Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-02-17
THE LAST BUGLE CALL.
denly of Heart Disease at the
Milwaukee Soldiers Ho e.

| at lU:Oo o CLOCK thursday morning, rep.
| 10, in the hospital of the Northwestern
| Branch, National Home for Disabled
| Volunteer Soldiers, near Milwaukee,
| WIS. He was the only brother of Mrs.
Ernestine Fontaine of Centralia. Fritz
entered the National Home about five
years ago and always enjoyed fair health
while there until within two days of bis
death. Tuesday evening he began
| splitting blood, bleeding from the
| heart, which continued until morning
and on through the day. Wednesday
afternoon he was taken to the hospital
and Thursday morning he breathed his
last. Death to him came not unexpected
and he met the Great Generals final
command with that fearlessness and
stolid indifference that has character
lied the man and soldier in all his ga
years of being.
To attempt to follow the life work of
Frederic Melber would be to give most
Interesting details Of active service dur
ing eight years of foreign wars; it would
add the details of four years more of
similar service under the stars and
stripes during civil strife in the United
States 1t would be to visit in almost
every country and to talk with nearly
all nationallties of people that circle the
globe His was, indeed, a life sur
rounded from first to last with advent
ure, war, romance and travel such that
even his nearest relatives can tell but
| little thereof.
Mr.. Melber's early youth was spent
in school at Gemund, Wurtemberg:
after confirmation he accepted an APP
premiership in brewery and learned
the brewers trade At the age of six
teen his career as soldier begins.
| Three years in the German army comes
first, of which little is on record here.
| The writer has before him yellow
worn document in the French Ian
guage, executed at Versailles, France,
IN 1878 by order of the French Minister
of War and bearing the seal Of the
| ''Republique Franchise" 1t is dis
charge from the French army issued to
Frederic Melber, a certified copy of re-
cords registered IN the Archives de
la Guerre." Under the head of DE
tail of Services" brief summary of
the soldiers service is given which we
translate herewith:
fFrederic Melber was enrolled in
End Regiment of LIST Foreign Legion,
June 26, 1856, to serve five years. He
was honorably discharged from service
June 26, 1860. Received a certificate
of good conduct. Campaigns: Deem
Der Is, 1856 to June Is, 1856, he served
in Crimean War; June II, 1856, sent to
Africa served there until April %, 1859;
April 25, 1859 to Aug. IL, 1859, in Italy;
August Is, 1859 to Jnne 26, 1860 in
Africa Received a medal for bravery
while in Italy"
On the seventh day of October, 1861,
we find Frederic Melber in the United
States enlisted at Milwaukee, Wiscon-
sin, as a private of Captain Carl H..
Schmidt's Company F., Ninth Regiment
of Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers, to
serve three years. On December 8,
1864, be receives an honorable discharge
by reason of expiration of term of SER
vice, and at Chicago, March IS, 1865, he
again enlists as private of Capt. James
MacThomson's Company F., 4th Regt.
U. S. Veterans. His second discharge
| was oiyaD at oI1iSyi1lo KantuckV
March II, 1866, again by reason of ex-
piration of term of service. Twelve
years of actual, constant service was the
proud record to which "Unser Fritz"
could point. He never married.
And now, garrison'd around about
him like camp of faithful soldiery, are
the little white tombstones at the Ma
tional Home cemetery. Midst the COM
rades that have gone before he rests in
peace forever. Funeral services were
held in the chapel Saturday afternoon
at o'clock-a military service, a mill
tary bur1al-as he had requested. Hon
ored ''eyond a common honor are our
departed veterans, who like "Unser
| Fritz" are laid away in the blue and
the gold; whose caskets are protected
from the molds of time by the grandest
old flag that was ever unfurled to the
breeze; and whose cloak and shroud
for all ages to come is the emblem of
| liberty and of union. Peace in the
solemn bivouac.