Kewaunee County and the Civil War: Enrollments

An article appearing in the May 24, 1862 Door County Advocate pointed out the desirable pay for those who felt they could recruit men for the war between the North and South. Continuing saying Governor Salmon had called for another regiment, the paper said anyone who felt he could raise men was invited to apply as soon as possible. Kewaunee merchant Charles Cunningham did just that. Prior to being accepted as an Enrolling Officer, Cunningham was required to to take an oath and send the signed form to the Enrollment Board. Compensation was $3 per every day spent taking care of duties.

Officer Cunningham was appointed by the Board of Enrollment at the Headquarters of the Provost, which provided instructions to be followed. Men between 20 and 45, whose legal domicile was in the district, were to be enrolled, even if they could claim an exemption. If the men were sailors, college students, traveling merchants, or otherwise away, they were to be enrolled in their respective districts. The intent to become a citizen and the filing of a Declaration of  Intent was to be noted. Enrolling officers had to make judgements from information given, however exceptions were decided only by the Enrollment Board. Widowers between 35 and 45 were to be enrolled in Class 1. Officers were admonished that names be "plainly written and correctly spelled" when the lists were sent as often as regulated by the Provost. 

Red River residents Michael Bradael and Louis Marchant were two of those appointed to serve the notices at each enrolled man's home. The lists appeared on forms which had space for the town in which the notice was served, the date of serving, and remarks. Pierce Town residents Andrew Laubenstein, Peter Lauscher and Joseph Smeyler were not home on December 1 when their notices were served and left there.  Francois Leblanc, Louis Boucher and Constant Martin were three of the Red River men who received the notices personally. Kewaunee's Peter Haney was not to be found. Neither were Louis Chaleck or Sauve Vordeker of Casco.

On further examination, it was often learned that the man, such as Michael Knapp, who could not be found no longer lived the specific town or that nobody had ever heard the name. In one Town of Carlton case, the man who was to receive the draft notice, Peter Mathiewson, had died. Sometimes residents relocated to other towns, or even out of the area. Henry Decker's notice was left at his last residence in Carlton.

Exemptions were given for a variety of reasons. Some with political clout - such as Edward Decker, his family members and friends - were able to purchase substitutes or secure an exemption. Francois Leblanc and his brother lived in Red River. Since they were full blooded Indians, they were exempted. Clement Tombal was over age as was David Frisque of Casco, but Franklin's Casper Kineck was too young. Herbert Frisque was the father of a motherless child. Robert Richmond of Ahnapee had heart disease and Nicholas Stoffels of Kewaunee was the son of aged parents. Louis Strela of Carlton had a dislocated hip and John Liebeck of Montpelier had malformed feet. B.D. Hills and S.L. Keeth were exempted by loss of teeth. Loss of a thumb kept Hover Hoverson in Franklin. Albert Fenker had epilepsy.

Curious is Hubert Lauscher, a young Pierce Town resident. Proving he was not yet 20 was a challenge. Hubert's father, Peter Lauscher, filed an affidavit saying the family had come from Prussia where Hubert was born in 1845. Lauscher went on to say that while they were living in the Town of Lake, Milwaukee County, in March 1856, their home was destroyed by a fire in which they lost all documents and records. Attorney Lyman Walker, who became the county school superintendent, notarized Lauscher's account. Walker also took statements from Frank Miller and Mr. Dominick who swore they knew Hubert was underage as the families came from the same place, Aachen in Prussia.  Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, an online digital book from the Wisconsin Historical Society Library says Hubert Lauscher eventually served with Co. A, 3rd Wisconsin Infantry. His tombstone at St. Mary's Cemetery in Alaska indicates he was born in 1834 and died in 1888. It further says he served in Co. C, 21st Wisconsin Infantry.

The list of deserters was exceptionally long, but not all on the list actually deserted. Henry Schock of Kewaunee was on the list but he did not desert. He paid for a substitute. George Wing's Civil War list points to a number of deserters whose names do not appear on the Enrollment Board's list. Several, such as Lincoln's John Andre, served and was honorably discharged. Andre, in fact, initially received two pensions. He was a young Frenchman who arrived with the Belgians and lived in the Rosiere area. His story was the same as a number of other men in his company. The Belgian men were living in the wilderness with a wives less than 20 years old. In most cases, there were toddlers and the wife was pregnant. In the case of Andre, and others in the group from Lincoln, the men left Fond du Lac at Christmas to walk home to Rosiere to ensure their wives had firewood and meat. Two weeks later, the men were back in camp. AWOL, but not deserters.

