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WISCONSIN AS A STATE
Copyright, 1906, Bv Tin: PuHi.isiiiNG SociF.Tv OF Nkw York
A/l Rights Reaerved
PUBLICATION OFFiri-:
428 LAFAYETTE STREET NEW YORK. N. V.. U. S. A.
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Alexani)i:k \V. Randall.
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WISCONSIN
IN THREE CENTURIES
1634-1905
NARRATIVE OF THREE CENTURIES IN THE MAKING OF AN
AMERICAN COMMONWEALTH ILLUSTRATED WITH
NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS OF HISTORIC SCENES
AND LANDMARKS PORTRAITS AND
FACSIMILES OF RARE PRINTS
DOCUMENTS AND
OLD MAPS
IDolume XTbree
THE CENTURY HISTORY COMPANY
New York
THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
O i k . ■ . :J
A8T0«, LENOX ANO TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.
R 1906 L
BOARD OF EDITORS AND WRITERS
REUBEN GOLD THWAITES Sec. State Historical Society
HON. EMIL BAENSCH Curator State Historical Society
WILLIAM WARD WIGHT, M. A. President State Historical Society
JOSEPH STEPHEN LABOULE, D. D.
HENRY EDWARD LEGLER Curator State Historical Society
HENRY COLIN CAMPBELL Sec. Board of Editors and Writers
SYNOPSIS OF CHAPTERS
CHAPTER I
IN THE FIRST YEAR OF STATEHOOD 27
Thomas Owen's estimate of Wisconsin — Southeastern region the most densely populated — French influences a legacy at Green Bay and Prairie du Chien — Consti- tutional Conventions of 1846 and '47 — Population of Cities — Forests and Mines contain most of the Wealth of the State — Data from Federal Census of 1850 — Commissioners appointed to influence Immigration — The Germanizing of Wisconsin.
CHAPTER II
TENDENCIES INHERITED FROM NEW ENGLAND. .. .35
Comparison of native born with foreign born Citizens • — Occupations and Birthplaces of Members of first Constitutional Convention — Political positions after- wards held by members of the Convention — New Eng- land and New York represent Groups of Settlers — Railroad and Steamboat travel — Canal and Railroad projects — Scientific spirit represented by Increase A. Lapham.
CHAPTER III
FROM THE OLD WORLD TO THE NEW 45
German and Scandinavian Communities — Lutherans from North Germany — Pomeranians become Settlers — Rev. Johannes Graban and Captain Henry von Rohr — Mecklenburgers in certain sections of the State — Settlers on account of Political Discontent and Relig- ious Persecution — Luxemburgers seek homes in Wis- consin— St. Nazianz Colony — Free Roman Catholic Community founded by Father Oschwald — Descrip- tion of the village of St. Nazianz — First Norwegian newspaper published in America — Norwegian Settle- ments in Rock, Waukesha and Racine Counties — De- scription of Norwegian Settlement planted at Kosh-
III-2 jg
20 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
konong — Important Norwegian Groups — Swiss Col- onization along- Little Sugar River — Founding of New Glarus — Mathias Duerst. the diarist — Cornishmen of Southwest Wisconsin — Poles, Bohemians, Belgians and Dutch important elements.
CHAPTER IV
BLACK SPOTS ON THE RECORD 63
"Barstow and the Balance" — Frauds in the Land De- partment— Tampering with the Ballot Boxes — Birth of the Republican Party — Ground broken for the first railroad — Milwaukee and Chicago united by electricity — Opening of State University — Wholesale bribery of Legislature of 1856 — Financiering Methods of the day — Gross Frauds investigated in the office of State Treasurer — Judiciary besmirched by the low official morals of the period.
CHAPTER V
FACTIONAL FEUDS AND POLITICAL PASSIONS 75
Presidential Campaign of 1848 — Wisconsin's first Pres- idential Vote cast for Cass — Henry S. Dodge and Isaac P. Walker elected United States Senators — Legisla- ture adopts resolution asking Walker to resign — Nel- son Dewey the first State Governor — Leonard J. Far- well, a Whig, elected the second Governor — Capital Punishment Abolished — William A. Barstow in the Gubernatorial Chair — A Political Upheaval — The Ne- braska Swindle — People's Mass State Convention — Resolutions passed — First Republican Gubernatorial Candidate — Returns of the 'back counties' tampered with — Democratic Candidate declared elected by Small Maj'ority^Militia ordered to Madison to assist In- tallation Ceremonies — Supreme Justice adminsters oath of office to Republican candidate — His subse- quent installation as Governor — German element rep- resented by Carl Schurz — He stumps the State for the Republican Party.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 2 1
CHAPTER VI
AN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD EPISODE 95
Attempt to Secure Fugitive Slave in Racine — Strength of the AboHtion Sentiment — Attempt to arrest Glover — Mass Meeting held — Sherman M. Booth the target for retaliatory measures — His Arraignment before United States Commissioner — Fugitive Slave Law de- clared Unconstitutional by Supreme Court — State Court reversed, Booth found guilty — He is ruined financially — ^Passage of law "to prevent kidnapping" — Rescue of Joshua Glover.
CHAPTER VII
THE BURSTING OF UTOPIAN BUBBLES 105
Ceresco Phalanx — English Utilitarians establish a Com- munistic Colony — Franklin Lyceum — Debate on Four- ier System — Wisconsin Phalanx — Southport Commun- ists— Present Site of Ripon — Wisconsin Phalanx pro- tected by Charter — Constitution and By-Laws — Utili- tarian Association — Account of a Survivor — Spring Farm Association.
CHAPTER VIII
KING STRANG AND HIS VOREE COLONY 123
The only Kingdom on American soil — ^James Jesse Strang, a young New Yorker — Engages in practice of law at Burlington — Espouses the doctrines of the Latter Day Saints — Strang becomes an Elder amongst the Mormons — Settlement started at Voree — Strang denounced as an imposter — Head-lines in The Millen- nial Star — Exodus of the Brighamites across the Mis- sissippi— Strang's followers increase at Voree — Great Beaver Island becomes the seat of power — Founding- of the City of St. James — Locations receive Biblical names — Coronation of King Strang — King's Day be- comes a holiday — Increase of Population — United States Steamer sent to arrest Strang for treason — His acquittal — King Strang at the zenith of his power — As- sassination of the King — Fall of the Kingdom.
22 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
CHAPTER IX
AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CIVIL WAR 137
Population of Wisconsin — Cities and Towns of the State — Value of Real Estate — Banking Capital — Pa- triotism of the State — Milwaukee Light Guard — Madi- son Guards — Efficiency of National Guard — Gradu- ates of West Point — Re-election of Alexander W. Randall — Extract from his Annual Message to the Legislature — Joint Resolution adopted by Senate and Assembly — Democratic Protest spread upon the Rec- ords— Wisconsin put upon a war footing — President Lincoln's War Proclamation — Patriotic Proclamation of Governor Randall — The Governor offers the Gen- eral Government a dozen regiments — Madison Guards the first to offer their services.
CHAPTER X
ORGANIZATION OF VOLUNTEER REGIMENTS 165
Ineffective organization of State Militia for active service — Numbers of enrollments — Independent Com- panies— Assembling of the First Wisconsin Infantry — Regiment leaves for Seat of War — Governor Ran- dall's Proclamations to the Patriotic People and Wo- men of Wisconsin — Decision to organize other regi- ments not authorized by the General Government — First officers of the First Regiment — Its reorgani- zation— Battle of Falling Waters — First Death — Ros- ter of the Second Wisconsin — Third. Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Regiments organized — Roster of the Third Regiment — Fourth ordered into camp at Racine — Officers of the Fourth — Roster of Fifth and Sixth Regiments — Officers of Seventh and Eighth Regiments — Ninth composed of Germans- Original roster of its officers — Organization and of- ficers of Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Regiments — The Fifteenth and Sixteenth Infantry organized at Camp Randall — Their officers- Seventeenth Regiment composed of Irish-Americans— Its original roster — Eighteenth ordered to Camp Si- fre\ — Its first roster — Organization and officers of Nineteenth, Twentieth. Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Twenty-third Regiments — Twenty-fourth chiefly a Milwaukee Regiment — Its original officers — Twenty- fifth encamped at La Crosse — Its officers — Twenty-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 2^
sixth and Twenty-seventh Regiments largely Ger- mans— Their original officers — Twenty-eighth re- cruited in Waukesha and Walworth Counties — Twen- ty-ninth, Thirtieth, Thirty-first, Thirty-second, Thirty- third, Thirty-fourth and Thirty-fifth Regiments, or- ganization and officers — Thirty-sixth, Thirty-seventh and Thirty-eighth organized under President's first call in 1864 — Thirty-ninth, Fortieth and Forty-first, one hundred day Regiments — Forty-second assembles at Camp Randall — Forty-third organized at Milwau- kee— Forty-fourth assembled at Camp Randall — For- ty-fifth ordered to Nashville — Forty-sixth mustered in and leaves for Louisville, Ky. — Forty-seventh, Forty- eighth, Forty-ninth and Fiftieth organized in early part of 1865 — Fifty-first, Fifty-second and Fifty-third only partially filled — Berdan's Sharp Shooters — The Cavalry Regiments — Light Artillery — First Wiscon- sin Heavy Artillery.
CHAPTER XI
LOYAL SUPPORT TO THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT.2r9
Wisconsin soldiers found in all armies — Attack on Fort Sumter obliterates party lines — Democratic edi- tors and leaders loyal when "Old Glory" was fired upon — Democratic leaders become officers in Union Regiments — Draft riots in Ozankee County.
CHAPTER XII
WISCONSIN REGIMENTS IN THE EASTERN CAM- PAIGNS 229
Regiments and Batteries in the Army of the Potomac — Second at First Battle of Bull Run — The Iron Bri- gade— Formation of Brigade Reunion Association^. Third on the Peninsula and with Sherman — Fifth with McClellan's and Grant's Armies — Nineteenth on post and guard duty — Tventy-sixth a member of the Elev- enth Corps — Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh with Army of the Potomac — Thirty-eighth from Cold Har- bor to Appomattox — Berdan's Sharp Shooters' great services at Gettysburg and the Wilderness — Second and Fourth Artillery with the Army of the Potomac.
24 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES CHAPTER XIII
WISCONSIN'S REGIMENTS IN THE ARMIES OF
THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST 255
First at Battle of Perryville — Twenty-first in reserve at Battle of Stone River — The Eagle Regiment — Ninth's vexatious service of three years — Valiant Service of the Tenth at Battle of Perryville — Eleventh at the Siege of Vicksburg — Twelfth part of Lane's Southwest Expedition — Thirteenth employed in guard and garrison duty — Fourteenth joins Grant's Army at Savannah — Fifteenth a Scandinavian regiment, known as the "Fighting Fifteenth" — Sixteenth and Seven- teenth at battles of Shiloh and Corinth — Take part in the Atlanta Campaign — Eighteenth at Shiloh, Corinth and Mission Ridge.
CHAPTER XIV
WISCONSIN REGIMENTS IN THE WEST AND
SOUTHWEST, CONTINUED 273
Twentieth at Rolla and Springfield. Missouri — Its famous charge at Battle of Prairie Grove — Important position at Siege of Vicksburg — Twenty-first at Battles of Perryville and Chickamauga — Took part in the "March to the Sea" — Twenty-second organized by Colonel W. L. Utley — His indictment- for refusing to return Slaves to their Masters — The regiment takes part in battle of Spring Hill — Joins Sherman's Army — Twenty-third at Vicksburg and Red River Expedition — Twenty-fourth a Milwaukee regiment — Engaged at battles of Perryville and Stone River — Its great work at Mission Ridge — Twenty-fifth in Indian Campaign of 1862 — Becomes a part of Sixteenth Army Corps — Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth in Arkansas — Twenty-ninth in pursuit of General Forrest and in the Red River Expedition — Thirtieth in Indian campaigns in Minnesota — Thirty-first and Thirty-second a part of Sherman's Army — Thirty-third a member of General A. J. Smith's Army Corps — Thirty-fourth garrison and fatigue duty — Thirty-fifth in Arkansas and Mississippi — Other Wisconsin Regiments.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 25
CHAPTER XV
THE CAVALRY VOLUNTEER REGIMENTS AND
LIGHT ARTILLERY 297
First a Model Cavalry Command — Its engagements in Missouri — Later Service in Tennessee and Georgia — Second called upon for escort and guard duty — Third in Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas — Fourth at the bat- tles of Baton Rouge and Port Hudson — Wisconsin's thirteen batteries — First Regiment of Heavy Artillery — Wisconsin men in Battery B, Fourth United States Artillery.
CHAPTER XVI
VARIOUS SUBJECTS OF INTEREST 311
Resume of Wisconsin in the Civil War — Wisconsin the first State to originate a home for Soldier's Or- phans— Death of Governor L. P. Harvey — Soldier's Orphans Home established at Madison — National Homes — Grand Army Posts — The Women's Relief Corps — Wisconsin Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion — Wisconsin Veterans' Home.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Alexander W. Randall Frontispiece.
Lewis Cass Fac
Early \'ie\v of the State Capitol Fac
Juneau's House, 18.35. Milwaukee Fac
Junction of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers.. Fac
Bitrhplace of the Republican Party. Ripon Fac
Henry S. Baird Fac
Isaac P. Walker Fac
Milwaukee in 1833 Fac
First Frame Building Fac
Sherman M. Booth Fac
Old Fourderitte Building, 1904, Ceresco Fac
Milwaukee in 1854 Fac
Facsimile of Characters traced on Voree plates Fac
John C. Starkweather Fac
Timothy O. Howe Fac
James R. Doolittle Fac
Byron Paine Fac
W. B. Cushing Fac
Nathaniel P. Tallmadge Fac
Edward V. Whiton Fac
Jeremiah Rush Fac
Cadwallader C. Washburn Fac
26
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CHAPTER I
In the First Year of Statehood
III-3
THE sovereignty of the new State of Wis- consin was vested in 250,000 persons, a less number than reside in its chief city to-day. Something of the sparse- ness of settlement may be gathered from the fact that this represented an average of less than five persons to the square mile. One might travel for days either along the 316 miles of the state's greatest length or the 295 miles of its maximum breadth, with- out encountering a human habitation. North and west of the Wisconsin river was a region of practically undis- covered country. If exception were made of the few straggling lumber camps clinging to the border streams. Contemporary maps show many streams and Inland waters scattered over this unexplored region, and only here and there the names given collectively to clusters of houses. How little was known at this time about the territory beyond this stream is shown by the fact that in 1847 M^- Tho'S. Owen, an eminent geologist, character- ized It as "a desert of sands unapproachable by the Agri- culturist," and several years later a writer in The Wis- consin Farmer gravely asserted that Northern and Cen- tral Wisconsin were an alternation of arid sand-ridges and Impassable marshes.
The greatest density of population was to be found in the extreme southeastern region and somewhat less in the southwestern section where lead mining had drawn adventurous spirits from Virginia, Kentucky and Ten- nessee. In the southeastern region, the settlers came from New York and New England, representing in part
29
> >
30 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
that sturdy type of frontiersmen which had its beginning in the Connecticut valley. In the old-established settle- ments of Green Bay and Prairie du Chien, French influ- ences remained as a legacy from the fur-trading era of territorial days. By this time the vanguard of other nationalties had begun to arrive, though not in such numerical strength as to determine the political destiny of the new state. Indeed, the composition of the two constitutional conventions which met respectively in 1846 and 1847, shows the presence of these different elements unmistakably. New Yorkers were the most numerously represented, and they were the men who wielded the most potent influence in the framing of the new constitution. The element with southern tradi- tions was sufficiently strong, however, to graft upon the instrument some of the ideas derived from the institu- tions below the dividing line. The constitution of Wisconsin therefore remains to this day a curious blend- ing of political ideals carried to the northwest from the extreme south and the extreme northeast.
The same differences existed in the occupations of the people. The cities were few and small, though Mil- waukee had attained the respectable growth of 18,000 population. Green Bay, which had for many years considered rivalry pretensions on the part of Milwaukee as absurd, could marshall less than 2,000 inhabitants at this time. Beloit, on the southern boundar}^ line, counted as a place of 3,000 people in the census, Janes- ville and Beaver Dam each 1,500. Oshkosh and Fond du Lac ranked with Green Bay. Madison, the capital
• • ■ < 1 4
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 31
then as now, claimed 3,000. LaCrosse had less than 500 population. Racine, with a population nearing 4,000, was second city In size, and next to Milwaukee, although Watertown claimed almost as many Inhabi- tants. These figures being unofficial, doubtless the usual allowances must be made for the exaggerations for which local pride must bear responsibility.
Most of the wealth of the state at this period was sought In the forests and mines, though the Influx of farmers from across the ocean had begun and had given rapidly Increasing Importance to the agricultural resources of the state. The first available data Is that which was compiled by federal census enumerators two years subsequently. Their figures show that In 1850, lead mining was the chief industry, forty million pounds of lead ore being smelted that year with the rude appli- ances then used. An auxiliary Industry was the making of shot, the annual product reading 100,000 pounds. Saw mills were buzzing Industriously in the virgin woods, and a total cut of one hundred and fifty million feet of pine lumber was recorded. But four million bushels of wheat, two million bushels of corn and three million bushels of oats were raised; but the statistics give a conspicuous place to the maple sugar indust^y^ More than six hundred thousand pounds of that luxury were extracted from "the forest," to quote the phrase- ology of a statistical account printed about this time. Some of the manufacturing industries destined to become among the great wealth-producing sources of
32 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
the state, had their beginnings — leather, beer, textile and iron among them.
With undeveloped natural resources awaiting the touch to transmute them into gold, it early became the policy of the state to encourage immigration. The systematic manner which characterized this effort has permanently Influenced the peopling of the state. Com- missioners were sent to New York at state expense, to greet immigrants upon arrival and persuade them that in Wisconsin they would realize their land of promise. Thousands of pamphlets in many languages were dis- tributed in the continental countries where political dis- turbances, economic conditions or religious differences compelled people to leave the homes of their fathers. In his Initial report to the Governor, the first commis- sioner of immigration reported that he had secured the translation of his pamphlet into Norwegian, German and Dutch.
'T worked," he wrote, "by distributing the pamphlets on vessels (sail and steam). In hotels and taverns, mostly to the Immigrants personally; by sending the same across the Atlantic for distribution among emi- grants leaving port; by advertising in English, German and Dutch papers here and In Europe; by editorials In such papers; and finally, by talking personally, or by my assistants, to as many of the immigrants as possible, whenever an opportunity offered Itself. It is hardly possible to make a true estimate of the influence exerted by the agency In New York. Information has emanated from there in every direction and is now spread over a
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 33
large and for our object the most valuable part of Europe."
These accumulations from foreign shores soon affected the character of the population in the most pro- nounced manner, and produced a determining influence upon its social customs, industrial conditions and politi- cal trend, destined to be conspicuous for many years thereafter; much of it, indeed, is apparent to-day. In 1850 the native-born inhabitants of Wisconsin num- bered 194,079, and the foreign-born 110,477.
In these years, the most notable tide from Europe came from Germany, then divided into thirty-three diminutive and petty states with no idea of unity among the nation as a whole. And yet, despite this lack of national feeling, there were not wanting patriots who dreamed of a united Germany and sought to give expres- sion to their aspirations by an ideal scheme for a Ger- man state in America. Wisconsin was favored as the region where this might come to pass. The agitation for a German state in America by means of systematic colonization under chosen leaders continued for many years. A book was issued in 1847 i" one of the cities of Germany dealing largely with this subject.
"Germans can remain Germans in America," the author wrote enthusiastically. "They will mingle and intermarry with non-Germans, and adopt their ways, but they can still remain essentially German. They can plant the vine on the hills, and drink it with the happy song and dance, they can have German schools and universities, German literature and art, German
34 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
science and philosophy, German courts and assemblies, — in fact thev can form a German state, in which the German language is as much the popular and official language as the English is now, and in which the Ger- man spirit rules."
As late as 1857 the plan of Germanizing some state in the northwest found ardent advocacy in print.
The coming of the immigrants to Wisconsin has proven one of the most permanent forces in the making of the state. The genesis of this movement does not date wholly in the era when statehood began, but it was at this time that immigration assumed the momentum which gave the commonwealth some of its most potent social and economic characteristics. The telling of the story involves incidents and episodes of unusual inter- est. They are well worthy of inclusion in a separate chapter.
CHAPTER II
Tendencies Inherited from New England
WHAT manner of men were these who fashioned the framework of the new state? Two years later, as shown by the federal census then taken, every third person was of for- eign birth. The accumulations from foreign shores had already begun during territorial times, but doubtless the proportion of native-born persons was much larger In the year 1848 than It was even after the brief period of two years. It Is a significant fact that the conspicuous force In the formative period of statehood was that in- herited from New England and New York. The Southerners Included some able men, but they were not a controlling authority. If It Is true that "the Mayflower brought seed, not a harvest," It Is as certainly true that that seed has In the course of the Intervening time been scattered from ocean to ocean, and the process of dis- tribution continues even to this day.
Nothing shows more clearly the Influences which were most potent at this time than a tabular statement of the nativity of the delegates to the second constitutional con- vention. The tendencies and principles engrafted upon the Instrument ratified by vote of the people are essen- tially Anglo-Saxon. This Is the story told by the statis- tics of birth and occupation as recorded of the men who composed the convention :
Where born: New York, 25 ; Connecticut, 9; Massa- chusetts, 6 ; Vermont, 5 ; New Hampshire, 3 ; Kentucky, 3 ; Ireland, 5 ; Germany, i ; Norway, i ; Maine, i ; Ohio,
37
38 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
I ; Virginia, i ; Pennsylvania, i ; New Jersey, i ; Mary- land, I ; Northwest territory, i ; unrecorded, i.
Occupations: Farmers, 31; lawyers, 19; physicians, 5 ; merchants, 5 ; editors and printers, 3 ; millers, 2 ; lum- bermen, i; geologist, i; civil engineer, i; unknown, i.
The men who framed the first constitution, and which upon a vote of the people failed of ratification, were practically of the same elements, though the second con- vention is regarded as having possessed more conserva- tism. Antecedent to these, were the pioneers who had found their way to the new territory, as their fathers before them had wandered westward — commonwealth builders by heredity.
"From 1836 to 1848," said George B. Smith in 1879 at a reunion of the survivors of the constitutional con- v^entions, "when Wisconsin was admitted into the Union as one of the states, entitled to all the privileges of the original states under the constitution, a body of laws had been framed and a system of government adopted so wise, so liberal and so just to every class and to every Interest, that there was little left for the state to do but to adopt and to fit the laws to the changed condition of affairs. That it was a good constitution is attested by the fact that It has remained the organic and perma- nent law of the state for now more than thirty years, un- changed in any of Its important and essential features. The remarkable good fortune that has always attended our people Is due in a great degree, I think, to the wis- dom and singular unselfishness of those earlier settlers
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 39
who' laid the foundation of a good government broad and deep."
That these early Influences which marked the first lines of government remained potent for many years Is at- tested by an analysis of the list of officials which repre- sented the state at home and abroad for a full quarter of a century after statehood was assumed. Every governor elected during these two decades and a half was of native birth, four of them from New York and all the others but one from New England. Indeed, the men who com- prised the two constitutional conventions of the 40's re- mained at the head of affairs for at least three decades. Their ranks contributed members to congress, to the President's cabinet, to Important stations In the diplo- matic service, and they were selected for the state offices and for the supreme court In their own state. The fol- lowing list of positions, state and national, filled by these makers of the constitution, seems to Illustrate their strength In leadership all out of proportion to their numerical strength In the population :
In the cabinet: Alexander W. Randall, postmaster-general.
Ministers to Rome : Rufus King and Alexander W. Randall.
Delegates to congress: James Duane Doty, Major L. Martin and James H. Tweedy.
Congressmen : Orsamus Cole, James D. Doty, Charles H. Lara- bee and J. Allen Barber.
Governor of territories: J. D. Doty (Wisconsin and Utah).
Governors of states : Louis P. Harvey, James T. Lewis, J. D. Doty.
Governor of Florida : Harrison Reed, for six years during the reconstruction era.
Lieutenant-governor of Minnesota : William Holcombe, at the first organization of that state.
40 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
Lieutenant-governors of Wisconsin : Samuel W. Bell and James T. Lewis.
Secretaries of State : Louis P. Harvey and James T. Lewis.
State Treasurer : Edward H. Janssen.
Attorneys-general : Henry S. Baird, A. Hyatt Smith, George B. Smith, Experience Estabrook and William R. Smith.
Bank comptroller : William M. Dennis.
Superintendent of public instruction : Eleazer Root.
Chief justices of the territory: Charles Dunn and David Noggle.
Chief justices of the state: Edward V. Whiten and Edward G. Ryan.
Associate justice and later chief justice, after a service of more than forty years : Orsamus Cole.
In military service: Rufus King, major general; Charles H. Larabee, John L. Doran, Horace T. Sanders, Samuel W. Beall and Frederick S. Lovell, colonels or lieutenant colonels ; Morgan L. Martin and Moses S. Gibson.
It was a sturdy stock which peopled the new state by following the course of empire westward. Their migra- tion from New England and New York constitute a series of individual narratives, rather than of groups. The experience of one of them, Dr. Jeremiah Selby, who made his home in Milwaukee, for more than half a century, is typical of many others: "When New Englanders and a few from Western New York joined the western stream, all lines of travel were sought which converged at the city of Buffalo, the point of de- parture of a line of steamers whose western terminus was Milwaukee or Chicago. Many of the western New Yorkers arrived at Buffalo with their own private con- veyance, family and all. Their teams and personal pro- perty were taken with them, and so they were ready on landinc; to hitch up and seek their choice of a new home. Some came to Buffalo by stage, hut more came by the
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 41
Erie canal. Although a railroad ran east from Buffalo all the way to Albany, yet the line was broken by numer- ous companies not always harmonious. One was built out from Buffalo to Attica, another from Attica to Ro- chester, another from the latter point to Syracuse, anoth- er to Utica, and two more formed a line from Schenec- tady to Albany. Owing to the difficulty of shipping freight and baggage through from New York to Buf- falo over so many lines, the canal was the favorite meth- od of travel to the emigrants from Albany to Buffalo. A passenger might take the railroad at Albany and ar- rive at Schenectady before the western train pulled out, but to reach Buffalo he would likely meet serious draw- backs. The track was new, and first laid with a common flat iron rail. An engine would run off the track, or the flat rail would curl up by a pressure of a wheel, and the first knowledge of the disaster would be its snake-like form dashing through the floor and perhaps pinning a passenger tO' his seat or perhaps the roof of the car. Then delays would ensue, and when the train arrived at the end of its line, its connection would have left on time, making it necessary for the whole trainload of pas- sengers to lie over until the next day. By the time the passenger finally reached Buffalo, he would realize that he would have saved time by coming by canal, and that that method was less surrounded by danger. Thte fare from Buffalo to Milwaukee was $14.00 first class. When we steamed out of the harbor, we had a heavy load of freight and about 50 per cent, more passengers than the
42 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
law allowed. There was a law against overloading steamers, but it was rarely enforced."
In view of their experiences, it was natural that the settlers of the pioneer era turned their attention to se- curing channels of communication with the outer world, and incidentally between themselves. Says a chronicle of a somewhat later period, referring to this era when the problem of transportation attracted universal atten- tion : "Laws for surveying and making out roads were among the first enactments of the legislature. Canals were projected from several of the lake ports, among which may be mentioned one from Sheybogan to Fond du Lac; another from Milwaukee to Rock River, and thence by way of the Four Lakes to the Wisconsin; while the Fox and Wisconsin River route was univer- sally believed destined to become the great central chan- nel of commerce. To the buoyant imagination of the time, all rivers of any size were deemed navigable, while their branches were regarded as routes for future canals. So many village and city sites were laid out and plotted, whose names even are now wholly lost, that the present realization is almost a blank by comparison. It was a period of vast projects, limitless enterprises and chimerical specualtions which has had no parallel. All this, too, when the population imported most of its pro- visions, and except the product of lead-furnaces, ex- ported nothing. Railroad projects received early atten- tion, and charters were actually granted before even highways were laid out in many places from lake ports to the Interior. Often the line and terminal points were
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 43
not even Indicated. Among the earliest efforts In this direction was a memorial to congress, passed In 1840, asking for the survey and construction of a railroad from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi. It was not un- til ten years later that any of our existing routes were definitely decided upon, companies really organized, and work of construction seriously commenced."
In all these enterprises men of New England birth or ancestry were foremost. Nearly all the promoters of railroads In the new state were New Englanders, and so were thteir engineers and chief assistants. Every Import- ant Industry, with the possible exception of lead mining and brewing, owed Its development to men of this class. The scientific spirit was represented by a New England man, Increase A. Lapham, who first suggested the sig- nal service adopted as a government agency. New Eng- land men gave the first Impetus to the educational system of the state, and their efforts resulted In the founding of many academies, and of some of the colleges which have maintained their existence till now.
In Its Influence, therefore, upon the future of the new state, that New England element which came direct from the home of the forefathers sifted through New York, deserves Important consideration. The elements from foreign shores played a later, and a very import- ant part, but that is a wholly different story.
111-4
CHAPTER III
From the Old World to the New
N^O state of the union retains at this day so many distinctive foreign groups as Wis- consin. It has been aptly termed the polyglot state. In any consideration of immigration, the origin and characteris- tics of its German and Scandinavian communities natur- ally deserve first place. The German population of Wisconsin, however, is as diverse in its elements as there were provinces in the parent country, and the streams of immigration were started Wisconsinward by causes having but remote connection with each other, and in many cases underlying causes were wholly disassoci- ated. The result is that certain German groups were as distinctive as though originating among peoples of dif- ferent tongues and lineage. From North Germany came the Lutherans seeking escape from religious persecution and restraint. In 1853, ^^e Rev. Johannes Graban and Captain Henry von Rohr went on a tour through north Germany telling their countrymen that splendid homes could be secured in Wisconsin, where every man was permitted to worship without interference according to the dictates of his own conscience. Many of them fol- lowed the advice given by these leaders of an earlier movement for immigration. Both men had been in Wis- consin where they had Induced Pomeranians in large numbers to settle, as a result of religious persecution. Graban was a pastor, who had been forbidden to hold services, and who was Imprisoned upon his failure to heed the command. Von Rohr was a captain of the guards who upheld the doctrines proclaimed by the pre-
47
48 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
scribed pastors, and who thus lost his position. His as- sistance enabled Graban to escape from prison, and a thousand people followed them to America. About half the number came with von Rohr to Wisconsin. The poorer members of the party had been enabled to en- gage passage through contributions which the wealthier ones gave Into a common treasury. The Frelstadt col- ony was thus formed, the significance of the name being traceable to the circumstances that prompted the forma- tion of the colony.
The example of this earlier colony was followed by subsequent ones, the wealthier members contributing to a common treasury a certain percentage of their means (from 15 to 20 per cent.) to assist those who would otherwise have been unable to pay for their passage over and for the purchase of land. There remain to this day distinctive groups of Pomeranians and Meck- lenburgers In certain sections of the state which had their beginnings during the period of emigration which was most pronounced from 1854 to 1857. There re- main in Wisconsin six large groups from northwestern Germany, roughly described by the following geograph- ical divisions :
Milwaukee, Ozankee and Washington county groups.
Dodge and Jefferson county groups, Watertown be- ing the centre.
Maintowoc and Sheboygan county groups.
Winnebago county group, In the northern townships, extending into the adjacent townships of Wanshara, Waupaca and Outagamie counties.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 49
Shawano county group, extending Into northern Waupaca county.
Marathon and Lincoln county groups.
There are of course many smaller, though less well- defined groups. Rhenish Prussia, and Posen, too, furn- ished contingents of industrious landseekers who were of the same faith. They brought with them their house- hold utensils, their plows and their farm implements, all of the most primitive pattern. Having been farm work- ers, shepherds and foresters at home, they sought the soil in the new homes they had come to develop. A small minority who had learned handicrafts remained in the cities, and formed the groups that have retained their characteristics for many years in the cities of Milwau- kee, La Crosse, Columbus, Shawano and elsewhere.
There were some, too, w^ho came on account of po- litical discontent. In 1849, New Holstein in Calumet and Schleswig in Manitowoc county were so colonized. Economic conditions, on the other hand, sent a stream of people from the banks of the Weser River. They set- tled in Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties, forming what came to be known as the Lippe-Detmolder settle- ments. In the old home, over-population had long com- pelled many of the population to undertake annual pil- grimages to such industrial cities as Hamburg and Bre- men in search of earnings.
All of these North German Immigrants continued for many decades after their coming the observance of the old customs, and the wearing of the national cos- tume. Travelers In the country districts Inhabited by
50 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
them noted with interest that they still wore long blue coats from Pomerania, and wooden shoes; on festival oc- casions, the bridegroom's costume of velvet trousers and waistcoat and the quaint costume worn by the women lent picturesqueness to the scene.
As North Germany furnished large numbers of Pro- testant immigrants for the peopling of the new state, South and Middle Germany contributed notable groups of Catholic immigrants, especially between the years 1848 to 1854. Many of them made their homes in Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac and Menasha. The influence of a Catholic bishop who was sent to Milwau- kee from Cincinnati in the middle 40's was in great measure the determining cause for this large influx of German Catholics. They came from the Rhineland, from the Mosel valley, from the Wipper valley, in large numbers; most of them were handicraftsmen whose earnings had reached such a low ebb by reason of keen competition in the manufacturing industries upon which they relied for support that they regarded emigration as the only relief. In Luxemburg, the agricultural classes suffered from a period of depression, and strong disin- clination to render military service was an added induce- ment for leaving. It is estimated that between 1854 and 1857, as a result of harvest failures, not less than 6,000 Luxemburgers came to America, the greater pro- portion of them seeking homes in Wisconsin.
One of the most interesting of the Catholic groups is that which in 1854 followed a priest from mountainous Baden to Manitowoc county, and there established a
Early View of State Capitol.
Juneau's House— Milwaukee 1835.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 5 1
colony which has uninterruptedly preserved Its unusual characteristics. It Is called St. Nazlanz Colony, after a Greek saint, and patterned upon a mixture of biblical precepts and communistic Ideas. At this time there was much discontent among the people of the Black Forest owing to oppressive economic conditions, and Father Ambros Oschwald conceived the Idea of leading those who might be willing to follow to America, forming a free Roman Catholic community on a plan which he ex- plained In a circular that was scattered broadcast among the simple people of the Schwartzwald. "He held the Idea of the early apostles as to community of goods, and preached as Paul did concerning marriage — urging a single life for those not already married.^'
Before their departure from the fatherland, the col- onists formed a voluntary organization, and adopted regulations for their government. A pamphlet account of the affairs of the community, covering the years 1854 till 1866, gives some Interesting details. "Their plan was to live as much as possible In common, and land was to be held as common property. The presiding priest and an "ophorate" of twelve members were to be the governing powers, all colonists agreeing to be ruled by them not only In material affairs, but even as to questions of morality.
They settled in what was then a dense wilderness, having purchased 3,840 acres at $3.50 an acre, upon which a payment of $1,500 was made at the time. A recent Investigator has thus summarized their life from the establishment of the colony to the present time: "In
52 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
their new home they proceeded to carry out their ideas. The single men and women w^ere to hve in separate houses or cloisters, two such were built of beams and plaster, as was the custom in Germany. It was their plan to make themselves independent of the outside W'orld ; accordingly, they raised all their own food products and manufactured their own clothing. Peace reigned in the community until the death of their leader, when some difficulty arose concerning the property. It had been held by Father Oschwald in his own name, and at his death he willed it to the community; but the will was found to be invalid in court, since the society had never been incorporated, and was thus incapable of in- heriting property. To obviate this difficulty, they pro- ceeded to incorporate the community as the Roman Catholic Religious Society; then each member sued the estate for his past services; judgment was allowed and papers were made out, assigning the property to th'e so- ciet^^ They are now governed by a board of trustees elected annually by the adult members, both men and women. They are neither favored nor condemned by the church authorities. They still wear the German peasant dress, live as they did in the fatherland, and in all respects are a simple, primitive and extremely relig- ious people. 7 hree religious services are held each day. To recruit their numbers, orphan children are adopted into the Community.'*
In his history of co-operative communities, Mr. M. E. Mcintosh gives an interesting picture of the village of St. Nazianz in its earlier years, when it was "quaint
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 53
and picturesque in the extreme; a stranger coming upon It might have thought that some old dorf had been trans- planted bodily from the forests of Baden tO' the wilder- ness of Wisconsin. Every adult member of the colony performed some sort of manual labor. There were among the men tailors, shoemakers, masons, farmers, carpenters and blacksmiths. The sisters performed household duties, cultivated gardens, managed the dairy, and made straw and knit goods. It was unneces- sary to expend any money for labor, as the association was numerically strong enough to cultivate Its lands and carry on various industries besides. The married people associated in the enterprise lived in the village of St. Nazianz, at some distance from the two convents, but their interests were equally bound up In the communal acres with those of the brothers and sisters. They ob- tained all of their supplies from the colony, or had gar- dens and fields which were the association's property. The relation to the church of the celibate members, who were always referred to simply as brothers and sisters, was that of nuns and monks of the third order."
It was not until after the war that the Scandinavian element of Wisconsin assumed numerical importance, but the foundations were laid during the early years of statehood, and even before. Previous to the year 1840 there were but six Norwegian settlements in Noirth America, and of these three were located In Wisconsin. Here appeared the first Norwegian newspaper published in America. It was called the Nordlyset (Northern Light), its initial number being issued in 1847. The
54 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
first Norwegian settlement In Wisconsin was the fourth in America, being founded at Jefferson Prairie In Rock count}% by Ole Kundson Nattestad. It is notable In the annals of Norwegian emigration because from this lit- tle cluster emanated letters that were widely circulated In the old country and greatly stimulated the later emi- gration. Its beginnings were certainly modest, for the original colony comprised but three persons. They left their native valley in Norway with an equipment com- prising the clothes they wore, a knapsack and a pair of skees. They traveled over snow-crusted hills till they 1 cached Stavanger. There they were forced to hide until they secured passage for America on a little yacht loaded with herring, the government having refused them passage. The graphic letters which they sent home caused the fifth Norwegian settlement In America to be planted In Waukesha and Racine counties, and it became known as the Muskego settlement. The emi- grants paid $42.00 apiece for passage to Boston, and thence they made the journey by way of Buffalo to Mil- waukee. It took them three weeks to make the journey from Buffalo to Wisconsin In a miserable vessel "that leaked like a sieve and could scarcely hold together."
The wealthiest and largest Norwegian settlement In this country was planted at Koshkonong. It was the third In Wisconsin and the sixth in America. In view of the fact that the Koshkonong colony Is known as the wealthiest rural Norwegian community on the continent, this view of pioneer life there forcibly contracts condi- tions after the lapse of but a generation: "The houses
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 55
were log cabins, shanties and dugouts. Men and women alike dressed in blue drilling or in coarse homespun, brought over from the old country in large, bright- painted chests. Not a woman on Koshkonong prairie was the proud possessor of a hat. Some of the good wives and daughters sported home-made sunbonnets, but the majority contented themselves with the old coun- try kerchief. Carpets, kerosene lamps, coal stoves or sewing machines, reapers, threshing machines and top buggies were things not dreamed of. If books were few, a family bible and some of Luther's writings were rarely wanting even in the humblest homes. If the peo- ple were not versed in some of the branches now taught in almost every common school, they were well grounded in catechism, the Folklaring and the Bible his- tory. The people ate wholesome and toothsome flat- brod and mylsa, and brim and prim and bresta, the kind of food on which a hundred generations of Norway sea- men and mountaineers had been raised."
Important Norwegian groups are located as follows : New Hope and Amherst in Portage county; Oilman, Martell, Ellsworth and Hartland in Pierce county, sev- en townships in the western part of Waupaca county; Mt. Morris in Waushara county; Winchester and one- half of Clayton in Winnebago county; Christiana in Lafayette county; Coon and many other localities in Vernon county ; large and numerous settlements in Dane county. In northern Wisconsin the Norwegians consti- tute an important element, and they have had much to
S6 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
do with the remarkable development of that region in recent years.
Icelanders practically monopolize Washington Island in the waters of Green Bay. Swedes predominate In Trenton, Isabel and Maiden Rock In Pierce county, and are Influential In the city of Superior.
The story of Swiss colonization along the Little Sugar River possesses interest out of the common. They came from the canton of Glarus. There the population had Increased until the cultivated land of the valleys and the summer pastures on the Alps no longer furnished subsist- ence sufficient for them all. Food became so scarce that public meetings were held to discuss methods for induc- ing emigration. An appropriation was made from the public treasury to defray the expense of two representa- tives who were sent to America to locate a tract of land for those willing to leave their valley home. The men left in March 1845, bearing written Instructions. The min- ute directions thus committed to paper embodied an en- tire plan of government for the colony which it was pro- posed to establish In the new world, with provisions for schools, churches, relief of sick and poor, shelter, food and clothing; distribution of land so as to secure to each settler proper proportion of pasture, timber and tillable land; cultivation of a certain tract In common; keeping of a journal for recording the principal events affecting the community; and a hundred other matters regulating the conduct and aiming to promote the welfare of the wanderers.
1 here is something unique In the narrative diary kept
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 57
by the Swiss commissioners ; it tells in great detail what they did and what they saw on their long journey half way across the continent, by stage, on horseback and on foot. Thirty miles from Mineral Point they selected a tract which they deemed suitable for the planting of a colony. The rocky slopes that fashioned the valley re- minded them of their own mountainous Glarus, and they named the spot New Glarus. They began the con- struction of huts and awaited the coming of their kins- men.
It was on a rainy April day In the year 1845 ^^^^ the men, women and children gathered on the banks of the LInth canal to begin the long journey. There were nearly 200 persons, and arrangements had been made for a total of but 140. Two leaders and two spokes- men were chosen, and the colonists pledged their implic- it obedience. Hardships were experienced from the start. Packed closely In an open vessel, a pelting rain succeeded by a blinding snow storm added to the dis- comfort of overcrowding. The vessel was so small and the passengers were so many that no room remained for lying down. After much distress Zurich was reached, and there the women and children were transferred to covered wagons.
''We arrived at Basle on the i8th," says the journal of Mathlas Duerst. "The cold rain was falling in streams, and the utter wretchedness and discomfort were enough to chill the ardor of the strongest among the wet and shivering men. The wagons containing our wives and children arrived about the same time, and al-
58 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
though they had been packed in like a lot of goods, we were glad that they had not been exposed to the cold and wet as we had been."
Distress continued during the rest of the journey. Down the Rhine they slept on the bare boards of the vessel's deck, skirmishing for provisions at the stopping places enroute. On the way from Rotterdam to New Dieppe they encountered a terrific storm. While await- ing the arrival of the ocean vessel at the latter place, they camped on the shore in the manner of gypsies. Fin- ally they embarked for the trip across the ocean. Many suffered from hunger, the food provided for passengers being scant in quantity and worthless in quality. Two deaths occurred, and the sad burial service of the sea was followed by the consignment of the bodies to the depths of the ocean. The half starved company arrived at Bal- timore after forty-nine days of ocean travel. They stopped long enough to hold an indignation meeting and adopt resolutions vigorously condemning their treat- ment aboard ship, and then proceeded to St. Louis.
"Then", wrote the indefatigable diarist, Mathias Duerst, "we experienced the greatest pleasure of our lives. None of us had ever before rode on a railroad. The train took us to the Susquehanna river at Columbia, where wc left the cars and loaded our baggage and per- sons on canal boats, which were to carry us to Pittsburg. We were packed in like a herd of sheep. Many could not even sit, but had to stand up the whole night."
Greatly to their distress upon arrival at St. Louis, they found no tidings of the two pioneers who had pre-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 59
ceded them. Here they had expected to meet them, pro- ceeding thence to the promised land under their guid- ance. Two houses were rented and the colonists crowded Into them. Two men were dispatched In search of the lost leaders. They sought over the wide prairies of Il- linois and in the wooded belts of Wisconsin, and by mere accident finally learned their whereabouts. Ma- thlas Duerst's entertaining journal sketches with graphic fidelity the numerous adventures of the wanderers. In the meantime the emigrants at St. Louis had become Im- patient, and determined to make a search on their own account. They reached Galena on the very day that Duerst returned there on his way back to St. Louis. It was a joyful meeting. The party at once started for the new home in Wisconsin, the more robust of the men go- ing ahead on foot, carrying their belongings on their backs, the rest of the party following more slowly.
They reached New Glarus on the 15th day of Au- gust, 1845, five months from the time they left Switzer- land. They had brought along the pots and kettles they had owned at home, and these were distributed. The men went energetically to work, building huts and thatching them with hay. Rules and regulations were adopted for the government of the colony, some of them unique :
"Everyone is obliged to take the land which he draws by lot, and whether it is better or worse, to accept the same without protest."
"The main street from east to west shall be thirty feet wide, but the other streets shall be only fourteen feet wide." III-5
6o WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
"All creeks, springs and streams shall be the common property of all lot owners."
"The colonists shall be obliged to assist each other in building houses and barns."
"Should mineral be found, then the lot on which it is found shall revert to the societ3^ and the owner shall receive therefor appropri- ate compensation."
One hundred and eighty-three persons had started on the 5,000-mile journey. They traveled by water all but a mere fraction of the distance. They counted ii8 per- sons when they reached New Glarus.
Another interesting foreign group Is one which Cor- nishmen formed in southwest Wisconsin. Mining hav- ing declined in their native country, several thousand of them sought the region of the upper Mississippi during its early development. It is estimated that to-day the Cornish and their descendants constitute about a third of the population of Mineral Point and Dodgeville, more than half of Linden and Hazel Green, a fourth of Shullsburg, and a smaller proportion of other towns In the lead region. The greater number of Cornishmen who were attracted to Wisconsin lead regions came from Camborne. They pursued no stated route after em- barking from Penzanze or Falmouth on the southern coast of Cornwall. Some reached New Orleans, where they changed boats and proceeded up the Mississippi River. Some went by way of New York and Philadel- phia, and others by way of Montreal, but all of them seemed to make St. Louis a point of destin- ation before going up the Mississippi to the lead mining district. The journey from Montreal and New York was usually made by way of the
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 6i
Great Lakes as far as Cleveland or Toledo, and by canal from there to the Ohio river. When the gold fever of California broke out, about one-half of the Cornish miners in the Wisconsin lead region joined the wild rush for the new diggings, but most of them re- turned later and rejoined the families they had left be- hind. Their departure seriously affected the prosperity of the district, many stores being forced to close.
A curious survival of the infusion of the Cornish ele- ment in one section of the state is the dialect spoken in some parts of southwest Wisconsin. It is a mixture of odd words and peculiar pronunciation — Cornish phrases and English words abbreviated and fused and melted in a manner that renders its difficult for a strang- er to understand a conversation carried on in this dialect. Among the many words and phrases that pass current among the descendants of the Cornishmen in southwest- ern Wisconsin, a few may be given from a long list re- cently compiled for the Wisconsin Historical Society :
A kiddy-wink is a tavern where beer, ale, porter and temperance drinks are kept, but no spirits.
A dish o'tay is a cup of tea.
Wessen'ee? means, will you not?
Fuchin' is walking lazily, or throwing away time, as "Wa'at are 'ee doin', fuchin' away so much time ?"
To put 'ome the door, is to close it.
To understand what is meant by "I wusson go nist they kicklish old houzen," it is necessary to know that nist is used for near, that houzen is the synonym for house, and kicklish is equivalent to tottering.
62 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
Braav means excellent, or first class. On meeting each other, the Cornish generally say: '"On are 'ee?" or '"Ow ist 'ee gettin' on, you?" — to which the answer is made, "braav and keenly.
