The history of Columbia county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, Part 83

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899, [from old catalog] ed; Western historical company, chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1104

USA > Wisconsin > Columbia County > The history of Columbia county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement > Part 83

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

" Father, the names are many, And the lists are long,' she said ;

' But tell me, who are the living, And who were the wounded and dead.'

" Then he took the ancient record And laid it on his knee, And he told, in the purple twilight, The story of Company B.

" They came from the heart of the prairie, These men so brave and true, Who left their homes and dear ones, To march in the army-blue.

" One hundred stalwart yeomen, Plowing in springtime sweet, Gathering the sheaves in autumn, Reaping the ripened wheat.

" They marched in storm and sunshine, They fought in the battle-rain ; Ah me ! 'twas different labor From gathering golden grain.

" In the wild Virginia mountains Some rendered up their lives, With prayers for the stricken country, With prayers for mothers and wives.

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· HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.

"On the plains of sunny Georgia Others were laid to rest, With traitor-soil around them, And its clods upon their breast.

" Some died on the dreary marches Hungry, weary and worn- And some in Southern prisons, From friends and comrades torn.

And when the crippled remnant Came back, and peace was given,

Of the hundred who enlisted, The veterans were but seven.

" By many a blue-waved river, And where old ocean's surge Wakes through the solemn ages An authem and a dirge-

" Unmoved by bugle's summons Or drum's deep reveille, While angels guard above, Sleep the men of Company B.

"' Ah me!' she sighed, 'the record Is sad, and full of pain ; Praise God, the war is over, And the land's at rest again !

" ' But I'm proud that, when the country Was torn from sea to sea, My father fought to save her In the rauks of Company B.'"'

The following brief extract clearly shows the remarkable power of Mrs. Hobart as a poet. It is from a poem entitled

" UNREQUITED.

" I gave my all, with a lavish hand, With a holy love, with a purpose grand ; I robbed my life of its rarest flowers, To brighten another's lonely hours.

" I crushed my pride with an iron will, To shield another from pain and ill; For I said, ' When the night of gloom shall cease, Above me shall dawn the morn of peace.'

" In vain ! In vain ! The years roll on, And the joy of youth is forever gone ; And the happy bird on the wind-tossed tree Singeth no song of bliss for me.

"O mother earth, on thy bosom brown Let the child in painless rest lie down ; Hope's bark lies wrecked on the rocks of time, And the boon I crave shall never be mine."

LE ROY IRONS.

In his former home at Winfield, N. Y., the early days of Le Roy Irons were full of the brightest promise of a fine literary career. He was the life of society, the ready writer of prose or verse. But with failing health, commenced the struggle against fate. He came to Columbus about the year 1867. He contributed largely to the Republican, of that city, and, for about three months, had editorial control of the paper. He was, also, for a few months, local editor of the Duluth Morning Call. He at one time contributed largely to the columns of the New York Ledger, and was almost always writing for the local papers where he might be living.

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.

Some of the best of his poems were collected in 1876, and published under the title of " Cen- tennial Columbia." From this work is selected a short pocm, as illustrative of his facility of versification, entitled

"' NESTLING.

" Come, darling, fair darling, creep into the fold, The winters are long, and the frosts are cold, And the snows for your feet are many-fold.

" Come, darling, bright darling, the nest is so warm, And the world is so sorrowful under the storm ; Creep to thy nesting-place, happy and warm.

" And darling, oh! darling, sweet daisy of ours, Half life is toilsome, half golden with flowers, Half tempest and shadow, half sunshine and showers.

" Then come while you may, darling, unto your rest, The moon breaks the clouds, ragged edged, in the west, Creep in while you may to your warm, warm nest."

He was married, in the spring of 1872, to Miss Frank Langworthy, of Clarksville, N. Y. He died in April, 1877, leaving his wife and little daughter to mourn his loss.

Mns. A. C. KELLOGG.

