Cheney B. Bisbee Civil War Pension File 

Cheney B. Bisbee enlisted as a private in Company "I", 103rd Regiment of the New York State National Guard on August 12, 1864. The 103rd was commanded by Col. Lewis A. Rhodes, and Company "I" was commanded by Capt. Alfred Chase. Cheney was honorably discharged on October 15, 1865 at Norwich, Chenango County, New York.

In 1897, Cheney applied for disability pension claiming rheumatism in hips, shoulders and arms stemming from his military service. Unfortunately for him, both his legal representative and the War Department misread his unit as the 103rd New York Volunteer Infantry, a unit formed in New York City, and denied his claim because they found no record of his service with that unit. When they got that straightened out, they denied his claim, stating that "It does not appear...that such an organization as Co. I, 103 New York Nat. Guard was Mustered into the Service of the United States." Cheney's application was stamped "ABANDONED."

In 1904, under a new act (Order of March 16, 1904) that allowed a pension due to disabilities caused by infirmities of old age, Cheney tried again. This act required proof of his date of birth. Cheney appeared before a Justice of the Peace with his family Bible, dated 1857, in which was properly recorded (according to the J.P) the birth of Cheney B. Bisbee -- March 20th, 1835, and also all the other members of the Bisbe family. Another request for Cheney's military service record was sent by the Bureau of Pensions to the War Department, but the file ends here and there is no further record of response.