Passon and dark are used for parson and clerk; crit is lunch, generally used in the form of a bit o' crib, though croust means the same thing. Bal means mine, and bal- chrope is the rope hanging down the mine. To touch pipe is to sit down for rest.
Planshin means wooden floor; scat, is to scatter about ; stank, is to step upon or trample under foot, giv- ing material for such a sentence as this: "Dussen 'ee go scat en 'pon the planshin; theest'll stank 'pon en."
Of the composite nationality that makes up the pop- ulation of Wisconsin, in addition to those which have been mentioned, the Poles, Bohemians, Belgians and Dutch are important elements. The immigrants of these nationalities came in large numbers subsequent to the civil war, and they had little part in the formative processes of the commonwealth. Previous to the war of the rebellion the story of their coming is that of indi- viduals rather than of groups.
CHAPTER IV Black Spots on the Record
NSEPARABLE from the politics that dominate any new state are the baser elements which have their root In selfish ends and questionable means. Opportunities for exploiting money- making schemes during formative processes of this sort naturally attract all kinds of men who are un- able to carry such plans into effect in communities where stability obtains. Most of the men who sought fame and fortune in the new state of Wisconsin were young, ambitious and aggressive, and some of them were pos- sessed of undoubted talent. Of the first nine men to hold the office of governor, not one was over 45 years of age at the time of his election to the oflice, and most of them were under 40. One had but reached his thirty- third year, one was thirty-four, one thirty-five. The other state officers elected contemporaneously averaged about the same, and the young men were In control In legislative circles. It was In many respects typically a frontier community. Its leading members had come to make money as well as tO' found a commonwealth, and their methods tinged the politics of the period. It Is not surprising, therefore, that some ugly spots bespatter the record of the state. The terms *'Barstow and the Bal- ance," "The Forty Thieves" and others fraught with sinister meaning became current In political speeches. Frauds of wide-spread extent In the land department. In the office of the state treasurer, and wholesale bribery of the legislature In connection with disposition of valu- able land grants were among the public scandals of the day. There was tampering with the ballot-box In an ex-
65
66 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
traordinary attempt to steal the governorship from the successful candidate, and the power of the supreme court had to be Invoked after It seemed that resort to arms would be sought In settlement of the dispute. And yet during this period of stress and storm came to develop- ment forces destined to affect the current of the nation's history — among them, the birth of the Republican party In the little village of RIpon. And despite the element of corruption that stalked at times unblushing in public life, the commonwealth expanded tremendously in a ma- terial sense. In 1849, ^^^ ^^^^ spadeful of earth for a railroad was moved. March 31, in the same year, at Milwaukee, came the first message by telegraph, thus uniting by electricity the cities of Milwaukee and Chica- go. In 1 85 1, the first railroad train was run between Waukesha and Milwaukee, and six years later Prairie du Chlen on the Mississippi River had been reached, thus spanning the state by rail. In 1850 occurred the formal opening of the state university.
In some measure the corruption of men in public posi- tions grew out of governmental favors which the promo- ters of these enterprises sought. The wholesale bribery of the legislature of 1856, extraordinary In many re- spects even In the long list of such offences which taint the legislatlv^e history of the country, Included three state officials, and even the governor of the state was charged with having benefitted pecuniarily as a result of the giving away of a valuable land grant. The story may be found officially told In a document of 322 pages which gives In great detail the evidence obtained by a
; ^^UBLIC LIBRARY ll » , Artor, Lenox *fiu j «o«,,
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 67
committee of investigation. The conclusions of this com- mittee were that the railroad companies had been^'guilty of numerous and unparalleled acts of mismanagement, gross violation of duty, fraud and plunder." Some of the leading men of the state had been corrupted by the lobbyists. The Investigating committee reported that stocks and bonds amounting to $175,000 had been dis- tributed among thirteen senators, and that thirty-nine members of the assembly had shared stocks and bonds valued at $355,000. The sum of $30,000 had been giv- en In equal parts to three state officials, while $50,000 was ascertained to have been given Gov. Bashford as a gratuity. The committee learned that the gift was made subsequent to the disposition of the land grant and not as a result of previous understanding.
''The bribery, or buying up a great majority of the legislature," the investigating committee's report goes on to say, "Is discovered in the background as a tame fact, while the Ingenuity displayed in the attempt to veil the transaction beyond the possibility of detection, is so supremely unique as to extort attention. The actors seem not to have been mindful of the fact that no lid was ever large enough to completely cover up itself."
The method employed is given In the report with great circumstantiality, including lists of names and amounts accepted as bribes. It appears that the mem- bers of the senate to whom stocks and bonds were as- signed had these amounts placed in the hands of an ex- governor before voting for the land grant bill, to be by him passed to them respectively in case the bill became
68 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
a law. This precaution was taken, as they did not feel inclined to trust performance by the railway directors after they had obtained the grant. The members of the assembly were not less methodical in their arrangements, but chose another agent to hold the stocks and bonds for deliver)^ to them. From the testimony it appears that some members who voted for the bill had no stock or bonds assigned to them on the ground that it was under- stood or supposed that they would be sufficiently com- pensated by the interest which they would have in the grant.
In making out a list of persons who were to be the recipients of bonds, and to the amounts designated, there vvere five mysterious dashes, in this wise:
10 .
10
lO
JO
lO
The committee concluded that the figures indicated the number of bonds of one thousand dollars each that 'were to go to some one, making In all the amount of $50,000, and that the dashes were meant to represent the governor of the state. Before leaving Madison, as shown by the testimony, the chief lobbyist had two lists made out, on which were placed the amounts which each member and others were to have. These lists were num- bered in regular order, from one to the numerical end. The first had the name of the person set opposite the
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 69
number which in the second list would represent the per- son.
"The first was the magic key with which to lock the mysterious chest," in the language of the investigating committee. "That, before a person putting up the bonds was a sure guide, giving the exact number of bonds of one thousand dollars each, which he should enclose in a ^package' for each person named thereon. This work done, and the key destroyed, the memory of man in a few years was not likely to retain who were represented by the figures i, 5, 10 or 50, with that certainty which would warrant the finding of a verdict against anyone."
To avoid the use of this list as evidence, it was de- stroyed. A report that bonds had been disposed of to divers persons, as contained in this list, would not con- vey any very satisfactory information to stockholders. Yet, this seems to have been entirely so in this instance. . When the list was completed, the parties interested went to Milwaukee and there, in October, the bonds were issued to the amount of $1,000,000, and passed over to the distributees with few exceptions. They were put up in packages, in number and packages as indicated by the lists, and on each package was written the name of the person who was to be the recipient thereof. They were then placed in the safe of the attorney of the com- pany, who later testified that they had been delivered as directed.
In his sworn testimony, this attorney made this signif- icant statement: "It has been the habit of my life to make and preserve written memoranda of all events or
70 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
circumstances that I desire to remember. I had no de- sire to remember anything about the delivery of those packages. I got rid of them as soon as possible. And having already stated that I delivered all which were left in my office, I desire to be excused from making any more personal answer to this Interrogatory. My office for a day or two was thronged with members of the leg- islature and others who, I suppose, came there to receive the packages. I got rid of them as soon as possible. I took no voucher or receipt from any person."
It was estimated, according to a circular issued later by the company, that the land grant received as a gift from the legislature, was worth $13,615,000.
The report of the Investigating committee also goes into the management of the railroad company's affairs, giving an interesting insight Into the financiering meth- ods of that day. "It might naturally be supposed," the report goes on to say, "that the board of directors, hav- ing obtained this munificent grant and thus placed them- selves in a position to retrieve the company from Its hazardous position (the land grant had become a mat- ter of necessity to save the company from bankruptcy and shield the directors from the consequences of this plundering) would have carried forward the work with prudence and economy, keeping faith with the state, which had so liberally endowed them and the capitalists to whom they were looking for help to complete it. The operations of the board of directors subsequent to ob- taining the grants disclose a series of frauds, misman- agement and misrepresentation seldom exhibited. The
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 71
evidence taken establishes the fact that the managers of the La Crosse & Milwaukee Railroad Company have been guilty of numerous and unparalleled acts of mis- management, gross violation of duty, fraud and plun- der. In fact, corruption and wholesale plundering are common features."
It is a curious fact that the legislature which had yielded so readily and so thoroughly tO' the blandish- ments of lobbyists, undertook to investigate gross frauds in connection with the office of the state treasurer and the disposal of school and university lands. It was found that a shocking state of affairs existed. Political favor- ites had been permitted to enrich themselves at the ex- pense of the state. Vouchers were missing, and records generally were in hopeless confusion. Some of the facts elicited by the investigators, and the conclusions drawn by them, shed a strong light upon the official depravity that characterized the administration of these depart- ments :
''Owing to the loose and careless manner in which the books in the offices of the treasury and school land com- missioners have been kept, the prosecution of this inves- tigation has been greatly retarded. In the school land office in particular, the books are disfigured and defaced with erasures of names and figures, and other names and figures substituted with interpolations, remarks and al- terations which in many instances rendered it impossi- ble to ascertain the original entries, dates, or the amount of principal and interest originally paid.
"The vouchers of the treasurer were found in great
72 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
confusion. There was no arrangement either of names or dates, but they were thrown Into one confused mass, extending through a period of eight years. Many of the vouchers are missing and many of those laid before the committee as vouchers were rejected because they of- fered no evidence of the payment of money to any per- son. It appears that money has been drawn from the treasury without authority of law. State officers and clerks were allowed to take money from the treasury in anticipation of their salaries, leaving no other evidence of Indebtedness than a slip of paper."
Concerning one of the officials these statements were made: "It seems that he was frequently found in the office In a state of Intoxication, with the doors of the vault open, sometimes other persons not connected with the office were with him; that upon two occasions he went into the office in the night time and opened the vault. That on another occasion he was found in the vault with another person looking at the money, both of them intoxicated. These things were all known to per- sons about the capitol. And it seems moreover that there was reason to suspect, from what was publicly said In the streets, that on one occasion when he went into the vault of the treasury at night, on that same night he lost several hundred dollars at the gaming table. It was also known that liquor was kept in the vault. It is a matter of utter astonishment that such a state of things should have been permitted to continue for a day. It seems to have been known to several of the witnesses that he was In the practice of speculating In school lands.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 73
in direct violation of law. It was unquestionably the practice of some persons In the office to mark land 'sold' or 'reserved from sale' to enable parties Interested in the purchase to explore and examine them, thus affording those in the office or such of their friends whom they might desire to favor, not only a great advantage over outsiders, but also investing them with an arbitrary power which was used to the direct Injury of those who may have applied for these lands before the purchase was consummated. There is no doubt but that the prac- tice prevailed generally at these sales of making false bids, and then forfeiting the same. The commissioners then re-offered the lots upon which the bids were made, so early the next morning after the sale, that no oppor- tunity was afforded to bona fide purchasers to bid upon them. Some of the lots were not re-offered at all, and they were then left subject to the private entry of specu- lators."
The concluding words of the committee's report do not admit of double meaning, though they proved pro- phetic of later scandals in public life: "Tens of thou- sands of dollars of this fund have been embezzled, and hundreds of thousands lost or squandered. Criminal negligence, wanton recklessness, and utter disregard for the most responsible duties which could be Imposed upon man alone has distinguished the management of this fund. The corruption which such a state of things en- genders, if suffered to continue, will be felt In our halls of legislature and will soon reach the people, until a gen- eral depravity of public sentiment will be the result, and
74 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
the great and true end of government, the moral and In- tellectual progress of man, will be lost sight of in the conflict of personal interests which would ensue."
Even the judiciary was besmirched during this period of low oflficial morals. During Gov. Farwell's term, Judge Levi Hubbell was impeached, the trial attracting wide-spread attention. Corruption and malfeasance In the discharge of his duties w^ere alleged, and articles of impeachment were submitted to the senate by a commit- tee of the assembly. The ablest lawyers in the state were retained, among them being Jonathan E. Arnold and Edward G. Ryan, the latter of whom later became chief justice of the supreme court. It was one of the most dramatic trials In the annals of the state betore or since; Ryan's biting sarcasm and remarkable Invective In arraignment of the judge being a masterpiece that students of law carefully read even after this lapse of half a century. When the vote was taken. It was found that Judge Hubbell had escaped conviction because the number of votes against him was less than the constitu- tion required for conviction In a case of this kind.
CHAPTER V
Factional Feuds and Political Passions
III 6
INHERITED feuds that centred around the per- sonalities of Henry S. Dodge and James Duane Doty were projected into the politics of the new state from the era of territorial government. Both were men of positive character, strong in friendships and equally strong in enmities, but wholly unlike in other respects. Dodge was a southern gentle- man whb had brought slaves from Virginia, and en- dowed with those generous and popular attributes which endear leaders to their following. Doty was an abler man, probably, but lacked the wide popularity accorded to his rival. There was a third element of some strength, headed by Judge Dunn and Isaac P. Walker. It was a presidential year in which Wisconsin was admitted to statehood, and by a curious coincidence two of the op- posing presidential candidates had played an important part in the early history of the territory. Hon. Zachary Taylor had been in command of Fort Crawford (Prair- ie du Chien). Gen. Lewis Cass was governor of the territory when it was attached to Michigan. Some of the most important Indian treaties at Green Bay, Prairie du Chien and elsewhere were negotiated by him. Ac- companied by Henry R. Schoolcraft, he undertook an important expedition through Wisconsin to ascertain its resources. During the Indian excitement created by Red Bird in the lead regions, he made a remarkable canoe trip of 1800 miles to St. Louis to secure military as- sistance, and his promptness doubtless prevented the war from assuming large proportions. Wisconsin cast its first presidential vote for Cass. He received 15,001
78 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
votes, Taylor 13,747, and Martin Van Buren 10,418. Of the three congressmen elected, each ticket contained one name. Charles Durkee, who was elected by the Free Soilers, afterwards became the first Free Soil member of the United States senate. The newspaper campaign was remarkable for the vigorous language employed by the writers, Sherman M. Booth's Barnburner being es- pecially violent in its denunciatory expressions. There was a violent split in Democratic ranks, and many of the Democratic papers refused to display the name of Lewis Cass at the head of their columns.
In the senatorial contest that ensued Heni*y S. Dodge and Isaac P. Walker, leaders of their respective fac- tions, were elected. Doty, who had been chosen a con- gressman from the Third District, had senatorial aspir- ations, but the other two political factions formed a combination that divided the two United States senator- ships betT\^een them. Walker had lived in Wisconsin but six years. Both he and Dodge pledged their votes to secure freedom of the new territories. There was great indignation, therefore, when Walker voted for the organization of New Mexico and California without a stipulation forever prohibiting slavery. The same leg- islature that elected Walker, adopted resolutions asking him to resign. He paid no attention to this demand, which was couched in the following language:
"Whereas, Hon. I. P. Walker, one of the senators from this state in congress, in presenting and voting for an amendment to the general appropriation bill, provid- ing for a government in California and New Mexico,
Henry S. Baird.
Isaac P. Walker.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 79
west of the Rio Grande, which did not contain a provi- sion forever prohibiting the introduction of slavery or involuntary servitude in said territories, has violated his pledges given before his election on that subject, out- raged the feelings of the people, misrepresented those who' elected him, and has openly violated the instruc- tions contained by this body on the subject of slavery at the present session ; he is hereby requested to immediate- ly resign his seat."
Dodge had been elected as a Democrat; while in the senate he usually acted with the Free Soil party. His son, Augustus Dodge, served as a United States senator from Iowa during a part of the time that he was sena- tor— the first time that father and son had sat in that body as co-members.
Nelson Dewey was the state's first governor. Elected without opposition in his own party in 1848, two years later he was re-elected with as little difficulty. When his term ended, he disappeared from public view, hav- ing made little impress upon the new commonwealth. He died, poor and obscure, nearly forty years later, and is to-day chiefly rem.embered as the promoter of a plan to make Cassville the metropolis of the state. The lit- tle town has since sunk into decay.
A Whig in the person of Leonard J. Farwell became the second governor. His margin over his Democratic opponent, Don A. J. Upham, was narrow, and the be- lief was current that Upham was the victim of a mis- count. Having accepted the nomination under protest, and having little inclination toward public life. Cover-
8o WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
nor Farwell took no active part In the administration of state affairs, though the period of his service is remem- bered owing to the passage of an act abolishing capital punishment for murder and substituting therefor a life- term sentence at hard labor In the state prison. Thus Wisconsin led the way in abolishing the hangman's noose, no other commonwealth having done so at this time. It was chiefly due to the insistence and energetic campaign of Marvin H. Bovee, a state senator from Waukesha county, that capital punishment was abol- ished, and the author of the act devoted much of his af- ter life In an effort to secure similar legislation in other states.
Governor Farwell died in 1889, the same year in which ended the life of his predecessor.
Unlike the first two governors, William A. Barstow proved a man of positive force in the executive chair, though his administration ended In an attempt to steal the governorship of the state from the man who received a majority of the votes cast. By this time, the Demo- crats were sharply divided into uncompromising fac- tions. The old-time leaders like Dodge, Judge Dunn and Moses M. Strong, who had been In control so many years, were effectively relegated to the rear, and a new and younger element came to the front. Barstow was their candidate, and they triumphantly elected him.
But public affairs were moving with giant strides. Coming events were casting significant shadows. There was a political upheaval. An event occurred which was destined to Influence the destiny of the nation — the
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 8i
Republican party was born, and Its baptismal font was In Wisconsin. The naming of one of the great parties has a history which Is well worth the telling. The story centers In the old Congregational church on College Hill, In the city of RIpon. The date was the last day of February In the leap year 1854. Three Whigs, one Democrat and a Free Soller were the principal pro- moters of the local movement.
"One of the earliest, If not the very earliest of the movements that contemplated definite action and the formation of a new party, was made In RIpon, Fond du Lac county. Wis., In the early months of 1854," says Henry Wilson In his Rise and Fall of the Slave Power. *'In consequence of a very thorough canvass, conference and general comparison of views Inaugurated by A. E. Bovay, a prominent member of the Whig party, among the Whigs, Free Soilers and Democrats of that town- ship, a call for a meeting was Issued. A second meet- ing was held on the 30th of March for the purpose of organization and for the adoption of such preliminary measures as the Inauguration of the new party required. A state convention was held In July, by which the organ- ization of the party was perfected. A majority of the delegates was secured for the next congress, and a Free Soiler was elected to the Senate."
About the middle of the fourth column on the third page of the RIpon Herald Issued Feb. 29, 1854, appeared this notice of the first meeting, occupying about an Inch of space:
82 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
NEBRASKA!
A MEETING will be held at 6 1-2 o'clock this (Wednesday) evening, at the CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH in the village of Ripon, to remonstrate against the Nebraska Swindle. Come all.
MANY CITIZENS.
In the following week's issue appears the preamble and resolutions adopted at the mxcetlng held on the night mentioned. At that gathering, which was largely attended by persons of both sexes, living in the village and surrounding country, It was agreed that in the event that the Nebraska bill was adopted, old parties Vvould be cast aside and an entirely new organization should be given birth. ,
At the second meeting, which was held March 20 in a little schoolhouse, Mr. Bovay urged that the new party should assume the name Republican. He wTOte to the same effect to the editor of The New York Tribune, giving his reasons for the selection of the name.
Thfe stimulus thus given the movement bore early fruit. On the 9th of June, 1854, Sherman M. Booth published the following call In his Free Democrat:
PEOPLE'S MASS STATE CONVENTION
At Madison, Thursday, July 13.
All men opposed to the repeal of the Missouri com- promise, the extension of slavery, and the rule of the slave power, are Invited to meet at Madison, Thursday,
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 83
July 13, to take such measures as may be deemed neces- sary to prevent the future encroachments of the slave power, to repeal all compromise in favor of slavery, and to establish the principle of freedom as the rule of the State and National governments. The time has come for the union of all free men for the sake of free- dom. There is but one alternative. We must unite and be free, or divide and be enslaved by the praetorian hands of the slave holders and their Nebraska allies.
MANY CITIZENS.
June 9, 1854.
Papers throughout the state, friendly to the objects of the above call, please copy.
The Sentinel copied the call with editorial endorse- ment, the following morning. All the Free Soil, tv\^o Democratic and all but one of the Whig newspapers in the state did likewise.
It was an im.mense outpouring that resulted on the day of the meeting, well described In these w^ords by an eye-witness: "The newspapers of Madison estimated the number of earnest men who gathered in front of the state house at 3,000, and at that time Madison had but one railroad, and that passed along outside more than a mile from the center of the town. But the people came from all directions and by every mode of convey- ance— on foot, on horseback, in carriages, and In the common lumber farm wagon that carried ten to twenty persons. There vv^ere old Liberal party men like the venerable John Wahvorth, who regarded slavery as a great moral, rather than as a political question, and who had prayed until they had turned gray for the abolition
84 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
of It. There were the hard-headed but conscientious Hunker Democrats, strict constructionists of the Consti- tution, who knew that slavery was wrong, but being intrenched in the Constitution they were unwilling to interfere with it in the states, but who clenched their fists and vowed it should not extend into the free territories. Inhere were the old silver gray Whigs from New York state who had worshipped William H. Seward and had read Greeley's Tribune, but still opposed the abolition movement until now, and some of them had heard it pro- claimed from the pulpit th'at slavery was a divine insti- tution. There were the Free Soilers who did not bother much about the moral aspects of slavery, but believed the free territories ought to be kept free for free men. There were the Garrisonians who contended that the Constitution 'is a covenant with death, and an agree- ment with hell,' because of its sanction of slavery. There were Free Traders and high Protectionists, all moved by a common impulse and inspired by one deter- mination, and that single purpose was to forget past differences and hem in the infernal svstem of chattel slavery in the states, as Jefferson and the Fathers intended it should be when they adopted the famous Ordinance of 1787, on the anniversary of the day on which they had assembled."
No such convention had ever assembled in the state before. It continued long into the night, fervid speeches being made by leading men. Amid an out- burst of tremendous enthusiasm, the following platform was adopted :
o
G +-I
.1 ':! J I '■}
\
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 85
Resolved, That the repeated and long-continued encroachments of the slave power, culminating at last in the repeal of the law of freedom in all the hitherto unorganized territory of the Union, forces upon us the conviction that there is no escape from the alternative of freedom or slavery, as a political issue which is to deter- mine whether the future administration of the govern- ment shall be devoted to the one or the other.
Resolved, That we accept this issue, forced upon us by the slave power, and in defense of freedom will cooperate and be known as Republicans, pledged to thte accomplishment of the following purposes :
To bring the administration of the government back to the control of first principles.
To restore Kansas and Nebraska to the position of free territories.
To the repeal and entire abrogation of the Fugitive Slave act.
To restrict slavery to the states In which it exists.
To prohibit the admission of any more slave states into the Union.
To exclude slavery from all the territories over which the general government has exclusive jurisdiction; and to resist the acquisition of any more territory unless the prohibition of slavery therein forever shall have been first provided for.
Resolved, That in furtherance of these purposes w^e will use such constitutional and lawful means as shall seem best adapted to their accomplishment; and that we will support no man for office under the general or state government who Is not positively and fully committed to the support of these principles, and whose personal char- acter and conduct is not a guaranty that he is reliable.
Resolved, That we cordially invite all persons, whether of native or foreign birth, who are In favor of
86 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
the objects expressed In the above resolutions, to unite with us In carrying them Into effect.
Barstow's term as governor expired In 1855. He Avas renominated, despite factional differences and the circulation of sinister charges that gave currency to such phrases as "Barstow and the Balance," the "Forty Thieves," and others bearing similar Insinuations of official wrongdoing. The Republicans nominated as their first gubernatorial candidate. Coles Bashford of Oshkosh. The entire machinery of election Avas In the hands of the partisans of Barstow. Vv^hen the can- vassers, after some delav to Q-Ive the "back counties" an opportunity to send In their returns, announced the defeat of Bashford by 157 votes, there Avas an Immedi- ate and loud outcry of fraud. It Avas charged that the returns had been tam.pered Avith, and the ncAVSpapers commented Avlth such A'lolence upon the attempt to steal the governorship that political passions Avere Inflamed to a degree threatening bloodshed at the Capitol.
Apparently oblivious to the outcry, the gOA^ernor arranged for the ceremony of Installation. He sum- moned scA^en companies of mllltla to Madison ostensibly as an escort, and they lined the streets as he proceeded to the state capltol, repaired to the senate chamber and subscribed to the gubernatorial oath of office. Tavo thousand men belonging to his faction had gathered in the vicinity prepared for emergencies that might arise. Most of them Avere armed.
While Barstow Avas being SAvorn m according to cus- tom in the senate chamber, Coles Bashford had quietly
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 87
proceeded to the court room of the Supreme Court, where the supreme justice administered the oath required of the governor. Thence, by the advice of his attor- neys, he proceeded to the executive office to demand possession. Gov. Barstow refused to yield, and the con- test was at once carried to the highest court of the state. Such eminent lawyers as E. G. Ryan, Timothy O. Elowe, Alexander W. Randall and J. EL Knowlton went to the support of Bashford, while Matt H. Carpenter, Jonathan E- Arnold and Elarlow S. Orton defended the claims of Barstow. As in the Levi Hubbell impeach- ment trial, the feature of this noted trial proved to be the part taken by E. G. Ryan, later destined to become the great chief justice of that court before which he was now arguing. His sarcasm, invective and exposition of law produced a great effect.
"So the canvassers are the mere mouthpiece of the people," he declared. "The people give the majority, and the canvassers can only declare that majority. If they add figures wrongly or corruptly, and declare a wrong result, their declaration confers no right. Their certificate can create no right; it must be created under the constitutional provision, by a majority of the popu- lar vote.''
After a scathing arraignment of the usurpation of power by the governor, the eminent lawyer continued: "In this world there has never been but two kinds of government — a government of force without law, and a government of law without force. In the main, the governments of the world have been governments of
88 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
force without or above law. We attempted the experi- ment ot a government of law without force. We com- plain of It, and criticise, and grumble at our system of government. The truth is, It is far above us. We are not educated to it, within a century. Here the law is a mere letter. There are no embattled armies to enforce It. It is a mere word acting by Its own vitality. How shall this system be preserved? Only by the uni- versal submission of all men, high and low, strong and weak, the highest official as well as the humblest member of the community, to that simple letter, as permanent and supreme. So long as you sit there, asserting the power with which you have been clothed, declaring as you have done, that there shall be a remedy for all wrongs, you will sit a sublime spectacle to all mankind of law without force. But once say that the law Is no longer supreme, that great and terrible wrongs are without redress, that you are powerless to reach them ; that your arm is with- ered, and force will then be invoked. Force will be resorted to, to redress wrongs; force to confirm wrongs; force to perpetrate new wrongs. Am I speaking of a remote contingency? Has it not been growled about this capltol ? Have there not been threatenlngs in the presence of this court? Have not the newspapers echoed those threats, that if this court shall attempt to go back of the canvass and correct the errors and frauds it may find there, there will be armed resistance to its judgment? We know how cheap are those threats — but if the usurpation of this board of canvassers be suc- cessful this time, In a twelvemonth those threatenlngs
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 89
may be realized. Whenever a usurpation of power is successful, and the courts are powerless to correct it, when they have not the power or will not exercise it, that very moment the reign of law without force has declined. Possession becomes stronger than right, usurpation has become stronger than law."
Realizing inevitable defeat, Barstow withdrew from the case, claiming that political prejudices prevented fairness of treatment, and further denying the right of the court to go behind the returns. He attempted a coup by sending his resignation as Governor to the Leg- islature. He hoped to prevent the seating of Bashford by the installation as Governor of the duly-elected Lieu- tenant-Governor, Arthur McArthur.
The court proceeded with the inquiry and found gross forgeries of election returns. Their amended count gave Bashford a majority of 1,009 votes, whereupon they declared him entitled to the office of Governor. They further held that McArthur could gain no rights to the office through the resignation of a fraudulently elected incumbent. McArthur had served as Governor four days and declined to vacate. He announced that he would hold possession at all hazards. Intense excite- ment ensued. Men carrying weapons gathered in crowds in the capitol city. When, however, Bashford entered the executive office, McArthur left the room, declaring he did so under protest and yielded only to threats which he regarded as "constructive force." The assem- bly refused to recognize the new Governor, for a time, but finally did so. The easy dispossession of McArthur
90 WISCONSIN IN THRE E CENTURIES
prevented bloodshed. Had he resisted, a serious con- flict would have been precipitated. It was averted with difficulty, even then. The private secretary of Gov. Barstow wrote, a long time after this period: "We had arrived at the verge of revolutionaiT times. So highly had the passions of men been wrought up by the politi- cal contest in which we were immersed that it was at one time dangerously near a collision; and those who were then best cognizant of the prevailing feeling well knew that had a drop of blood been shed here — one life of a partisan on either side been taken in anger, the flame of civil war would have broken out."
Up to this time the foreign-born residents of the state had taken little part in public affairs and secured but scant recognition. The German element was becoming numerically strong, but was counted as safely Demo- cratic. i\.n attempt was now made by Republicans to split this vote, and the movement brought to the front a young and then unknown lawyer w^ho was later to take a leading part in the politics of the nation — Carl Schurz. In the State Convention of 1857, a warm and long-con- ducted three-cornered contest for the head of the ticket resulted In the nomination of Alexander W. Randall. The German element having regarded the Democratic Party as more friendly than the Republican Party to citizens of foreign birth, especially In regard to natural* ization and sumptuary laws, It was deemed wise to nom- inate a popular representative of that nationality for second place on the ticket. No one seemed available until Sherman \I. Booth took the floor and nrmlnated
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 91
Carl Schurz. The result may be told best in the words of one of the delegates to the convention: "The general inquiry among the delegates was, 'Who is Carl Schurz ?* Only a few^ knew him, or knew about him. He had recently come to the state and settled at Watertown, and had allied himself with the Republican Party. Nobody knew how to pronounce his name. Mr. Booth's eloquent speech in his favor was seconded by one or two others, and the result was that he was nominated on the first ballot almost unanimously, not because we knew anything of the man, but because we wanted a German on the ticket and he seemed the most available. None of us dreamed then that we were dealing with the des- tiny of one of the highest and most famous German- Americans who ever came to this country. But I shall never forget his unique and picturesque appearance on that occasion ; after the lapse of many years I can see just how he looked when he came forward to make his little speech of acceptance in response to calls made for him after he was nominated. He was then miserably poor, and the suit of well-worn and faded clothes upon his back would have been rejected by an ordinary tramp. His long legs were encased in a pair of tightly fitting trousers that were much too short at the bottom and baggy at the knees. His threadbare coat had the same complaint of shortness at the arms, and, taken alto- gether, his appearance was really not very unlike the pictures that "Puck" has often made of him since he became famous enough to serve as the subject of carica- ture. When he was introduced to the Convention the III -7
92 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
stillness was painful. Nearly every delegate in thai Convention undoubtedlv felt that a terrible blunder had been made in nominating him, and the speech was awaited with intense anxiety. We did not have to wait long before our suspense was happily relieved by one of the finest Impromptu addresses I ever heard. We were convinced that we had made no mistake, but that the ablest man in the hall was Carl Schurz."
Mr. Schurz took the stump for the ticket, speaking in the German language in all the principal cities of the state. Although defeated at the polls by a small major- ity, he acquired by the campaign that he made a reputa- tion for eloquence and powerful argumentation that extended all over the Union and made him the most influential German-American in this country. His influ- ence over his countrymen was unbounded. The ascend- ency of the Republican Party in Wisconsin began when the Germans began to cut adrift from the Democratic Party.
Two years later Schurz announced his candidacy for the governorship. A warm contest ensued. Randall was renominated, and was so Impolitic in his speech of accept- ance as to refer in disparaging terms to his opponents. Schurz accepted his defeat with feelings of resentment, believing he had been badly used. After sulking In his tent awhile, he went on the stump for Abraham Lin- coln, and made many eftective speeches in the Eastern states, largely influencing the German vote. He was named as Minister to Spain by President Lincoln and left Wisconsin never to return to the state as a resident.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 93
His influence remained, however, and the stirring events just preceding the Civil War aided to keep an influential element of the German element in Republican ranks.
CHAPTER VI
An Underground Railroad Episode
PUBLIC feeling became intensely aroused in the summer months of 1854, in consequence of an attempt by a southern plantation owner to secure one of his runaway slaves who had sought asylum in Racine. One of the devious channels of the underground railroad whereby black men were spirited away to freedom, led to Wisconsin. At Racine the abolition sentiment was strong, and there were not wanting citizens active In the furtherance of the work connected therewith. It thus became a station on the underground railway route. Joshua Glover was one of the colored men who found an asylum here, employment In a mill being secured for him. His master, a MIssourlan named B. S. Garland, in the course of time learned where he was and appeared on the scene with* two deputy United States marshals and the necessary papers, issued by the judge of a United States district court.
When they attempted to arrest the fugitive slave, who was surprised in a shanty near the mill, a desperate encounter resulted. Glover was knocked down and handcuffed and hurried off to jail In Milwaukee, to avoid a rescue by the infuriated citizens of Racine. Fully a hundred of the latter followed by boat to Mil- waukee and created tremendous excitement there by forming in line and making their way to the building where the slave had been locked up pending his return South. Crowds began to gather and an Immense con- course of people were organized Into a mass meeting to protest against the apprehension of slaves on Wisconsin
97
98 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
soil. After adopting resolutions of this kind, the jail was stormed and the runaway slave was released. He disappeared via the underground railroad.
The powers of local and federal courts were invoked by rescuers and slave-catchers. Those who had put irons on the fugitive were arrested by the sheriff of Racine county on the charge of assault. Those who had led the crowd which stormed the jail were apprehended on the ground of violation of federal laws, and a grand jury found bills indicting them. Sherman M. Booth was made the principal target of retaliatory measures by the slave owner, and he was bitterly prosecuted. The case attracted great attention all over the country. Byron Paine's defense of Booth was printed In pamphlet form, and thousands of copies were circulated In New England, with the hearty commendation of Wendell Phillips andCharles Sumner, who wrote congratulatory letters to the author.
When he was arraigned before the United States Commissioner, Booth made a ringing argument in his own defense. He said in the course of It: ''The warrant for my arrest charges me — so the legal fiction runs — with unlawfully aiding and abetting the escape of a human being from bondage. My answer to that charge Is that it is not true. Whatever aid and comfort I may have rendered the hunted and battered fugitive. It was only such aid and comfort as the laws permit, as human- ity dictates, and as the plainest precepts of the Christian religion required of me, on peril of my soul. So far, therefore, from having to reproach myself with what I
Sherman AI. Booth.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 99
have done, I ought, perhaps, to blame myself for not having done more. Instead of keeping, as I have done, strictly within the letter of the law, perhaps I ought to have braved the penalty of those who broke open the jail, and set an example of resistance to this fugitive slave law by aiding In the forcible rescue of Glover.
*'But I knew that human blood-hounds were on my track, ready and eager to pounce on me with all the authority and force of the general government, and that the federal courts and the federal officials, who take so deep an interest In this prosecution and whose sugges- tions have been so valuable to the prosecuting attorney, would rejoice at an opportunity of enforcing the penalty of an Infamous law against one who had done his part to make that lav/ odious to a liberty-loving people. I knew that the slave power would rejoice at an occasion which would enable it to silence my press, while the Nebraska iniquity was waiting, either for an ignoble birth and a premature baptism by faith-breaking god- fathers, or a hopeless death and an Infamous grave. And so I chose the path of prudence, and maintained an outward regard for the law I inwardly loathed and abhorred, and treated as a legal verity what I believe in my inmost soul to be a stupendous fraud, as wicked as stupendous, and a nullity before God and man.
"But I am frank to say — and the prosecution may make the most of it — that I sympathize with the res- cuers of Glover and rejoice at his escape. I rejoice that, In the first attempt of the slave hunters to convert our jail into a slave pen and our citizens into slave-catchers.
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100 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
they have signally failed, and that it has been decided by the spontaneous uprising and the sovereign voice of the people that no human being can be dragged into bondage from Milwaukee. And I am bold to say, that rather than have the great constitutional rights and safe- guards of the people — the writ of habeas corpus and the right of trial by jury — stricken down by this fugitive law, I would prefer to see every federal officer in Wis- consin hanged on a gallows fifty cubits higher than
aman s.
Booth appealed to the Supreme Court for a writ of habeas corpus, and w^as discharged from imprisonment on the ground of irregularities in the warrant. Indeed, the learned judges declared the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 unconstitutional.
"They will never consent," Judge Smith declared, referring to the right of the state in the enforcement of this law, "that a slave owner, his agent, or an officer of the United States, armed with process to arrest a fugi- tive from justice, is clothed with entire immunity from state authority; to commit whatever crime or outrage against the laws of the state, that their own high prerog- ative writ of habeas corpus shall be annulled, their authority defied, their officers resisted, the process of their own courts contemned, their territory invaded by federal force, the houses of their citizens searched, the sanctuary of their homes invaded, their streets and pub- lic places made the scenes of tumultuous and armed violence, and state sovereignty succumb — paralyzed and aghast — before the process of an officer unknown to the
WISCONSIN AS A STATE loi
constitution and irresponsible to its sanctions. At least, such shall not become the degradation of Wisconsin without meeting as stem remonstrance and resistance as I may be able to interpose, so long as her people impose upon me the duty of guarding their rights and liberties, and maintaining the dignity and sovereignty of their state."
The action of the state court was reversed. Booth was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in the county jail for one month and to pay a fine of $i,ooo and costs. The owner of the rescued slave obtained a judgment against him of $i,ooo in a suit for damages. The expenses of litigation ruined Booth financially, but he attained his purpose of creating sentiment in favor of the abolition movement. Largely as the result of the episode which has been described, the legislature of 1857 was induced to enact a law "to prevent kidnap- ping."
The circumstances attending the rescue of Joshua Glover have been frequently recited with many embel- lishments. A few years ago, at a meeting of the Wis- consin Editorial Association, Booth accepted an invita- tion to tell the facts concerning his participation. His version of the episode follows :
"The general facts of this case are well known. Joshua Glover, working in a saw mill four miles north of Racine, on the night of March 10, 1854, was arrested without the warrant being read to him, by Deputy Marshal Cotton and six assistants, knocked down, hand-cuffed, and dumped, mangled and bleeding,
102 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
Into a democrat wagon, and, with a marshal's foot on his neck, taken to Milwaukee and thrust into the county jail. General Paine and myself got out a writ of habeas corpus to test the rightfulness of his imprisonment. A great mass meeting at Racine passed strong resolutions in favor of Glover.
"In riding through the streets of Milwaukee, to call a public meeting, I did not cry — as was reported and sworn to — 'Freemen to the Rescue.' A forcible rescue was never my purpose. I aimed simply to secure for Glover a fair trial and competent counsel. And, in call- ing the meeting, I used but two forms of speech, viz. : 'All free men,' or 'All free citizens who are opposed to being made slaves, or slave catchers, turn out to a meet- ing in the Court House Square at two o'clock.' The only variation being, I sometimes used the word 'men' and sometimes the word 'citizens.' There was so much said at the time about the rescue that it Is not strange that my enemies attributed what others said, to me. The immediate cause of the rescue was the speech and report of C. K. Watkins, chairman of the committee to wait on Judge Miller and inquire If the writ of liberty would be obeyed. He reported that Judge Miller said: 'Xo power on earth could take him from his jurisdic- tion.' He expatiated on the tyranny of the judge and the hardship of imprisoning Glover over the Sabbath. I had invited the Racine delegation to meet our commit- tee at the American House for consultation, and was about to start, when I heard a shout and saw a rush for the jail, and a huge timber borne aloft toward the front
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 103
door of the jail, and anticipated the result. I went to Dr. Wolcott and Byron Paine, standing on the Court House steps, and said to them, as the crowd were bring- ing Glover out, that 'It was a bad precedent, that peo- ple would not discriminate between this case and one in which a prisoner was rightfully held, and that I regret- ted it.' To personal appeals of Democrats before the first meeting was opened, — 'Mr. Booth, let us take him out,' I answered: 'No, we must use legal and peaceful methods ;' and during the whole of this scene I counseled against violence, publicly and privately. Yet in all the histories of this case — in newspapers, pamphlets and books — I am represented as riding through the streets of Milwaukee, shouting 'Freemen to the rescue!' And only the other day the Chicago Legal News glorified me as riding on a white charger, doing the rescue act. I respectfully decline the honor of a deed which I never performed. The only responsibility attaching to me for the rescue of Glover Is, that I helped create a strong public sentiment against the fugitive slave act and called the meeting to protect the legal rights of Glover and give him a fair trial. If, when assembled for peaceable and lawful purposes, the course of the judge and his bailiffs excited the people to take Glover out of jail, against my advice, I was guiltless of the rescue."
CHAPTER VII
The Bursting of Utopian Bubbles
N the early days of statehood came to a sudden and disastrous ending those Utopian, commun- istic enterprises which had found lodgment dur- ing territorial times, when remoteness from cen- ters of population had permitted undisturbed experiments of this sort. The most notable of these was a community known as the Ceresco Pha- lanx, that disbanded In 1850. This, like similar but less successful enterprises in Sheboygan county and elsewhere, was directly the result of the agi- tation which led to the Brook Farm experiment. Con- temporary with, but Independently of this movement, a group of so-called English Utilitarians endeavored to establish a communistic colony in Waukesha county. In 1 848, the Arbeiterbund, or labor union of New York, planned to establish a communistic settlement in Wis- consin. Weltling, a German revolutionist, was at the head of this movement.
In the beautiful valley of the Ceresco was located what proved the longest-lived of these communistic enterprises. Although its greatest development was contemporaneous with the formative period of state government, the beginnings had their date some years before this. There existed in the village of Southport, now known as the city of Kenosha, a literary society known as the Franklin lyceum, comprising some of the most Intellectual of that group of New England and New York pioneers, who came to the territory In the early 40's. This Southport group included such men as
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k
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»-fi.
N the early days of statehood came to a sudden and disastrous ending those Utopian, commun- istic enterprises which had found lodgment dur- ing territorial times, when remoteness from cen- ters of population had permitted undisturbed experiments of this sort. The most notable of these was a community known as the Ceresco Pha- lanx, that disbanded in 1850. This, like similar but less successful enterprises in Sheboygan county and elsewhere, was directly the result of the agi- tation which led to the Brook Farm experiment. Con- temporary with, but independently of this movement, a group of so-called English Utilitarians endeavored to establish a communistic colony in Waukesha county. In 1 848, the Arbeiterbund, or labor union of New York, planned to establish a communistic settlement in Wis- consin. Weitling, a German revolutionist, was at the head of this movement.
In the beautiful valley of the Ceresco was located what proved the longest-lived of these communistic enterprises. Although Its greatest development was contemporaneous with the formative period of state government, the beginnings had their date some years before this. There existed in the village of Southport, now known as the city of Kenosha, a literary society known as the Franklin lyceum, comprising some of the most intellectual of that group of New England and New York pioneers, who came to the territory In the early 40's. This Southport group included such men as
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Charles Durkee, who became the first Free-soil member of the United States Senate; Louis P. Harvey, subse- quently one of the Wisconsin's governors during the war era; Warren Chase, Lester Rounds and other men who became conspicuous In the later history of the state.
One evening In November of the year 1843, the Franklin lyceum debated the question : "Does the system of Fourier present a practical plan for such a reorgan- ization of society as wnll guard against our social evils?" The Interest In this topic was Intense at about this time, when Horace Greeley's Tribune had given countenance to the theories of speculative writers in advocating the formation of communities where perfect democracy would prevail.
Fourier was a Frenchman who had conceived a scheme for dividing mankind Into groups, destined eventually to come under a unitary government with but one lan- guage, and one system. Each association or phalans- tery, according to his plan, was to comprise 400 families, or 1,800 persons, which number he had figured out included the entire circle of human capacities. "These should live In one Immense edifice, in the center of a large and highly cultivated domain, and furnished with workshops, studios and all the appliances of Industry and art, as well as all the sources of amusement and pleasure."
The plan of Fourier contemplated this division of resources and product: Five parts to labor, four to capi- tal and three to talent.
This, in brief, was the Utopian scheme that appealed
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 109
to the good people of Southport the beginning of the year 1844. A few leading men drew up a plan of organization, styled the association "The Wisconsin Phalanx" and found no difficulty in disposing of a large number of shares at $25 each. Ebenezer Childs of Green Bay was employed to select a spot suitable for the home of the Phalanx, and he recommended to the vis- ionaries the purchase of a tract of land in the valley of Ceresco. It seemed as if this place had been designed especially for such a community. Its sylvan attractive- ness appealed to the artistic sense and love of nature, its fertile soil gave promise of splendid harvests, its water facilities and timbered hills Invited the erection of mills and factories.
With the sum of $800 ensconsed In a wallet , Warren Chase went to Green Bay and entered several quarter sections of the lands in this snug valley of Ceresco.
In the meantime the Southport communists had been actively preparing to go to the land of promise. Tents had been secured and, provided with provisions, tools and cattle. The vanguard left Southport one Monday morning, with a parting cheer from their comrades. On Saturday evening the twenty persons who formed this advance guard — nineteen men and one boy — came to the banks of Silver creek and pitched their tents. They were on the site of the future city of Ripon. The next morning was Sunday, May 27, 1844, a date mem- orable In the annals of the Phalanx, for on this day they entered the valley destined to become their home.
The season was well advanced, and early the next
I lo WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
morning the pioneers of the new Idea energetically be- gan their settlement. While some of them broke ground for planting, others dug cellars and reared the skeletons of frame dwellings for housing the families that were soon to come. A frost destroyed their growing vege- tables, but undaunted they replanted corn and potatoes, beans, buckwheat and turnips. In their three tents they made shift to sleep with as much comfort as beds on the ground would permit, and they ate in the open air the meals cooked for them by an old Scotch sailor. The rough boards on which the viands were served stretched beneath the shade of spreading branches, and answered well enough for the purpose except when it rained; but the men cheerfully accustomed themselves to eat in a standing position when it rained, because "they could thus shed the rain easier."
The stars and stripes fluttered from a high liberty pole on the Fourth of July, and the little community cel- ebrated the day with much enthusiasm. By this time about twenty families wxre occupying the half-finished houses. They ate at a common table, the basement of one of the houses serving for kitchen and dining hall. A sawmill was constructed on the bank of Silver creek, and a dam was thrown across the stream, but winter set in before the mill could be operated. The oak boards for their houses and the shingles for the roof had all been made by hand.
While the members of the Phalanx were shivering in their winter-bound valley homes, their leader was in Madison lobbying for a charter. The territorial legls-
THE
NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
Astor, Lenox and TiJden Foundations.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 1 1 1
lators were somewhat nonplused at being asked to grant a charter of such an unusual sort, but finally granted it, substantially as the Phalanx had agreed. These were the salient features:
Property to be held In stock, numbered In shares of $25 each.
Quantity of land limited to forty acres for each per- son belonging to the corporation.
No person permitted to join except by unanimous vote of the Board of Managers (president, vice-president and nine councUmen).
Annual settlement of profits made on the following basis: One- fourth credited as dividend for stock; re- maining three-fourths credited to labor.
Free public schools to be maintained nine months of the year, capital paying three-fourths of the cost, and labor one-fourth.
Toleration of religious opinion, no member to be taxed, unless voluntarily, for the support of any minister of religion.
Protected by a charter, the Phalanx proceeded to ex- emplify the principles of Fourier. The "long house'* was constructed, described as being 400 feet In length, and consisting of "two rows of tenements, with a hall between, under one roof." This was the common din- ing hall, the place of amusement and the seat of culture. The families took their meals at a common table, but retired to their Individual cabins when they pleased. Board at the phalanstery was reduced In cost to 63 cents per week. The "class of usefulness" was divided Into
1 1 2 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
three groups — agricultural, mechanical and educational. These were subdivided as necessity or convenience dic- tated. All labor was voluntary, but of course credit was given to each in proportion to actual work accomplished. An exact account of labor was kept. There was a week- ly programme for dividing the evenings between busi- ness and recreation :
Monday evening — Business of the council.