The maiden name of Mrs. A. C. Kellogg was Harriet R. Ackerman. She was born in the town of Brownville, Jefferson Co., N. Y. When quite young, she was put in boarding- school (at Fairfield Seminary, Fairfield, Herkimer Co., N. Y.), where she remained several years. She evinced a decided taste for the study of nature. Her parents, thinking this merely a childish freak, compelled her to fill up her spare time with music, which she considered of minor value. Leaving this branch, she commenced the study of art, and soon drew and painted in a very creditable manner for the time and advantage she had in her course at Fairfield.

At the age of eighteen, she assumed thie responsibilities of teacher of the art department in the same institution, which position she filled three years. She afterward taught nearly two years in Hungerford Collegiate Institute, until the building was destroyed by fire. While in these institutions, she did much for the cultivation of art. She then made preparations to con- tinue the study of art in New York City and Philadelphia, when she was urged to accept the vocation of art teaching in the Wesleyan Female College at Wilmington, Del., where she remained two years, teaching a class of young ladies and zealously pursuing her art studies. She visited Philadelphia two and three times a week, having access to Mr. Earl's gallery, mean- while receiving several complimentary notices through the press.

Miss Ackerman came to Wisconsin, in the summer of 1870, with the intention of return- ing when the fall term commenced at Hungerford Collegiate Institute, which was then rebuilt. Her health being delicate, she concluded to remain in this State. She has since instructed a large number of pupils in oil painting, and has done much for the cultivation of art in Portage. She was married to Dr. A. C. Kellogg September 27, 1871.

" The Valley in Autumn," Wisconsin scenery, is a painting on which Mrs. Kellogg has lavished much wealth of coloring. Its title is suggestive ; a widespread and faithful landscape, with perspective handsomely displayed, and a general effect whose beauty is marred by no hasty finish of details. The water, transparent and yielding, reflects with soft luster what the bank presents. Still beyond the scenes already noted, there stretch away the Baraboo hill-tops, their summits tipped with the radiance of the sun. It possesses a freshness of color that charms, an atmosphere elastic, yet subdued and mellowed by the genial rays of an autumn sun.

" The Brook Trout" is a painting also worthy of special mention. It is much smaller than the one already spoken of. Its harmony of color is excellent, and the trout, that seem to have just been taken from the crystal brook, are very life-like.

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.

PRESIDENT HAYES AND PARTY.

Tuesday, September 10, 1878, was a gala day in Portage. Attached to the regular 8 o'clock train from St. Paul, was a special car, containing President Hayes and party, consisting in all of forty-six gentlemen and ladies. The distinguished visitors were received at the depot by the Guppey Guard, with the Schulze Band, and a large number of prominent citizens of Port- age ; also by a committee of gentlemen-Horace Rublee, L. B. Caswell, George W. Burchard, Sat. Clark and H. M. Lewis-who came up from Madison the evening before to escort the party to the State capital. Amid the commingling of cheers and music, the guests were escorted to the din- ing-hall of the Fox House, where an excellent breakfast awaited them. After partaking of the morning repast, the President was introduced by Mr. Caswell. He expressed himself pleased to meet and become acquainted with people of the Northwest, spoke of his recent visit to Dakota and the Red River country, and said that what had been regarded in years past as the "Great American Desert" was in fact a region of almost unlimited agricultural and mineral resources. He said he had become a convert to the advice of Horace Greeley-" Go West, young man."

The President then introduced Attorney General Devens, who was pleased to meet everybody, especially those with whom he had been associated during the war. "The material evidences of the war are sinking out of sight every day ; the fortifications and entrenchments, which have been the scenes of conflict, are gradually vanishing from sight. So every other evidence of the war should sink out of sight except the grand result-freedom for all men."

Mrs. Hayes, being introduced, smiled pleasantly and bowed gracefully to the assemblage. The distinguished party then arose, and, escorted by the Guppey Guard, the Schulze Band and the committee from Madison as escort, boarded the train and took their departure.

COLUMBIA COUNTY'S WAR RECORD.

