Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1913-03-14
AROUND Tue
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CAMplR IA
WOMEN AT ARMY ROLL CALL
Mrs. John N. Mckay Tells How S"s
Answered for Her SICK Husoa
at Camp Randall, Wis

For six months in the year 1000
Mrs. John Fl. Mckay, who now iise.
at, 6816; Wentworth avenue, ansWeteu
at the. daily roll call Of Camp han'
dali Madison, Wis, in company WIFI
the soldiers of the camp. she did
this In order that her husband, VINO
died nine years ago, might not become
. Technically a deserter from the army.
I'VE we're living in LeClaire. Iowa.
In 1854" said Mrs. Mckay. MY NUS
band had tried to enlist in Wisconsin
and Iowa, but he could not meet tne
physical requirements. In October OF
1864 he succeeded In entering the
Ninth Illinois regiment. He went 10
Rock Island to enlist and then came
back to L4eClaire. The next day ne
went to be sworn I'm and expected 10
return to say goodbye to me. wait
ed on the river bank. for him that eve
ming, and the man who had gone Win
him came back alone, and said tnat
my husband had already been sent TO
Quincy on the way to Springfield.
He went south into Tennessee. |
have all the letters that he wrote to
me then. Not one of them was lost.
and every one Of my letters reached
him. had gone back to Madison
with my two children and was living
with my parents. used to send him
so cents and two or three postage
stamps in every letter, and think
that the money kept him alive.
~ intended to go to Tennessee as
an army nurse with the wife OF the
governor OF Wisconsin, but the COVER
nor was drowned at st. Louis and
had to take care of his wife. | be-
came nurse at Madison and saved
all the money / could. There were
many southern sympathizers In Madi-
son--copperheads. they were called
and I was sometimes ordered out OF
sick rooms when the patients found out
that my husband was In the northern
army
MY husband was sick and he was
at last sent to the hospital at Jeffer-
sonville, Ind. The matron there wrote
me. letter saying that she hoped
would raise my children so that they
would meet their father in heaven, be-
cause he would be there by the time
I got her letter. I remember at about
that time seeing my father coming
from the postoff1ce with tears in his
eyes and l called out to him: oh, is
John dead? and he said: NO, he's a
httfe better, but Abraham Lincoln Ia
killed That was in the middle of
April
Il was going to go to Jeffersonville,
but my brother-in-faw offered to go in
stead, and I gave him money to bring
back my husband or his body. My
brother-fn-law went there and at first
he could not get into the hospital.
He inquired about his brother and
twice he was told that my husband
was in the deadhouse. but, as it turn
ed out, it was another man of exactly
the same name. My husband was still
living, but the doctor said it would
not be for long. His brother nursed
him for four weeks and then brought
him to Madison. On the way they
stopped In Chicago and my husband
managed to get big meal of sausage
hhN RohSohCS 0uiAS Ills OFOLUGT WIS
not looking.
"In Madison l took my husband
home. He was assigned to Camp
Randall but the officers at the camp
said ! could take him to the house IL
I would report at the camp every day,
SO that he would not be a deserted
So every morning before breakfast I
went down to the camp and In
through the gate, where no other
women were allowed to pass, ard
answered for him at roll call. MY
father or my sister or my brother-in-
law often went with me, but they
were not allowed to enter the camp.
Because he was allowed to stay at
home my husband was saved to live
almost forty years"