The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages etc, Part 92

Author: Western Historical Co., pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1050

USA > Wisconsin > Waukesha County > The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages etc > Part 92

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HISTORY OF WAUKESHA COUNTY.

exceptional adaptability for mastering whatever task came to him, that had characterized him as a scholar, a writer and a public speaker, soon bore him to the front rank as a soldier. It is entirely within bounds to say that no young officer in the great army of volunteers understood the military art with more thoroughness and precision than he. The love and admiration of his men and of all who enjoyed his friendship, knew no bounds. He drew his sword distinctly to give freedom to the enslaved, that thereby his country might rise to her true glory. Through clouds and disappointment, he fought with an unswerving faith that the desired end would be gained, and, though he fell ere the great battle was won, his faith was justified. The end was gained, and who shall say that his precious blood was spilled in vain ? He entered the service at the commencement of the war and served faithfully and most gallantly until the fatal morn- ing of May 8, 1863. When in front of Port Hudson, Louisiana, directing a movement designed to silence one of the enemy's batteries, and in the front line of the national troops, he was shot through the right lung and instantly killed. So ended, in its twenty-ninth year, the life of Sidney A. Bean. He gave his life for the country and principles he had loved so well, and left to his friends and his State an enduring monument of fidelity and valor that in no age or clime has been excelled. In closing this brief tribute to the worth of a true hero, the words of the world's greatest poet inscribed upon his tomb seem most appropriate :

"Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." CHAUNCEY H. PURPLE.

Among those who came to Waukesha County quite early, and were somewhat active characters in its history, was C. H. Purple. He was born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., in 1820, and came to Waukesha in 1844. He at once engaged in mercantile business in Waukesha (then Prairie- ville) ; some years later, he removed to Brookfield, where he was engaged in the same business, together with that of lumbering. In 1854, Mr. Purple was elected a member of the Wisconsin Legislature, and in 1858, he was appointed bank clerk of the State Treasurer's office. He then removed to Madison, and in 1859 he was appointed Assistant State Treasurer, under S. D. Hastings, a position he held during Mr. Hastings' term of office, and also during that of William E. Smith, the present Governor, until April, 1868-in all over eight years. In 1869, he removed to Watertown, Wis., where he engaged in the lumber business until his death, which occurred in December, 1879. In addition to his correct business habits, Chauncey H. Purple was an active worker in the reforms of the day, particularly in the temperance cause. He was a char- ter member of the Rescue Temple of Honor, and its flourishing condition and acknowledged usefulness were largely due to his untiring efforts. In all of his active life, he established for him- self a reputation which commanded the respect of all who knew him. Few men can do more. His brother, Ezra S. Purple, is still a resident of Waukesha.

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS BARSTOW.

William A. Barstow came of a highly respectable family, whose ancestral seat was Naburn Hall, York, England, and some of the name are still found there. Four brothers came on the " True Love," landed at Boston in 1635, and settled in Hanover and Hingham, Mass., from whom all the Barstows are distinctly traced. William Augustus Barstow was born in Plainfield, Windham Co., Conn., on the 13th of September, 1813. He remained at home attending school, and assisting in farm work, until the age of sixteen, when he left home and became a clerk in the store of his eldest brother, Samuel H., at Norwich, Conn., where he remained four years. S. H. Barstow then removed to Cleveland, Ohio, where William soon followed, in April, 1834. The next year another brother, Horatio N., came out, and W. A. entered into the forwarding and commission business at Cleveland, and milling at Dresden, Ohio, where he remained about five years. In May, 1839, Samuel H. came to Prairie Village ( so called at that time ) to look after the building of a mill, and in November, William A. came with the mill-irons and to make his home here, which now began to be called Prairieville. The establishing of a flouring-mill with a smut machine was a great event for the settlers, as the flour made before that time was of a

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HISTORY OF WAUKESHA COUNTY,

slate color. William A. subsequently became one of the principal owners of the mill property, which embraced a good portion of the village.

