WILLIAM WAIT BURDICK -- 16th and 96th INFANTRYDIED DURING HIS SECOND ENLISTMENT - Just before the 16th Infantry wentinto winter quarters in 1861, William Wait Burdick, who was born in Peruto William Burdick and Sarah Farris, enlisted in Saranac. He joined themat Camp Franklin near Fairfax seminary, VA. The regiment remained thereuntil April 6, when it was ordered to Catlett\'s station, but at oncereturned to camp and was then ordered to Yorktown, where it arrived onMay 3, 1862.They saw action at West Point, and at Gaines\' Mill, where it suffered231 casualties. They stayed through the Seven Days' Battles on ThePeninsula. After withdrawing to Harrison's Landing and briefly toAlexandria, they were ordered to Maryland. At Crampton's Gap on SouthMountain, they had 63 more casualties on their way to Antietam wherethey were held in reserve.Fredericksburg followed in December, and after the Mud March in January,they embarked on the Chancellorsville Campaign with 154 more casualties.William decided not to continue his military career, and when theregiment disbanded in May 1863, he came home to Saranac.Following the introduction of bounties for enlistment in 1863, Williamagain entered the military, this time in the 96th Infantry and wasmustered in in Plattsburgh and received a county bounty of \$300. Heenlisted in the 96th while they were returning from their time inNorth Carolina to take up the fight before Richmond and Petersburg.William fought with them from April to October 1864, when he became oneof the 33 men from his regiment captured at the Battle of Fair Oaks. Inall, over 600 Union men were captured there. After that battle, there isno further record of him. He is supposed to have died in a Southernprison.
