RICHARD
HOMAN
2nd New York Cavalry
Company B & D
Private
Yaphank
Richard Homan
Private, 2nd New York Cavalry, Company B & D
Yaphank
Richard Homan was born in Yaphank in 1839. Homan, a
sailor by trade, was 21 when he enlisted with the 8th New
York State Militia for three months from April 16 to
August 21, 1861. He stood five feet eight inches tall at
the time, and had blue eyes and brown hair.
After completing his three months of
service with the militia, Homan returned to Yaphank. A
year later, however, he re-enlisted. This time he joined
the 2nd New York Cavalry, known as the "Harris
Light," in honor of New York Senator Ira Harris, who
helped to raise the regiment.
Before the regiment left for Washington,
D.C., Homan returned home to marry Georgianna Overton of
Yaphank. Reverend Francis Drake conducted their wedding
ceremony at the Middle Island Parsonage on September 25,
1862. By leaving his company, though, Homan was charged
with desertion. When he returned, the Provost Marshal
arrested Homan on charges of desertion; Major Otto
Harhaus of the 2nd New York Cavalry brought these
charges. Homan was sent to prison on Governors Island,
where he was confined until his trial in March. All
charges were eventually dropped, however, because there
was insufficient evidence to warrant a trial.
On May 11, 1863, Homan was detailed for
temporary duty with the 6th New York Independent Battery.
He remained with the 6th until he rejoined his old outfit
in July. The 2nd Cavalry participated in a number of
skirmishes leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg.
Although they did not actually fight in this great
battle, they kept Jeb Stuart's cavalry from entering the
battle. On July 4, 1863, the 2nd Cavalry surprised and
captured General Ewell's entire wagon train, taking
almost two thousand prisoners in the process.
Cavalry soldier calls, "To
Horse," as he draws his sword.
The 2nd Cavalry spent August through
October chasing Lee's forces. The 2nd had almost daily
contact and several skirmishes with the enemy. On
September 22, 1863, when Union General Judson Kilpatrick
crossed the Rapidan, he encountered a large Confederate
force and tried to re-cross at Liberty Mills. A battle
quickly developed. The 2nd N.Y. Cavalry fought valiantly,
but in the end, four men were killed and seventy-seven
were captured.
Brigadier General H.E. Davies described
the action that day in a report:
CAPTAIN: I have
the honor to forward the following report of the White's
Ford, and I moved forward in column the Second New York
in advance, through the woods to the turnpike road
between Madison Court-House and Gordonsville, followed by
my battery the Fifth New York. On approaching the
turnpike the advance of the Second New York Cavalry
struck the enemy's column moving toward Gordonsville.
They were evidently aware of our approach, as we were
instantly opened on by two pieces of artillery, and found
skirmishers dismounted and hidden by the side of the
road.
The Second New York penetrated as far
as the turnpike road, when I received orders from the
general commanding division to hold my ground as long as
practicable, to give time for withdrawing the artillery
and the rest of the command to a more favorable position.
The Second New York, though fighting against far superior
numbers and unable to act in concert on account of the
ground, fought very gallantly and did all that was
required from them. They fell back gradually, fighting
all the time, until the whole of the battery and the
Fifth New York had crossed the river. Their loss was very
heavy, and we have to mourn over many gallant officers
and brave men who fell into the hands of the enemy.
Richard was one of the many captured. He
spent the rest of the war in Confederate prisons. He was
first sent to Belle Island, then to the infamous prison
called Andersonville. While in prison, exposure and
hardship took a terrible toll on Homan's health. He
contracted typhus fever, which caused lung disease and a
severe cough.
The road from the railroad to
Andersonville Prison. More than 13,000 Union soldiers
would not walk back.
Homan was paroled from prison on March
14, 1865, and reported to Camp Parole in Maryland. He was
granted a thirty-day furlough and returned to Yaphank.
While at home, his health deteriorated; local physician,
Dr. James Baker, wrote a letter to Homan's superiors
requesting a leave extension. Homan returned to duty, but
not for long; he was mustered out of the service at
Annapolis, Maryland, on June 21, 1865.
Homan gladly returned to his home in
Yaphank. He and Georgianna had a son, Benjamin, in 1874.
Although the 1880 census lists Homan's occupation as a
sailor, he spent much of his life unable to work. His
doctor, James Baker, died in 1886, and his son, Clarence
Baker, took over his father's patients. In Homan's
pension affidavit, the younger Doctor Baker declared
Richard unable to work, caused by total paralysis.
Neighbors swore that Homan was unable to leave his home
for months at a time.
The home of Richard Homan on Main Street in Yaphank
Richard Homan died at this home in
Yaphank in 1897, after suffering for many years from the
effects of being a prisoner of war.