USA > Wisconsin > Eau Claire County > History of Eau Claire county, Wisconsin, past and present; including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county > Part 6
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"NOTICE TO EAU CLAIRE BADGERS.
"I have just received an order from the governor to fill up a company to be mustered into service. I therefore request all of the old members of the Eau Claire Badgers and as many more as wish to join them to report to me as soon as possible that I may have my company ready as soon as July 4. A meeting will be held on that day to complete the roll, on the grounds where the celebration is to take place-West side. Persons wishing to join should apply immediately, as I wish to notify Governor Randall of a full company at the earliest possible moment.
"The old members will be entitled to one month's pay; and all who have families will be entitled to $5 per month extra com- pensation during their service.
"Patriots arouse ! Our country calls for our services. Let us answer with our muskets. Let the Chippewa Valley be repre- sented in the ranks of our country's defenders.
JOHN TAYLOR, Captain." "June 21, 1861.
For some reason the attempt to fill up the ranks of the old company was a failure, but almost immediately steps were taken to recruit a new one. In the Free Press of July 19 we find this announcement :
"A NEW COMPANY.
"We learn that an effort is being made by Judge Perkins and Victor Wolf, Esq., to raise a company of volunteers for the war, independent of anything that has heretofore been done. Rolls for that purpose have already been sent to the different towns. When the company is made up the volunteers are to meet and choose their officers.
VICTOR WOLF
CAPT. JOHN PERKINS
GILBERT E. PORTER
OGEMA-GE-ZKIK Captor of Old Abe
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EAU CLAIRE COUNTY IN THIE CIVIL WAR
"We hope and trust that a company may be raised, as Eau Claire might and ought to be represented in the Grand Army of the Union. If the matter is conducted with discretion it seems to us that there ought to be no difficulty in obtaining a full com- plement of men in a very little time." This prediction came true, and the "new company," which retained the name "Eau Claire Badgers, " became Company C, Eighth Wisconsin, the Eagle Com- pany of the Eagle Regiment.
In the Free Press of September 12, 1861, appeared a list of the officers and privates of the new company as given below :
"THE EAU CLAIRE BADGERS.
"The following are the names of the officers and privates of this noble company: Captain, John E. Perkins; first lieutenant, Victor Wolf; second lieutenant, Frank MeGuire; orderly sergeant, Seth Pierce; second orderly sergeant, Myron Briggs; third orderly sergeant, F. Sehmidtmyer, fourth orderly sergeant, Robert Anderson ; fifth orderly sergeant, Thomas G. Butler; first eor- poral, Christian Scholkopf; seeond corporal, B. F. Cowen; third corporal, J. B. Button; fourth corporal, William G. Kirk; fifth corporal, M. N. Goddard; sixth corporal, Charles J. Phillips; seventh corporal, David Noble; eighth corporal, Walter Quick; William Buckley, Charles Segar, Nathaniel Brown, Silas M. Tal- meter, Thomas West, Wilber F. MeCord, Alphonzo Beeman, S. T. Wiggant, Nathaniel Canfield, Elijah Prine, Max. Worth, Hugh Macaulay, Thomas J. Hill, C. F. Shipman, John Hamilton, William Avery, James Atwater, Andrew B. Tyrel, George Bonell, Riley Hedge, Charles W. Robison, Edward Hummiston, George W. Riley, Adolph Stallman, William Monteith, Albert Tuttle, John F. Hill, B. F. Haynes, John Woodworth, Phillip Emery, Burnett Demarest, Gabriel Gebhard, John Hawkins, Adolph Pitch, N. D. Randall, Frederick More, F. R. Buck, Paul Selb, Milton Whitney, Hovel Swenson, Jacob Hath, Daniel A. Wyman, David McClain, J. W. Phillips, Edwin Roberts, John Kimbell, Julius A. Hill, E. C. Wilkins, Charles Russell, A. Stukbury, Harry D. White, George Murphy, Charles Parker, John Buckart, James MeGinnis, Charles Sargent, David Farley, Isaac Devoe, George Brown, Robert Dodge, Edward R. Curtis, George W. Palmer, Alfred Thurston, Newell Hanscome, William H. Guppee, Peter Ole Ollen, Ephraim Wilcox, Phillip Burk, Hanson Dickey, George Barber, J. W. Hooper, C. B. Robinson, Frank Barrett, James D. MeCauley, A. R. Barnes, Thomas B. Coon.