In the small community of Prairieville, the miller and merchant combined was a personage of no small importance, and he had frequent opportunity for the exhibition of his kindly charac- ter, being ever ready to extend a helping hand to a suffering neighbor. He was known and respected for other traits than those of kindness and generosity, however. He was the true and loyal friend who never made "the promise to the ear but broke it to the hope," the acute, far- sighted counselor, and the honorable and upright judge to whom all were willing to refer their causes of difference. He held at one time the office of Postmaster, and was appointed one of the three commissioners of the county of Milwaukee, which then embraced what is now Waukesha County within its limits. He was prominent and efficient in the creation of the new county, and had the assistance of his brother, Samuel H. Barstow, at that time a member of the Legis- lature. In 1844, William A. married Maria Quarles, of Southport ( now Kenosha ), and con- tinued to reside in Waukesha. In the fall of 1849, Mr. Barstow was nominated by the Demo- cratic State Convention for the office of Secretary of State, and was elected. On entering upon the discharge of the duties of his office, he found its affairs in the condition of chaos. His clear mind soon brought order out of confusion, and with patient labor he wrote out, in the most com- plete and finished manner, nearly the full record of the office, up to the time when it came under his control. He was an earnest advocate of the first railroad enterprise in this State, and was among the foremost of those who lent their influence toward securing the charter of the Mil- waukee & Mississippi Railroad. As one of the original subscribers to the capital stock, and one of the first directors of the company, his efficient aid was of importance in its early struggles.

In 1853, he was nominated for Governor by the Democratic State Convention, and was elected to that honorable position. He then removed his family to Madison, where they made many friends. He was nominated for a second term, but the election was contested, resulting in the installation, by the courts, of his opponent, Coles Bashford, although Mr. Barstow resigned before the decision was rendered, and Arthur McArthur was Governor for a few days. Gov. Barstow then removed to Janesville and entered into banking business, which did not prove a successful venture. He then took to milling again with his younger brother, G. H. Barstow, for a short time, when the war commenced, and he obtained permission to raise a regiment of cavalry, which he proceeded to do. There were many ready to respond to his call. The regiment was twelve hundred strong, of which he was commissioned Colonel, Nov. 9, 1861. In March, the regiment started for St. Louis, but before reaching Chicago some cars were thrown from the track and ten or twelve killed. Col. Barstow was a great favorite with all, both officers and men, who still cherish his memory. His health failed so that he was not able to keep to the saddle, and he was appointed to the head of the court-martial at St. Louis, where he presided. At the close of the war, he was mustered out and honorably discharged, March 4, 1865. That wonderful power to secure the attachment of those around him was never on any other scene of action so completely and usefully manifested as it was among the officers and men of his regiment. His previous station in civil life and his evident strength of character and mind, secured him uni- versal respect, among the officers of all ranks, in both the regular and volunteer army, with whom he came in contact. His dignity of manner and remarkably fine personal appearance attracted attention alike in camp, on the march, on parade and in the military court over which he presided. While in Leavenworth, he was prostrated with a disease which had become chronic, and his illness proved fatal. He died at Leavenworth on the 13th of December, 1865, at the age of fifty-two years. There were none of his relatives present except his two oldest sons, Frank- Q. and Augustus Barstow, who were with him during his last sickness. His other relatives were not aware of his failing condition. In the excitement of the moment of her arrival, his wife directed his remains to be taken to Brighton, Ohio (near Cleveland), where his family were interred. His many friends feel that his place of rest should have been in Waukesha, the place he had done so much for, and where the people would have wished to raise a monument to his memory.