Springfield, Illinois was the site of the Government Military Claims Office. Established in April 1861, the office serving the western states was supposed to be the final bureau for claims against the government. Printed information indicates that men serving two years would receive the $300 bounty thought discharge papers had to be first found in order. Soldiers discharged because of wounds were to receive $100, however it was felt that Congress would eventually enact legislation putting the wounded on an equal footing. Claims for horses were accepted as were property claims of loyal citizens in border states. Processing fees were prescribed by law. Widows, fatherless children, mothers, fathers and invalids were provided with claim instructions. Those who were unable to collect their premiums got them through the Military Claims Office.

Unauthorized and irresponsible attorneys and agents were offering to prosecute claims.  There were scam,s and soldiers were cautioned to wait until they got home to apply for any monetary claim.

Technology has greatly reshaped our world, yet one hundred fifty years after the Great War, some things never changed. The idiom "jumping through hoops" tells as much about the world today as it did then.

Major William Henry: Kewaunee County's Most Distinguished Civil War Soldier

Forty-one year old William Henry was one of the Ahnapee and Forestville men boarding the Comet in Ahnapee on October 13,1861. The men joined the Manitowoc and Kewaunee Rifles, which came to be known as Co. E, 14th Wisconsin Voluntary Infantry. It was not long before the men were on the Civil War battlefields, many on the lists of killed or wounded. Some died of disease. Others came home. Though Henry enlisted as a Private, the old fisherman provided leadership. Maybe it was because Henry was a bit older than many of the men on the Comet that day. Perhaps it was as some said: He was a dour Scotsman who "knew what had to be done and he did it".

Kewaunee recruits were picked up earlier in the day, but it was at Ahnapee where  the men were really given a "send off." Recruits, wearing badges of red, white and blue, marched through the city while the band played and banners and handkerchiefs waved amidst the loud cheering. In its next edition, the Enterprize*  commented, "May they all have pleasant times, a short campaign, a brilliant victory and a safe return to their families." Little did the paper know what would come next. Sometime later one identified only as Lottie of Mishe-Nahma published a poem, "A Parting Tribute to the Ahnapee Volunteers."

The 14th went to Tennessee and saw action at Shiloh, also known as Pittsburg Landing. Overshadowing the news regarding men of Kewaunee County was that Governor Louis Harvey died. Harvey was taking medical supplies to Wisconsin troops, wounded at Shiloh and being cared for in hospital boats. On an overnight stop near Shiloh, Harvey was stepping from a tethered boat to a moving steamboat that was returning North when he fell into the Tennessee River and drowned. It took two weeks for his body to be found 65 miles down river.

William Henry was a part of Co. E, 14th Wisconsin during the battle at Shiloh and many credited him with saving lives. Lt. Waldo was the company's only officer killed. Ezra Austin had chest and leg wounds and died a short time after. J. Wintermayer had a bullet to the back of the neck and John Lovell had other injuries.

Later it was said that the 14th did such a credible job at Shiloh "due to the stand of the grizzled old fisherman from Wolf River."  Henry led much of Co. E. and part of the regiment without even being aware of it. He was silently directing battle by his advances and retreats. When his comrades realized what he was doing, they felt it was good to "tie to" and followed his lead. Henry advanced to captain. He and his men served with the same distinction at Vicksburg and Corinth they had shown at Shiloh.

With a three-week furlough in January 1864, Co. E joined family and friends in Kewaunee County. William Henry spent time recruiting to fill ranks, although most of his men had re-enlisted, thus getting both the $402 bounty and the furlough. Ranks were partially filled by those too young to go the first time, and the re-enlistees looked clean and neat. Then leave was extended. A February snowstorm blocked roads, preventing a return to Madison. The delay meant Co. E could not join the Red River expedition only to be organized under Major Worden to march with General Sherman in the famous March to the Sea. Co. E went through the Carolinas and to Washington, D.C. before rejoining their regiment at Montgomery. At the war's end, Co. E was in camp at Mobile, Alabama facing the prospect of being sent to the Mexican frontier. Things changed and Co. E was mustered out at Mobile 1865.

Henry's leadership was recognized and he became Kewaunee County's most distinguished soldier, advancing to the rank of major.

Note: Henry was an 1854 arrival in Wolf River. He occupied the log home on Rosier Place, now the southwest corner of Lake and Jefferson Streets in Algoma. Following his discharge at Mobile in October 1865 Henry returned to Ahnapee then living on the bluff on the north side of the river on the point at which the Ahnapee River meets Lake Michigan. It was at that point where Henry began building ships. As a shipwright he was much in demand.

*Enterprize became Enterprise in 1861. Ahnepee and Ahnapee were used interchangeably until 1873 when the village was incorporated.

