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{There is a photo of Michael Landgraf}
"We did more walking than fighting in the Civil war, but when we did fight, there was no joking about it," said Michael Landgraf, 526 S. Thirteenth street, a veteran of the Civil war, who was in service for eleven months and escaped without injury.
Mr. Landgraf enlisted Dec. 26, 1864, for service at Fond du Lac and went to Madison, Wis., where he was assigned to Company K, Fourteenth Wisconsin Infantry. He remained in Madison for about two weeks and went from there to Eastport, Tenn., where he joined his company.
After arriving in Eastport, Mr. Landgraf, was taken ill with small pox and was sent down the Ohio river on a flat boat to the government hospital at Memphis, where he remained until he was pronounced cured by army doctors.
Leaving the hospital in a weakened condition, although he had been pronounced cured by the army physicians, he was sent to New Orleans to rejoin his company. From New Orleans the company crossed the Gulf of Mexico to Dolfin Island and remained there about 14 days, crossing back after that and capturing Spanish Fort across the river from Mobile, Alabama. They held Spanish Fort against the South for two weeks and then started their march of 500 miles through the wilderness to Montgomery, Alabama. At the conclusion of the march, war was declared ended, as far as the actual fighting was concerned, so they marched back to Mobile and from there were returned to Madison. Mr. Landgraf received his discharge from the Union forces in November, 1865.
According to Mr. Landgraf's description of the food furnished the soldiers during the Civil war, that which was supplied the American boys in the World war was heavenly compared with it. He stated that the choicest morsels of food they received were hardtack, and that this was infested with worms almost always. Salt pork and beans were served occasionally, he said, but the notable thing in connection with this food was the fact that there was more salt than meat.
Mr. Landgraf was born on March 23 [28?], 1848, on a farm in the town of Mosel, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Landgraf. He resided there with his parents until he was 16 years old, and he enlisted for Civil war service at that age. After returning from the service, he went home for a short time and then came to Sheboygan, where he has lived ever since. He has been a member of the Wintermeyer post of the G. A. R. for about fifteen years.
On Feb. 17, 1874, he was married to Miss Lena Federer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Federer, who at that time resided in this city. The ceremony took place in Holy Name church and the Rev. Michael Haider, pastor of Holy Name church at that time, officiated.
Twelve children, six sons and six daughters, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Landgraf, of whom nine are still living. They are: Mrs. Andrew Ott, 1603 S. Eighth street; Mrs. Albert Braun, 911 S. Fifteenth street; John Landgraf, 1314 Jefferson avenue; Mrs. Anton Meyer, Sibley court; Sister Bernard, St. Agnes hospital, Fond du Lac, Wis.; Agnes Landgraf, 526 S. Thirteenth street; Joseph Landgraf, 526 S. Thirteenth street; Bernard Landgraf, 917 Niagara avenue, and Albert Landgraf, 526 S. Thirteenth street. Names of the deceased children are: Jacob, Mary and Elizabeth.
Three sons of Mr. and Mrs. Landgraf served in the World war, two of them having seen service in France. Albert was a member of Headquarters company, 120th Field Artillery, Thirty-second division; Joseph was a member of Battery A, 104th Field Artillery, Twenty-seventh division, and Bernard served in a truck company in this country.
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