USA > Wisconsin > Racine County > Racine > Racine, belle city of the lakes, and Racine County, Wisconsin : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. I > Part 40
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departments were in plain wooden structures, which were de- signed by S. D. Clough, of Racine, who was the first commissary in charge.
A few days before the arrival of the regiment at camp, the ladies of Racine were invited to meet Quartermaster McCoy and Commissary Clough at the camp ground to make towels for the troops soon to be quartered there, the material for which was already on the ground. The ladies responded to the request with enthusiasm, and on many other occasions, during the course of the war, did much in mitigating the rigors of camp life for the soldiers, and in caring for the sick in hospital.
It is worthy of note that on the coming of the first soldiers to Camp Utley a march was composed for and dedicated to the Fourth Regiment by John J. Jones, a well-known musician of Racine, whose memory is still honored by the older Welsh and other residents of the city.
When the Light Artillery came in the winter of 1861-2, some of the men were obliged to sleep in tents, because of the lack of accommodations elsewhere, but they were fed in the dining hall. There were about fifteen hundred of them here that winter. Eight of the thirteen batteries of light artillery from Wisconsin were organized and rendezvoused at Camp Utley. They had two ranges for target practice, one down on the river bottom, near Fox's Farm, a half mile southwest of Milman's bridge, or about the same distance northwest of Luther College; the other was located on the prairie a little southwest of Gatliff, where earthworks were thrown up to stop the solid balls. Oeca- sionally they would fire a few shots at cakes of ice in the lake, from which they would richochet, and once in a while come dan- gerously near getting back ashore. On holidays, the artillery- men, with their guns, would come down town and fire salutes for the special benefit of the citizens. The people in the build- ings nearest the guns on these occasions learned to open their windows during the firing, as that was the only way to safe- gnard them from breakage.
It is related that on one holiday afternoon, a company of these artillerymen on horseback came racing up and down Main Street to Third, and as they passed, hundreds of men and boys between Fourth and Fifth Streets began snowballing them from
-
H
Photo furnished by Billings
A FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION LONG BEFORE THE DAY OF THE AUTOMOBILE
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the sidewalks. It was great fun for all concerned, until on the last run south, the horsemen took to the sidewalks, driving everybody into the doorways or the street, from which position the bombardment was continued until they were out of range. It was rather rough sport, but good-natured all the way through, and nobody was seriously hurt.
FOURTH OF JULY, '61
In the spring of 1861 the Legislature, by enactment, made the Fourth of July a legal holiday, and the celebration in Racine that year was of an unusual character. The ladies of the county provided and served a splendid dinner for the Fourth Regiment at Camp Utley. Committees had been appointed from every ward in the city, and from every town in the county; the farmers brought in provisions, J. L. Case furnished fifteen bushels of strawberries, and the ladies were there to serve.
In August, Governor Randall called for five regiments of infantry and five artillery companies, and earnest effort was made to get another full company ready for service in this city. The following notice appeared in the local papers Angust 7th.
MILITARY NOTICE
"The undersigned, having been appointed a committee for the purpose, have opened a recruiting office in the armory over the Racine County Bank, where one or more of them will be in constant attendance to receive enlistments in a military com- pany to be raised in this county to serve during the war.
"Those enlisting will not be called into active service be- fore the 20th day of August.
"The committee earnestly solicits the influence and as- sistance of the citizens of Racine County in furtherance of this object.
"JAMES O. BARTLETT, "J. G. MeMYNN, "W. P. LYON, "Racine, Angust 6, 1861."
On September 5th they had sixty enrolled and went into quarters in the city; two days later they elected officers, William P. Lyon, captain: Albert E. Smith, first lieutenant, and James O. Bartlett, second lieutenant. A number of volunteers from
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Walworth County joined with the company to fill its quota, and Lieutenant Smith was one of that number. On September 16th they left the city for Camp Randall, Madison, and became Com- pany K of the Eighth Regiment. The residents of Union Grove made some arrangements to salute them as they passed through that village on their way to Madison, but some secession sympa- thizer stole the gun and hid it so well that it was not found until too late for that service, which caused great indignation among the patriots of the village.