Treason, always despicable, even unto the eyes of traitors, never became more intensely odious than in 1861, when the climax of a conspiracy, long brewing, was reached, and the best government under the sun found itself face to face with an unholy and unrighteous civil war. The object of the South in attempting a separation of the Union was the erection of a great slave empire, encircling the Mexican Gulf; the duty of the North was clearly to prevent the success of a scheme so monstrous and inhuman. The first movements of the Confederates were made under very favorable circumstances. They were in possession of many of the chief national offices, and they very largely controlled the army and the navy. Their military plan embraced three principal objects-the seizure of the forts and coast defenses, the capture of the national capital and the possession of the Mississippi River. The South was, nevertheless, thrown upon the defensive from the beginning of the struggle, and very soon effectually beleaguered. It was the unfaltering aim of the North to bring the war to a close, with as little bloodshed as pos- sible, by the capture of Richmond, the rebel capital ; but the first forward movement terminated almost disastrously at Bull Run on the 21st of July, 1861. This battle, however, was without military significance, since it did not secure the seizure of Washington by the rebels. It taught the North the real nature of the terrific struggle in which they were engaged. On the day after the battle, Congress voted $500,000,000 and called for 500,000 volunteers. From that moment the rebellion was doomed. This act of President Lincoln and his patriotic Congress increased the nation's confidence in them to deal the righteous blow, and, at the same time, struck terror to the hearts of the Secessionists.

The responses to the call were immediate and of the most encouraging character. Already a previous call for three-months' volunteers had been filled. No State in the Union was more prompt in sending forward volunteers than was Wisconsin, and no part of Wisconsin responded with greater vigor than did Columbia County. When the first call for troops was made, the Portage Light Guard immediately offered its services to the Governor. Simultaneous action on the part of other military organizations throughout the State, more favorably situated, for a

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HISTORY OF COLUMBLA COUNTY.

time delayed the Governor's acceptance, and the Light Guard was compelled to take a place as Company G in the Second Regiment of Infantry, being mustered in at Camp Randall, on the 11th of June, 1861. With it went the heartfelt sympathies of the citizens of Columbia County for the integrity of the Government. It was the substantial result of their first patriotic efforts toward maintaining that Government. But they did not pause. Volunteers continued to go forward until the serpent-twined palmetto had ceased to wave, and the "peculiar institution," slavery, was entombed, never again to exist in a free and enlightened country.

From the descriptive book of Company G, now in the possession of Capt. C. C. Dow, of Portage, the following correct list of the names of those who joined its ranks is obtained. It is an authentic roll of Columbia County's first contribution to the grand army that preserved the Union :

Capt. John Mansfield, First Lieut. A. S. Hill, Second Lieut. S. K. Vaughan, Sergeants -W. S. M. Abbott, *G. W. Marsh, Charles D. Ettinger, John G. Kent. Corporals-Julius C. Chandler, Hervey G. Clark, *Charles C. Dow, Horace E. Emerson, J. C. Allen, E. S. Fletcher, O. F. Winnie and *Charles P. Austin. Musicians -* Anson Linscott and J. A. Stanton.

Privates-M. C. Alfred, Henry Acker, A. O. Adams, E. S. Best, R. O. Batson, G. W. Briffett, G. W. Blanchard, C. Bloom, P. V. Brisbois, A. R. Clement, H. R. Coffin, D. F. Crane, T. F. Cowing, J. M. Carr, O. W. Davis, J. B. Divin, W. Dean, T. H. Dolan, E. H. Dorsey, J. Chapman, G. Elterman, T. Fletcher, G. Folinsbee, E. Fout, F. J. Gilmore, J. H. Grace, S. H. Hammond, F. D. Helmes, G. Hill, *W. Holden, C. P. Heath, J. House, G. H. Irwin, P. C. Irvine, J. Jacobsen, I. Jordan, F. Kanzenbeck, G. Leclair, F. M. Lewis, * Archa Linscott, J. Lynch, J. T. Metcalf, J. P. McDermott, S. McHngh, G. H. Miles, S. H. Morrison, W. H. Matthewson, G. W. Mack, J. Noonan, P. Maloney, F. Noble, H. Neally, S. A. Nichols, D. O'Brien, A. F. Pardee, W. L. Plumsted, M. S. Phillips, C. Rice, E. Rice, C. E. Reynolds, J. Russell, H. Rensimer, J. P. Schildgen, G. Sherwood, F. Smith, H. Smith, J. A. Snyder, J. Stone, H. Sweetman, M. Sweeney, A. P. Tiffany, J. Twycross, J. M. Vantassell, W. H. Williams, G. Williams, J. A. Wisor, R. V. Dey, M. McMahon, W. Whitney and J. Chrystie.

