The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-10-11

Fought and Bled For Stars and Stripes
NeStor of Norfolk Business Men Today
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family Of twelve; to have helped in
the founding of city and to have
participated in the business of that
city longer than any other man; and
70 have led an honorable and peaceful
life, marked by industry and thrift,
enjoying the respect of ones neigh
bors-could Roosevelt ask for more in
a man?
Such has been the life of William
August Moldenhauer of Norfolk, the
last pioneer business man of the early
lays to have remained in business ac-
tivity up until the present time.
His has been a life of terrible war
when 1t was war, a life Of serene and
ideal peace and quiet and contentment
when it was peace. Conquering two
rebel bullets which sank into his flesh
during the battle of Charlottesville
and which were considered mortal
wounds, W. A. Moldenhauer lived to
be on hand almost at the birth Of Nor.
folk and to remain factor in the com
munitys life from that day to this.
He is now siXtysiX years of age and
still actively plies his trade as a shoe.
maker.
Twice Wounded in Fierce Battle.
1t was in the Twcnty-siXth WiscOn-
sin Volunteer Infantry regiment that
w. A. Moldenhauer enlisted in 1862 as
4 soldier under the stars and stripes.
At Watertown. Wis, he Joined the
soldiers and with him in this company
were number of volunteers who. af-
ter the war, came to Norfolk and be.
town. In that company there were
August Raasch the late c. w Braasch,
August Bergman, August Huebner and
the late Ed Apler-all we'll known Nor
folk pioneers.
And it was in the battle of Chan.
"al'ed the battle of the wilderness)
that Mr.. Moldenhauer fell victim to
two rebel balls of lead. 1t was on May
| .. 1868, that he was shot twice in that
terrible conflict. Twenty thousand sol
1iers were slain in that fight and the
wonder was that this man who after.
ward came to Norfolk ever recovered.
The first bullet passed through Mr..
Moldenhauer's right thigh. It was the
first engagement Of consequence that
this regiment had participated in. The
| first bullet gave its victim a sting like
the sting of bee and, though he felt
the sharp twinge, this young soldier
did not falter in the line of march.
Carries Second Bullet STILL
1t was about an hour afterward that
the second bullet struck Mr.. Modem
hauer's left groin and imbedded Itself
in the flesh. To this day he carries
that bullet and it gives him trouble
now and then. A surgeon after the
battle told him that he would carry
this bullet to the grave and advised
him never to allow anyone to attempt
to take it out ..
With two bullet wounds, Private
| Moldenhausr kept on marching and
carrying his gun until from loss OF
| blood he became too weak to go fur.
Their. About to fall from line, two
strange soldiers from another regiment
approached and gave him their arms
At length this union army was over.
hauled by the confe derates and these
two comrades were taken away as
prisoners. Their names were never
learned by the man they helped. The
wounded Moldenhauer dropped to the
ground and lay there all through the
night and until 9 o'clock the next morn.
ing. Confederates came along and
kicked him, ordering him to get up
and be taken away with prisoners but
he was too weak to go unless he was
carried, and this none ventured.
In his canteen was fresh water that
his parched throat craved but this was
stripped off and taken by one of the
victorious fighters. Out on the field
he lay all through that night with bull
lets raining all about, and at next
day he crawled to hickory tree that
had been severed by cannon ball
Whitfield off a cane and crawled to a
house half mile away that had been
converted into hospital. 1t took until
3 o'clock that afternoon to make the
short half mile of distance. During
that time the confederates were charg
'ng the union Notifications and to es
cape the charge this wounded soldier
was forced to lie down fiat on the
ground three different times on his
way across that field.
1t was a terrible sight that he saw
along the way. The dead and wound
ed, bleeding and mangled, lay strewr
here and there and everywhere. Those
dead were buried, all together, in
trenches that were dug for the graves
General Had a Human Heart.
Once he had gained the hospital
house, Mr.. Moldenhauer crawled or
hands and knees up to the building
and through the door, The sun out
side was scorching and he lay dowr
just inside the door that he might es
cape the torturing heat, In the room
on a mattress lay a wounded general
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