I Alson H. Blake of Milton in the county of Chittenden

and State of Vermont on oath depose and say that I

have been until recently a corporal in Copmany F 9th

Regiment Vermont Vols in the United States service,

while in the line of my duty in said company and

regiment I was taken prisoner by the Rebels at the

Battle of Newport Barracks (so called) in the State of

North Carolina on the 2nd day of February AD 1864 and

on or about the 22nd day of June following I was

detailed Steward in Ward 5 Sumpter Hospital attached

to Andersonville prison in the State of Georgia in

which capacity I acted until on or about the 20th day

of February AD 1865, at which time I was appointed by

H.H. Clayton Surgeon in charge of said Hospital to

keep the Book of Record of said prison and Hospital

and from that time until the 17th day of April

following I kept a book in which all the names of the

Soldiers who died were recorded daily with date cause

of death and number of grave in which the same

belonged And I further say that on said 17th day of

April said Death Record disappeared from said Hospital

I further say that while said Record was in my custody

I made a copy of all the entries in said Book of

Record connected with and appertaining to Soldiers of

Vermont Regiments which copy I secreted about my

person and when released on the 18th day of April AD

1865 I brought away the same and now have it in my

possession and know that the same is an accurate copy

from Said Death Record which record I have reason to

believe and do believe was accurately kept In said

copy is an entry of which the following is a copy

“Hiriam Laraway Company A 5th Regiment Vermont

Volunteers Died Aug 3, 1864 of Diarrhea Buried in

Grave No 4664” I am not interested in the claim of the

said Hiram Laraway nor am I concerned in the

prosecution thereof

                              Alson H. Blake (Signed)



(This deposition was taken 22 November 1865 in Georgia

by C.W. Witters)

Source: Pension application papers; Mary, widow of Hiram Laraway, Berkshire, Co. A, 5th Vermont Infantry, taken prisoner May 10, 1864, died at Andersonville, August 3, 1864; courtesy of Erica Jacobson.