Of the five wars since 1861, the Civil War, also known as the War Between the States or the War of the Rebellion, was by far the most tragic in the number of men from the county killed, or died of wounds, or disease, or as prisoners in Confederate camps. The county had a total population in 1860 of 7,507 and yet: there were more casualties among this number than total casualties in World II when the population was more than four times as great. But those who returned to the county helped to make the history of their time.
After the first two years of the Civil War, when the North gained little and lost much, it was clear that the war effort would have to be enlarged. All were volunteer enlistments up to 1863 when Lincoln introduced the draft. But the city of Stevens Point and most of the 13 townships of the county did everything possible to encourage volunteers by offering cash bounties. It was still considered unpatriotic to draft anyone. The available proceedings of the town boards of Almond, Amherst, Hull, New Hope, Sharon and Stockton are marked by numerous entries relating to special town meetings held in 1864 and 1865 for the purpose of raising money to be used as bounties for volunteer enlistments. But there appeared to be a vast confusion over the question of draft quotas. As a result one town meeting which might vote to raise $2,000 for bounties on one day, a few weeks later might vote to rescind or change this action. Few men actually left the county as a result of bounties offered. The failure to provide cash bounties for recruits in most townships apparently was not the fault of the town boards, but rather the result of chaotic conditions in the draft system which, in the parlance of World War II, was "snafu" (situation normal, all fouled up).
It was also possible in the Civil War for a man to hire another man to take his place in the draft. This was done by offering the substitute a cash bonus which was raised either by the man called up or by the community in which he lived. This was not entirely an excuse for draft-dodging because some were family men and those who left families behind also placed responsibility on the town boards. Meanwhile on Nov. 23, 1861 the County Board agreed, by a vote of eight to six, to provide $2 per month for each child under 14 whose father had entered service as of Nov. 1, 1861.
A unique entry in township records appears in the original "road book" of Stockton which lists the names of the men "who were drafted and served in the Army of the U.S.A. to put down the Southern Rebellion." This record - the only one of its kind in the county - reveals that of the 78 men who went into service, two went as substitutes for others, three were drafted, while all the others were volunteers - a remarkable record. On the evidence of their names nearly all were of English-Irish-Scotch ancestry.
The men from Portage County in the Civil War were assigned to nearly every artillery battery and infantry regiment activated in Wisconsin, and some served in non-Wisconsin units. They fought all over the South. The place names where some were killed or wounded include Ft. Gibson, North Carolina; Cold Water, Rappahannock Station, Petersburg, and White House Landing, Virginia; Williamsburg and Rivers Bridge, South Carolina; Kennesaw Mountain and Atlanta, Georgia; Hurricane Creek and Vicksburg, Mississippi; Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee; Altoona, Pennsylvania; and L'Anguille Ferry, Arkansas. Apparently the 1st Cavalry Regiment was caught in ambush at L'Anguille Ferry as the number of men killed or taken prisoner from Portage County was probably the highest in proportion to the number engaged of any single action. The battle at Altoona, Pennsylvania, marked the highest number of prisoners taken from the county in a single action. Several from the county died as prisoners, especially at Andersonville. Several from the county also deserted.
The record which follows of Portage County servicemen in the Civil War is neither complete nor entirely accurate. The official roster of Wisconsin volunteers, from which this is culled, admits this is impossible, and the editors of the roster have inadvertently confused their own evidence in some entries where men transferred from one unit to another. As a whole, the dates and facts as given are probably as accurate as can be expected of military records. However, what follows includes only men from the county who served in Wisconsin units, not out-of-state. Wayne Patterson of Buena Vista, for example, whether he joined in Wisconsin or not, was killed in action at Raymond, La. while serving with the 20th Illinois Regiment Infantry and his name does not appear in the roster. Nor is it possible to detail all the transfers, and different units the men served in; and, when a man made corporal or rose from NCO to commissioned rank it does not follow that his promotion came in the unit he is identified with in this text - which would require many pages of recitation. Many of the men from the county apparently gave their address where they enlisted; Jacob Mehne, for example, a pioneer of Almond township, gave his address as Stevens Point. Some gave their address as Jordan, actually "New Jordan," but there was no post office here until 1864 and this was called Hull, not Jordan. No distinction is made in the roster between townships and villages of the same name. It will be noted also that none of the servicemen gave their address as Alban, Carson or Grant, none of which had been incorporated (Grant 1864) while some of the others who gave their address as "Stevens Point" probably meant the township which included modern Carson. Finally, it must be emphasized that the names which follow include only men who left from the county, not veterans who came to the county after the war, or even during the war after being discharged for service connected disabilities.
Serving in the 1st Regiment Cavalry, Co. B, from Portage County, were John T. Consaul, Stevens Point, commissioned 2nd Lt., taken prisoner at L'Anguille Ferry, Ark., Aug. 3, 1862, later exchanged by the Confederate Army for one of their own; Bradley Brown, Stevens Point, killed in action Aug. 3, 1862, L'Anguille Ferry; Daniel S. Bullock, Eau Pleine, made sergeant; Joseph Etchew, died Aug. 15, 1862, Cape Girardeau, Mo., disease; Walter O. Field, Stevens Point, made sergeant, prisoner, L'Anguille Ferry, d. July 9, 1864, Nashville, Tenn., disease; Francis W. Hazard, made corporal, killed in action Aug. 3, 1863, L'Anguille Ferry; Seth Homestead, Stevens Point, made Q.M. sergeant; Merville W. Morgan, Eau Pleine, prisoner, Bloomfield, Mo.; Orlan B. Muzzy, Stevens Point, prisoner, Gainsville, Ark.; Francis Savage, Stevens Point, made corporal; William J. Baker, Plover, NCO to 2nd Lt.; Homer E. Bush, Plover, made sergeant; Sylvester G. Crocker, Eau Pleine, prisoner, Newman, Ga.; and Charles S. Vaughn, Plover.
