American Civil War Soldiers Record

Name: Walter S Personett    
Enlistment Date: 09 July 1863  
Distinguished Service: DISTINGUISHED SERVICE  
Side Served: Union  
State Served: New Jersey  
Unit Numbers: 1220 1220  
Service Record: POW
Enlisted as a Private on 09 July 1863
Enlisted in Company I, 2nd Cavalry Regiment New Jersey on 28 August 1863.
Died of disease while a POW Company I, 2nd Cavalry Regiment New Jersey on 01 October 1864 in
Andersonville, Georgia
Portion of 1850 U.S. Federal Census in Caldwell, New Jersey (now Verona) showing Dr.
Stephen Personett and family. S. Walter Personett was 4 years old.
American Civil War Regiments Record

Regiment: 2nd Cavalry Regiment NJ  
Date Mustered: 01 November 1865  
Regiment Type: Cavalry  
Enlisted Died of Disease or Accident: 3  
Officers Died of Disease or Accident: 48  
Enlisted Killed or Mortally Wounded: 0  

Regimental History
NEW JERSEY
2ND CAVALRY
(also known as the NJ 32nd Infantry)


Second Cavalry.-Col., Joseph Karge; Lieut.-Cols., Marcus
L. W. Kitchen, P. Jones Yorker Majs., Frederick B. Revere,
Peter D. Vroom, Jr., Philip L. Van Rensselaer. This regiment
was recruited in the summer of 1863 and left Trenton for
Washington on Oct. 5 of that year, reaching the capital on the
following day with 890 men. On Oct. 17 Co. A was attacked by
Mosby at Fairfax, Va., and the company was routed, the captain,
with 2 sergeants and 1 private being taken prisoners and 1
corporal wounded and left on the field. Being transferred to
the southwest, the first skirmish of importance took place at
Iuka, Miss., where two companies of the regiment encountered a
force of the enemy and drove it through the place, losing 1 man
killed. On Dec. 6, a change in the plan of operations in that
quarter having been determined upon, the regiment was
transferred by steamer to Columbus, Ky., whence, on the 15th,
it proceeded to Union City, Tenn., where it was placed in the
cavalry brigade commanded by Col. Waring, of the 4th Mo.
cavalry. In Jan., 1864, the command moved forward rapidly
without encountering the enemy in any force, but meeting and
dispersing small gangs of guerrillas, until the 2nd Jersey,
having the advance, came into collision with and routed a force
of hostile cavalry near Aberdeen, Miss., the same evening
occupying Prairie Station and destroying an immense quantity of
corn, together with cotton and other property belonging to the
Confederate government. The regiment, still advancing,
skirmished for some hours with Forrest's cavalry, finally
reaching the vicinity of West Point, about 100 miles north of
Meridian, where Sherman's cooperating column had already
arrived. The following day it was also engaged and on Feb. 22
it participated in a fierce conflict at Okolona. On April 10,
Maj. Yorke, with 300 men of the regiment, was sent against the
enemy in the vicinity of Raleigh, Tenn., some distance north of
Memphis, and coming up with the hostile force bravely charged
into its midst, driving it into its brigade camp, after
inflicting severe loss in killed and prisoners. The regiment
also participated in the fight at Bolivar, Tenn., and lost in
the engagement 2 killed and 6 wounded. The conduct of the
regiment in the disastrous affair at Guntown, Miss., both in
the main action and on the retreat, was creditable in the
highest degree, but it suffered heavily, losing 8 officers and
130 men out of 17 officers and 350 men taken into action. On
July 11, with other troops, it moved in search of the enemy
encountering him at Port Gibson, Miss., and losing in the
combat which ensued, through alleged mismanagement, 2 men
killed and Lieut. Braun, 26 men and 2 guidons captured. Two
days afterward, at an early hour in the morning, the enemy in
some force made a sharp assault upon the Union picket line,
pressing it with equal vigor along the entire front but the
assailants were promptly met and after an hour's fighting were
driven in confusion. Being ordered into Arkansas and
disembarking at Osceola, the command crossed a swamp some 18
miles in length, the mud and water reaching to the saddle-
girths of the horses, to Big lake, where after some brisk
firing a Confederate train consisting of some 18 wagons, loaded
with over 900 stand of arms of approved pattern, together with
11 prisoners and 2 commissioned officers, was captured.
Reaching Verona, Miss., on Dec. 25, the command at once charged
gallantly on the enemy, who was completely surprised and
offered but a feeble resistance, most of them escaping into the
timber under cover of the darkness leaving as spoils, eight
buildings filled with fixed ammunition, estimated at 30 tons,
5,000 stands of new carbines, 8,000 sacks of shelled corn, a
large quantity of wheat, an immense amount of quartermaster
stores, clothing camp and garrison equipage, a train of cars
and a large number of army weapons which had been captured by
Forrest from Gen. Sturgis during the latter's disastrous
expedition in June. The regiment also participated in the
fight at Egypt Station, in which 74 men and over 80 horses of
the 2nd N. J. were killed or wounded. The regiment returned by
steamer to Memphis, having lost during the entire expedition 19
men killed, 69 wounded and 2 missing, and 155 horses and mules
killed or disabled. The regiment was finally mustered out on
Nov. 1, 1865. (This was also known as the 32nd N. J.
volunteers.)

Source: The Union Army, vol. 3

Battles Fought

Fought on 04 December 1863 at Iuka, MS.
Fought on 28 December 1863.
Fought on 28 January 1864.
Fought on 02 February 1864 at Union City, TN.
Fought on 13 February 1864.
Fought on 13 February 1864 at Holly Springs, MS.
Fought on 14 February 1864 at Memphis, TN.
Fought on 18 February 1864 at Okolona, MS.
Fought on 20 February 1864 at Okolona, MS.
Fought on 22 February 1864 at Okolona, MS.
Fought on 25 February 1864 at New Albany, MS.
Fought on 25 February 1864 at Union City, TN.
Fought on 24 March 1864.
Fought on 02 May 1864 at Bolivar, TN.
Fought on 04 May 1864 at Bolivar, TN.
Fought on 06 June 1864 at Corinth, MS.
Fought on 09 June 1864 at Guntown, MS.
Fought on 10 June 1864 at Guntown, MS.
Fought on 11 June 1864 at Guntown, MS.
Fought on 11 June 1864 at Waldron's Bridge, MS.
Fought on 12 June 1864 at Guntown, MS.
Fought on 02 July 1864 at Memphis, TN.
Fought on 15 July 1864 at Port Gibson, MS.
Fought on 12 September 1864 at Memphis, TN.
Fought on 13 September 1864 at Memphis, TN.
Fought on 05 October 1864 at Memphis, TN.
Fought on 24 December 1864.
Fought on 26 December 1864.
Fought on 28 December 1864 at Egypt Station, MS.
Fought on 18 February 1865 at Mississippi.
Fought on 28 April 1865 at Clayton, AL.
The goal of this project is to preserve the memory of these heroes and not let
their stories be lost to history.  Their sacrifices should be honored and their
histories should be available to school children and adults to learn about the
heroic Verona residents who came before them. It is vital that friends and
family of these heroes be found, so that they may share pictures, service
records, and other information to add to these stories. If you are a
family member or friend of one of these heroes, or you know someone
who is or may have additional information, please contact:
Robert Caruso
Heritage Preservation Associates
Verona, New Jersey
veronaheroes@heritagepreservation.us
This Website is maintained by
Heritage Preservation Associates
Verona Hero
Private Walter S. Personett
Verona Residence:
Grove Avenue