Bonnie,
Good to know that he enlisted in '61 and my concerns about why he was at the Albany Barracks were incorrect! I sometimes forget that the answer may be the simplest one, and not uncommon for the period; men were simply sent to do duty in places other than the front lines.
The image of Garrett at the USAMHI was definitely on my list but unfortunately they did not bring me any of the NYHS or MOLLUS file holdings...I think they delivered about ten other boxes first and I hit my limit early. Below is the image I have on file, courtesy of the Richard Carlile collection.
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Brian WhiteWambaugh, White, & Companyhttp://www.wwandcompany.com----------------------------------
Randolph Mess, U.S. Sharpshooters