In Co. H were Charles O. Roseberry, Pine Grove, prisoner, Cleveland, Tenn., d. Andersonville prison; James Sample, Pine Grove, made corporal; and Daniel Werner, Meehan. John Baker, Stevens Point, NCO to 1st Lt., served in Co. I, and August H. Guernsey, Almond, served in the 2nd Regiment Cavalry.
In Co. H, 3rd Cavalry, were Capt. Nathan L. Stout, Stevens Point, d. June 27, 1863, Leavenworth, Kan., disease; Dewit C. Brown, Stevens Point, NCO to captain; John W. Van Myers1 , Stevens Point, NCO to captain, wnd. Sailor's Creek, Va.; and Jerome Nelson, Amherst, NCO to 1st Lt. Enlisted men from Stevens Point in Co. H were Nelson Andrews; Giles G. Barto, made 1st sergeant, discharged 1864, disability; William H. Benson, made corporal, d. Jan. 21, 1863, Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., disease; Truman H. Boomer, veterinarian, made corporal, discharged 1864, disability; Jesse Boyington; Thomas H. Brawley; Hugh H. Brawley; Iowa Brown, discharged 1862, disability; Louis Castle, discharged 1862, disability; James A. Gibbons; William M. Gilbert, made corporal; Benjamin Giliam; Mark A. Groom, bugler, d. Jan. 21, 1863, Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., disease; David R. Holbrook (who may also have gone under the name William Holbrook) discharged 1863, disability; Daniel B. Hull, made corporal, discharged 1863, disability; John K. Hutchinson, vet., NCO to 1st Lt.; Ezra Mann, killed in action May 25, 1863, Ft. Gibson, N.C.; George C. Miller; William Page, saddler, made corporal, killed in action May 25, 1863, Ft. Gibson, N.C.; Jackson L. Prentice, NCO to Q.M. sergeant and 2nd Lt.; Simeon S. Richardson, d. Jan. 26, 1863, Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., disease; Norman Shannon; James Sitherwood; William Smart, vet.; William Sprague, discharged 1862, disability; George A. Stowell, prisoner, Plum Bayou, Ark., March 9, 1865, exchanged May 27, 1865; Arnold Stowell, d. Oct. 23, 1864, St. Louis, Mo., disease; Henry N. Stroud, vet., made sergeant; Freeman H. Tabor, vet., made sergeant; Arthur Van Order; David H. Vaughn; Ignatius Wetzel, vet, and blacksmith; Jesse L. White, wagoner, discharged 1863, disability; James Wolford, discharged 1863, disability; and James Young, made sergeant
Enlisted men in Co. H, 3rd Cavalry, from Plover, were Milton S. Alban, bugler; Lewis B. Farr; James B. McDill; Charles Vaughn; and John Jordan; from Amherst, Edgar Allen, vet, and wagoner; Isaac R. Grover, vet., made corporal, later commissary sergeant; Edwin Hathaway, made corporal; John Hennis, bugler, made corporal; Hiram R. Morrison, vet.; William G·. Rice; John B. Robb, vet, surgeon on staff section (office of veterinary surgeon abolished Aug. 30, 1862); John Severance, vet.; and Edwin Turner, made corporal.
Commanding 8th Battery, Light Artillery Wisconsin Volunteers, was Stephen J. Carpenter, Stevens Point, killed in action Dec. 31, 1862, Stone River, Tenn., replaced by Capt. Henry E. Stiles, also of Stevens Point. John D. McLean, Stevens Point, served in 8th Battery as senior 2nd Lt., a rank no longer used, promoted Jr. 1st Lt. (also no longer used); and Henry L. Wheeler, Eau Pleine, NCO to Jr. 2nd Lt.
Enlisted men from Stevens Point in 8th Battery were William Agnew, made 1st sergeant, discharged 1863, disability; George Banker, vet., made corporal; James Barr, discharged 1862, disability; Alonzo M. Buffam, made corporal, d. Aug. 8, 1862, Jacinto, Miss.; John T. Collen, discharged 1862, disability; Fritz H. Darling, vet., made corporal with classification "handy man and inventor", prisoner; Charles Fleming, vet.; Gustavus Frank, vet., made corporal; Peter Gordon, discharged 1862, disability; William Heaton; Albert Higgins, d. July 28, 1863, Nashville, Tenn., disease; Melvin W. Higgins, d. Corinth, Miss., date unknown; Edwin R. Howe, deserted May 27, 1862; Benjamin Hurst, discharged 1862, disability; Hezekiah Hutchings, made 1st sergeant, discharged 1862, disability; Nathan J. Johnson; Daniel McAulley, discharged 1862, disability; Henry McLean, vet.; Patrick McMahon, vet.; James McMurphy, d. Sept. 28, 1862, Jackson, Tenn., disease; Lewis McMurphy, d. Jan. 5, 1863, Nashville, Tenn., disease; Abram Moyer, discharged 1862, disability; Eaton B. Northrup, made corporal, discharged 1862, disability; Hiram Palmer, made sergeant; James H. Peanor; William Reynolds, discharger 1863, disability; Joseph Robbins; Isaac Roe, discharged 1863, disability; Edwin W. Royce, discharged 1862, disability; Oscar 0. Snyder, discharged 1863, disability; Thomas J. Tuttle, vet.; and William H. Walton, d. Nov. 20, 1862, Bowling Green, Ky., disease.