Of the above the following do not appear to have been mus-
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HISTORY OF EAU CLAIRE COUNTY
tered into service, as their names are not found in the official roster of the company: James Atwater, George Bonell, John Hawkins, Silas M. Talmeter, E. C. Wilkins, George Murphy and C. B. Robinson. On the other hand, the roster contains the names of the following who evidently joined the company later: Jacob Aaron, Henry Becker, Andrew Brown, Stephen Canfield, William Connell, William Chatwood, William Delap, Martin Dickerschied, Solomon Fuller, Dana S. Fuller, Ferdinand Grasser, Shipman W. Griffith, Henry Grinnell, George Hutchings, George Leng, George A. Loomis, Harrison B. Loomis, Charles MeFait, Collin S. McLeod, Christian Miller, William F. Page, Silas M. Palmeter, Frank N. Parker, Nathaniel P. Poppel, David K. Reynolds, Andrew Ritger, Mark Sibbalds, Dighton Smith, John Soal, Charles Strasburg, August Thiel.
Editor Daily Telegram : Just fifty years ago this com- ing summer Mr. A. R. Barnes, a former printer in the old Free Press office, resigned his position to enlist in the first company of volunteers from this village. Editor Porter gave him the following complimentary and humorous send-off :
"Mr. A. R. Barnes, foreman of this office, informed us yesterday that he was off for the war, and in less than an hour he recorded his name and was sworn into service. Mr. Barnes is an energetic, industrious young man, small in stature but large in heart, and if he uses his musket in battle as he uses his 'shootingstick' in the printing office he will not only make his mark but hit it, too. May all of his leaded matter be found in the front column of the secession forces and may his shadow never grow less."
Mr. Barnes survived the war, went back to his trade of printer, not here but in his former home in Iowa, and is still living there, a hale and hearty veteran. Knowing that a recital of his recollection of Ean Claire prior to and at the outbreak of the war would be of interest to your read- ers I dropped a line to him a few days ago, and in response received the very interesting and breezy letter which fol- lows :
Albia, Iowa, Feb. 23, 1911. Mr. William W. Bartlett, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Dear Sir: In compliance with your request I give you some of my recollections of scenes and events in Eau Claire that came under my observation some fifty years ago.
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EAU CLAIRE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
In the spring of 1860 I went to Eau Claire, going on boat on Mississippi river from Burlington to the confluence of the Chip- pewa river, and thence by boat to Eau Claire. My purpose was to study law with an uncle, H. W. Barnes, who had located in Eau Claire but a short time before, and who had hung out his shingle as an attorney. My duties were to sweep out the office, empty the cuspidor, submit to some grilling every day as to com- mon law points and answer all questions as to the "Judge" when he was away from the office. I did not take to the work very enthusiastically, but my uncle was very kind to me. One day while I was in the rear room reading Blackstone I heard a gen- tleman enter the front room and ask, "Say, Judge, haven't you a nephew here who is a printer? My printers went to Chippewa Falls last night to attend a dance, and I suppose they are drunk, and I don't know when they will come back, and today is publication day, and I don't believe there is another printer in the Chippewa Valley." It was Gilbert E. Porter.
My uncle called me and I was introduced to Mr. Porter. I told him I would help him out. I went with him to the office- upstairs in a long frame building near the big bluff-and found that the printers had set the advertisements and the locals and made up the forms, leaving space on the local and editorial pages for a few more locals or advertisements and editorials. He wrote an apology for late appearance of the paper and lack of local and editorial matter, and I put the same in type and locked up the forms and put them on the press-a Washington hand press as I remember-and along in the afternoon we started to "run off the paper." The devil in the office was named Woods, and he had not been long enough in the business to know how to run the rollers over the type forms and was really to light for the work. Mr. Porter saw the situation and said he could roll if I could run the press. We tackled the work and kept at it till past midnight, taking only time to eat a bite of supper, and we wrapped the papers for out-of-town mail, and about two o'clock in the morning I went to my uncle's home and went to bed. I think Mr. Porter slept in the office on a board.
I slept late and did not get up to the office until nine or ten o'clock. Mr. Porter had gone to breakfast and preceded me only a few minutes. The printers got back from Chippewa Falls, and when they came to the office were surprised to find that the edition was printed and wrapped and addressed for the mails. They took the forms from the press, washed them and put them on the imposing stones and were distributing the type in the cases.
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HISTORY OF EAU CLAIRE COUNTY
When Mr. Porter and I arrived we went into the sanctum, apart from the composing and press room. He pulled a chair over next to him and asked me to sit down. I did so and he said: "I want you to take charge of the mechanical part of this paper, and I will pay you $20 a week, and will get you all the help you need." It was goodbye to Blackstone and the lawyer's career right then and there. Twenty dollars a week was a big sum way back in those days, and I stayed with the job until Company C was organized and went to war.
