WILLIAM WRIGHT BRAMAN -- 77th INFANTRYSAW SOME OF THE WORST BATTLES OF THE WAR - Captain Franklin Norton'sCompany I of the 77th Infantry had 65 privates recruited from BlackBrook, Saratoga and Keeseville. Five of the eight corporals were fromKeeseville as well as three sergeants and one lieutenant, Martin Lennon.One of the privates was 21-year-old William Wright Braman who was bornin 1842 in Keene, NY, to Horace Braman and Caroline Whipple who wereboth from old New England Families. William enlisted on October 1, 1861and was mustered in three days later to serve for 3 years. Afterorganizing in Saratoga, the regiment left for Washington on November18th.Through the winter, the regiment was part of the Defenses of Washingtonand in the spring of 1862, started their fight up the VirginiaPeninsula. After the Seven Days' Battles where they had 14 casualties,they were ordered to Crampton's Pass and Antietam in September, butWilliam wasn't with them, he was sick in a Convalescent Camp inAlexandria, VA, starting on August 9th.He met up with his regiment again in March 1863 and was in several majorbattles Marye's Heights and Salem Church, Antietam and the Mine RunCampaign. His Muster Roll Abstract says he was sick and absent from theregiment from June 12th but was back with the 77th by June 30th.On December 30th he re-enlisted at Brandy Station, VA.William managed to stay with the regiment until they mustered out onJuly 29, 1865, in Albany, having seen The Wilderness, Spotsylvania CourtHouse, Cold Harbor, Sheridan's Valley Campaign, the Fall of Petersburgand Grant's Appomattox Campaign.After the war, William returned to Essex County and his wife, EllenHine, who he had married in 1861, and supported his family as acarpenter. Later in life, the family moved to Plattsburgh and they livedwith their daughter, Lillian, and son, Warren, who was a bookkeeper, atthe Progressive Pulp and Paper Company.The Plattsburgh Sentinel of June 30, 1911, carried his obituary --"William W. Braman died at his home at 18 Sailly Avenue on June 24th,after a long illness from heart disease in the 70th year of his age.Mr. Braman was a Civil War veteran and experienced many hardships duringhis 3 years and 10 months of service, being for a short time confined ina southern prison. He was a member of Company I 77th Regiment of NewYork Volunteers. His remains were taken to Port Henry on Monday forinterment. He leaves a widow and four children: Mrs. Ellen, Lillian N,Warren L., Edward R., and Daniel S. all of this city."William is buried in the Moriah Union Cemetery. Ellen died in Brooklynin 1936 and was buried with William in Moriah.
