| This biography appears on pages 509-510 in "Soldiers' and Citizens' Album of Biographical Record containing personal sketches of Army Men and Citizens Prominent in loyalty to the Union" Published in 1888 |
| Columbus Caldwell, Waupaca, Wis., belonging to G. A. R. Post No. 21,
was born September 25, 1830, in Charlotte, Chautauqua Co., New York. He
came to Wisconsin with his parents, Tyler and Mary (Warner) Caldwell in
the spring of 1836, and they located in Kenosha County. A little later
his father removed to the western part of Racine County, where he was a
prominent farmer and the local post office at Caldwell's Prairie
received its name from him. When he was 19 years old, Mr. Caldwell
removed to Waupaca and in 1852, he crossed the plains to California
where he remained until 1859, and returned to Waupaca. He was interested
in the course of the Civil War and determined soon after it commenced to
unite his fortunes with those of his country and he enlisted December 6,
1861, at Waupaca in Company M, 1st Wisconsin Cavalry for three years. On
the formation of his company, Mr. Caldwell was made Sergeant and he
passed the various grades of non-commissioned offices and was made 2nd
Lieenant Nov. 20, 1862. In December, 1962, he was appointed acting
Regimental Quartermaster and Commissary, which was the hardest part of
his whole service. He was afterwards promoted to 1st Lieutenant and
Captain, but did not muster under the last as his commission did not
reach the regiment until the day following that on which he was made
prisoner of war. Up to the date of his capture he had acted most of the
time in command of his company and in one instance was at the head of a
detachment including details from several companies. He was in the
actions at Cape Girardeau, three in number, and in the scouting and
skirmishing in Missouri and Arkansas, and he was in the action at Chalk
Bluff in the early days of his service and his roster includes several
expeditions of guerrilla warfare, in that locality, until the regiment
was attached to the Army of the Cumberland and was afterwards in much of
the same service. The scouting, skirmishing and raiding after crossing
the Cumberland River was of very active character and Lieutenant
Caldwell was in the movement which resulted in the capture of Shelbyvlle
and afterwards chased Bragg and fought at Chickamauga Creek, going on
the next day to fight in the battle of Chickamauga. He was at
Chattanooga during the stay there and fought Wheeler's cavalry at
Anderson's Gap, about the 1st of October. Later he was in pursuit of the
rebel cavalry and was in the actions at Maysville, Strawberry Plains,
and Mossy Creek. He was sick and sent to hospital at Nashville, and
joined his regiment afterwards. In one of the scouting expeditions in
the vicinity of Cleveland he was captured April 13, 1864. He was in
command of a detachment of 25 men, 19 of whom were taken prisoners by
three brigades of cavalry under Wheeler, and only three survived
Andersonville. They were 12 miles in advance of the union lines and had
not the slightest chance against such a force. Lieutenant Caldwell and
his squad had just received 150 men of the regiment under Col. Brownlow,
son of Parson Brownlow, and General Wheeler afterwards told him that he
had received information that Brownlow's regiment was stationed at that
place and he came thither with three brigades to capture the command of
the fiery Tennessee parson. Lieutenant Caldwell rode five miles by the
side of Wheeler, who asked many questions. At the first point of
encampment, Wheeler and his three brigades started for Tunnel Hill,
leaving a detail of 25 men to conduct the men to Dalton. Soon after,
Wheeler's adjutant rode back and demanded the surrender of Lietenant
Caldwell's rubber coat and enforced the order at the muzzle of a
revolver. Caldwell was obliged to surrender the article, but assured the
rebel that he would remember him. He was a prisoner nearly 11 months and
was confined one night at Andersonville and went thence to Macon, where
he passed four weeks in jail and went thence to the stockade prison at
that place whence he was removed in July, to Savannah. He went next to
Charleston where the federal officers were taken and placed immediately
under the fire of the batteries which were shelling Charleston at
intervals. Lieutenant Caldwell was in Charleston three weeks and went
afterwards successively to Columbia, Charlotte, Raleigh and Goldsboro
and was exchanged March 1, 1865. He received a furlough and returned to
Wisconsin and he was mustered out, May 15th following at Camp Chase,
Ohio.
Lieutenant Caldwell has been a resident in Waupaca County since the war. In 1867, he was elected Register of Deeds and in 1872 and 1873, was elected member of the Legislature of Wisconsin and served in the sessions of 1873-4, and was a member of the Assembly at the time of the passage of the Potter Railroad Bill. In 1882, he assumed charge of the Waupaca County poorhouse and farm which he managed until 1887, and on the 1st day of December of that year he was made Superintendent of the Wisconsin Veteran's Home at Waupaca and he is still (1888), the incumbent of that position. He was married just before he enlisted Nov. 21, 1861, to Mary L. Taggart, who died in January, 1866, leaving two daughters. Their names are Minnie L. and Ida S. Mr. Caldwell was married May 11, 1868, to Ida J. Taggart, sister of his first wife and their three sons and two daughters are named Geo. T., Warner F., Otis L., Beatrice and Eunice; these are at home. Minnie L. teaches in Appleton and Ida S. is a telegraph operator at Chicago. |