Waseca County, Minnesota - Chapter 14: Waseca Couxty in the War, 1887

HE causes that led to the irrepressible civil war between the States in 1861 to 1865, inclusive, have been detailed at length in the histoiy of Steele County, in this volume, and it were but waste of valuable space to repeat it in this connection . Our only dut v is to fi-lean together the effects it had upon Waseca County, the action of the people, all loj'al to the core g, nation's trial, and enroll the names of the defenders of the Union from Waseca, that posterity may know the heroes of that unholy rebellion against the best government ever established on the face of the earth.

Looking at Waseca County to-day we can scarcely realize the fact that, when the war broke upon the people of this country, arraying more than a million of men in arms, and which made our ship of State reel and stagger as if smitten by thunderbolts and dashed upon the rocks, that this county had been settled but about seven 3'ears ; and Minnesota, as a State of the American Union, but in its infancy. But, notwithstanding its own soil had not been fully subjugated to man's use, aid was promptly offered in subduing the seceding States. The feeling throughout Minnesota, although not quite as intense as in some of the older States, was universal that the Union must be preserved, and the sights and sounds that were so noticeable in every village and hamlet north of Mason and Dixon's line, were duplicated here, and men came forward to lay down their lives in defense of fi-eedom and freedom's flag freely, and patriotism throbbed in every bosom. As a county, Waseca was not called on in an official way to provide funds to encourage enlistments, but several of the town boards did levy a tax for that purpose, issuing bonds and borrowing raoiiey with which to give bounties to the volunteers. Meetings were held throughout the county, and money was i-aised to encourage enlistments and pledges made by private citizens to care for the families of the soldiers in this county.

With a population in 1860 'of only 2,601, Waseca County responded nobly to the call of the general government for men, furnishing fully her share toward the suppression of the Rebellion.

Appended is a list of the gallant heroes who participated in the war. If any comrade has been omitted from the list it has been done unintentionally, and rather the fault of defective muster rolls than that of the historian, than whom a more ardent admirer of the '' boys in blue " is not to be found.