Some effort was made in October of this year to organize an Irish company here, to be called the "Mulligan Guards," and to be part of an Irish regiment under Col. M. Maloney. Pat. Geranghty, James Fielding and Gregory Flinn were di- rected to get recruits for this company. They made diligent effort to do so, but for some reason were not very successful. Colonel Maloney went ont in command of the Thirteenth, but no company from Racine was in it. Pat. Geraughty later became captain of Company F of the Seventeenth, which was made up largely of Irishmen.
UTLEY GUARDS LEAVE FOR THE FRONT
Reports of the progress of the several companies that were drilling were made from time to time in the local papers. On September 11th the Utley Guards, of Burlington-Company C. of the reorganized First Regiment (three-year men)-reported eighty-five men enrolled. A German company in the same town, the Burlington Rifles, Company E, of the Ninth Regiment, thirty to forty men. A week later the Utley Guards reported one hundred and ten men and the Rifles sixty, and on the 25th inst. the Guards left Burlington for the war, escorted to the train by the German company, the German brass band and a great crowd of citizens. Robert Hill was captain, William E. Gibbins, first lieutenant, and H. A. Sheldon, second lieutenant of this company.
SOLDIERS' AID SOCIETIES
In August. 1861, several big boxes filled with writing paper, envelopes, tobacco, ginger snaps, jellies, etc., were sent by cit- izens to the "Belle City Rifles" at the front; dozens of drawers, nightshirts, handkerchiefs, stockings, napkins, dressing gowns, pillows, fans and large quantities of jellies, jams, wines, etc.,
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were also sent to the Sanitary Commission at Washington dur- ing the same month.
When our armies had been in the field for a few months, word was received from the Sanitary Commission that organ- ized assistance from the home folks was urgently needed in the military hospitals. When accounts began to drift back to Racine from the front of the sufferings of the sick and wounded, our boys among others, because of the lack of proper food, cloth- ing, bandages and other necessaries and comforts, it was quick- ly determined that something should be done at once to better these conditions.
On the evening of October 17, 1861, many people meeting at the office of C. W. Bennett, steps were taken to organize a Soldiers' Aid Society. At this meeting, H. G. Winslow being president and J. P. Lewis, secretary, committees were ap- pointed. At another meeting, held Friday, October 25th, a constitution and by-laws were adopted and the following of- ficers elected: President, B. B. Northrop; secretary, James F. Lewis; treasurer, William Burbeck.
An executive committee was also appointed, consisting of Thomas J. Emerson, chairman; Mrs. J. R. Doolittle, Mrs. L. Bradley, Mrs. H. Warner, Mrs. S. A. Sage, Jerome I. Case and Thomas L. Williams. The purchasing committee was com- posed of Mrs. William E. Wording, Mrs. S. N. Ives and Mrs. Doctor Shepard. Thirty-seven women and thirty-two men signed the constitution at once and paid their dues, 20 cents per week for men and 10 cents for women.
Meetings for business and entertainment were held weekly.
When there was special urgency the ladies met every day to sew, pull lint and prepare packages and boxes for shipment. Long lists of cash and other contributions of every description were published periodically in the local papers, as well as let- ters of acknowledgment from company and regimental officers in the field, and surgeons in hospitals, thanking the society for the large amounts of clothing, food delicacies and hospital neces- saries collected and forwarded by them.
The use of the hall in the Masonic Building, where their meetings were held, was donated by Isaac Taylor. Sanford & Tapley furnished the light and heat, and Wm. Blow installed
.
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the gas fixtures. W. H. Buffham and John Caven papered the hall, and Smith & JJones whitewashed the ceiling, all free of cost to the society.
On January 17, 1862, Bayard Taylor lectured in Racine un- der the auspices of this society, which netted them $42.90. On January 25th a grand soiree was given, realizing $200.00. The society was reorganized in April, 1862, with A. G. Hartshorn, president; George S. Wright, secretary, and C. H. Upham, treasurer. An entertainment in Titus Hall on April 28th, to inaugurate the work of the new society, netted $160.00. The American Bugle Band, John R. Davis, leader, furnished the music. A l'estival held June 19th realized $250.00.
Similar organizations were formed in Union Grove, York- ville, Burlington and other towns of the county, and the value of the aid thus furnished was incalculable. These societies con- tinued their operations while the war lasted, and they were no inconsiderable factor in bringing the conflict to a successful conclusion.