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"Barstow and the balance" were charged by the newspapers with stealing vast sums from the State in the management of the school lands and in locating the State Hospital for the insane at Madison. As to the truth of these charges, Edward M. Hunter, Gov. Barstow's private sec- retary, wrote as follows for the published reports of the State Historical Society : "It may not be amiss for me in this connection to state, that, intimate as I necessarily was with all that was done or considered in the executive office during the time Gov. Barstow retained his position, there was nothing done or proposed affecting the public interest, but what might have been printed in the largest type, and bung upon the outer wall of the capitol for the inspection of all. He, during that period, neither counseled, took into consideration, nor did, a public wrong, and his children need never fear to direct the closest scrutiny toward his acts as Governor of Wiscon- sin. When he first entered upon the discharge of the duties of the office, he was in comfortable circumstances; when he left it he was poor, and was harassed for the want of means, and all that he subsequently secured and lost did not repay him the amount he expended during his official term from his private purse." And it might be added that David S. Vittum, who was Captain of Company F, in Mr. Barstow's regiment, saw his old commander in Leavenworth a few days before his death and then gave him $25 for the purchase of luxuries to nourish the fast wasting body. These things go to prove that Mr. Barstow was honest in handling the public moneys of the State.

As to the military career of the noted Democratic chieftain whose life is the subject of this sketch, Elias A. Calkins, of Milwaukee, a Major in Mr. Barstow's regiment, wrote liberally at the request of the State Historical Society, and the following extracts are from his article : "In August, 1861, at the request of a number of gentlemen who desired to enter the volunteer army in a cavalry organization, for which their tastes and some study had adapted them-I visited the headquarters of Gen. Fremont, at St. Louis, with letters from Gov. Randall, certifying that I represented responsible persons interested in raising a force of cavalry, which the State authori- ties were not authorized to recruit and equip. I met Gov. Barstow at St. Louis, where he had been called by a business undertaking, and stated to him my mission. I was unable to procure any satisfactory reply from Gen. Fremont, and Gov. Barstow, who had several friends in military and civil life there, proposed to interest himself in the object I had in view, to which I cordially assented, and placed all the matters connected with it in his hands. He then made a proposition to Gen. Fremont to recruit, equip, mount and arm in Wisconsin a cavalry regiment, independent of State authority, except as to the commission of officers, the expenses to be re-imbursed by the Government; and his proposition was accepted. Gen. Simon Cameron was then Secretary of War, and about that time visited St. Louis, to inspect the affairs of Gen. Fremont's department, and Gov. Barstow's authority to raise the cavalry regiment was approved by him. Several weeks had, of course, elapsed, and it was October before Gov. Barstow returned to the State, when he established the camp of rendezvous at Janesville, and issued notices of his readiness to receive recruits. Intelligence reached him almost immediately of the formation of several companies for his camp, when he was notified that his authority to raise the regiment had been revoked by the War Department. The recruits, of course, generally disbanded, and many went into other organizations. A few of the companies, however, retained their standing. Gov. Barstow proceeded at once to Washington, and, after a short delay, procured a renewal of his authority to raise the regiment, with which he returned to the State. It was still some weeks before he could procure camp equipage, and the baffling delays had discouraged recruiting. These difficulties were, however, surmounted, and in December the first companies entered camp. In January, 1862, the regi- ment was filled to the minimum, and in February the maximum was reached. Col. Barstow was probably in June, 1862, appointed Provost Marshal of Kansas. Martial law had been declared, and the extreme lawlessness of the country made the duties of his office more than usually mani- fold. In September following, Col. Barstow was relieved from duty as Provost Marshal; the lawlessness and violence from which the State suffered was not suppressed during his administra- tion ; in fact, they rather increased than otherwise. The guerrilla forces of Quantrell were very

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numerons and active, and outlaws who were the refuse and 'cow boys' of both armies, swarmed like pestilent vermin throughout the country. His successors produced smaller results, if possible, than he did. For a year afterward, during which Quantrell's sack of Lawrence occurred, a reign of terror prevailed along the entire border. Peace and quiet were not, in fact, restored till after the war closed. After being relieved from Provost Marshal duty, Col. Barstow was assigned with several companies of his regiment to the First Brigade of the Army of the Frontier.

