John Paul Crounse

                Artificer George Frederick Crounse – 7^th N.Y. Hvy. Arty. Co.D

      George Frederick Crounse was born at Knowersville (now Altamont), Albany County, N.Y. George F. was never married and left no children. His father Christopher died April 5, 1866. For years prior to his death he was unable to support his family without the aid of his wife Katherine Margaret, who took in dress-making.

     George F. was by occupation a carpenter and aided in building the house in which his mother lived in and took an active part in her support.

     George enlisted  August 7, 1862 at the age of  27yrs., as a private in Co. D, in the 113^th  N.Y. Infantry. The regiment was organized at Albany, N.Y. and mustered in August 18, 1862. Designation of the Regiment changed to 7^th Regiment Heavy Artillery December 19, 1862.

      The 7^th  N.Y. Hvy. Arty. began its service as a garrison force in Washington, D.C. in May 1864. The regiment marched out of the nation’s capitol to reinforce the Army of the Potomac. At Spotsylvania, the 7^th saw its first combat and for the next hundred days it encountered almost non-stop action. In those hundred days, as it took part in Grant’s Overland Campaign and in the initial phases of the siege of Petersburg, the 7^th lost an astounding 1259 men killed, wounded or missing. At Cold Harbor alone, the regiment suffered over 400 casualties.

      George F. was promoted to Artificer March 1, 1863. He was captured at the siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864. He died January 5, 1865, while a prisoner at Florence, S.C. (C.S.A. military prison hospital) (as state on his military papers) of starvation and exposure. A local newspaper and a couple of books state he died at Salisbury, N.C.

       Of the two thousand Union regiments that served during the Civil War, only two stand ahead of the 7^th on the list of units with the dubious distinction of having the most killed and mortally wounded in action during the four years of war.

 “Carnival of Blood” – Robert Keating  (author)

  Regimental Roster

   Crounse, George F. – Born;: Albany Country, N.Y. Age: 27 Occupation: farmer. Enlisted: August 7, 1862 as a private in Co. D  promoted  artificer. Date not recorded. Captured June 16, 1864, at  Petersburg., died January 5,1865, at Salisbury, N.C. “ starved by inhuman treatment”, according to Guilderland town records.Also borne as Krouse.