Tuesday evening — Meeting of the Philolathian so- ciety, wMth discussion on current topics, and reading of *The Gleaner."
Wednesday evening — Singing.
Thursday evening — Dancing.
Friday — No meeting.
Saturday evening — Hearing of detailed reports from the foremen.
"The Gleaner" was a paper, bearing this motto : "Let the gleaner go forth and glean and gather up the frag- rance, that nothing be lost."
Enthusiasm and industry brought great prosperity — for a while. Applications for membership poured in, but few were admitted. By the close of the second sea- son, thirty families were enrolled, and the property of the Phalanx was valued at $27,725.02. One hundred acres of wheat had been harvested, besides sixty of corn, fifty seven of oats ai>d other crops in proportion. Cer- csco had been well named; Ceres, patroness of agricul- ture, smiled upon her own. The appraisal the year fol- lowing gave a valuation of $32,564.18, and net profit of the year was $9,029.73. This gave a dividend to
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 1 13
stock of 7 3-4 per cent, and of 7.3 cents per hour for labor.
"There was faithful attempt to carry out the compli- cated plan of Fourier with regard to the personal credits and the equalization of labor by reducing all to what was called the class of usefulness," says an account by Everett Chamberlain. ''Under this arrangement, some of the most skillful workmen were able to score as many as twenty-five hours' labor In one day — a paradox in time keeping which was exceedingly amusing to the skill- ful ones, and correspondingly perplexing to the unskill- ful, since everybody drew stock or cash on settlement day In proportion to his credit on the daily record."
In his first annual report, the president noted that the Phalanx workers had performed in all one hundred and two thousand, seven hundred and sixty hours of labor, and found time besides to cultivate vocal and instrumen- tal music, and "our young ladles and gentlemen have oc- casionally engaged In cotillions, especially on wedding occasions, of which we have had three the past sum- mer."
While seemingly the experiment of the Phalanx was a proven success, the seeds of disintegration had been sown. Although the cost of board never exceeded 75 cents per week, the common table soon lost many of its diners, the families preferring to do their own cooking at home. The settlement of the lands adjacent awoke the spirit of land speculation in some of the thrifty mem- bers of the Phalanx ; a couple of free love devotees came to the community and made a few converts, as did a lee-
114 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
turer on spiritualism. The community also got into a tangle with the founders of Ripon, and the acute angles of that city's streets, with their three-cornered buildings, yet attest the existence of this rivalry. In the end Ripon postoffice from Ceresco, the mail bags being carried in triumph to the newer settlement. There were other In- ternal troubles — a difference of opinion as to the proper apportionment of work and emoluments.
The end came In 1850, when authority was received from the legislature to disband. This was done, and nearly $40,000 was distributed among the members.
The records of the Phalanx are now preserved In the Ripon Historical Society. From these Mr. S. M. Ped- rlck has extracted many Interesting facts relating to the life of the communists. As one of the most successful enterprises of the kind In the United States, Its constitu- tion and by-laws become documents of Importance as well as Interest.
CONSTITUTION.
The Constitution was prefaced by a preamble, reciting that the subscribers adopted it "in order to form a more perfect union, es- tablish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, promote our common welfare, and secure the blessings of social happiness to ourselves and our posterity."
The object was "the prosecution of agriculture, manufactures, commerce, the arts and sciences, education and domestic industry, according to the system of Charles Fourier as near as may be prac- ticable."
The property was represented by stock, divided into shares of the value of twenty-five dollars each, and provision was made for paying for the same in cash, or in property at its cash value as fixed by the board of directors.
The affairs of the Association were managed by a president,
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 115
vice-president, secretary, and treasurer, together with a board of directors consisting of nine members — all to constitute a board of managers. The officers had the usual powers, and could be re- moved from office by the board for neglect of duty, absence or incompetence. Three trustees were provided for, who should take title to the property, as the association had no legal existence at this time. It was contemplated that whenever there should be forty familes resident on the domain, a new form of government was to go into operation, to be administered by councils, according to such plan as should then be agreeable to the resident members.
A person could be either a stockholder, or a member, or both, as his case might require. No person could be admitted to member- ship except on application to the board, and the board could im- pose such conditions as it deemed wise. A resident member was permitted to withdraw from the association upon giving two weeks' notice of his intention, and upon leaving the member was entitled to his proportionate share of the profits up to that time.
There were to be two meetings of the stockholders each year, and provision was made for fully informing every member not only of the meeting but also of the condition of the affairs of the association. Every stockholder was given at such meeting one vote for the first share, and on financial questions one vote for each five shares thereafter, not exceeding ten votes in all ; but on other ques- tions no stockholder had more than one vote in any case. As both men and women were permitted to hold stock, this provision seems to have given the right of suffrage to residents on the domain to both sexes alike.
Before the December meeting in each year the cash value of the real estate, exclusive of improvements, was to be estimated, and any increase in the valuation since the previous valuation was con- sidered the property of the stockholders and was to be divided among them in proportion to the stock that had been paid in. The total product for the year was to be ascertained at the same time and a general settlement with each member was to be made at this meeting. After deducting taxes, repairs and insurance, the total product was to be divided as follows : one quarter was to be paid as a dividend to the holders of stock, and three quarters to be divided among those who performed the labor. At the time of sub- scribing for stock, any person was permitted to elect whether he would take a fixed dividend of seven per cent, or would take his share of the actual dividend ; and the payment of this seven per cent, was made a charge on the three quarters belonging to labor, the
1 1 6 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
excess which the stock earned above seven per cent, being given to labor.
The board of directors and officers were forbidden to contract any obhgation except by unanimous consent of all the stockholders.
Sec. I, Art. 7, provided that "There shall be a toleration of re- ligious opinion and action and every member of the association shall be protected in his religious belief to worship God according to the dictates of conscience and reason ; but no person shall ever be taxed without his consent for the support of any minister of the Gospel or teacher of religion.''
BY-LAWS.
Some features of the by-laws that were framed pursuant to this constitution throw light on the principles and ideals of the associa- tion.
It was provided that goods, merchandise, board or other neces- saries were to be furnished to members at a cost value; that rent should never exceed ten per cent, of the value of the building occu- pied ; and that any member was to have the privilege of having his own horse and carriage on the domain by paying to the association the actual cost of keeping.
The board of directors was made the judge of the kinds of work and business that the association should pursue, and no appeal was provided for, in case of dissatisfaction on this account. The shares of stock were held accountable for any sums that might be due from a stockholder to the association and no dividends on stock were to be made except on the balance of the stock held free from such debt or incumbrance. Whenever five or more persons were at work in one branch of industry, they were to organize a group, and choose a foreman. It was his duty to keep an account of the labor performed by each member of the group "and adjudge the rank according to skill and productiveness such person may exer- cise," and make his report to the secretary once a week. If any person was dissatisfied with the decison of his foreman, he might appeal from the foreman to the members of his group, and the decision of the group was final. All the groups engaged in the same branch of indu'-try were to form themselves into a series, and elect a superintendent of the series. This superintendent was given power to determine the relative rank of each group in productive- ness, subject to the advice of the whole series. When the asi^ociation grew to be large enough, so that there were several series, each with
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 117
its superintendent, it was contemplated that these superintendents would constitute a council of industry, which should supersede the board of directors. This council was directed, when it should be organized, to divide the different industrial classes into three ranks to be designated as follows: ist, class of necessity; 2nd, class of usefulness ; and 3d, class of attractiveness. These classes were to have such relative rank in the distribution of the profits of labor, as the council might decide. "All unnecessary business and all sporting of the association shall be suspended on the first day of the week." "Any member of the association may be expelled therefrom by a majority of the resident members for the following causes, viz. : rude and indecent behavior, drunkenness, trafficking in intoxicating drinks, licentiousness, profane swearing", lying, stealing or defraud- ing another, protracted idleness, or wilfully injuring the property of the association or any individual member thereof, gambling, habitually indulging in censoriousness and faultfinding ; provided, however, that no member of the association shall be expelled without first being notified," and an opportunity given to be heard in his own defense. Provision was made for the trial of such cases. All disagreements were to be settled by arbitration, each party choosing one arbitrator, and the two a third, and an appeal was permitted from the decision of the arbitrators to the directors or the council, "whose decision shall be final."
The association was required to provide the means of education for all the children of the members, and the association's rule compelled all children to attend school, unless other provision was made by the parent for instruction. Every pupil was required to devote a por- tion of the time each day to some branch of industry.
A later rule was added to the by-laws, as follows : "Resolved, that no member of this association shall ever be permitted to bring on to the domain any spirituous liquors to be drunk as a beverage."
Only a few spoons marked ''U. A." remain to remind the delver In history of the one-time existence of the Utilitarian Association In Waukesha county. The ar- chives of the association have long since disappeared, but fragments copied from the originals many years ago, remain to verify the accounts given by survivors who are still living In Wisconsin.
1 1 8 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
In the early part of the fifth decade of the last cen- tury the eyes of intending immigrants in Europe were focussed upon Wisconsin. The territory, and later the state, offered opportunities for land ownership at prices that proved immensely attractive. To the people of crowded London it seemed a land of promise, and there were numerous communities organized to colonize tracts of land throughout the state. The parties were gener- ally led by one of the number In whom the rest had con- fidence. After a few years the community was given up and the land disposed of, the proceeds divided up and the members went into cities to work at their professions or trades, convinced that a community of interests might be all right on paper, but when put to practice it proved of little utility. The Utilitarian Association was one of these. The association was organized In London In 1843 ^y Campbell Smith, a bookbinder and an educated man. Weekly meetings were held In London and by- laws adopted, officers elected and all the requirements complied with. The constitution called for a communi- ty of Interests on a farm, each member contributing equally and each living at common expense. One of the by-laws was that as long as two of the original members remained in the association the property might belong to them, while if any member drew out from the agree- ment he gave up his Interest. The association bought through some agent a tract of land Including a quarter section, about three and a half miles northwest of Muk- wonago, known as the Adam E. Ray farm, and later added to it so that they had 200 acres. Each member
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 119
paid into the funds of the association twenty-five pounds sterling. In 1844 the first section of the association came across and took possession, led by their chosen president, Campbell Smith. They came by sailing vessel to Al- bany, thence to Buffalo by canal and around the lakes. They settled on the farm at Mukwonago and had built some buildings and planted a crop, which was nearly ready for harvest by July 1845, when the second detach- ment arrived from London to take their lot with the first party. Bffore the snow fell that year the commun- ity had broken up, the land was sold and the property of the association had been divided.
The account of a survivor tells the story of failure, and the underlying reasons :
"The members were not satisfied with their life. There was no head to the concern, and everybody wanted to do as he chose. According to the by-laws a meeting was held every evening after supper to decide on what work should be done the next day. The meet- ings did no good. I remember how Campbell Smith used to sit there in his chair smoking his pipe, and say, *Well, I guess we had better hoe the potatoes to-mor- row, they need it,' and the others would sit still and never say a word. The result would be that the next morning I took my hoe on my shoulder and went over to hoe potatoes ; nobody else was there. One would be at one thing, and another at another. The community did not work, and no community of the kind can ever work. Anybody who thinks it can may just as well throw his money into the ocean. We broke up and sold the farm,
120 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
and the Utilitarian Association was at an end. We realized that we couldn't farm and didn't care to hold on to it."
Somewhat similar in scope to the Wisconsin Phalanx, though not as successful or as long-lived, was the Spring Farm Association. It had its origin in the village of Sheboygan Falls in the year 1843, ^"^ was a reflex of the same wave of socialism which brought into being the community at Ceresco. After a good deal of discussion on the subject of socialism, ten families agreed to tr}^ the plan of Fourier, and formed an association. There were differences of opinion at the start. Some of the members insisted on settling on the shore of Lake Mi- chigan; others wanted to get away from civilization, and picked out a tract twenty miles inland. Being un- able to reconcile their differences, the communists split. The lake shore association had a fitful existence and gave up the struggle. The Spring Farm Association adopted the motto, "Union, Equal Rights and Social Guarantees," and planted its standard in a wooded spot whose springs of water gav^e to the community its name of Spring Farm Association. The six families kept to- gether for three years. Among them wxre farmers, blacksmiths and carpenters. They constructed a unitary building twenty feet by thirty in dimensions, and com- prising two stories. They had thirt)^ acres of land under cultivation.
"We dissolved by mutual agreement," one of the members explained in accounting for the dissolution. "We were not troubled with dishonest management,
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and generally agreed in all our affairs. The reasons for failure were poverty, diversity of habits and dispositions and disappointments through failure of harvest."
CHAPTER VIII King Strang and His Voree Colony
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ON the early maps of the state, In Walworth County near the boundary line of Ra- cine, appears the name Voree. Here for a time flourished a Mormon colony that later removed to a lonely Island in an archipelago of Lake Michigan, and developed into a kingdom that lasted seven years. The story of the only kingdom that ever had an existence on American soil, is an unusual one.
James Jesse Strang was a restless young New Yorker, who had been successively schoolmaster, journalist, law- yer, office-holder and temperance lecturer in his native state. In 1843, accompanied by his young wife, he re- moved to Burlington, Wisconsin, and engaged in the practice of law. The following January itinerant elders from Joseph Smith's Mormon community at Nauvoo fired his imagination and his ambition, and he espoused the doctrines of the Latter Day Saints with the fervid enthusiasm and energy characteristic of his erratic ca- reer. In January he was converted; on the 25th of Feb- ruary he visited Nauvoo and was baptized; less than a week after baptism he was made an elder with authority *'to plant a stake of Zion" near his Wisconsin home. The following June the new but ambitious convert was struggling with Brigham Young for the mantle of Jo- seph Smith.
Strang had succeeded in gathering around him at a place later called Voree, In Walworth county, Wiscon- sin, several hundred persons whoi looked upon him as leader, when word came to him that the seer and his
125
126 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
brother Hyrum had been riddled with bullets by a mob in Carthage jail. Before the Nauvoo Mormons had re- covered from the shock of the tragedy, Strang was in their midst exhorting them to follow him to the city of promise at Yoree. He exhibited a letter purporting to have been written by Joseph Smith the day before his assassination, prophesying that event and appointing James Strang as his successor:
"And now behold my servant, James J. Strang, hath come to thee from afar To him shall the gath- ering be, for he shall plant a stake of Zion in Wiscon- sin. And the name of the city shall be called Voree, which is, being Interpreted, garden of peace; for there shall my people have peace and rest and wax fat and pleasant in the presence of their enemies."
Brigham Young and the Council of Twelve de- nounced Strang as an imposter and the letter as a forg- ery. They summoned him before a conference to de- fend himself. There Strang made a vigorous and in- genious appeal for recognition as the one chosen for the prophetic succession. The council rejected his preten- sions, and, according to the usual church formula, the aspirant was "given over to the buffetings of Satan, un- til he do repent."
Undaunted and followed by a few hundred followers, whom his fervid oratory had attached to his cause, Strang returned to Voree, prophesying that the Nauvoo Mormons would be driven into exile unless they heeded his warning. He established a press that turned out thousands of pamphlets, and a monthly paper, the Vor-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 127
ee Herald; he planned the erection of a great temple; and organized his church on the pattern prescribed by the sacred books of the Mormon faith, with a council of twelve and quorums of elders and priests, over whom he exercised chief authority. Like Joseph, he had visions, and one of them enabled him to find, buried in a hill, a series of ancient copper plates, with strange characters transcribed thereon. These he claimed were the long lost Book of the Law of the Lord, written on metallic plates long previous to the Babylonish captivity. By means of the urim and thummim he translated the hiero- glyphics, as in like manner Joseph Smith had translated the plates dug out of the hill of Cumorah, in the state of New York. This smacked strongly of imitation, but in no manner could he have appealed more forcibly to the religious delusion entertained by the followers of Joseph Smith. Brigham Young's party in their Nau- voo paper, The Times and Seasons, and in The Millen- nial Star of Liverpool, bitterly assailed Strang, and he retorted savagely in his Voree Herald. These are the head-lines of a four-column article in The Millennial Star :
SKETCHES OF NOTORIOUS CHARACTERS.
James J. Strang, Successor of Sidney Rigdon, Judas Is- cariot, Cain & Co., Envoy Extraordinary and Min- ister Plenipotentiary of His Most Gracious Majesty, Lucifer the I., etc.
The great exodus of Mormons across the Mississippi began early in February, 1846. As they started on the
128 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
journey whose long trail was to be marked by hundreds of skeletons, Strang's prolific press turned out thousands of copies of what he called "the first pastoral letter of James, the phophet," concluding in this wise:
"Let not my call to you be vain. The destroyer has gone forth among you, and has prevailed. You are pre- paring to resign country and houses and lands to him. Many of you are about to leave the haunts of civiliza- tion and of men to go into an unexplored wilderness among savages, and in trackless deserts, to seek a home in the wilds where the footprint of the white man is not found. The voice of God has not called you to this. His promise has not gone before to prepare a habitation for you. The hearts of the Lamanites are not turned unto you, and they will not regard you. When the herd comes, the savages shall pursue. The cloud which sur- rounds by day shall bewilder, and the pillar of fire by night shall consume and reveal you to the destroyer.
"Let the oppressed flee for safety unto Voree, and let the gathering of the people be there. . . . Let the filth of Zion be cleansed, and her garments of peace put on." ' '
By the exodus of the Brighamites across the Missis- sippi, Strang's followers at Voree alone remained in the northwest, of the thousands who had embraced the faith of Joseph Smith. Sidney Rlgdon had led a small con- tingent into Pennsylvania ; Lyman Wight a few follow- ers to Texas; Smith a little remnant to a corner of Illi- nois; but these were offshoots that came to naught. At Voree the numbers constantly Increased.
^
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}.C/.V:i^c:iri: Minis' i
i <■ , _;-~--^-"-."Lj _ C^^^^^S^P
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Facsimile of Characters Traced on Voree's Plates.
From Pamphlet issued by Strang in 184-8.
THE NFW YORK
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 129
It soon became evident to Strang, despite seeming prosperity, that conditions were such as to threaten a repetition of the Nauvoo calamity, and he determined to remove his community where Gentile influence could not undermine it. He visited Great Beaver Island, near the door that divides the inland seas of Huron and Michigan, and found a spot of great beauty and fruitful- ness. Here was an ideal seat of power, remote from the obtrusiveness of civil oflicers, yet not so distant from the line of travel as to render profitable traffic impossi- ble. The waters teemed with excellent fish; the forests would furnish an abundance of timber; the soil needed but to be scratched to yield in multiplied plenty. To this land of promise he could lead his saints, and here would they wax fat and strong. Strang's dream of em- pire, as subsequent events indicated, doubtless also- prompted this new exodus.
Voree was deserted, and Beaver Island was appropri- ated without much regard to the claims of the resident fisherfolk. Like the children of Israel, the Mormons believed they were directed to go into a land overflowing with milk and honey, and that they were justified in smiting the Lamanites, or Gentiles. The Mormons gave a new nomenclature to the physical characteristics of the island. The beautiful land-locked harbor was called St. James. The cluster of houses that they reared on the ancient mounds along the shore^ — in the eyes of the Mormons the evidences of an extinct race alluded to in the Book of Mormon — they dignified by the name City of St. James. A hill in the interior was called
130 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
Mount Plsgah. The river Jordan discharged into the lake waters that poured into its bed from the sea of Gahlee.
Under Strang's guidance they built houses and a large tabernacle of squared logs, began the construction of a schooner, built a steam sawmill, and made a road to the interior, where the land w^as excellently adapted for ag- riculture. Their elders traveled to the East, and sent proselytes. Soon several thousand men, women and chil- dren comprised this new stake of Zion.
Strang now felt strong enough to realize his ambi- tious plans. His press printed in book form the Book of the Law, one chapter of which prophesied that a man whose name was James was destined to become Icing:
"He (God) hath chosen His servant James to be king: He hath made him His apostle to all nations: He hath established him a prophet above the kings of the earth; and appointed him king in Zion: By His voice did he call him, and He sent His angels unto him to or- dain him."
The 8th of July, 1850, was set for the coronation of King Strang, and great preparations were made for the event. In the meantime a plot had been hatched which threatened the extinction of the budding kingdom. There had been many conflicts between the Mormons and the Gentiles of neighboring islands and of Macki- nac, and several persons had been killed. Word was passed among the fishermen to gather at Beaver Island on the Fourth of July for a patriotic celebration — to be consummated by the expulsion of the Mormons. The
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 131
night previous to Independence Day the harbor was a forest of masts. Armed men manned the fleet, and they prepared for the next day's onslaught by a tremendous carouse that lasted all night. In the morning the fisher- men were aroused by the booming of a cannon and the splash of cannon-shot In the water but a few rods dis- tant. They sent a messenger to Inquire what the Mor- mons meant. The facetious retort was made that It was a national salute In honor of the day. As the cannon- balls came nearer and nearer, the fishermen in alarm sent a party under a flag of truce to negotiate with Strang. The Mormons informed the messenger that the plot to kill the Mormons and destroy their temple and homes was fully known, and that the first gun fired would be the signal to blow every boat In the harbor Into kindling wood.
With customary^ energy, Strang had prepared for the emergency, a hint of the intended raid having been con- veyed to him. A general assembly of Mormons was called, and all the saints assembled under arms. Secret- ly, a cannon and stock of powder were purchased In Chi- cago, a large schooner was secured and anchored in the harbor and in the night filled with armed men who kept below deck.
It had been planned by the fishermen to fall upon the Mormons while they were in their tabernacle, but the demonstration chilled their martial spirit. The Mor- mons met within the unfinished walls of the tabernacle; eight men mounted guard, with their guns shotted; the cannon unlimbered in front, in charge of twelve artiller-
132 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
ists, with a fire in which heated balls were continually ready; and two patrols and a water guard were constant- ly on the lookout for the enemy.
The non-arrival of fleets expected from Gull Island, Seuill Choix and the East Shore completed the discom- fiture of the fishermen, and they set sail and departed.
Four days later Strang was crow^ned king according to program. It was an elaborate ceremonial. At one end of the tabernacle was a platform, and towards it marched the procession of elders and other quorums, es- corting the king. First came the king, dressed in a robe of bright red, and accompanied by his council. Then followed the twelve elders, the seventy, and the minor orders of the ministry, or quorum, as they were called. The people were permitted to occupy what space re- mained In the tabernacle. The crown was a plain cir- clet, with a cluster of stars projecting in front.
It was July 8 that this ceremony occurred and every recurring 8th of July was known as the King's Day and was celebrated as a holiday with manv festivities. The entire population of the island would gather at a place in the woods to go through prescribed ceremonials — the hewers of wood and the drawers of water making prop- er obeisance to the king. There were burnt offerings to begin with. The head of each family brought a fowl, and a heifer was thereupon killed. Its body was dis- sected without breaking a bone. After these ceremon- ials there was feasting and rejoicing, and the people danced on the greensward.
King Strang was now supreme on Beaver Island, and
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 133
bade fair to soon control the entire group of islands. His policy was to foster the fisheries as a source of profit to his colony, and to use the power of political machin- ery to secure immunity for infractions of the law. He secured his election as a member of the Michigan legis- lature, and thus was enabled to obtain local legislation that strengthened his power. By having his island and the adjacent territory included in one county, he ob- tained control of the legal machinery. A Mormon sher- iff would arrest those who displeased King Strang and his council, bring them before a Mormon jury and have them sentenced by a Mormon judge — all apparently in conformity with the laws of the state.
As the population of the island multiplied and the power of the Mormons with it, the hatred of the traders and fishermen on the opposite coasts became more in- tense. The border feud grew so bitter that the newspa- pers of Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo and New York de- voted considerable space to its incidents. Strang pub- lished an elaborate defense In the New York Tribune of July 2, 1853. The centre of the hostile camp was old Mackinac. A price was set on Strang's head, and sev- eral hundred armed men, including the Irish fishermen and Indians, hunted for him for weeks to earn the re- ward of three hundred dollars offered for the body of Strang, *'dead or alive." On one occasion they surprised him on a neighboring island. It was a cold April morn- ing. They captured his boat and thought they had bagged their game, but the Mormons found a leaky fish- boat at the other end of the island and escaped in it.
134 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
While visiting a brother in the city of Detroit, Presi- dent Millard Fillmore, was informed that among the remote islands of Lake Michigan a person named Strang has established what he termed a kingdom, but that actually it was a nest of freebooters engaged in rob- bing the mails and counterfeiting the coin. The presi- dent despatched the armed steamer Michigan to the in- sular kingdom, and ordered the arrest of the king for treason. The trial was held in Detroit and attracted at- tention all over the country. The indictments against Strang were on twelve counts, including mail robbery, counterfeiting and treason. He conducted his own de- fense with such skill and shrewdness as to result in his acquittal. His speech to the jury was highly dramatic. He pictured himself a martyr to religious persecution. He was master of emotional oratory, and on this occa- sion distinguished himself. His acquittal gave him an immense prestige, and he so shrewdly manipulated poli- tics that the solid vote of Beaver Island became of great concern to the politicians of Michigan.
The power of King Strang was now at its zenith. He proceeded to put into effect plans he had long cherished. Plural marriage was advocated, and the king took five wives for himself. The use of intoxicants was prohib- ited, and likewise of coffee, tea and tobacco. Tithes were required of every husbandman, and the firstling of every flock and the first fruits of the harvest went to the royal storehouse. Schools were established, and from the roy- al press were issued books and pamphlets in great num- ber, all of them the product of Strang's prolific pen. The
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 135
Northern Islander was published weekly and then daily, a marvel of journalistic enterprise. The Book of the Law was dated the year i, signifying the first in the reign of the king. The date "A. R. 1." (Anno Regis i.) may be seen on the title-page of the few copies of this book that have survived. Strang was a busy pamphle- teer. The Smithsonian Institution tound in him a con- tributor; his paper on the "Natural History of Beaver Island" was printed in its ninth annual report.
King Strang soon developed an autocratic sway that dictated not only the ecclesiastical customs of his sub- jects but everything connected with their daily life. Wo- men were required to wear bloomers ; men were required to be as decorous in their conduct as women; gaming was prohibited as strictly as was the use of intoxicants and narcotics. Murmurs of discontent arose among his subjects. Some of them fled and stirred to renewed ac- tivity the Gentile fishermen on the mainland. Before their plans for a second invasion could be carried out, the king was assassinated by two rebellious subjects. One of them had been publicly whipped for the offense of up- holding his wife's refusal to wear bloomers.
About the middle of June, 1856, the Michigan steamed into the harbor, and King Strang was invited to visit the vessel's officers. As he was about to step on the pier, tw^o pistol-shots were fired from behind, both taking effect. The men ran aboard the steamer and gave themselves up. They were taken to Mackinac, but re- leased without trial.
The wounds of Strang proved fatal. He called his
136 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
elders to his deathbed, gave them instructions for the government of his Mormon kingdom, and as a last re- quest asked to be taken to the city of refuge which he had founded in Wisconsin. There he died July 9, 1856, and there his bones rest in an unmarked grave.
The kingdom fell with him. The Gentile invasion came soon after his removal to Voree. The fishermen came with torch to burn and with ax to demolish. The printing office was sacked; the tabernacle was reduced to ashes; the Mormans were exiled. On the Islands of Green Bay and its adjacent peninsula a few of them built new homes ; some sought the land whence they had followed their prophet; the rest were scattered to the four points of the compass.
CHAPTER IX
At the COMiMENCEMENT OF THE CiVIL WaR
WISCONSIN, when the Civil War be- gan, had been a state only thirteen years, and more than half of Its pop- ulation of 800,000 In 1 86 1 had been added since the birth of the state. Aside from a few of the small cities and villages, that portion of Wisconsin lying north of a line drawn from Lake Michigan, the eastern border, through Green Bay to La Crosse, on the Mississippi River, the dividing line between Wisconsin and Minnesota, was little less than an unbroken wilderness. But it was a wilderness of vast, untold wealth, many of whose hundreds of millions of dollars have since been harvested.
An enumeration of the cities and villages in that por- tion of the state at that period In our history is proper in this connection. I omit a few of the hamlets that had not yet donned the village or city garb, and name the following :
Oconto, Stevens Point, Wausau, Black River Falls, Eau Claire, Alma, Chippewa Falls, Menomlnie, Dur- and, Hudson, River Falls, Prescott and Osceola Mills. Wausau and Eau Claire are the only ones in this list that then had a population to exceed 1,000 and neither of these had reached the 1.500 mark.
The people who are familiar with that exceedingly important portion of our state can readily comprehend the marked advances that have been made since 1861. Then there was not a mile of railroad In that extensive section of our commonwealth. There was no West Su-
139
III-IO
140 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
perior where now there is a city of 35,000 inhabitants; no Ashland with its 18,000 population. There was no Marshfield, Medford, Phillips, Clintonville, Rhine- lander and Merrill. There were only a few buildings at Shawano. Neilsville consisted of less than a dozen buildings. Merrillan, Fairchild, Augusta and fifty oth- er cities and villages, that have been hewn out of what is now known as North Wisconsin, were unknown in 1 861. Thousands of the finest farms in the state have been converted from that wilderness, and some of the greatest iron mines of the country have been developed. What in 1861 was almost an unknown quantity in our vigorous state, now divides honors in beauty, wealth, production and population with the balance of the state.
Having thus demonstrated that from half of the ter- ritory of our state we could expect but little in the way of men and the sinews of war when the clouds of rebel- lion darkened the skies in 1861, it is but fair to glance at the balance of the state, that the reader may see the con- dition of the field in Wisconsin when the two sections — when the Americans of the North and the i\mericans of the South — finally settled upon a clash of arms to settle great questions that for a generation had grievously perplexed them.
It has been shown that the northern half of Wiscon- sin was chiefly a wilderness. The southern and central sections of the state did not, at that period, present, to the casual observer, a remarkably rich field for opera- tions in recruiting the large number of men that was credited to the Badger state four years later.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 141
Milwaukee had a population of less tban 50,000. Forty years afterwards it was six times as great. The cities of Madison, Oshkosh, Fond du lac, Janesville, La Crosse and Racine were the only ones that had reached the grade of 5,000 in population, outside of Milwau- kee. Watertown, Appleton, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Be- loit, Kenosha and Portage were promising cities of the 3,000 class.
Ripon, Neenah, Menasha, Manitowoc, Monroe, Ber- lin, Mineral Point, Prairie du Chien, Baraboo, Sparta, Waukesha, Whitewater and Columbus ranged from i,- 000 to 2,000 in population.
Jefferson, Fort Atkinson, Kilbourn City, Mayville, Port Washington, West Bend, Waupun, Princeton, Waupaca, Grand Rapids, New Lisbon, Lancaster, Bos- cobel, Viroqua, Clinton, Evansville, Shullsburg, Stough- ton, Edgerton, Chilton, Horicon, Brandon, Oconomo- woc, Hartford, Elkhorn, Geneva, Delevan, Bangor, West Salem, Dodgeville, Darlington, New London, Weyauwega, Palmyra, Wauwatosa and Sun Prairie ranged in population from 250 to 800.
Then there was not one farm in that portion of the state where there are ten now. By comparison Southern and Central Wisconsin seem little compared with their present condition, what they are in 1905.
The cities enumerated with the 5,000 class now range from 15,000 to 33,000 in population. Those in the 3,000 class range from 10,000 to 25,000. Those in the 1,000 to 2,000 class range from 3,000 to 8,000. Cities
142 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
and villages classed from 250 to 800, now range from 2,000 to 7,000.
Without going into details to demonstrate the fact, no risk is run in making the assertion that it would be an easier task from 1905 to 1909 to recruit in Wisconsin 400,000 men for an army engaged in a war for the life, honor and glory of the American Union, than it was to recruit the number the state w^as called upon to supply from 1 86 1 to 1865.
In this connection a brief reference to the growth of Wisconsin from 1836, when it became a territory, up to the beginning of the Civil War period, will be of inter- est to present and future readers.
In 1836 our population was 11,683. During the six succeeding years the advance In population was very slow, but from 1842 to 1846, two years before state- hood was achieved, emigration had set In at a vigorous pace. The increase, all things taken into account, was very rapid. That year, 1846, the population was 155,- 277. We must not forget that there w^ere no railroads in our territory at that time and that means of transpor- tation after the territory was reached by water, was lim- ited to very poor roads. There was not at that time a mile of what would be called good wagon road.
From 1846 to 1861 the tide of emigration steadily Increased. The growth from 155,277 in 1846 to 800,- 000 in 1 861, a space of only fifteen years, is a reminder of the recent growth in population of some of the new states and the territory of Oklahoma.
I am particular In mentioning this remarkable growth
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 143
in population at this time in the hope that it will be borne in mind. A majority of the increase from 1846 to 1 86 1 is chargeable to the excellent material that came to our borders from Germany and other countries across the ocean. Concerning our population of 800,000 in 1 861, the reader should know, more than half of it is composed of people who had come from foreign coun- tries within the past fifteen years. Large as it was, it looks rather small in size and material strength when compared with the population of 2,250,000 in 1905.
Other figures of that day appear somewhat insignifi- cant. At that time the value of the property in the state, according to the figures of the state board of equal- ization, was $182,507,222.13. The banking capital of the state then was a little over $7,000,000 and the circu- lation $4,500,000. This was secured by the deposit of state stocks to the amount of $5,000,000 and specie to the extent of $89,000. More than half of the state stocks so deposited was issued by Southern states, then on the eve of making war upon the general government. In consequence of this the stocks of these states depre- ciated to such an extent that better security was de- manded by the administration. This had the effect to cripple most of the banking institutions in the state. Many of them failed and, as a consequence, Wisconsin's financial condition, at a time when it should have been without a spot or blemish, was extremely weak and un- certain.
Only in one way was Wisconsin prepared to take a prompt and effective part in a great war. In love of
144 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
country, patriotism and willingness to make any sacri- fice, even to the extent of placing the lives of thousands of her hardy sons upon the altar of the country that meant so much to her, so much to the world, Wisconsin was second to no state in the Union. Her people, as a whole, were not only in favor of maintaining the perpet- uity of the Union but they were in favor of fighting for it. Her young men, middle aged men and old men stood ready, even months before war was declared, to offer their services and their lives if need be to defend the Na- tion against so great a crime, not only against the United States, but against the whole civilized world, as a disrup- tion of the American Union.
Probably no state in the Union, young or old, was so little prepared for prompt, intelligent and effective ac- tion in a great emergency, but subsequent events demon- strated that what was lacking in military knowledge in Wisconsin was made up in aptness at learning the les- sons of war. For some years there had existed a skele- ton of a militia system, but it was only a skeleton, very weak, shaky, uncertain. There were plenty of Major Generals, Brigadiers, Colonels, and Majors, but few Captains, Lieutenants and privates. Regimental organ- ization amounted to almost nothing in those days. So far as Wisconsin was concerned the regiments never came together for drill and instruction as regiments of the National Guard do in these days, not only in Wis- consin, but in every state in the Union. Companies, outside of two or three, were seldom ordered to assem- ble, and in most instances, when ordered, failed to as-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 145
semble. In the chief city there was one company, the Milwaukee Light Guard, that was famous. It not only had a state-wide reputation for great skill, but was known throughout the country. It had made various visits to different portions of the United States and had won high praise and many honors. Madison possessed a company that made some pretention to efficiency in drill and discipline. Aside from these the state troops of the young state amounted to almost nothing.
The value of the Milwaukee Light Guard and the Madison Guards as disciplined bodies of men, during those four years, can scarcely be over-estimated. A glance at that value must result in the placing of high es- timate upon the National Guard as it exists to-day, not only in one state, but in all of the states. From these two companies came numerous captains and lieutenants; from those companies came regimental and brigade commanders. The captain of the Milwaukee Light Guard, John C. Starkweather, was promptly commis- sioned colonel and organized and led the first regiment that went from the state until his promotion to the rank of Brigadier-General. The captains of the two Madi- son companies, one of which ranked very high for those days, and the other not so high, were rapidly promoted until they reached the rank of Brigadier-General. These two captains were George E. Bryant and Lucius Fair- child.
For many years Wisconsin has willingly appropriated generous sums for maintaining a substantial National Guard, and as the years increase, the appropriations in-
146 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
crease. Much of this willingness on the part of the peo- ple to appropriate funds for the maintenance of the mil- itary force that, in case of emergency, would be not only of great value to the state but well nigh invaltiable, is found in the fact that the public has kept in view for more than forty years the many benefits and honors won by Wisconsin and the Nation from two or three fairly well organized and disciplined companies of state mili- tia at the beginning of the Civil War. The people of the nation, not to confine it to Wisconsin, can well afford to have and keep in mind the importance and the value of a thoroughly trained, disciplined and completely or- ganized body of troops.
In case of an emergency, within twenty-four hours after a call for troops from Wisconsin, more than 3,000 soldiers could be on the march to the front, and they would be as well prepared to do duty as the volunteers of the sixties were after they had been in service a year and had had constant drill and frequent participation in battle. The National Guard of Wisconsin is well armed, well officered, has long had the benefit of masters of the art of war, in its preparation.
There may be no more wars for the United States to participate in. Who does not hope that there will not be conflicts into which our nation may be drawn? But state and nation cannot afford to maintain an attitude of no future wars within their borders. The wars that have come to America have come suddenly, and they have found the authorities but poorly prepared. For a state or a nation, for such states and such a nation as
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 147
ours, to be anprepared for the emergency of war may not be a crime, but it is close to the border of a crime.
This prehminary talk of a history of Wisconsin in the Civil War, would not be complete without reference to other sources of strength from a military and statesman- ship point of view.
Between the Mexican War and the Civil War, a space of fourteen years, an unusually large number of men had been educated at West Point and served with more or less distinction in the former war, and in time of peace, resigned their commissions from one cause or another, but mainly from a desire to engage in what they thought would be a more profitable business. Among the more distinguished officers who thus re- signed were Captain U. S. Grant, Captain W. T. Sher- man, Captain Joseph Hooker, Captain Henry W. Hal- leck and Lieutenant-Colonel John C. Fremont, all of whom reached the rank of Major-General in the United States Army. Two of them. Grant and Sherman, were given the ranks of Lieutenant-General and General. No attempt is made to enumerate the large number of offi- cers who resigned early in 1861 to enter the Confederate service. Wisconsin was the home of several soldiers who had graduated from West Point, had made good records, some of them in war, but had resigned. Rufus King, w^ho graduated in 1833 and was assigned to the engineers, resigned three years later and in 1845 ^^" came the editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel. When the war came he declined an appointment as Minister to Rome and tendered his service to President Lincoln and
148 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
was at once commissioned a Brigadier-General of Vol- unteers, being the first general officer chosen from the state. Still another soldier of experience was Charles S. Hamilton, who graduated in 1843, n^ade a most cred- itable record in the Mexican War, reached the rank of Captain in 1847 ^^^ resigned six years later and en- gaged in business at Fond du Lac, where he was when Fort Sumter was fired upon. He was soon appointed Colonel of a regiment, and a few weeks later the Presi- dent commissioned him a Brigadier-General. He left the service as Major-General of Volunteers In 1863, having made a record equalled by few officers of his rank. Thomas H. Ruger, who graduated In 1854 and was assigned to the engineer corps, resigned In 1855 ^"^ made his home at Janesvllle. He was made Lieutenant- Colonel of Hamilton's regiment, served through the war, won the rank of Major-General of Volunteers, was transferred to the Regular Army as a Colonel and re- tired as a Major-General In 1897. These are the only contributions from West Point, at least the only notable ones, contributing to the military strength of the state at the beginning of the great war. But of these three, two. King and Ruger, commanded divisions and Hamilton a corps and for a short time an army.
Another source of strength, and It would be difficult to over-estimate its value and importance, was a Gover- nor of marked ability, boundless energy, wide experi- ence, ceaseless devotion to duty and whose patriotic fer- vor exerted unquestioned influence throughout the state. Such a man was Alexander W. Randall, WIscon-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 149
sin's first and greatest war Governor. He had first been elected in 1857 and was re-elected, also as a Republican, in 1859. His Democratic opponent was the late Gen- eral Harrison C. Hobart. He was just the kind of a Governor young Wisconsin needed in that, its most try- ing emergency. He had long been a resident, had been a close student, was familiar with its more prominent people in all portions of the state and was thoroughly in- formed as to its interests, and he freely banked upon the people whose chief servant he was. He was a man who thought quickly, acted quickly and safely and made few, if any, serious mistakes, notwithstanding the fact that he was Governor at a time, when greater ability, more gen- uine patriotism, and greater strength of character was needed far more than ever before or since the state was admitted to the Union. Even before his in- auguration, in January, 1861, he had grasped the na- tion's situation, and he was as thoroughly and as well convinced that there would be a fierce struggle between the North and the South, as he was the following April when the President issued his proclamation calling for the first 75,000 soldiers.
On January 9th, 1861, Governor Randall read his annual message to the legislature. It is interesting to read what that vigorous war Governor had to say rela- tive to the war clouds and war prospects some months previous to the beginning of actual warfare. Touching the attitude of the South and the question of personal liberty, the Governor, in that memorable message, aroused the people of Wisconsin and set them to talking.
I50 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
and awakened the newspaper fraternity and set it to writing, as no other message of a Wisconsin governor had ever done. Governor Randall said:
"A variety of excuses are made for the threatening at- titude assumed toward the Government and Union. The extreme Southern states complain of the personal liberty laws, and demand their Immediate and unconditional re- peal. Further complaints are made because of the diffi- cult)^ of enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law in the North. Personal liberty laws have been found upon the statutes of every state. They ought to be there. All states have them, both the North and the South, var^ang in their character and provisions, yet still personal liberty laws. The highest duty of the legislature of any civilized state is to provide, by every constitutional means, for the pro- tection of the rights of person of the citizens. So a law for the protection and preservation of the liberty of the people cannot be too stringent, if it is within the Consti- tution. The states never surrendered the right to pro- tect the person of citizens. Every living human being has a right to a legal test of the question whether he is a free man or a slave. While it cannot be consented that laws, looking to the protection of liberty, should be re- pealed, yet all such laws should conform to the Consti- tution of the United States. If, on a close examination and scrutiny, you are satisfied that any of the provisions of our personal liberty laws conflict with the Constitu- tion, it will be your duty, as your pleasure, to so change them that they shall conform to that Constitution. But no fear, no favor, no hope of reward, no demand, no threat, should ever Induce or drive a free people to break down the walls of their protection. We love the Constitution and the Union of these States. We will make sacrifices of feeling to appease and concllate our
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 151
brethern, but we will make no more sacrifices of princi- ple. While this Government stands, and we consent to live under it, Liberty may pay to Slavery the price the Fathers agreed should be paid, but, with our consent, it shall pay no more. We will abide by, and have never refused to abide by, the compromises of our common Constitution. But, subject to that Constitution, the civ- il and religious liberty, for which the flesh of the martyrs melted, and their bones crackled, in the flames; for which the Pilgrims became Pilgrims, and for which our fathers fought, shall travel down to other generations as they came careering on in the midst of the ages, with not one right impaired or one attribute lost. Secession is revolution; revolution is war; war against the Gov- ernment of the United States is treason.
It is time, now, to know whether we have any Gov- ernment, and if so, whether it has any strength. Is our written Constitution more than a sheet of parchment? The nation must be lost or preserved by its own strength. Its strength is in the patriotism of the people. It is time, now, that politicians become patriots, that men show their love of country by every sacrifice but that of prin- ciple, and by unwavering devotion to the interests and integrity. The hopes of civilization and Christianity are suspended now upon the answer to this question of dissolution. The capacity for, as well as the right of, self-government is to pass its ordeal, and speculation to become certainty. Other systems have been tried and have failed, and all along the skeletons of nations have been strewn, as warnings and land-marks upon the great highway of historic government. Wisconsin is true, and her people are steadfast. She will not destroy the Union, nor consent that it shall be done. Devised by great, and wise, and good men, in days of sore trial, it must stand. Like some bold mountain, at whose base
152 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
the great seas break their angry floods and around whose summit the thunders of a thousand hurricanes have rattled, strong, unmoved, immovable — so may our Union be, while treason surges at its base, and passions rage about it unmoved, immovable — here let it stand forever."
As early as January 9th, more than three months before hostilities began, the Governor prepared the leg- islature for practical action in the following paragraph of his annual message.
"The signs of the times indicate that there may arise a contingency In the condition of the Government, when it will become necessary to respond to a call of the National Government for men and means to maintain the integrity of the Union, and to thwart the designs of men engaged In an organized treason. While no unnecessary expense should be Incurred, yet it is the part of wisdom, both for Individuals and states, in revolution- ary times, to be prepared to defend our Institutions to the last extremity. I commend this subject to your wis- dom and discretion."
Seven days later the following joint resolution was adopted by the senate and promptly concurred In by the assembly which shows that both the Governor and the legislature appreciated the situation, and proposed that Wisconsin, so far as it was In their power to render it so, should be ready to respond when the general Govern- ment called upon the state to assist in suppressing armed treason.
"Resolved, by the Senate, the Assonhly concurring, That the people of Wisconsin are ready to co-operate with the friends of the Union everywhere for its preservation, to yield a cheerful obedience to its requirements, and to demand a like obedience from all others ; and
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 153
therefore adopt, as the sentiments of this Legislature, the preamble and resolutions of the State of New York, as follows :
WHEREAS, The insurgent State of South Carolina, after seiz- ing the Post Office, Custom House, moneys and fortifications of the Federal Government, has, by firing into a vessel ordered by the Government to convey troops and provisions to Fort Sumter.
Whereas, The forts and property of the United States Govern- ment in Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana have been unlawfully seized with hostile intentions : and
WHEREAS, As treason, as defined by the Constitution of the United States, exists in one or more of the States of the Union; and
WHEREAS, FURTHER, Senators and Congressmen avow and maintain their treasonable acts ; therefore
Resolved, by the Senate, the Assembly concurring, That the Legislature of Wisconsin, profoundly impressed with the value of the Union, and determined to preserve it unimpaired, hail with joy the recent firm, dignified and patriotic special message of the Pres- ident of the United States: that we tender to him, through the Chief Magistrate of our own State, whatever aid, in men and money, may be required to enable him to enforce the laws and uphold the authority of the Federal Government, and in defense of the more perfect Union, which has conferred prosperity and happiness of the American people. Renewing the pledge given and redeemed by our fathers, we are ready to devote our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honors in upholding the Union and the Constitution.
Resolved, by the Senate, the Assembly concurring, That the Union-loving citizens of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Car- olina, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, who labor with devoted courage and patriotism to withhold their States from the vortex of secession, are entitled to the gratitude and admiration of the whole people.
Resolved, by the Senate, the Assembly concurring, That the Governor be respectfully requested to forward, forthwith, copies of the foregoing resolutions to the President of the Nation, and the Governors of all the States of the Union.
This Joint Resolution was thoroughly discussed by- leading men of both parties in both branches of the Leg- islature before it was finally adopted. The Democrats
154 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
requested that there be spread upon the records the fol- lowing, which showed that they voted under protest.
"In voting for the preamble and joint resolutions, No. 6, adopted by this honorable body, the. undersigned ask the consent of the Sen- ate to have this their protest go on the journal in connection with their votes, to the end that the country may know, that while we cannot vote against any reasonable proposition to aid the President of our common country in maintaining the Constitution and the laws thereof against treasonable violence and lawless force, we at the same time are in favor of announcing to the world our purpose to be just and even magnanimous to our brethren of the South, in all things just and proper under the constitution, before (or at the time) we declare our purpose to resort to extreme measures. In other words, we believe it our duty that while we vote to aid in the execution of the laws, and the maintenance of order, we should at the same time hold out a means of reconciliation, with a view to avoid bloodshed if possible. Having failed, for want of numerical strength, to en- force these, our solemn views in the resolutions before this honor- able body, we yielded to overpowering numbers in pursuance of patriotic motives, and voted for the resolutions, while earnestly, yet respectfully, protesting against the action of the majority in voting down the propositions we have contended for, with a view to a har- monious solution of the complications by which we are surrounded."