Other enlisted men from the county in 8th Battery were Alfred Davy, Eau Pleine, vet., made corporal; Daniel J. Ellis, Amherst, discharged 1862, disability; Wilson Ellis, Amherst, d. Nov. 1, 1862, Jackson, Tenn., disease; James McBridge, Hull; Benjamin F. Morrison, Amherst, vet.; Isaac M. Moss, Beuna Vista, vet.; Squires P. Thorn, Almond, vet.; Isaiah Uptahgrove, Buena Vista, vet.; Lucius Washburn, Almond, discharged 1863, disability; and Joseph H. Worby, Hull, vet., wnd., Stone River, Tenn., (battle of Murfreesboro).
Serving in the 3rd Regiment Infantry, Co. K, from Portage County were Daniel and John F. Hillstrom, both of Amherst; Arthur Fletcher, Buena Vista; and Lemuel P. Harvey, Sharon (probably an error) for Amherst where his name appears in 1870 tax roll).
Serving in the 5th Wisconsin Regiment, Co. B, was Hugh Hubbard, Peru (i.e. New Hope), killed in action June 1, 1864, Cold Harbor, Va.
Serving in Co. E, 5th Regiment, from Plover were William H. Alban; Jesse Anson, wnd. Williamsburg, Va.; Roswell Beach, d. Nov. 29, 1863, Wash. D.C., wnds. Rappahannock Station, Va., Nov: 7, 1863; Bozeil Courtwright, d. Oct. 21, 1861, disease; Henry Curran, commissioned 2nd Lt., promoted brevet major; Charles M. Dunsmore; George W. Hale, d. Sept. 24, 1862, Wash. D.C., disease; Ely Mitchell, discharged 1861, disability; Charles T. Packard, made corporal; Henry C. Russell, discharged 1863, disability; John B. Russell, killed in action Nov. 7, 1863, Rappahannock Station; William L. Tucker, discharged 1862, disability; Frank R. Walker; Resse W. Walker, made sergeant, wnd. Williamsburg and Gaines' Mill, killed in action May 5, 1864, Wilderness, Va.
In the 5th Infantry (Reorganized), Co. A, from Stevens Point were Francis Aldridge, Calvin Blood, wnd. April 2, 1865; Warren Cheeney; and William C. Young.
In Co. D, 5th Infantry, were Salmon O. and Sylvester W. Andrews, both of Stevens Point; Phillip H. Blodgett, Eau Pleine, wnd. April 2, 1865; James Pierce, Plover, made corporal; Cyrenus Simmons, Eau Pleine; Aseal C. Wilmot, Plover, made sergeant; and the following from Stevens Point: John P. Campbell, made 1st sergeant; Carlos B. Coburn; Milton S. Cottrell; Freedom D. Cromwell, wnd.; Nahum Cromwell; Phillip A. Field, made 1st sergeant; Gunder O. Johnson; Wesley King, made corporal; George Ross, wnd. April 6, 1865, Sailor's Creek, Va.; Mathew J. Scidmore, made corporal; Edwin Ward; Herbert Ward, wnd. Sailor's Creek; and Milo 'Wells, wnd. Sailor's Creek.
William Bremmer, Stockton, was commissioned Sept. 14, 1864, wnd. Sailor's Creek, made captain Co. F, 5th Regiment (Reorganized). Calvin D. Richmond, who gave his address as Stevens Point, but probably settled earlier in Stockton, rose from NCO to 1st Lt. in Co. F. Enlisted men in Co. F were Ebenezer L. Aber, Plover, killed in action April 2, 1865, Petersburg, Va.; John T. Aber, Plover; Edwin A. Allen, Eau Pleine, made sergeant, wnd. Petersburg, Va.; Isaac L. Baker, Almond; Albert A. Beggs, Almond, killed in action April 2, 1865, Petersburg, Va.; James Beggs, Almond; William C. Carver, Eau Pleine; Franklin C. Cram, Almond; George W. Cram, Almond; George A. Downing, Buena Vista; Chester H. Dwinnell, Stockton; Orson Fancher, Stevens Point, wnd. Sailor's Creek; Charles H. Gee, Plover, wnd. Sailor's Creek, d. May 14, 1865; Nelson Gee, Almond, made corporal; Eli Grannis, Almond, made corporal; Frederick Gross, Almond, wnd. Sailor's Creek; Wraldo L. Hill, Almond; Guilford Hodgen, Plover; John D. Kleiner, Stevens Point; Silas W. Lamareaux (the roster leaves the residence address of Lamareaux blank, but as there was a family by that name in the county and as so many other county wen were in this same company, it is reasonable to assume he was from the county); Henry Lisner, New Hope, killed in action April 2, 1865, Petersburg, Va.; Samuel M. Manley, Almond, wnd. Petersburg, Va.; Job Margeson, Plover; Henry McCallen, Almond, made corporal; Henry M/organ, Stevens Point; William L. Phillips, Stevens Point, wnd. April 2, 1865, d. April 13, Wash. D.C.; Andrew Rowe (probably misspelling for Roe), New Hope; Leonard Stickney, Almond; Henry C. Willard, Stevens Point, made corporal; Jay B. Winslow, Eau Pleine; Samuel F. Dinslow, Almond; and George M. Worden, Stevens Point, wnd. Feb. 7, 1865.
