USA > Wisconsin > Monroe County > History of Monroe County, Wisconsin, past and present : including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county [microform] > Part 9
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HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
Whipple, who afterward went to Winona and published the Winona Democrat. In 1869 the paper again came into the pos- session of D. McBride, who associated with him in the business his son, W. McBride. They rechristened the paper Sparta Her- ald. and from that time to the present it has been sturdily Re- publican in polities. In 1884, after the death of D. McBride, the newspaper property passed into the hands of his two sons, who have published it under the name of MeBride Brothers, and it is still so published. although owned by W. MeBride. The paper is an eight-column folio, printed all at home.
So far as can be learned the first effort to establish a Demo- cratie newspaper in Monroe county was in 1859, when the Sparta Democrat was started by two men. Richard M. Copeland and George Babcock. The publication of this paper was discontinued after about six months.
Another attempt at a Democratic paper in Sparta was made in 1863 by two brothers. Henry and Harrison Hayden, who had been previously employed by the Herald. It was published only a few months. the Haydens having some disagreement with their Dem- ocratie backers, and was discontinued. the Haydens moving away.
SPARTA EAGLE.
The Sparta Eagle was a second Republican paper started at Sparta in 1860. as the result of dissensions among Republican politicians in the county. William H. Farnham and Luther B. Noves were the publishers one year, after which the latter retired and the paper was continued by Mr. Farnham until 1868. In that year he sold it to George Redway, who came from Ohio, and subsequently his brother, R. E. Redway, had it for a time. After this the paper frequently changed hands. D. B. Priest. Carson Graham and William Nelson. all of Viroqua, were connected with it between 1869 and 1871. In the latter year it was owned for a time by W. R. Finch, afterward editor of the LaCrosse Repub- lican-Leader. He sold it to R. C. Bierce. of Viroqua. and Henry Rising. a son of the editor of Monroe county's first paper. the Citizen. In the fall of 1871 the paper was sold to D. W. C. Wil- son and Theodore F. Hollister. The following year Mr. Wilson withdrew and the Eagle soon after died.
MONROE COUNTY DEMOCRAT.
Soon after the suspension of the Sparta Eagle the outfit was bought by D. W. C. Wilson, who in 1873 started the Monroe
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County Republican, a Democratic paper. He published it until 1879, when it was consolidated with the Monroe County Demo- erat, a paper moved from Tomah by Brown and Foster. Mr. Wilson retired from the business and Messrs. Brown and Foster continued the paper under the name of the Monroe County Re- publican. In August, 1879, Mr. Foster's connection with the paper ceased and Mr. Brown changed the name to the Monroe County Democrat. In October, 1883. Guy Whitney, of Portage, took charge of the paper and the next February B. W. Perry became associated with him in it. About three months later Mr. Perry became proprietor and in January, 1885, he changed the name to Democrat-Enterprise.
After disposing of the Democrat F. A. Brown started a Repub- lican paper, the Sparta News. He had been publishing it nearly a year when, on the 16th of August, 1885, the Sparta Democrat was burned ont in the Ida House fire. The remnant of the ontfit was bought by B. E. McCoy, of Sparta, who also bought the Sparta News, and combining the two began the publication of the Sparta Democrat, changing the name soon after to. Monroe County Democrat. Mr. McCoy published the paper almost ten years, selling it in September, 1895, to D. C. Streeter, of Sparta. Later S. E. Streeter became associated with his brother in the business under the name of Streeter Brothers. In October. 1897, it was leased to D. W. Cheney and Clark S. McCoy ; was run by them for a year. At the conclusion of the lease D. C. Streeter again became publisher and S. E. Streeter editor. These brothers became involved in some litigation, the paper going into the hands of a receiver for a time. D. C. Streeter being successful in the litigation again became proprietor, and published the paper with C. S. McCoy as editor until December 19, 1903, when the plant was sold to G. S. Ellicott. The following fall he sold to J. P. Rice and W. C. Hawkins. October 1, 1905, Mr. Hawkins disposed of his interest to George Esch, who, with Mr. Rice, conducted the paper until November 15, 1907, when Esch disposed of his inter- est to W. N. Wells, and the Democrat has been conducted by Rice & Wells up to the present, Mr. Wells being editor and manager.