The following enlisted October 7, 1861, at Fort Tillinghast, Va .: Van R. Bentley, C. Blackman, J. Castly, A. B. Cole, W. H. Church, *Charles Delaney, S. R. Eggleston, E. Jack- son, J. H. Langdon, G. F. Leeds, J. Lester, J. T. Loomer, C. Mooter, R. C. McDonald, E. H. H. May, C. R. Mosher, W. L. Pratt, O. Parker, J. B. Rowell, C. E. Reiley, J. H. Sharpe, J. T. Sines, G. Stalker, H. C. Tupper and L. Wilkins.

Subsequent enlistments were as follows : T. J. Staley, November 1, 1861 ; H. S. Cave, March 19, 1862; W. T. Davis, December 10, 1863; B. Cooper, January 6, 1864; C. B. Allen, J. Ford, W. Wilds, F. O'Neil, G. A. Lupient, M. Kane and D. Bracey, January 16, 1864; I. S. Allen, *M. W. Hartman and A. Keebangh, January 26, 1864; R. K. Chrystic, February 6, 1864 ; T. W. Jones, W. N. Sheeks, E. Van Horn and H. Williams, February 17, 1864.

A brief account of the wonderful experience of Company Gis herewith given : The Second Regiment was originally enrolled under the President's call for 75,000 three-months volunteers. Under orders to rendezvous at Camp Randall, the various companies were organized early in May, 1861. Meanwhile, the General Government had decided to accept no more troops for this short term of service, and accordingly, on the 16th of May, the regiment was called upon to re-enlist " for three years or during the war." With the exception of one company, the entire regiment complied enthusiastically. On the 11th of June, the Second Regiment, thus organ- ized, was mustered into the United States service, being the first Wisconsin organization so mus- tered. On the 20th of the same month, the regiment left for Washington, and was the first body of three-years men to appear at the capital. On the 2d of July, they were ordered to Fort Corcoran, on the Fairfax road, where they were brigaded with three New York regiments, under

* At present residing in Columbia County.

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.

Col. (now Gen.), Sherman, and, on the 16th, when the movement on Manassas was made, were attached to Gen. Tyler's Division, by whom the enemy was engaged at Blackburn's Ford, on Bull Run. On the 21st, the Second Regiment was ordered to assault one of the enemy's batteries. They moved up, under a terrific enfilading fire of shell and canister from other bat- teries, formed in line at the foot of a hill and charged up, driving back the rebel infantry which had emerged from cover in pursuit of a body of our troops just repulsed in a similar assault. Here they fought against enormous odds for over an hour, but, the enemy being reinforced, were compelled to fall back, having suffered a loss of 30 killed, 105 wounded and 60 prisoners.

