Book Description

Sheldon Leonard Wight was born in 1847 at Lawrence, Lorain County, Ohio. His parents were Leonard and Parthena Sheldon Wight. The family moved to Eaton County, Michigan between 1857 and 1858. In 1863, Sheldon and his older brother, Francis, enlisted in the Sixth Michigan Cavalry, Company F. The young men began their Civil War service as replacements for soldiers killed during the campaigns of 1862-1863. The two men were in Kilpatrick's raid toward Richmond and in the Battles of the Wilderness, Cedar Creek, Fisher's Hill, Five Forks, and others. They were in the final charges at Appomattox before Lee surrendered. By April 1865, the regiment was camped outside Washington D.C. After the Grand Review, they were shipped west by rail to the Powder River where they built Fort Connor, later renamed Fort Reno. Sheldon's unit wintered at Fort Bridger, Wyoming and marched back to Detroit where they were discharged in June 1866. In November 1866, Sheldon married Mary Ann Weaver in Charlotte, Michigan. The family moved to Gratiot County, eventually helping to establish the village of Sickels. They had five children.