" Camp duty and army fare told seriously upon Col. Barstow's health, and incapacitated him for the long rides and rough duties on which the men were ordered. He was, however, in such health, and possessed the confidence of the army commander to that extent, that he was placed in command of the camp of invalid reserves, including the teamsters and the guards of the bag- gage and supply trains at Rhea's Mills, when the army marched out to meet the enemy, until the close of the battle of Prairie Grove. He rejoined the regiment the next day, at its place of bivouac on the battle-field, and resumed command. Other operations of considerable extent and magnitude followed, in which the regiment was constantly engaged, including the magnificent raid on the rebel camps in the Arkansas Valley and on Van Buren, which occupied the last days of December, 1862, and the first days of January, 1863. During a portion of this time, he was with the regiment, and part of the time he was detained in camp by illness.

"In the midst of these stirring events, and probably in the month of November of that year, 1862, the regiment was encamped with the main body of the Army of the Frontier, at a point some forty or fifty miles southwest of Fayetteville. While there I received a letter from a trusted adviser and an intimate friend of Gov. Randall, and of his successor, Gov. Harvey, inclosing a proposition that influences should be brought to bear, with Col. Barstow's consent, to procure his appointment as Brigadier General. It was suggested in the letter that enlistments were tardy, that the enforcement of the draft was unpopular, and that it was the policy of the Administration to attract the Democrats to the support of war measures, by showing that the favors, or, in other words, that military official commissions, were distributed without regard to partisanship, among the leading men of both political organizations. The letter conveyed an intimation that, when promoted to brigadier rank, he would be recalled to the State to superintend and stimulate recruiting. It was suggested that, as a basis of the application for his appointment, I should procure the certificate of army officers as to his capacity and fitness for the duties of a higher military position. I showed him the letter, but he declined to take any of the steps that it men- tioned as the means of procuring the proposed promotion. He expressed the opinion, that, if the appointment was desirable for the public reasons stated, it would be procured by the State authori- ties at home, without any steps being taken by him or his friends in the field. Nothing further was ever heard of the proposition.

"During January and February of 1863, Col. Barstow remained at Fayetteville, Ark., suffering constantly from ill health. The army then moved back into Missouri, to be nearer the base of supplies. Col. Barstow accompanied the regiment as far north as Cassville, Mo. From there, in February, probably, he proceeded to Kansas to inspect the detachments of his regiments in that section, hoping also to procure an order for them to join the main body in the field. This was his last service with the regiment. His health was considerably broken, and he was unable to perform field duty. He remained at Fort Leavenworth during the spring and following summer. He was then detailed on court-martial duty at department headquarters in St. Louis, and remained on detached duty of that character until the end of his term of service.

He never fully recovered his health, but was constantly feeble, and often prostrate, during the remainder of his term of service. He was finally mustered out, and honorably discharged, March 4, 1865. By the assistance of influential friends, he then procured a trade permit from the Treasury Department, authorizing him to trade at any post on White or Arkansas Rivers. I learn that the day he received this permit, he was offered $20,000 for the commercial pri- vileges which it covered, and for the use of his name. He refused the offer, thinking it was as valuable to him as to anybody; having also arrangements on foot and capable backers for large stocks of goods to be put on sale at the various points named in the permit. He

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visited that country to select and establish trading-posts before sending the goods; and, on his return to St. Louis, was met by the information that all restrictions upon trade on the Mis- sissippi River and its tributaries had been removed. His permit was, therefore, of no more value than so much blank paper. He soon afterward proceeded to Leavenworth, where he remained during the summer and autumn. He was, while there, again prostrated with the disease which had become chronic in his howels, and this illness proved fatal. It being fully established that he died of disease contracted in the service, an officer's pension was granted to his widow.

"He never shunned a duty because it was a painful one. While Provost Marshal General of Kansas, he was directed by the department commander, Gen. Blunt, to suppress the publication of a radical Democrat newspaper at Leavenworth, and he discharged the command promptly and without question. The publication of the paper was afterward undertaken hy an old Wis- consin friend of Col. Barstow's, to whom such indiscretions were imputed that the same disci- pline was directed to be applied against him, and the order was enforced literally, and without delay.