Mr. Porter owed me more than $600 when the company was ready to start, and he asked me if I wanted the money. I told him, "No, just give me a note, and if I never come back pay to my uncle and ask him to send it to my parents in Albia, Iowa." My uncle took care of the note and gave it back to me when I returned from the war. Mr. Porter paid off the note, principal and interest, and he did more, he took me from Eau Claire to Sparta in a buggy, went with me to Chicago, paid my railway fare and hotel bills while in the city, and bade me goodbye at the depot as I started for the home of my parents in this place. It was very fortunate for me that I had saved the $600 and interest, as I suffered a full year with my chronic trouble, and every cent was used in paying doctor's and other bills before I was able to go to work.
INCIDENTS OF THE OLD DAYS.
I recall many incidents in my experience in Eau Claire. Mr. Porter was a typical gentleman and a splendid business man, but he was not a free and easy writer, and the bent of his mind ran in business channels. He had no knowledge of the printing busi- ness.
CAPT. JOHN E. PERKINS.
One day I carried some proofs into the sanctum for Mr. Porter to read, and a gentleman was present, and I thought him the homeliest man I had ever seen. It was John E. Perkins, who later became the first captain of Company C, and a braver or better man I never knew. In the first most important battle the regi- ment was engaged in at Farmington, Mississippi, on May 8, 1862, he was mortally wounded, and he died two days later. He gave his life for the perpetuity of the Union, and no greater sacrifice was made in a Wisconsin regiment.
Thomas B. Coon, who came from Kelbourn City to work with me in the office, and who became a member of Company C, join-
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EAU CLAIRE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
ing the company two weeks after I was mustered in, was a genial fellow and a competent workman.
Coon and I slept in the office and took our meals at the Sling- luff House, and we got our first view of the sacrifices that were required in saving the Union. We had eaten our dinner and came out onto the platform in front of the house, when a team of horses attached to a farm wagon and loaded with men drove up. They were from Chippewa Falls and were the first soldiers to enlist from that place. The men were taken to the dining room for dinner, and the horses were sent to the barn to be fed. The men had not more than been seated when a carriage drove up that contained the man who had recruited the squad, his girl and his brother and sister. They went to their dinner. When all had had dinner the teams drove up. The driver of the farm wagon got his load on board and was ready to start down the river, but was halted while the captain bade his sweetheart, brother and sister good-bye. He was to go with the crowd, and his brother, sister and sweetheart were to return home. Say, but that parting was awful, but the soldier was brave and never shed a tear. He won an eagle on his shoulder, but if history is straight he fell in love with another girl and married her.
LEAVING FOR THE WAR.
The memory of the march from the Slingluff House through the main streets and down to the river, where we boarded the little boat, "Stella Whipple," and the memory of the kind Eau Claire ladies who gave us their blessing and little red testaments with the motto pasted on the fly leaf, "The better the man, the better the soldier-George Washington," will never be forgotten, nor will the boys who endured the forty-six days' march around Vicksburg, and sixteen days with only a cracker a day, forget the hardships of the trip. It is surprising that one is left to tell the story. The two events were impressed upon my mind never to be erased.
Note .- The Slingluff House, above referred to, was the Eau Claire House, of which Mr. Slingluff, a pioneer, was then pro- prietor.
OLD ABE, THE WAR EAGLE.
Some remarks in regard to the eagle taken out by the Perkin's company may not be out of place at this time. By far the best history of this bird ever written is that of Rev.
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HISTORY OF EAU CLAIRE COUNTY
J. O. Barrett, a Universalist clergyman of Eau Claire. The first edition of his book appeared in 1865, and a number of other editions since. As evidence of the painstaking care exercised by Rev. Barrett in the preparation of his narra- tive I give below several extracts from his book :
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, February 13, 1865. J. O. Barrett, Esq.