BEN BUTLER'S "CONTRABAND OF WAR"
Early in September, 1861, reports of General Butler's vie- tory in North Carolina, where he captured Forts Clark and Hatteras, reached Racine. General Butler had but recently made his famous declaration that slaves were "contraband of war," and in celebration of this declaration and the victory of his arms, Major Throup's Artillery fired a salute of eight guns and a few extra rounds for good measure. The boys of the city built a big bonfire on the square on the evening of the second, and a multitude of rejoicing people gathered.
The crowd insisted that the court-house be "lit up," and it was lighted. The people filed in until the building was packed. and listened to patriotic speeches by Doctor Tillapangh, Judge Doolittle, Judge Wording, H. G. Winslow, Reverend Pillsbury, Thos. Fuller and Lieut. Harry Lee, of Milwaukee.
The first week in February, 1862, it was announced that Capt. Patrick Beimett, of Waterford, was having success in enlisting men for his company for the Nineteenth Regiment. Hle had thirty men at this time and two months later he had his roster Full, and they were nmistered into service.
When the news of the surrender of Fort Donelson, February 15, 1862, came, there was more rejoicing in Racine. In the
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evening another large crowd assembled on the square and sev- eral batteries of artillery from Camp Utley fired salutes in celebration of the victory, while the people sang "John Brown's Body Lies a'Mouldering in the Grave, But His Sonl Goes March- ing On," and other patriotic songs.
At this time there was a feeling in many quarters that the rebellion could not last much longer, and in a call for "lots of workers" at the next meeting of the "Aid Society," the plea was made, "Come friends, sixty days more, with God's blessing, will close this terrible struggle. In the meantime let us do what we can to relieve our brave boys." Perhaps it was just as well they did not know that it had but just begun.
During the latter part of March, 1862, bills were posted about the city containing the announcement that "Captain P. H. Sheridan is in the city for the purpose of purchasing horses for the United States Army, and will remain until April 4th: none but the best quality of horses need be presented." Captain Sheridan got two hundred horses while in this neighborhood and shipped them to St. Louis, but did not stay out his time, prices asked being too high. He left Racine and made Chicago his headquarters, finding there a better market in which to pur- chase .*
During the spring and summer of 1862 there was much fighting on many fields. Beginning with the battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing, April 6th and 7th, where the Union losses were more than 13,000, the North received reports almost every week of sanguinary battles, some of which were victories and others defeats, but all of them accompanied by long lists of killed and wounded.
Enlistments were not coming in fast enough to keep the ranks filled and a draft was ordered. The conditions of the draft were such that each ward in the city and each town in the county was required to furnish a certain proportion of its population for the army, and enlistments secured from a given town or ward, reducing by so many the number to be drafted from that community.
War meetings began to be held in the city, and through- out the county in order, if possible, to make the draft unneces-
* From "Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan."
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sary. On Friday, August Ist, at a large meeting at the court- house, speeches were made by C. W. Bennett, J. M. Tillapaugh, A. P. Dutton and J. I. Case. Mr. Case offered to give $10.00 to each of the first hundred men who enlisted. This offer was made good a month later, when on the muster-in of Company A, of the Twenty-second Regiment, volunteers to the number of one hundred and one, each received a ten-dollar bill from the hand of Mr. Case.
On August 12th an enthusiastic war meeting was held at Union Grove, addressed by Doctor Park, JJudge Noggle, Senator Doolittle and others, when twenty reernits were enlisted for Captain Williamson's Company.
On Angust 12th a large and inspiring war meeting of the Welsh citizens was held for the purpose of securing recruits for Owen Griffith's Company of the Twenty-second. Speeches were made by Rev. W. J. Hopkins, Owen Griffith, W. G. Rob- erts, Robert O. Jones, John Bowen and W. W. Vanghan.
Committees were appointed at this meeting to solicit funds and volunteers among the Welsh citizens at Skunk Grove and at Pike Grove.
During the week of August 11-16, the business of the city was practically suspended, while its citizens gave their attention to the promotion of the war spirit. Beginning on Wednesday, a protracted war meeting was held night and day until Saturday. On Friday afternoon, at East Public Square, an immense crowd assembled and was addressed in English by Judges Hubbell and MeArthur, and in German by Dr. Fessell, the same speakers addressing a court-house meeting in the evening. The patriotic citizens of Racine were determined to leave nothing undone to secure our quota without a draft, if possible.
