The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-11-08

Gus as Norfolk; to have been one of
the very first colony of settlers to
have selected this point as promis-
ing one and to have watched the com
munity growth from It's very birth to
have fought and bled for the flag we
love and, though wounded, to have
helped in the pioneer upbuilding OF a
city; and, last Of all, to have reared q
large and eminently respected and
honored family, to have become indie
pendent Of the world by persistent in
dustry on the farm in new country,
to have served fellowmen in official
capacity and to be able to gather chill
dren and grandchildren roundabout
the old home fire of winters night
to enjoy the best sentiment in life
what sort of career could be more
ideal?
That has been, in part, the life of
August Raasch, today one of the
staunchest farmers in all Nebraska or
the west, who lives and has lived
where he homesteaded, mile west of
Norfolk, since the close of the war of
tlc Itbtlllol III WllIh louSlJs
August Raasch was born in Koengs-
berg, Germany, on September g 1912,
two years before his parents left Ger.
many for America. Locating first at
Tanavany, N v, in the spring of 1S45
his parents again started west. Com
ing to Wisconsin they took up govern
ment land near IXonia in jefferson
county.
There Mr.. Raasch was raised on a
small Wisconsin farm and there he re-
ceived his early schooling. He was
taught in German. In English Mr..
Raasch had about twelve months Of
English school training.
When seventeen years old Mr..
Raasch worked out for So a month,
good wages in those days for a youth
of seventeen. A mans wages there
was $12. For three summers Mr..
Raasch stayed with his employer and
he saved money at the wage of SO
per month.
The war with the south came on.
The young man, not yet twenty, felt
the call of patriotism to support his
country and he enlisted to give his
country the same full measure of ser.
vice that while little more than boy
he had been giving his employer on
the Wisconsin farm.
On Angst 81, 1862, Mr.. Raasch en-
listed for the first time in company
that was being made up for the TWEEN
ty-eighth Wisconsin regiment. But
when the young man heard of the
Twenty-sixth Wisconsin organized to
go under General Siegel, he changed
his mind and enlisted again on Sep
TENDER 2, 1862, in Company B, Tween.
ty-sixth Wisconsin volunteers.
On September II the regiment was
mustered in to do it's share towards
, preserving the unity of the country.
Given musket and ammunition on Sep.
TENDER 20, two weeks later the regi.
ment babe goodbye to Wisconsin and
Camp Siegel and by the middle of DC,
tober had passed through the national
capital and crossed the Potomac into
, Virginia.
Mr.. Raasch's army experience is a
SIOly bCthSh llOlh ZIG lOulI VI IhS
: great war, a story of some of the
greatest battles of that terrible con
4 flict, tale of a wounded prisoner, OF
f recapture and of long months in the
= hospitals.
= His regiment which had marched tt
:. Fredericksburg to find the battle ovel
S found on the following May the grea
e fight that they had missed at Fred
J. ericksburg. On May 2 they were fight
i ing the battle of Charlottesville L
r was the first time the Wisconsin mel
l. had been in action and they fought like
r tigers.
: Rebel bullets cut the air and in {
) few minutes Mr.. Raasch's regimen
t had lost 214 men. There was a re
b treat to receive reinforcements.
e was not until May that both armies
y retreated and on the last day of thu
d battle Mr. Raasch's regiment was IL
2, the front and still fighting.
2 Then more campaigning until tn,
t. fight at Gettysburg gave Mr.. Raascl
:. the wound that substituted the hospi
l. tai for the campfire.
J. It was on the morning of July
e 1868, that hurried orders came at
e a. m. In thirty minutes the marcl
I. was on. No breakfast or dinner tina
l. day but there was ammunition for all
t. A heavy rain drenched the soldiers
IT Then in a waving field of rye beyont
Gettysburg they came upon the enemy
The confederates surrounded tn
union men like half moon. Then
retreat and then a wounded union DO,
left behind with gunshot wound II
his left side. That was the story o
that day.
Wounded Mr.. Raasch rolled into
deep furrow. For a while he was Il
danger of being shot by both side
but the field was soon cleared of al
D. save the stragglers in the rear. Mean
while the wound was bleeding so bad