Dear Sir: Having been engaged for a short time in the collection of information relative to the capture and early ownership of the eagle of the Eighth Wisconsin Regiment, whose history you intend to publish, I take pleasure in submitting a few facts in regard to the progress made. Ascertaining, first, that the eagle had been sold to Mr. Daniel McCann, of the town of Eagle Point, in this county, by some Indians, you wished me to discover, if possible, who those Indians were, and to secure their presence at Eau Claire at an early day. I learned from Mr. McCann that the Indians who had brought the eagle to him in the summer of 1861 were of the Lake Flambeau tribe, and that the owner was a son of Ah-monse, chief of that tribe, or band, of Chippewa Indians. I proceeded to obtain cor- roborative evidence of this account, and found, through the evidence of Mr. John Brunet, Mr. James Ermatinger, Mr. Charles Corbine and others-all old residents of the upper Chippewa and Flambeau rivers-besides the testimony of different Indians who were acquainted with the facts of the capture of the eagle, that it was correct. All accounts agree that the name of the captor of the bird is A-ge-mah- we-ge-zhig, or Chief Sky, one of the five sons of the said Ah-monse. Having satisfied myself by such evidence, and by other inquiries made in every direction, that there could be no mistake in the identity of the captor of the eagle, I have made arrangements, according to your directions, to bring the said A-ge-mah-we-ge-zhig to Eau Claire as soon as possible. Ile is now with his band, hunting between the head waters of the Yellow and Flambeau rivers, and is shortly expected at Brunet's Falls, on the Chippewa.
Wishing you full success in the publication of your work, I remain, with much respect, Yours truly,
Theodore Coleman.
Ascertaining that A-ge-mah-we-ge-zhig, with other hunters, would soon arrive at Brunet's Falls on their way
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EAU CLAIRE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
up the river, Mr. Coleman engaged Mr. Brunet to detain him there until a concerted. movement. At length they came, the Indian with them, to whom was communicated the wishes of the "white man at Ean Claire," who desired to talk with him "about the eagle he caught a few years ago." He hesitated, apprehensive of a trick, for all white men had not been true to their red brethren. Finally he appealed to his father. It was a grave question indeed; they were all afraid of being arrested for capturing an eagle! After a long counsel together the old chief resolved to go to Chippewa Falls without further waiting, requiring his boys to follow the next day, and appear in proper cos- tume, should he find it safe. Arriving there he had an interview with H. S. Allen, Esq., a pioneer resident, who, being a friend of the Indians, persuaded him to venture. Meeting his boys, as before arranged, lie selected two of them, A-ge-mah-we-ge-zhig and A-zha-wash-co-ge-zhig, and with Messrs. Coleman and Barrett and Elijah Ermatinger for interpreter, rode to Eau Claire, the 19th of February, 1865, welcomed with a cordiality that at once inspired mutual confidence. The native nobility of these sons of the northern forests created quite a sensation. A-ge-mah-we- ge-zhig related his eagle adventures in a very intelligent manner, so simple and candid as to assure every one present of their truthfulness. His father, who is much beloved as chief of the tribe, was particularly loquacious and is prop- erly named Ah-monse, the "Thunder of Bees." He had much to say about his "Great Father Lincoln," whom he has visited several times at Washington in the interest of his tribe, averring that Mr. Lincoln gave him plenty of money, and to his children much land, and let him see a battle- field." Photographs of these "red brothers" were taken by A. J. Devor, of Eau Claire, and never did mortal appear more proud than the eagle captor when attiring himself in regal costume for his carte de visite. A full-blooded Indian of consequence-then about twenty-five years old- belonging to the royal family of the Flambeaux, it is glory enough for him to be known among his fellows as the captor of the American eagle of the Eighth Wisconsin regiment of volunteers.
The following letter, with a map, gives an accurate description of the infant home of the Eagle :
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HISTORY OF EAU CLAIRE COUNTY
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. February 25, 1865.
My Dear Brother :- According to your request, I will give you what information I have obtained of the Chip- pewa country, and especially of the home of your Pet Eagle. Inclosed I send you a map of this country, being a perfect copy from J. I. Lloyd's New Map of the United States, with a slight change in the location of the Flambeau Lakes and tributaries, which are copied from a drawing made for me by Ah-monse and the Eagle Indian. I can find no maps representing the United States' surveys of these lakes. Today I saw Israel Gould, the Indian Inter- preter, who rendered you so valuable assistance last sum- mer on your Indian expedition. At my request he drew a map of the Flambeau and its lakes, and it agreed precisely with the drawing made by Ah-monse and his son. Mr. Gould is an intelligent Scotchman, and has lived with the Chippewa Indians for fifteen years. He has a good knowl- edge of Indian character and probably is one of the best of Indian interpreters. At one time he lived one year at Flambeau Lake, or Ah-monse's Lake, as it is most gen- erally called, trading with Ah-monse and his tribe, and, consequently, he is well acquainted with their country. I have much confidence in his account of the location of these lakes; and as all the other Indian traders and trap- pers, and Ah-monse, and the Eagle Indian do agree with him, I believe you can rely upon my map as being correct. I will give his description of this country :
The whole Chippewa country is well watered with innumerable streams, swamps, lakes and rivers ; its surface varies in hills and bluffs, prairies, oak openings and mead- ows, and is covered, for the most part, with every variety of hardwood, Norway and white pine.
