Dear List, Do any of you have ancestors or other relatives that served in the 8th NY Heavy Artillery (also known as 129th NY)in the Civil War? What you may or may not know is that this unit was mainly used to guard Washington D.C. and other forts (i.e. Ft. McHenry). It never saw any action, mostly fought boredom and did endless drills. Never, that is, until called into frantic action to support the Union troops at the battle of Cold Harbor. Long story short, this battle was one of the worst Union failures of the war. Union troops lost over 5000 men, and the Confederates only about 1500, thanks to their well-planned trenches. The 8th NY HA is credited with having lost more of its members of any other group. I just returned from touring the Cold Harbor Battlefield today (a birthday gift from my husband) and found there a large and beautiful monument to the men of NY who were wounded and/or died there. I have pictures and can email them to anyone interested. What I am interested in is stories that YOU might have about the 8th or letters home that can help me broaden my understandings of those tragic days. My ggg uncle, Edward A. WHITMAN, was only 20 or 21 when he died there - his first battle and his last. Please write and tell me if you have a relative, have stories/letters, or want a pix of the monument. Thank you.