Lamson recovered and went back to command the USS Gettysburg. In 1866, he resigned from the US Navy and married Kate Buckingham (with whom he had become engaged Christmas Day 1862. The couple moved to Oregon.
Alaric Chapin was mustered out of service June 7, 1865, 18 days shy of his 18th birthday. He returned to New York and moved west. He bought a farm near River Falls, Wisconsin and, on April 6, 1871, married Mary Smith and later had three sons and two daughters.
Thirty years later, he moved to Workman Township in Minnesota.
MEDAL OF HONOR ARRIVES IN THE MAIL
More Medals of Honor were awarded after the war than during it. Forty-nine years after the war, Bruce Anderson, one of the 13 volunteers with Chapin who had cut open the palisades, hired a lawyer and petitioned Congress for the Medal of Honor that General Ames had recommended after the battle.
A search of archives was made and Ames' letter found. A search was made for survivors and Chapin was found. he received his medal at age 67 and a grandfather. He proudly wore it to GAR meetings for the rest of his life.
Better Late Than Never, But the Story Is Not Over Yet. --B-R'er
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