The soil in many places is good, while many of the hills and bluffs are rocky, and in its northern portions are to be found iron, copper and other minerals. It is inhabited by the various tribes of the Chippewa Indians, and abounds in wild beasts, fish and birds. The Flambeau is a wide, crooked stream, the longest tributary of the Chippewa, and its general course is southwest. Upon its north fork are the "rapids," at which place the Eagle Indian said he caught the eagle. It is about 125 miles from Eau Claire, 70 miles from the mouth of the Flambeau River, and 80
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EAU CLAIRE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
or 90 miles from Lake Superior. It is three miles from here to Little Flambeau, or Asken Lake, which is three miles long; six miles further north is Flambeau, or Ah-monse's Lake-a stream uniting the two. This is the largest of the Flambeau lakes, being three miles wide and six long. It is a beautiful stream of clear, pure water, where are found fish of many varieties. The meaning of its Indian name is "Fire-Hunting Lake." Near its northern shore is a fine island, where Ah-monse frequently lives. On its eastern shore is a pretty sloping hill, nearly forty feet high, covered with maples. Here, overlooking the lake, the Indians, a few years ago, had their villages, which are now located on the north and northwest shores, where they had cleared their land, leaving now and then a shade tree, giving the country a beautiful appearance. The soil is good, and here they raise their corn and potatoes. Farther to the north is Rice Lake, the Chain of Lakes, the Big Portage, and the Montreal River. A few years ago this was the route of the Indian traders, going from Lake Superior to Eau Claire. The country near the lakes, for two miles east and west of the river, and about four miles in all directions from the lakes, is low prairie land, eov- ered with hardwoods, with here and there a lonesome pine ; while beyond, in all directions, the country is uneven and hilly, and wooded with the dark pine. In this seques- tered country, Ah-monse and his tribe have lived for many years, subsisting upon their eorn and potatoes, rice and sugar, fish and game. The Flambeau tribe is the most enterprising and intelligent of the Chippewas. Their war- riors number from 140 to 150 men, and they kill more game than any other tribe. Here are found the deer and elk, the mink and marten, the bear and otter, and also the fish hawk, the owl, the eagle and other birds.
Mr. Gould says the region of the Flambeau Lakes is an eagle country, he having seen more there than in any other, and has there found many eagles' nests, containing from two to four young birds. Having seen the War Eagle at different times, he is satisfied it is a bald eagle, and this is the opinion of A-ge-mah-we-ge-zhig. Mr. Gould also says Asken Lake is situated about five miles east of the fourth principal meridian, which line is well defined upon the river bank ; and, if he is correct, and I rely upon his statement, then the Eagle must have been caught in
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HISTORY OF EAU CLAIRE COUNTY
Chippewa county, in or near township forty, north of range one, east of the fourth principal meridian, nearly four miles from its eastern boundary.
Trusting my map and letter may aid you in obtaining a better idea of the home of the Eagle,
I remain, your brother for Freedom and Union,
W. W. Barrett.
By examining the map, the reader will notice the loca- tion of the birthplace of the eagle that is now so famous in the world. His captor said the nest was found on a pine tree, about three miles from the mouth of the Flambeau, near some rapids in a curve of the river ; that, at the proper time, just after sugar-making, at the Bend, he and another Indian cut the tree down, and, amid the menaces of the parent birds, caught two young eaglets, of a grayish-brown color, about the size of prairie hens, one of which died of the effects of an injury ; that he preserved the old nest- "big as a washıtub -- made of sticks, turf and weeds"- and nursed his Me-kee-zeen-ce (little eagle) in it, as a plaything for the papooses at the Indian village; that, a few weeks after, while en route for Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire with their furs, moccasins and baskets, he sold his eagle to Daniel McCann for a bushel of corn.
This statement of "Chief Sky"-quite a significant name-agrees with that of Mr. McCann, who subsequently tried to sell the bird to a company then just forming at the Falls for the First Wisconsin battery, but, failing, carried it to Eau Claire, some time in August, 1861, and offered it to a company organizing for the Eighth Wis- consin infantry. It was then about two months old.
McCann carried the eagle to Chippewa Falls and attempted to sell him to a company just recruiting there for the First Wisconsin battery. Failing in this, he pro- ceeded a little later to Eau Claire and offered the bird, now nearly full-grown and handsome, but spiteful as a scorpion, to the Eau Claire "Badgers," that subsequently became Company C, of the Eighth or Eagle regiment.
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