The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-01-22

whiNb now StaUu5 PIeuSCN Y W. P"s
" The nersons holding these evidences OF IN
5ebtedness very Justly complain of the deFe'lc1
tion of duty on the part Of the Company, ana
threaten to hold the State responsible LOT 'helI
claims. Somesinsist that the Company mas torN
feited their charter, and that it should be taEen
from them.
make no claim upon the State for payment OF
their demands, also ask some action on the part
Of the State to compel the company to pay
them, or to have the property pledged for thelf
claims sold. 4Iv
Some measures certainly should be promPIy
taken BY us to procure justice to be u ~ : :
these respective creditors and claimants Ah0iT
being many intricate legal 9ues'loh9' a. VII
questions of policy connected WIN 'he P'oPo'
ado+ion on vorr mart in regard to these matters,
and nv time having been constantly, and whoI-
" occ1pied by other pressing duties | am not
nrenared to make any definite recommendation
"a 10 the steps best to be taken, and would
suggest the appropriate committees, upon con-
suIfation with the Attorney General as to legal
points that may arise, fully investigate the
matter and that such action be had as will pro
tect the State and the creditors Of the Co. and
other claimants. The communication ! have
received on this subject l will lay before any
committee you may be pleased to appoint
Milwaukee and Rock Rirer Canal Company
Action has been had by the Com'rs appointed
under the act of The Legislature at the Extra
Session, to settle the liabilities, If any, of the
State to the Milwaukee & Rock River Canal
Company, at an early day their views on the
claims of the Company, and the results OF their
investigation and negotiations will be laid be-
fore you.
Aside from the first regiment for three months,
Wisconsin had on the 1st of January, 1862, or
ganized, equipped and sent to the field in re-
spouse to calls made from the General Govern
ment, ten regiments of infantry, one company of
cavalry and one company Of sharp shooters.and
there were then remaining in the State, organ~
lied or in process Of organization and nearly
completed, nine regiments Of infantry, three
regiments of cavalry and ten batteries Of artille-
~, which were all completed and sent to the
field during last winter and spring.
Under orders from the War Department, all
recruiting for new as well as old regiments had
ceased during last spring, when it became ap =
parent that the gigantic movements of the en-
envy, and losses and diminutiOn Of our own for
ces made an increase Of the national army nee
essary. On the ID day of May, 1862, a call was
made for rs 5000 men, for which one regiment
was required from our own State, the oTgani-
zqlfon of which was Immediately commenced.
Owing, however, to the previously mistaken
policy Of stopping all recruiting, which bad the
effect Of turning the attention Of those who
ehortly before were willing and anxious to vol
uuteer in their c~ountry's defence, to other pur~
suits, and Of engendering the belief that the ne
cessities Of the government would not require
an increase Oe the army to overthrow the rebel
lion, the organization Of this regiment preceded
very slowly.
On the second day of July 1852, another call
was made by the President for 300 900 addition
al volunteers, and / was notified that Wiscon-
was required to urnish five regiments Of In
fautry, as a part Of this quota under this call.
In order 20 insure the speedy organization of
these troops, I divided the State into five reg
mental districts, as nearly equal as possible in
the number Of inhabitants, requesting the or
ganizatiOn of one regiment in each district, and
all possible efforts were made again to arouse
the patriotism Of the people to the new and
pressing demands of the country.
New York and other States commenced Il
system of Offering State bounties to facilitate
the raising of troops, and arrangements were
made by me to procure n similar bounty in this
State by private contributions and loans to be
made upon the faith that the Legislature would
subsequently authorize the repayment of the
money so raised. Before, however, the neces-
sary preliminary arrangements for the collecN
ton and proper application of the funds for
this State bounty were completed, on the 4th
of August, 1863 the President Of the United
States required an additional force Of 300 900
drafted militia to be furnished Immediately, aud
ordered that if any of the States should not
have furnished their quota of volunteers under
the previous call by the 18th Of August, a
draft Should be made to fill the deficiency.
The short time thus allowed for volunteering
made the plan OF procuring aud Offering II state
bounty wholly impracticable, and it had to be
abandoned, nor wss there any necessity then to
resort to such measures as by the urgent, large
and swiftly succeeding calls ofthe government,
the well known condition of our army in the
field, and the stringent measures adopted to
secure its immediate increase, the patriotism of
the people was kiudled anew in such a meas
uFe that war became the business of the whole
people commercial, agricultural, and other orr
binary pursuits almost ceased for a time crops
were left Ungathered in the fields,and although
tie time was the most unfavorable one in our
state, when the largest part of the people were
engaged with the harvest and could i'll afford to
spare the labOrers that were to be so suddenly
and in so large a number transferred from the
harvest TO the battle field, yet with unprece,
dented zeal, disregarding all other ties and en-
gagements, did the people of the State rally TO
the natl on's call for help. When the call for
800, 900 drafted militia was announced to me
by the Secretary Of War, was advised that tor
any excess of troops previously furnished by
the state credit should be given and subsequent
y la tl0 buIibCt VI uthAhFt iulllJld itQulICu
from Wisconsin was IL 904.
Upon my repeated inquiries whether he five
regiments of infantry demanded under the call
of 10000 volunteers constituted our entire quo>
ia under that cali, no answer was returned by
the Secretary of War. As The time for furnish,
ing volunteers for both calls was limited to the
fifteenth oi.August, and as the people of the
several counties i'll the state were anxious to
furnish the required number for the 600. 900
man Inv yDlrnAapru a-I gE,1 ~ ,-,pnn+ E.,
draft, or at least reduce the number of those to
be drafted, it became necessary to assign to
each county its quota OF men, which was accor.
DINGHY done, upon the suppOsition induced by
the several orders Of the Secretary Of War, that
our entire quota vas 5000 under the call of
800, goo volunteers, and II ,904 under the call
for 100000 drafted militia, accounting for the
discrepancy between the two numbers by the
excess of about 1900 men, which / believed
the State hal previously furnished. Subse>
quently to the assignment of the respective
quotas to the counties, an order was made BY,
the War Department that the tie old regiments
which had been much decimated, must also be
filled, asd that II not filed by the first of Sep.
tember a special draft would be ordered for the
deficiency, and afterwards | waa informed that
the number required to fill our old regiments
WIS 1904. From the nature and language Of
the order, l construed this to be an additional
call 30 the 100000 men, but the peculiar coins
cidence Of numbers led to repeated inquiries on
my part as TO the true qnota Of the State under
al the calls, and to correspondence. with the
War Department, which disclosed the fact that
the department considered orr quota under each
OF the two last calls to be 1904, e. %, SOS ;
that the number required Tor old regiments, if
furnished. might be credited upon this number;
but also that. owing undoubtedly to incomplete
returns at The Office of The Adjutant General
in Washington, we had received credit only for
$1,000 men previously furnished, while accor>
ding to our own records we had sent to the field
24,oOO men and had thus failed to receive cred
1t for $500, Deducting these from the %, sos
would leave our real quota 20, OOS men instead
OF I6,SOo, assuming as the true number in ma,
KING the apportionment among the counties.
lnasmuch an this error arose by erroneous