On August 14, 1862, my great-great-grandfather, Ira Sayles,  volunteered "to serve as a soldier in the Army of the United States of America, for the period of THREE YEARS, unless sooner discharged by the proper authority."  The forty-four year old teacher from Alfred, New York joined others gathering at the recruiting station in Almond, Allegany … Continue reading On This Day: Ira Sayles Enlists in the Union Army