"Sword Brings Back Memories To Museum Curator at 89" from the May 15, 1952 Door County Advocate
By Harry E. Dankoler
Sword Brings Back Memories To Museum Curator at 89
By HARRY E. DANKOLER
Door County Museum Curator
The eight Civil war swords in the Door County museum was increased to nine with the addition of another by Mrs. Elizabeth Baird of Long Beach, Calif, used by her father, Harry Harris, son of Joseph Harris, first editor of the Door County Advocate and later the editor himself.
Harry Harris was a member of the Forty-third, Company F, Wisconsin Infantry, under President Lincoln's call of July 1, 1864, and soon was promoted to be second lieutenant. There were six others from Door county, two in Co. F and four in Co. I.
The company rendezvoued in Milwaukee, and the following day they left for Nashville, and from there to Johnsonville, the terminus of the railroad to guard the road to convey supplies to the Tennessee river. Details were sent out daily to guard trains to Nashville.
On Nov. 4 the rebels attacked the gunboats below the town and drove them up to Johnsonville, where it was necessary to burn and destroy them, along with ammunition and supplies, valued at millions of dollars, to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy. Here a battle was raging, while the 43rd was lying in trenches, protected by earth works.
Artillery Battle
It was wholly an artillery fight. The 43rd lost one man killed and one wounded. On Nov. 30 Johnsonville was evacuated and the troops ordered to Nashville to resist the army of Hood. The 43rd, marching by day and night, in an almost unbroken wilderness through deep mud and drenching rain, and guarding an immense train, learned it was cut off Nashville. The troops were then ordered to Clarksville, which they reached Dec. 5. (It is in this district that visitors to Florida pass through on Route 41). There they encamped until the 28th when they embarked for Nashville on Jan. 1, 1865, and moved south by rail to Decherd, a station on the road to Chattanooga. Here they did guard duty at the Elk river bridge, too strong for the enemy to attack, and were stationed there until the end of the war.
While at Decherd they laid out a cemetery for their own deceased men and others. They lost 70 men.
Knows Four Generations
At 89, I have known every member of the Harris family, down to the present fourth generation in Sturgeon Bay. In the eighties, when I lived in Milwaukee, I made frequent visits to Sturgeon Bay, and never failed to visit Joseph Harris Sr. I also knew Joseph Harris Jr., and his son, J. Edward Harris, who once worked with me in The Advocate office and later roomed with me in Milwaukee. Ed. Harris later became a staff writer of the Milwaukee Journal.
In 1879, Henry Harris, the subject of this sketch, visited Philadelphia, where he published a farm magazine, and I had several talks with him. I went to school with Grace Harris (his sister) and of course, was intimate with the late Arthur Harris, publisher of the Advocate with Bert Sanderson for many years. Arthur was the father of S. J. Harris, now president and editor of the Advocate and also president of the Door County Radio Co., operator of WOKW. Chan Harris, son of the latter, is also a close acquaintance. As a lad he often came into the museum.
In the autumn of 1880, when the Republican candidates for county offices held a meeting in the Advocate office to discuss matters of interest to all of them, Joseph Harris Sr., was invited to attend in order to hear his wise counsel, and I was at the door as outside guard.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
Articles relating to the Civil War
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