Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-09-25
Who First Enlisted in the
Union Army?

=
Thomas w. Bishop in Salem
IS. Dak.) Special; Readers of The
Special will remember that in our
issue of the 4th inst. the controversy
as to who was the first man to enlist
in 1861 was taken up, The matter is
beginning to reach out, and perhaps
in time the question may be correctly
settled At that time we called on
Major Geo H. Otis, of the Second
Wisconsin Infantry, to give his testi
mony from memory. Major Q. was
neither commissioned nor a non
commissioned officer when he went to
the war, but he kept the books of
Company /, and came home in com
mand of the regiment in 1864 He
kindly sends us the following letter,
every word of which this writer re-
members full we'll.
Monona, Iowa, Sept. 5, 1902.
Editor to The Special: | noticed in
The Special, under date of Sept. 4th,
l.
Enlist, " Col. j. II. King of st. Paul
being credited by Minnesota's war
record as "the first soldier to enlist in
the civil war"
The First Minnesota and Second
Wisconsin enlisted about the same
time and under like circumstances.
The First Minnesota and the First
Wisconsin got into the field of action
Il
Ond Wisconsin, yet the actual date
of volunteering in all three regiments
was about the same.
The editor of The Special will re-
member that the war fever had broken
out some days previous the lombard
ment of Fort Sumpter, which event
occurred on the 18th of April, with the
surrender of Major Anderson on the
18th. Gen. Amasa Cobb was then the
representative in congress from the
Mineral Point Wis. district, and on
the day of the surrender telegraphed
home that call for 5000 troops
would be Immediately issued. You
doubtless recall the excitement that
prevailed in the Miners Guards hall
when Capt. John Clowney waved the
stars and stripes in triumph for the
Union, one and inseparable. Most Of
the Guards signed the roll then and
there as volunteers. ! do not remem-
Der who was the first to sign his name
but presume the record which ! be-
lieve is in the Adjutant General s
Office at Madison, will disclose the
fact You remember also when Thos.
l.. Allen came to us and was elected
captain, and how we proceeded with
out delay to fill up the company to the
required quota. OF course the volun-
teering commenced on the night of the
18th of April, 1861, and continued up
to April 26, the date of our official
enlistment. Practically our company's
date would be April 18th at 9 o'clock
p. M, but officially recognized the
26th day of April. This / take 1t is
about the record of all the early or
First regiments that entered the SER
vice. Our company was booked for
First regiment but the concentration
of the regiment at Milwaukee brought
in the companies from that city and
from the towns nearest by, so that we
really lost two months service that we
would have had in the beginning OF
the cOrhict, anG delayed our muster
ing into the service until June llth,
1861, when we went to the eastern
department and received our baptism
Of fire in the battle of the first Bull
Run.
Do not understand me that our
company lays claim to the first soldier
enlistment, but we do claim that the
uprising among the then young patri
otic Americans took root ahd materi-
allied about the same hour and day.
They we're OF one mind and one pur
pose, and ere the ink was dry on the
Presidents proclamation calling for
10, 900 troops, the response was instant
in every portion OF this great land:
hence TO determine the exact hour and
date of the first enlistment Is very
difficult matter
With kind regards, yours truly,
GED II OTIS