Co. A, 27th Wisconsin: Men of Kewaunee County

War fever and the excitement following the firing on Fort Sumter, prompted 90- day enlistments, though the eager men could hardly be trained, equipped and armed in so short a time. Northerners, as well as their Southern counterparts, felt they'd surely whip the other side in those three months. What is often forgotten is that the Militia Act of 1795 was still in effect thus limiting federalization of state militias to 90 days. When President Abraham Lincoln, by executive order, called for three-year volunteer in May 1861, there were those who felt he was in violation of the Constitution which granted Congress exclusive authority to raise and support and army and to provide and maintain a navy.

Two months later, on July 22, Lincoln signed a bill calling for the enlistment of another 500,000 men for up to three years. The Battle of Bull Run on July 21 was the first major battle of the war. It forced both the North and South to acknowledge that the war would be bloodier and longer than anticipated.

During early July 1862,Wisconsin Governor Edward Salmon called for volunteers to  fill regiments in the field and to raise five additional regiments. Those filling the regiments received a $3 premium, $25 of a $100 bounty before leaving the state, and one month's pay in advance. Volunteers for new regiments received a $2 premium, rather than the $3, even though their enlistments would be for 3 years. Money was a problem, however, as gold was in short supply and there was little faith in currency. There was neither a bounty nor a choice in company or regiment if one was drafted. It was in this way that Co. A, 27th Wisconsin, the only all Kewaunee County military to serve in the Great War, was organized.

Kewaunee County's first draft was set to raise 304 men on August 11, 1862. Forty-nine enlisted. Active recruiting began and within 20 days there were 109 men, however the quota was still short. Kewaunee merchant Charles A. Cunningham went to Madison where he was authorized to raise a volunteer company. Cunningham was the son of a Boston ship owner who had gone to China on one of his father's tea ships. He had served as chair of the Kewaunee County Board in 1860. He had unique experiences and was well known.

Cunningham raised men by running a newspaper ad in the Enterprize* urging men not to wait for the draft by saying volunteering was a way to increase income. He was reported to be taking enlistments on the porch of the Steamboat House where he told the men he would go with them as their captain. Cunningham was commissioned on August 19, 1862. When  Co. A went to Milwaukee, the company stood at 118 men. The original group mustered in on August 15, 1862 and mustered out at Brownsville, Texas, on August 29, 1865. Joseph Peplinsky was one who joined the men a week later.

Before Co. A  left for Milwaukee, Aaron Cory, Joseph Boutin and Milton McKinnon were chosen as corporals.  In most regiments, the men elected their company officers. Governors selected the field officers such as colonels, lieutenant colonels and majors while the president appointed the brigadier and major generals who were confirmed by the Senate. Few field officers or company officers had any training.

On March 13, 1863 the 27th - with Co. A -  left Milwaukee for Columbus, Kentucky. Thomas Grover died of disease the following week week. Two months later, the men were attached to the District of Columbus, a part of the Department of the Tennessee. By August, the 27th was a part of Kimball's Division attached to the Division of Eastern Arkansas. Joseph Trudell died of disease on August 18th. It was only a few weeks before the swamps of Arkansas caused disease and death among the men of Co. A.

Robert Dalziel died of disease on October 2. Four days before Barney Nadeau and John Winterbottom were discharged due to disease on October 26, Timothy Priest died.

Others died of disease after leaving Arkansas but whether or not their illnesses had their start in the Arkansas swamps is any one's guess. David Lonegren died of disease. Conrad Plinke lasted until October 1864. Charles Baldwin was discharged with a disability on January 1, 1865. August Boedecker enlisted in Co. A on February 20, 1864 only to die of disease four months later on June 17. Albia Hawkins enlisted a week after Boedecker and died on July 30. Nathaniel Wickham died in early May.

Safra Villet was the first of the men to be killed in the Camden action on April 3, 1864 and Lawrence Dickenhort was killed on the 30th. Frank Trudell died of wounds in April 1865, just three months before his brother Alexander was transferred from Co. A. John Borland's wounds prompted his discharge on July 12.

Milton and Isaac McKinnon, Reuben Cory, John McNally, John Arendt, Duffy Boutin, Joseph Boutin, Gottfried Bohne, John Dishmaker, Valentine Hoffman, Jacob Thayer, Peter Stoffels. Adolph Duval, John Gonyon and Ignatius Scammon were some of those who enlisted on August 15, 1862. They mustered out and left Brownsville for home on August 29, 1865.

Captain Cunningham also mustered out that day but he never returned to the area. W.S. Finley, who eventually served as draft commissioner, purchased Cunningham's interest in the lumber and mercantile business known as Taylor and Cunningham in May 1863.

When Finley was appointed Kewaunee postmaster on August 31, 1861, the post office was moved to his store. Although the year does not appear in the postmark, it must have been between March 1862 and March 1864, reflecting Finley's tenure. Finley's signature is the cancel with a concentric circle stamp in addition to the circular date stamp.

