James McMillen Keepers[1]
Rank: Private, Company M, 1st Wisconsin
Cavalry, Company B, 25th Wisconsin Infantry: Company I, 12th
Wisconsin Infantry
Born/died: September 15, 1842
– November 12, 1895
Cause of death: ?
Residence at death: Bloom City,
Wisconsin
Served: January 13, 1862 –
December 22, 1862, and January 25, 1864 – July 16, 1865
Age at enlistment: 19
Claim filed: Widow’s claim,
undated, but after 1890
Remarks:
James’ certificate of
disability for discharge, dated December 22, 1862, reveals the he had been
enlisted in the cavalry since January 13, 1862. The place of enlistment is
unclear, but “in consequence of weakness of the back and general debility he
has been unfit for duty nearly the whole of the past nine months.” 1st Lieutenant John A. Owen[2]
reported this December 2, 1862, while at Patterson, Missouri. Apparently, James
was not able to spend all day, day after day, riding a horse. He had enlisted for three years. Interestingly, he married Harriet M. Core in
October 1861.
He re-enlisted January 25,
1864 in the 25th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry at Madison, WI. He was mustered
in February 10, 1864 at Madison, WI. He
joined Company B, 25th Regiment at Cairo, Illinois on March 22, 1864. He was reported present on all company muster
rolls from March 1864 through May 1865.
Transferred to Company I, 12th Regiment on June 2, 1865. Then, all
three, father and two sons, were fighting in company I. On July 21, 1864, a shell burst fatally
wounded his father and knocked down his brother Hayes. James apparently was not too near the blast,
but Hayes received a minor shrapnel wound under his chin. The brothers were mustered out July 16, 1865
at Louisville, Kentucky.
The certificate of
disability, and the company B descriptive rolls both list James as 5’ 10” tall,
blue eyes, brown hair with a light complexion.
James is listed as a farmer in the 1870 census. At some time before 1879, he became a
minister. His “private book” includes a
marriage registry, funerals, accounts, recipes, and family records. The earliest entry is a marriage on July 24,
1879.
He and Harriet had nine
children. They resided in Eagle,
Richland County, Wisconsin[3],
Liberty, Vernon County, Wisconsin[4],
Scott, Crawford County, Wisconsin[5]
and James is listed as a member of the G.A.R. Post, Cedar Rapids, Nebraska in
1887. It is not clear how long James
was in Nebraska, but six of his nine siblings had settled in Boone, Clay,
Fillmore and Holt counties in Nebraska.
All the marriages recorded by him appear to be in Wisconsin counties,
and they are dated from 1879 to 1894.