The 8th Regiment Infantry, Co. A, was commanded by Capt. Josiah B. Redfield of Waupaca, but the following enlisted men from Portage County served with this unit: Johathan Adams, Buena Vista; Charles Allen, Stockton; Edwin Allen, Stockton, discharged 1863, disability; Eugene Allen, Amherst, vet.; Augustus E. Allen, Stockton, d. Jan. 29, 1862, Cairo, Ill, disease; George B. Allen, Amherst; Charles A. Bangle, Amherst, d. May 7, 1865, Ft. Gaines, Ala.; Woldridge A. Baker, Plover, killed in action Aug. 13, 1864, Hurricane Creek, Miss.; Alonzo J. Beers, Buena Vista, d. Feb. 28, 1862, Cairo, Ill., disease; Joseph Bennett, Stockton, d. July 2, 1862, Farmington, Miss., disease; John Casbeer, Stockton, vet.; William W. Christian, Stevens Point, made corporal; James F. Richmond, Stockton; Samuel A. Sanderson, Hull; and Nathaniel Shannon, Stockton, discharged 1862, disability, later re-enlisted, wnd., prisoner, Petersburg, Va., July 30, 1864.
Louis Schuetze, Stevens Point, rose from NCO to 2nd Lt., Co. D 9th Inf. William Zimmer, Stevens Point, served as wagoner in the same company; Frederick Zimmer, Stevens Point, made sergeant, taken prisoner, mustered out Dec. 3, 1864 which suggests that he was an exchange prisoner as the war was not yet over.
Two enlisted men from Amherst served in Co.B, 12 Inf., namely James F. Allen, d. Dec. 15, 1864, Savannah, Ga., disease; and Edgar Starks. Allen enlisted Oct. 11, 1864 and died two months later in Georgia which suggests little basic training before going into a zone of combat.
In Co. G., 12th Inf., were five from Stevens Point, namely, William M. Carpenter, made 1st sergeant; John Ellington, vet.; Ole C. Nilson, d. Oct. 2, 1863, Natchez, Miss., disease; Andrew Oleson, vet., made corporal, served with Capt Langworthy's expedition to the federal fleet announcing Sherman's occupation of Savannah, wnd. Kenesaw Mountain; John M. Park; and Martin Simenson, vet., wnd. Aug. 6, 1864. Two from Eau Pleine in the same company were William and Jacob Scott who both enlisted the same day, probably brothers.
A number of men from the county served in Co. B, 14th Inf., namely Syndey B. Carpenter, Plover, from NCO to captain; Alonzo J. Austin, Plover, deserted July 18, 1865; John F. Beach, Plover, wnd. Vicksburg, transferred to Veterans Reserve Corps (invalid corps); James D. Beach, Plover, made sergeant; Alfred Bennett, Plover, discharged 1862, disability; Alexander Bremmer, Plover, prisoner, d. Oct. 22, 1863, Vicksburg, Miss., disease; Oscar P. Briggs, Stevens Point; Daniel W. Daniels, Stevens Point, d. Oct. 3, 1864, Brownsville, Ark.; Orlezium Deruza, Stockton, wnd. discharged 1862, disability; Horace Dewey Jr., Lanark, vet.; John Driskell (probably Driscoll), Charles Drake, Plover, made sergeant, wnd. Shiloh, d. April 20, 1862, St. Louis, Mo.; Arunah Dwinnel, Stockton, made sergeant; Orren W. Frost, Stevens Point, transferred to V.R.C. 1865; Bruno Glorie, Stevens Point, d. Dec. 10, 1864, New Albany, wnd., disease; Alfred Harrold, Sharon, (probably Alfred Earl of Stevens Point who had real estate and lumber interests on the Plover River after the war); Thomas Healey, Stevens Point; Hazzard Harrington, Stockton, d. June 26, 1862, Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., disease; Edward V. Higgins, Stockton, discharged 1862, disability; Wilson E. Higgins, Stockton, wnd. Shiloh; William Kemp Jr., Lanark; Francis H. Lemere, Stockton, vet., made corporal, on detached service to U.S. Sanitary Commission 1864-65; Francis S. Marshall, Linwood, vet.; Henry Mason, Stevens Point; John McGown, Plover, made corporal; William McIntyre, Hull; Henry G. Meizner, Stevens Point; Charles M. Myers, Buena Vista; Theodore Myers, Plover, vet.; George Oleson, Hull; Isaac Robbins, Plover; Joseph Roberts Jr., Plover; Joseph Roberts Jr., Stevens Point, deserted July 17, 1864; Hiram Roe, Buena Vista; Gustavus Schuets, Hull; Joseph Schlegel, Stevens Point; Samuel Seaman, Stevens Point; Elijah Smart Jr., Stevens Point; Marshall M. Smith, Linwood, d. Aug. 28, 1862, St. Louis, Mo.; Henry Smith, Buena Vista, wnd. in accident; William H. Smith, Stevens Point; George W. Stanley, Stevens Point, discharged 1862, disability; Lewis R. Strong, Plover; Thomas Thompkins, Stockton, made corporal, wnd. Corinth, Miss., discharged 1863; Jacob Vogt, Stevens Point; John Wilson, New Hope, d. July 8, 1864, Huntsville, Ala.; Henderson Winans, Linwood; Ezra Whittaker, Plover, wnd. Shiloh, d. May 9, 1862, St. Louis, Mo., disease; James Wolford, Stevens Point, discharged 1865, disability; William H. Worden, Almond, discharged 1862, disability; and Lewis Young, Almond.