WISCONSIN GREENBACK.
Among the papers published in the county for a short time was the Wisconsin Greenback, which flourished during the Cooper campaign. It was started in June, 1876, by Lamborn and Needham. Mr. Needham soon retired and the paper was con-
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HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
tinued by Dr. J. Lamborn and his son, Arthur B. It became the organ of the Greenback party in the state and was removed to Milwaukee in 1877. but afterward returned to Sparta and was published for a short time.
SPARTA TRIBUNE.
The Sparta Tribune was a paper started in 1882 by H. E. Kelly and had a brief existence. It was the organ of the so-called Independent Republicans, who formed a coalition with the Demo- erats and carried the county in the fall election. Mr. Kelly started another paper called the Independent in July. 1890. He sold it in January, 1894. to L. S. Humphrey. of Madison. The next July it was discontinued. the outfit being sold to MeBride Brothers.
TOMAH CHIEF.
The pioneer newspaper of Tomah was the Tomah Chief. It was published as early as 1859 when Tomah was only a small settlement, and there was not adequate support for a newspaper. It was a small sheet and was published about a year.
TOMAH JOURNAL.
The establishment of a permanent newspaper in Tomah dates from the year 1867. In July of that year the Tomah Journal was started. and from that time to the present the name has not been changed. It has been published continously longer than any other paper in the county.
The Journal was started by James A. and Charles D. Wells and for about eight years was published by one or both of these brothers, with several changes of firm name. In 1875. C. D. Wells' connection with the paper ceased, and in April. 1876. he started a Democratie paper in Tomah called the Tomah Signal. It was published less than a year. J. A. Wells continued the pub- lication of the Journal until in January. 1884, when he sold it to Kibbe & Vincent. At that time Mr. Fred Kibbe was publishing a small paper called the Star, which was then merged with the Journal. During the year the Journal was leased to Mr. S. L. Chase, and in January, 1885, it was sold to L. B. Squier and J. D. Button, who published it for three years. At that time Mr. Squier bought out his partner's interest and has conducted the paper to the present time. The Journal is a six column quarto. four pages home print. It has been Republican in politics
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throughout its entire history. The office is well equipped, with its own power plant.
About the year 1867 a paper called the Tomah Democrat was started by a Mr. Averill, but it was published only six months. The next attempt to establish a Democratic paper in Tomah was made by. C. D. Wells in 1876, and has already been mentioned. In January, 1878, F. A. Brown and George A. Foster began the publication of the Monroe County Democrat at Tomah. About a year later they removed the office to Sparta and the paper was consolidated with the Monroe County Republican.
TOMAH MONITOR-HERALD.
The next Democratie paper in Tomah was called the Badger State Monitor, was started July 1. 1880. by Jay R. Hinckley. He published this paper for eight years, during part of which time he also published the JJuneau County Argus at New Lisbon and the Herald at Portage. In 1888 he sold the Monitor to J. A. Wells, a former editor of the Tomah Journal; later he took into partnership his son, C. J. Wells ; they purchased the Tomah Her- ald in 1904, combining it with the Monitor under its present name.
The Tomah Herald was started in 1894 by Jay R. Hinckley and successively owned by Briggs Brothers, George F. Grassie and Mr. Lee, by whom it was sold to J. A. and C. J. Wells.
The Monitor-Herald is a weekly newspaper of eight pages. seven columns to the page. published Fridays. is Republican in politics. The office is equipped with a modern ontfit, the largest two revolution press in the county at the present time. a linotype, three job presses, using electric power.
HERALD-ADVERTISER.
In February, 1891, Mr. Hinckley having purchased the Port- age Advertiser, combined it with his Portage Herald and again located in Tomah, publishing his paper under the name Herald- Advertiser. In January, 1894, he moved his paper to Sparta, where he published it for a few years, then turned it into a daily, which was sold to a local company, which conducted it for about a year, finally disposing of the plant to L. D. Merrill ; he moved the outfit to the Teasdale building, discontinued the daily and resumed the weekly publication. Subsequently. the plant was sold to Dorrington and Ross, Dorrington retiring from the firm shortly after. The paper had a precarious existence
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HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
and finally financial difficulties threw it into bankruptcy and it was sold by the trustee, again passing into the hands of L. D. Merrill. Early in 1910 he sold it to a company formed of local men, who changed the name to the Monroe County Republican. It was published under that name up to about October 1. 1911, when publication was finally discontinued. the plant sold to Merlin Hull of Black River Falls and moved to that city.
