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William A. Greene
Civil
War Letters of William A. Greene of Milford
[Jefferson
County]
William A. Greene, at age 23, enlisted in the 16
Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry on October 1, 1861, and was quickly commissioned
as a 2nd Lieutenant in November 1861 by Governor Randall.
In April 1862, six days after the Battle of Shiloh
(Pittsburg Landing), Greene was promoted to 1st Lieutenant by the new Governor
Salomon.
Fifteen months after Shiloh a 24-year-old Lt. Colonel
Greene was commanding the 29th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry at the Siege of
Vicksburg, MS, when Grant accepted the city's surrender on July 4, 1863. William Greene, who was promoted Colonel,
29th WI, in 1864, and resigned his commission in January 1865.
Civil War pension records document that Colonel Greene
resigned and returned to Milford disabled in physical stamina which worsened
until he died of TB on July 13, 1880.
William A. Greene married Mary A. Mills on September
13, 1866 in Milford.
Will Greene's disability and early death most likely
resulted from his volunteer Civil War service.
Greene's Civil War letters to his family in Wisconsin
chronicle his uncertain military future after Shiloh, his low morale during the
winter of 1862-63 near Helena, AK, his continual financial problems due to
untimely pay and the "most glorious July 4th he had ever spent" at
Vicksburg.
William A. Greene
Descendants of William A. Greene possessed 43 or 44 Civil
War letters written by Colonel Greene. Letter dates are between March 1862 and
September 1863. Readable hard copies
were made of these original Civil War letters before the original letters were
donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society in August 2009.
Forty-two or 43 of the letters were written by William
A. Greene, mostly to his father Nathan S. Greene, four to a sister (most likely
"Libbie" or Elizabeth) and one to one of his brothers, Walter S. or
George G. Greene.
The N. S. Greene family resided in Milford, Jefferson
County, WI, located halfway between Milwaukee and Madison. Walter Greene was a member of the Wisconsin
State Legislature of 1862 and 1863. N.
S. Greene succeeded his son Walter to the State General Assembly in 1864.
George G. Greene became a noted lawyer in Green Bay.
The Dodge/Jefferson Counties Genealogical Society has
copies of the letters written by Col. Greene, combined with extensive other
documentation regarding the family and the years of service during the War Between
the States of 150 years ago. It is a
marvelous collection.
1864
02 13 Lieut.
Col. William A. Greene has been appointed Colonel of the 29th Wisconsin
Regiment, in place of Col. Gill, resigned.
This is a well deserved
promotion, and we are glad Col. Greene has so far succeeded in filling his
gallant regiment as to entitle him to the full rank of its commanding officer,
the duties of which he has long and faithfully discharged.
Sergeant Major Robert Tompkins of the 29th has
received the appointment of 2nd Lieutenant of Co. C, 36th Wisconsin
Regiment. It pleases us to see our
former foreman in the Democrat office, and editorial friend of the late
Jefferson Republican, successfully working his way up in military life. He will make a prompt and efficient officer.
History of Watertown, Wisconsin