At a war meeting held August 22, Henry S. Durand offered $25 and a life insurance policy which he agreed to keep in force as long as the volunteer was in service, to each of the first five men who enlisted. Three accepted his offer. August was a stirring month in the city. During the last week the Twenty- second Regiment went into quarters at Camp Utley, with three companies from Racine County -Company A, the "Union (inards"; Company F, the "Cambrian Guards," and Company H. " Racine County Farmer Boys."
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On September 22. President Lincoln issued his Emancipa- tion Proclamation and during the following week a mass meet- ing of Racine's citizens was held to give expression to the public sentiment concerning it. George C. Northrop was president of the meeting: Senator Doolittle, Col. H. T. Sanders and Rev. A. C. Barry making stirring addresses, after which strong resolutions of endorsement of the President's action were adopted. In November came the draft. L. S. Blake was commissioner in charge and Dr. M. R. Teegarden was surgeon.
One cold night in the first week in December, 1862. the fire bells were rung on account of a blaze that was seen out toward Camp Utley. It proved to be at the old barracks on the camp ground, which was totally destroyed, as the soldiers in- tended it should be. for it evidently had been set afire in three places by the drafted men who occupied it. It seems that there had been strenuous complaint that the barracks were crowded; at least the occupancy of the bunks by the soldiers was contested every night and all night, and they took this summary method of exterminating the contestants. In discussing the fire, the local papers admitted that there were extennating circumstances.
On New Year's Day, 1863, the Racine "Zonave Cadets" made their first appearance on the city streets, officered by Frederick Ulhnan, captain: S. A. Covell, first lieutenant, and Winfield S. Tefft, second lieutenant. They made a fine appear- ance and paraded up Main to Tenth Street, then to West Park, where they drilled. The Zonaves, a few months later, became a part of Company C, First Heavy Artillery, under Captain JJolm R. Davies. This battery was chosen to fire the signal gun which opened the battle at Missionary Ridge and at its close was also selected to fire a national salute of twenty-one guns in token of victory.
On March 4 and 5. 1863, in a battle at Thompson's Station, Tenn., several hundreds of the men of the Twenty-second Regi- ment were captured, and just three weeks later the remnant of the regiment fell into the hands of rebel General Forest at Brentwood. About three hundred Racine men, within a few months from the time of leaving home, were thus thrust into Libby Prison. Chaplain Pillsbury of the regiment was not held and he wrote letters home giving details of the captures and making severe strictures on the commanding generals.
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The writer was told by one of the prisoners that on the way to Richmond, as they were marched through the streets where the aristocratic people of Lynchburg, Va., lived, finely dressed women called them "danmed Yankees" and otherwise cursed them in vile language, in which they were imitated by four- year-old children. Ot considerable interest in this connection is another story which Congressman II. A. Cooper, in an address before the Raeine Commercial Club, during the winter of 1915, told of meeting a young Southern congressman who confessed to him that he was twenty-five years old before he discovered that "damned Yankee" wasn't a single word.
After the Twenty-second was captured, Chaplain Pillsbury came home and lectured through the county, and in June was back with the army, the prisoners of his regiment having been exchanged within a few weeks of capture, and after a brief fur- longh at home, returned to the service.
Early in May, 1863, Dr. J. M. Tillapangh was appointed Provost Marshal for the First Congressional District, including Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Walworth and Waukesha Coun- ties. He immediately appointed one enrolling officer from each ward in the cities, and from each town in the counties, whose duty it was to make a complete list of all able-bodied men in their territory between the ages of nineteen and forty-five years.
The Racine County enrolling officers were:
Racine - First Ward, C. H. Upham: Second Ward, John Wilson; Third Ward, George H. Carpenter; Fourth Ward, Thomas Fuller: Fifth Ward, Stephen H. Sage. County - Mt. Pleasant, Charles Ellerson; Yorkville, William Stock; Dover, Benjamin Pierce: Burlington, A. G. Cole; Rochester, Orrin Wright; Waterford, Ira A. Rice: Norway, Hans J. Jacobson; Raymond, Joseph Nelson; Caledonia, Courtland Bones.
The report of the work of these officers was printed in The Advocate of July 29 and contained the names of 2,500 men who were liable to draft under the act of Congress entitled "An Art for enrolling and calling out the national forces, and for other purposes," approved March 3, 1863.