Early in the session of that term of the legislature, Senator Charles R. Gill, a Democrat who subsequently proved himself one of the state's most genuine patriots, introduced a resolution which provided for a committee of senators and assemblymen whose duty it should be to make a thorough investigation with a view to ascertain- ino; if the time had arrived when it was wise and advis- able to place Wisconsin on a war footing. If the joint committee of the two houses reached the conclusion that such a step should be taken by the legislature, it was authorized to prepare a bill having that end in view. The committee dropped all other legislative work at once and proceeded to the performance of the high duty
Timothy O. Howe.
THE
NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
Astor, U.u
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 155
assigned to it, and in a remarkably brief space of time, having labored day and night, came to the decision that no time should be lost in preparing for the worst. While statesmen and the press of the North were busy in efforts to convince the public that there was no immediate dan- ger of war between the sections, and that there would be ways and means devised whereby the people of the North and South would come together, harmonize and build up barriers which meant peace to the nation for many generations to come, the members of that joint legislative committee could not agree with the press and statesmen. They saw Southern states seceding from the Union; they saw southern people taking possession of forts, arsenals and other United States property; they reasoned that people who had reached the point which permitted such srimes against the general Government had made up their minds to engage in war, hence the committee added that belief to other facts which came out in their investigation and promptly reported in favor of the state being placed on a war footing. A bill was prepared, introduced and promptly enacted into law, having first been presented to the governor for sugges- tions and changes. Governor Randall suggested a change whereby the governor of the state would be justi- fied in incurring a much greater expense than had other- wise been provided for in arming, equipping and fitting soldiers for the field.
It was under this law, enacted months before actual war made its appearance, that Governor Randall was
enabled to go ahead, organize, uniform, drill and equip III n
156 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
regiments which the general Government had not yet made a requisition for, but for which Wisconsin's far- seeing, patriotic and energetic war governor knew would soon be called for.
The chief points in that, the first law the Wisconsin legislature had been called upon to enact looking direct to war preparation, were as follows :
"Section i stated that, in case of a call from the President of the United States, to aid in maintaining the Union and the supremacy of the laws, to suppress rebellion or insurrection, or to repel invasion within the United States, the Governor was authorized to provide, in the most efficient manner, for responding to such call — to accept the service of volunteers for active service, in companies of seventy- five men each, rank and file, and in regiments of ten companies each, and to commision officers for the same.
Section 2 authorized the Governor to contract for uniforms and equipments necessary for putting such companies into active ser- vice.
Section 3 appropriated one hundred thousand dollars, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act, and to pay for the transportation of troops, arms and munitions of war.
Section 4 authorized the issue of State bonds to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars, directing how they should be pre- pared and made payable.
Section 5 authorized the Governor to negotiate the sale of the bonds, and directed the money to be deposited in the State Treas- ury, to be applied to war purposes.
Section 6 authorized the levying of a tax upon the property of the State, to pay the interest.
This law was amended subsequently, at the close of the session, so as to increase the amount of bonds to two hundred thousand dollars.
Because of the advanced ground taken by Governor Randall in his annual message, the precautionai*y steps taken by the legislature, and the zeal with which a large element throughout the state proclaimed that war was inevitable, the bursting of the storm In Charleston Har-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 157
bor, when Fort Sumter was attacked by the Confeder- ates, under command of General Beauregard on April 13th, and was compelled to surrender the next day, was not the complete surprise in Wisconsin that it was in some of the Northern states, particularly in those states where no legislation had been secured in the line of provision for preparation to meet a war emergency. While it is true that the same intense excitement prevailed in Wis- consin that was noted in all portions of the loyal North, our state was systematic in its excitement. To use a common expression, it bore a level head upon its shoul- ders, and the moment the dread news reached the capi- tol of the state, without waiting for the President's call for soldiers, the labor of planning for raising troops was begun. Officers of militia companies that were but little more than a memory, at once set about breathing new life into their organizations.
Two days after the flag was fired upon at Sumter, April 15, President Lincoln's first war proclamation was issued, calling upon Congress to meet in special session, and directing that 75,000 volunteers be called to service. Probably no official document issued by a President of the United States ever made a deeper, more solemn or telling impression upon the whole people. The people of the North hailed it as an order to save an endangered Republic and the people of the South scorned, ridiculed and defied it, just as they did the call upon the various states for their quota of troops to meet the requirements of the President's proclamation. That memorable proc- lamation of President Lincoln is reproduced:
158 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
"Whereas, the laws of the United States have been for some time past, and now are opposed, and the execution thereof obstructed, in the States of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Miss- issippi, Louisiana and Texas, by combination too powerful to be sup- pressed by the ordinary course of judical proceedings, or by the powers vested in the Marshals by law :
"Now, therefore. I, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States, in virtue of the power in me vested by the Consti- tution and Laws, have thought it fit to call forth, and do hereby call forth, the militia of the several states of the Union, to the aggregate number of 75,000, in order to suppress said combinations and to cause the laws to be duly executed.
"The details for this object will be immediately communicated to the State authorities through the War Department.
"1 appeal to all loyal citizens to favor, facilitate and aid this effort to maintain the honor, the integrity, and the existence of our National Union, and the perpetuity of the popular government; and to redress wrongs long enough endured.
*T deem it proper to say that the first service assigned to the forces hereby called forth, will probably be to re-possess forts, places and property which have been seized from the Union ; and in every event, the utmost care will be observed, consistently with the objects aforesaid, to avoid any devastation, any destruction of or interference with, property, or any disturbance of peaceful citizens in an}' part of the country.
"And I hereby command the persons composing the combinations aforesaid to disperse, and retire peaceably to their respective abodes within twenty days from date.
"Deeming that the present condition of public affairs presents an extraordinary' occasion, I do hereby, in virtue of the power in me vested by the Constitution, convene both Houses in Congress. Sen- ators and Representatives are therefore summoned to assemble at their respective chambers, at twelve o'clock, noon, on Thursda}', the fourth day of July next, then and there to consider and determine such measures as, in their wisdom, the public safety and interest may seem to demand.
"In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
"Done at the City of Washington, this fifteenth day of April, in the year of our (L.S.) Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty- one, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-fifth,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN."
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Mr. Lincoln's proclamation was quickly followed by the call of the Secretary of War for a regiment, which was in these words :
"Under the Act of Congress for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrection, repel invasion, etc., approved February 28th, 1795, I have the honor to request your excellency to cause to be immediately detached from the militia of your State the quota designated in the table below to serve as In- fantry or Riflemen for the period of three months unless sooner dis- charged.
"Your Excellency will please communicate to me the time at or about which your quota will be expected at its rendezvous, as it will be met as soon as practicable by an officer or officers to muster it into the service and pay of the United States. At the same time the oath of fidelity to the United States will be administered to every officer and man.
"The mustering officer will be instructed to receive no man under the rank of commissioned officer who is in years apparently over forty-five or under eighteen, or who is not in physical strength and vigor.
"The rendezvous of your State will be at Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
SIMON CAMERON. To His Excellency, Alex. W. Randall, Governor of Wisconsin."
On April i6th Governor Randall issued the following proclamation :
"TO THE LOYAL PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN:
"For the first time in the history of this Federal Government, organized treason has manifested itself within the several States of the Union, and armed rebels are making war against it. The Pro- clamation of the President of the United States tells of unlawful combinations too powerful to be suppressed in the ordinary manner, and calls for military forces to suppress such combinations, and to sustain him in executing the laws. The treasures of the country must no longer be plundered; the public property must be protected from aggressive violence ; that already seized, must be retaken, and the laws must be executed in every State of the Union alike.
"A demand made upon Wisconsin by the President of the United States, for aid to sustain the Federal Arm, must meet with a prompt response. One regiment of the Militia of this State, will be
i6o WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
required for immediate service, and further services will be re- quired as the exigencies of the Government demand. It is a time, when, against the civil and religious liberties of the people, and against the integrity of the Government of the United States, parties and politicians and platforms must be as dust in the balance. All good citizens, everywhere, must join in making common cause against a common enemy.
"Opportunities will be immediately offered to all existing mil- itary companies, under the direction of the proper authorities of the State, for enlistment to fill the demand of the Federal Government, and I hereby invite the patriotic citizens of the State to enroll them- selves into companies of seventy-eight men each, and to advise the Executive of their readiness to be mustered into service immediately. Detailed instructions will be furnished on the acceptance of com- panies, and the commissioned officers of each regiment will nominate their own field officers.
"In times of public danger bad men grov»^ bold and reckless. The property of the citizen becomes unsafe, and both public and private rights liable to be jeopardized. I enjoin upon all administrative and peace officers within the State renewed vigilance in the maintenance and execution of the laws, and in guarding against excesses leading to disorder among the people.
"Given under my hand and the Great Seal of the State of Wis- consin, this i6th (L.S.) day of April, A. D. 1861.
By the Governor.
ALEX. W. RANDALL. L. P. Harve}^ Secretary of State."
This earnest, patriotic proclamation of the governor but added fuel to the fire whose flames were seen and felt in every nook and corner of the state. Where there had been activity on the part of officers of the militia that had been so fast asleep, there was now more than redoubled activity on their part, and hundreds of others who were willing to lead companies or regiments and thousands who were ready to be privates in such com- panies and regiments, entered the field with but one thought, and that to quickly respond to the call of Abraham Lincoln and the governor, who
WISCONSIN AS A STATE i6i
spoke for him In the state of Wisconsin. Because of the Intense Interest and the great activity, a sufficient number of companies was quickly tendered to the Gov- ernor to make a brigade ; In spite of the fact that he only called for troops enough to constitute one regiment. Public meetings were held In many of the cities and vil- lages at which sums of money were pledged to aid the families of volunteers and to assist In equipping early regiments.
Upon learning that Wisconsin was ready to respond, If need be, with a dozen regiments within a month. Gov- ernor Randall wired the Secretary of War a request that he be authorized to organize and equip several regi- ments. He called attention to the fact that our sister state of Illinois had been drawn upon for six regiments, when Illinois was by no means six times as large as Wis- consin. News of this step on the part of the Governor was circulated through the state and the work of recruit- ing companies continued, notwithstanding the fact that word had been previously sent that no more companies than were necessary to make a regiment could be accepted by the state authorities.
The reply of the Secretary of War was awaited with great interest, not only on the part of the Governor and every other state officer, but by all the people of the state, and when the answer came it fell like a wet blan- ket. Secretary Cameron telegraphed, "One regiment for the present will suffice."
Even this did not put a complete stop to the assem- bling of patriotic citizens who were willing to organize
1 62 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
companies and to be In readiness to respond at the next call, and obey an order from the Gov^ernor to go Into camp for drill and preparation for active service. How- ever, many companies that had been recruited or par- tially recruited, were disbanded, and some of their offi- cers and men left the state to join regiments called from other states.
For many years there was more or less heated discus- sion as to which city first tendered a company for service In the Civil War from Wisconsin. Kenosha, Milwau- kee and Fond du Lac contended for the honor, but it was finally definitely settled that Madison was entitled to recognition in that respect, and for proof of this the following correspondence Is given :
Madison, Wis., Jan. 9th, 1861. *To Your Excellency, ALEXANDER W. RAN- DALL, Governor of Wisconsin: Sir: — I have the honor to report to the Commander- in-Chief of the Military of Wisconsin the following resolution introduced by Lieutenant Plunkett, and this day approved by my command:
"Resolved, That Captain George E. Bryant be In- structed to tender to Governor Randall the ser\aces of the "Madison Guards," In case their services may be required for the preservation of the American Union.
"And I pledge you the services of my company at any and all times when you may require them for the preservation of our state and of our American Union.
"Your obedient servant,
"GEORGE E. BRYANT,
"Captain Madison Guards."
It will be seen that Captain Bryant sent this communi-
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cation to Governor Randall the day upon which the Governor read his annual message before the joint ses- sion of the senate and assembly. The reading of Gov- ernor Randall's message, or that portion which referred to the coming storm of the Civil War, lead Lieutenant Plunkett to prepare and present the resolution for adop- tion.
Governor Randall returned a brief reply w^ith the understanding that a future communication on the sub- ject might be expected by Captain Bryant. On the i6th of April, the day he issued his proclamation to the loyal people of Wisconsin, he sent the following official com- munication to the commander of the Madison Guards:
State of Wisconsin, Executive Office, Madison, April i6th, 1861. "Captain George E. Bryant, Commanding Madison Guards : "Sir: — The offer of the sendees of yourself and com- pany, made some time since, to be enrolled in the service of the Federal Government, is hereby accepted, and you are authorized to fill your company to eighty men.
"Your obedient servant, "A. W. RANDALL, Governor of Wisconsin."
CHAPTER X
Organization of Volunteer Regiments
SOMETHING has already been said about the unpreparedness of the state militia for active service at the beginning of the Civil War. In i860, as is shown by the report of the Adjutant General, there were 130,000 per- sons in the state who could have been called upon, under the law, to serve either for the state or for the nation in war, and there were enrolled 1,993, divided as follows: Infantry, 922 men; artillery, 198; cavalry, 104; rifle- men, 765. It has already been stated that the organiza- tions of these men were so ineffective that aside from two or three companies there had been little or no atten- tion paid to drill or discipline of any kind for a year or more, and in the cases of some of the so-called com- panies there had been no efforts at preparation for ser- vice for five years. The state owned fifty-six tents, the most of them old and of little account. There were six brass cannon long out of use and of no value in war, even as it was carried on at that time. There were 135 flint-lock muskets, the kind that were used fifty years before. There were 796 percussion muskets and 811 rifles, out of date, all of them, and of less value in battle than good, strong broomhandles would have been. The state was also in the possession of 35 flintlock pis- tols, 66 percussion pistols, 40 cavalry sabers, 118 artill- ery sabers, 44 swords and a few gunslings and pistol holsters.
Aside from the militia companies that had been ac- cepted several years before, there were a few indepen- dent companies, and these promptly tendered their ser-
167
1 68 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
vices in response to the Gov^ernor's proclamation. The well organized militia companies promptly recruited men enough to meet the requirements and were accepted in making up the First Regiment of the three month's men. Other companies of the old militia perfected their organizations and were placed in the Second, Third and Sixth Regiments. In the First Regiment there were eight of the old militia companies, three from Milwau- kee, two from Madison and one each from Horicon, Beloit and Kenosha.
The First Wisconsin Infantry was ordered to assem- ble at Milwaukee not later than the 27th of April. Cap- tain John C. Starkweather, who had been prominent in making the Milwaukee Light Guards the most efficient and popular militia company in the northwest, except possibly the Ellswoth Zouaves of Chicago, was commis- sioned colonel of the regiment. The lieutenant-colonel was Charles L. Harris of Madison and the major D. H. Lane of Milwaukee. How vividly comes back to the survivors of those ten companies first to leave their homes on the way to a great war, as well as to old resi- dents of the state, the assembling in the home cities, forming in line and the march to the station ; comes back to them with great force; the sorrowful parting, the immense concourse of people assembled to witness the departing train, the prolonged cheers that were mingled with tears and sobs — how all of these scenes and inci- dents returned as this initial going into camp of a Wis- consin regiment is mentioned.
Governor Randall had appointed James Holton, of
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 169
Milwaukee, to provide quarters for the companies as they reached that city. They were distributed among public buildings, halls, boarding houses, and hotels until such time as a suitable camp could be provided on the fair grounds. The work of uniforming the regiment began as soon as it assembled in Milwaukee, under the direction of the state authorities and at state's expense. The gray uniform, some grayer than others, gave this new military command a somewhat peculiar appearance as it paraded. Tents were provided, a mess-house was built and Camp Scott, named in honor of Lieutenant General Winfield S. Scott, then chief in command of the United States Army, was ready to receive these thousand young men who had promptly tendered their services to their endangered country. It is worthy of mention that the officer detailed to muster the First Wisconsin into the United States service. Captain Louis H. Little, of the Seventh United States Infantry, failed to put in appearance. Captain Little was a native of Maryland, graduated from West Point in 1843, served through the Mexican War and resigned his commission in May, 1 861, to enter the Confederate army as a Brigadier General. He was killed September 19th, 1862, at the battle of luka, Mississippi, fought and won under the direction of Major General Charles S. Hamilton, of Wisconsin. The Secretary of War then detailed Cap- tain J. B. Mclntyre, of the Fourth United States Cav- alry, to muster in Wisconsin troops. The ceremony of mustering was obsers^ed May 17th, a month and a day from the time the call for volunteers was issued by the
1 70 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
Governor. On June 9th the regiment left Milwaukee for the seat of war. I will not take the time and space to describe the excitement and enthusiasm in the vast concourse of people that followed the regiment to the station, to cheer it on its way to sacred duty. A further reference to the First Wisconsin, the three months' regiment, and its subsequent reorganization and service as a three years' regiment, will be made.
As showing somewhat the tireless energy and good heart, and how closely the Governor looked into the demands of the Government, and how far ahead he was of the national authorities, and how solicitous he was for the comfort and happiness of the new soldiers, the two proclamations issued on April 22d, a week after his call for volunteers, are reproduced:
"TO THE PATRIOTIC WOMEN OF WISCONSIN:
'T know that 3-ou will respond cheerfully to my request that you contribute your aid in the present crisis, in the way of preparing lint and bandages for the use of the arm}'. A much larger amount of such necessaries for an army may be prepared than may be required by the sons of Wisconsin, but in the long war likely to follow^ there may be thousands who will require such kindness. Whatever is prepared can be forwarded to James Holton, Esq., Milwaukee, who will attend to its proper distribution.
"Your husbands and brothers and sons are called upon to aid in subduing rebellion, in punishing treason, in the maintenance of the Government, and in the execution of the laws. It is your country and your government, as well as theirs, that is now in danger, and you can give strength and courage and warm sympathies and cheer- ing words to those who go to do battle for all that is dear to us here. Bitter as the parting may be to many, I am assured that you will bid them go bravely forward for God and Liberty, to 'return with their shields, or on them.'
"I commend the soldiers to your kindness and encouragement and
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 171
prayers, with full confidence that when occasion calls, many, very many, Florence Nightingales will be found in our goodly land.
Most respectfully,
ALEX. W. RANDALL."
The next one was equally Inspiring and furnished further proof of Wisconsin's great good fortune in hav- ing at the head of the state administration the right kind of a man in its greatest emergency.
"TO THE PATRIOTIC PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN:
"In six days from the issue of my proclamation of the i6th in- stant, the First Regiment called for by the President of the United States, for the defense of the Union, is enrolled already for ser- vice. Five companies from Milwaukee, one from Kenosha, two from Madison, one from Horicon and one from Beloit are assigned to the First Regiment, while nineteen more companies have tendered their services. It is to be regretted that Wisconsn was not permitted to increase largely her quota, but her loyal citizens must exercise patience till called for. I urge the formation of companies of able-bodied men to the number of seventy-seven each, in every locality where it can be done without expense for subsistence; men, who will pledge them- selves to be minute men, standing ready, at short notice, to answer to other calls of the Government. When such companies are full, if infantry or riflemen, let them elect a Captain, Lieutenant and En- sign, and report to the Adjutant General for commissions and orders. It is not necessary that men be taken from peaceful avocations to be drilled for active service, though, where companies are located in large towns, it is desirable that they be drilled as far as possible in the use of arms. Whenever they are called into service, all their ex- penses will be paid. Where companies have been enrolled, and have reported, offering their services, they will be first called upon whenever a new demand is made upon the State by the President, which is likly to be very soon. I thank the good people of the State for their ready response to my Proclamation, and for their patriotic devotion to the country.
ALEX. W. RANDALL."
Within ten days from the call issued for volunteers In
Wisconsin, thirty-six companies tendered their services
and a number were prevented from doing so by a ni-12
172 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
decided announcement that there was no certainty of their acceptance. Companies were tendered from the following cities and villages, some of them like Madison and Milwaukee offering more than one com- pany: Madison, Kenosha, Horicon, Milwaukee, Beloit, Fond du Lac, La Crosse, Fox Lake, Portage City, Neenah, Mineral Point, Prescott, Oshkosh, Racine, Janesville, Shullsburg, Watertown, Sheboygan, Geneva, Monroe, Darlington, Berlin, Waupun, Beaver Dam and Hudson. The Secretary of War wanted ten com- panies. Wisconsin promptly tendered thirty-six com- panies. The Governor on his own responsibility took such steps as were needed to convince the other twenty-six companies that they would soon be called upon to go into camp and be organized into regi- ments Seeing the need of a more perfect system Governor Randall called about him the best mil- itary talent he could find In the state and ap- pointed a regular staff for actlv^e service. Two of the officers who were of great value to him In those early days were Captain C. S. Hamilton, of Fond du Lac, and Lieutenant T. H. Ruger, of Janesville, both gradu- ates of West Point. W. W. Treadway was made Chief Quartermaster, E. R. Wadsworth, Chief Commissary, and a little later because of the resignation of Adjutant General Swain, Senator W. L. Utley, of Racine, was appointed Adjutant General. Doctor E. B. Wolcott was given the position of Surgeon General. All of these appointments proved very fortunate ones. Ruger and Hamilton did not remain on duty at Madison ver}' long,
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 173
Hamilton having been made Colonel of a regiment and Ruger its Lieutenant Colonel.
In consequence of a decision to proceed with the or- ganization of other regiments not authorized by the general Government, it became necessary to provide suitable camps in which to assemble companies. Horace A. Tenney, of Madison, was chosen to direct in the mat- ter of providing suitable buildings on the fair grounds, near Madison. This was very properly given the name of Camp Randall, in honor of the Governor, and before the end of June this second military camp was In readi- ness for the reception of companies. While there were camps for organizations In a number of cities in the state the majority of Wisconsin regiments assembled at Camp Randall and were given their preliminary drill and dis- cipline for the great work before them. Early in May the general government decided to receive no more three months' men. The work of assembling the companies for the Second Regiment had begun. The men were given an opportunity to vote whether they would enlist for three years or return to their homes. Nearly all of the men promptly enlisted for three years.
The first officers of the First Regiment, three years* men, were: Colonel J. C. Starkweather; , Lieutenant Colonel A. H. Lane; Major, George B. Bingham; Cap- tains, Gilbert E. Bingham, Henry A. Mitchell, Robert Hill, Henry A. Starr, D. C. McVean, Morris M. Sam- uels, Edward Bloodgood, Henry Requay, Oran Rogers and Thomas H. Green ; First Lieutenants, J. C. Good- rich, John M. Cosgrove, William E. Gibbons, William
174 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
S. Mitchell, George E. Scott, William J. Vincent, Wil- liam H.Wilson, A. F. Adams, Abner O. Heald and Wil- liam S. Burroughs; Second Lieutenants, Harry S. Lee, James S. White, Hiram A. Sheldon, Charles H. Messen- ger, Edward Healey, Julius A. Bartlett, Charles J. Rob- inson, Eugene Cary, Jerome F. Brooks and Rosewelle S. Sawyer; Adjutant, Henry L. Franklin; Quartermaster, Harry Bingham; Surgeon, Lucius J. Dixon; Assistant Surgeons, James Drugan and Daniel D. Devendorf; Chaplain, John McNamara.
The reorganization, with these officers, occurred in October, 1861, not long after the regiment returned from its service of three months. During those three months, the regiment experienced many hardships for a new command and was the first of Wisconsin's soldiers to participate in actual battle. The battle was Falling Waters, in Virginia, and it was fought on the 2d of July, 1 86 1 . The first man killed was George C. Drake, of Milwaukee. One other was killed and several wounded. That was the only battle in which the First Regiment, under its three month's organization, participated.
The original roster of the Second Wisconsin was. Colonel S. Parke Coon; Lieutenant Colonel, Henry W. Peck; Major, Duncan McDonald; Captains, George H. Stevens, Wilson Colwell, David McKee, George B. Ely, Gabriel Bouck, William E. Strong, John Mans- field, Alexander S. Hill, J. F. Randolph, Thomas S. Al- len and John Stahel; First Lieutenants, Edward B. Mann, Frank Hatch, Charles K. Dean, Archibald B. McLean, John Hancock, Anson O. Doolittle, Alexan-
James R. Doo little
176 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
regiment, within a given time, to have those companies tendered to him, even sooner than he had requested. The Third Regiment was organized at Fond du Lac un- der the immediate direction of Colonel Charles S. Ham- ilton, a resident of that city. "He was ably assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas H. Ruger and Major Bre- tine Pinkney.
The original roster of the Third was as follows : Col- onel, Charles S. Hamilton; Lieutenant Colonel, Thom- as H. Ruger; Major, Bretine Pinkney; Captains, D. S. Gibbs, John W. Scott, Martin Flood, Andrew Clark, Gustav Hammer, George Limbacker, George J. Whit- man, Howard Vandagrlft and William Hawley; First Lieutenants, John Forsythe, William Moscrip, Moses* O'Brien, Seth Griffith, N. Daniels, E. J. Bentley, A. J. Cady, G. W. Stephenson, John E. Rossand, P. J. Whit- ley; Second Lieutenants, L. H. D. Crane, B. W. Clark,
C. C. Smith, E. S. Case, L. Martin, E. J. Meeker, P.
D. Walke, James G. Knight, Ralph Van Brunt and T. C. Merrill; Adjutant, L. H. D. Crane; Quartermaster, S. E. Lefferts; Surgeon, D. A. Raymond; Assistant Sur- geons, H. O. Crane and J. G. B. Baxter; Chaplain, Wil- liam L. Mather. When Colonel Hamilton was pro- moted Brigadier General, Lieutenant Colonel Ruger was made Colonel and in 1863 when Colonel Ruger be- came a Brigadier General, Lieutenant Colonel William Hawley, was made Colonel. Colonel Hawley was bre- veted a Brigadier General and after the war entered the Regular Army as a Second Lieutenant. Nearly all of
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 177
the captains and lieutenants of the Third at the end of the war were private soldiers at the beginning of It.
The companies for the Third came from Watertown, Green county, Waupun, Milwaukee, Grant County, Neenah, La Fayette County and Dane County. They went Into camp the middle of June, were mustered Into The United States service by Captain Mclntyre, June 29th, and left camp July 1 2th, going direct to Hagers- town, Maryland. Many thousands of people assem- bled at Fond du Lac the day the Third took Its depart- ure for the East. Senator Hazelton, of Columbia Coun- ty, represented the Governor In a parting address. The Third, as might have been expected In view of the two skilled Regular Army officers, Hamilton and Ruger, who led In discipline, was one of the finest appearing regiments that left the State. They also attracted wide attention throughout their journey to Maryland. Chi- cago papers were exceedingly generous In their praise of both officers and men. The Third Is one of the few Wisconsin Regiments that saw service both In the Army of the Potomac and In the Southwest.
The Fourth was ordered Into camp at Racine, In July, 1 86 1, and was composed of companies from Walworth, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Columbia, Jefiferson, St. Croix, Oconto, Monroe and Calumet Counties. The camp was given the name of Utley, In honor of the new- ly appointed Adjutant General of the State, General W. L. Utley, who afterwards went out In command of the 22nd Wisconsin and was promoted to Brevet Brigadier General.
178 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
The original roster was as follows: Colonel, Halbert E. Paine, who became a Brigadier General in 1863, and lost a leg at the Battle of Port Hudson; Lieutenant Col- onel, Sidney A. Bean; Major, Fred A. Boardman; Ad- jutant, Louis D. Aldrich; Quartermaster, A. J. McCoy; Surgeon, A. H. Van Nostrand; Assistant Surgeons, S.
C. Smith and S. W. Wilson; Chaplain, A. C. Barry; Captains, S. E. Curtis, O. H. LeGrange, E. B. Gray, Joseph Bailey, Webster P. Moore, Nelson F. Craigne,
D. M. White, J. F. Loy, J. W. Lynn, Harrison C. Ho- bart; First Lieutenants, F. L. Kaiser, H. W. Ross, Pas- cal Pauli, W. S. Payne, S. B. Tubbs, George H. Brown, I. H. Wing, E. J. Peck, L. R. Blake, and James Robin- son; Second Lieutenants, Filo O. Castel, George W. Carter, James R. Cole, E. R. Herren, H. B. Lighthiz- er, A. J. Weatherwax, James Kief, Albert F. Ores, A. A. West and Joseph B. Reynolds. The regiment left the state July 5th, and reached Baltimore the 22nd. In 1863, the Fourth was ordered mounted and was after that known as the Fourth Wisconsin Cavalry.
The Fifth and Sixth Regiments were organized at Camp Randall late in June. The roster of the Fifth was: Colonel, Amasa Cobb; Lieutenant Colonel, H. W. Emery; Major, Charles H. Larabee; Adjutant, T. S. West; Quartermaster, J. G. Clark; Surgeon, A. L. Cas- tleman; Assistant Surgeons, George D. Wilber and E.
E. Crane; Chaplain, Robert Langley; Captains, Tem- ple Clark, E. C. HIbbard, William Behrens, T. B. Cat- lin, H. M. Wheeler, Irving M. Bean, W. A. Bugh, P. C. Hawkins, R. H. Emerson and William Evans; First
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 179
Lieutenants, Horace Walker, J. B. Oliver, J. C. Schroel- ling, D. E. Tilden, H. R. Clum, Enoch Toten, L. G. Strong, G. D. Lybrand, C. T. Wieman and C. A. Bay- ard; Second Lieutenants, Peter Scherfieus, Robert Ross, Hans Boebel, T. R. Stafford, James Mills, A. S. Ben- net, E. L. D. Moody, George S. Davis and J. A. Hill. The ten companies came from Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Beaver Dam, Janesville, Berlin, Richland County, Fond du Lac, Calumet and Dunn Counties. It was mustered into the United States service by Captain Mclntyre, July 13th, left the state July 27th and reached Washing- ton August 8th.
The Sixth Regiment went to Camp Randall the last week in June and was mustered into the United States service the i6th day of July. The original roster was Colonel, Lysander Cutler; Lieutenant Colonel, J. P. At wood; Major, B. J. Sweet; Adjutant, Frank Haskill Quartermaster, I. N. Mason; Surgeon, C. B. Chapman Assistant Surgeons, A. W. Preston and A. D. Andrews Chaplain, S. A. Staples; Captains, A. G. Maloy, D. J Dill, A. S. Hooe, J. O'Rourke, E. S. Bragg, W. H Lindwurm, M. A. Northrup, J. F. Hauser, Leonard Johnson, R. R. Dawes; First Lieutenants, D. K. Noyes, J. F. Marsh, P. W. Plummer, John Nichols, E. A. Brown, Fred Schumacher, G. L. Montague, J. D. Lew- Is, F. A. Haskell and J. A. Kellogg ; Second Lieutenants, T. C. Thomas, Henry Serrill, T. W. Plummer, P. H. McCauley, J. H. Marston, William Von Baschelli, W. W. Allen, J. A. Tester, A. T. Johnson and John Crane. The regiment left camp Randall July 28th, making a
i8o WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
brief stop at Patterson Park, Baltimore, and then moved to Washington, reaching there the 8th of August.
The next regiment to be called into Camp Randall was the yth, whose original roster was: Colonel, Joseph Van Dor; Lieutenant Colonel, W. W. Robinson; Ma- jor, C. A. Hamilton, Adjutant, Charles W. Cooke; Quartermaster, Henry P. Clinton; Surgeon, Henry Pal- mer: Assistant Surgeons, D. C. Ayers and E. Cramer; Chaplain, S. W. Eaton; Captains, George Bill, J. H. Huntington, Samuel Nasmith, E. F. Giles, W. D. Walker, John B. Callis, S. Stephens, Mark Funnicum, George H. Walther and Alexander Gordon; First Lieu- tenants, Hollon Richardson, S. L. Batchlor, A. R. Bush- nell, C. W. Cooke, W. F. Daly, Samuel Woodhouse, Omar Drake, C. M. H. Meyer, A. S. Rogers and F. W. Oakley; Second Lieutenants, B. M. Misner, H. P. Clin- ton, E. A. Andrews, A. T. Reed, W. B. Manning, Hen- ry T. Young, Samuel Kromer, Robert Palmer, I. N. P. Bird and David Shirrel. The regiment left the state September 21st, and reached Washington the 26th and a few days later it joined the Second and Sixth at Chain- bridge, above Georgetown, and became a part of Gen- eral Rufus King's brigade.
The Eighth Regiment w^as called to Camp Randallln October and, like all of the regiments heretofore men- tioned, was recruited up to 1,000 men, not including the officers. The original roster was: Colonel, Robert C. Murphy; Lieutenant Colonel, George W. Robblns; Major, John W. Jefferson; Adjutant, Ezra T. Sprague; Quartermaster, Henry O. Clarke; Surgeon, Samuel P.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE i8i
Thornhill; Assistant Surgeons, William Hobblns and Joseph E. Murta; Chaplain, William McKinley; Cap- tains, J. B. Redfield, D. B. Conger, John E. Perkins, William J. Dawes, William C. Young, James H. Green, W. B. Brittan, Stephen Estee, Milo M. Baker and Wil- liam P. Lyon ; First Lieutenants, Melvin Patchen, John A. Smith, Victor Wolf, Benjamin S. Williams, James M. Gilbert, Zenos Beach, Charles P. King, L. Muncell, A. O. Hickok, Albert E. Smith; Second Lieutenants, R. J. Baker, Charles D. Stevens, Kit Pierce, Frank Mc- Gulre, Hiram T. Williamson, Marvin H. Helms, James Berry, Richard Bemish, P. B. Willoughby, Henry N. Lathrop and James O. Bartlet.
The Ninth Regiment was largely composed of Ger- mans. The order for its organization was Issued Au- gust 26th. The original roster was: Colonel, Freder- ick Salomon; Lieutenant Colonel, A. G. Wreisburg, Major, Henry Orff ; Adjutant, Arthur JacobI; Quarter- master, William Finkler, Surgeon, H. Naumann; As- sistant Surgeons, Louis Loehr and Herman Hasse; Chaplain, John Hantly; Captains, Frederick Aude, Fredrick Becker, George Eckhart, C. C. Buckenen, Herman Schlueter, Dominic Hastreiter, John Harttest, Gumal Hesse, Peter Spehn and H. F. Belltz ; First Lieu- tenants, Anton Blocki, A. F. Dumke, John Arensten, C. E. G. Horn, Conrad Brumke, Martin Voegele, William Meissner, Fred Molzner, William Markhoff and Ed- ward Ruegger; Second Lieutenants, Henry Stock, Ges- pard Guetzloe, Charles Franz, Jacob Bohn, Erhard Weber, John Gerber, Adolph Miller, Philip Kruer,
1 82 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
William Schulten and Otto Leissring. The regiment left the state January 22nd, 1862, and went to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
The Tenth Infantry was organized at Milwaukee in October, 1861, the original roster being as follows: Colonel, A. R. Chapin; Lieutenant Colonel, J. J. Gup- pey; Major, John G. McMynn; Adjutant, W. A. 'Col- lins; Quartermaster, Benton McConn; Surgeon, Solon Marks; Assistant Surgeons, Robert Mitchell and James T. Reeve; Chaplain, James L. Coffin; Captains, H. O. Johnston, Jacob W. Roby, A. J. Richardson, O. B. Twogood, J. H. Ely, William H. Palmer, William Moore, Duncan McKercher, Caleb T. Overton and E. D. Hillyer; First Lieutenants, F. J. Harrington, James C. Adams, Frank W. Perry, Thomas L. Kennan, Rob- ert Kohlsdorf, Edward D. Lowry, L. B. Brewer, Inger- soU George, H. H. Fairchild and Leander B. Hills; Sec- ond Lieutenants, Robert Harkness, Samuel W. Horrick, Samuel L. Hart, George W. Marsh, George M. West, A. C. Brown, Jr., Silas A. Wilcox, Robert H. Spencer, John Small and Charles H. Ford. The regiment left Milwaukee the 9th of November and went to Louis- ville, Kentucky.
The Elev^enth Infantry v/as organized at Camp Ran- dall late in October and early in November, 1861. Charles L. Harris, a West Point graduate, who had been Lieutenant Colonel of the First, the three months' regiment, was Colonel. The Eleventh was the most strictly farmer's regiment of any that went from Wis- consin, although all of the regiments organized, con-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 183
tained a greater or less number of farmers. The ros- ter when the regiment left the State was as follows: Colonel, Charles L. Harris; Lieutenant Colonel, Charles A. Wood; Major, Arthur Piatt; Adjutant, Daniel Lincoln; Quartermaster, Charles G. Mayers: Surgeon, Henry P. Strong ; Assistant Surgeons, Edward Everett and C.C. Barnes; Chaplain, J. D. Brittan; Cap- tains, D. E. Hough, J. H. Hubbard, Charles Perry, J. S. Perry, J. S. Miller, L. H. Whittelsey, E. R. Chase, W. F. Pelton, Alexander Christie, A. J. Whittier and H. J. Lewis; First Lieutenants, P. W. Jones, E. S. Oak- ley, James Lang, William Hill, Abner Powell, F. B. Stone, E. D. Partridge, E. H. Mix, D. W. C. Benham and I. W. Hunt; Second Lieutenants, W. L. Freeman, James M. Bull, O. F. Mattice, W. H. Dawson, Sydney Shepard, R. E. Jackson, Henry Blake, I. J. Wright, Jerome Sheesbro and R. P. House.
The work of recruiting companies for the Twelfth Infantry began in September and the regiment was or- ganized at Camp Randall in October. George E. Bry- ant, Captain of the Madison Guards who first offered the services of a company to the Governor, was commis- sioned Colonel. The first roster was as follows : Colo- nel, George E. Bryant; Lieutenant Colonel, D. W. C. Poole; Major, W. E. Strong; Adjutant, James K. Proudfit; Quartermaster, Andrew Sexton; Surgeon, Luther Cary; Assistant Surgeons, E. A. Woodward and A. F. St. L. Lundsfelt; Chaplain, L. B. Mason; Cap- tains, Norman McLeod, Giles Stephens, Charles G. Loeber, J. M. Price, Abram Vanderpool, George C.
1 84 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
Norton, Daniel Howell, M. E. Palmer, H. L. Turner and D. R. Sylvester; First Lieutenants, O. F. Maxsson, B. S. Blackman, Francis Wilson, Thomas Farmer, John Gillespie, Levi Odell, Charles iM. Webb, N. A. C. Smith, Van S. Bennett, and A. N. Chandler; Second Lieutenants, Francis Hoyt, J. W. Lusk, M. J. Camp- bell, William J. Norton, Louis T. Linnell, Henry Tur- tillott, W. W. Botkin, Charles C. Lovitt, Jerome S. Tin- ker and Isaac Walker. As in the case of several other regiments the Twelfth was fully equipped by the state, except arms. It moved from Camp Randall to Fort Leavenworth 1,049 strong.
The Thirteenth Infantry was mustered into the United States service at Camp Treadway, Janesville, October 17th, 1861, that being the first regiment organ- ized in that part of the state. It left for Leavenworth, Kansas, the i8th of January, 1862. Its first roster was : Colonel, Maurice Maloney, who had long served in the Regular Army; Lieutenant Colonel, James F. Chap- man; Major, Thomas Bigney; Adjutant, William Rug- er; Quartermaster, Piatt Eyclesheimer; Surgeon, John Evans; Assistant Surgeons, E. J. Horton and S. L. Lord; Chaplain, H. C. Tilton; Captains, Edward Rug- er, E. E. Woodman, A. H. Kummel, E. W. Blake, Rob- ert H. Hewitt, F. F. Stephens, A. N. Randall, J. L. Pratt, J. W. Lauderdale and Pliny Norcross; First Lieu- tenants, L. T. Nichols, J. L, Murray, D. R. Lamoreau, S. A. Couch, E. F. Warren, S. S. Hart, H. M. Balis, C. N. Noyes, N. H. Kingman and John H. Wemple; Sec- ond Lieutenants, William Ruger, G. C. Brown, J. T.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 185
Fish, N. D. Walters, S. S. Rockwell, N. Krotzenberg, E. W. Taylor, R. Glover, Henry Carroll and A. D. Burdlck.
The Fourteenth Infantry was organized at Fond du Lac and mustered Into the United States service January 30th, 1862. It was given the name of the Fourteenth Wisconsin Regulars. The original roster was : Colonel, David E. Wood; Lieutenant Colonel, I. E. Messmore; Major, John Hancock; Adjutant, B. E. Brower; Quar- termaster, James T. Conklln ; Surgeon, W. H. Walker ; Assistant Surgeons, D. D. Cameron and David La Count; Chaplain, J. G. Rogers; Captains, L. M. Ward, Asa Worden, W. W. Wilcox, J. W. Polleys, George E. Waldo, J. G. Lawton, F. H. Madgeburg, W. D. Ghos- lln, C. R. Johnson and E. W. Cornes; First Lieutenants, C. L. Kimball, J. D. Post, Colin Miller, George Staley, L. W. Vaughn, George W. Bowers, James La Count, C. N. G. Mansfield, John KIttenger and O. W. Fox; Second Lieutenants, J. V. Frost, F. G. Wllmot, A. S. Smith, David Lau, D. A. Shove, Samuel Harrison, O. R. Potter, William Gardner, Joseph Clancy and M. W. Hurlburt. The regiment left Fond du Lac March 8th, 1862, and March 23rd reported to General Grant at Savannah, Tennessee.
The 15th Infantr}^, whose organization commenced at Camp Randall, December, 1861, was almost wholly made up of Scandinavians. The original roster was: Colonel, Hans C. Heg; Lieutenant Colonel, David Mc Kee; Major, Charles M. Reese; Adjutant, Hans Borch- senlus; Quartermaster, Ole Heg; Surgeon, S. O. HI-
1 86 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
moe; Assistant Surgeons, S. J. Hansen and G. F. New- ell; Chaplain, C. L. Clausen; Captains, Andrew Tork- ildsen, Ole C. Johnson, F. R. Berg, Charles Campbell, John Ingmundsen, Charles Gustaveson, John Gordon, K. J. Sime, August Gasman and Mons Grinager; First Lieutenants, E. Englested, Joseph Mathieson, Hans Hansen, Albert Skofstadt, William T. Jentland, Thor. Simonson, Henry' Hauf, A. A. Brown, Reynard Cook and Ole Peterson ; Second Lieutenants, Oliver Thomp- son, George Wilson, John T. Rice, C. E. Tamberg, John M. Johnson, S. Samuelson, W. A. Montgomery, John L. Johnson, Martin Russell and Olaus Lolberg. The regiment left the 2nd of March, 1862.
The Sixteenth Infantry assembled at Camp Randall and was mustered into the sennce January 21st, 1862, and reached Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, March 20th. The first roster was. Colonel, Benjamin Allen; Lieutenant Colonel, Cassius Fairchild; Major, Thomas Reynolds; Adjutant, G. M. Sabin; Quartermaster, John E. Jones; Surgeon, E. W. Eastman; Assistant Surgeons, I. A. Torrey and Otto Maurer; Chaplain, L. S. Liost- more; Captains, Edward Saxe, George H. Fox, H. D. Patch, O. D. Pease, W. F. Dawes, H. V. Train, J. R. Wheeler, A. D. Gray, S. W. Osborn, George C. Wil- liams; First Lieutenants, O. F. Silver, S. B. Tuller, J. G. Dailey, E. B. Roys, Charles White, John Lymburn, W. H. Pond, H. M. Beecraft, C. H. Vail and R. P. Dericksen; Second Lieutenants, G. A. Spurr, J. O. Ha- zelton, P. M. Hovey, W. A. Green, W. D. Niles, B. E,
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 187
Stevens, C. A. Allen, John Lewis, R. J. Cone, D. F. Vail.
The Seventeenth Regiment was chiefly composed of Irish-Americans. It was organized at Camp Randall and mustered Into the United States service March 15th, 1862. The original roster was: Colonel, John L. Doran; Lieutenant Colonel, A. G. Malloy; Major, Thomas McMahon; Adjutant, W. H. Plunkett; Quar- termaster, John Gee; Chaplain, Napolean MIgnault; Surgeon, Henry McKennan ; Assistant Surgeons, C. I. Davis and E. Jackson; Captains, P. H. McCauley, Hugh McDermott, Patrick O'Connor, D. D. Scott, John McGourIn, Patrick Geraughty, William South- wood, Charles Armstrong, Alexander McDonald and Welcome Hyde; First Lieutenants, John Crain, J. E. Mahoney, Samuel Rea, J. G. Kelley, J. M. Roe, C. E. Furlong, William Beaupre, T. R. Apker, J. G. Nord- man, R. H. Crane; Second Lieutenants, Patrick Mc- Grath, Martin Schulte, Martin Curran, J. C. Maass, Peter Feagan, Peter Smith, J. G. Moreau, Richard Rooney, D. S. Thurston and J. E. Richards.
The Eighteenth Infantry was ordered to- Camp SIgel, Milwaukee, January 7th, 1862. It completed Its organ- ization and was mustered into service and left the state about the last of March, 1862, reaching Pittsburg Landing, April 5th, and went into the battle of Shiloh the next day. The first roster was as follows : Colonel, J. S. Alban; Lieutenant Colonel, S. W. Beall; Major, J. W. Crane; Adjutant, G. L. Park; Quartermaster, J. D.
Rogers ; Surgeon, G. F. Huntington, and Assistant Sur- 111-18
1 88 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
geon, E. J. Buck; Chaplain, James Delaney; Captains, J. P. Millard, C. D. Jackson, N. M. Lane, G. A. FIsk, William Bremmer, J. W. Roberts, J. H. Compton, D. H. Saxton, W. A. Coleman and W. J. Kershaw; First Lieutenants, Edward Colman, T. H. Jackson, J. H. Graham, D. W. C. Wilson, George R. Walbridge, George Stokes, F. B. Case, S. D. Woodworth, Ira H. Ford, Alexander Jackson; Second Lieutenants, T. J. Potter, S. B. Boynton, A. A. Burnett, Peter Sloggy, L. H. Carpenter, G. A. Topliff, J. R. Scott, T. H. Wal- lace, O. A. Southmayd and P. A. Bennett.
The Nineteenth Infantry was organized at Camp Utley, Racine, but in April, 1862, was ordered to Camp Randall to guard prisoners taken at Shiloh. Early in June of that year the regiment went to Virginia. The first roster of the officers was as follows: Colonel, H. T. Saunders; Lieutenant Colonel, Charles Whipple; Major, A. E. Bovay; Adjutant, Lorenzo Van Slyke; Quartermaster, Frank Morton; Surgeon, Peter Winter; Assistant Surgeons, H. C. Markham and L. Nichols; Chaplain, J. H. Nichols; Captains, R. W. Strong, A. A. York, Charles Case, S. K. Vaughn, Patrick Bennett, Martin Scherff, J. N. Stone, Albert Grant, A. O. Raw- ley and Henry Meyers; First Lieutenants, H. A. Tator, J. S. Patten, H. D. Nichols, W. H. Kopps, H. W. Kingshurg, John Wright, C. A. Holley and Harmon Wentworth; Second Lieutenants, A. P. Ellingwood, W. W. Gordon, W. R. V. Frisby, E. O. Emmerson, S. C. Tuckcrman, Jr., William Spregelberg, Otto Puhlman, Cromwell Laithc, Levi Welden and S. C. Seaman.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 189
The Twentieth Infantry was organized at Camp Randall, the muster-in taking place Aug. 23, 1862. All of the field officers and many of company officers had seen service in other regiments. The command left for St. Louis, August 30th, and on the i6th of September reached Springfield, Missouri. The roster of officers was: Colonel, Bertine Pickney; Lieutenant Colonel, Henry Bertram; Major, H. A. Starr; Adjutant, H. V. Morris; Quartermaster, J. A. Douglass; Surgeon, C.
