Riverhead war remembrance book forgot dozens

A book put out by Riverhead Town to honor its Civil War soldiers and sailors is titled “We Will Not Forget ... .”

But, they did. At least some of the honorees.

Now, the town clerk is selling an addendum for $1, listing more than two dozen names not in the original book and scores of other names with additional information not available at the book’s printing last year. It also includes some corrections. And, some puzzles.

Town Historian Georgette Case credited a local Civil War re-enactor, E.J. Kuhlmann, for getting the new information by spending hours examining graves of Civil War soldiers in Riverhead Cemetery and using new online information to track down their available records.

The information in the four-page addendum shows Riverhead soldiers wounded in three battles in Virginia — the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Cold Harbor and the Battle of Boydton Plank Road.

It also shows that William Spring of the 155th New York Infantry deserted in November 1862 and that John Wilson of Greenport was paid $750 to take the place of an unnamed man from Riverhead who had been drafted in 1864 — a practice that was legal at the time.

The puzzles involve several soldiers listed on some records, but not others. They are recorded simply as “unable to find this man.”