WILLIAM WESCOTT -- 10th INFANTRY $800 IN HIS ESTATE - In 1864, James A. Bailey from Warren County paid William Wescott $300 to be a substitute for him in the Civil War. William was 18 years old when he enlisted in the 10th Infantry in Plattsburgh for a town bounty of $500. Between February of 1864 and the end of July the regiment had suffered almost 200 casualties, their major losses being 95 at The Wilderness, Spotsylvania with 61 and Cold Harbor with 26. At the end of August, the regiment had a short hiatus and went into battle again in October at Boydton Plank Road, their last battle of the year and William's first battle with Company A. Still in the Petersburg area with the Army of the Potomac when the fighting started in 1865, the regiment joined the Appomattox Campaign. The hostilities ended on April 9, 1865, with the surrender of General Lee. William became ill and was sent to hospital. He died on August 4, 1865, in a Soldiers Home in New York City.
