James Bogart (1839-1863) Born on March 24th, 1839 in Albany, New York, James Henry Bogart was the second of five children of John Bogart and Eliza Hermans. James had an older brother, John, and three younger sisters Augusta, Elizabeth, and Henrietta (I am a direct descendent of Henrietta).
James attended Union College in Schenectady, New York and graduated in 1858 at the age of 19. At right is part of a tuition notice/grade card from James' junior year at Union (click on it to see a larger copy). I believe he pursued a degree in Engineering, for he worked with his older brother, John, who was a Civil Engineer. At one point he also worked at a desk in the Albany Assorting House, where he was supposedly in charge of "vast sums of money".	Click on the image above for a larger copy.
	On August 3rd, 1861, James joined the 43rd New York regiment as a First Lieutenant of Company A. On September 23rd, 1861, he was promoted to Adjutant. In November and December of that year, he was on recruiting service under orders of General McClellan. The 43rd NY was defending Washington from the fall of 1861 until March of 1862. It then moved out and was in Virginia for most of the spring and summer. On July 16th of 1862, James resigned the 43rd to become a Major in the newly formed 162nd NY regiment. There is a wonderful web site devoted to the history of the 162nd NY regiment. If you want more of an in-depth account of the regiment, click the above link. It has a complete history of the regiment, as well as officers and enlisted men and some photos and leters. It also has some official letters written by Major Bogart during an expedition he was commanding to Plaquemine, Louisiana (more on that below).
The 162nd was assigned to General Banks' forces in Louisiana. There were two strongholds left on the Mississippi River in the spring of 1863, Vicksburg and Port Hudson. General Grant went for Vicksburg, while General Banks tried to take Port Hudson. Port Hudson was a small town on the Mississippi River just north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In January of 1863, Major Bogart was ordered to Plaquemine, Louisiana with a small force and directed to hold the town. He thought that his small force was going to be attacked and overrun, so after a short time, he returned to New Orleans leaving ammunition and rations. A boat went and picked up the ammunition and rations a few days later with no enemy in sight. James was Court Martialed and acquitted, but repremanded. Some family letters below describe this event and the reaction.	James at right, unknown person on left.
Click on the photo above for a closeup	On May 27th, the Union forces came upon Port Hudson and attacked the enemy. They were repulsed. On June 14th, General Banks ordered another Union assault upon Port Hudson. The 162nd attacked along with the rest of the army. James was hit in the left hip with a shell that went through him and took the sword he was wearing with it. He died instantly. Major Bogart's remains were supposed to have been removed to Baton Rouge for transport back to New York, but this was not the case. I have copies of a number of letters concerning Major Bogart's death (which you can view at the bottom of this page) and the story surrounding them is quite interesting. His friends were supposed to come and pick up the body, but they never came. So he was buried on the battlefield under a tree. The family was told incorrectly where Major Bogart's remains were. They finally got detailed information and one of his aunts, Mary, took a trip down to Louisiana to bring the remains back home. The picture at left is of Mary and an unknown man at Major Bogart's grave on the battlefield at Port Hudson.
At right is the actual wooden grave marker that was made for Major Bogart for his battlefield grave. The inscription reads: Major James H. Bogart 162nd NYV Killed In Action Before Port Hudson June 14th, 1863. My grandmother gave me the wooden grave marker as well as the photographs and copies of the letters. I am deeply grateful to her for trusting me with these great family artifacts. Incidentally, three weeks after the assault that killed Major Bogart, General Grant won Vicksburg. As soon as the Confederates heard Vicksburg had fallen, they surrendered Port Hudson. James Bogart is buried in Albany Rural Cemetary.
Below are links to letters that were written around the time of Major Bogart's death. The first few are from Major Bogart in the months preceeding Port Hudson and the later ones are of family members exchanging information about his death.
Jan 26, 1863 - Letter from James Bogart to his father describing various aspects of Louisiana and his camp. Feb 26, 1863 - Letter from James Bogart to his father describing his Court Martial trial and acquittal (for his role in going to Plaquemine, La). Mar 22, 1863 - Letter from James Bogart to his father describing the army's movements in the field around Baton Rouge. Mar 25, 1863 - Letter from John Bogart (father) to James commenting on James' Court Martial and repremand. Apr 11, 1863 - Letter from John Bogart (father) to James talking about a care package he is planning on sending. May 11, 1863 - Letter from James Bogart to his father describing the army's apparent victory (not true) at Port Hudson (written from Alexandria before his part of the army got there). May 27, 1863 - the Union army attacks Port Hudson. June 14, 1863 - A second attack is ordered. Major Bogart was killed in this attack. The letters from this time forward describe the location of his grave and other matters pertaining to his death. June 20, 1863 - Letter from William Eager (the regimental surgeon) to James' father (John Bogart) breaking the news that James has died. June 30, 1863 - Letter from Henrietta Brinkerhoff (James' Aunt) to a friend in New Orleans asking that they help get the body and bring it to New Orleans. It also talk about James' parents and how at this point they had only heard through a letter from Col Benedict to his own family that James had been killed. July 1, 1863 - Letter from Henrietta Brinkerhoff (James' Aunt) to James' father (John Bogart) confirming news that James was killed and that he was buried under a tree on the battlefield. July 4, 1863 - Letter from Henrietta Brinkerhoff (James' Aunt) to James' father (John Bogart) discussing Dr. Eager's letter and the family's bereavement. July 7, 1863 - Letter from John Bogart to Doctor Eager thanking the doctor for his letter and asking for clarification about his place of burial. September 26, 1863 - Letter from Henrietta Brinkerhoff to John Bogart which includes part of a letter by one of Major Bogart's friends who gives an account of what really happened after he was killed. October, 1863 - Letter from Lieutenant Colonel Woodhall to John Bogart describing the exact location of James Bogart's grave. The family used this description when retreiving the remains. February 2, 1864 - Letter from Charles Raymond (friend of James Bogart) to Mary Bogart (Aunt of James Bogart) wishing her well for her trip to Louisiana to get James' remains. Attached to this letter is a letter of introduction to one of Charles Raymond's friends in New Orleans asking him to help Mary Bogart. February 23, 1864 - Letter from Doctor Eager (the regimental surgeon) to John Bogart (James' father) discussing selling James' horse and having the body moved up to Albany.
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