B. Chapman; Assistant Surgeons, E. Munk and W. A. Mosher; Chaplain, W. H. Marble; Captains, A. H. Pettibone, B. W. Telfair, John McDermott, Almerin Gillett, John Weber, Nelson Whitman, E. G. Miller, H. E. Strong, William Harlocker, Howard Vander- grlft; First Lieutenants, W. H. York, E. F. Stone, C. E. Stevens, George W. Barter, Frederick Kusel, A. H. Blake, A. J. Rockwell, George W. Root. Thomas Bentliff and Nathan Cole; Second Lieutenants, J. M. Brackett, F. A. Bird, Jacob McLaughlin, C. B. Butler,
C. A. Menges, D. W. Horton, James Furgeson, George W. Miller, A. P. Hall and S. P. Jackson.
The organization of the Twenty-first Infantry was completed at Camp Bragg, Oshkosh, in September, 1 86 1. As in the case of the Twentieth, the field officers had seen service in regiments which went to the front the year before. The roster of officers was : Colonel, B. J. Sweet; Lieutenant Colonel, Harrison C. Hobart; Ma- jor, Frederick Schumacher; Adjutant, M. H. Fitch; Quartermaster, H. C. Hamilton; Surgeon, S. J. Caro- lin; Assistant Surgeons, J. T. Reeve and S. S. Fuller;
1 88 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
geon, E. J. Buck; Chaplain, James Delaney; Captains, J. P. Millard, C. D. Jackson, N. M. Lane, G. A. FIsk, William Bremmer, J. W. Roberts, J. H. Compton, D. H. Saxton, W. A. Coleman and W. J. Kershaw; First Lieutenants, Edward Colman, T. H. Jackson, J. H. Graham, D. W. C. Wilson, George R. Walbrldge, George Stokes, F. B. Case, S. D. Woodworth, Ira H. Ford, Alexander Jackson; Second Lieutenants, T. J. Potter, S. B. Boynton, A. A. Burnett, Peter Sloggy, L. H. Carpenter, G. A. TopHff, J. R. Scott, T. H. Wal- lace, O. A. Southmayd and P. A. Bennett.
The Nineteenth Infantry was organized at Camp Utley, Racine, but In April, 1862, was ordered to Camp Randall to guard prisoners taken at Shiloh. Early in June of that year the regiment went to Virginia. The first roster of the officers was as follows: Colonel, H. T. Saunders; Lieutenant Colonel, Charles Whipple; Major, A. E. Bovay; Adjutant, Lorenzo Van Slyke; Quartermaster, Frank Morton; Surgeon, Peter Winter; Assistant Surgeons, H. C. Markham and L. Nichols; Chaplain, J. H. Nichols; Captains, R. W. Strong, A. A. York, Charles Case, S. K. Vaughn, Patrick Bennett, Martin Scherff, J. N. Stone, Albert Grant, A. O. Raw- ley and Henry Meyers; First Lieutenants, H. A. Tator, J. S. Patten, H. D. Nichols, W. H. Kopps, H. W. Kingshurg, John Wright, C. A. Holley and Harmon Wentworth; Second Lieutenants, A. P. Ellingwood, W. W. Cjordon, W. R. V. Frisby, E. O. Emmerson, S. C. Tuckcrman, Jr., William Spregelberg, Otto Puhlman, Cromwell Laithc, Levi Welden and S. C. Seaman.
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The Twentieth Infantry was organized at Camp Randall, the muster-In taking place Aug. 23, 1862. All of the field officers and many of company officers had seen service In other regiments. The command left for St. Louis, August 30th, and on the i6th of September reached Springfield, Missouri. The roster of officers was: Colonel, Bertlne PIckney; Lieutenant Colonel, Henry Bertram; Major, H. A. Starr; Adjutant, H. V. Morris; Quartermaster, J. A. Douglass; Surgeon, C.
B. Chapman ; Assistant Surgeons, E. Munk and W. A. Mosher; Chaplain, W. H. Marble; Captains, A. H. Pettlbone, B. W. Telfair, John McDermott, Almerin GUlett, John Weber, Nelson Whitman, E. G. Miller, H. E. Strong, William Harlocker, Howard Vander- grlft; First Lieutenants, W. H. York, E. F. Stone, C. E. Stevens, George W. Barter, Frederick Kusel, A. H. Blake, A. J. Rockwell, George W. Root. Thomas Bentllff and Nathan Cole; Second Lieutenants, J. M. Brackett, F. A. Bird, Jacob McLaughlin, C. B. Butler,
C. A. Menges, D. W. Horton, James Furgeson, George W. Miller, A. P. Hall and S. P. Jackson.
The organization of the Twenty-first Infantry was completed at Camp Bragg, Oshkosh, in September, 1 86 1. As in the case of the Twentieth, the field officers had seen service In regiments which went to the front the year before. The roster of officers was : Colonel, B. J. Sweet; Lieutenant Colonel, Harrison C. Hobart; Ma- jor, Frederick Schumacher; Adjutant, M. H. Fitch; Quartermaster, H. C. Hamilton; Surgeon, S. J. Caro- lin; Assistant Surgeons, J. T. Reeve and S. S. Fuller;
1 88 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
geon, E. J. Buck; Chaplain, James Delaney; Captains, J. P. Millard, C. D. Jackson, N. M. Lane, G. A. FIsk, William Bremmer, J. W. Roberts, J. H. Compton, D. H. Saxton, W. A. Coleman and W. J. Kershaw; First Lieutenants, Edward Colman, T. H. Jackson, J. H. Graham, D. W. C. Wilson, George R. Walbrldge, George Stokes, F. B. Case, S. D. Woodworth, Ira H. Ford, Alexander Jackson; Second Lieutenants, T. J. Potter, S. B. Boynton, A. A. Burnett, Peter Sloggy, L. H. Carpenter, G. A. TopHff, J. R. Scott, T. H. Wal- lace, O. A. Southmayd and P. A. Bennett.
The Nineteenth Infantry was organized at Camp Utley, Racine, but In April, 1862, was ordered to Camp Randall to guard prisoners taken at Shiloh. Early in June of that year the regiment went to Virginia. The first roster of the officers was as follows: Colonel, H. T. Saunders; Lieutenant Colonel, Charles Whipple; Major, A. E. Bovay; Adjutant, Lorenzo Van Slyke; Quartermaster, Frank Morton; Surgeon, Peter Winter; Assistant Surgeons, H. C. Markham and L. Nichols; Chaplain, J. H. Nichols; Captains, R. W. Strong, A. A. York, Charles Case, S. K. Vaughn, Patrick Bennett, Martin Scherff, J. N. Stone, Albert Grant, A. O. Raw- ley and Henry Meyers; First Lieutenants, H. A. Tator, J. S. Patten, H. D. Nichols, W. H. Kopps, H. W. Kingshurg, John Wright, C. A. Holley and Harmon Wentworth ; Second Lieutenants, A. P. Ellingwood, W. W. Gordon, W. R. V. Frisby, E. O. Emmerson, S. C. Tuckcrman, Jr., William Spregelberg, Otto Puhlman, Cromwell Laithc, Levi Welden and S. C. Seaman.
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WISCONSIN AS A STATE 189
The Twentieth Infantry was organized at Camp Randall, the muster-in taking place Aug. 23, 1862. All of the field officers and many of company officers had seen service in other regiments. The command left for St. Louis, August 30th, and on the i6th of September reached Springfield, Missouri. The roster of officers was: Colonel, Bertine Pickney; Lieutenant Colonel, Henry Bertram; Major, H. A. Starr; Adjutant, H. V. Morris; Quartermaster, J. A. Douglass; Surgeon, C.
B. Chapman; Assistant Surgeons, E. Munk and W. A. Mosher; Chaplain, W. H. Marble; Captains, A. H. Pettibone, B. W. Telfair, John McDermott, Almerin Gillett, John Weber, Nelson Whitman, E. G. Miller, H. E. Strong, William Harlocker, Howard Vander- grift; First Lieutenants, W. H. York, E. F. Stone, C. E. Stevens, George W. Barter, Frederick Kusel, A. H. Blake, A. J. Rockwell, George W. Root. Thomas Bentliff and Nathan Cole; Second Lieutenants, J. M. Brackett, F. A. Bird, Jacob McLaughlin, C. B. Butler,
C. A. Menges, D. W. Horton, James Furgeson, George W. Miller, A. P. Hall and S. P. Jackson.
The organization of the Twenty-first Infantry was completed at Camp Bragg, Oshkosh, in September, 1 861. As in the case of the Twentieth, the field officers had seen service in regiments which went to the front the year before. The roster of officers was : Colonel, B. J. Sweet; Lieutenant Colonel, Harrison C. Hobart; Ma- jor, Frederick Schumacher; Adjutant, M. H. Fitch; Quartermaster, H. C. Hamilton; Surgeon, S. J. Caro- lin; Assistant Surgeons, J. T. Reeve and S. S. Fuller;
190 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
Chaplain, O. P. Clinton; Captains, Alexander White,
C. N. Paine, A. S. Godfrey, John Jewett, Jr., H. M. Gibbs, Edgar Conklin, AI. H. Sessians, George Bentley, S. B. Nelson and Charles Walker; First Lieutenants, Nathan Levitt, Hiram Russell, William Wall, Henry Turner, Frederick Ostenfeldt, Milton Ewen, John C. Crawford, Fred L. Clark, A. B. Smith and Wyman Murphy; Second Lieutenants, H. K. Edwards, J. H. Jenkins, D. W. Mitchell, Fred W. Borcherdt, R. J. Weisbrod, Charles FI. Morgan, James M. Randall, T. F. Strong, Edward Dclaney, Joseph LaCount. The regiment joined the army which fought the battle of Perr}^ville, October 8th, 1862, within a short time after leaving the state.
The Twenty-second Infantry was organized at Ra- cine and was mustered in September 2nd, 1862, with the following roster of offiers: Colonel, W. L. Utley; Lieutenant Colonel, Edward Bloodgood; Major E. D. Murray; Adjutant, William Bones; Quartermaster, J. E. Holmes; Surgeon, G. W. Bicknell; Assistant Sur- geons, Jerome Burbank and C. L. Blanchard; Chaplain,
D. C. Pillsbury; Captains, C. R. Williamson, T. B. Northrop, C. W. Smith, A. G. Killam, Isaac Miles, Owen Griffiths, James Biutliff, Gus Goodrich, Warren Hodgdon and G. E. Bingham; First Lieutenants, Fran- cis Mead, George H. Brown, D. R. May, C. E. Dudley, Ca]\in Reeves, Nelson Darling, T. H. Eaton, W. H. Jennings, P. W. Tracy and John Stewart; Second Lieu- tenants, George Bauman, William Calvert, I. W. King- man, J. O. Conricks, Gage Burgess, R. T. Pugh, F. An-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 191
nis, A. S. Cole, M. W. Patton and E. H. Newman. The regiment went South two weeks after it was mustered Into the United States service.
Another regiment that was organized at Camp Ran- dall was the Twenty-third. Nine-tenths of the officers had seen service In other regiments. It was formed In August and left the state September 15th, 1862, with the following officers: Colonel, J. J. Guppey; Lieuten- ant Colonel, Edmund Jussen; Major, C. H. Williams; Adjutant, W. G. Pitman; Quartermaster, F. Z. Hicks; Surgeon, James Prentice; Assistant Surgeons, John Groening and J. C. Axtel; Chaplin, C. E. Welrlch; Captains, W. F. Vilas, C. M. Waring, E. P. Hill, J. E. Green, J. M. Bull, Jacob Schlick, John Hazelton, D. C. Holdrldge, A. R. Jones and N. S. Frost; First Lieuten- ants, S. W. Botkln, J. E. Duncan, O. H. Sorenson, J. W. Tolford, J. A. Bull, E. L. Walbrldge, C. W. Tuttle, Robert Steele, John Starks and E. S. Fletcher; Second Lieutenants, Alexander Atkinson, Warren Gray, John Shoemaker, F. A. Stoltze, Henry Vilas, D. C. Stanley, W. H. Dunham, A. W. Baker, J. M. Summer and John B. Malloy.
The Twenty-fourth was chiefly a Milwaukee regi- ment. It was organized In Milwaukee, at Camp SIgel, in August, and left for Kentucky In time tO' get Into the battle of Perryvllle, October 8th, 1862. The original officers were: Colonel, Charles H. Larrabee; Lieuten- ant Colonel, E. L. Buttrick; Major, E. C. Hibbard; Adjutant, Arthur MacArthur, Jr. ; Quartermaster, G. E. Starkweather; Surgeon, H. E. Hasse; Assistant Sur-
192 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
geons, C. Mueller and M. C. Hoyt; Chaplain, Francis Fusseder; Captains, R. H. Austin, W. H. Eldred, Carl Van Baumbach, Alva Philbrook, D. C. Reed, J. W. Clark, H. M. Bridge, H. W. Gunnison, F. A. Root and Orlando Ellsworth; First Lieutenants, Thomas E. Balding, Howard Green, Peter Strack, S. B. Chase, D. Y. Horning, Peter C. Lusk, William Kennedy, Gustav- as Goldsmith, Robert J. Chivas and Edwin B. Parsons; Second Lieutenants, George Bleyer, Charles D. Rogers, Charles Hartung, Christian Nix, R. P. Elmore, C. P. Huntington, E. K. Holton, C. P. Larkin, John L. Mit- chell and L. T. Battles.
The Twenty-fifth went into camp at La Crosse in Sep- tember, 1862, and as soon as it was mustered in went to Minnesota to aid in the Indian War prevailing there at that time. It returned to Madison in January, 1863, and left for Kentucky, February 17th. Its officers were: Colonel, Milton Montgomery; Lieutenant Colonel, S. J. Nasmith; Major, J. M. Rusk; Adjutant, George G. Symes; Quartermaster, W. H. Downs; Surgeon, M. R. Gage; Assistant Surgeons, Jacob McCreavey and W. A. Gott; Chaplain, T. C. Golden; Captains, James Berry, W. H. Joslyn, H. D. Forguharson, J. D. Condit, J. G. Scott, J. C. Farrand, V. W. Darwin, Z. S. Swan, Rob- ert Nash and R. M. Gordon; First Lieutenants, C. M. Butt, William Roush, L. S. Mason, M. E. Leonard, John W. Smelker, Parker C. Dunn, J. W. Brackett, C. F. Olmstead, D. N. Smalley and C. A. Hunt; Second Lieutenants, John R. Casson, W. H. Bennett, Thomas Barnett, C. S. Famham, J. M. Shaw, O. E. Foote, R. J.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 193
Whittleton, H. C. Wise, John Richards and L. F. Grow.
The Twenty-sixth was another regiment distinctly German. It was organized at Camp Sigel, Milwaukee, in September, 1862, under the President's second call that year for 300,000 more soldiers. When the regi- ment went to the Army of the Potomac in October, 1862, it lacked a captain and three lieutenants. The ros- ter of officers was: Colonel, W. H. Jacobs; Lieutenant Colonel, Charles Lehman; Major, Philip Horwitz; Ad- jutant, Jacob Schlosser ; Quartermaster, F. W. Hundan- sen; Surgeon, Francis Heubschmann; Assistant Sur- geons, S. Vandervaart and Theo. Fricke; Chaplain, William Vette; Captains, William George, Frederick C. Winkler, John P. Seeman, August Ligowsky, Anton Kettles, Henry Baetz, Hans Boebel, William Smith and Louis Pelosi; First Lieutenants, August F. Mueller, Francis Lackner, W. J. Fuchs, August Schueler, C. W. Neukirch, Charles Pizzola, Joseph Wedig and H. C. Berringer; Second Lieutenants, Charles H. Doerflinger, Bernard Domschke, Herman Furstenberg, J. F. Hogan, Albert Wallber, Julius Meiswinkle, Charles Vocke, John Orth and Edward Karl.
Like the Twenty-sixth, the Twenty-seventh, in which there were many Germans, was organized at Camp Si- gel. It was mustered into the United States service March 7th, 1862, and left for Columbus, Kentucky, the 1 6th of that month. It had the following named offi- cers when it left the state : Colonel, Conrad Krez ; Lieu- tenant Colonel, J. J. Brown; Major, T. E. G. Olm-
194 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
stead; Adjutant, Charles Meyer; Quartermaster, Wil- liam N. Shafter; Surgeon, C. Krak; Assistant Surgeons, George Hutchinson and J. C. Saltzman; Chaplin, W. P. Stowe; Captains, C. H. Cunningham, E. W. Stannard, Frederick Schneller, Joseph Rankin, Alfred Marscher, S. D. Hubbard, William Wigham, Charles Cornelieu- sen, James C. Barnes and Peter Mulholland; First Lieu- tenants, J. J. Barland, /Varon Hobart, David Schreiack, Thomas McMillan, J. A. S. Vedier, E. W. Robbins, James Gunn, Ole Jacobson, Julius Bodenstab and C. H. Raymer; Second Lieutenants, Edward Bach, Julius Schlaich, C. F. Smith, William Henry, Carl Witte, Wil- liam F. Mitchell, A. Strong, A. L. Lund, W. T. Cole and Charles F. Folger. In June, 1863, the regiment went to Snyder's Bluff, where it remained until after the Confederates surrendered at Vicksburg.
The Twenty-eighth was mainly recruited in Wauke- sha and Walworth Counties, and was organized in Mil- waukee and mustered in, October 14th, 1862. The fol- lowing month it gave much time to suppressing a draft riot in Ozaukee county and in arresting inciters and riot- ers. On December 20th it left for Columbus, Kentucky. Its officers at the time it left the state were : Colonel, J. M. Lewis; Lieutenant Colonel Charles Whitaker; Ma- jor, E. B. Gray; Adjutant, J. A. Savage; Quartermas- ter, George W. Wylie; Surgeon, W. H. Smith; Assist- ant Surgeons, L. K. Hawes and D. L. McMiller; Chap- lain, E. S. Peake; Captains, John A. Williams, M. G. Townsend, T. N. Stevens, E. S. Redington, J. S. Ken- yon, C. C. White, Elihu Enos, Jr., H. A. Meyer, A. F.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 195
Shiverick and I. H. Morton; First Lieutenants, Arthur Holbrook, Cushman K. Davis, A. J. Gilmore, H. N. Hayes, W. E. Bingham, Jeremiah Noon, David Turn- er, James Murray, L. J. Smith and W. J. Briggs; Sec- ond Lieutenants, W. E. Coates, C. B. Slawson, L. L. Alvord, J. M. Mead, C. J. Collier, W. L. Bean, W. V. Tichenor, Wallace Goff, A. T. Seymour and Levi J. Billings.
The Twenty-ninth assembled at Madison in Septem- ber, 1862, and was mustered in the 27th of that month. It left Wisconsin November 2nd, and went into camp opposite Helena, Arkansas, the 7th of that month. Its officers were: Colonel, Charles R. Gill; Lieutenant Col- onel, G. T. Thorne, Major, W. A. Greene; Adjutant, Valentine Sweeney; Quartermaster, Samuel Baird; Sur- geon, W. C. Spaulding; Assistant Surgeons, Robt. Addi- son and D. Dubois; Chaplain, John I. Herrick; Cap- tains, Bradford Hancock, T. R. Mott, H. E. Connit, G. H. Bryant, H. Dunham, C. A. Holmes, Frederick C. Festner, C. C. Ammack, O. C. Bissell and W. A. Dela- matyr; First Lieutenants, O. F. Mattice, Charles Wood, James O. Pierce, D. W. Curtis, D. J. Wells, Emil Stoppenbach, Oscar Mohr, J. W. Blake, W. K. Barney and Edward Marsh; Second Lieutenants, George Weeks, Royal P. Branson, L. F. Willard, C. H. Townsend, George W. Hale, John B. Scott, A. N. Kent, Thomas Delaney, H. Niedecken, Jr., and W. V. Perry.
The larger part of the Thirtieth was recruited in Au- gust, 1862, but was not mustered into the service until
196 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
October 21st, following. Several of the companies were sent to various portions of the state to guard against threatened trouble when the draft commissioners began their work. Seven companies were stationed in Mil- waukee and one at Green Bay. The original roster of officers was: Colonel, Daniel J. Dill; Lieutenant Colo- nel, E. M. Bartlett; Major, John Clowney; Adjutant, T. C. Spencer; Quartermaster, S. S. Starr; Surgeon, Otis Hoyt; Assistant Surgeons, E. O. Baker and E. J. Farr; Chaplain, A. B. Green; Captains, Samuel Harrl- man, L. S. Burton, A. A. Arnold, D. C. Fulton, Ed- ward Devlin, M. A. Driebelbis, A. B. Swain, Andrew Bedal, N. B. Grier and John Klatt; First Lieutenants,
A. L. Cox, W. H. Gill, D. D. Chappell, C. B. Darling, Edward Foster, E. A. Meacham, John Tilton, George Marshall, Charles Buckman and G. F. Dinsmore; Sec- ond Lieutenants, H. A. Wilson, Thomas Priestley, John McMaster, L. O. Marshall, S. W. Smith, E. B. Strong, H. J. Curtice, Joseph Matthews, B. F. Cowan and M. F. Hubbard.
The Thirty-first began to organize at Prairie du Chien, but the organization and muster-in was com- pleted at Camp Utley, Racine. It left for the front March 1st, 1863. "The officers were: Colonel, I. E. Messmore; Lieutenant Colonel, F. H. West; Major, W. J. Gibson; Adjutant, J. F. Sudduth; Quartermaster, Rufus King; Surgeon, D. Mason; Assistant Surgeons, J.
B. Gailor and W. M. Thomas; Chaplain, Alfred Bron- son ; Captains, H. A. Chase, R. B. Stephenson, Ira D. Burdick, O. B. Thomas, J. B. Mason, C. W. Burns,
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 197
George D. Rogers, E. K. Buttrick, J. B. Vllet and E. A. Bottum; First Lieutenants, G. F. Lewis, N. B. Treat, Paul Jerdeau, N. C. Denio, D. B. Dipple, C. L. Fay- ette, F. G. Ball, John P. Willard, H. M. Brown and George R. Peck; Second Lieutenants, H. C. Anderson, Thomas Beate, William Williamson, C. M. Lockwood, Hiram Stevens, James Raynor, J. P. Corbin, S. J. Hooker, Edwin Turner and T. B. Bronson.
The Thirty-second was organized at Camp Bragg, Oshkosh, and left the state, on the way to Memphis, Tennessee, to join Grant's army, October 30th, 1862. The first officers were : Colonel, James H. Howe ; Lieu- tenant Colonel, W. A. Bugh; Major, A. B. Smedley; Adjutant, B. M. Beckwith; Quartermaster, G. P. Farns- worth; Surgeon, G. D. Wilbur; Assistant Surgeons, James LaDawand, G. W. Fay; Chaplain, Samuel Fal- lows; Captains, C. H. DeGrote, W. R. Hodges, J. H. Carleton, James Freeman, Irwin Eckles, M. J. Meade, W. B. Manning, W. S. Burrows, George R. Wood and J. E. Grout; First Lieutenants, G. G. Woodruff, George Patten, J. H. Hubbard, N. H. Whittemore, C. D. Rich- mond, M. F. Kalmbach, J. L. Jones, J. K. Pompelly, William Young and Lewis Low; Second Lieutenants, M. B. Pierce, A. S. Bixby, A. S. Tucker, W. A. Tanner, L. H. Wells, Paul Dakin, W. F. D. Bailey, Thomas Bryant, D. J. Quimby and John Walton.
The Thirty-third was organized at Camp Utley, Ra- cine, and mustered into- the serv^ice October i8th, 1862. It also went to Memphis, Tennessee, leaving Camp Ut- ley November 12th. The first officers were : Colonel, J.
198 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
B. Moore; Lieutenant Colonel, F. S. Lovell; Major, H. H. \'irgin; Adjutant, William Warner; Quartermaster, John W. Nichols; Surgeon, J. B. Whiting; Assistant Surgeons, C. R. Blackall and D. W. Carley; Chaplain, A. A. Overton; Captains, J. C. Moore, G. R. Frank, J. E. Curley, W. S. Earnhardt, Ira Miltlmore, A. Z. Wemple, F. B. Burdick, J. F. LInsday, Walter Cook and A. Whitcher; First Lieutenants, George B. Carter, George Haw, D. H. Budlong, U. F. Briggs, H. F. Swift, Jr., W. L. Scott, George E. Harrington, C. R. Thayer, C. G. Stetson and Albert S. Sampson; Second Lieutenants, O. C. Denny, Mathew Burchard, William Wler, N. L. Barner, P. H. Swift, C. W. Stark, E. N. Liscan, Nicholas Smith, G. H. Nichols and D. E. Shea. The Thirty-fourth was composed of drafted men, was for nine months, and was organized at Milwaukee, with the following officers: Colonel, Fritz Anneke; Lieutenant Colonel, Henry Orff; Major, George H. Walther; Adjutant, Herman Hasse, Quartermaster, J. A. Becher; Surgeon, J. E. Welnern; Assistant Surgeons, James S. Kelso and F. A. Beckel; Captains, H. E. Fers- low, James N. Ruby, J. G. Wllmot, Noble W. Smith, Cornelius Kuntz, Heinrich Kenkel, Charles A. Lang, Isidore de St. x^nge, F. A. B. Becker and William Wal- ther; First Lieutenants, Henry T. Calkins, Henry B. Fox, F. H. J. Obladen, Elliott M. Scrlbner, Charles F. Bauer, James Loncrgan, Robert Strohman, William T. Barclay, Edward J. Kelley and Erhard Weber; Second Lieutenants, M. A. Leahy, D. J. F. Murphy, John W. Johann, William H. Petit, Charles F. Lachmund, Ru-
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198 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
B. Moore; Lieutenant Colonel, F. S. Lovell; Major, H. H. Virgin; Adjutant, William Warner; Quartermaster, John W. Nichols; Surgeon, J. B. Whiting; Assistant Surgeons, C. R. Blackall and D. W. Carley; Chaplain, A. A. Overton; Captains, J. C. Moore, G. R. Frank, J. E. Curley, W. S. Earnhardt, Ira Miltimore, A. Z. Wemple, F. B. Burdick, J. F. Linsday, Walter Cook and A. Whitcher; First Lieutenants, George B. Carter, George Haw, D. H. Budlong, U. F. Briggs, H. F. Swift, Jr., W. L. Scott, George E. Harrington, C. R. Thayer, C. G. Stetson and Albert S. Sampson; Second Lieutenants, O. C. Denny, Mathew Burchard, William Wier, N. L. Barner, P. H. Swift, C. W. Stark, E. N. Liscan, Nicholas Smith, G. H. Nichols and D. E. Shea. The Thirty-fourth was composed of drafted men, was for nine months, and was organized at Milwaukee, with the following officers: Colonel, Fritz Anneke; Lieutenant Colonel, Henry Orff; Major, George H. Walther; i\djutant, Herman Hasse, Quartermaster, J. A. Becher; Surgeon, J. E. Weinern; Assistant Surgeons, James S. Kelso and F. A. Beckel; Captains, H. E. Fers- low, James N. Ruby, J. G. Wilmot, Noble W. Smith, Cornelius Kuntz, Heinrich Kenkel, Charles A. Lang, Isidore de St. Ange, F. A. B. Becker and William Wal- ther; First Lieutenants, Henry T. Calkins, Henry B. Fox, F. H. J. Obladen, Elliott M. Scribner, Charles F. Bauer, James Lonergan, Robert Strohman, William T. Barclay, Edward J. Kelley and Erhard Weber; Second Lieutenants, M. A. Leahy, D. J. F. Murphy, John W. Johann, William H. Petit, Charles F. Lachmund, Ru-
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WISCONSIN AS A STATE 199
dolph KIrchner, C. F. Blumenstlen, Leonard LaPlaunte, G. C. Neumelster and David H. Dexter. The Thirty- fourth left the State in January, 1863.
The Thirty-fifth was organized at Camp Washburn, Milwaukee, and was ready to leave for the front in March, 1863, but did not go South until April i8th. The officers were : Colonel, Henry Orff ; Lieutenant Colonel, Charles A. Smith; Major, George H. Walth- er; Adjutant, Herman Hasse; Quartermaster, Adolf J. Cramer; Surgeon, John Groening; Assistant Surgeons, James Verbryk and Carmi P. Garlick; Chaplain, I. W. Bowen; Captains, Robert Strohmann, Fritz von Baum- bach, W. E. Ferslow, Michael A. Leahy, Henry Fox, Henry C. Miles, Oliver C. Smith, Cornelius Kuntz, Er- hard Weber and August Beecher; First Lieutenants, Anthony C. Kuhn, Frank R. St. John, John E. Leahy, Charles McCormick, John Small, John W. Johann, Al- bert C. Matthews, Henry Hayden, Lyman B. Everdell and Herman Schaub; Second Lieutenants, Edward Sturtevant, Jasper Vosburg, George Brosius, George Beseman, Rudolph Kirchner, James B. C. Drew, Mar- ton Stevens, David Hunter, Henry E. Ray and Archi- bald H. Adams.
The Thirty-fifth was the last of the regiments whose organization was completed in 1863. Under the Pres- ident's first call in 1864, the Thirty-sixth Wisconsin was first to respond. It left Madison May loth, 1864, and joined the Army of the Potomac at Spottsylvania, Vir- ginia, a week later. Its first officers were: Colonel, Frank A. Haskell; Lieutenant Colonel, John A. Sav-
200 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
age; Major, Harvey M. Brown; Adjutant, Benjamin D. Atwell; Quartermaster, Charles B. Peck; Surgeon, Clarkson Miller; Assistant Surgeon, E. A. Woodward; Chaplain, Rev. P. S. Van Nest; Captains, William H. Hamilton, Clement E. Warner, George A. FIsk, Jacob Walkey, Jerome F. Brooks, Prescott B. Bunvell, Reu- ben LIndley, Austin Cannon, Daniel F. Farrand and Warren Graves; First Lieutenants, Charles E. Griffin, George Weeks, Luther B. Noyes, Wesley S. Potter, Charles W. Dipple, Oliver N. Russell, James S. Frisbie, Cyrus Peck, Ephraim W. Heydon and Ellas A. Gallo- way; Second Lieutenants, Charles L. Sholes, William H. Lamberton, Clarence E. Bullard, Oscar L. Baldwin, Porter Jones, George E. Albee, William R. Newton, George S. Morris, Charles W. Skinner and Joseph Har- ris.
The Thirty-seventh was organized at Camp Randall in March, 1864, and the last of April. Six of its com- panies went to the Army of the Potomac, the other com- panies, composed mainly of drafted men, went there la- ter. The first officers were : Colonel, Samuel Harrl- man; Lieutenant Colonel, Anson O. Doolittle; Major, William J. Kershaw; Adjutant, Claron T. Mlltlmore; Quartermaster, William C. Webb; Surgeon, Daniel C. Roundy; Assistant Surgeon, John H. Orrick; Chaplain, Lewis M. Hawes; Captains, Samuel Stevens, Robert C. Eden, John Green, Alvah Nash, Frank A. Cole, Ells- worth Burnett, Martin Heller, Frank T. Hobbs, George A. Beck and Allen A. Burnett; First Lieuten- ants San ford Jones, William H. Earl, Addison J. Park-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 201
er, Frank J. Munger, Lewis U. Beall, James C. Spen- cer, William P. Atwell, Thomas Carmichael, Edward Hanson and George D. McDill; Second Lieutenants, Daniel Lowber, Nathan S. Davason, Freeman B. Rid- dle, David Prustman, Melville A. Berry, Henry W. Belden, Adoniram J. Holmes, Joseph H. Brightman, Joseph O. Chilson and Edward I. Grumley.
The Thirty-eighth was mustered in at Camp Randall April r5th, 1864. One battalion left for the Army of the Potomac May 3d, the balance going later. The first officers were: Colonel, James Bintliff; Lieutenant Colonel, C. K. Pier; Major, Cortland P. Larkin; Ad- jutant, Aaron LI. McCracken; Quartermaster, Anson Rood; Surgeon, Henry L. Butterfield; Assistant Sur- geons, Hugh Russell and C. B. Pierson; Chaplain, Jo- seph M. Walker; Captains, Charles T. Carpenter, Rob- ert N. Roberts, S. D. Woodworth, James Woodford, Newton S. Ferris, Andrew A. Kelley, Reuben F. Beck- with, Daniel W. Corey, Henry H. Coleman and Thom- as B. Marsden; First Lieutenants, Charles L. Ballard, F. A. Hayward, L. B. Waddington, Benjamin S. Kerr, Frank G. Holton, William H. Foster, William P. Max- on, B. M. Frees, Joel M. Straight and Solon W. Pierce; Second Lieutenants, James M. Searles, George H. Ni- chols, William N. Wright, James P. Nichols, Frank M. Phelps, James W. Parker, Charles Wood, James Heth, Charles O. Hoyt and Fred T. Zettler, Jr.
The Thirty-ninth was a one hundred day regiment, organized at Camp Washburn, Milwaukee, and left for Memphis, Tennessee, June 13th, where it did good ser-
202 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
vice on the occasion of Forrest's Confederate raid. It lost several from disease and three men killed. The of- ficers were: Colonel, E. L. Buttrick; Lieutenant Colo- nel, J. S. Crane; Major, G. C. Ginty; Adjutant, Arthur Holbrook; Quartermaster, S. Smith; Surgeon, S. Blood; Assistant Surgeons, S. S. Clark and J. H. Benedict; Chaplain, C. J. Hutchins; Captains, George W. Madi- son, Henry Shears, Robert Graham, George W. Hoyt, T. P. Laurence, A. J. Patchen, Henry Taurtellette, E. Chamberlain, S. E. Tyler; First Lieutenants, F. M. Clements, Charles Blackwell, Joseph V. Quarles,Amasa Hardin, C. E. Jewett, J. G. Meserve, E. V. Wilson, G. H. Wright, I. C. Sergeant; Second Lieutenants, James Sawyer, Orlando Culver, H. A. Gaylord, T. H. Trow- bridge, W. W. Clough, George Soule, George Beyer, J. C. Sackett and A. J. Smith.
The Fortieth was also mustered in for one hundred days, at Camp Randall, leaving Madison June 14th, 1864, bound for Memphis, Tennessee. Under the com- mand of Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Fallow^s the For- tieth supported a battery during the Forrest raid, and was one of the regiments to follow the retreating enemy. It lost thirteen men from disease. The officers were: Colonel, W. A. Ray; Lieutenant Colonel, Samuel Fal- lows; Major, J. M. Bingham; Adjutant, A. J. Craig; Quartermaster, A. L. Field; Surgeon, O.W. Blanchard; Assistant Surgeons, A. S. Jones and G. A. Lamb; Chap- lain, J. J. Blaisdell; Captains, S. T. Lockwood, S. M. Allen, N. C. Twining, C. H. Allen, J. H. Houser, A. J. Cheney, F. J. Phelps, K. N. Hollister and C. H. Bar-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 203
ton ; First Lieutenants, Gage Burgess, H. M. Northrup, A. R. Crandall, S. H. Sabin, E. F. Hobart, C. H. Gil- bert, J. K. Purdy, A. P. McNitt and C. E. Hall; Second Lieutenants, M. T. DeWitt, B. H. Smith, R. A. Ware- ham, G. W. Bird, M. D. Sampson, S. F. Bennett, Han- nibal Power, Henry F. Spooler and N. H. Downs.
The Forty-first had only seven companies. It organ- ized at Milwaukee, leaving for Memphis, Tennessee, June 15th, 1864, and participated in the Forrest raid. Its term was one hundred days, and its officers were: Lieutenant Colonel, George B. Goodwin; Major, D. G. Purman; Adjutant, Amasa Hoskin; Quartermaster, Benjamin S.Miller; Surgeon, S. D. Smith; Assistant Sur- geons, John D. Wood and Rufus B. Clark; Chaplain, William D. Ames; Captains, P. J. Schloesser, William T. Whiting, Albert G. Dinsmore, Samuel L. Hart, Har- vey H. Childs, Elam Bailey and James M. Camm; First Lieutenants, John Grindell, W. H. H. Valentine, Roswell H. Lee, E. Gilbert Jackson, Perry R. Briggs, George P. Cobb and Leonard LaPlant; Second Lieuten- ants, George L. Hyde, George Perkins, James E. Cooke, Truman T. Moulton and Abner L. Thomas.
The three one hundred day regiments, the Thirty- ninth, Fortieth and Forty-first responded promptly and performed well their duty, receiving the thanks of Presi- dent Lincoln, in a special order, a copy of which was sent to each member of the thtee regiments. It required as much courage to enlist in 1 864, even for a short term, as it did in 1861, 1862 or 1863, for by 1864 there had been many great battles fought, tens of thousands had
III-I4
204 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
been killed, many more wounded and the whole country was In mourning for her dead soldiers.
The next regiment, the Forty-second, was for a long term. It assembled at Camp Randall and was mustered in September 7th, 1864, and was sent to Cairo, where the Colonel was placed in command. The officers were: Colonel, Ezra T. Sprague; Lieutenant Colonel, W. W. Botkin; Major, John W. Blake; Adjutant, William H. Hawes; Quartermaster, John C. Blackman; Surgeon, George D. Winch; Assistant Surgeons, J. P. Clement and Olivier P. Stevens; Chaplain, J. W. Johnson; Cap- tains, Duncan McGregor, Ransom J. Chase, George M. Humphrey, John H. Barnett, Augustus Haight, Ezzan H. Benson, Acors S. Porter, Amasa F. Parker, Mar- shall C. Nichols, LaFayette M. Rice; First Lieutenants, Warren G. Bancroft, Chauncey J. Austin, Robert Steele, Fletcher Kidd, Bartlet M. Low, Henry E. Cran- dall, William J. Brown, Josiah Thompson, David G. Bliss and Elijah Rich; Second Lieutenants, Charles E. Redfield, Harvey E. Coleman, Cassius M. Bush, Andrew Jackson, Joseph Curtis, James E. Hayden, Charles A. Keyes, Robert H. Henry, Charles E. Bowles and Charles Hubbell.
The Forty-third was organized in Milwaukee, the mustcr-in having been completed October 8th, 1864, and on the 9th it left for Nashville, Tennessee. The officers were: Colonel, Amasa Cobb; Lieutenant Col- onel, Byron Paine; Major, Samuel B. Brightman; Adju- tant, Alvin F. Clark; Quartermaster, John B. Eugene; Surgeon, Andrew J. Ward; Assistant Surgeons, Charles
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 205
C. Hayes and Thomas Beach; Chaplain, John Wal- worth; Captains, E. D. Lowry, George K. Shaw, George Campbell, Joslah HInman, Isaac Stockwell, John S. Wilson, Bruce E. McCoy, William W. Likens, George Jackson and R. A. GUlett; First Lieutenants, William Partridge, Hiram H. Lockwood, Levi Weldon, Morgan O'Flaherty, Charles J. Wadsworth, John E. Davis, Arthur T. Morse, Elijah Lyon, A. D. Miller and John W. Howard; Second Lieutenants, Charles M. Day, Lloyd V. Nanscawen, John Brandon, Francis A. Smith, George W. Witter, Henry Harris, C. W. Allen, Thomas O. Russell, Orrin L. Ingman and Charles Lemke.
The Forty-fourth assembled at Camp Randall In October and November, 1864, and five of the com- panies reached Nashville In time to take a part In the battle of Nashville, under command of Lieutenant Colonel O. C. BIssell. The other five companies joined in February, 1865. The officers were: Colonel, George G. Symes; Lieutenant Colonel, O. C. BIssell; Major, William Warren; Adjutant, Charles O. TIchenor; Quartermaster, J. N. Brundage; Surgeon, James M. Ball; Assistant Surgeons, S. A. Ferrin and Thomas E. Best; Captains, Oscar F. Brown, William Roush, Omar
D. Vaughan, D. G. Bush, H. S. Nickerson, C. W. Briggs, Daniel Harshman, Levi Houts, Leonard House and William H. Beebe; First Lieutenants, James Wil- son, Jay H. BIgford, Earl C. DeMoe, Cyrus Van Cott, Leonidas Lombard, William N. Perry, George F. White, Edward E. Dickerson, John L. Waldo and
2o6 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
Archibald W. Bell; Second Lieutenants, Thomas Hay, Jr., G. L. Weymouth', John B. Jones, Hiram Seffens, Edwin Hill, H. P. Briggs, Cyrus Bering, Levi J. D. Parish, Joseph M. Henslee and William H. Peckham.
As soon as the companies were ready, the Forty-fifth was sent to Nashville, the last reaching there in Febru- ary, 1865. The officers were: Colonel Henry F. Belitz; Lieutenant Colonel, Gumal Hesse; Major, Charles A. Menges; Adjutant, Karl Ruf; Quartermaster, Albert Becker; Surgeon, Ernest Kramer; Assisitant Surgeons, Allen S. Barendt and Emil J. Dahm; Captains, R. Schllchting, Jacob Liesen, B. Schlichting, Henry Van Eweyk, C. H. Schmidt, Ignaz Rimmele, Matthias Bauer, John O. Johnson, Jacob P. Nytes and Robert Lasche; First Lieutenants, Henry Hoehn, C. H. Beyler, Albert H. Scheffer, Sebastian Karbach, Thomas Nelson, Fredrick Slebold, Charles White, Theodore C. Kavel, George Ippel and Vincent Heck; Second Lieutenants, Peter Rupenthal, J. P. Surges, Gustave A. Wetter, August LIntelman, George Neumeller, Victor E. Rohn, Herman Rohn, Gotleib Schweitzer, William Noack and Frederick Hemboldt.
The Forty-sixth met at Camp Randall, was mustered in March 2d, 1865, and on the 5th of that month left for Louisville, Kentucky. Its officers were: Colonel, Frederick S. Lovell; Lieutenant Colonel, Abel D. Smed- ley; Major, Charles H. Ford; Adjutant, William G. Ritch; Quartermaster, Norman Stewart; Surgeon, Dar- win Dubois; Assistant Surgeons, Daniel L. Downs and G. R. Turner; Chaplain, Charles Anderson; Captains,
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 207
Isaac T. Carr, John McGram, Jr., W. R. Kennedy, John E. Grout, Hannibal Tower, Henry B. Williams, Thomas H. Hughes, Amasa Hoskins, Samp. M. Sher- man and Edward F. Wade; First Lieutenants, Henry T. Johns, James McNish, Milo C. Wilson, Gilson Hin- ton, Abel Bradway, James A. Rea, Lewis W. Doty, Stephen Norris, Elam Bailey and George W. Webb; Second Lieutenants, M. L. Fairservice, Leander Fergu- son, J. N. Hoaglin, Gilbert H. Hinton, Edward C. Foster, Cyrel A. Leake, Hiram W. Foss, John J. Bovee, John S. Dickson and Otis F. Chase.
The Forty-seventh was quickly organized, leaving the state February 27th, 1865. Its officers were: Colonel, George C. Ginty; Lieutenant Colonel, Robert H. Spen- cer; Major, Kelsey M. Adams; Adjutant, Arthur W. Delaney; Quartermaster, Edward T. Reamey; Surgeon, Henry J. Young; Assistant Surgeons, Jona. G. Pelton and L. D. Mcintosh; Chaplain, Rufus Cooley, Jr.; Captains, William Young, R. J. O. McGowan, Perry R. Briggs, Adolph Sorenson, W. W. Bird, George R. Wright, Robert P. Clyde, Charles B. Nelson, Jesse D. Wheelock, Charles H. Baxter; First Lieutenants, Luke C. Redfiled, Charles W. Conklin, Charles D. Suydam, Nels Anderson, Charles A. Spencer, John P. Dousman, Thomas Brayton, William Field, William T. Whiting and John Grindell; Second Lieutenants, John M. Estes, William Lockerby, James T. Hulihan, Joseph K. Hawes, Albert E. Towbrldge, John Dean, Silas F. Nice, James Ginty, Charles S. Chipman and Edwin
Bliss. ! ■■ .m
■ ■ A..^i
2o8 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
The Forty-eighth was organized at Milwaukee, in February and March, 1865. It was a fine body of men, the most of whose officers had seen service, the colonel having begun his service as a private in 1861, with the Fourth Wisconsin. The officers were: Colonel, Uri B. Pearsall; Lieutenant Colonel, Henry B. Shears; Major, Cyrus M. Butt; Adjutant, Alonzo B. Cady; Quarter- master, S. J. Conklin; Surgeon, Leroy G. Armstrong; Assistant Surgeons, Henry E. Zielley and James P. Squires; Chaplain, Truman F. Allen; Captains, Charles W. Felker, John B. Vosburg, Edwin A. Bottum, Adolph Wittman, M. V. B. Hutch- inson, Alexander J. Lumsden, Hobart M. Stocking, Orrin F. Waller, L. M. Andrews and John D. Lewis; First Lieutenants, Henry Felker, John J. Roberts, Tru- man D. Olin, Franklin J. Davis, David W. Briggs, George S. Rogers, Mark H. Theman, Peter Trudell, Henry C. Sloan and Aaron Carver; Second Lieutenants, Melancthon. J. Briggs, George R. Smith, John S. Ken- dall, James E. Brown, Don A. Winchell, Christian Amman, Aaron V. Bradt, Job S. Driggs, William H. Robinson and Merton Herrick.
The Forty-ninth was assembled at Camp Randall in February, 1865, and was ordered to St. Louis, March 8th. All, or nearly all of the officers, had served in othfer regiments. Colonel Fallows had been chaplain of one of the regiments, lieutenant colonel of another, and was brevetted a brigadier general. The officers were: Colonel, Samuel Fallows; Lieutenant Colonel, Edward Coleman; Major, D. K. Noyes; Adjutant, J. L. High;
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 209
Quartermaster, D. A. Reed; Surgeon, O. W. Blanch- ard; Assistants Surgeons, Jonathan Gibbs and P. W. Blanchard; Chaplain, James J. Mclntyre; Captains, Charles E. Hall, Albert G. DInsmore, R. A. Wareham, John H. Houser, Harvey H. Childs, Elliott H. LIscum, James H. Hubbard, Henry O. Pierce, Chris. C. Miller, and August J. Cheney; First Lieutenants, L. S. Bene- dict, John A. Hall, Francis Down, Henry H. Hlme- baugh, Charles W. Farrlngton, Eugene B. Wise, Hiram B. Huntress, William E. Huntington, Anson A. Pike and John A. Smith; Second Lieutenants, ErI SUsbee, John A. Bull, Edward S. Watklnson, Charles H. Stev- ens, David E. Davis, William R. Taylor, Daniel K. Sanford, James I. Babcock, J. M. Bartholomew and Edward C. Lawrence.
The Fiftieth was organized at Madison and left for Benton Barracks, St. Louis, In April, 1865. Its officers were: Colonel, John G. Clark; Lieutenant Colonel, E. E. Bryant; Major, Hugh McDermott; Adjutant, George H. Myers; Quartermaster, Robert P. Smith; Surgeon, J. H. Vivian; Assistant Surgeons, D. S. Alex- ander and Charles G. Crosse; Chaplain, Edward Mor- ris; Captains, John C. Spooner, Clayton E. Rogers, Oscar M. Dering, Arthur A. Putman, Philander Phln- ney, Charles C. Lovett, G. R. Clements, Charles H. Cox, William B. Reed and Isaac N. McKendry; First Lieutenants, Rufus H. Blodgett, James E. Newell, Richard H. Williams, Andrew^ Gasman, John O'NIel, Charles Spotenhour, Melville B. Cowles, John C. Cover, Ira W. Kanouse and William A. Morgan;
2IO WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
Second Lieutenants, Samuel Tubbs, Justus W. Allen, Topping S. Wenchell, George Strong, Benjamin F. Bailey, Frank T. Brayton, Reuben S. Andrews, Jerome White, Joseph Tillotson and William H. Ostokon.
