Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1922-09-28
UNIQUE Is THIS
VETERAN OF WAR
Colonel Robert II. Spencer, Aged
81, Father of Two Sets of
Twins, Six and Four Years
(From Fridays Daily

Col. Robert H. Spencer. aged So.
formerly of Madison has two sets OF
twins, the older pair just past six,
the younger four,-and the whole
group, young mother and all. prob
ably will be one of the sensations at
the national encampment of the G..
A. R. at Des Moines next week -
Sept. 24-2S. Col. Spencer is not only
notable for his phenomenal vital ac-
complishments, but also fo~ his thrill
ing leap from a train and escape
while being transferred from one con-
federate prison to another far down
in Dixie.
Col. Spencer, long practicing law
where Gertrude Sheridan of Bara-
boo is city librarian-resides at AL
gona, Iowa, and, while he may not
be the youngest Civil war veteran
at the encampment, he is said to be-
lieve in the old saying about a man
being as young as he feels. AS the
father of two pairs of twins, this vet
eran of almost eight-two of course
feels pretty spry.
From Wisconsin
Col. Spencer is a Wisconsin "boy",
his early home being in the town of
Windsor, Dane county, and for many
years in Madison. He enlisted in
his twentieth year in the 10th Wis
consin infantry in 1861, was promoted
to second lieutenant and served on
the staff of General Harris.
After the battle of Perryville he
was advanced to first lieutenant,
and after Stone River, commissioned
captain. With the remnant of his
brigade and company he was made
prisoner on the evening of Sept 90,
during the battle of Chickamauga.
Then he spent six months in Libby
prison and the rest of the year in
Danville and Macon, Ga, and Char
lesion, S c. While being transferred
from Charleston to Columbia he
escaped by jumping from a boxcar.
and after sixteen nights travel coined
the union army at Calhoun, Ga.A He
arrived at his Wisconsin home in
November, was mustered out and en-
listed again in the 47th Wisconsin,
was made lieutenant colonel and
war closed then was appointed brevet
colonel of volunteers and mustered
out of the service.
Marries Planters Daughter
He was married on January l. 1915,
to the daughter of a Virginia planter
at portsmouth Va His first boys were
born on February Il, 1916 ha at THAT
time being IS years old and the sec
ond pair on April 10 1918. The older
boys are Bob and Bill, the young
er ones Jack and jim, and the
patriotic father, when he unfurls the
colors on Lincoln's birthday, is
wont to say the observance also is
in honor OF his first boys, who came
on the memorable Feb. II, but 1O7
years after.
Bishop Falows, the eminent Episco-
palian who died in Chicago a few
weeks cgo was = lfalCng friend
of Col. Spencer. They first met be-
fore the Civil war. when Col. Spen-
GERS brother and the future bishop
were classmates in the University OF
Wisconsin. Fallows early was a be-
loved army chaplain.
Relative in Baraboo
Col. Spencers father also was dis
tinguished, a state senator in Ohio
from 1856 to 1857 president of the
Scioto & Hooking Valley railroad for
some years, also practicing law, and
served as assistant secretary OF
state in Wisconsin while Gen. Lu-
cius Fairchild was head of that de-
partment. The old Ohio home was IN
Perry county. He was a Madison
lawyer for many years, locating there
in 1858. Three of his four sons en-
tered the army, Robert being fhe
eldest James c. served three years,
going out as lieutenant and returning
as captain. He lived at Baraboo lot
some years. Charles third of the loyal
brothers, also became a captain. The
fourth. William e, was in the treas
ary department at Washington during
the war and for two years was CLERK
of the United States senate.