TOMAH ENTERPRISE,
The Tomah Enterprise was started in the spring of 1885 by E. A. Alderman and Son, and was discontinued in July. 1887. Later the plant was removed to Montana. The Enterprise was Republican in politics.
NEWSPAPERS OF CASHTON.
In December, 1893. J. A. Haines came to Cashton from Ban- gor and founded the first newspaper, which he named The Star. Not having an outfit of his own, he had the sheet printed at Sparta. After continuing the publication for about a year, he sold what he had to his son, Frank, who kept the paper running until the spring of 1895, when he sold to E. II. Briggs, who came here with an outfit from Shell Lake, Wis. Briggs changed the name of the paper from The Star to The Enterprise. Briggs sold the plant to E. H. Brown and J. W. Haughton in August, 1895. These gentlemen came here from Viroqua and conducted the business until the following July. 1896, when they moved the plant to Brooklyn. Wis. For a few weeks Cashton was without a paper, but the people induced Frank Haines to try again and he. in company with Frank Rudolph, started the Record. Things went badly with them and they were forced to sell the following summer to James Me Manamy. MeManamy edited the paper until the winter of 1898, when a fire destroyed the building and most of the outfit. AleManamy then sold what was left to O. G. Briggs of Viroqua. He conducted the business until the fall of 1905, when E. Il. Brown of Viroqua. the present owner, pur- chased the plant and also that of the Independent, which was started by J. R. Hinkley in the summer of 1903. Mr. Hinkley sold his interest in the paper to JJ. A. Norris and Norris to E. Il. Brown. During the year 1900 Frank Haines started a paper here called the Sun. but its life was short. He afterward started a job office, but that also soon gave up the ghost.
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MONROE COUNTY NEWSPAPERS
NORWALK SENTINEL.
This paper was started in January, 1888, and was discontinued six months later. The Norwalk Times was started just after the Sentinel ceased publication and was published for about six months by H. C. MeGary ; the paper being printed at Sparta.
NORWALK STAR.
Founded in October, 1903, by O. W. Sprecher, who conducted it until the summer of 1907, when it was purchased by W. J. Robinson, and the ensuing fall was purchased by E. G. Hessel- grave, the present owner and proprietor. This paper started under discouraging circumstances, but has steadily grown in cir- culation and advertising patronage until at the present time it stands second to any paper in the county in respect to legiti- mate home patronage. Independent in politics and stands for the best interests of Norwalk, Monroe county, and state of Wisconsin.
WILTON HERALD.
The Wilton Herald was started about the beginning of the year 1894 by a man named Bngbee, who set the type in the Wil- ton office and printed the paper at Reedsburg. He was soon succeeded by Thompson & Brown, and later C. HI. Brown became the sole owner, he in turn sold the paper to J. E. Gruber in February, 1900, who has been the proprietor and editor ever since.
KENDALL KEYSTONE.
The first issue of the Kendall Keystone was published Jan- uary 28, 1904. by Clarence S. Dodge, who came to the village from White Rock, S. D. It was started as an eight page five col- umn paper and its publication was continued by Mr. Dodge until July 29, 1905, when it was purchased by the present pub- lisher, Alex R. MeCleneghan. He soon enlarged the paper to a six column eight pages, the standard county paper size. In politics the Keystone is Independent Republican; the paper has prospered from the beginning and now has a subscription list of about eight hundred and good advertising patronage. The paper is ably edited and has succeeded in bringing Kendall to the at- tention of the outside world, which is appreciated by the people of that bustling village.
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IHISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
WARRENS INDEX.
The Warrens Index was started at Warrens, Wis., October 2, 1896, with W. G. Evans, formerly of Missouri, as editor. The newspaper outfit was added to a job printing office, which had been doing business for a few years, owned by F. R. Barber. The paper was published by Mr. Evans until May, 1908, when he disposed of his interest to I. S. Dunn, of Elroy. Mr. Dunn severed his connection with the paper the following year, but its publication was continued by the Index Printing Co. under dif- ferent editors for several years. In September, 1910, the paper was discontinued, the subscription list and part of the plant being sold to the Tomah Journal.
