- Military - Janesville Sesquicentennial
-
- [Photograph; caption reads: Janesville celebrated the return
of its troops following the end of World War I with a rousing
reception down Main Street. This homecoming took place on Oct.
8, 1919.]
-
- City at forefront from Civil War to Vietnam
- Janesville was not even 30 years old when the Civil War broke
out, but it already had several military
- units.
- Janesville's first military unit was the Janesville City
Guards formed in 1855. But it reportedly "lacked
- military spirit and soon disbanded."
- The Janesville City Guards may have aided in the formation
of other city militia units that served in the
- Civil War.
- The Janesville Light Guards became Company E of the Fifth
Wisconsin Volunteer Army (WVA).
- The Janesville Zouaves, named after a French militia, became
Company B of the 13th WVA.
- The Ruger Guards, founded by Edward RUGER, were originally
meant to be a civil service group. But the 50-man company of
"miners and (tree) sappers" were soon drawn into military
service, becoming the only "all Rock County" regiment
to serve in the Civil War.
- A company recruited largely from the Janesville Fire Department,
became Company G, of the Eighth Regiment WVA.
|
- W. B. BRITTON, the captain of the company and chief
engineer of the fire department, later
- became colonel of the entire Eighth Regiment.
- One Janesville Civil War soldier won the Congressional Medal
of Honor - Private James E. CROFT
- in October 1864 "took a dead gunner's place in fighting
in Altoona, Ga., and inspired his comrades to victory."
- Not only did Janesville send companies of soldiers to the
Civil War, it also took part in the war effort
- "at home."
- In "Wisconsin in the War of Rebellion" by William
LOVE, Janesville is cited as having held conven-
- tions in support of the Union's stand.
- A "Loyal Democratic State Convention" was held
in Janesville Sept. 17, 1863. According to LOVE,
- "the convention had much significance and importance
as related to Union sentiment and action of the state."
- The convention issued the statement that, "until the
present conflict is ended, there can be but two
- parties - patriots and traitors."
-
- Volunteer group started
- The Rock County Union and Relief Society was founded in Janesville
in 1861 to organize, train and
- fund volunteers.
- Janesville had but two army training camps - Camp Cameron
and Tredway. Camp Cameron housed
- the calvary and was at "the old fairgrounds near Springbrook"
(the Palmer Park area). Camp Tredway, used to train the infantry,
was located at the current fairgrounds.
- The most famous military visitor to Janesville was General
Sherman in September 1865.
- When the United States joined World War I in 1917, Janesville
was ready to send men.
- Company "M," a National Guard Unit from Janesville,
left for training in August 1917. The 147 men
- eventually became Company M of the 128th Infantry.
- The company fought in Western Europe. The members were considered
so tough the French govern-
- ment nicknamed the company, "Les Terribles."
- The Eighth Regiment of the Wisconsin State Guard included
a Janesville company. The regiment was
- stationed in Beloit and was "a temporary state force
to serve the state during emergency (the war)," according
to Wisconsin's War Record.
- The city became very involved in the war effort. The Janesville
Gazette appealed to farmers in 1917
- "to plant one acre each of wheat." The Gazette
made "wheat seeds available at cost price to those who desire
it."
- During 1917, Janesville was being eyed as a possible site
for an army base. The proposed base
- would house about 30,000 men and would cover one square mile.
- The Janesville Parks Association was in favor of the camp,
even though they knew they would lose
- money on it. "It was felt the decision was nothing short
of a patriotic duty," the Gazette reported. But, in the
end, Janesville was not chosen as the site for the camp.
- That "patriotic duty" still ran deep through the
city, though. June 15, 1917, was designated as "Duty
- Day" in Janesville, the first day of draft registration.
-
- Duty Day held
- Over 1,200 Janesville men registered for the draft on Duty
Day. Mayor James FATHERS said,
- "This day will march in history as the greatest day
America has ever seen. Yet we know that those who register are
ready to make the sublime sacrifice with willingness."
- Janesville became a "vacation ground" for soldiers
from Camp Grant in Rockford, the Gazette
- reported. After being discharged, soldiers would come to
Janesville for liquor. City hotels and bars were reportedly full
of soldiers. City police were brought in to control the liquor
traffic.
- Ralph LOUCKS, a Company M veteran, remembered Armistice
Day in a 1973 Gazette interview.
- "We stood around and cheered a little bit," he
said. "We saw some columns of Germans advancing
- with fieldpacks on their backs. They marched right through
our company. No one said, 'Hi Heinie. Look at the guys that whipped
you.' No one wisecracked. We figured, 'what if it had been us?'"
- Company A of the 192nd Tank Battalion was probably Janesville's
most famous group of military
- men. The battalion served during World War II, and was captured
when Bataan fell in 1942.
- About 12,000 Americans and 60,000 Filipinos surrendered.
Many of them died in what was to
- happen next: the Bataan death march.
- About 7,000 to 10,000 men died on the march. Only one was
from Janesville, but 63 more of
- Janesville's Company A were to die on the Japanese prison
camps in the next four years.
- The prisoners' biggest job continued to be finding good water.
Many of the men were also assigned
- to rebuild an airfield, including hauling large rocks onto
the air field and breaking them down into gravel-size stones.
-
- [Photograph; caption reads: Civil War veterans held a reunion
in Janesville in 1924. It was sponsored by the DAR.]
-
- Many died of disease
- Many of the prisoners died from various diseases like malaria
and beri-beri. Many more died for lack
- of simple antibiotics.
- Being a prisoner of war changed many of the men. In a letter
published in the Gazette, POW Sgt.
- Orvis RINEHART told of how his capture at Bataan affected
him.
- "I have changed a lot. I look quite a bit older and
am not the carefree, happy-go-lucky fellow you
- once knew as your son. Instead I'm hard as nails. I have
seen so much death it's just an everyday occurrence. I sure hope
I change because I don't want to be that way. I would like to
smile again, for a change."
- The prisoners were finally released on Aug. 16, 1945, after
Japan surrendered.
- The citizens of Janesville knew of the hardships of Company
A through reports in the news. And they
- tried to help the war situation as best they could at home.
- The Janesville Gazette reported that "instead of wringing
hands and taking on a 'what can we do'
- attitude, women of Janesville went into war service as volunteer
workers."
-
- [Photograph; caption reads: Civil War soldiers stood at attention
on Main Street.]
-
- Many women worked with the Red Cross. Several women's clubs
started selling U.S. War Bonds,
- and parties to benefit the USO were sponsored by women's
organizations.
- "We are making this a women's war as well as a man's,
and we will endeavor to build as strong a
- homefront as the one our soldiers are building on foreign
soil," was the motto of may Janesville women.
- A local soldier was also noteworthy - for his size. Private
William FORD was 6'6" and 320 pounds
- when he was inducted in World War II. He was reported to
be one of the biggest men in the Army, the Gazette reported.
- Janesville was home to some foreigners during the war. About
250 German prisoners of war spent
- the summers of 1944 and 1945 in Janesville working at area
canning companies. The POWs, housed at Camp Janesville, on the
corner of Crosby Avenue and Rockport Road, helped to harvest
and can crops.
- Korea and Vietnam turned out to be different kinds of wars.
Individuals, instead of companies of
- men, were called from Janesville to fight.
- And Janesville men and women served in both wars. Fifteen
Janesville men died in Vietnam.
|
