"I would not have the anniversaries of our victories celebrated, nor those of our defeats made fast days and spent in humiliation and prayer; but I would like to see truthful history written. Such history will do full credit to the courage, endurance and soldierly ability of the American citizen, no matter what section of the country he hailed from, or in what ranks he fought....As time passes, people, even of the South, will begin to wonder how it was possible that their ancestors ever fought for or justified institutions which acknowledged the right of property in man."
But because of interstate migrations, and other lines immigrating to the United States after ours, an accurate listing of our particular line would be nearly impossible to assemble. Still, we can get an idea by tracing the soldiers who were descended through our ancestor William E. Hause, Sr. Alvin Chase Hause, the son of William's son, Joseph, served the Union cause politically by representing Schuyler County in the New York State Assembly in 1862. Meanwhile, Alvin's brother, Lewis K. Hawes of Whitewater, Wisconsin, enlisted on 11 Sep 1862 in the Union Army as an Assistant Surgeon. He was commissioned in Company S, 28th Infantry Regiment Wisconsin and received a disability discharge on 18 Nov 1863. Lewis is the author of the genealogical sketches that are the basis of the John Hause legend. A great-grandchild through Simon Hause, Benjamin Hause, was a Sergeant in Company D, in the 5th Regiment of the Michigan Cavalry. According to medical records, he died from "chronic diarrhea" on 6 Dec 1864 in G H Div 1 Annapolis, Maryland. Another grandchild, Jasper T. Hawes, son of Matthew Hause (all of Matthew's descendants spell their surname "Hawes"), was born in 1834 in Verona, Wisconsin, where his father was the first justice of the peace and his brother was the first constable. Jasper enlisted in the 49th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company G as a private on 13 Feb 1865, and after six months of vicious fighting he received a disability discharge on 30 Sep 1865. After the war, he ended up in San Buenaventura (now Ventura), California, and died there on 7 Jul 1911. He was buried at St. Mary's Cemetery with a Civil War marker on his stone, pictured here. But his headstone was discarded in 1969 by decree of the Ventura City Council, to make room for what is now a dog park. According to activist Steve Schleder, webmaster of "Restore St. Mary's Cemetery," Jasper's stone has been "spirited away for safe keeping," where it remains today. Jasper, however, still lies under the dog park.¹ Meanwhile, at least 17 grandchildren of William Hause, Jr., served the Union cause, as well. Four were wounded in battle, and one died.² Dr. William Hause (pictured above, right), son of William Jr.'s son, Harris Elisha Hause, was a widower at the start of the conflict. His wife had died in September of 1859. Afterwards he became severely ill and moved to Minnesota for treatment. Upon returning home to Indiana, he volunteered in 1861 as a private in the 52nd Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and eventually was elected 2nd Lieutenant. War usually decimates families, but in this case, it created one: On August 9, 1863, William was married at Fort Willow, Tennessee, to Mary A. Hookery, a widow visiting her brothers in the army. William and Mary then adopted her orphaned nephew, who they renamed W.T. Hause. "Thank God for Michigan."
One of them, Jacob A. Hause (1828 - 1904), served in the Union Army from 9 Aug 1862, when he was inducted into the 4th Michigan Cavalry at Adrian, Lenawee County. Another of Sanford's sons, Lyman Sanford Hause (1843 - 1910), served from 12 Aug 1862 to 14 Jun 1865 in Company F of the 26th Michigan Infantry, and then bravely served in New York City during the "draft riots." He was also present at the Appomattox Court House when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in 1865, effectively ending the war. (Unlike General Grant, Lyman was more of a tea-totaller, and later became a member of the Prohibitionist Party.) Edwin R. Hause, son of William Jr.'s son Herman, was born in 1834. He enlisted at the age of 30, on Sep 5 1864, in the 1st Michigan Light Artillery, Battery "G." His unit aided in the capture of Mobile on 12 Apr 1865 and defended Mobile until 19 Ju 1865. Edwin died two days later, on 21 Jul 1865 from Meningitis, and is buried at Chalmette National Cemetery, New Orleans, LA.
Just because a soldier fought for the Union, it doesn't mean he was fighting to end slavery. Eli W. Hause joined up with the 52nd Indiana volunteer infantry, against his father's wishes. Eli was committed to preserving the Union but not to free any slaves. In a 25 Nov 1864 letter to his cousin Calvin Wilder, published in Rodger Ruddick's book, From the Hayfields to the Battlefields, he wrote: "This has been a hard trip on me, we have walked about seven hundred and fifty miles. Was gone just fifty days and was marching just forty days out of fifty." Eli comments on the election, "I am sorry that the abolitionists won the Presidency this time, but it can't be helped now." Henry E. Redding, son of William Jr.'s daughter, Elizabeth Hause-Redding (1807 - 1848), offers a very different, though no less compelling Civil War story:
"We are soldiering now in good earnest. The halcyon days of our military life as spent in Baltimore, are among the things that are past. Henceforth, hard bread, salt pork, camping out on mother earth in the open air, hard work, hard fare, and doubtless some hard knocks. Well, when we enlisted for the war, this is what we expected and what we are at present experiencing, (and) is no disagreeable disappointment."
Aseneth "Zenith" Nolan-Rowley (1819-1901), granddaughter of William through his daughter Hannah Hause-Nolan, was a mother and civil war nurse: "Leaving behind seven children to attend her husband Elijah while he was injured, she could not bear to see the suffering of the men. She choose to stay and assist with nursing soldiers for two years, working under Dorthea Dix."