VALLEY ADVOCATE.
The Wisconsin Valley Advocate was started at Valley June- tion on March 3, 1898, by E. T. Hale, of Elroy. After being run for a time as a local paper, it passed into the hands of the Twentieth Century Co., with W. C. Brawley, of Mauston, as editor. It was enlarged and became chiefly an agricultural paper. devoted to the development of the lands in that section of the county. Mr. Brawley was succeeded by W. H. Price as editor, who conducted the paper until November. 1907. At that time it was discontinued, the subscription list being disposed of to the Tomah Journal and the plant was sold to other parties.
TOMAH HERALD.
The Tomah Herald was started as a daily newspaper in the vear 1894 by J. R. Hinckley and Son, who were also publishing a daily paper in Sparta at that time. After a short time it was purchased by Briggs Bros., who changed it to a weekly paper. In about a year they sold it to George Grassie, of Milwaukee. who afterward disposed of it to R. G. Lee. In 1904 Mr. Lee moved the press and part of the plant to Tomahawk, selling the sub- scription list and part of the material to Wells and Son of the Tomah Monitor, who then changed the name of their paper to Monitor-Herald.
CHAPTER XI.
MONROE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR.
BY WILLIAM H. BLYTON.
When the news was received of the fall of Fort Sumter the general feeling of indignation felt by the North did not escape the citizens of this young. but loyal county, and at no place in the United States was the president's call for troops more promptly responded to. Six full companies of volunteer soldiers were organized and a part of the seventh furnished by this county, together with a large number of men in different com- panies in several of the regiments. In all, there were 927 men who went from Monroe county during the war, and of this num- ber 141 gave up their lives in the service of their country.
This is a remarkable record; Monroe county did its full share and a little more, as will readily be seen when the fact is remem- bered that in the census report for 1860 the entire population of the county, men, women and children, numbered about 8,407 souls, and the male population between the ages of fifteen and fifty was only 2,220, together with the further fact that the county was only seven years of age, having been organized March 21, 1854; and that when war was declared the assessed valnation of the entire property of the county, real and per- sonal, was but $1,477.745.
In view of the foregoing, it seems that it may be said that Monroe county did more than her full share and made for her- self during the War of '61 a record that any and all of her citi- zens may refer to with pride. We feel that we are justified in boasting of our volunteer soldiers, who were citizens before they became soldiers.
The population of the county now is 28,881, as against 8,407 in 1860, and the assessed valuation of our real and personal property is $25,921,265, as against $1,477,745 in 1860, which is suggestive of the truth of the oft repeated saying that we live in a progressive age, and as a new generation stands in our places, let them be taught that the Union soldier has done much
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HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
in War and in Peace. That in every avenue of life soldiers are numbered still by the thousands, and the lessons of patriotism should not be lost upon our children or our children's children. and they should be made to feel that the blessing enjoyed in a free country depend upon the loyalty, patriotism. and intelli- gence of its people.
The history of the troops which went from this county into the war is necessarily the history of the various regiments in which its citizens enlisted: in order to fully record the great servier which was rendered in that struggle by our own peo- ple, the history of some of the regiments in which companies enlisted from this county is given in this chapter: it is a remark- able record, the record of hardships, bravery and good Ameri- ean patriotism under all circumstances, and one which has formed no small part of the remarkable history of Wisconsin troops during the Rebellion. There were several regiments in which nearly whole companies came from Monroe county. no- tably Company A. Third Cavalry, which was almost entirely from this county; Company 1, Fourth Cavalry. and a large number in Company F. Fourth Cavalry ; some twenty-five or six in the First Battery, Light Artillery; quite a number enlisted in the Sixth Infantry in various companies : Company ( of the Eighteenth Infantry ; Company C of the Nineteenth Infantry, a large num- ber in Company D of the same regiment : Company D of the Twenty-fifth Regiment of Infantry, also a large number of Com- pany F; Company C. Twenty-sixth Infantry : Company K. Forty- third Infantry: Company I. Forty-eighth Infantry : Company B. Fiftieth Infantry, and Company A. Fifty-first Infantry.
THE SIXTH INFANTRY.
