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.