Oren Wooster was the oldest child of my greatgrandparents, Barclay Wooster and Elizabeth H. Tift. He was born in the hamlet of Lysander in Onondaga County, New York circa 1844. I am aware of no record of his early life other than his being listed by name in the US Census of 1850, the NY Census of 1855 and the US Census of 1860.
At 18 years of age, he enlisted on August 21, 1862 at Volney in Oswego County, New York. He was a private in the 12th New York Cavalry, initially in "A" Company. Together with his fellow troopers he was sent to Camp Washington on Staten Island. The members of "A" Company were sworn into federal service on 19 November 1862. On 20 May 1863 the regiment was reorganized, and Oren and the other members of the old "A" Company were placed in the new "B" Company. In the final week of May 1863 he was sent by sea to the area around New Berne, North Carolina.
He remained in and around New Berne until, following six days in the hospital, he died of yellow fever on 25 September 1864. He was buried at No. 18, South Row, 12th New York Cavalry Cemetery in New Berne.
After the war, his parents received his personal effects. Among these were his mother's last letter to him. It appears that it arrived after his death and that he had never read it. His parents were Democrats and not sympathetic toward Lincoln. His mother's letter strongly reflects this.
His letters home had been saved, passed down through the family and given to me in 1945 by my grandfather. I received them in an old candy box, and they had been looked through so many times that they were hopelessly out of order, many of them separated from their proper envelopes. After half a century it seems like I now may have time to sort them out. I will add the letters to the site as I get them transcribed.
Table of contents of the letters
12th New York Cavalry Home Page
Regimental History from Phisterer
The gallant but ill-fated 12th ... By David A. Norris
Letters of Edmond Hardy Jones, 64th Georgia Volunteer Infantry
Letters from an Iowa Soldier in the Civil War, 36th Iowa Volunteer Infantry
Letters of Warren B. Persons, 64th New York Volunteer Infantry
Letters of George Bolton, 77th New York Volunteer Infantry
The Civil War letters of Galutia York, 114th New York Volunteer Infantry
Letters of Felix Voltz, 187th New York Volunteer Infantry
Letters of David Ruffin Chandler, 15th North Carolina Volunteer Infantry
Letters of Eli Barrick, 126th Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Letters of Rufus Ricksecker, 126th Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Letter of Sullivan Ballou, July 14, 1861, 2nd Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry
Letters of Newton Glazier, 11th Vermont Regiment
Letters of Jabez B. Hammond, 12th Vermont Regiment
Letters of George Rust Bettinger, 33rd Virginia Volunteer Infantry
Letters of Charles Bruce, Jr., 14th Virginia Volunteer Infantry
woosterk@cortland.edu
Copyright © Kenneth Jennings Wooster
All rights are reserved.
Last Modified: 3 January 1998; 23 December 2002; 2 December 2004.