In letters from C. D. Pillsbury about July 1, it was related that the band of the Twenty-second had been presented by the regiment with a complete set of new instruments, purchased in
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St. Louis, all of German silver, and costing $567. He also told how some of the men, while the regiment was passing through Brentwood on the way to Franklin, Tenn., recovered some arti- cles, revolvers and other portable possessions, which they had hidden at the time of their capture there a few weeks before. The chaplain himself recovered a volume of manuscript sermons, left there in a trunk, which a kind-hearted native had saved. On July 8, '63, Chaplain Pillsbury resigned, calling forth a letter of regret and of appreciation of his services from all of the officers of the regiment. He was succeeded by Rev. G. S. Bradley.
As the war dragged on, recruits became more and more difficult to secure, and as the government was still calling for men, it became necessary to offer substantial bounties which were attractive to young men, if wards and towns would avoid the draft. In May, '64, the Third Ward in Racine raised a bounty fund by subscription of $4,132.
In June, the Eighth Regiment returned to Wisconsin, their three years of service having expired. The remnant of Company K, composed mostly of Racine men, came home with it, of course. In July the President called for 300,000 volunteers and many members of Company K re-enlisted and served to the close of the war. It was proposed to resort to the draft on September 6, to provide all that was lacking, and energetic steps were taken in the county to increase the enlistments.
On August 24 a large meeting of citizens of Kenosha, Wal- worth and Racine Counties was held at Union Grove to adopt measures to raise another regiment, and a committee of which L. S. Blake was chairman and H. H. Tarbell of Kenosha, seere- tary, was appointed to work out the plans.
Special taxes were voted in the First, Second, Third and Fifth Wards of Racine for the purpose of providing money for bounties to relieve the wards of the draft. On September 5, the full enrollment of all men in the county subject to draft was printed in the local papers, and on September 28 the list of those drafted in the Third, Fourth and Fifth Wards of the city, and in the Towns of Caledonia, Burlington, Raymond, Rochester, Mount Pleasant and Dover was published. The First and Second Wards of Racine, and the Towns of Yorkville, Norway and Waterford filled their quotas with volunteers.
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Ir the fall of 1864 another exciting national political cam- paigr absorbed a large share of publie attention and resulted in the re election of Abraham Lincoln. Many great meetings were held in Racine and throughout the county, one notable gathering being that of Saturday, October 1, addressed by JJohn Wentworth and Senator Trumbull of Illinois.
During this campaign the Democrats sprung a roorback, in the charge that the Republicans intended to compel the prac- tive of miscegenation, which elicited the convincing retort that "the Democrats had a monopoly of the 'half and half' complex- ions in this country."
Another noteworthy occasion in Raeine during this month was the ball and festival at Titus Hall, under the auspices of the Soldiers' Relief Society, on which occasion $600 was realized for this needy canse.
In January, 1865, a call for 300,000 more troops was issued by President Lincoln, and a draft ordered for February 15. In the meantime the Third Ward voted a bounty tax of $6,000.
On Friday, April 14, Presidnt Lincoln was shot. He died the next morning. The news of his death was received in Racine at 9 A. M., and Charles W. Fitch, editor of The Journal, issued an extra at 9:30, the copies of which were thrown from the second story windows to the crowd of 500 people who were gathered before the office. Mayor Joshua Hart immediately issued a proclamation recommending the suspension of business Before noon all the business houses and most of the residences were draped in mourning.
Another proclamation was issued by the mayor, in conform- ity with that of the governor, requesting that "Wednesday, April 19, be consecrated as a day of fasting and prayer; that all places of business be closed; that no intoxicating liquors be sold, and that people meet in their respective places of worship," ete. On Wednesday rain tell all the morning, yet the people observed the proclamation; business ceased; services were held in St. Luke's Church, the German Catholic, the Welsh and the Presbyterian Churches, the Baptist and the Congregational uniting with the latter, where Rev. N. F. Ravlin preached from the theme, "Ile Loved the People."
The first session of the Circuit Court was given over to
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memorial services for the dead President, and addresses were made by George B. Judd, N. H. JJoy, Charles E. Dyer and Judge Noggle, after which a series of resolutions offered by Mr. Dyer were ordered spread upon the journal, and the court adjourned for one week.
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