The Sixth Regiment was organized at Camp Randall in June. 1861. and mustered into the United States service July 13th : left the state July 27th, reaching Washington August 8th. This regi- ment. in connection with the Second Wisconsin. Fifth Wiscon- sin and Nineteenth Indiana, composed Gen. Rufus King's First Brigade and throughout the war the Second. Sixth and Seventh Wisconsin Regiments served in the same organization, and became known the world over as "The Iron Brigade." and their services throughout that struggle were rendered as brigade and not as regiments.
These three Wisconsin regiments had absolute confidence in one another: the men to a great extent were personally ac- quainted; their campaigns extended over a comparatively small
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section of the country; they became familiar with the army against which they were called upon to battle. During the four years they were in close proximity to the 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 these years in which his- tory was made that men of this brigade be ready for battle all of the time.
Another circumstance is found in the fact that from the first to the last, the brigade was commanded by a soldier who knew how to command and who knew how to get the best possible work from his men. General King was a graduate of West Point. A thorough disciplinarian, and his work during the few months in which he had command was invaluable in preparing the brigade for its future services.
He was succeeded by Gen. John Gibbons in May, 1862, who continued the work of making his brigade regular army soldiers, and they were regulars in fact as well as in name : not only were the men well drilled and well instructed, but the field and line officers were made efficient. so that when General Gibbon was placed in the command of a division after the battle of Antietam, 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 brigade. They followed as closely as they could in the footsteps of Gibbon. Then came Colonel Robinson, of the Seventh Wisconsin, and then Colonel Bragg. of the Sixth. Colonel Bragg had been a remarkably close student of Gibbon's methods and soon after assuming the command he was made a brigadier general. When he left the command in February, 1865, an officer who had left Wisconsin as a first lieutenant and had reached the rank of colonel of the Sixth Wisconsin, succeeded him, and became a brigadier general by brevet because of his splendid management in the closing campaign of the war, this was Gen. John A. Kellogg.
Aside from the battles of the Army of the Potomac in the spring and summer of 1862 on the Potomac, this brigade missed none of the great and small battles of the Army of the Potomae. Its opportunities for winning eredit and thinning its ranks were greater than were offered to any other Wiseonsin regiments sent to the war, and the statement is here emphasized that any other four Wisconsin regiments similarly situated. similarly commanded. kept together throughout the war and given the
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HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
same opportunity to win distinction would, without any kind of doubt, have won the same rank and been given the same credit.
After spending the winter of 1861-2 on Arlington Heights. the brigade broke camp March 10, 1862, joined in the march of Me- Clellan's great army on Centerville and Manassas.
The first great battle in which the brigade played a promi- nent part was in Gainsville, Va., August 28, 1862; it was the beginning of a series of battles in the vicinity of Bull Run battle field of the year before : here Jackson's corps had destroyed mil- lions of dollars worth of property at Manassas and had turned back to join the balance of Lee's army. Gibbon's brigade con- sisted of the four regiments named and Battery B: for hours faced and fought Stonewall Jackson's army corps of nearly thirty-six regiments. The only help it had for a portion of the time being the Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania and the Seventy-sixth New York on the right of the line. The brigade entered the engagement with 2,200 men and its loss, killed and wounded, was 800, but in that battle it won a name for good soldiership.
The next engagement was South Mountain, Md., September 14: in this battle the brigade charged upon the high mountain in the face of a much larger force and won the signal victory. In this battle its conduct was witnessed by the corps commander. Gen. JJoseph Hooker, and Gon. George B. MeClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac, and it was in this battle that it was given the name of the "Iron Brigade." General MeClellan asked. "Whose troops are these?" As he saw the brigade charge upon the mountain, when told by General Hooker that it was Gibbon's western brigade, he remarked, "They are men of iron." as the story goes. Within a few days Cincinnati papers were received in which the western men were spoken of as the "Iron Brigade." There are different stories as to how the brigade received its name, but General Bragg, who grew up with the organization, said that in his belief it was the war correspond- ents and he thought it was a correspondent of a Cincinnati paper who gave the command the name it has held ever since.
At the first battle of Fredericksburg. in December, 1862. when the brigade was in Franklin's grand division. on the left. and while it was under fire two days and lost considerable mber of men. it was not the disastrous kind of an encounter it had experienced in previous battles.
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