 

*The Enterprize became the Enterprise in 1865. Names are spelled as they appear in military records. The postcard appears in Here Comes the Mail: Post Offices of Kewaunee County, C. 2008, and is in the author's collection.

The Goettinger Murder: A Kewaunee County Who Done It?

Some said it was the ghost of John Goettinger. Others said it was phosphorus in low lying areas. Still others said it was a low hanging lantern seen only at night, and only between 9:00 and midnight at that. For some reason there seemed to be a mysterious light in the evening sky along the river over the ashes of the little log home that once stood on the Goettinger property. On July 31, 1878, the nearly unrecognized corpse of John Goettinger was discovered. The body was burned to a crisp. But how?

John Goettinger and his wife Margaret settled in the Town of Ahnapee in 1855, beginning their life in the new world in Section 9 up river from the hamlet then called Wolf River. Goettinger was known to be a hard man as many of his generation were. He enlisted and physically survived the Civil War. Though he won respect for his courage, in today's world his emotional stability might have been called into question.

At the time of his murder, Gottinger was living alone. His wife had moved in with their daughter and son-in-law, a man with whom John was on unfriendly terms. At first his son-in-law and the hired man were suspected of murder.

On Monday morning July 22, 1878 townsfolk heard the news that Goettinger's house had burned and that he was missing. It was generally well known that Goettinger's disposition had gotten worse in the preceding months and that he was even worse at home before his wife left. He drank to excess and was also involved in several lawsuits. What left people wondering was why John himself didn't come into town to report the fire. Where was he?

Finally Judge Stransky sent the Coopers to investigate, and when they arrived at the farm the men met two boys who had just found a corpse. John Cooper guarded the scene while James Cooper returned to town. Justice J.R. McDonald quickly empaneled a jury that returned to the farm. It was learned the victim had been in town paying bills a day earlier. As some payments were paid with silver, it was believed he had about $15 in silver in his pocket. He had been seen working in the fields later, about 6 PM. As it was evening, the investigators couldn't do much but did spend the next two days speaking with witnesses and examining the rubble. Goettinger had been wearing his Civil War tunic - nobody would throw away perfectly usable clothing even though the war had ended - and the buttons were there. The silver was not. The jury decided John was dead before the fire started and that robbery could have been a factor.

Mrs. Goettinger had begun divorce proceedings, however the remains were turned over to her for burial as she said she would pay for it. Investigations and cross examinations continued. Even the hay field in which Goettinger was last seen was examined for blood. By August 13 the jury was completely baffled and decided that Goettinger came to his death by persons unknown.

The murder festered in the minds of residents and in the minds of those who might have had a hand in it.

Four years after the murder, in March 1882, Goettinger's wife Margaret, his daughter Catherine and her husband Jacob Blarnek were arrested on a warrant issued by Justice Shea of Kewaunee. New evidence came to life when Blarnek's employee Jacob Kozina said it was Mrs. Goettinger and her daughter Catherine Blarnek who killed John Goettinger.  Kozina said that during an angry quarrel, one of the women stabbed Goettinger below the belt with a pitchfork. He said they covered the body with hay until they could return it to the Goettinger home after dark. All were required to post bail. Kozina didn't have the money and some Ahnapee residents furnished his bail. Kozina said he had not come forward earlier because Jacob Blarnek threatened to kill him if he ever told what he saw. The knowledge became more than he could bear.

On May 5, 1882 the Enterprise reported that the only jury case for the term was that against Jacob Blarnek and wife in the murder of John Goettinger. Margaret Goettinger had been found dead. Jury selection was difficult as the state had 12 peremptory challenges and the defense had 48. It wasn't long before the panel was exhausted. Seventy-five more were called. Few, if any, from the Town of Ahnapee were listed among he final jurors. William Timlin was the prosecuting attorney while R.L. Wing offered the defense. The Enterprise hoped for a quick verdict as it felt the whole thing had been festering too long.

Jacob Blarnek and his wife Catherine were acquitted. A new trial was set as it was felt Catherine might have been prejudiced because of enmity between her husband and and her father John Goettinger. Such evidence would not have been permissible had she been tried alone.

Years later the case again came to light because Margaret Goettinger was found to be buried beneath the fence around St. Mary's cemetery. Speculation was that the property had been resurveyed. But because the tombstone appeared flat, and therefore considered undignified, some felt character might have been called into play.

Margaret Goettinger's body was found floating face down in the Ahnapee River while she was out on bail, before the case went to court in 1882. Did she fall into the river and drown? Did she suffer a stroke or heart attack? Or could she no longer live with the guilt only to commit suicide? Nobody knew. By burying Margaret under the fence, the church covered its bases. In those days, those who had committed suicide were not buried in consecrated ground. Margaret Goettinger was a little bit in and a little bit out. Did she, or didn't she. Nobody knew.