Silverman, right, thanks
Carlucci for arranging the medal 126 years after
her grandfather died
NEW CITY – John Ferguson Pratt was a sergeant in the Union Army under General Ulysses S. Grant during the American Civil War. He served from 1863 to 1865 and was wounded on the battlefields of Virginia. He then transferred to Veterans Reserve Corps in June 1864 and was honorably discharged in July 1865.
Pratt died in 1892 at the age of 72, 15 years before a service medal
was presented to those who fought in the Civil War.
On Wednesday, State Senator David Carlucci (D, New City) presented Pratt’s great-granddaughter, Viola Silverman of Sparkill with the Civil War medal.
“I will have this for my children and my grandchildren so they will know heroes are not just on television, heroes are not just on the big screen,” Silverman said. They don’t always play sports. We have heroes in our own family and many times they don’t get the respect that they should have.”
She contacted Carlucci’s office in December 2017 and has since been working with him to make sure her ancestor, who never received military benefits for a headstone, receives the recognition he deserves.
Pratt received $2-per-month pension for his injuries suffered in the war.
