Sunday, February 8, 2009

Benjamin Gould and the 111th Infantry

A blogster left us a comment about Benjamin, giving some very interesting details of his injuries and his final demise. Those comments are associated with the blog entry that has Benjamin's name listed and are worth a quick click.
Benjamin met his final demise not on the battlefield, yet as a direct result of his military service.
When I saw the comment, I decided to check the details in the Town Clerk book, and to look at the special 1890 veteran's census.
According to the Scipio census, Benjamin Gould was a Private in Company I of the 111th NY Volunteer Infantry. He enlisted on 8/2/1862 and was discharged on 4/1/1865, a period it says of 2 years, 7 months and 29 days.
In June of 1890 when the census was taken, Benjamin had a post office address of Merrifield. He was disabled as a result of his military service, and those disabilities were listed as deaf, blind and (rather cryptically), "hand off." I wanted to know more.
I went to the Town Clerk book of military service. Benjamin, as our list shows, is on page 6. From this book, I learned that Benjamin was born in Scipio in 1844; he was a single farmer at the time of enlistment and his father was named Dewitt Gould.
Benjamin was mustered in to the 111th on 8/20/1862, the town paying a bounty of $50.00. Living in Sherwood at the time the Clerk book was completed in 1866, the book noted that Benjamin lost his hand in battle and was discharged, a few months short of his 3 year enlistment period.
It should be a simple matter now to check what battles the 111th fought in around April of 1865, and that will tell us where Benjamin was likely injured so badly.
More to follow!

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