The Fifty-first Regiment assembled at Camp Wash- burn, Milwaukee, but only six companies w^ere sent from the state. The other four were mustered out. The field officers of the six companies were as follows : Colonel, Leonard Martin; Lieutenant Colonel, John B. Vliet; Major, Alfred Taggart; Adjutant, Andrew J. Suther- land; Quartermaster, David S. Ordway; Surgeon, Orestes H. Wood; Assistant Surgeons, R. Bennett and Samuel Hall; Captains, Loring J. Edw^ards, J. Clifford Sackett, Thomas R. W^illiams, Ira B. Warner, John V. Frost and George W.Gibson; First Lieutenants, James Flanagan, George Maxwell, Malcolm G. Clark, Theo- dore W. Mason, Daniel E. Rielly and Samuel Elmore; Second Lieutenants, Elias H. Webb, Oliver A. Keyes, Morris S. Rice, Orlando T. Sowle, George Stewart and H. G. Klinefelter.
The Fifty-third was only partially filled. Only one battalion went from the state, and on June nth, 1865, it was consolidated with the Fifty-first. The officers of the Fifty-third, previous to the consolidation, were: Lieu- tenant Colonel, Robert T. Pugh; Adjutant, James S. Frisbie; Quartermaster, William P. Forsyth; Assistant Surgeons, Erwin L. Jones and L. M. Benson; Captains, Reuben R. Wood, Rufus S. Allen, Henry Bailey and Asa G. Blake; First Lieutenants, Edwin R. Wood, Ben- jamin F. Williams, George L. Garrity and Dennis J. F.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 2 1 1
Murphy; Second Lieutenants, Claus H. Lukken, Evan H. Bakke, Andrew J. Hunting and Edgar Brown.
The Fifty-second did not become a full regiment. The war was over and it was not needed, but five com- panies were mustered with the following officers : Lieu- tenant Colonel, Hiram J. Lewis; Adjutant, Norman A. Keeler; Quartermaster, C. C. Graham; Assistant Sur- geons, P. B. Wright and Cornelius Teale; Captains, C. H. Olney, Roswell H. Lee, G. A. Spurr, Sewall W. Smith and Walter G. Zastrow-Kuesson ; First Lieuten- ants, D. M. Bennett, Dwight Jackson, George Sexton, Alexander Mclntyre and Myron L. Brown; Second Lieutenants, Allen A. Grant, A. J. Adams, T. A. Con- way, J. J. Coyle and John Budd.
BERDAN'S SHARP SHOOTERS.
Wisconsin contributed a company for Berdan's Regi- ment of Sharp Shooters, and it was an excellent body of men, officered as follows: Captain, W. P. Alexander; First Lieutenant, F. E. Marble; Second Lieutenant, C. F. Shephard. It joined the regiment in September,
1 861, and became known as Company G.
THE CAVALRY REGIMENTS.
The work of organizing the First Cavalry was begun at Ripon, in September, 1861, and completed at Camp Harvey, Kenosha, with the muster-in on March 8th,
1862, and a few days lated left for St. Louis. The offi-
2 1 2 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
cers were : Colonel, Edward Daniels; Majors, Oscar H. La Grange, Henry Pomeroy, W. H. Torrey; Adjutants, C. W. Biirbank, R. L. Gove, E. F. Brooks and G. O. Clinton; Quartermasters, J. C. Mason, John Taylor, Wallace W. La Grange and S. H. Rand; Commissary, Herman J. Schulties; Surgeon, Horatio N. Gregory; Assistant Surgeons, C. H. Lord and H. W. Causdell; Chaplain, G. W. Dummore; Captains, T. H. Mars. H. S. Eggleston, James W. Decker, Nelson Bruett, R. H. Chittenden, John Hyde, Nathan Paine, Lewis M. B. Smith, W. M. Hoyt, A. S. Seaton, Henry Harnden and T. J. Connatty; First Lieutenants, Levi Howland, F. T. Hobbs, A. S. Burrows, Fernando C. Merrill, A. J. Hunt, New^ton Jones, S. V. Shipman, J. M. Comstock, J. H. Morrison, G. D. Coyle, Hiram Hillard and G. W. Baxter; Second Lieutenants, W. J. Philips, J. T. Consaul, C. F. Huxford, G. W. Fredrick, T. W. John- son, H. W. Gretchell, J. E. Mosher, William S. Cooper, William G. Cooper, J. E. Atwater, Talbot C. Ankey and John A. Owen.
The Second Cavalry was assembled at Camp Wash- bum, Milwaukee, but was not fully organized and mus- tered until March 12th, 1862, and on the 24th of that month it left for St. Louis. Its first officers w^ere : Col- onel, Cadwallader C. Washburn; Lieutenant Colonel, Thomas Stephens; Majors, W. H. Miller, H. Eugene Eastman and Levi Sterling; Adjutants, W. H. Morgan, H. H. Virgin, Oliver Gibbs, Benjamin S. Brisbane; Quartermasters, G. C. Russell, C. H. Cox, William Bones and Samuel E. Rundle; Commissary, James D.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 213
Bradford; Surgeon, Clark G. Pease; Assistant Sur- geons, A. McBean and Moses P. Hanson; Chaplain, William H. Brisbane; Captains, William Woods, A. W. Bishop, R. R. Wood, G. F. Hartwell, G. N. Rich- mond, C. M. Palmer, Nicholas H. Dale, Henry Von Heyde, E. D. Luxton, F. W. Hutchlns, A. M. Sher- man and Nathaniel Parker; First Lieutenants, Napolean Boardman, John Whytock, M. W. Wood, J. H. Brunell, Wallace Smith, R. R. Hamilton, James P. Walls, Alos Klaus, George W. Ring, Edson Williams, Israel B. Burbank, Freeman A. Kimball; Second Lieu- tenants, Henry Decker, Thoms La Flesh, Daniel L. Riley, Daniel Mears, J. P. Dean, Newton De Forest, Edwin Skewes, Peter Howen Lutem, William H. Bris- bane, Porter M. Boundy, Thomas J. Nary and John C. Metcalf.
The Third Cavalry went Into camp at Janesvllle, completed Its organization and muster January 31st, 1862, and was sent to St. Louis In March of that year. Its officers were: Colonel, William A. Barstrow; Lieu- tenant Colonel, Richard D. White; Majors, E. A. Calk- ins, B. S. Henning and J. C. Schroeling; Adjutants, Henry Sandes, John D. Welch, William H. Thomas and Charles L. Noggle ; Quartermasters, Asa W. Farr, Isaac Woodle, Francis Quarles and Augustus O. Hall; Commissary, Francis Quarles; Surgeon, BenonI O. Reynolds; Assistant Surgenos, W. H. Warner and Joseph S. Lane; Chaplain, Hiram W. Beers; Captains, Jeremiah D. Damon, Alexander F. David, E. R. Stev- ens, Leander J. Shaw, Ira Justin, Jr., D. S. Vlttum,
214 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
John P. Moore, Nathan L. Stout, Theodore Conkey, Ernest Off, Thomas Den^ and Henry F. Rouse; First Lieutenants, Robert Carpenter, William Wagner, Jason Daniels, Fernando C. Riser, Alexander M. Pratt, Asa Wood, Hugh Calhoun, Julius Geisler, Hudson Bacon, J. P. McDonald, Charles A. Parry and William Schmidt; Second Lieutenants, Leonard Moreley, Lorenzo B. Reed, James B. Pond, B. H. Kilbourn, Leonard House, C. O. Farris, Henry Goodsell, De Witt Brown, Marshall M. Ehle, C. T. Clothier, James Campbell and Olaf Muser.
The Fourth Cavalry was first an infantry regiment. It is mentioned in connection with the regiments of that branch of the service.
LIGHT ARTILLERY.
Wisconsin was not called upon for artillery in time to send any to the front in 1861. The First Battery was assembled at Racine and left for Louisville, January 23d, 1862. Its officers were : Captain, Jacob T. Foster; First Lieutenants, Alexander Cameron and John D. Anderson; Second Lieutenants, C. B. Kimball and Daniel Webster; Surgeon, William Hobbins.
The Second Battery met at Milwaukee but was mus- tered at Racine, going to Baltimore in January, 1862. The officers were: Captain, Ernest Herzberg; First Lieutenants, J. C. H. Von Sehlen and C. J. Emil Stephan ; Second Lieutenants, John Schabel and Charles Beger.
1 he Third was mustered into the service October
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 215
loth and left for Louisville, Kentucky, January 23d, '62. Its officers were: Captain, L. H. Drury; First Lieutenants, Cortland Livingston and James T. Purdy; Second Lieutenants, Albert Lebrun and Hiram F. Hub- bard; Surgeon, Henry W.Causdell.
The Fourth was mustered in at Racine October ist, 1 861, and left for Baltimore on the 21st of January. Its officers were : Captain, John F. Vallee ; First Lieu- tenant, G. B. Easterly; Second Lieutenants, C. A. Rath- bun and Martin H. McDevitt.
The Fifth was prepared for service at Racine and left for St. Louis in March, 1862. Its officers were: Cap- tain, Oscar F. Pinney; First Lieutenants, Washington Hill and C. B. Humphrey; Second Lieutenants, Almon Smith and G. Q. Gardner.
The Sixth was mustered in at Racine October 2d,
1 86 1, but did not leave for St. Louis until March 15th,
1862. The officers were as follows: Captain, Henry Dillon ; First Lieutenants, S. F. Clark and Thomas R. Hood; Second Lieutenants, J. W. Fancher and Daniel T. Noyes; Surgeon, Clarkson Miller.
The Seventh was mustered in at Racine October 4th and left for St. Louis with the Sixth. The officers were : Captain, Richard R. Griffiths; First Lieutenants, Henry S. Lee and Gillen E. Green; Second Lieutenants, A. B. Wheelock and Samuel Hays; Surgeon, L. C. Halstead.
The Eighth was mustered in at Racine January 8th, 1862, and was ordered to St. Louis March i8th follow- ing. Its officers were: Captain, Stephen J. Carpenter;
2i6 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
First Lieutenants, J. E. Armstrong and H. E. Stiles; Second Lieutenant, John D. McLean.
The Ninth was mustered in at Racine January 27th,
1862, and went to St. Louis with the Eighth. The officers were: Captain, Cyrus H. Johnson; First Lieu- tenants, J. H. Dodge and Watson J. Crocker; Second Lieutenants, J. A. Edington and Henry A. Hicks.
The Tenth w^as mustered in February loth, 1862, and was ordered to St. Louis March i8th following, having as officers: Captain, Yates V. Bebee; First Lieutenants, David C. Piatt and James Toner; Second Lieutenants, P. H. M. Groesbeck and Henry A. Hicks.
The Eleventh was made up of the "Oconto Irish Guards" and were attached to the "Irish Brigade'^ being organized at Chicago, by Colonel James A. Mulli- gan. The officers were: Captain John O'Rourke; First Lieutenants, John McAfee and Charles Bagley; Second Lieutenants, William L. McKenzie and Michael Lan- t^}^
The Twelfth was made up largely of Missouri men, but it was known as a Wisconsin Battery. The first offi- cers were: Captain, William A. Pile; First Lieutenants, William Zickerick and William Miles; Second Lieuten- ant, William Hamilton.
The Thirteenth was mustered in December 29th,
1863, at Camp Washburn, Milwaukee, and reached
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, March i8th, 1864. Its officers were: Captain Richard R. Griffith; First Lieutenant, William W. Perrlne; Second Lieutenants, W. M. Bris- tol and Frank Fox.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 217
FIRST WISCONSIN HEAVY ARTILLERY.
Soon after the first battle of Bull Run Company K, Second Wisconsin Infantry, was converted into a com- pany of Heavy Artillery. During 1863 and 1864, eleven other companies were recruited, and they consti- tuted Wisconsin's only regiment of Heavy Artillery. Its officers were as follows: Colonel, Charles C. Mes- servey; Lieutenant Colonel, Jacob T. Foster; Majors, Lu. H. Drury, R. W. Hubbell and David C. Fulton; Surgeon, W. H. Borden; Assistant Surgeons, Marvin Waterhouse and Ira Manly, Jr.; Captains, A. J. Lang- worthy, W. S. Babcock, John R. Davis, H. W. Peck, Jus. H. Potter, Erastus Cook, H. F. Rouse, C. S. Tay- lor, D. H. Saxton, W. H. Jennings, P. Henry Ray and Ira H. Ford; First Lieutenants, Caleb Hunt, C. C. Messervey, R. W. Hubbell, C. P. Larkin, Ezrah Lisk, John Silsby, John E. Henry, C. V. Bridge, A. J. Gar- rett, Elvin Bigelow, Herman Fenner, Asa P. Peck, Mar- tin E. Stevens, S. A. Phoenix, A. F. Mattice, C. E. Hoyt, Jasper Daniels, S. J. Johnston, I. U. Jennings, Charles Law, Edward Goodman, O. U. Wallace, Wil- liam A. Coleman and O. A. Southmayd; Second Lieu- tenants, Wallace M. Spear, F. L. Graves, Waldo B. Gwynne, C. H. Hyde, B. F. Parker, Fred. Ullman, Charles M. Ball, Isaiah Culver, John J. Gibbs, H. G. Billings, S. W. Pardee, Thomas Graham, William Fal- lows, Robert Bullen, A. E. Miltimore, J. P. Blakeslee, E. A. Gibbon, S. F. Leavitt, Albert McNitt, Joseph O'Neill, A. S. Trowbridge, Francis O. Ball, Andrew J. Close and Herbert R. Lull.
CHAPTER XI
Loyal Support to the General Government
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CHAPTER XI
Loyal Support to the General Government
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IN the preceding chapters the aim has been tO' give the present and future public of Wisconsin a view of the state as it was at the beginning of the Civil War; the condition it was in from a financial and military point of view ; the unan- imity of its people in their desire to perpetuate the Un- ion; the fortunate circumstance of the right man for governor, the enthusiasm, patriotism and courage man- ifested in promptly filling up regiments called for and the organization of several regiments before they were authorized by the general government, and then to enumerate the infantry and cavalry regiments, and the artillery and to give the names of those who led the regiments, companies and batteries, the time of muster and the day of their leaving the state for fields of activ- ities and actual war. Time and space to a considerable extent have been demanded in presenting these facts which may not seem to be of sufficient interest to the present generation to warrant such an expenditure of time and space, but it Is taken for granted that this his- tory will do service for several generations to come, at times when copies of those histories of Wisconsin in war, published very soon after its close, will be so few In num- ber and so difficult of access that the readers of fifty, seventy-five and one hundred years hence will be grate- ful for just such information as has here been presented. No citizen of Wisconsin will ever have occasion to blush for what his state did in support of the general government in the great Civil War. No state in the Union, in proportion to population, made a better rec-
221
222 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
ord. Wisconsin soldiers were found in all armies, In every army corps and did duty in every southern and border state, and have served under no general who did not place himself upon record as their admirer, both as soldiers and as men. There were no great battles through those four years in which soldiers from Wisconsin did not participate and they always honored their state by serving well, faithfully, intelligently and bravely, their nation. The state furnished nearly ninety-two thousand men for service in that great war. The year before the war, the records showed that there were 130,000 per- sons liable to military duty in the state, hence it will be seen that more than two-thirds of the population suita- ble for military service contributed a part in preventing the disruption of the American Union. It has been shown that the few men who were possessed of military knowledge were quick to tender their service and that their services were quickly accepted, but they were only a few of the vast number of officers required to supply nearly 100,000 men with regiment and company com- manders. Of the 2,300 men required to officer Wis- consin's force, less than twenty-five of them had had pre- vious experience in active service; the balance, 2,275 came from all the various walks of life. Among them were lawyers, ministers, doctors, men from factories, ed- itors, printers, railroad operators, river-men, hundreds of farmers, mechanics, merchants, clerks, college stu- dents, teachers, school boys and day laborers in the cit- ies, and all had to be taught, both how to govern them- selves as soldiers and to command bodies of men. How
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 223
well they did their work, a grateful nation was ready to acknowledge when the work was done, and a dutiful state will never forget it.
It is true that the work of these field and company of- ficers was made lighter because of the readiness with which the intelligent boys and young men who composed regiments and companies took on military life, and be- cause of their unyielding devotion to duty and constant desire to become proficient in soldier-ship and to meet more than the expectations of their superiors. A large majority of the 2,300 officers required in the organiza- tion of Wisconsin commands stood the test and became both officers and soldiers. But as has always been the case, the sifting and testing process resulted Tn the drop- ping out of officers in all of the corps. This was true of the troops from every state both in the Northern and the Southern armies. In more than one instance half of the officers of a regiment were found incapable and were permitted to resign and go home. The places of these men were promtply filled by men in the ranks who, in a brief space of time, had exhibited qualities which well fitted them for commissioned officers. Few regiments, either from Wisconsin or any state, went into that war with the same officers and returned with the same, ex- cept in the cases of those regiments in the last year of the war which went out, chiefly, for guard duty, to re- lieve seasoned soldiers that they might aid in fighting battles, and some hundred day regiments.
In a majority of Wisconsin regiments there were radi- cal changes in the matter of officers. This condition
224 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
was brought about as already stated by the weeding out process, by death in battle or from disease or wounds. To illustrate : One regiment that was sent forth early in 1 86 1 re-enlisted at the expiration of three years and came home at the end of the war officered wholly by men who when the command left the state four years before were privates, not even corporals or sergeants, but privates, and the last set of officers, who had won their shoulder straps in many a battle, would compare well with the officers of any fighting regiment from any state or in any country. Their education had been a practical education. What was true of that regiment was true of hundreds of regiments on both sides in that war, except, possibly, it could not be said that all of their officers at the end of the war were privates at the begin- ning of it. It can be said that no country ever looked upon a more substantial class of men converted into sol- diers, than the people of the United States had the priv- ilege of looking upon as they glanced down the lines of the regiments, both from the North and South. All of Wisconsin's regiments that were given an opportunity to engage in great campaigns and to participate in bat- tles, returned to their state as fine specimens of regulars as the Regular Army of the United States ever pos- sessed, in all that goes to make up the real soldier ready for the real work of soldiers in actual warfare.
There have been a few periods in our Republic's life when the masses of the people joined hands and stepped out beyond political lines and acted, worked and fought in harmony for the Nation's honor. They did that in
W. B. Gushing,
The
// PUBLIC LiBRAoyn
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 225
Wisconsin from 1861 to 1865. Party lines in i860 were sharply drawn. Neighbor was arrayed against neigh- bor, brother against brother; feeling ran higher than it has at any time since then. Republican orators could not say too severe things about the opposite party and the opposite party's leaders, nor could the Democratic speakers too roundly denounce the leaders and policies of their opposition. Democratic and Republican edi- tors were actually savage in their assaults upon one an- other. At times it would seem that there never could be harmony restored in the communities, because of the ugly things that the Democrats said of the Republicans and the Republicans said of the Democrats. But In the twinkling of an eye, as It were, when the Nation's flag was fired upon, In Charleston Harbor, all bitterness seemed to disappear and Democrats and Republicans, leaders and writers came together almost as one, every heart full of love for country, every man ready to de- fend the country and its honor, even to the extent of offering his life. This was notably true of Wisconsin.
It was most natural that Republicans and Republican leaders should be ready, on the instant, to go to the res- cue of the endangered country. The policies of their party from the day of its birth, the utterances of the editors who supported those policies, and thousands of public speakers who had given expression, had swayed millions by their earnestness and eloquence, were well calculated to create In their breasts feelings of deep and abiding faith In their country as well as a strong desire to see It made better by becoming, in fact, the land of
226 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
the free. Democratic editors and leaders had com- batted those policies for years with all the ability and earnestness at their command, but all of their opposition amounted to nothing when "Old Glory" was fired upon by an enemy that would obliterate and destroy the gov- ernment given to us by the fathers. Men and women who remember those exciting days of 1861 recall, and with feelings of pride. Indeed, with gratitude, as they enumerate the large number of the best men, the leaders, the bone and sinew of the Democratic party, and the part they were ready to take, and the part that thou- sands of them did take In the mighty work of saving a nation and giving It a new foundation, a country the like of which the world has seen In no other direction. The survivors of 1861 will recall the readiness with which those Democratic leaders, Harrison C. Hobart, twice the Democratic candidate for governor, who raised the first company in his county; Charles H. Larabee, a Dem- ocratic Congressman, who was made major of one of the early regiments and became Colonel of a later one; Edward S. Bragg who, at a public meeting, after a num- ber of eloquent men of both parties had appealed to the young men to enlist, stepped to the platform and quietly said, "Our country is In danger; she needs soldiers; our city should respond to the call for help. I ask you to join me In raising a company," and then signed the roll — the Edward S. Bragg who became Major, Lieutenant Col- onel, Colonel, Brigadier General and declined the offer of a commission as Major General by brevet; that strong Democratic leader, Gabriel Bouck, of Oshkosh,
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 227
who closed his office, raised a company and went out with the Second and was transferred as colonel to the 1 8th; they recall gallant Charles D. Robinson, editor of the Green Bay Advocate, who left his office and went to the front and remained there a most efficient officer until his health failed him ; the Robinson who was of- fered a commission as colonel of the 50th Wisconsin, but was obliged to decline It, writing the letter of decli- nation upon a sick bed; they remember Milton Mont- gomery, who lost an arm In battle at the head of the 25th Wisconsin and General J. J. Guppey, of Portage, who served in three different regiments, being colonel of the last, the 23rd; Ex-Governor W. A. Barstow, Col. Theo. Conkey and Judge Sam Ryan, they remember and recall pleasantly scores of other officers and that thousands of the rank and file of that party who were quick to respond and whose devotion to duty was second to that of none. The truth of history calls for this rec- ord of fact. Enthusiastic orators since the war have un- thinkingly conveyed the Impression, just why. It is hard to tell, that this party was for the war and that party against it. There was no truth in that so far as Wis- consin was concerned, and history should stamp Its un- truthfulness for the credit of the men and the party of *6i to '6^.
One and only one, dark spot appeared during the war years, and that resulted from the bitter criticism of Pres- ident Lincoln and the policies of the administration by two or three men and papers, all of whom, and their sentiments, were promptly repudiated by the mass of
228 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
the Democratic party. These denunciations of the war persident and opposition to the war pohcy, if not to the war itself, had the effect to cause the draft riots in Ozankee County. People who had not been long in the country were influenced, and when the draft came, caused opposition, and for a time, a suspension of the drafting, but the lawlessness was soon suppressed by the sending of troops and the arrest of the ring leaders. There were efforts of riot at other points but steps were taken which dampened the ardor of the would-be law breakers and no further disturbance occurred. It had always been a source of regret to all who volunteered their services that it became necessary at any time dur- ing the war to resort to the draft to increase the army. It may be a good way to increase the number of soldiers but it never has been a good w^ay to increase the strength, imporve the discipline and add to th'e patriotism, tO' re- sort to a draft. Wisconsin's war strength was not ben- efitted to any appreciable degree by the men who were forced into the army. A generous system of bounties gave a much better class of men to the service. Thou- sands of men desired greatly to enter the army before drafts and bounties were offered, but their duties to fathers, mothers, young brothers and sisters, to wives and children, placed them in a position where to have gone would make them appear as having deserted those who depended upon them for their existence. They were rcadv and prompt when provision was made for the care of those left at home to tender their services. Many of this class were among the best soldiers any of the states sent to the armv.
CHAPTER XII
Wisconsin Regiments in the Eastern Campaigns
IN speaking of what Wisconsin troops did in the war, there will be two divisions, the east and the west. Troops that served in the Army of the Potomac and the armies that co-operated with that army, will be referred to as those who served at the East. Troops that served in the Army of the Cumberland, the Army of the Tennessee, the Army of the Ohio and the Army of the Frontier, not to men- tion others, will be spoken of as having served in the west and southwest.
The regiments and batteries that served in the east were : The First three month's regiment. Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Nineteenth, Twenty-sixth, Thirty- sixth, Thirty-seventh and Thirty-eighth Infantry; the First Heavy Artillery, Company G of Berdan's Sharp Shooters, Second, Fourth and Eleventh Batteries of Light Artillery.
Reference has already been made to the part taken by the First Wisconsin, at Falling Waters. When the regiment was reorganized it was sent to the Western Army, where it served until mustered out.
The Second Wisconsin was the only force from this state that participated in the first battle of Bull Run. It belonged to the brigade commanded by William T. Sherman, who had a short time before returned to the Regular Army, having resigned several years before as a captain, but returned as colonel of the Thirteenth In- fantry. The Second Wisconsin began Its reputation for good soldier-ship In battle at First Bull Run. It fought without flinching until compelled by the general retreat
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232 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
to fall back, and halted on the Virginia side of the Po- tomac, opposite Washington, where for a time it as- sisted in constructing fortifications about the Nation^s capital and early in August was moved to Kalorama Heights, District of Columbia, where it joined the Fifth and Sixth Wisconsin and the Nineteenth Indiana and became a part of General Rufus King's First Brigade. In view of the fact that the Second, Sixth and Seventh Wisconsin served together throughout the war and that a year later their organization became known as the Iron Brigade, and has been known as such ever since, their services will be referred to as a brigade, not as regi- ments. General King, the long time Wisconsin editor, was greatly pleased at being given a brigade of western troops. He had hoped to have four Wisconsin regi- ments but there were only three regiments from our state at the east at that time, and it became necessary to assign the Nineteenth Indiana, which proved itself worthy to rank with the best of regiments.
When General Hancock, who had just been made a volunteer brigadier began forming his brigade he In- sisted upon having the Fifth Wisconsin, but General King promptly entered a vigorous protest, even going to the Secretary of War and making a plea that the Fifth be permitted to remain in his brigade, but General Han- cock had laid his plans so well that General Kings' ef- forts failed; but he succeeded in getting the promise of the next Wisconsin regiment that was sent east, and the next regiment was the Seventh. The Seventh was given to the organization of what made up one of the notable
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 233
brigades of the Civil War. Before entering upon the record of this brigade's work it is due to say, that circumstances made it a notable brigade and that the same circumstances would have made any other four western regiments the same kind of a brigade, with- out any doubt. What were the circumstances? These: The three Wisconsin regiments camped, marched and fought together throughout the war. They had abso- lute confidence in one another ; the men were personally acquainted with one another; they were in the same army throughout their term; their campaigns extended over a comparatively small section of country; they be- came familiar with the army against which they were called upon to battle; they understood to an extent, more or less marked, the characteristics of the chief com- manders of the opposite army; they had all of the time a very good idea of the necessity, on the part of their own officers, as well as their own part, to be vigilant, firm, aggressive and courageous in order to successfully combat that enemy. During the four years they were in such close proximity to a powerful army, led by the most brilliant officers of the Confederacy, they knew that a march of a day or two in its direction meant skirmishing, if not a battle. It was necessary throughout those years in which such history was made that the men of this bri- gade be ready for battle all of the time. Another cir- cumstance is found in the fact that from first to last the brigade was well commanded by a soldier who knew how to command and who knew how tO' get the best pos- sible work from his soldiers. General Rufus King, the
234 WISCOxXSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
first commander, was a graduate of West Point and his work in disciplining and preparing for future action was invaluable during the few months that he commanded. In May, 1862, the captain of Battery B, Fourth United States Artillery, John Gibbons was made a brigadier general and assigned to command the brigade. From that time until the days of battle in 1862 began, not an hour was wasted by General Gibbon in making Regular Army soldiers of his regiments. Probably there was not a man in the four regiments but hated him with a bitter hatred because of the hard and continuous work he demanded, but after the first battle, when they had an opportunity to see how all important just the kind of discipline he had given them was, there was not a man in the four regiments but had the warmest admiration for him, and he never lost that admiration. The efforts of these two West Pointers, King and Gibbon, whipped the western boys into shape that made of them Regulars in fact, if not in name. Not only were the rank and file converted into soldiers but th'e field and line officers were made efficient, so that when General Gibbon was placed in command of the division, after the battle of Ante- tiam, all of the surviving colonels of the brigade were competent to take his place. Meredith of the Nineteenth Indiana and Cutler of the Sixth Wisconsin were made brigadiers and had experience as commanders of the bri- gade. They followed as closely as they could in the footsteps of Gibbon. Then came Colonel Robinson of the Seventh Wisconsin, then Colonel Bragg of the Sixth. The latter had been a remarkably close student of Gib-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 235
bon. Soon after assuming command he was made a brigadier general. When he left the command In Feb- ruary, 1865, an officer who had left Wisconsm as a first lieutenant and had reached the rank of colonel of the Sixth Wisconsin succeeded him, and himself became a brigadier general by brevet, because of his splendid nianangement In the closing campaign of the great war. This was General John A. Kellogg. Still another circum- stance Is found In the fact that the brigade, throughout its term, was in a situation and In condition to be called into action, to be taken into battles of greater or less im- portance with a frequency that some times seemed un- jusi. Aside from the battles of the Army of the Poto- mac the Spring and Summer of 1862, under McClellan, on the Peninsula, this brigade missed none of the great and small battles of the Army of the Potomac. Its op- p( Ttunlties for winning credit and thinning its ranks were greater, probably, than were offered any other reg- iments Wisconsin sent to the war. The writer wants to eiTiphasIze the statement that any other four Wisconsin regiments similarly situated, similarly commanded, kept together throughout the war and given the same oppor- tunity to win distinction, would, without any kind of doubt, have won the same rank, been given the same credit.
i-irter spending the winter of 186 1-2, on Arlington Heights, back of the Robert E. Lee mansion, the bri- gade broke camp March loth, 1862, and joined In the advance of McClellan's great army of nearly 200,000 of men on Centervllle and Manassas. Both places were
11-16
236 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
found deserted by the enemy, and at Centerville, the great guns that had threatened such destruction of the Union Army, were found to be made of large oak trees. Within a week the army returned to its old camps and prepared to march on to Richmond in another direction, by way of the Peninsula. McDowell's corps, a large one, in which the Western Brigade was, was not allowed to accompany McClellan but soon afterwards advanced to the Rappahanock River and thence to Falmouth and Stattord Heights, opposite Fredericksburg, Va. Aside from a few days spent at Potomac Creek, assisting in the rebuilding of a railroad bridge, it remained in and about Fredericksburg until the first week in August. While there it was called upon to make several raids tcv\ ards Richmond, but in none of them came in con- tact with the enemy. When it was known that General Banks, the Union commander, and General Stonewall JacKson, the Confederate, were likely to meet in battle in the vicinity of Culpepper Court House, early in Au- gust, the brigade with the rest of McDowell's corps was sent to reinforce General Banks. The march to Cul- pepper Court House was a rapid one in excessively hot weather, and gave the brigade a needed test of its strength in a long, hard march, many of which it was called upon to perform afterward. The cannonading in the battle of Cedar Mountain, between Jackson and Banks, was plainly heard before McDowell's force reached Culpepper, The battle had been fought before reinforcements came up and been virtually a defeat for the Union Army. The brigade joined in the retreat
\
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 237
from Culpepper to the Rappahanock River, it having been learned that Lee's whole army had joined Jack- son's and had taken the aggressive. Along the Rappa- hannock there was skirmishing for a short time, there were several artillery duels during which a number of the men of the brigade were wounded, including Lieu- tenant Frank W. Oakley, of the Seventh Wisconsin, who lost an arm. When it was found that Stonewall Jackson's corps had flanked the Union Army, another retreat occurred, ending in the battle of Gainesville and Second Bull Run and a disastrous and inexcusable defeat of the L^nion force. The first great battle in which the brigade played a prominent part was Gainesville, Vir- ginia, the evening of August 28th, 1862. It was the be- ginning of the series of battles in the vicinity of the Bull Run battle-field of the year before. Jackson's corps had destroyed millions of dollars worth of property at Man- assas and had turned back to join the balance of Lee's army. Gibbon's brigade, consisting of the four regi- ments named and Battery B for hours faced and fought Stonewall Jackson's army corps of nearly thirty regi- ments. The only help it had, for a portion of the time, being the Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania and Seventy-sixth New York, on the right of the line. Gibbons' Brigade entered the engagement with 2,200 men and its loss in killed and wounded was 800, but in that battle it won a name for a good soldiership. In this battle Col. Edgar O'Connor, of the Second Wisconsin, was killed. Colonel Cutler of the Sixth, Colonel Robinson and Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton of the Seventh, seriously wounded,
238 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
and Colonel Meredith, of the Nineteenth Indiana, slightly wounded. Early the next day, when he had learned the full extent of the losses in his brigade, in speaking of them and the splendid conduct of his men^ General Gibbon exclaimed, "It was glorious, but the cost was too great," and then gave way to his feelings, cr)^ing as one might at the grave of his nearest and dear- est friend. The brigade was engaged and lost heavily in the days of the second battle of Bull Run and covered the retreat from the battle-field.
Its next engagement was South Mountain, Mary- land, September 14th. In this battle it charged up a high mountain In the face of a much larger force, com- posed mainly of Georgians and won a signal victory. Its conduct in this battle was witnessed by the corps com- mander, General Joseph Hooker, and General George B. McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac. It was In this battle that it was given the name of Iron Brigade. General McClellan asked, "Whose troops are those?" as he saw the brigade charge up the moun- tain. He was told by General Hooker, that it was Gen- eral Gibbon's Western Brigade. "They are men of Iron," was the response made by McClellan, as the story goes. Within a few days Cincinnati papers were received in which the western men were spoken of as the Iron Brigade of the West. There have been several stories about the origin of the name. One was to the effect that Cieneral McClellan announced It in orders. Gen- eral Bragg, who grew up with the organization and commanded the Brigade In some of Its hardest battles,
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 239
and won a great name as a soldier, expresses the belief that the war correspondents, and he thinks It was a cor- respondent of a Cincinnati paper, gave the command the name it has held ever since. General McClellan ex- pressed admiration for Gibbons' Brigade In a special order Issued by General Gibbon while the Brigade was camped near the battlefield of Antletam, October 7th, 1862. General Gibbon said, "It is with great gratifica- tion that the Brigadier General commanding announces to the Wisconsin troops the following endorsement up- on a letter to His Excellency, the Governor of Wiscon- sin. His greatest pride will always be to know that such encomiums from such a source are always mer- ited:"
The endorsement made by General George B. Mc- Clellan, then In command of the Army of the Potomac, and who, as already stated, had witnessed the brigade in its famous charge up South Mountain In the face of the withering fire and a large force, said: *'I beg to add to this endorsement the expression of my greatest admira- tion of the conduct of the three Wisconsin regiments in General Gibbon's brigade. I have seen them under fire acting In a manner that reflects the greatest possible credit and honor upon themseves and their state. They are equal to the best troops In any army in the world.
GEORGE B. McCLELLAN.'^
Had General McClellan given the brigade its name at South Mountain It Is very likely that he would have mentioned the fact in the above endorsement. Certain
240 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
it is that the Brigade was given its name after the battles of Gainesville, South Mountain and Antietam, in all of which it was called upon to take a prominent part, and took it with credit to itself and honor to its state. Cer- tain it is that no man of the brigade named it and it is equally certain that every man who was a member of it is proud of its record, jealous of its good name and fully realizes that under the same circumstances, with the same opportunities, any other three regiments of the State would have made an equally good reputation and received a name that would become equally well known. From this on in mentioning Gibbons' western men they will be called the Iron Brigade.
At the first battle of Fredericksburg, December,
1862, the Iron Brigade was in Franklin's Grand Divi- sion on the left, and while it was under fire two days and lost a considerable number of men it was not the disas- trous kind of an encounter it had experienced in previous battles, but it held a responsible position in its usual way. It participated in Burnsides' famous Mud March in
1863, returned to its camp at Belle Plain on the Poto- mac where it remained until Hooker's campaign began the last week in April, 1863, when it made its memora- ble charge in pontoon boats across the Rappahannock River at what was known as Fitzhugh Crossing, charged the heights on the opposite side of the river, drove the enemy, took possession, fortified and held the place until General Hooker's main force had crossed the river above the city and got on the left flank of Lee's army, when the brigade recrossed the river and marched
VP O
f^^O^^^^^^^Jf-iL
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 241
to join the main army at Chancellorsville, where it par- ticipated in the fighting and joined in another retreat to the safe side of the Rappahannock, went into camp and remained there until the beginning of the march which resulted in the coming together of the twO' great armies at Gettysburg, July ist, 1863, a battle of three bloody days. The Iron Brigade was in the First Army Corps, First Division and the First Brigade of its division. Gen- eral Solomon Meredith being in command. Wisconsin and Pennsylvania infantry troops opened fire in that great battle at about the same time. The authorities of both states claim that their soldiers were the first to begin the infantry fighting, but the fact is that the Pennsylva- nia and Wisconsin men belonging to the same division marched into the fight at the same time. The losses of the brigade in this day's fight were very great, in both officers and men. General Meredith was severely wounded by thfe fall of his horse, that had been shot, and Colonel Robinson of the Seventh succeeded him. Colonel Fairchild of the Second lost an arm. Lieutenant Colonel George H. Stevens of the Second was mortally wounded. Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Callis of the Seventh was wounded and left for dead on the field, but was found and tenderly cared for by a Confederate. The brigade lost more than a third of its strength in killed and wounded. During the balance of the three days' battle it was on Culp's Hill, behind strong entrench- ments. It was called into action several times and saw the never-to-be-forgotten charge made by the Confeder- ates under General George E. Pickett. The Brigade
242 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
joined in the fruitless pursuit of Lee's defeated army to the Potomac, marched back into Virginia and gave much time to drill and recuperation, having just entered comfortable quarters not far from the junction of the Rapidan and the Rappahannock Rivers when the Mine Run campaign under General Meade took place the lat- er part of November, 1863.
After that fruitless campaign it returned to its newly built quarters and remained there until the last week of December when it moved with the rest of the corps to Culpepper Court House, and on the first of January, the Sixth and Seventh regiments re-enlisted for three years more, or during the war, and were given a thirty day furlough, returning to Wisconsin as regiments. Their reception by the people of Wisconsin constituted one of the great events in the lives of the young soldiers. At the end of the thirty days, the two regiments returned to the brigade near Culpepper where they remained un- til the Fourth of May, 1864, when, with the rest of the army they plunged into the wilderness campaign. May 5th, and were not out of the hearing of hostile guns un- til the surrender of Lee's army at Appomattox, April 9th, 1865. To describe the battles and part taken by the Iron Brigade from May 5th, 1864, to April 9th, 1865, is not expected In this work, but it was at the fore-front in the two days battle of the Wilderness proper, at Lau- rel Hill, Spottsylvanla, Bethesda Church, North Anna, Cold Harbor, the Siege of Petersburg, the three days battle on the Weldon Railroad, beginning August i8th
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 243
and ending the 21st, the two battles of Hatchers' Run, Gravelly Run, Five Forks and Appomattox.
Enough of the Second Wisconsin re-enlisted at the end of the regiment's three years to make up two strong companies and for some months they constituted an In- dependent Battalion commanded by Captain Albert T. Morgan, and remained attached to the Iron Brigade, and the Fall of '64, in consequence of the consolidation of companies in the Sixth Wisconsin, became two com- panies of that regiment. The Second Wisconsin suffered the highest per cent of loss of any regiment in the Un- ion army; other regiments lost more in killed and died of wounds, but they were regiments that had a larger number of men. The losses of the three Wisconsin reg- iments in the Iron Brigade were as follows : Second Wis- consin, killed in action, 148 ; died of wounds, 60; died of diseases, 53.
The Sixth Wisconsin, killed in action, 163; died of wounds, 71 ; died of disease, 84.
The Seventh Wisconsin, killed in action, 172 ; died of wounds, 95 ; died of disease, 124. It will be seen furth- er on that the casualities of these regiments far exceeded those of nearly all of the Wisconsin regiments and are in excess of any of the other regiments. The brigade proudly took its place in the memorable parade in Washington after the war, and two months later re- turned to the state and was mustered out of service.
In 1880 a Brigade Reunion Association was formed and has continued in existence ever since. General Gib- bon was elected president, without a dissenting vote, as
244 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
long as he lived and after his death the election and re- election of General Bragg took place with equal unan- imity.
The Third Wisconsin was in many battles. It partic- ipated in two battles at Winchester in 1862 and on Au- gust 9th, of the same year was a portion of General Banks' corps at the battle of Cedar Mountain, a severe engagement, though not frequently mentioned or made prominent by history. Cedar Mountain was a san- guinary contest. Stonewall Jackson commanded the Confederates who greatly outnumbered General Banks' force. Jackson's corps was on the mountain side and could watch all of the movements made by the Union troops, and whfen the battle began was in such position as to inflict great damage. It was a sharply and persist- ently contested field, both sides being severely punished and apparently willing to accept the result as a drawn battle, for both armies sat down and watched each other for two or three days. The Third was particularly un- fortunate in this battle, losing Its Lieutenant Colonel, L. H. D. Crane, who had entered the service as second lieu- tenant, became adjutant and was then promoted to lieu- tenant colonel. The regiment played a prominent part in the Second Battle of Bull Run and also at the battle of Antietam, where Its losses were very heavy. It was in the Chancellorsville campaign, a portion of the Twelfth corps, and distinguished Itself at the battle of Gettysburg, July ist, 2nd, 3d, 1863. The fall of that year the Eleventh and Twelfth corps were consolidated and became the Twentieth corps. It was in all of the
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 245
battles in Sherman's army from Chattanooga to Atlanta and participated in the March to the Sea. It lost killed in battle, 97 ; died of wounds, 52 ; died of disease, 98.
The Fifth Wisconsin, also in the Army of the Poto- mac, was another notable regiment and missed none of the great battles of that Army. It was with McClellan on the Peninsula in 1862, and at the battle of Williams- burg, on May 5 th, of that year, distinguished itself by great bravery and skill, when its heroism turned the tide of battle against the enemy. For this act of bravery, which meant so much to General McClellan's army, that officer visited the Fifth and In person heartily thanked the officers and men for the heroic work done and for the honor it had conferred upon the army, their state and the nation. This regimentwas also at the second battle of Bull Run, at Crampton's Gap, In Maryland, and the battle of Antietam, September 17th, which is recognized by history as the bloodiest day of the Civil War, a day upon which between twenty-five and thirty thfousand men were killed or wounded. The regiment was at the battle of Fredericksburg, December 13th, 1862, and May, 1863, at Chancellorsvllle from May 2d to 3d, 1863, and at Gettysburg and joined In the pursuit of Lee's retreating army which made Its escape Into Virginia, when It should have been captured or destroyed, and would have been had there been a Grant, Sherman or Thomas In com- mand. This Is not said as a reflection upon Gen- eral Meade who was In command. General Meade, al- though an excellent officer, had not been entrusted with
246 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
a great command until the eve of the battle of Gettys- burg. His generalship in that battle when Lee and his superb army of fighters were defeated should give him an undying name and a warm place in the hearts of the American people. The Fifth was with Grant from Cul- pepper Court House to Petersburg, missing none of the mighty struggles on the way, and was mustered out, but Colonel Thomas S. Allen, who had led the regiment since early in 1863, ^^^^ ^^ time in reorganizing it and returning to the Army of the Potomac, where his com- mand took a part in the closing battles of Grant's great campaign. The Fifth lost in killed, 98, one more than the Third; died of wounds, 71; died of disease, 116. The Fifth in both organizations had only two Colonels, Amasa Coob, who resigned to enter congress In 1863, and Thomas S. Allen, who was given the rank of bri- gadier general. General Allen was one of the best sol- diers Wisconsin contributed In that war. He afterwards served two terms as Secretary of State In Wisconsin.
The Nineteenth regiment was given a larger amount of post and guard duty than most of the regiments, though It was In all ways an excellent command and both officers and men were anxious for more service. It was stationed at Norfolk for some time and again at Suffolk, Virginia. It was engaged In severe battles in front of Richmond and Petersburg. It lost in killed, 29; died of wounds, 12; died of disease, 107. Horace T. Saunders of Racine was the first colonel and S. K. Vaug- han the second colonel. These were the only colonels the regiment had.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 247
The Twenty-sixth, a German regiment, joined the Army of the Potomac, and at Chancellorsville was with the Eleventh corps. It was one of the regiments in that battle which fought with such stubborn bravery that General Jackson's famous flank movement which came so near to proving an irretrievable disaster to Hooker's army, was checked in his rapid advance, and his object was only partially successful. It was the first battle the regiment had participated in. Its losses were frightful but it quickly recovered and at the battle of Gettysburg on the first day was among the foremost regiments of the Eleventh corps which met the fierce attack made by Ewell's Confederate army corps. Here, too, this splen- did regiment of American citizens who had come from Germany won added laurels. The fall of 1863, when the Eleventh and Twelfth corps went to the western army, the Twenty-sixth accompanied them and was sec- ond to none of the many regiments with Sherman from Chattanooga to Atlanta and missed none of the great battles of that campaign, and always acquitted itself with great credit. It also went with Sherman to the Sea and was with the rest of the army at the great review in May, 1865. The regiment lost killed in battle, 128 ; died of wounds, §6; died of disease, 62. The Twenty- sixth was particularly fortunate in its regimental com- manders. It had two colonels : William H. Jacobs and Frederick C. Winkler. Colonel Winkler was personal- ly thanked and praised by General Sherman. He had command of the regiment throughout the Atlanta cam-
248 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
paign while not in command of a brigade, and was bre- veted a brigadier general for bravery and skill In battle. The Thirty-sixth Wisconsin went from Madison di- rect to the line of battle which it reached at Spottsyl- vania Court House, Virginia, and was quickly taken in- to battle and acquitted itself as if its soldiers had been veterans. From that time until the end of the war the Thirty-sixth regiment was given the hardest of service and was ordered into all of the battles recorded up to and including i\ppomattox. It had for its colonel, Frank A. Haskell, who left the state in 1861 as adjutant of the Sixth Wisconsin and was General Gibbon's adjutant general. At the battle of Gettysburg, while serving on General Gibbon's staff, as a captain, the command of the Second army corps devolved upon him, for a brief space of time. Hancock, Gibbon and Webb had been wounded and Haskell assumed the responsibility of di- recting the corps in the engagement. At the battle of Cold Harbor, where his regiment did great execution and met with distressing losses, Colonel Haskell, while at the head of his command, standing on the breastworks and about to give a command to charge, was instantly killed. Two days before he had been recommended for promotion to brigadier general. He was without doubt one of the most soldierly and manly men from the state. Though its service extended for only a year, its losses were much greater than two-thirds of the three year regiments. It had four different colonels: Haskell was killed, Colonel John A. Savage was mortally wounded and Colonel Harvey M. Brown was erron-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 249
eously reported killed at Petersburg. Colonel Clement E. Warner lost an arm and a number of the captains and lieutenants were killed. More than half of the thousand men that Colonel Haskell hurried to the front with early in 1864 were killed or wounded. The regiment lost in killed, in one year, 79; died of wounds, 47 ; died of disease, 168. It is not surprising th^t the survivors of the Thirty-sixth Wisconsin are proud to have been members of such a regiment.
The Thirty-seventh also joined the Army of the Po- tomac and was given ample opportunity to show its bravery in hard fought battles. It became a part of the Ninth corps at Cold Harbor June i ith, after the battle had ended. Its first severe battle was Petersburg, June 1 6th, and on the 17th it was in a fierce battle, fighting like veterans, with great loss. It also participated in the Siege of Petersburg and was given particularly hard duty the 30th of July on the occasion of the mine ex- plosion. It was in the campaign on the left of Peters- burg from August i8th to 21st, and in the closing cam- paign from March 29th until the surrender of Lee. It lost in killed, 95; died of wounds, 40; died of disease, 76. It made a splendid record in its ten months of fight- ing soldiership.