James Brabant, probably of Stevens Point, served in Co. K, 14th Inf. (also listed as John B. Brabant in Co. G from Mosinee, but a transfer from Co. K where he made sergeant).
At least five enlisted men from the county were recruited by Capt. August Gasmann for Co. I of the 15th Regiment, made up mostly of Scandinavians from Wisconsin with additional strength from Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa. August Gasmann gave his address as Waupun but he was a member of the Gasmann family which moved to Amherst in the mid-1850s. For reasons unknown today he held his commission from date of rank Jan. 15, 1862 to April 3, 1863 when he resigned. The five men in Co. I from Portage County were Peter Clausen, Amherst, d. Nov. 23, 1863 Chattanooga, Tenn., disease; and the following from New Hope: Ole Amundson, d. July 22, 1864, Chattanooga, Tenn., disease; Lars Halvorson, discharged 1863, disability; John Rambeck, made corporal, discharged 1862, disability; and John O. Wrolstad (spelled Wraalstad in the roster), made sergeant.
Serving in the 16th Regiment were Jerome Adams, Buena Vista, promoted captain; Elisha B. Beers, Buena Vista; John E. Bishop, Plover, missing in action Oct. 3, 1862, Corinth; Asahel and Isaac S. Humiston, ]Lanark; James Pollock, Buena Vista, d. Feb. 14, 1862, Madison, Wis., disease; Zacheus E. Richmond, Buena Vista; Lloyd Wakeman, Plover, wnd. Atlanta, Ga., d. Aug. 17, 1864, Marietta, Ga.; Reuben Wakeman, Plover, killed in action Aug. 26, 1864, Atlanta, Ga.; Charles A. Casler, Pine Grove, d. Aug. 9, 1863, Vicksburg, Miss., disease; David Collier, Belmont, wnd. Shiloh, 1862; Benjamin Dean, Belmont, missing in action, d. Aug. 4, 1862, Macon, Ga.; Charles Doolittle, Almond, vet., wnd. Shiloh; Hendry H. Eastman, Meehan; David Lant, Almond, prisoner Oct. 31, 1862; David R. Morgan, Belmont; George J. Rashow, Linwood, wnd. Shiloh, d. St. Louis, Mo.; Robert W. Sanders, Belmont, wnd. Shiloh; Noah Strong, probably Belmont; Ole Iverson, Stevens Point, wnd., d. July 22, 1864, Atlanta, Ga.; George Wilson, Stevens Point; Charles H. Niewkirk, Almond; Knudt Olsen, Jordan; Minor Taylor, Jordan, wnd. Atlanta, Ga.; and William H. Youngblood, Jordan.
Serving in the 17th Regiment from the county was Cyrus Fairbanks, Belmont, (listed in 1863 tax roll) d. May 16, 1865, Willett's Point, NJ. Y., disease.
Commanding the 18th Regiment was Col. James S. Alban, Plover, wnd. April 6, 1862, d. April 7, battle of Pittsburg Landing (Shiloh), Tenn. Others from the county in the 18th Regiment were Gilbert L. Park, Stevens Point, promoted captain; Andrew J. Welton, Jeremiah D. Rogers, and Capt. William J. Kershaw, all of Plover; John Alexander, Stockton; and Andrew J. Lucia, Jordan, prisoner at Shuloh.