" A more eloquent and elaborate tribute than this is due from me to William A. Barstow. During many years of arduous and embittered political warfare I was by his side, and in my, pro- fession it was frequently my duty as it was my pleasure to defend his character from partisan and personal assaults. I believe that he cherished for me a reciprocal regard, and our friendship was cemented in hardship and danger, and amid scenes of blood, to which we were called by com- mon sentiment of patriotic duty. He fills a soldier's grave, for he as truly died in the cause of his country as if he had received a fatal wound in battle. And I shall never cease to cherish his memory, for his many manly virtues ; for his intrepid spirit, which was not disturbed either in the decisive emergencies of political conflict, or in more trying vicissitudes of peril and dis- tress ; for the integrity with which he adhered to one set of principles and to one set of friends throughout his public career; and as the foremost man, living or dead, in the Democracy of the State !"

JOHN HODGSON.

During the war, German and Irish companies were raised throughout the State. In speak- ing of this feature of recruiting, a local paper, in August, 1862, paid the following tribute to John Hodgson:

"All, all, have received a cordial recognition at the hands of the military bureau except our English citizens. Yet, although they have been overlooked, we by no means think it has been intentional. It is an error of the head and not of the heart. Waukesha and adjoining counties have a large population of English-born citizens, than whom none bear deeper or more loyal devotion to the institutions of our country. Among this number is John Hodgson. When a mere child, he left his home in Old England, determined, much against the wishes of his family, to seek his fortune in the New World. He arrived in Detroit penniless, and without a friend or acquaintance. Passing along the street, his eye accidentally caught the sign of the Surveyor General of Michigan. Now, surveying was a business with which young Hodgson, even at that time, possessed good knowledge of-for his father was a surveyor, and the earliest inclinations of the son were trained in a similar channel. Walking into the office of the surveyor, the youth asked some kind of employment, which he fortunately obtained, and was duly installed in the family of his employer .. It was but a brief period before his employer discovered that he pos- sessed rare talents as a surveyor. Thereupon, the library of the surveyor, and everything which could facilitate the acquisition of knowledge, were placed at the disposal of the young student. At sixteen years of age, young Hodgson was associated with the Surveyor General in business, having established a reputation for integrity, as well as mathematical correctness, which was of more value to him than mines of wealth. At twenty-one years of age, Mr. Hodgson had accu- mulated $5,000 as the fruits of his profession. He married the daughter of Capt. Blake, the gallant old veteran of the lakes, whose name, not many years ago, was as familiar along the lines of our great inland lakes as household words. Removing to Wisconsin, Mr. Hodgson, by a judi- cious investment of his means, added to the rise of real estate, soon became the possessor of a

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handsome property. His strict and honorable dealings and business qualifications attracted to him hosts of friends, and for years he was Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Pewaukee. When Dennison Worthington resigned his seat in the State Senate, Mr. Hodgson was nominated and elected by acclamation to fill the unexpired term ; and it was only because of the peremptory refusal of Mr. H. to serve, that he was not unanimously re-elected to the same position.

" Governor Salomon ! the times are of startling moment in our history ; times too, when every man's physical and moral power is needed to drive back the hordes of despotism who are undermining the foundations of Government. We have called your attention to the representa- tive man of the English-born in our State-and who in the county of Waukesha combines more influence than all the politicians and lawyers together. Gov. Salomon, "cut red tape, " send John Hodgson a colonel's commission, leave to him the officering of the regiment, and all other details, and in thirty days he will furnish a thousand hearts of oak to fight the battles of the Union. We know not as Mr. Hodgson ever thought of taking the field; certain it is, that he never accepts any position of honor unless pressed upon him. But this we know, our English citizens constitute a large portion of our best population, and Mr. Hodgson is their represent- ative man, and a true patriot. He needs no offices nor emoluments, for of wealth he has a sufficiency, and it requires not honors to be thrust upon him to enhance his popularity. A colonel's commission, therefore, to Mr. Hodgson, would not only be a recognition of a large class of citizens heretofore almost entirely ignored, but it would be a compliment to them which he, as a true patriot and lover of his adopted country, could not consistently refuse."

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The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages etc, Part 92

Author: Western Historical Co., pub Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company Number of Pages: 1050

Author: Western Historical Co., pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1050