St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-06
The First Enlisted Soldier in the Army Of
the Union Resident Of the City Of
st. Paul.
The Youngest soldierin the Army Opposed
to Rebellion, @. F. Hausdorf, Now Liv-
ing Here.
Peculiar Affections Which Some
times Overtake Excellent and
Worthy Men.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court of Minnesota and His
Quiet Career.
copyrighted by T. NJ. Newson. |


G. F. HAUsDoRF-THE FIRST SOLDIER.
| Mr. FL. was born in Saxony in 1910, emf
! grated to America in 1S4S, attended the
! public schools in Detroit, Mich. up to 1854,
when he came to ST. Paul and was pupil
in the public schools here until 1856, and
was in college two years. In 1861 he was
| the first man in the United States
to enlist under the call of President Lin
coin for IS. 600 volunteers for three months,
was the first man in the first company of
the first regiment of the first troops from
Minnesota who enlisted for three years,
| and the First Minnesota was the first regi-
ment in the United States sworn in for
three years; was private in 1861; appointed
| corporal in 1861 sergeant in 1862; first lieu
tenant in 1864; captain in 1864; major in
1864; lieutenant colonel in 1865; was in all
the engagements from the beginning to the
close of the war in which the regiment took
part, or that were fought by the army OF the
Potomac: was nearly four and half years
in the war and with the old Minnesota First;
was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg in
1868; was in command of the First regi-
ment of Minnesota for ten months; was four
years in California; has been bookkeeper
and salesman; has been in the wholesale
iron and hardware trade, and is now run
ing q SlOCClJ UuSlICoS VI liio OWii
in West St. Paul, where he has some
fine property. He was married in 1867,
and has three children; is the permanent
secretary of the First regiment of the Min
nesOta Volunteer association, and at pres
emit is grand secretary of the Ancient Order
OF Druids of the state, as well as member
of the Junior Pioneers. He lived a
charmed life, for he never was wounded
but once during the war.
PERSONAL.
Mr.. Hausdorf is man of ordinary size,
closely and compactly built, with black
hair and black whiskers. and with
an air of self-possession which marks
the man; and as years roll by he
will be pointed out as the first
person in the United States who enlisted
in the war of the Rebellion. and whose war
record has no equal. Indeed, it will no
doubt be a matter of surprise to many of
| my numerous readers to learn that such a
man-the first soldier in the late warts a
citizen of our city, and yet such is history.
He is a gentleman of excellent reputation,
honest and upright both in public and in
private life, and the city ought to erect in
one of our parks full-size monument of
the man in memory Of his peculiar services
to his country.
WILLIAM BIRCRER-YoUNGEsT SOLDIER.
The Drummer Boy of Minnesota, noted
| for his dexterity on the drum and for his
humorous nature and many excellent jokes
was born in Indiana in 1916, and at the age
of Z years, or in 1851, came to ST.
Paul, where he received his education, and
was at school when, in 1861, the war of the
Rebellion broke out, and at the age of 16
years he joined Company K, of the Second
Minnesota regiment and went to the front
as the favorite drummer boy of the boys in
blue; was in the battles of Mill Spring,
Shiloh, Corinth, Perryville Stone River,
Chickamauga and many others. His time
expiring, he enlisted, and soon after
joined Sherman's forces in Georgia, and
was with him in his grand march to the
sea; and he was also at the grand review at
Washington, and during all the war he
never was wounded OF received scratch.
He returned home in 1865 and engaged
in various occupations, among which
| was favorite saloon, known as s'Billy
Bircher's Place" in West ST. Paul. Accord
| ing to the Army and Navy Journal, he is the
youngest soldier now living of the great
army of the Union, having enlisted in 1861
and passed through the entire service; so
| the first man to enlist in the war of the Re-
| bellion in the United States &c. F. Haus-
| dorf), and the youngest living soldier who
was also in the army of the Rebellion in the
United States, are both living, and are now
| residents of this city, very singular and
| significant fact. He also beat the first long
roll for the first victory of the war at Mill
Spring. and the last long roll of victory at
BentOnville, North Carolina. Mr.. Bircher
gave up his saloon in West st. Paul and
engaged in the grocery business with James
McGrath, and retiring from this he removed
into Dakota county, where he now is cul-
tivating the soil. He was married to Mary
Young in 1869 and has three children.
DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND.
Bircher is full of jokes. At the late state
fair there was great crowu rushing on to
the cars to get seats, and among the num-
Der were the members of the Great Western
band. Two of them secured comfortable
positions, leaving Billy out in the cold,
when he made up his mind to get even with
them, so when friend and his lady en-
tered the cars he remarked careessly:
Cars pretty full" eyes" said the friend,
81 wouldn't care, only I have MY wife with
me-" ''Come along with me-" said Bircher,
land I'll get you a seat" and forthwith he
proceeded to the place occupied by his
fellow musicians. and, after introducing
both the lady and the gentleman to his
friends. mildly remarked: ''These people
would like seat" Of course they got it,
but with a mental reservation on the part
Bircher just one."
GOT IT BACK.
Returning from the Rochester fair the
train reached way station in the night.
dark and rainy. The members of the
Great Western band were on board, and so
was Billy" who, very tired, at the time
the cars stopped, was doing, when the
conductor called out: "West st. Paulr
Bircher started up, rubbed his eyes, looked
out of the window, seized his drum and,
half asleep, amid the darkness and the rain,
jumped on to the platform while the train
moved on, and at the end of the car could
be seen a musician laughing over the VIC
tory he had achieved. That amt West
St. Paul, Bircher," cried out one of his
friends. ''Oh, you get out" said Bircher;
81 was here before you were born;
I guess l know West st. Paul when see
it," Sauntering up to the depot he met the
man in charge. who, surprised, asked:
whats the matter? left?" Left! the ID,
what do you mean?" asked Bircher.
''Why, this is Randolph, thirty
two miles fiom ST. PAUL." 10
use slang phrase, Bircher tumbled at
once, and soon after the cars backed down
and took him on board. and since then Billy
has not been playing as many jokes as
usual, for he found out that there is truth
in the old axiom: Diamond cut diamond"
PERSONAL.
Mr.. Bircher is short, chunky man, very
social and very kind hearted; broad gagged
in his generosity. and delights in narrating
many thrilling scenes of the war. Once
when West ST. Paul was flooded many
neighbors took shelter under ''Billy's" hos
pitable roof, and they were received
kindly, tenderly treated by the pro-