SPANISH WAR VETERANS.

When the call for troops came to right the wrongs of Cuba and to punish Spain for her treachery and the destruction of the Maine. Winnebago county responded with more than its quota of men. Rockford first heard that actual hostilities had begun on the afternoon of Thursday, April 21, 1897. Prolonged whistles from the factories announced the declaration of war, and all classes of people were instantly charged with the military spirit.

President McKinley issued a call for too,000 men, and congress made liberal appropriations, without a dissenting vote in either house. The quota of Illinois under this call was 6,439 men. Two days later Companies H and K of Rockford were on their way to Springfield. The towns along the way turned out to cheer them. At Elgin they were joined by Company M, and in Chicago the Rochelle and Woodstock companies were added. At Joliet, Colonel Bennitt and staff and the company from that city were accessions. The regiment arrived at Camp Tanner April 27th. After two weeks at Camp Tanner the bo ys left, May 14th, for Chattanooga.

Rockford was made more fully aware of the reality of the war on the afternoon of May 27th, when a telegram came from Chattanooga announcing the death of First Lieutenant C. E. Almond. The remains arrived in Rockford on Me­ morial day, and were buried with military honors. He was the first soldier from Winnebago county to die during this war.

After weeks of waiting, the Rockford boys received word to move from Camp Thomas in the latter part of July, and Sunday. July 24th, found them on their way to Newport News, where they took the transport for Porto Rico. Their record in the island campaign was one of .which they have reason to be proud.

One of the sad incidents of the war was the death of Lieutenant W. A. Talcott, Jr.. which occurred at Watch Hill, Rhode Island, August 31st. as the result of illness contracted in the service. He enlisted with the Seventy-first New York Volunteers, and was promoted for bravery. Mr. Talcott had recently been admitted to the bar, and a bright future was apparently before him.

Another Winnebago boy who went to war and death was Harry Potter. He was a member of Company H.

-A few days later came word of the death of Corporal Lillie. A comrade at the time said: "He was a good soldier and never shirked his duty."

Another Rockford soldier who died from dis­ ease instead of bullets was Private Renus Nelson, who was a member of the First Wisconsin Regiment. He died from fever at the city hospital.

After the were had ceased, the Rockford soldiers were kept on the island for several weeks, and finally sailed for home October 16th.

The Third Regiment reached Rockford on its return Friday, November11th. The return was a great event in the history of Rockford. It was estimated that twenty thousand persons stood in the cold around the Illinois Central depot and watched the trains bearing the soldiers. It was io o'clock before they arrived. There was a big display of fireworks and a deafening discharge of artillery in welcome to the men.

A few days later there was a pageant of peace. A banquet was served the returned soldiers, and there was an immense parade. It was a night of red fire and patriotism.

A sad touch was given the general atmosphere of rejoicing by the news of Jeremiah Hooley's death in Chicago.

A few days later the Rockford boys received their discharges and had settled down to the pursuits of peace.

The following is a list of the members of Companies H and K :

COMPANY H.

Captain—William H. Brogunier.

First Lieutenant—Charles E. Almond.

Second Lieutenant—William H. Sarver.

First Sergeant—George Searle.

Quartermaster-Sergeant—Harry E. Brogunier.

Sergeants—Axel L. Hulten, Herbert L. Back­us, Fred L. Auchter, Harry T. Potter.

Corporals—Peter Lindberg, Frank E. Osborn, Fritz Johnson, Ed C. Johnson. W. C. King, Anton Johnson, C. Roy Speake. Fred W. Farmiloe, John W. Petrie, Henry Sanders, George H. Baker, Gilmore Grant.

Musicians—William H. Stuckey, Stillman Valley ; Louis W. Miles.

Artificer—George H. Allen.

Wagoner—Charles E. Richardson.

Privates—Charles E. Adamson

Roy Archer

August L. Applegren

Leon M. Baldwin, Streator , James L. Basford, Frank B. Basford, Clarence C. Boyer, Richard Boyer, Joseph Boyer, George L. Baxter, Louis M. Barker, Isaac W. Breckenridge, London, Pa.

Swan Carlson, Charles E. Carlson, Arthur B. Carr, Sullivan L. Clark, Joseph Caldwell, James Coyne, Edward E. Cowles, Edgar E. Campbell

Henry J. Dillon, Charles J. Dillon, H. J. Dickerrnan, Hiram R. Drake Fort Atkinson. Wisconsin

John Garry

John J. Hooley, Joseph A. Hunter,Edward Houseman

Fred Johnson, Louis W. Jones, John R. Johnson.

David E. King

Andrew J. Lawler, Albert E. Lamb, John W. Lindell, Bert J. Lindell. Richard H. Lungberg, Otto Lundin

Frank E. Mahon. Peter J. McGrath, William F. Murphy

Richard Noreen

Oscar G. Olson, Albert O'Garr, Harry E. Osgood

Frank G. Parker, James W. Paxton, Rudolph L. Peterson, Rudolph A. Perterson

Charles Sederstrom, Charles Sealander, Gustav Schmidtz, George H. Shepard, John Smith

John A. Taylor, Lawrence Taylor ,Edward Taylor, Eugene Tunison

Emil Van Holsbeke, Frank H. Welch, Abe L. Yingling.