The cavalry was started on July 22, 1861 (the day after the Federal defeat at Bull Run), when two members of the 54th New York State Militia met in Rochester and discussed the idea of raising a regiment of cavalry for the war effort. They soon met with New York Governor Edwin D. Morgan in Albany, and received authority to raise the regiment. Returning to Rochester, the pair opened a recruiting office and secured the county fairgrounds and buildings for a barracks and training camp. The soldiers who joined were mustered to serve for three years. "We held the post of honor. We covered the retreat of the whole division, and the enemy were all firing on us... We kept our ranks closed until the rest of them were about a quarter of a mile ahead, when we ran... I expect that we are cut up so bad that we shall be disbanded."
Major Engagements included: Winchester, Antietam, Upperville, Barbee's Cross Roads, Beverly Ford, Gettysburg, Locust Grove, Hawe's Shop, Wilson's Raid, White Oak Swamp, Opequan, Cedar Creek, and the Appomattox Campaign (full list here). After the battle of Gettysburg, while Lee was falling back towards Richmond, the 8th were hanging on to Lee's flank, fighting almost daily. From Gettysburg, until the last of November, "the regiment participated in twenty-six different engagements, some of which were mere skirmishes and others were quite severe cavalry fights, losing in killed, wounded, and missing during the time mentioned somewhere over 150 men." (Quote from Colonel William L. Markell for the Final Report on the Battlefield of Gettysburg by the New York Monuments Commission for the Battlefields of Gettysburg and Chattanooga. Albany, NY: J.B. Lyon Company, 1902.) On February 27, 1864, Colonel Markell resigned, and Augustus Jr. was discharged on 08 December 1864 in Rochester, New York, with a Distinguished Service medal as a Corporal.⁵ Many from his regiment weren't so fortunate.⁶ TITLE PHOTO: The 8th New York Cavalry Marker Relief at Gettysburgh. Corporal Augustus Hause, Jr., was in the unit, also called the Rochester Regiment, and the Crooks Cavalry Regiment. NOTES ON THIS PAGE ¹In 1969, the City of Ventura, California abandoned its two city-owned pioneer cemeteries: St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, founded in 1862, and the adjacent Ventura Protestant Cemetery, founded in 1889. These two cemeteries located at main and Poli Streets in Ventura, were converted to a public park. The remains over 3,000 of the city's pioneer residents are still buried on the property, but the headstones and monuments were disposed of in a landfill in the nearby Santa Clara River. Research by Edson T. Strobridge, Civil War research historian in San Luis Obispo, CA. has so far identified fifty-five Civil War veterans originally buried in these historic burial grounds. There still remain the graves of forty seven veterans of the Civil War including many of their wives and children, in what has become known as Cemetery Memorial Park. Among the more than 3,000 graves remaining is one of a Civil War General and former member of Congress, another, a Confederate Colonel and many others who served their country in time of war. They include seven members of the original 99 men who enrolled in Company C, 1st Battalion, Native California Cavalry originally enrolled in Santa Barbara in April 1864 (when Ventura Co. was still a part) and made up entirely of native Californians, who represented California in the Union Army during the Civil War. This research is ongoing and not yet complete and does not include the names of veterans of other wars, one Medal of Honor winner won during the Indian Wars in 1869. As more information develops and confirmed Mr. Strobridge plans to share it with Mr. Steven Shleder to aid in his mission to gain support in Restoring St. Mary's Cemetery. "The refusal to restore this and all of the 600+ desecrated headstones to their proper grave locations makes each City Council person, since, culpable for this 3,000 pioneer grave desecration." He adds, "It is not a memorial dog park, it was declared a cemetery of our forefathers by state and federal law." ⁴Early in the war leniency dominated the conduct of both armies. President Lincoln's unwillingness to execute deserters frustrated Union efforts to deal with the problem. One story tells of Edwin Stanton sending an envelope with fifty-five deserter cases to Abraham Lincoln for his review, and Lincoln simply writing "pardoned" on the envelope and sending it back. Even after both sides began executing deserters, less than 400 actually faced a firing squad in either army. Alternatives to execution varied. Short of execution, soldiers could be incarcerated in the stockade and subjected to a variety of non-lethal punishments designed to humiliate the offender. Men could be forced to wear a wooden sign indicating they deserted or displayed cowardice. Another common punishment, wearing an iron ball and chain, not only served to shame the offender, but also made deserting more difficult if not impossible. ⁵Census list of Augustus Hause. Unit Numbers: 1326 1326: Enlisted as a Private on 15 October 1861 at the age of 23; Enlisted in Company E, 8th Cavalry Regiment New York on 11 November 1861. Mustered out Company E, 8th Cavalry Regiment New York on 08 December 1864 in Rochester, NY. He was discharged with a Distinguished Service medal as a Corporal. ⁶The regiment, commanded by Col. Edmund M. Pope, was mustered out and honorably discharged June 27, 1865, at Alexandria, Va., having lost by death during its service, killed in action, 8 officers, 60 enlisted men; died of wounds received in action, 5 officers, 32 enlisted men; died of disease and other causes, 6 officers, 213 enlisted men; total, 19 officers, 305 enlisted men; aggregate, 324, of whom 3 officers and 70 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy. (Source: 8th Cavalry Regiment, Civil War, Rochester Regiment.)
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