My great-great-grandfather, Peter Akey, was born in Keeseville, N.Y. On 23 August 1862, he joined the Union Army as a volunteer during the American Civil War. He went into his neighboring state and joined the 2nd Vermont Infantry Regiment, Company H. Soon after, he would find himself engaged at the Battle Of Fredericksburg, Va., in December 1862. The 2nd Vermont would fight on the Union left flank. They would serve in this battle as a forward unit and also deploy as part of a skirmish line where they would find themselves under heavy cannonade. Also, they would be credited with repulsing an enemy force of superior numbers. Following the battle, the 2nd and many infantry units were used to build corduroy roads, in order to help the Army move in what came to be called Burnside's famous mud march. While cutting down and moving tree trunks for construction of the road, Peter suffered a hernia. It states on his discharge that it was caused by lifting heavy sticks of lumber. As a result, he could no longer serve in the Army and was medically discharged from the Union Army on 07 February 1863. He wound up marrying his wife Mary and starting a family, including my grandmother, Dorothy, and settling in Manhattan, N.Y. My grandmother always said how much she loved him and that he was her favorite. I'd like to think they are reunited now. Private Akey died on 23 March 1932 and was laid to rest in Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, N.Y.