further into Virginiaand on June 27th, they had the bloodiest battle of their 2-year tenure-- 231 casualties at Gaines' Mill. Two more battles followed before the16th was order to the Maryland Campaign and they started marchingnorth. On September 14, the regiment was at Burkittsville, MD. The orderwas given to lead the assault up Crampton's Gap on South Mountain, andit was then that William decided to desert. The assault garnered 63casualties for the 16th, including 18 killed in action -- 2 fromCompany C.William made his way back to Plattsburgh and enlisted again in October1863 -- this time in the newly-forming 2nd Veteran Cavalry. Company Hwas recruited in Plattsburgh and went to Saratoga to be mustered in.They spent the winter in Washington then went to Louisiana in March 1864to participate in the Red River Campaign. Sometime between March andDecember, William became ill or disabled and was sent downriver toMarine Hospital in New Orleans.Eight men from the 2nd Veteran Cavalry were placed onboard thetransport, "North America," to go to hospital in New York City. On Dec.22, 1864, almost 200 Union soldiers perished when the transportfoundered off the Georgia coast near Savannah. The dead hailed from 13Northern states: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana,Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island,Vermont, and Wisconsin.