Company E, 18th Regiment, largely activated by Portage County officers and men, was commanded for three years by William Bremmer of Stockton and in the last year of the war by Luman N. Carpenter of Plover who was taken prisoner at Altoona, Pa. and later escaped. In addition were George Walbridge and Joseph H. Baker of Plover, both 1st Lieutenants. Enlisted men in Co. E were Jeremiah Andrews, Linwood, John Alexander, Stockton; George G. Allen, Plover, d. Columbus, Ohio. Sept. 5, 1863; Austin L. Atwood, Linwood, d. May 14, 1862, St. Louis, Mo.; Thomas G. Bacon, Belmont (listed in 1863 tax roll), prisoner, Shiloh; Edwin Bancroft, Pine Grove, d. Jan. 10, 1862, Koekuk, Ia.; Charles Bates, Stevens Point; Alfred Bates, Linwood; Joel S. Beadle, Linwood, prisoner, Shiloh; Flavel Bedell, Linwood, prisoner, Altoona, Pa.; George A. Beers, Plover, prisoner, Altoona; John W. Beebee, Amherst; Addison W. Bell, Plover, prisoner, Altoona; John Berry, Plover, prisoner, Shiloh; Theophilius Borcier, Buena Vista, prisoner, Altoona; Charles Bremmer, Plover, prisoner, Altoona; Sheridan Bremmer, Stockton, prisoner, Altoona; James A. Bremmer, Stockton; William W. Campbell, Plover, prisoner, Shiloh and Altoona, promoted 1st Lt.; Allen Carpenter, Buena Vista, d.? (no information); Hiram H. Clark, Plover; Orrin Clough, Plover, prisoner, Altoona, promoted 2nd Lt.; William Coleman, Linwood; George W. Craig, Almond, prisoner, Altoona; Samuel H. Currier, Stockton, prisoner, Altoona; George Drake, Linwood, prisoner, Shiloh, d. Nov. 28, 1862, Portsmouth, R. I. from exposure in Confederate prison; Loren Dodds, Plover; Alfred B. Doolittle, Stockton, prisoner, Shiloh; Samuel Drake, Plover, prisoner, Shiloh; James Dwyre, Plover, d. June 4, 1862, Jefferson Barracks, Mo.; Wrilliam H. Edminister, Belmont; Reuben Edminister, Belmont, d. May 9, 1862, Evansville, mnd.; George W. Evans, Linwood, d. April 17, 1862, New Albany, wnd.; August: Feist, Amherst, prisoner, Shiloh; John E. Field, Stevens Point, killed in action, April 6, 1862, Shiloh; Cornelius Halliday, Linwood; Eugene L. Halliday, Linwood; Stephen R. Hayner, Plover; William C. Haas, Plover, d. disease; Byron P. Hough, Linwood, prisoner, Altoona; Edward Hugo, Plover, prisoner, Shiloh and Altoona; Henry Hutchins, Linwood; Benjamin F. Jackson, Plover, prisoner, Altoona; Myron Johnson, Linwood; Henry L. Johnson, Plover, prisoner, Altoona; John Kinney, Linwood; John Lankton, Plover, prisoner; Tola Lawson, Linwood, prisoner, Altoona; James Lombard, Stockton; Phillip Marx, Stockton, prisoner, Shiloh and Altoona; Clifton G. MWerrill, Almond, killed in action April 6, 1862, Shiloh; Peter McMillen, Stockton, made corporal; William F. Mitcheltree, Linwood, deserted; Hubbard Moss, Plover, prisoner, Altoona; Charles Packer, Stockton; Chester E. Powers, Plover, d. Nov. 15, 1862; Edwin A. Randall, Belmont, d. May 29, 1862; Aaron L. Rand, Stevens Point, prisoner, Shiloh, d. June 9, 1862, Montgomery, Ala.; Truman Rice, Plover, prisoner, Shiloh; Andrew Sanders, Plover; Samuel C. Sandford, Almond; Stillman H. Sawyer, Plover, prisoner, Altoona; William B. Shepperd, Stockton; William H. Sherwin, Stockton, wnd. Shiloh; James Smith, Belmont; Reuben W. Spalding, Stockton; John A. Sterling, Plover; Jasper Taylor, Belmont; Albert Taylor, Belmont (also in 1863 tax roll); Orrin S. Tucker, Plover, d. July 24, 1862; Charles H. Tucker, Plover, prisoner, Shiloh; Schuyler Whittaker, Buena Vista, prisoner, Altoona; Walter Whittaker, Plover, wnd. Altoona; and Phillip Yates, Buena Vista, prisoner, Altoona.
Serving in other companies of the 18th Regiment were Jacob B. Chamberlain, Amherst; Wellington Kollock, Buena Vista; Asa E. Mathewson, Stevens Point; Joseph Mulkins, Buena Vista; Charles O. Pease, Plover; Samuel C. Alban, Plover; John Finnesy, Stockton; Patrick Stinson, Belmont; John Stumpf, Plover, prisoner, Shiloh, wnd. Vicksburg, promoted 2nd Lt.; Jonathan R. Danforth, Stockton, d. Nov. 14, 1862, Grand Junction, Tenn., disease; Norman A. Danforth, Amherst, wnd. Oct. 3, 1862, Corinth, Miss.; Herman G. Ingersoll, Plover; Hiram Reikard, Stockton, d. May 25, 1862, St. Louis, Mo.; Nicholas S. Secoy, Plover; and John Q. A. Soper, Jordan, prisoner, Shiloh.
There appear to have been no officers or men from the county in the 19th and 20th Infantry Regiments. Serving in the 21st Regiment were David W. Mitchell, Plover, 2nd Lt., killed in action Oct. 8, 1862, Chaplin Hills, Ky.; Henry Clinton, Lanark, who apparently enlisted in 1862 under age and was discharged three weeks later; and Russell A. Horton, Amherst.
In the 22nd Regiment were Thor Iverson, George Robinson, Albion C. Squires, Christopher Syverson, William N. Taft, Christopher Tree and William J. Whitman, all of Jordan. Taft was wounded.
James McCall, Amherst, appears to have been the only man from the county in the 31st Regiment and was taken prisoner at Benitonsville, N. C.
In the 32nd Regiment, Co B, was Richard O'Keefe, Sharon, and Herman Michelkamp, Sharon, Co. D, both draftees in 1864.
