Nurses at Base Hospital 22

Roses of No Man’s Land – Base Hospital 22

At the Outbreak of War: Army Nursing Corps During World War I, the entire nation was mobilized for service. As in the Civil War and other previous conflicts, women answered the call by volunteering as nurses. This exhibit concerns itself with two people and one unit with Wisconsin ties. Helen Bulovsky

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Old Abe

Old Abe Wisconsin’s War Eagle

Old Abe, an icon in Wisconsin Civil War history was an American bald eagle who served with the Eighth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He participated in over 30 battles, narrowly avoiding wounds on several occasions. During the war, he became a rallying point to Union troops and an anathema to

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Remembering the USS Cole (DDG 67) 20th Anniversary

    USS Cole Remembrance Ceremony Pierside Ceremony and Wreath Dedication Norfolk, VA Monday, Oct. 12, 2020 beginning at 10:15 am EST Guest Speakers Adm. Christopher W. Grady, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command Retired Adm. Robert J. Natter, Commander, U.S. Atlantic Fleet/Fleet Forces Command Cmdr. Edward Pledger, Commanding officer, USS

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What’s It All For? a Reflection on Empathy and Our National Discourse

Written by Kevin Hampton, Curator of History This time of year, with patriotic holidays like Memorial Day, the anniversary of D-Day, Flag Day, Juneteenth, and the 4th of July, there is always a natural focus on the American historical identity. This interest usually comes in the form of a passive

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Month of the Military Child: Augustus Patchin and Family

By Russell Horton, Reference & Outreach Archivist  The Wisconsin Veterans Museum focuses on preserving the stories of men and women who serve in the US military. But very often, in the letters, photographs, and objects from those veterans, we can learn much of the families and children who remained home,

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“These Numbers All Mean Something”

By Russell Horton, Reference & Outreach Archivist  “I’ve got documents that I brought out of Korea… just pieces of paper with numbers on them. They are very old. These numbers all mean something.”                                   

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Rearguard at Gettysburg

By Kevin Hampton, Curator of History On the afternoon of July 1, 1863, the 7th Wisconsin played a pivotal role as the rear guard of the Union Army during the retreat through the town of Gettysburg. Though the regiment held their position as long as possible along a rail fence

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A Son’s Service

More than 122,000 Wisconsin men and women served in the military during World War I, in all branches of service and in hundreds of different units. However, the largest concentration of Wisconsinites served in the 32nd Division, which consisted of the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guards. Much like today, individual

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Poetry and Proverbs

By Russell Horton, Reference Archivist “If I die a prisoner of war, I would like to have this diary sent to my Father, A. Ingersoll, Waupun, Wis.” -Frank J. Ingersoll, Diary Entry, ca. September 1864 In the first two years of the Civil War, soldiers from either side of the

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Finis la Guerre: The Eleventh Hour and the End of World War I

By Kevin Hampton, Curator of History On this Veterans Day, we mark the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I and a closing of the official centennial commemorations. As the days and weeks around Veterans Day will be busy with various programs and ceremonies, when you hear

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