The Thirty-eighth regiment was with Grant's army and had a part in the battles from Cold Harbor to Ap- pomattox and is justly entitled to take rank with Wiscon- sin regiments that saw hard service in great battles, and yet It was In the service only a year. The regiment had two colonels, James BIntliff and Colwert K. Pier. Col-
250 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
onel Pier was the first man in Fond du Lac County to volunteer in 1 86 1 . He served in the First three months' regiment. There is a pathetic story connected with his return to the army. From 1861 to 1864, Pier had been very active in raising troops but owing to a promise he had made his invalid mother he did not enlist or accept any of the several commissions that were offered him. When it was decided to organize the Thirty-eighth reg- iment the Governor sent a telegram to Mr. Pier asking him if he would accept a commission as lieutenant colo- nel of that regiment. The young man first talked with his father about the new honor that had been tendered him. That gentleman, who had been a state senator and was a leading banker, said, "My boy, it is not in my power to give you consent to re-enter the army; your in- valid mother has that matter wholly in charge; you will have to see her." The mother was on a sick bed when her boy handed her the Governor's telegram. She read it, smiled and said, "Colwert, you have my consent to ac- cept that commission; I know you will be a good sol- dier." A few months later, while Lieutenant Colonel Pier, that was before he had been promoted to colonel, was in command of the regiment at Petersburg, he re- ceived a dispatch announcing the death of his mother, and the next day led his regiment into battle, winning new honors. The Thirty-eighth was indeed one of Wis- consin's splendid regiments. It lost in killed, 31 ; died of wounds, 25; died of disease, 50. It participated in the great review in May, returned to the state, was mus-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 25 1
tered out and its survivors are among Wisconsin's hon- orable and honored citizens.
Company G, of Berdan's Sharp Shiooter regiment, was raised in Wisconsin and made a record which hon- ors the state. The company was given high praise for its conduct at Chancellorsville May 2nd, 1863. While moving through a piece of woods it came in contact with a large force of Confederates. It immediately opened fire, killing and wounding many and taking sixty prison- ers, and then had a part in the capture of the Twenty- fifth Georgia regiment. The company was also of great service at the battle of Gettysburg, in the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Petersburg and in the closing campaign. This company lost more in killed and wounded than many full regiments from Wisconsin and other states. Its loss in killed, 12 ; died of wounds, 9 ; died of disease,
13-
The Second Battery of Light Artillery, when it left
Wisconsin, in 1862, went to Baltimore and from there to Fortress Monroe, then to Camp Hamilton near Hampton, Virginia, where it did garrison duty for near- ly a year and then went to Suffolk, Virginia. Five of its six guns were engaged in the Battle of South Bridge, a few miles from Suffolk. The balance of the service con- sisted of garrison duty in Virginia. Thie Fourth Bat- tery went at once to Fortress Monroe and on March 9th, 1862, participated in the famous contest between the Monitor and the Merrimac. In January, 1863, it went to Suffolk and at various times engaged the enemy in ar- tillery duels. During the siege of Suffolk, General Long-
III 17
252 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
street being in command of the Confederates, the Fourth had an important part in compeUing one hun- dred and Hfty Confederates to surrender, together with five cannons. Some of these guns the Fourth quickly turned upon th^e enemy. During the summer of 1863, the Fourth suffered greatly from sickness. At one time there were only four men fit for duty out of one hundred and forty-four. For a time during 1864 the Fourth was attached to the Army of the James under General B. F. Butler and engaged in several sharp contests, and on May 14th, of that year, fought all day near Drury's Bluff, on the James River. All of the cannoniers having been mounted, the Fourth was attached to General Kautz's Cavalry Division and on the 15th of June they were under a well aimed fire of fourteen of the enemy's guns for two hours. They accompanied General Kautz's Cavalry on several expeditions. In September, 1864, the Battery recrossed the James River and had a part In the attack upon the fortifications of Richmond and was under constant fire, having approached at one time with- in 800 yards of the enemy's hfeavy fortifications. In a battle in front of Richmond, October 7th, General Kautz's Division was forced to retreat. In that retreat the Fourth lost four of its guns, twenty of its horses were wounded, one man killed and three wounded. This was one of the excellent batteries Wisconsin contributed. 7 he Second Battery during the service lost twelve men from disease. The Fourth lost two men killed and twen- ty-one from disease.
CHAPTER XIII
Wisconsin Regiments in the Armies of the West
AND Southwest
A DOZEN chapters could be written on Wisconsin's part in the Army of the West and Southwest, for a majority of the infantry regiments, all of the cav- alry regiments and eleven of the bat- teries of light artillery served in the west and southwest. The First Infantry upon reorganizing for three years left the state October 28th, 1861, and was given guard duty and bridge building for some time, going to Nash- ville, Tennessee, in March, 1862. Its Colonel, John C. Starkweather, was for a time provost marshal of Edge- field, opposite Nashville, two of the companies doing provost guard duty, the other eight camped three miles from Nashville. While there, two of the companies were engaged in a skirmish, acquitting themselves credit- ably. Duty performed by the regiments from that time until the Battle of Perryville was of a kind that tries sol- diers to a more marked extent than that of campaigns with battles in view and battles fought. The men were marched, counter-marched, did guard duty and built bridges. Early in October, at the Battle of Perryville, the First occupied the extreme left of the line and throughout that memorable battle where Wisconsin troops won imperishable honor, but with great loss, was sharply engaged, losing heavily. It joined in the pur- suit of the defeated Confederates and then returned to guard and provost duty. On the way from Nashville to the Battle of Stone River Starkweather's Brigade, of which the First was a part, guarded the wagon trains. On the 30th of December, General Joe Wheeler's Cav-
255
256 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
airy attacked the train and was quickly dispersed by the prompt action of Adjutant H. M. Fitch, of the Twenty-first Wisconsin. The next day the Twenty- first was placed in the reserve at the Battle of Stone River. Its next great battle was Chickamauga, where it lost 37 in killed and 80 wounded, 76 having been taken prisoners. The brigade to which it was attached was in the reserve in the Battle of Mission Ridge, No- vember 25th, 1863. The regiment w^as with Sherman's Army in the great campaign from Ch'attanooga to At- lanta, always entrusted with important duties and engaged in many of the notable battles of that cam- paign. Its second colonel was George B. Bingham, who was a captain when the regiment first entered the service. It loss in killed and died of wounds, 131 and from dis- ease, 103.
The Eighth Infantry was known as the Eagle Regi- ment. A young eagle was presented to the regiment by an officer of the Eau Claire company and it went through the war with the command, returning to the state to become famous as "Old Abe," the war eagle, attending numerous soldier reunions and two National Republican Conventions. It was the first regiment from this state to go to St. Louis, but was soon sent to Pilot Knob, Missouri. Until the Spring of 1862 the regi- ment was much on guard duty, but found time for drill and military discipline. It was always a well disciplined regiment. It became a part of Halleck's force in front of Corinth the 22d of April, and went to Farmington the 1st of Mav. From that time on until the end of the
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 257
war it was a busy regiment. It participated In several skirmishes In the vicinity of Farmington, losing a num- ber of men killed and wounded. Late In the month it was given a place nearer the enemy's works at Corinth and had the benefit of various artillery duels. While there the enemy made a rush for the battery but was met with such a quick response from the Eighth Wisconsin that they retired In disorder. This new regiment was highly praised for its prompt and effective work in sav- ing the Union battery. The regiment was at the Battle of luka on the 19th of September, but was with the re- serve and had only a few men wounded, but at the Battle of Corinth, a few days later, the 3d of October, 1862, it was an active participant in Its first great battle, losing heavily In killed and wounded. Its record for splendid soldiership was well established at that battle, largely planned by a Wisconsin general, Major General Charles S. Hamilton, and whose division was second to no other in its effective work In the important and decisive en- gagement. Much of the time between the Battle of Corinth and the siege of Vicksburg, the Eighth was on guard duty and employed in repairing railroads. The regiment was a part of the force that made the famous charge on Vicksburg. After the surrender of Vicks- burg, the regiment participated In various skirmishes and expeditions. In 1864 It was with Sherman In his great Meridian Expedition, but returned to Vicksburg March 5th, and then joined in General A. J. Smith's Red River Expedition to co-operate with General Banks, and took an active part In several of the engagements in
258 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
that disastrous expedition. From that time until the Battle of Nashville, which took place the 15th and i6th of December, 1864, the Eighth did a great deal of marching, was in sev^eral small battles and had a most honorable part in the Battle of Nashville. This Wiscon- sin regiment was called upon for heroic action and never in vain. This was its last hard battle and it lost many in killed and wounded. Like the Third, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Wisconsin, the Eighth re-enlisted for three years. It lost in killed and died of wounds, 49, and from disease, 201. The Eighth had four different colonels, Robert C. Murphy was the first, George W. Robbins, John W. Jefferson and W. B. Brittan.
The Ninth Infantry consisted almost wholly of Ger- mans and was recruited in Milwaukee and its immediate vicinity. It had three years of vexatious service, though not much with what are known as the great battles of the war. Notwithstanding this fact, it was engaged in many skirmishes and battles of less importance, and its service in all respects was highly creditable. It had a great deal of marching the winter of 1862 over rough roads and in bitter cold weather. It was a part of Gen- eral Jim Lane's Southwest expedition. After following Lane 160 miles the expedition was declared oft and the Ninth returned to Baxter Springs, Kansas, in June, 1862. The Ninth had several sharp skirmishes with In- dians who had been organized into regiments by the Confederates. The regiment became a part of the Army of the Frontier. The Battle of Newtonia is often referred to by survivors of the Ninth Regiment. One
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 259
battalion of the regiment was in the fore front at that battle, losing heavily In killed and wounded, and nearly- all of the others were made prisoners. This was a seri- ous loss to the gallant command. Another well known battle which Is entitled to better rank than has been given It, was Jenkins' Ferry. The Ninth was a portion of the force under General Fred Steele which started to the support of General Banks in his unfortunate Red River Expedition. When General Steele learned that Banks had failed and that his army was retreating, there was only one safe thing for him to do, and that was to retreat, and that, even, was not a very safe thing. In crossing the river at Jenkins' Ferry It was necessary to do so with the Confederates closely pressing Steele's Di- vision. A line of battle was formed to check the enemy, which was done, but at a very great cost. The Ninth alone lost 49 killed and 52 wounded. Like many of the Wisconsin regiments In the west and southwest, the Ninth was obliged to do a great deal of guard duty and to assist In repairing rail and wagon roads. It had three different colonels, Frederick Salomon, Charles E. Salo- mom and Arthur Jacobl. The first colonel reached the rank of brevet major general and the second the rank of brevet brigadier general. The losses of the regiment were 75 killed and died of wounds and 96 died of dis- ease.
The Tenth Infantry went south soon after its organ- ization and while not guarding railroads, captured cit- ies and government property, was busily engaged In drilling. While at Fluntsvllle, Alabama in April, 1862,
26o WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
four companies of the Tenth volunteered to march to the railroad bridge, not far from Chattanooga, Tennes- see, and destroy it. The march of eighty miles was made with great rapidity and the bridge thoroughly destroyed. This was a serious loss to the Confederates. It was at the time of the siege of Corinth, General Beauregard, the Confederate in command at Corinth, had called for large reinforcements which had been promised. They were to come over the railroad whose bridge near Chat- tanooga was destroyed by the four companies of the Tenth Wisconsin, and because of that destruction the reinforcements did not reach the Confederate General. The Tenth was not at the attack on Bridgeport and at the battle of Perryville, October 8th, 1862, held a strong position and did valiant service. It marched to a rise of ground just In time to see an overwhelming force march toward the same position. The Tenth fired sev- eral volleys in quick succession, checking and then driv- ing the enemy. In this battle the Tenth lost 48 killed and 97 wounded. It also did heroic service at Stone River and Chickamauga. In the latter battle It lost be^ sides many killed and wounded a number of prisoners. It participated in the campaign and battles from Chat- tanooga to Atlanta, but did not go with Sherman to the Sea. In October, 1864, when Its term expired the re- cruits and the men who had re-enlisted were transferred to the l\venty-first Wisconsin. The Tenth lost in killed and died from wounds, 93, and from disease, 126. The Tenth had three different colonels, Alfred R. Chapin, John G. McMynn and Duncan McKercher.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 261
The Eleventh Infantry spent the winter of 186 1-2 on the Iron Mountain railroad In Missouri, guarding the bridges and looking out for Union communications In that part of the state. During that service they built many block houses near bridges which would have been of great service to them in case of an attack. The spring of 1862 the Eleventh joined General Steele's Division In his expedition to form a junction with General Curtis. It was a long tedious march and because of lack of means of transportation rations ran short and the army suffered much from hunger. The most of the regi- ment's service consisted in marching on various expedi- tions and guard duty until the battle and siege of Vicks- burg, though it had one severe engagement where It lost 7 men killed and 38 wounded. Colonel Charles L. Har- ris was wounded in a leg and an arm. It also partici- pated in the action at Black River Bridge, May, 1863, where the Eleventh, by quick movement and great cour- age captured a thousand of the enemy without assist- ance. The next day the Eleventh took its position with the Thirteenth army corps behind the breast-works at VIcksburg. Throughout the siege this regiment of stur- dy Wisconsin soldiers did Its full share in the winning of the victory that placed General U. S. Grant by the side of the greatest of the world's military heroes. Up to the surrender of VIcksburg General Grant had held no rank In the Regular Army since his resignation nearly ten years before, but because of that victory he was presented with a commission as Major General of the United States Army by President Lincoln, so It will
262 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
be seen that General Grant jumped from no rank in the Regular Army to the highest rank then known in that army, excepting General Scott, who held the rank of lieutenant general by brevet. The Eleventh lost at \'icksburg in killed, 38, and wounded, 69; the most of these on the 22nd of May, when the memorable charge was made. The better part of the regiment re-enlisted in February, 1864, and upon their return to the army were with General Sturgis in his expedition in West Tennessee and Northern Mississippi, and were in a sharp skirmish with General Forest's Confederate Cav- alry, and when that expedition was over the regiment went to Brashier City, Mississippi, remaining there un- til February, 1865, doing much guard and out post duty, participating In expeditions and skirmishes. Upon leav- ing Brashier City, February 26th, 1865, the Eleventh went to New Orleans and became a part of the Sixteenth army corps and participated In the operations against Mobile, Alabama. The Eleventh was at the battle of Fort Blakely, Alabama, and added lustre to Its already splendid record, though at great cost, for It lost in that, the last battle of much magnitude In the war, 2 1 killed and 40 wounded. Charles L. Harris was the Eleventh's only colonel ; he was made a brigadier general by brevet. The Eleventh lost In killed and died from wounds, 92, and from disease, 262.
The Twelfth Wisconsin began its serv^Ice out side of Wisconsin at Weston, Missouri, going from there, the following Februar}^ 1862, to Leav^enworth, Kansas, and becoming a part of Lane's Southwest expedition. It
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 263
reached Fort Scott March 7th, when Lane's enterprise was abandoned. The Twelfth returned to Lawrence, Kansas, and then was ordered to Fort Riley, expecting to be sent to New Mexico, but that plan was also aband- oned and the regiment returned to Leavenworth late in May, soon afterwards receiving orders to go to Tennes- see. Like many of the Western regiments, the Twelfth was well supplied with men of trades and was frequently used for building and repairing railroads. It reached Humbolt, Tennessee, and joined General Halleck's force the 9th of June, 1862, remaining there until the following October, guarding railroads and scouting. The regiment did a great deal of marching and counter marching in Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi and was with the force that Grant marched against Pember- ton with and began the siege of Vicksburg. Immediate- ly after the surrender of the Confederate forces at Vicksburg, General Sherman began his campaign against Joe Johnston. The force reached Jackson, Mis- sissippi, July loth, and the battle of Jackson followed and the Twelfth was among the troops that did fine exe- cution and escaped without heavy loss. It also went with Sherman on his Meridian Expedition in February, 1864, an expedition that resulted in much loss to the en- emy without serious loss to Sherman's force. In April, 1864, after the regiment had re-enlisted it was directed to join Sherman's Army in and about Chattanooga. The Twelfth was with Sherman from Chattanooga to Atlan- ta and missed none of the great battles fought between those two points, winning a name for superb soldier-ship
264 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
losing heavily In killed and wounded, but almost nothing in prisoners. Its hardest battle was at Bald Hill, near Atlanta. Colonel Bryant of the Twelfth was in com- mand of the brigade which for hours fought at close range a force much larger than his own. This battle oc- curred July 2 1 St, 1864, and resulted in a loss for the Twelfth of 51 killed and 87 wounded. Its losses from the 2 I St up to the surrender of Atlanta were very heavy. The Twelfth accompanied Sherman from Atlanta to the Sea, but was called upon to engage in no further great battles, though it did have several skirmishes and was present and in line of battle at Bentonville, North Car- olina, but was not actively engaged. The Twelfth was a regiment from the day it left Wisconsin until the end of the war that was recognized as a body of soldiers that could always be relied upon to do good work whenever called upon. The regiment had two different Colonels, George E. Bryant and James K. Proudfit, both of whom were made brevet brigadiers. The regiment lost in killed and died of wounds, 94 ,and died of disease, 202.
The Thirteenth Wisconsin, another regiment made up of splendid material, spent most of its term in guard duty, long marches without battles and on garrison duty. Its work was not what officers and men desire, but it was such work as some regiment had to do and It fell to the lot of the Thirteenth to do it. It was among the force that made a long run after General John Mor- gan, the famous Kentucky raider. It also had several races with the famous Confederate General. N. B. For- rest. One of its longest marches was from Fort Donel-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 265
son to Stevenson, Alabama, 260 miles, which It made in 17 days. The regiment remained at Stevenson for some time, a very Important point from which the army at Chattanooga received many supplies. Most of the men re-enlisted in February, 1864, returning to Nashville, Tennessee, late in the following March, going into camp at Edgefield opposite Nashville, where it resumed garri- son duty and work of guarding army trains from Louis- ville to Chattanooga. The Thirteenth was chosen to go to Texas with many other regiments after the war, con- sequently remained in service until November of that year, when It was mustered out of service. It had three different Colonels, Maurice Mahoney, who was a cap- tain in the Regular Army, William P. Lyon, who after the war served many years as Chief Justice Justice of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, and A. H. Kummel. It lost In killed and died from wounds, 5, and from dis- ease, 179.
The Fourteenth Infantry went from Wisconsin tO' St. Louis, reaching there the 28th of March, 1862, and was quartered at Benton Barracks. On the 23d of March it was ordered to join General Grant's army at Savan- nah, and reached there March 28th. In less than a month from the time it had left the camp at Fond du Lac, it had taken an Important part in the great battle of Shiloh and won high distinction for its soldierly and fighting qualities. It was not present at the battle fought on the 6th, but was in line early on the 7th and did as much as any other regiment In completing the work that other comrades had commenced the day before. The
266 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
regiment was rapidly charged upon by a Confederate brigade which sought to capture a battery which the Fourteenth was supporting. The enemy was driven, back each time with fearful loss. From that time until the close of the day, April yth, 1862, this splendid Wis- consin regiment was constantly engaged, and from the fact that it lost 20 killed and 73 wounded shows that it occupied a position of great responsibility and danger. The Fourteenth's next great battle was Corinth, Octo- ber 3d and 4th, 1862. Here, as at Shiloh, the command did heroic service, losing 78 in killed and wounded. Fol- lowing that came Vicksburg, where it also played a prominent part and lost heavily. Two-thirds of the regiment re-enlisted December nth, 1863, making it a veteran regiment. They rejoined their corps after a fur- lough of a month and participated in the Red River Ex- pedition and suffered with the rest of the troops com- posing Banks' Expedition. It had much other hard duty in the various extended expeditions and long marches and reached Nashville in time to take a part in General Thomas' defeat of Hood December 15th and i6th, 1864. The regiment was known as the Fourteenth Regulars. It had three Colonels, David E. Wood, John Hancock and Lyman M. Ward. It lost in killed and died of wounds, 97, and from disease, 193.
The Fifteenth was the one regiment from Wisconsin that was almost wholly made up of Scandinavians. Hans C. Heg, who had tAvice been elected as States Prison Commissioner, resigned that office to take command of a thousand of his countrymen, and he made it a regi-
T-
VOB'
NEW ^<^^:pv
anc\ Tvldeny
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 267
ment of real soldiers and gave his life in one of its great battles. It reached St. Louis March 4th, 1862, and was sent to Birds* Point, near Cairo, where the regiment was put to work in building entrenchments. While here a portion of the regiment joined an expedition under the command of Commodore Foote, to Island No. 10, near New Madrid. Aside from participation in short ex- peditions, the regiment remained at New Madrid until the evacuation of Island No. 10. The regiment was in the retreat before Bragg on the march to Louisville in 1862 and reached the latter city September 26th, well worn out, hungry, ragged and foot sore. After a short rest the regiment joined the force selected to drive Bragg and his army back and was present at the battle of Perryville, though escaped without the loss of a man. From Perryville to the battle of Stone River, the regi- ment was employed in guard duty. At Stone River the Fifteenth made a reputation for bravery and coolness under a heavy fire. Its loss in this battle was 25 killed and 60 wounded. Not long after the battle of Stone River, Colonel Heg, who had shown himself to be a very thorough soldier, was placed in command of a bri- gade. The regiment's next battle was Chickamauga, where it maintained its fine record, losing heavily, in- cluding 48 prisoners. Colonel Heg was killed in this battle. The regiment went with Sherman from Chatta- nooga to Atlanta, participating in most of the battles of that great campaign and when Sherman left for the Sea returned to Chattanooga, where it was occupied in
guarding the railroad bridges and in looking after army 111-18
268 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
transportation. The record from first to last of the Fifteenth was such as to confer lasting honor upon the state in which it was organized and upon the nationality from which it was recruited. There is little doubt that its first colonel, had his v^aluable life been spared, would have been numbered with Wisconsin's list of major gen- erals in the civil war, and he could have attributed his good fortune to the fact that he had been the colonel of the "Fighting Fifteenth." Colonel Heg's successor was Colonel O. C. Johnson.
The Sixteenth Infantry reached St. Louis March 15th, 1862, and was designated to join General Grant's army on the 20th of that month. It reached Pittsburg Landing and was placed under the command of General Prentiss who held the left of Grant's army. The regi- ment was an active and effective participant in the bat- tle of Shiloh, being among the regiments which lost heaviest. It had 70 killed and 149 wounded. Colonel Al- len and Lieutenant Colonel Cascius Fairchild, were se- verely wounded. The regiment fought without rest from five o'clock in the morning until three P. M. It was also engaged in the battle of Corinth the 3d and 4th of Octo- ber, 1862, losing heavily. Its next great battle was at Vicksburg. A portion of the regiment re-enlisted in I 864 and the command was a part of Sherman's army in the Atlanta Campaign and missed few of the important battles fought in that campaign. Its losses from Tune 9th, 1S64, to September 9th, the same year, were 38 killed and 72 wounded. The regiment was in the march from Atlanta to the Sea, though had no further hard
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 269
fighting. Its Colonels were Benjamin Allen and Cas- slus Fairchild, a brother of the late General and Gov- ernor Lucius Fairchild. Lieutenant Colonel Reynolds belonged to the Sixteenth and was severely wounded in the Atlanta Campaign. He lingered between life and death a long time but his Irishman's hopefulness and combatlveness apparently saved his life. While in the hospital he was informed by the surgeon that his leg would have to be amputated. Colonel Reynolds imme- diately said: "No, no, doctor, you can't do that; that is an Imported leg." His wit saved the leg, if It didn't his life. The regiment lost In killed and died of wounds, 131, and from disease, 235.
While Wisconsin did not have a distinctively Irish regiment the Seventeenth was largely made up of that nationality. All of its field officers and two-thirds of Its line officers were Irishmen. They reached Pittsburg Landing In Tennessee soon after the battle and were as- signed to duty in the army in front of Corinth and at the battle of Corinth, the 3d of October, were in MacAr- thur's division. Though holding an exposed position and fighting gallantly their losses were less than other Wisconsin regiments in the same battle. The Seven- teenth is another of Wisconsin's contributions to the battle and siege of Vicksburg. Here, too, It acquitted itself with much honor, losing 14 killed and 50 wounded. Nearly all of the regiment re-enlisted in Jan- uary, 1864, and after Its veteran furlough joined Sher- man's army at Chattanooga and was In the Atlanta Campaign. Much of the time after that Its Colonel, A.
270 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
G. Malloy, commanded a brigade. The regiment was in many battles and skirmishes in the Atlanta Campaign and went with Sherman to the Sea. It was, as might have been expected, strickly a fighting regiment and re- flected honor upon Its state throughout Its service. Its Colonels were, John L. Dolan and A. G. Malloy. Col- onel Malloy, who had served as a captain In the Sixth Wisconsin Infantry, was breveted a brigadier general and was for many years after the war a prominent resi- dent of Texas. Its loss In killed and died of wounds was, 37, and died of disease, 177.
The Eighteenth W^IsconsIn left Milwaukee March 30th, 1862. It had not been drilled as a regiment, was poorly armed and wholly unprepared for active service, and yet within a week was plunged Into one of the real- ly great battles of the Civil War, Shiloh. It was sur- prised by the Confederates early In the morning of April 6th, but in spite of that took up the work of a fighting regiment and made a creditable record, losing many val- uable officers, Including the colonel and a large number of men. Colonel S. H. Alban was killed early In the en- gagement; Lieutenant Colonel S. W. Beall, who had been lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, was severely wounded and Major J. W. Crain was killed. In this battle the Eighteenth lost, 25 killed and 91 wounded. At the battle of Corinth, the following October, it was sharply engaged again, losing heavily in killed and wounded, but adding greatly to its reputation as a fighting regiment. Captain Gabriel Bouck of the Sec- ond Wisconsin had been made colonel to succeed Colo-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 271
nel Alban killed at Shiloh. The Eighteenth was another of Wisconsin's regiments at the battle and siege of Vicksburg. The regiment reached Chattanooga in time to take part in the battle of Mission Ridge, November 25th, 1863, and from there went to Huntsville, where they remained on guard and outpost duty until May, 1 864. Most of its duty from that time to the end of the war consisted of important guard and outpost service, aside from the part it took in the Confederate attack on Allstoona Pass. There were stored at Allstoona Pass an immense quantity of army supplies. The Confeder- ate army needed those supplies and they attacked with great force and vigor, but the small force of Union troops stationed there fought as soldiers are seldom called upon to fight. The Eighteenth was a portion of this force and won for itself great praise and great dis- tinction. It was in this battle that General Sherman sig- nalled to General Corse from Kenesaw Mountain to hold the position for he was coming. From this dispatch came that wonderful song, ''Hold the Fort, for I Am Coming." General Corse had received previous to tITe receipt of Sherman's message several wounds and sig- nalled back to Sherman, "I have lost an ear, part of a cheek and am wounded in one arm, but I will hold the Fort until Hades freezes over." It was one of the sharpest battles of that grade fought during the war and to this day many wonder how that small force could check and drive back a whole division of Confederates. While the Eighteenth did not march with Sherman to the Sea, it joined Sherman's army by traveling on boats
272 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
and railroads. It reached Sherman's army the last of March and was with him until Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, surrendered, soon after which Johnston and his army laid down their arms. The Eighteenth had three colonels, J. S. Alban, Gabriel Bouck and Charles H. Jackson.
CHAPTER XIV
Wisconsin Regiments in the West and South- west, Continued
rr^
HE Twentieth Infantry, after spending a week at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, ear- H ly in Septebmber, 1862, went to RoUa,
Jl^ Missouri. Rolla was then the end of
the Pacific Railroad. From there, the same month, they went to Springfield, Missouri. The colonel, Bertine Pinkney, who first went out as major of the Third Wisconsin, was placed in command of a bri- gade and the regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Bertram. At this time, October, 1862, there were rumors that the Confederate General Hind- man, with a large army, was planning an attack on the Union army much smaller in size. Various detachments had narrow escapes from clashing, but the chief battle of the campaign did not take place until the 7th of De- cember, 1862. It occurred at Prairie Grove, Arkansas, and proved to be one of the most stubborn contests, con- sidering the number of men engaged on both sides, of the war. The Confederates had an army of nearly thir- ty thousand men, some of whom had been in the service for a year and a half and were well tried soldiers and thoroughly disciplined. The combined forces of Gener- als Herron and G. Blunt, Union commanders, were not much more than half as large as the Confederates. The battle began about ten o'clock in the forenoon and lasted until night. The Twentieth Wisconsin had participated in various smaller engagements, but was not in any sense dismayed in this its first decisive and great battle. Gen- eral Herron, in writing to Governor Salomon, of Wis- consin, spoke of its conduct and famous charge in the
275
2/6 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
highest terms of praise. The regiment lost over 200 in killed and wounded in that battle and made its repu- tation for soldiership and courage under fire, and was ever after known as one of the thoroughly reliable reg- iments. The Twentieth remained at Prairie Grove un- til the last week in December and then, with the Army of the Frontier, marched to Van Buren, Arkansas, in the hope of capturing the enemy's supplies. The expe- dition was in every way successful, but in this campaign the regiment suffered no loss, though it had many hard- ships. The Twentieth held an important point at the siege of Vicksburg and was at the surrender of that large Confederate force, which was a victory for the armies of the southwest equal to that of the army of the East at Gettysburg. While the regiment had much hard and vexatious work from that on to the end of the war, it escaped without heavy losses. Its part at Spanish Fort was an important one and added to the regiment's rep- utation for bravery and good work. The regiment re- mained near Mobile, Alabama, until late In July, 1865, when five companies were sent to Texas where they were employed in guard duty for a time. The regiment reached Madison on the 30th of July and was paid off ami the men started for their homes ten days later. The 1 wcnticth had two colonels, Bertlne Pinkney and Henry Bertram. Its losses were 93 killed and died of wounds, and 133 from disease.
1 he 1 wenty-first Infantry, the most of whose officers had seen scr\icc in other regiments in actual warfare, including Colonel Sweet, Lieutenant Colonel Hobart,
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 277
Major Schumacher and Adjutant Fitch, entered Ken- tucky from Cincinnati in the middle of September, 1862, and marched to Louisville, then threatened by Bragg's Army in its movements to invade the North. In less than a month from the time it left the state the Twenty- first was called upon to engage in battle at Perryville, October 8th. It was a disastrous battle so far as the Twenty-first was concerned, but a defeat for Bragg's Army. The Twenty-first, though splendidly officered, had not been long enough in the service to become im- mured to the long marches and hard fighting, but the men fought like veterans. Major Schumacher was killed, Colonel Sweet twice wounded, the last resulting in disabling him for life and preventing his further ac- tive service in the field during the war. In no subse- quent battle did the regiment suffer so greatly in killed and wounded. Its loss at Perryville in killed and wounded was 145. Lieutenant Colonel Harrison C. Hobart was not able to join the regiment until after the battle of Perryville, but was with it at the battle of Stone River, where it added new honors to itself and credit to its state. Its next general engagement, though it had had several skirmishes, was Chickamauga where it suf- fered greatly both from killed and wounded and loss of prisoners. It was at this battle that Colonel Hobart and a considerable number of his regiment were made prisoners. Colonel Hobart was taken to Libby Prison and when it was decided to tunnel out of that prison, he was assigned to an important duty in the labor of mak- ing the tunnel and placed in charge when the exodus
278 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
took place. After all who had been selected passed through the tunnel had escaped, Hobart brought up the rear and was among those who safely reached the Union lines. He did not rejoin the regiment until the spring of 1864, when it was located on Lookout Mountain. The regiment was among those that were constantly kept at the front and missed none of the great engage- ments from Chattanooga to Atlanta and marched with the army to the Sea. General Hobart, in the Atlanta Campaign, and after, was in command of a brigade most of the time. Because of his ability as a commander and his good conduct in battle, he was made a brigadier general. Adjutant Fitch was promoted to major and lieutenant colonel and was made colonel by brevet. He was a distinguished soldier, making his way from the ranks where he began the spring of 1861 in a company that was assigned to the Sixth Wisconsin with which he served more than a year before going to the Twenty- first. Colonel Fitch wrote a highly interesting history of the campaigns of the Twenty-first. That regiment was a participant in the closing battles of Sherman*s army in the Carolinas and in those battles lost many in killed and wounded. Its two colonels were Benjamin J. Sweet and Harrison C. Hobart, both wxll known in civil life before and after the war. It lost during its nearly three years in service, 114 killed and died of wounds and 172 from disease.
The 1 wenty-second was organized by Colonel W. L. Utlcy who, up to that time, had been the efficient Adju- tant General of the state. After the war he was distin-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 279
guished as a Wisconsin editor. The regiment entered Kentucky from Cincinnati September 22nd, 1862, very soon after going South. It had a peculiar experience. An order had been issued directing regimental com- manders to return to their masters slaves who had con- nected themselves with the army as servants. Colonel Utley refused to obey that order and was promptly in- dicted by a Kentucky court, when a sheriff was directed to arrest him, but the sheriff was wise enough not to at- tempt such an enterprise. Colonel Halbert E. Paine, of the Fourth regiment, which was converted into cavalry, had an experience very much like that of Colonel Utley, but was given a great deal more trouble by the Southern authorities than came to the Colonel of the Twenty-sec- ond. In its first battle, known as Spring Hill, Kentucky, the regiment was unfortunate. After heroic fighting it suffered defeat, with the rest of the command, which had been met by an overwhelming force, and lost many in prisoners as well as a number In killed and wounded. Colonel Utley was among the prisoners and with him were eleven other commissioned officers and many en- listed men. On the 25th of March, 1863, while on the way to Brentwood Station, with a portion of the Twen- ty-second that had not been captured the year before, un- der the command of Lieutenant Colonel Edward Blood- good, It was suddenly attacked by a large portion of General Forrest's division of Confederate cavalry. The Unionists were completely surrounded and though mak- ing a stubborn show of resistance were finally com- pelled to surrender. Thus It will be seen that this splen-
28o WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
did regiment met disaster after disaster soon after going south, through no fault of Its officers, and not because of any lack of soldiership on the part of the men. Upon the release of the prisoners the regiment was reorgan- ized at St. Louis and early in July proceeded to Nash- ville and from there to Murfresboro where it remained for some time. The Spring of 1864, the regiment joined the army of Sherman and participated in the Atlanta Campaign. Its first battle was at Rasaca, Georgia, May 15th, where it greatly distinguished itself. Its losses in killed and wounded were given at 73, and at Dallas, on the 25 th of the same month, it again lost heavily in killed and wounded. It was at the battle of Kenesaw Moun- tain where it won the praise of brigade and division commanders for splendid work. Its next sharp engage- ment was at Peach Tree Creek, where Its loss was report- ed as 44 killed and wounded. It was at Peach Tree Creek, In that great campaign, that the late President Benjamin Harrison, while in command of a brigade won his com- mission as brigadier general. When he was a candidate for president in 1888, one of the telling campaign speeches was a graphic description of his heroic conduct on the field of battle at Peach Tree Creek. The regi- ment's duties were Important on the march from Atlanta to the Sea. While the record of the Twenty-second was a stomiy one almost from first to last it has always been recognized as one of Wisconsin's strong regiments. Its loss in killed and died of wounds was 67, and died from disease, 159. William L. Utley and Edward Blood- pnod were its two colonels.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 281
The Twenty-third Wisconsin was sent to General Sherman near Memphis to join his force In the first at- tack on VIcksburg, which took place In December, 1862. Its first work was In destroying railroads and bridges In the vicinity of Millikin's Bend. It participated in Sher- man's unsuccessful expedition against VIcksburg and was also present at the attack on Arkansaw Post. In this attack the regiment was taken at a disadvantage by receiving an unexpected enfiloding fire from a fortified position in which the Confederates had several pieces of artillery. The regiment was obliged to change front under fire, which Is always regarded as an extremely dif- ficult task while in battle. Just as the regiment was about to engage In what was expected to be a daring and dan- gerous charge the enemy hoisted a white flag and sur- rendered unconditionally. It was at that fight that this Wisconsin regiment, largely made up of farmer boys, definitely established its reputation as a fighting ma- chine. Its losses In killed and wounded in this action were 37. From that time until the VIcksburg Campaign the regiment was engaged in guard duty, occasionally participating in an expedition and engaging in slight skirmishes. It was a part of the Thirteenth army corps in the siege of VIcksburg. The twenty-third was at the battle of Champion Hills, acquitting itself with great credit as it had at the battle of Black River Bridge. Its losses from the 20th to the 22nd of May, 1863, inclu- sive, were very heavy. After the battle of VIcksburg the regiment was engaged in many arduous campaigns, making long marches, lending a hand in laying track on
282 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
railroads and building bridges and occasionally taking an active part in a skirmish or a battle of more or less importance. On November ist of that year, in an en- gagement at Bayou Bordeaux, the regiment was thrown into action much to its disadavantage but not to its dis- may. In this fight where very much depended upon the work of the Twenty-third, the regiment lost 45 In killed and wounded. It also took part In Banks' famous Red River Expedition in 1864 and was engaged in one of the battles of that unfortunate affair. The regiment was mustered out at Mobile, Alabama, July 4th, 1865. Its losses in killed and died of wounds were 38, and died from disease, 249.
While Milwaukee contributed some to twenty differ- ent regiments. In some Instances as high as eight com- panies and in several Instances two companies. It was not until the Twenty-fourth Infantry was called for that she contributed nearly all of the men required to make up a regiment. Herman L. Page prominent In business, Ma- sonic and Odd Fellow circles, both in the city and state, was appointed lieutenant colonel and It was under his energetic direction that the regiment was recruited. Ma- jor Charles H. Larabee, who had been connected with the Fifth Wisconsin for more than a year, was ap- pointed colonel. Lieutenant Colonel Page resigned be- fore the regiment left the state and was succeeded by E. L. Buttrick, a Milwaukee lawyer, who afterwards be- came Colonel of the Thirty-ninth Wisconsin and for many years has been a prominent resident of West Vlr- pinia. The regiment left the state early in September,
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 283
1862, and was in due time added to the force assigned to the work of driving Bragg and his Confederate Army south, thus preventing what promised at one time to be a most serious invasion of the north.
The Twenty-fourth, within a month after it reached the south, was called upon to engage in the hotly con- tested field of Perryville, some times called Chaplin Hills. Notwithstanding its newness, Its lack of drill and military experience, the Twenty-fourth, in this Its first engagement, established a reputation for ability to with- stand the shock of shot and shell and storms of bullets. Its position was such that it was obliged to face a much superior force in close action, yet It conducted Itself like a regiment of veterans, losing In killed and wounded, 77. Between that time and the battle of Stone River it not only did much in the way of completing its discipline but a great deal of guard duty. At Stone River it was again placed where the firing was as heavy as In any por- tion of the line. It was an active participant In the cam- paign which resulted In the capture of Chattanooga and at one of the truly great battles of the Civil War, Chick- amauga, It suffered greatly from killed and wounded, the number reaching 79. Its conduct in these three de- cisive battles was such as to win for it the praise of su- perior officers. At the Battle of Stone River It fought under the eye of General Phil Sheridan and ever after that he regarded it as one of the best regiments in his command and never wearied in commending it.
It has become an established fact that the Twenty- fourth Wisconsin was the first to begin the advance up
ni-19
284 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
Mission Ridge in the battle of November 25th, 1863. A paper read by Captain E. B. Parsons, of that regiment, before the Loyal Legion, explained how It happened. While the army was resting at the foot of the ridge, and before General Thomas had given the command to ad- vance, General Grant being at his side, the movement began. Captain Parsons explains the matter by saying that Sheridan, while sitting on his horse at the side of a cabin, and a little in the rear of the Twenty-fourth Wisconsin, lifted his hat and bowed, which motions were taken as an order for that regiment to advance, and the order to advance was given by Captain Parsons, the commanding officer of the Twenty-fourth. The minute that regiment started regiments on its right and left moved forward and in a very short time one of the great victories of the war was won. Histor}^ states that Gen- eral Grant, when he saw the army advancing up the ridge, turned to General Thomas and asked, "General, did you give the order to advance?" "I did not, sir.'* "Who did give the order to advance?" 'T do not know, sir." It Is claimed that General Grant said "whoever did give the order will regret It," but it was so great a success that no one was caused any trouble because it was won without proper orders from the proper command- ing officers.
It was in this action that Adjutant Arthur MacAr- thur performed a deed which set him on the direct road to promotion. The color bearer fell. Adjutant Mac- Arthur sprang to his side, took the colors and led the regiment over the Confederates works. The promotion
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 285
followed In due time when he was commissioned major. For its work at Mission Ridge the Twenty-fourth was given still more hearty praise and won a still warmer place in the heart of its division commander, General Phil Sheridan. The command played a prominent part in the never to be forgotten campaign from Chatta- nooga to Atlanta and then separated from Sherman's Army and joined the force in pursuit of General Hood. In the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, November 30th, 1864, a battle notable for its fierce fighting, frightful loss of officers on the part of thQ Confederate army, thir- teen of its generals having been killed and wounded, it won new honors. A charge was made by the Twenty- fourth in connection with Opdyke's brigade, which made it possible to prevent a disastrous defeat and rout. In all of its splendid work from Perryville to the end of the war it never did greater service than that performed at the battle of Franklin. It also participated in the bat- tle of Nashville on the 15th and i6th of December, 1864, and In pursuit of General Hood, whose proud army was scattered to the four winds and was never re- organized. The Twenty-fourth had three Colonels, Charles H. Larabee, T. S. West and Arthur MacAr- thur. The latter did not muster as colonel because the regiment had not a sufficient number of men to warrant it. Its losses in killed and died of wounds were 96, and died from disease, 77.
The Twenty-fifth Infantry had a little experience in Minnesota In the Indian campaign of 1862, but was sent south In February, 1863, and became a part of the Six-
286 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
teenth army corps and joined Grant's army at Vlcksburg early In June, remaining there until after the surrender and performing well every duty assigned to It. Its ser- vice under Sherman from Chattanooga to Atlanta and from there to the Sea was hard throughout the campaign and the regiment was depended upon on numerous oc- casions for highly important duty, and was frequently engaged in severe battles. While its losses in killed and wounded were not as great as many of the regiments, it lost from disease a larger number than any other regi- ment from the state. This is the regiment of which the late Governor and Cabinet minister, J. M. Rusk, was an officer. He went out with it as major, became lieuten- ant colonel and as such commanded it in many of Its campaigns and battles and was promoted to brevet bri- gadier general and for some time commanded a brigade. General Rusk told this story on himself: While going through North Carolina in command of a brigade his troops went Into camp In a pine forest and when two days later it broke camp nearly every man, because of the pitch pine smoke, was nearly as dark skinned as the colored people. While General Rusk was riding at the head of his brigade, his face nearly as black as a crow's wing, he heard some southern people on the roadside say, "For Gawd sake, if the Yankees haven't been obliged to put niggers in command of their brigades/' Colonel Montgomery of the regiment lost an arm in battle and was breveted a brigadier general. The Twen- ty-fifth's loss in killed and wounded was 42, and died from disease, 376.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 287
The Twenty-seventh Infantry, very largely composed of Germans, went to Columbus, Kentucky, in March, 1863, and remained there until the end of May, did guard duty and took position in the rear line of intrench- ments at Vicksburg, doing much picket duty and con- tributing largely in the construction of fortifications. From there the regiment went to Helena, Arkansas. It participated in the campaign which resulted In the cap- ture of Little Rock, Arkansas, where it remained for some time. It was engaged in several skirmishes and battles and was present at the decisive, and one of the last battles of the war. Fort Blakely. It was mustered out of service at Madison, September 17th, 1865. Its only Colonel was Conrad Krez, a prominent Sheboygan lawyer who afterwards moved to Milwaukee, served as Collecter of Customs and City Attorney. He was bre- vetted a brigadier general. The regiment lost in killed and died of wounds, 23, and from disease, 222.
The Twenty-eighth reached Columbus, Kentucky, late in December, 1862, and was employed in strength- ening fortifications and doing guard duty, but was sent to Helena, Arkansas, the last week in January, 1863. It participated in an important expedition to DuvalPs Bluff Arkansas, where it assisted In the destruction of railroads, bridges and other Confederate property. It returned to Helena. Later on It went out with a force on an expedition In the interest of Grant's coming cam- paign against Vicksburg, In which It was successful. On this expedition It was drawn Into several skirmishes but suffered no loss. Upon Its return to Helena it gave con-
288 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
siderable time to building fortifications and in getting ready to meet a threatened attack. On July 4th, 1863, the attack was made early in the morning. The Con- federates had marched all night with a large force ex- pecting to surprise the Unionists, then commanded by General Frederick Salomon, a Wisconsin man, but the northern pickets gave the alarm and when the movement on the works was begun the commands in blue were ready to receive the enemy. The battle raged with great ferocity during the day, which was an exceedingly hot one and resulted in a complete Union victory, the Con- federates retreating in a demoralized and broken condi- tion.
Colonel E. B. Gray w^as in command of the Twenty- eighth in this battle and won much distinction for the ability and courage with which he handled his men and he and his regiment were commended by General Salo- non and other officers for bravery and excellent w^ork. Colonel Gray entered the service as a captain in the Fourth Wisconsin and soon after the Twenty-eighth was organized was its major. He will be remembered as a leading member of the Grand Army of the Republic, having twice been selected as Adjutant General, once under Commander-in-Chief Lucius Fairchild and a second time under Commander-in-Chief A. G. Weissert. 1 Ic also served as department commander. The regi- ment was stationed at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, through the winter of 1863-4, and occasionally was sent out on ex- peditions. When it was near Mt. Elba it assisted in the capture of 300 prisoners. For a considerable time up
WISCONSIN AS A STATE
289
1
I
to November 30th, 1864, the regiment was on duty at Pine Bluff, engaged In skirmishes and fatigue duty, when It returned to Little Rock, Arkansas, and took part In a second expedition to Mt. Elba. After that It was sent to Algiers and other points In Louisiana. It was a part of the force engaged In the Mobile campaign toward the close of the war, and was at Spanish Fort. It was a regiment made up of splendid material, finely officered and failed In none of the duties assigned to It. This regi- ment has been fortunate In having had a regimental re- union organization for more than twenty years and held an annual reunion. By this means there has been col- lected and put In convenient shape an Interesting history of the regiment's services In the late war for the Union. Its first colonel was J. M. Lewis and Its last one E. B. Gray. Its loss In killed and died of wounds was 10, and of disease 222.
The Twenty-ninth Infantry was also early sent to Arkansas after leaving the state. It participated In the expedition against Arkansas Post. The Intention was to go by way of White River, but the low stage of water rendered It Impossible to float the transports. It re- turned to Its camp at Helena, where It was employed in building fortifications and In other camp duty until De- cember 25th, when it went down the river and captured Friar's Point. On the 28th of that month Colonel Gill, In command of 400 of his own regiment, was sent In pursuit of General Forrest, whom he overtook and put to flight. The regiment under the direction of Colonel Gill had a great deal to do In preventing the unlawful
288 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
sldcrable time to building fortifications and in getting ready to meet a threatened attack. On July 4th, 1863, the attack was made early in the morning. The Con- federates had marched all night with a large force ex- pecting to surprise the Unionists, then commanded by (jeneral Frederick Salomon, a Wisconsin man, but the northern pickets gave the alarm and when the movement on the works was begun the commands In blue were ready to receive the enemy. The battle raged with great ferocity during the day, which w^as an exceedingly hot one and resulted in a complete Union victory, the Con- federates retreating in a demoralized and broken condi- tion.