· On the 23d, the regiment went into camp near Fort Corcoran, where they remained until August 27, when they were transferred from Col. Sherman's command to that of Brig. Gen. Rufus King, which then consisted of the Fifth and Sixth Wisconsin and the Nineteenth Indiana, composing what afterward became known as the " Iron Brigade." Thus organized, they crossed the Potomac on the 5th of September, and, after assisting in the construction of Fort Marcy, recrossed the river, and, October 5, went into winter quarters at Fort Tillinghast, on Arlington Heights, Va. Here they remained until March 10, 1862, when they took part in the advance upon Manassas. Nothing of startling importance occurred until the forenoon of the 28th of August. The brigade having been assigned a position in the advance line of the Army of Vir- ginia, they proceeded slowly on the left of the army, via Gainesville, to Groveton, where they turned to the right on the Bethlehem Church road, and lay under arms until 5 in the afternoon, when they returned to the Warrenton pike, marching toward Centerville. While moving by the flank, the Second Regiment was attacked by a battery posted on a wooded eminence to the left. The regiment promptly advanced upon the battery, and soon encountered the enemy's infantry. While awaiting the arrival of the rest of the brigade, this regiment sustained and checked for nearly twenty minutes the onset of " Stonewall " Jackson's entire division, under a murderous concentric fire of musketry. When the brigade arrived, the battle was continued until 9 in the evening, when the enemy was repulsed.

August 30, the Second, having been temporarily consolidated with the Seventh Wisconsin, moved with the brigade in the second line of battle, to assault the enemy's left, posted in a thick wood. While engaged in assaulting this position, the success of the rebel attack upon the left flank of our army made it necessary to fall back. The " Iron Brigade " formed in line of bat- tle, retained the position until the entire army had passed on the road to Centerville.

The Second Regiment also participated in the movements of the army under the command of Gen. McClellan, and, on the 14th of September, with the rest of the brigade, was assigned the duty of storming Turner's Pass, of South Mountain, where the rebels were strongly posted in a gorge. The enemy was routed and driven from the pass with heavy loss. This movement led them to take a prominent part in the battle of Antietam, and afterward in the memorable battle of Fredericksburg, December 13. During that winter, the Second engaged in several very profitable expeditions in Virginia, under Col. Fairchild, and, in April following, under command of Gen. Hooker, forced a passage of the Rappahannock at Fitz Hugh's Crossing, driving the rebels from their rifle-pits, and capturing several hundred prisoners.

June 1, they found themselves near Gettysburg, and the Second, having that day the lead of the marching column, first met the enemy, under an order to support Gen. Buford's cavalry. The regiment came into line, on the double-quick, behind a slight elevation, and, without wait- ing for the rest of the brigade to form, advanced over the crest, and received a volley which cut down over 30 per cent of the rank and file. But they dashed upon the enemy's center and crushed it, thus checking the rebel advance. At that date, the loss of the Second Regiment since its re-enlistment, in killed, wounded and missing, amounted to 652.

In December, 1863, forty members of the Second Regiment re-enlisted, and, on the 28th of January, 1864, arrived at Madison, received their furloughs and dispersed to their homes to enjoy a short respite from duty. During the absence of the re-enlisted men, the remainder of the Second, with the non-veterans of the brigade, participated in a reconnaissance to the Rapidan River. About the 1st of March, the veterans returned to the front, and their regiment was

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soon after assigned to position in the First Brigade, Fourth Division, Fifth Army Corps. Accompanying the grand forward movement of the Army of the Potomac, under Gens. Grant and Meade, the Iron Brigade participated in the battles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania Court House, after which, the Second Regiment, having been reduced to less than one hundred men present for duty, and having lost both field officers, was detailed as provost guard to the Fourth Division, Fifth Army Corps, thus severing its connection with the " Iron Brigade." The battle-scarred members of the regiment followed the destinies of that division in the grand movement to the left, arriving June 6 at Bottom's Bridge, on the Chickahominy, where they remained until the expiration of their term of service. Those absent on detached duty were recalled, and on June 11 the remnant of the regiment took its departure for home, arriving in Madison on the 18th, being enthusiastically welcomed.