Company E, 32nd Regiment, was heavily recruited from the county. Serving from Almond in this company were Samuel N. Brown, Benj. F. Eschenbauch, Aaron H. Frost, d. Oct. 8, 1863, Memphis, Tenn., disease; Jonas White; and Calvin B. Springstine, d. May 16, 1864, Memphis, Tenn., disease. From Amherst were 1st Lt. Amos M. Ball; 2nd Lt. Franklin Phillips; Severenus Becker; Edward Bobba; Charles F. Buck; Theodore H. Czeskleba, wnd. March 21, 1865, Bentonsville, N. C.; Alexander Darling, d. Nov. 6, 1864, Chattanooga, Tenn., disease; Thadeus Horton, d. Jan. 12, 1863, Jackson, Tenn., disease; Uriah O. Mitcham, d. Nov. 1, 1863, Amherst, Wris., disease; John Vanskiver; John NV. Webster; and Rueben Wrilson. From Buena Vista were William W. Ainsworth, d. June 22, 1864, Decatur, Ala., disease; George W. Ainsworth, d. July 1, 1863, Memphis, Tenn.; Jay Bennett; Edwin L. Carpenter; Charles H. Drake, d. March 15, 1863, Memphis, Tenn., disease; William W. Drake; Amandar P. Hartshorn; Rolla Morrison; Elisha Moss; John Newby; Robert Newby; and George J. Russell; from Belmont, John W. Swan; from Lanark, Nathan W. Baldwin; Alfred Bossard; Thomas W. Boss; Peter Ciperlee, d. Jan. 13, 1863, Jackson, Tenn., disease; James Cooney; and James Standfield, Jr.; from Linwood, William H. Fields and Solomon R. Story; from Pine Grove, Isaac Ingraham; from Plover, Capt. Irvin Eckels, killed in action, Feb. 3, 1865, River's Bridge, S. C.; Alvin Blood, wnd. July 27, 1864, Courtland, Ala. and Feb. 3, 1865, River's Bridge, S. C., right arm amputated; Sylvester Boodry; Henry F. Everetts; John Norton, wnd. Aug. 17, 1864, Atlanta, Ga.; Lewis H. Pierce; Lemuel G. Rice; Benjamin L. Roe, Jerrous Roe, Stephen Sanders; Orseumus M. Simonds; Richard B. Synder; Francis Southerland; Francis Vasbinder, wnd. Feb. 3, 1865, River's Bridge, d. Feb. 5, 1865, Blair's Landing, S. C.; William N. Warriner, d. March 25, 1865, Memphis, Tenn., disease; James Welsh, deserted, Oct. 31, 1862; Philander Whiteaker, d. March 11, 1864, Memphis, Tenn., disease; from Stevens Point, Edward M. Baker, d. July 22, 1864, Decatur, Ala., disease; from Stockton, John W. Allen; Alfred T. Cross, d. Feb. 16, 1863, Memphis, Tenn., disease; Jacob B. Fancher; George W. Higgins, deserted March 26, 1864; Andrew Nelson; Patrick O'Brien; Orrin A. Phillips, d. Nov. 25, 1864, Madison, Wis., disease; Theodore Pollard; Alonzo Streeter; Benj. Van Valtenburg·, d. Aug. 13, 1863, Memphis, Tenn., disease; and Willis D. Worden.
Serving in the 34rd Regiment was Frank Harmsher, Jordan; in the 36th, Franklin Bush and William H. Bills, Buena Vista. Bills was wounded at White House Landing, Va., d. June 10, 1864.
Serving in the 37th Regiment were John H. Orrick, Stevens Point, 1st assistant surgeon; George Cline and Robert Morehouse, probably of Sharon; and the following from Pine Grove: Robert M. Crawford, prisoner, Petersburg, Va., July 30, 1864; William Seeley; Patrick Short; William Smith, wnd. July 30, 1864, Petersburg, Va.; Warren J. Van Tassel; and Elijah Winslow. All of the Pine Grove men enlisted in the latter part of March 1864 which suggests that a recruiting officer had visited the township. Others in the 37th Regiment were Michael Wagner, Almond; Payson Dunn; Albert and George Hodgson, Sharon, (George Hodgson listed in 1854 tax roll of Plover); Nathaniel Kimball, Stockton, Halbert Lombard, Buena Vista; and John Stockhardt, Amherst, wnd. June 18, 1864, prisoner, July 30, 1864, Petersburg, Va., d. Sept 8, 1864, Danville, Va.
In the 38th Regiment were Oscar U. Mitchum, Amherst, prisoner, July 30, 1864, Petersburg, Va., d. Dec. 29, 1864, Danville, Va.; Ira Whipple, Lanark; John Scott, Linwood; Joseph Scott, Stevens Point, wnd. Jan. 5, 1865, Petersburg, Va., d. Jan. 8, 1865; David and Lewis Henry, Buena Vista; and Abraham Wolf, Buena Vista, wnd. Petersburg, Va., April 2, 1865, left leg amputated.
