Gervas Ott
Rank: Private. Company C, 83rd New York Infantry Regiment
Descendant: Eugene O
Gervas Ott entered military service on September 3, 1863 in Brooklyn, New York, as a member of Company C, 83rd New York Infantry Regiment. He had arrived in New York from Baden, Germany on April 29 of the previous year.
At the time of the Battle of the Wilderness, the 83rd New York was assigned to the Army of the Potomac’s Fifth Corps (Warren), Second Division (Robinson), Second Brigade (Baxter).
Baxter’s Brigade was involved in heavy fighting on both the 5th and 6th of May. On the morning of the 5th, it was in the vicinity of Ellwood/Lacy House and then moved north astride the Orange Turnpike. During the afternoon, it moved south and in the early evening participated in Wadsworth’s unsuccessful advance toward the Orange Plank Road.
On May 6th, Baxter’s soldiers were west of the Brock Road and north of the Orange Plank Road. Here they attempted to halt Longstreet’s advance up the Plank Road. In the early afternoon after much bitter fighting, Union soldiers fonned a line along the Brock Road with Baxter’s Brigade at the northern end of the line. By the end of the day and into the morning of May J1h, the Army of the Potomac reformed its divisions and brigades. Baxter’s Brigade found itself along Wilderness Run south of the Orange Turnpike and west of Ellwood/Lacy House.
The 83rd New York continued the Overland Campaign participating at Laurel Hill, Spotsylvania Courthouse, the North Anna and Cold Harbor. In his pension application, Gervas Ott claimed to have been injured by a shell fragment at Spotsylvania; however, there was no official record of the wound.
In June, 1864, the 83rd New York completed its three years of service and returned to Brooklyn. Private Ott was transferred to Company C, 97th New York Infantry Regiment on June 7, 1864. With this unit he fought in the assault on Petersburg in 1864; Weldon Railroad in August, 1864; Hatcher ‘s Run in February, 1865 and White Oak Road.
In this battle on March 31, 1865, he was wounded in action with a gunshot wound to the leg and was evacuated to City Point and later to Washington, DC.
Private Ott was mustered out of service in Washington, DC on June 16, 1865.