March 11, 2015, By Mark Dunkelman, CAMP Historian, Exclusively for cattcomemorial.com

About two hundred Civil War veterans attended the dedication of the Memorial and Historical Building in 1914. They represented almost 3,500 Cattaraugus County men who served as soldiers and sailors in the Civil War. Cattaraugus men served from the beginning to the end of the war in numerous regiments, in numbers from individuals to companies. The first county volunteers after the firing on Fort Sumter in 1861 formed two companies of the 37th New York Volunteer Infantry. Six Cattaraugus companies served in the 64th New York, giving the unit its nickname, the “Cattaraugus Regiment.” Eight of the 154th New York’s ten companies were raised in Cattaraugus. A sizable county contingent joined the 9th New York Cavalry. In those and other regiments, and aboard various naval vessels, Cattaraugus County men performed the service which their county commemorated in the Memorial and Historical Building.

More than a century later, CAMP seeks to preserve the Memorial to keep the memory of those men alive. We welcome you to submit an image and service record of a Cattaraugus County Civil War soldier or sailor for posting on the “Veteran Biographies” pages of our website. Let’s see how many of the veterans we can gather on this website devoted to saving their shrine. Reunite your ancestor with his wartime comrades. Honor him by remembering his service. When you send an image, please include your name and address and, if applicable, your relationship to the soldier. If you need help with sending the image, please let us know. We may be able to assist you. Please send your image to: [email protected]

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