Recruits

Gustave G. Boetcher, Milwaukee ; Mark M. Butler, Belvidere ; Joseph Bath, Thomas Blachford, Belvidere

Arthur R. Davis, Joliet

Albert L. Ferree, Coldwater, Mich.; Richard Flynn, Belvidere ; Josepn Flannery, Belvidere

Louis Gastman

Jerry F. Holey, Robert A. Hunter, Clarence Humeston, Henry S. Hensel

Oscar A. Jackson, William S. Lawman, Belvidere

John J. McGrath, Andrew F. Maloney, Belvidere

Oron McConel

William Outcalt, Verman Outcalt, Edward C. Osmus, Roy M. Phelps. Belvidere

John W. Roderick. Belvidere ; Edward W. Roderick, Belvidere ; John E. Randolph, Garden Prairie:

Henry Schmitz, Peoria; Fred B. Stockwell.

COMPANY K.

Captain—Edwin E. Leonard.

First Lieutenant—James A. Ruggles.

Second Lieutenant—Ernest L. Hess.

First Sergeant—Lee Lemaire.

Quartermaster-Sergeant—Eric Swenberg.

Sergeants—Edward A. Quinn, Frank M. Hull. Frank Smith, Will McDenriaicl.

Corporals—Walter B. Taylor, Eric Kjellgren, Walter Wall, Samuel C. Hull, Fred J. Core y, Luman B. Lillie, William M. Danner. Fred H. Wheeler, George A. Trumbo, Will J. Barbour, John B. Chaney.

Musicians—Charles E. Frank, Knutt 0. Juh­lin.

Artificer—Richard Anderson.

Privates

Charles E. Anderson

Fred C. Barbour. Charles G. Bowman,Joseph H. Bryden, Thatcher B. Bean, Frank Betts. Williams Buske

Oscar N. Danielson, Bert Dundon

Richard M. Eylward, Edward H. Engquist

Emil Flood, Wilgot Flood, Fred Fellows, Joseph Frost

Gust T. Gustafson, Robert K. Gustafson, Charles G. Gustafson, Harold R. Gaston, James H. Galloway.

Charles 0. Harper, Lycurgus A. Hall. Joseph B. Hoffman, Clinton S. Holmes, Benjamin A. Hunter, John Hagenson, Harry Hunter

Jason B. Isbell

Eric S. Johnson, Louis H. Johnson, Frank A. Jordan. Chicago: Elmer R. Johnson

Axel Kjellgren, Paul R. Klentz,

Victor Liliydahl. Paul C. Loveland. Peter A. Larson, Robert S. Lane

William H. McIntosh. Israel N. Mutimer, George Matthews

Harry Nelson

Fred R. Olson. Victor C. Olson. Henry Odenahl, Ed Ostness, Edwin Oberg, Floyd Osmus

George Pitney. Harry M. Putnam. Harry A. Parson

Frank R. Ridgley, Matthew Ryan. Wilbur P. Raymond

Charles F. Strong. Linus Selin, Bruce W. Savage. Grant Shields, Otto Stohlgren, Carl R. Savage

Charles A. Thorne

George Whitmore.

Recruits

Lewis Ahlberg, Belvidere

Charles G. Barnes. Byron: Frank Blank, Belvidere

John F. Clayton, Belvidere ; Louis J. Caswell, Claus Ekstedt, Cherry Valley

William Fallon, Evert J. Garlock, Byron

Israel J. Ferris, Robert B. Hart, Byron

Charles F. Gooman, Guy Holland, Herman Huffilian, Adolph Johnson, John E. Jones, Ernest Kilgore, Byron

Otto Koch, Belvidere

Henry C. Lane, Byron

George Monroe, Belvidere

Martin F. Nally, Byron

Clarence C. Nelson, George Patterson, Steven Powell, Joseph H. Underwood, Byron

Frans A. Titus, Clarence G. Tetlow, Belvidere

Ernest D. Wallace.

Other Rockford boys who enlisted for the Spanish-American war were:

Third Illinois Regiment—Company A : Charles R. Gipe, Axel L. Kjellgren.

Company D: Howard C. Carpenter, James McConnell.

Company F : Selwyn L. Clark, Charles Jenkins, Charles Sederstorm.

Company G: Richard Anderson, Ray T. Barnes, Robert S. Farrar.

Company M : Frank W. Adams, Ernest V. Johnson, William J. Myers, C. A. George Sahlin.

Sixth Regiment, Infantry—Company L : John M. Keefe.

Seventh Regiment, Infantry—Company L: Guy L. Harvey.

Company M: Dennis Owens.

Eighth Regiment, Infantry—Harry S. Mc-Card.

Third Nebraska, Infantry—Warren H. Ray.

First U. S. Engineers—Company F: W. D. Kewish.

First U. S. Vol. Infantry—Company B: P. W. Doolittle.

Fortieth Wisconsin Infantry—Company B ; William H. Fitch.

First Regiment, Fifth Wisconsin Artillery—Josiah C. Forbes.

Third Missouri Cavalry—Company G: George H. Forbes.

Second U. S. V. Engineers, Second Battalion—C. Kingley Ray.

Fifty-first Iowa Infantry—Company B: Elmer G. Stockberger.

Arthur E. Fisher went to the front with the Third Regiment as lieutenant-colonel. In 1899 he was elected colonel of the Third Regiment, and served the full term of five years. He was reelected in 1904. and resigned in the spring of 1905. after having rendered nineteen years of military service to the state.

 

History of Winnebago County-1877

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