Colonel E. B. Gray was in command of the Twenty- eighth in this battle and won much distinction for the ability and courage with w^hlch he handled his men and he and his regiment w^ere commended by General Salo- non and other officers for bravery and excellent w'ork. Colonel Gray entered the service as a captain in the Fourth Wisconsin and soon after the Twenty-eighth was organized was Its major. He will be remembered as a leading member of the Grand Army of the Republic, having twice been selected as Adjutant General, once under Commander-in-Chief Lucius Falrchild and a second time under Commander-in-Chief A. G. Welssert. 1 le also served as department commander. The regi- ment was stationed at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, through the winter of 1863-4, and occasionally was sent out on ex- peditions. When it was near Mt. Elba it assisted In the capture of 300 prisoners. For a considerable time up
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 289
to November 30th, 1864, the regiment was on duty at Pine Bluff, engaged in skirmishes and fatigue duty, when it returned to Little Rock, Arkansas, and took part in a second expedition to Mt. Elba. After that it was sent to Algiers and other points in Louisiana. It was a part of the force engaged in the Mobile campaign toward the close of the war, and was at Spanish Fort. It was a regiment made up of splendid material, finely ofHicered and failed in none of the duties assigned to it. This regi- ment has been fortunate in having had a regimental re- union organization for more than twenty years and held an annual reunion. By this means there has been col- lected and put in convenient shape an interesting history of the regiment's services in the late war for the Union. Its first colonel was J. M. Lewis and its last one E. B. Gray. Its loss In killed and died of wounds was 10, and of disease 222.
The Twenty-ninth Infantry was also early sent to Arkansas after leaving the state. It participated In the expedition against Arkansas Post. The intention was to go by way of White River, but the low stage of water rendered It Impossible to float the transports. It re- turned to Its camp at Helena, where It was employed in building fortifications and in other camp duty until De- cember 25th, when it went down the river and captured Friar's Point. On the 28th of that month Colonel Gill, in command of 400 of his own regiment, was sent in pursuit of General Forrest, whom he overtook and put to flight. The regiment under the direction of Colonel Gill had a great deal to do in preventing the unlawful
290 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
gathering and sale of cotton in that part of the South. Like most of the troops sent to that portion of the ene- my's country, the Twenty-ninth was obliged to do a large amount of marching, much of it over next to im- passable roads and in unfavorable weather. Troops would much prefer to have a reasonable amount of hard fighting than to do the amount of marching and hunt- ing for the enemy that both the Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth regiments were compelled to indulge in. The Twenty-ninth was called upon for many sacrifices in the campaign which resulted in the surrender of Vicksburg. In one day's fight it lost in killed and wounded 70 men, and at the Battle of Champion Hills it lost 1 20 killed and wounded. It was certain to be drawn into every engagement that occurred in. its vicin- ity. One reason for this is found in the fact that it could always be depended upon to do what it was ordered to do. It was among Wisconsin regiments chosen to take a part in the Red River expedition under General Banks, the campaign which for all around bad manage- ment seems to have had no equal in the Civil War. Its closing campaign was in 1865, when Mobile and the forts in that vicinity were captured. Nearly every bri- gade commander and some of the division commanders commended the Twenty-ninth for its service. It had 77 killed and 210 died of disease. Its colonels were C. R. Ciill, William A. Green and Bradford Hancock. Col- onel Ciill served the state as attorney general two terms and for a time was United States commissioner of pen- sions.
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 291
The Thirtieth Infantry spent most of its time in Min- nesota in consequence of the demand for troops to pro- tect the settlers from Indian raids. Its duty was the kind which soldiers dislike in time of war. The colonel, D. J. Dill, was a captain in the Sixth Wisconsin in the beginning of the war and was in all respects an excellent soldier, and repeatedly made efforts to have his com- mand sent South, where it could have a part in fighting great battles and winning victories, but the authorities refused to comply with his repeated appeals. It»marched thousands of miles during the last few months of the war, did prominent guard duty and participated in ex- peditions in Kentucky. It was kept in service until Sep- tember, 1865, arriving at Madison to be disbanded September 25th. It lost one killed and one died of wounds, 67 died of disease.
The Thirty-first Wisconsin was sent to Kentucky and from there to Nashville, Tennessee, and was employed in guarding railroads, repairing and building bridges, keeping a close watch on the enemy and doing more or less in the line of building fortifications, including block houses at points convenient for the protection of rail- roads. It joined Sherman's army in the great campaign of 1864, in July, at Marietta, Georgia, and from that time was an active participant in the battles and marches which resulted in the capture of Atlanta, and then joined in the campaign to the Carolinas and had a part in the more important battles fought by Sherman's army until the surrender of Johnston. It played an important part in the Battle of Bentonville, where it lost 52 men killed
292 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
and wounded. Lieutenant Colonel F. H. West became
colonel when Colonel Messmore resigned, and ^^as
brevetted a brigadier general for splendid conduct at | I^'
the Battle of Bentonville. It lost 22 killed and died of
wounds and 92 from disease.
The Thirts'-second Infantry campaigned in Tenne^jce and Mississippi early in its history after going So^ th, having several engagements with both Confederate av- alry and infantry. It was with General Sherman in the expedition to Meridian, did a great deal of work ir de- stroying the enemy's railroads and bridges. After that it did hard service in Tennessee and Kentucky, and on August 4th, 1864, joined Sherman's army in the {;iege of Atlanta, and a few days later took position cloie to the enemy's fortifications, where it was constantly under fire until the 24th of that month. It was in the flank movement at the Battle of Jonesboro, in which enter- prise it lost 22 killed and w^ounded. It accompanied Sherman to the sea and w^as one of the regiments that had the good or bad fortune to go into nearly every bat- tle fought by any portion of the army engaged in the march through the Carolinas. It was mustered out of service the 12th of June, while in camp near Washing- ton, D. C, and returned to its state for disbandment, having won many honors and reflected high credit upon Wisconsin. It had as colonels James H. Howe and Charles H. DeGroat, both of whom were made briga- diers by brc\L't. The losses were 27 killed and 243 died ni disease.
The Thirty-third Infantry landed at Memphis No-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE
293
vember i6th, 1862, and its colonel, J. B. Moore, was very soon afterwards placed in command of a brigade. It took part in General Grant's Expedition to Jackson, Mississippi, and a little later was with General Sherman in one of his expeditions. It was through the Vicksburg campaign, but a good share of the time was held in re- serve. Its losses in that campaign were comparatively light. It did a great deal of marching and fighting through the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri. It was in General A. J. Smith's corps the last months of the war and took part in the campaign and battles of that distinguished general's command. It was in the Mobile campaign, where it was several times engaged, losing heavily in killed and wounded. Its ser- vice ended at Vicksburg, August 8th, 1865, when it was sent to Madison and disbanded. Its colonel was brev- etted a brigadier general. The service of this regiment, like that of a number of Wisconsin regiments in the Western Army, consisted largely in its valuable work in protecting military lines from attacks of the vigilant enemy and in long marches and important expeditions, frequently showing rare soldiership in battles which have never been given the place in history that their im- portance deserve. The Thirty-third Regiment lost in killed and died of wounds, 27, and died from disease, 167.
The Thirty- fourth Wisconsin was composed of drafted men and went to Columbus, Kentucky, where it was given garrison and fatigue duty throughout its nine months, when it returned to Wisconsin and was mus-
292 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
— — — -*
and wounded. Lieutenant Colonel F. H. West became colonel when Colonel Messmore resigned, and 'v^as brevctted a brigadier general for splendid conduct at the Battle of Bentonville. It lost 22 killed and died of wounds and 92 from disease.
The Thirt}^-second Infantry campaigned In Tennessee and Mississippi early in its history after going Sot th, having several engagements with both Confederate av- alry and infantry. It was w^ith General Sherman in the expedition to Meridian, did a great deal of work ir de- stroying the enemy's railroads and bridges. After that it did hard service in Tennessee and Kentucky, and on August 4th, 1864, joined Sherman's army in the {;Iege of Atlanta, and a few days later took position cloie to the enemy's fortifications, where it was constantly under hre until the 24th of that month. It was In the flank movement at the Battle of Jonesboro, In which enter- prise it lost 22 killed and wounded. It accompanied Sherman to the sea and was one of the regiments that had the good or bad fortune to go Into nearly every bat- tle fought by any portion of the army engaged in the march through the Carolinas. It was mustered out of service the 12th of June, while in camp near Washing- ton, D, C, and returned to Its state for disbandment, having won many honors and reflected high credit upon Wisconsin. It had as colonels James H. Howe and Charles H. DeGroat, both of whom were made briga- diers by brevet. The losses were 27 killed and 243 died of disease.
The Thirty-third Infantry landed at Memphis No-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 293
vember i6th, 1862, and its colonel, J. B. Moore, was very soon afterwards placed in command of a brigade. It took part in General Grant's Expedition to Jackson, Mississippi, and a little later was with General Sherman in one of his expeditions. It was through the Vicksburg campaign, but a good share of the time was held in re- serve. Its losses in that campaign were comparatively light. It did a great deal of marching and fighting through the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri. It was in General A. J. Smith's corps the last months of the war and took part in the campaign and battles of that distinguished general's command. It was in the Mobile campaign, where it was several times engaged, losing heavily in killed and wounded. Its ser- vice ended at Vicksburg, August 8th, 1865, when it was sent to Madison and disbanded. Its colonel was brev- etted a brigadier general. The service of this regiment, like that of a number of Wisconsin regiments in the Western Army, consisted largely in its valuable work in protecting military lines from attacks of the vigilant enemy and in long marches and important expeditions, frequently showing rare soldiership in battles which have never been given the place in history that their im- portance deserve. The Thirty-third Regiment lost in killed and died of wounds, 27, and died from disease, 167.
The Thirty-fourth Wisconsin was composed of drafted men and went to Columbus, Kentucky, where it was given garrison and fatigue duty throughout its nine months, when it returned to Wisconsin and was mus-
294 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
tered out. It participated in no expeditions, saw no fighting and lost 30 from disease.
The Thirty-fifth Wisconsin left Benton Barracks April 26th, 1864, expecting to join General Banks In his Red River campaign, but was disappointed in secur- ing transportation and went on to New Orleans, and was sent from there to Port Hudson the first week in May, where it remained until the last week in June. The sum- mer of 1864 it spent largely in Arkansas and Mississippi in guard duty and on expeditions, and in February, 1865, was sent to Algiers, Louisiana. The regiment was at the Battle of Spanish Fort and started for Fort Blake- ly, but did not reach there in time to participate in its capture. It was sent to Texas after the war and a*e- mained in the service until March ist, 1866. It lost 2 killed and 259 died of disease. Its colonels were Henry Orff and George H. Walther. The latter had been a captain In the Seventh Wisconsin and a major In the Thirty-fourth.
The Thirty-sixth, Thirty-seventh and Thirty-eighth Wisconsin Regiments are referred to in connection with troops which served in the Armies of the East. The Thirty-ninth, Fortieth and Forty-first were called out in the summer of 1864 to serve 100 days, and that service was so well rendered that at the expiration of the term each member of the regiment was given a card of thanks written by President Lincoln. The service of these regi- ments was in the vicinity of Memphis and they had an opportunity to learn a good deal about actual warfare. They were at Memphis at the time of the famous For-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 295
rest raid. The hundred day regiments lost several in killed and wounded in that daring raid.
The calls for troops came thick and fast. States pre- ferred to raise regiments rather than fill their quotas by sending recruits to regiments at the front already well organized, well officered, in fact Regular soldiers, who in a few weeks would have taught the new recruits enough of military duty to prepare them for service, if not as good as their own in actual battle, certainly vastly better than they could have hoped to have been in new regiments, officered largely by men who had not had the advantage of military training. It was a wicked waste of good material and of treasure, not to say that it was unwise from a military standpoint.
The summer and fall of 1864 and the winter of 1865 regiments numbered from Forty-two to Fifty-three were organized. In the main they were made up of splendid material and would have done good service had they been called to assist in fighting battles. Some of them had much service in guard and garrison duty and in campaigns against roving bands of Confederates in Missouri and Kansas. Each regiment is referred to, and a list of its officers given In another part of this work.
CHAPTER XV
The Cavalry Volunteer Regiments and Light
Artillery
WISCONSIN sent four excellent regi- ments of cavalry to the front. Two of these regiments ranked with the very best of cavalry commands In either the Eastern or Western Armies. The First Cavalry was organized at Kenosha and most of the winter of 1861 was given thorough dis- cipline and drill, and when the regiment went South It was well fitted to engage In the hard work that was before It and which continued to the end of the war. It spent some time at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the spring of 1862. It assisted in the capture of Bloomfield from Cape Girardeau and was engaged in scouting In various parts of that section of the state. Most of the time during the war there was trouble In Missouri, but it was never greater than It was during 1862-3, aand in pretty nearly all of the trouble there the First Cavalry played a part in one way or another. It was on outpost duty, guarded bridges and fords, and sometimes less than a company were obliged to hold these positions In face of an Invading army, but the record shows that in no in- stance did that superb cavalry regiment, or any portion of It, fail to meet expectation.
It was In fact a model cavalry command. This Is par- ticularly true after La Grange became Its colonel. He was a natural born soldier, well adapted to the cavalry service. Later on its services extended to Tennessee and Georgia. It was a part of the force which met both Forrest and Wheeler's cavalry commands and was equal
299
111-20
300 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
to every emergency. It was extremely fortunate in the selection of its officers, only a few mistakes having been made. It lost several who had won distinction, and who, if their lives had been spared, without doubt would have won high rank and done invaluable service to their country. Among these are Major Nathan Paine, a graduate of Lawrence University, and Lieutenant Col- onel W. H. Torrey, who was about to be made a briga- dier general and given a brigade of cavalry. The First Cavalry, after a forced march, engaged in the Battle of West Point, Georgia, April i6th, 1865, when it lost 20 killed and wounded. That was the last of its score or more of sharply contested fields, but other duty was de- manded of it. The president of the Confederacy was endeavoring to escape from the country. The First Wisconsin, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Harnden was called upon to pursue and assist in the capture of the fleeing president and members of his cabinet. General Harnden and his soldiers were re- warded from the funds offered for the capture of Mr. Davis. General Harnden was made a brigadier general by brevet, as was Colonel La Grange. The regiment lost in action 72 killed and 293 died from disease.
The Second Cavalry was raised by C. C. Washburn, wh(j had served three terms in Congress from a Wiscon- sin district. It went South in March, 1862, was on duty at various points in Missouri, going from there to Ar- kansas, where it was depended upon by several different generals for scouting duty. In one of these expeditions the Second Cavalry marched 400 miles without losing a
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 301
man and returned to the Union lines with 150 prisoners. Colonel Washburn was made a brigadier general in June, 1862, and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Stephens succeeded him in command of the regiment. The regi- ment went through the Vicksburg command, and after that took part in a number of long and important expe- ditions. One battalion of the regiment returned to Missouri and was on duty in the vicinity of RoUa and Springfield, guarding army trains and scouting. More than any of the regiments from Wisconsin, the Second was called upon for escort and guard duty, though it by no means escaped battles. It lost in killed and wounded and died of wounds, 20, and 265 from disease. It had as colonels C. C. Washburn, Thomas Stephens and Nicholas H. Dale. Its closing service was in Texas, having gone there under the command of Major Gen- eral George A. Custer.
The Third Cavalry had for its first colonel ex-gov- ernor William A. Barstow, and Elias A. Calkins, for nearly fifty years a Wisconsin and Illinois editor, went out with the regiment as major and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Most of its service was in Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas. Its heaviest loss in any one en- gagement was at Baxter Springs, Kansas, when a Con- federate force dressed as Union soldiers surprised and slaughtered the better part of one of the troops. At the Battle of Prairie Grove, the regiment was in command of Lieutenant Colonel Calkins, who made a desperate effort to reach the field and then to be given an oppor- tunity to charge the enemy. The regiment was under
302 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
fire there and lost some of its men in various scoutino: expeditions in Arkansas. It engaged in skirmishes, los- ing both in killed and wounded, and prisoners as well. Its service, like that of the other cavalr}^ regiments, was active. It had little opportunity to rest and recuperate. It travelled many thousands of miles in the state named, saved millions of dollars and federal property from destruction by the enemy, supplied escorts for trains and generals, and did all of the hard duties that fall to a faithful body of soldiers. It lost in killed and died of wounds, 61, men, and from disease, 123. The colonels of the Third were William A. Barstow and Thomas Derry .
As I have already stated, the Fourth Wisconsin served as an infantry regiment until 1863, when it was converted into cavalry, and as a cavalry regiment took rank with the best in the service. While in the infantry, it went with Butler to New Orleans, was at the Battle of Baton Rouge in August, 1862, went with Sherman to Vicksburg in his first attempt to capture that city and was under fire most of the time while about Vicksburg, was in both Battles of Port Hudson and lost heavily. The serv'ices of the Fourth as a cavalry regiment was very largely in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee. At the close of the war it went with the army destined for Texas and served there until 1866. The Fourth had a longer term of service than any other regiment Wisconsin sent to the war, and gave to the service some of its best and most valuable officers. From the Fourth came General Harrison C. Hobart, General O. H. La-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 303
Grange, General Joseph Bailey, who did the country great service, and Halbert E. Paine, who served several terms in Congress and held various other positions in civil life. To have served in the Bonny Fourth Wisconsin Is an honor to any man. The Fourth had as colonels, and they were all superb soldiers and officers, Halbert E. Paine, S. A. Bean, Frederick E. Boardman, Joseph Bailey, Webster P. Moore and N. F. Craigue. The regiment lost In battle 103 and from disease 261.
LIGHT ARTILLERY
Wisconsin's thirteen batteries, with one exception, were called upon for unusually severe service, Including many long marches and hard battles. The First was with the command of General Morgan, which went to Cumberland Gap in 1862. While there It was learned that an overwhelming force of Confederates were marching upon the small force of the Federals had sta- tioned there and later was compelled to evacuate, mak- ing a forced march to the Ohio River, a distance of 200 miles. After that It was sent to Memphis and made a part of Sherman's expedition the latter part of 1862 and went to Vicksburg. It was prominently engaged In the Battle of Arkansas Post, fought under the eye of General Osterhaus, who In speaking of its work said he never saw artillery do better work and never saw a bat- tery managed better than the First was managed by Daniel Webster. The First also took a prominent part In the Battle of Champion Hills, and at the siege of
302 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
fire there and lost some of Its men In various scoutmg expeditions In Arkansas. It engaged In skirmishes, los- ing both In killed and wounded, and prisoners as well. Its service, like that of the other cavalry regiments, was active. It had little opportunity to rest and recuperate. It travelled many thousands of miles In the state named, saved millions of dollars and federal property from destruction by the enemy, supplied escorts for trains and generals, and did all of the hard duties that fall to a faithful body of soldiers. It lost In killed and died of wounds, 6^ men, and from disease, 123. The colonels of the Third were William A. Barstow and Thomas Derry^ .
As I have already stated, the Fourth Wisconsin served as an Infantry regiment until 1863, when it was converted Into cavalry, and as a cavalry regiment took rank with the best In the service. While In the Infantry, It went with Butler to New Orleans, was at the Battle of Baton Rouge In August, 1862, went with Sherman to Vicksburg in his first attempt to capture that city and was under fire most of the time while about Vicksburg, was In both Battles of Port Hudson and lost heavily. The services of the Fourth as a cavalry regiment was very largely in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee. At the close of the war It went with the army destined for Texas and served there until 1866. The Fourth had a longer term of service than any other regiment Wisconsin sent to the war, and gave to the service some of Its best and most valuable ofl'icers. From the Fourth came General Harrison C. Hobart, General O. H. La-
1
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 303
Grange, General Joseph Bailey, who did the country great service, and Halbert E. Paine, who served several terms in Congress and held various other positions in civil life. To have served in the Bonny Fourth Wisconsin is an honor to any man. The Fourth had as colonels, and they were all superb soldiers and officers, Halbert E. Paine, S. A. Bean, Frederick E. Boardman, Joseph Bailey, Webster P. Moore and N. F. Craigue. The regiment lost in battle 103 and from disease 261.
LIGHT ARTILLERY
Wisconsin's thirteen batteries, with one exception, were called upon for unusually severe service, including many long marches and hard battles. The First was with the command of General Morgan, which went to Cumberland Gap in 1862. While there it was learned that an overwhelming force of Confederates were marching upon the small force of the Federals had sta- tioned there and later was compelled to evacuate, mak- ing a forced march to the Ohio River, a distance of 200 miles. After that it was sent to Memphis and made a part of Sherman's expedition the latter part of 1862 and went to Vicksburg. It was prominently engaged in the Battle of Arkansas Post, fought under the eye of General Osterhaus, who in speaking of its work said he never saw artillery do better work and never saw a bat- tery managed better than the First was managed by Daniel Webster. The First also took a prominent part In the Battle of Champion Hills, and at the siege of
304 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
Vlcksburg was stationed in close proximity to the Con- federate fortifications and was under fire constantly. It did great execution against the enemy. It was in the Red River campaign, which so many other Wisconsin troops participated in. The First was recognized as In all respects a first class battery of light artillery. It lost 4 killed in battle and 23 died from disease.
The Third Battery was sent South the spring of 1862 and reached Pittsburg Landing three days after the Bat- tle of Shiloh had been fought. It was In active service in Alabama and Tennessee, and joined Buell In the re- treat to Louisville at the time Bragg threatened Invasion of the North. It was at the Battles of PerryvIUe, Stone River and Chlckamauga, and In all of these decisive battles did excellent execution. After the Battle of Chickamauga the battery was on duty at Chattanooga, as part of the force left to defend that city. Captain Lu H. Drury, a well known Wisconsin newspaper man, commanded the Third, and in one of the battles was In- jured so severely that no one but himself believed he would survive the wound, but he did and lived twenty years after the war. The Third lost 5 killed in action and 21 from disease.
The Fifth Battery was at New Madrid and vicinity until after the surrender of Island No. 10, when It took position in the siege of Corinth. After that the battery went to Nashville, where it did guard duty for a time and then joined Buell in his backward movement and remained with him in the advance against Bragg, and was at the Battle of Perryville, where it was called upon
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 305
for a great deal of active service. It was also at Stone River, where Captain Pinney was killed. It was an ac- tive participant in the great Battle of Chickamauga and went on the Atlanta campaign. It was particularly prominent at the Battles of Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro and the battles in the im- mediate vicinity of Atlanta, and joined in the gala trip to the sea. It lost 5 killed in battle and 19 from disease.
The Sixth was at the siege of Corinth and also at the Battle of Corinth, the 3d and 4th of October, 1862, where it held a post of great importance, much to its credit. It was in action at Port Gibson, Jackson, Cham- pion Hills and the siege of Vicksburg. One of its long- est marches, 240 miles, was from Mississippi to Chatta- nooga, Tennessee arriving at the latter point in time to take an active part in the Battle of Mission Ridge. The balance of its serv^ice was marked by hard and efficient work. It lost 6 killed and 20 from disease.
The Seventh also went to New Madrid, remaining for the surrender of Island No. 10. It was one of the batteries used to a large extent in raids against the Con- federate General Forrest and his large cavalry force. It was in many engagements of much and some of little im- portance, was depended upon to guard railroads and bridges for months at a time and was stationed at Memphis in 1864, at the time of the memorable raid under the leadership of General Forrest, who captured many of the Union soldiers, a severe punishment upon the Seventh Battery. Its losses for the war, 9 died of wounds and 19 from disease.
3o6 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
The Eighth Batten^ was sent to Missouri and from there to Cohimbus, Kentucky. It was with Buell's force in the retreat to Louisville and also in the advance In pursuit of Bragg, taking part In the Battle of Perry- ville. It was also at Stone River, Chlckamauga and Mission Ridge, making a splendid record as soldiers in. campaign, on the march and in battle. It had one killed and 26 died from disease.
The Ninth Battery put most of its time in traveling, occupying forts and guarding Government property. It was sent to Leavenworth, Kansas, and from there made a march of 450 miles, to Denver, one section went to Fort Earned, 480 miles. It was called upon to partici- pate in the campaigns against General Price in various portions of Missouri and Kansas. The Ninth was a splendid body of men who did their work exceptionally well. It entered many complaints, because it was not sent South where It could make a record as a fighting command. The Ninth lost 5 from disease.
The Tenth was sent to join General Halleck's army while the siege of Corinth was in progress and remained there until the Confederates retreated without a battle. From there it went to Nashville and was placed on guard duty and escorting at Nashville and Murfrees- boro until September, 1863, when it went to Anderson's Cross Roads, Sequatchie Valley, Tennessee, and spent the winter and spring. The spring of 1864 it was at- tached to General Kilpatrick's division of cavalry and from that time until the end of the war was given very lively work. Kilpatrick was the leader In many exciting
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 307
and dangerous expeditions. The battery was engaged in the Battles of Resaca and Calhoun Ferry. It was one of the great cavalry leader's reliable forces in the raid, around Atlanta in August, 1864, and went to the sea at- tached to the same cavalry division. It was with Kil- patrick at the time the Confederate General Wade Hampton surprised a portion of his force, when the Tenth Battery suffered a loss in guns and prisoners. The Tenth had 2 killed and 25 died of disease.
The service of the Eleventh, which was made up of surplus men recruited for thfe Seventeenth Wisconsin and served chiefly in West Virginia, was in numerous raids and skirmishes, devoting much time to guarding railroads, bridges and escorting trains. It was an excel- lent battery, commanded by an officer of superior ability and one who had served for a time in the Sixth Wiscon- sin Infantry — Captain John O'Rourke. It lost i killed and 2 from disease.
The Twelfth was called into action on many occasions and made a most enviable reputation. Previous to the Battle of luka, September 19th, 1862, It had done im- portant guard and scout duty. At that battle It was given a position that it was necessary to hold and It held it without flinching. General Charles S. Hamilton, who was In command, spoke highly of the work of the Twelfth. It gave most of the winter of 1863 to guard- ing railroads and bridges. It was in the Battles of Ray- mond, Jackson, Champion Hills and Vicksburg In 1863, and went to Chattanooga In the fall of that year, and from there to Bridgeport, and later to HuntsvIUe, Ala-
3o8 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
bama, where It remained on duty until June, 1864. One of its trying positions was at the Battle of Allatoona Pass, October 5th, 1864, when French's large division of Confederates attacked that pass, making several fierce charges and being driven back every time. The Twelfth was in action from the beginning to the end of the battle and was credited by its superior officers with having done great execution, of having been a power in the de- feat of French and his division of well trained Confed- erates. It went to the sea with' Sherman and was one of the few batteries which went into position at Savannah, Georgia, shelling Confederate fortifications. It lost 9 killed in battle and 22 from disease.
The Thirteenth Battery left the state in January, 1864, going to New Orleans, where it remained for a time and was then sent to Baton Rouge, where It did guard duty, remaining there until the end of the war, when it was discharged. It lost 12 from disease. It may be doubted if any state had thirteen batteries of light artillery which made a more creditable record than those which Wisconsin sent to that war.
Reference has already been made to the First Regi- ment of Heavy Artillery. Its service was in the main in the Army of the Potomac and close to Washington. Two of the batteries of this regiment were in the West and Southwest. Battery C went to Chickamauga late in 1863 and later to Athens, Moose Creek and Straw- bcrr\ Plains, I'ennessee. Battery D went to New Or- leans in February, 1864, and was on duty at Fort Jack- son, below New Orleans, and later was transferred to
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 309
Fort Burbsuk, firashler City, remaining there until June, 1865. It joined the regiment at Washington and was mustered out August i8th. Battery B was in a fort at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for a time, and then went to Fort Clay, Lexington, Kentucky, where it did garrison duty until it was mustered out of service. This regiment lost 4 killed and 63 died of disease.
Wisconsin should be credited with having furnished a majority of the men who made Battery B, Fourth United States Artillery, famous throughout the war be- cause of its constant active service and its great efficiency. When the Second, Sixth and Seventh Infantry Regi- ments from Wisconsin went into camp on Arlington Heights, opposite Washington, there was a regular bat tery. It had but recently returned from the Salt Lake expedition. Its captain witnessed these three Wisconsin regiments in drill, in camp, on dress parade and at re- views, and let it be known that he would like to recruit his battery from their ranks. Authority was given to do so. Over seventy men from these three regiments were assigned to Battery B and they were the backbone of the battery so far as enlisted men were concerned. The captain was afterwards made a brigadier general and assigned to command the brigade from which he re- cruited his battery. He has already been mentioned — General John Gibbon.
CHAPTER XVI
Various Subjects of Interest
WHILE much' space has been taken in naming all of the various military organizations Wisconsin sent to the Civil War, giving a list of the origi- nal officers and then mentioning the chief incidents connected with the service of all, it must be conceded that it has been space well occupied. A glance at that portion of the history will tell, though not in detail, what Wisconsin did, the part taken by each of the separate organizations, and other interesting histor- ical facts.
The record shows that in their army life, their cam- paigns and in great battles, not to mention hundreds of less prominent engagements, Wisconsin's soldiers took an important and honorable part. In some of the great battles, particularly Gainsville, Bull Run, South Moun- tain, Antiteam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Corinth, Ch'ickamauga, Mission Ridge and the long list of battles from Chattanooga to Atlanta, Wisconsin troops held positions where failure might have resulted in disaster to the army. This may be said of troops of other states but certainly not with more emphasis than it is said of the soldiers from Wisconsin. It was shown at the beginning of this work that Wis- consin was wholly unprepared for war. At the end of the war it was a well established fact, conceded by the great generals developed in the struggle. Grant, Sher- man, Thomas, Meade and Sheridan, that there were no better soldiers than those contributed by Wisconsin. Like the balance of the volunteer army of the Civil War days
313
314 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
thev were Regular troops in fact If not in name and were so recognized by nearly every Regular Army officer who came in contact with them. Aside from three or four graduates from West Point, Wisconsin's contribution of more than two thousand officers was made up of men who at the outset knew almost nothing about military affairs, but were splendid specimens of officers and sol- diers at the end of the w^ar. All of the graduates be- came general officers and a large number of the green volunteers won high rank as military commanders. One of Wisconsin's soldiers, Charles S. Hamilton, who went out in command of the Third Wisconsin, reached the rank of major general of volunteers, commanded a divi- sion, an army corps and for a short time one of the armies. The state at the end of the war was credited with three major generals, C. C. Washburn and Carl Scurz being the others. It also had three major generals by brevet, all of whom commanded brigades and divi- sions. They were Major Generals Lysander Cutler, Thomas H. Ruger and Frederick Salomon. There were ten brigadier generals of volunteers, Joseph Bailey who left the state a captain in the Fourth Infantry, Edward S. Bragg who was a captain in the Sixth, Lysander Cut- ler, colonel of the Sixth, Lucius Falrchild, a captain in tfie First, Rufus King the first general officer given the state, Halbert E. Paine, whose first commission w^as that of first lieutenant in the Second Wisconsin, Thomas H. Ruger, lieutenant colonel of the Third Wisconsin, Fred- rick Salomon, colonel of the Ninth and John C. Stark- weather colonel of the First. Twenty-eight other offi-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 315
cers ranking from major to colonel were made brigadier generals by brevet; Eleven lieutenant colonels were made colonels by brevet and seven majors were made lieutenant colonels by brevet ; Twenty-two captains were made majors by brevet; seven first lieutenants, captains by brevet. The state was honored by having six of its officers made majors and assigned to the adjutant gen- eral's department and fifteen other officers were made captains in the same department; thirty-six officers and other Wisconsin citizens were made captain and quarter- master; thirty-one, captains and commissaries, two sur- geons with the rank of major and twenty-four paymas- ters with the rank of major. All of these in the adjutant general's department, commissary department, surgeon general's department and paymaster's department were commissioned by the President of the United States. It is interesting to state, and it can be noted as an historical fact, that there were officers in Wisconsin of sufficient ability to have organized and commanded in actual war, after the close of our Civil War, an army of a quarter of a million. Four years previous there was not an of- ficer in the state who had commanded to exceed a com- pany of 100 men. It is also interesting to state that from among Wisconsin officers there were selected a long list to be transferred to the Regular Army. Three of these, Thomas H. Ruger, John P. Story and Arthur Mac Ar- thur have become major generals and one, if his life is spared, Arthur MacArthur, will be given the rank of lieutenant general and will have command of the Amer- ican Army. Several have become brigadier generals. In- 11-21
3 1 6 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
eluding Alexander McKenzie and J. W. Barlow. Colo- nel \V. T. Duggan, who went out as a private in the Fifth Wisconsin, Colonel William M. Wallace, of the Fifteenth Cavalry, Lieutenant Colonel W. W. Robinson of the quartermaster's department, Lieutenant Colonel L. W. Cooke, of the Twenty-sixth Infantry, Colonel P. H. Ray, of the Fourth Infantry, and Lieutenant Colonel Charles F. Powell of the engineer corps, who went out as a private in the Fifth Wisconsin, will be given the rank of brigadier general when they retire, because of their service in the Civil War. Adjutant J. A. Watrous, Sixth Wisconsin, entered the Regular Army in 1898 and retired as lieutenant colonel in 1904.
Wisconsin was the first state in the Union to originate and establish a home for soldier's orphans. The widow of Governor Harvey, who had taken deep interest in the war, began the labor of establishing Harvey General Hospital, and had visited various regiments and agitated for a home for orphans of soldiers. It was opened on a small scale January ist, 1866. That same year it be- came a benevolent state institution. By the close of the year 200 boys and girls were comfortably cared for. The Institution was kept In existence and carefully managed until the children of the soldiers killed in the war were able to care for themselves, when it was closed. In this worthy institution hundreds of orphan children were cared for, educated and fitted for useful lives. All over the country there are good men and women who have gratitude for the Wisconsin Home for Orphans of Sol- diers and recognize It as the place where they were giv-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 317
en the lessons which enables them to play well their part in the country their father's aided in redeeming and pur- ifying.
The death of Governor L. P. Harvey was a great loss to Wisconsin. He was Secretary of State at the begin- ning of the war and as such labored unceasingly as a helper to Governor Randall in organizing and equip- ping soldiers. He was elected governor the Fall of 1861 and from the date of his inauguration in January, 1862, until the time of his death April 19th, 1862, he not only labored unceasingly in the performance of those duties which fall to a governor at a time like that, but gave much time and thought to looking after the comfort of the men who had gone South to fight the battles of their country from his state. His good heart and warm sym- pathy prompted him to visit the battle field of Shiloh soon after the great contest. He visited all of Wiscon- sin's commands that participated in that battle, spent much time in the hospitals where the men from his state were suffering from wounds and disease and left for Madison April 19th, going to Savannah on the Tennes- see River. He expected to leave there the 20th but in- stead the boat which was to take him homeward ar- rived at Savannah that evening and in the transfer from the Dunleith to the Minnehaha, the governor fell be- tween the two boats. Prompt efforts were made to save his life by both Doctor Wilson, of Sharon, an old neigh- bor, and Doctor Clark, of Racine. The first reached his cane to- the governor, he grasped it and pulled it from the hand of the doctor; then Dr. Clark jumped in-
3i8 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
to the water and made a desperate effort to recover the fast disappearing governor. It Is believed that he was drawn under a fiatboat. The body was found more than sixty miles below Savannah, by some children and the citizens buried it. Later the remains were taken to Mad- ison and buried in Forest Hill Cemetery. Governor Harvey was truly a man of the people and one of the very strongest ever elected to the office of governor in the state. He was a native of Connecicut, attended the Western Reserve College of Ohio, taught school for a time in Kentucky and later was a tutor in Woodworth College, Cincinnati, and in December, 1841, established an Academy at Southport, now Kenosha. While there he was also editor of the Southport American and post- master under President Tyler. In 1847 ^^ married Cornelia Perrlne and the same year became a resident of Clinton, Rock County, and was elected a member of the Second Constitutional Convention of the state. He re- moved to Shoplere, Rock County. That was his home at the time of his death. He served in the state senate as Secretary of State and was making a remarkable rec- ord as governor at the time of his death. Mr. Harvey was a Christian gentleman, a member of the Congrega- tional church, and highly respected by all classes.
Very soon after her husband's death, Mrs. Harv^ey took up the work of looking after the interests of sick and wounded soldiers. It was very largely due to her efforts that Harvey Hospital was established at Madi- son, where thousands of sick and shattered soldiers were tenderly cared for. Mrs. Harvey visited the hospital
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 319
frequently while in the city. It was also largely through her efforts that the Soldiers' Orphans Home was estab- lished at Madison. Many soldiers who were at Harvey Hospital gave Mrs. Harvey credit for having saved their lives by her efforts in having them taken from southern hospitals to the home hospital at Madison, and by the unusually good care extended to them through the same noble woman's efforts.
Lieutenant Governor Edward Salomon, two of whose brothers have been mentioned in connection with Wis- consin regiments, assumed the duties of governor upon the death of Mr. Harvey and proved himself a faithful and thoroughly efficient war governor until the end of his term when he was succeeded by James T. Lewis, who had served under him as Secretary of State. Gov- ernor Lewis had been given an opportunity to prepare himself for the great duties of the office in those stirring times. In consequence of his service as Secretary of State, and he, too, made an excellent record as a war governor. Thus it will be seen that Wisconsin had four different governors during the war period — Randall, Harvey, Salomon and Lewis. All are dead except Gov- ernor Salomon, who very soon after the war made his home in New York and has practiced law there even since.
Wisconsin was credited with 91.379 enlistments from the beginning to the end of the war.
NATIONAL HOMES
Very soon after the battle of Bull Run in July, 186 1, patriotic men and women of Wisconsin organized what
320 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
was termed the Wisconsin Aid Society. Branches of the organization were established throughout the state. Through this organization, whose central society was in Milwaukee and patriotically backed by 229 auxiliaries, the families of hundreds of soldiers were aided and large numbers of disabled soldiers were assisted In se- curing suitable employment. Vast quantities of delica- cies were sent to armies in the field. It is estimated that the value of the articles sent to soldiers was placed at $200,000.
A large number of the Milwaukee women and gentle- men who desired to be of service to the government, and helpful to the soldiers, organized what was known as the Wisconsin Soldiers' Home. In this home a great number of sick and wounded were given as good care as they could have received at their homes, and In many Instances undoubtedly much better. For the year end- ing April 1 6th, 1865, nearly 5,000 soldiers were re- ceived at this home and given lodgings, and meals to the number of 17,456.
Many in Wisconsin still remember with grateful hearts the magnificent fair given at Milwaukee soon af- ter the close of the war, at which time something more than $100,000 was raised to be used for a permanent soldiers' home. Not alone Milwaukee, but nearly every city, village and cross roads took Interest In that fair and sent contributions. It Is greatly to the honor of Wisconsin that her Wisconsin Soldiers' Home, estab- lished on a small scale, resulted In leading the general government to the establishment of the magnificent line
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 321
of superbly conducted homes for disabled volunteer sol- diers. These homes have proved one of the grandest monuments that the generous government ever built, and Wisconsin takes great pride in the fact that the idea originated within her borders, and that from that small beginning has grown up national homes where tens of thousands of disabled, broken men, who gave their best days in the defense of the country have been generously cared for, places that are homes indeed.
GRAND ARMY POSTS.
Wisconsin was the second state in the Union to or- ganize posts of the Grand Army of the Republic, the first being Illinois. The first post was established at Madison in 1866. The order prospered for a short time only and went into a rapid decline in consequence of the introduction of party politics into the organiza- tion, a misfortune which could not be laid at the doors of the organization in this state. Notwithstanding the rapid decline a few of the posts retained their charters and have held meetings ever since. Among them is Wil- liam's Post at Berlin, which ranks as the oldest Grand Army of the Republic post that has been continuously in existence, in the world. The order in Wisconsin has been greatly favored by having men of high character and energy at its head. Among those who have been Department Commanders, are such sturdy soldiers and substantial citizens as General Thomas S. Allen, who was twice Secretary of State and for many years a lead-
322 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
ing editor; General Lucius Fairchild, three times gov- ernor, once Secretary of State, Minister to Spain, con- sul general to Paris and who also served as Commander- in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic and Loyal Legion; General J. M. Rusk, seven years governor, six years in congress and four years in President Harrison's cabinet; Michael Griffin, many years in the state legisla- ture, three terms in congress, a member of the state tax commission; A. G. Weissert, who held the office two terms, was also Commander-in-Chief, for many years has been a leading lawyer in Milwaukee; William H. Upham, who served as a private In the Second Wiscon- sin, was sent to West Point by President Lincoln and resigned from the army In 1871, devoting himself to lumber and manufacturing Interests, serving one term as governor; W. D. Hoard, who made more than a na- tional reputation as a persistent advocate of the dairy interests of his state and the Nation, and who also served as governor two years: Major B. F. Bryant, an Ohio soldier who came to Wisconsin nearly forty years ago, and has been prominent In soldier organizations and the law; Private Phil Cheek, who held the office two terms, during which he organized more than one hundred posts and so labored as to add to the member- ship over 8,000; Colonel E. B. Gray, a captain In the Fourth Wisconsin, major, lieutenant colonel and colonel in the Iwcnty-eighth, prominent in educational work and who also served as adjutant general on the staffs of Commander in Chiefs Fairchild and Weissert; Colonel John 1 lancock, who was a lieutenant in the Second, ma-
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 323
jor, lieutenant colonel and colonel in the Fourteenth. Others who have been Department commanders and as- sisted in maintaining a good record for the Grand Army of the Republic are C. B. Welton, General Henry Harn- den, Samuel H. Tallmadge, Leander Ferguson, Henry P. Fischer, D. L. Jones, D. G. James, C. H. Russell, J. H. Agen, J. A. Watrous, A. W. DeGroff, C. L. Shores, H. G. Rogers, Griff J. Thomas, A. W. Ham- mond, Pliny Norcross and others. One of the most en- ergetic and loyal workers for the Grand Army, Colonel Fredrick A. Copeland, was Department Commander in 1905-6.
The Womans' Relief Corps, the successor of various organizations that had labored in Wisconsin, made its appearance in Wisconsin in 1883, soon after the nation- al encampment held in Denver that year, at which time the Womans' Relief Corps, under that name, began its wonderful career of usefulness. It can be said of the Wisconsin branch of the order that it has always been an efficient working force, always in the Interest of the Grand Army of the Republic, the soldiers and their families. In this state alone they have raised and dis- bursed nearly half a million of dollars. They contrib- uted largely to the establishment and the upbuilding of the Wisconsin Veterans' Home; they have always ex- tended a helping hand and they have never called upon the Grand Army of the Republic for assistance. They have seen work to do and they have gone on and done it, never waiting to be called upon. It has Indeed been the strong right arm of the Grand i\rmy of the Repub-
324 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
lie, not alone in Wiseonsin but throughout the country. Since the foundation of the organization at Denver in 1883 the Womans' Relief Corps has collected and dis- bursed in the way of helping soldiers, contributing to Memorial Day exercises and in other ways, nearly six millions of dollars.
Many efforts have been made to build up a strong or- ganization under the title of Sons of Veterans, and on several occasions there have been promises of success. At the present writing, 1905, the organization shows signs of permanent establishment. The Sons of Veter- ans have shown a willingness to assist at memorial exer- cises and in some states have been of real value in that direction.
Wisconsin Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, was organized soon after the war and has had a permanent and prosper- ous existence ever since. Among those who have been at the head of the order in the state are General Lucius Fairchild, General Charles S. Ham- ilton, Colonel Charles A. Hamilton, General E. W. Hincks, Captain George Burnell, Captain George I. Robinson, Captain I. M. Bean, Colonel J. McBell, Col- onel C. D. Cleveland, Major C. H. Anson, Major C. H. Ross, Colonel Cornelius Wheeler, General Freder- ick C. Winkler, Captain F. H. Magdeburgh, Captain Edward Ferguson, Colonel Henry Harshaw, Lieuten- ants Arthur Holbrook, T. W. Haight, A. H. HoUister and others. General Fairchild is the only member of the Wisconsin Commandry who has been made Comman- der-in-Chief of the order.
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WISCONSIN VETERANS' HOME
Wisconsin not only originated the idea of national homes for the needy and feeble volunteers, but it was the first state in the Union to establish a home where soldiers who were no longer able to earn their way were provided for, and where they could take their aged wives. This institution is known as The Wisconsin Veterans' Home, and is located near one of the Chain of Lakes, a few miles from the city of Waupaca, in Waupaca county. The fall of 1886 Colonel J. H. Woodnorth, the present commandant of the home, then a resident of Waupaca, was in Milwaukee and had a conversation with Doctor F. A. Marden, who had been surgeon of the national home near Milwaukee, on the home subject. The matter was brought before the department encampment, which body readily approved the idea, and a committee consist- ing of ex-soldiers, F. A. Marden, James Cumberledge, A. O. Wright, Benjamin T. Bryant and J. H. Marston, who at once entered upon their duties, and the following August selected the present site for the home. It con- tained sixty-eight acres, to which twelve acres have been added since, upon which there was a building and six small cottages, used for a summer resort. These build- ings were prepared for winter as well as summer use, being furnished by the Grand Army of the Republic, the Women's Relief Corps and individuals, when inmates were received. Legislation had been obtained whereby the state would pay $3 per week for each inmate in the home. On the i6th day of November, 1887, the home was ready for inmates, and within a month fifty people
326 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
had been entered upon the rolls. It was at once discov- ered that the demand for the home would be extensive. It was necessary to go to the legislature and ask for an appropriation to construct new buildings. The legisla- ture acted promptly and generously, as it did in future years, so that to-day there is a large hospital that will accommodate 200 people; Jerry Rusk Hall, 100; Fair- child Hall, 75 ; and 46 cottages, each being occupied by a man and his wife; Bryant Hall is occupied by widows; Harnden, Marston and Marden Halls are occupied ex- clusively by single men. There is a beautifulchapel which seats 300, and an amusement hall which accommodates 400. A modern laundry does all of the laundry work. There is a general dining room and kitchen, a modern bakery, a library with dormitory built by survivors of the Twenty-first Wisconsin Infantry and presented to the home; a large cold storage building, a power plant that supplies all of the water and generates all of the electric- ity used and supplies steam for heating the buildings. There is a substantial administration building, which is occupied by the commandant. There is a general office building, which contains the office of the commandant and adjutant; buildings for the quartermaster and com- missary; and the surgeons' residence, adjutant's resi- dence and the quartermaster's residence. All of these structures, well built, kept in fine shape, make a beautiful appearance and remind one of a beautifully laid out and kept up city. Cement sidewalks run through the princi- pal streets. All of the buildings are of wood and all of thciTi comfortable for both summer and winter; all are
WISCONSIN AS A STATE 327
heated by steam. The hospital building is one of the finest of its character In the state, and has always been well managed. During the first seventeen years of the Wisconsin Veterans' Home's existence 1,383 men and 690 women, a total of 2,073, were well and tenderly cared for. The membership in 1905 is 700, 390 men and 310 women. The average age of inmates Is sixty-eight and two-thirds years; 162 of the 700 are over seventy years of age. No widow under forty-five years of age is re- ceived and no widow who married a soldier after 1890 is received. In all the state has appropriated $222,500 and It has received from the United States over and above the cost of permanent improvements $69,329. There is a complete water system for both fire and do- mestic use. Those eligible to admission are Wisconsin soldiers, their wives and widows, regardless of residence; any other soldiers who have served In the War of the Rebellion and having an honorable discharge, together with their wives, or widows. If residents of the state, are admitted.
The Wisconsin Veterans' Home has been governed by a board of trustees elected by the Grand Army of the Republic, the department commander being a member of the board. The success of the Institution has been far ahead of what had been anticipated. The present com- mandant. Colonel Joseph H. Woodnorth, served as a private In the Twenty-first Wisconsin and was attached to General Thomas' staff for some months. He has served as a state senator, and United States pension agent at Milwaukee. To Colonel Woodnorth more
328 WISCONSIN IN THREE CENTURIES
than any other one man in the state is due credit for the establishment, the upbuilding and splendid management of the Wisconsin Veterans' Home.
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