By order of the division commander, those who had joined the regiment at various times after its original organization were formed into an independent battalion of two companies under Capt. D. B. Dailey, and assigned to duty as provost guard of the Fourth Division, Fifth Army Corps. Crossing the James River, on the 16th of June, they took part in the battle before Petersburg. They participated in various unimportant engagements until November 30, when they were transferred, as Companies G, and H, to the Sixth Wisconsin, with which they were thereafter connected until mustered out. The names of those of the original Company G who were killed in battle, or died from the effects of wounds or disease, are as follows :

Bull Run, July 21, 1861 : Killed-Privates Henry R. Coffin, John Christie, John Nooman and William H. Williams.

Gainesville, August 28, 1862 : Killed-Sergt. John G. Kent; Corps. Owen W. Davis and Gustav Leclair ; Privates Charles Bloom, William Dean, Edwin Jackson, John Lester, Randall McDonald, George W. Mack, Andrew F. Pardee, Walter C. Plumstead, Monroe L. Phillips, Orson Parker, John P. Schildgen, Guy Sherwood, James D. Snyder, and Trevyllian J. Staley. Antietam, September 17, 1862: Killed-Gustav Etterman.

Gettysburg, July 1, 1863 : Killed-Patrick Moloney and Hanford Tupper.

Died of wounds-Van R. Bentley and Theodore Fletcher.

Died of disease-C. B. Allen, Joseph Castley, J. Chapman, John Ford, Stephen McHugh, H. Ransaeler, James T. Sines, J. H. Sharpe, Alonzo P. Tiffany.

Capt. Mansfield was made a Major in February, 1863. He is now Lieutenant Governor of California. Lieut. Hill was wounded at the first Bull Run, and also at Antietamn ; was pro- moted to captaincy in March, 1863: discharged in July of the same year. Second Lieut. Vaughan resigned in September, 1861. Sergt. Dow was wounded in the neck at Gainesville, August 28, 1862; made a Second Lieutenant in September, 1862; promoted to First Lieuten- ant in March, 1863, and to a captaincy in August following. The Second Regiment was under fire the first time at Blackburn's Ford, July 18, 1861. Company G went into the battle of Gainesville (the second Bull Run) with 54 men and lost in killed and wounded 43-13 being killed outright.

Anson Linscott, now a resident of Portage, went out with Company G as a musician at the age of fifteen years, and afterward became drum major of the regiment. After the battle of Gainesville, young Linscott penned the following brief but graphic letter to his parents in Portage :

CAMP NEAR MUNSON HILL, Va., Sept. 3, 1862.

Dear Father and Mother: I thought I would write you a few lines about the awful battles we have had. We have been under heavy cannon and musket fire and in battles for the last two weeks. Our regiment is about all gone, killed and wounded. There are only about ten men left in our company. The last battle we fought was on the old Bull Run battle-field, where we were engaged more than a year ago. I will try and give you a list of the killed. *Archa was shot through the neck. I was in the rear of the regiment, with the ambulances, taking care of the wounded, and saw him fall, but we could not save him ; he died in a few minutes. Poor brother, it is hard, but it is true. Snyder, Billy Dean, Staley, Kent, Owen Davis, Plumbstead and some others fell dead, and a great many of our company are wounded. The regiment has about two hundred and fifty men left. I suppose they will put us in some place to stay awhile and recruit ; if they do, I will have a better chance to write to you. I have a poor chance now

* Recovered and still living.

Bryce

PORTAGE CITY.

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to write. We are marching and fighting all the time. I got out all safe, but I had many narrow escapes. All of our musicians had to go with the ambulances right up into the fight. I tell you, the bombshells and bullets whistled for miles around. Several shells hit close to me. Every time I could hear them coming I would drop flat on the grass. It was awful Our regiment stood up and fought like tigers. Some New York troops threw down their arms and ran like sheep. Poor Archa was shot through the windpipe and lived only a few minutes. It is hard, father, but it cannot be helped. Archa took care of me when I was sick. There have been a great many men killed in these battles. I will write to you again in a few days and give you more particulars.

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The history of Columbia county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, Part 83

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899, [from old catalog] ed; Western historical company, chicago, pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899, [from old catalog] ed; Western historical company, chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1104