The official Wisconsin roster makes no distinction between Sharon township in Portage County and Sharon village in Walworth County, and Belmont township in Portage County and Belmont village, once located in the southern part of the state and first meeting place of the territorial Legislature. Several names of servicemen are listed from "Sharon" in the 40th Regiment only one of which can be double-checked against an account book kept by S. Y. Bentley when he presumably operated Shantytown saw mill, namely, William H. Moore (in the roster) which appears in the account book as "Will More." George Densimore, listed from "Sharon," may also have been from Portage County
In the 42nd Regiment, Co. A, were Gains Aldrich and John C. Wilmot, Amherst; Mathias Ellingson and John Oleson, New Hope; Charles Mi. Sawyer, Lanark; Alphonzo Crofoot and Benj. B. Mathewson, Buena Vista; William H. H. Allen, John M. Collier, Harvey S. Robinson, and John L. Smith, all of Lanark.
In the 43rd Regiment were Cornelius Eastling, Almond; James Potter and Edwin F. Rich, Pine Grove.
In the 44th Regiment, Co. B, were Claus Christianson, William H. Oles, musician, Rasmus Rasmussen and Robert Wilson, all of New Hope. In Co. C were Bartel Johnson and Joseph M. Kimball, Stockton; Even Johnson and Andrew Peterson, Amherst; George, James and Richard Kemp, Chester B. Pasco, Alexander Rait, James and John Swan, and Robert P. White, all of Lanark; and Sylvester and David N. Towne, Belmont. In Co. E was Leonidas Lombard, Lanark, and in Co. F Andres A. Torstad, Lanark. In Co. G were James W. Johnson, Joseph Mercer, and Nelson Strong, all of Buena Vista. In the 45th Regiment, Co. H, was John O. Johnson, Stevens Point, who rose from sergeant to a commission and finally to command of his company on Dec. 5, 1864.
Charles E. Webster, Amherst, an NCO, served in the staff section of the 46th Regiment. Serving in Co. B of the 46th from Amherst were Wrorth Aldrich, Christian Amondson, William Ball, William S. Bangle, Mlatthias Ferstacke, Benjamin Fleming, William Loing, Henry Lysne (musician), Johan Nelson, Eber Penny, Adam Peterson, John Walter Jr., Will C. Holly, and Hugh P. Simpson. In Co. B from Almond were Frederick Ellenger, John Hetzel, George Messing, and Jacob Milius; from New Hope, Halver Hanson and Lars Larson Loberg; from Pine Grove, William Ferguson; from Plover, George H. Altenburg, Edward V. Higgins, and Harrison Rice; from Stevens Point, Ephraim B. Grant, Horace Grant, Joseph H. Gramlich, Edward L. Haney, Valentine Kheil, Frederick Kruckman, Henry D. Maxum, William L. Orrick, Augustus C. Primus, William J. Roe, Philip Sauter, Harrison Sloggy, Alonzo Smart, George Stenger, John H. Stewart, and Nils Trulson; and from Stockton, Calvin A. Burrows.
Serving in Co. D, 47th Regiment, from Amherst, were Jonathan Adams, George W. Adams, Christopher Anderson, Andrew Anderson, Wrilliam Bobbe, Adam Ebert, Joseph S. Ellis (musician), Lars Isaacson, Nels Nelson, and Roderick B. Palmer; from New Hope, Simon T. Blihovde, Nels Evenson, Christian Evenson, John Gulbrandson, Claus Gunderson, Simon Iverson, Thorbjern Larson, Andrew Larson, (d. Aug. 5, 1865, Nashville, Tenn.), Peter Peterson, Jorgen Peterson, and John G. Skegstad; from Belmont, William Grant.
In the 50th Regiment, Co. D, were Nels O. Brathovde, New Hope; George Kent, Almond; and Lester L. Hawes, Almond, d. May 19, 1865, disease, St. Louis, Mo.; in Co. K, Jacob Mehne and Jacob Messing, Stevens Point.
Company C, 52nd Regiment, was commanded by Capt. George A. Spurr who gave his address as Plover, although he was associated with a saw mill in Lanark in the 1850s. Others in Co. C were Leonard N. Anson, Job R. Barker, Lewis C. Beach, Francis S. Berry, George B. Fox, Charles Hennig, LeRoy A. House, Hiram McCollum, John Metier, James O. Raymond, and Albert A. Ricker, all of Buena Vista; Elisha B. Beers, George C. Newby, William B. Shepard, and Alanson B. V. Bean, all of Linwood.
For more than 40 years after the Civil War the veterans maintained a deep sense of loyalty to one another and to the memories they shared of the great struggle. In the 1880s they began to join the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.). The first post, No. 16, was organized at Amherst on April 15, 1880 and named after Capt. Irvin Eckels, killed in action at Rivers Bridge, South Carolina, Feb. 3, 1865.
Plover Post No. 149 was chartered M/arch 21, 1884 to be followed later by Post No. 156 at Stevens Point, and Post No. 115 at Blaine. In addition, a Womans' Relief Corps established Post No. 96 at Stevens Point. The names of these posts are listed on the Civil War monument which was erected in front of the Court House by the G.A.R. at impressive ceremonies held in 1890. Above the names of the several posts on this monument appears this legend:
Portage County
Her Heroes Who Fought
and
Her Martyrs Who Fell
that
The Republic Might Live
The last entries for membership in the minutes kept by the G.A.R. post at Amherst are dated July 2, 1906, when 21 paid their dues. By 1910 most of the G.A.R. posts in the county were running out of members. They were fast joining the bivouac of the dead and their headstones may be found in most of the cemeteries in the central and southern townships of the county, and around Plover and Stevens Point.