Civil War stories: The bugler and the drummer

After 27 years of enjoying the little house sparrows that lived in my huge pine tree, watching them rush to the feeder or splash in the bird bath, I went to fill the bird feeder, and it was still full. Not being the most observant person in the world when I’ve got a list of items to take care of, I failed to notice that their little faces weren’t peering out from the pine needles to see what treat I had left. Fast forward a week and the feeder is still full and absolutely no little birds are living in my tree. How could they have abandoned me, their faithful provider of food and water? It was as if “Silent Spring” had descended on my home. I hope they come back; the sparrows and the church bells always remind me that there is a greater presence in this world besides human beings.

Willie Matthews was not a homesteader in McCook but had come to be with his daughter, Mrs. Sageser, of McCook when his health failed. Born in Clay, Indiana, and the oldest of five children, Willie joined the Fifth Illinois Calvary at the beginning of the Civil War.

He was a bugler which was not just a matter of blowing a horn. He sounded different instructions over the sounds of battle for the troops and final notes for the men who had fallen in battle. The Fifth was organized at Camp Butler, Illinois in 1861. By 1862, they had moved to St. Louis, Missouri and engaged with the enemy at Doniphan taking seven prisoners. Marching on, they came to the Mississippi River and joined General Curtis’s army. Fighting all over the Mississippi valley, Willie’s final days in the war were spent pursuing Marmaduke as he was retreating from Missouri. Leaving the Fifth in 1863, he then served in the 135th Illinois infantry.

His second marriage was to Eliza Tennessee Balch in Coles, Illinois in 1871 to which two daughters were born. Moving to North Platte in 1900, he became a member of the North Platte Board of Commissioners. Struck with paralysis while visiting his daughter in McCook, he remained with her until his death February 9, 1905. Although he had been Commander of the North Platte GAR, his wishes were to be buried in Riverside Cemetery under the watch of the Statue of the Grand Army of the Republic. One daughter from his first marriage and the daughters of his second marriage survived him.

All of 15 years old, William Merrill Irwin enlisted in the Civil War serving with the 197th Ohio Infantry, Co. A. His company was formed in April 1865, for one year’s service under Colonel Benton Halsted and William served as their drummer. Most of the company was made up of veterans who had served in old regiments and were now assigned to garrison duty near Washington City, Ohio. On May 5th, they moved on to Dover, Delaware to guard the railroad that ran from there to Baltimore. Willie was still 15 years old when mustered out as the war was ending on July 31st, 1865.

Born in Pennsyvania, a few years after the war he moved to Iowa where he met and married his wife, Lavenia, in 1873. They were blessed with six sons and one daughter, but the daughter, Eva, passed at the age of four. William moved to McCook around 1882, with Lavenia joining him a year later. The last two of their six sons, Archie and Richard, were born in McCook.

For 17 years he worked as a foreman in the carpenter shop for the Burlington Railroad. Stricken with illness in 1899, he was bedridden for ten months before passing. Dying on October 31, 1899, he was buried with his fellow soldiers in Riverview Cemetery with the others of the Grand Army of the Republic. He was 52 years old.

Freezing weather always brings out the research bug with me. It’s handy to be able to log onto www.swngs.org or www.familysearch.org, both free sites and never leave my nice warm home! The Family Search site has records of Red Willow County schools available!