Biographical Newspaper clippings, 1861-1930, Vol. 2

              CWCL003; u
17
/yZOjOu-^.
•t-
4-
S. E.
LATHROP RECALLS AN EARLY PILGRIMAGE WHICH HE MADE TO PORTAGE AS A PAROLED PRISONER ON FOOT WELL ON TO SIXTY YEARS AGO
j      "I see there is to be an historic
{ pilgrimage   to   Fort   Winnebago   on
• September 2," remarked S. E. Lath-
rop,     retired     clergymsui,    veteran
printer, fine old patriot of the civil
war.    "But I made an early pilgrira-
age  there  myself—not in an  auto-
i.mabile or irtreet car for there was
none  of  the  first in existence then
and  no railway  to Portage by  the
road I took.
"You see, it was In mid October, 1862. I had been a prisoner of war in Arkansas, paroled and sent to St. Louis from Little Rock, on 'Shank's horses.' All Wisconsin paroled pri¬ soners were sent via Mississippi steamer to old Fort Crawford at Prairie du Chien, where some of us were furloughed and sent home. I had railroad transportation to Madi¬ son, where I decided to make a bee line across country to my old home at Westfleld, 60 miles north. I started northward on foot, carrying knap¬ sack, overcoat and blanket. Weaken¬ ed by strenuous campaigning, impris¬ onment, poor food, chills and fever, I made slow progress, a.nd the miles seemed very long. At last I reached Token Creek   ten miles north, utter¬
ly  exhausted.    Having had no  pay { for    six    months   I   was   penniless. ! Telling my story to the kind-hearted Token Creek landlord of a little tav- | ern,  he  was  very  sympathetic—fed me on the (chicken) fat of the land, i and put me in the best bed, where j I slept most  refreshingly.    Starting out next morning with the landlord's breakfast and blessing, I resumed the ; horheward march.   I cannot remem- I ber the landlord's name, but 1 heard \ later that he raised a company and went to  the war.    Traveling in the; teeth of a sharp, cold north wind, I; trudged on mile after mile,  getting a ride for several miles with an old farmer  whose   son  was  in   the  war down south.    There was no railroad to Portage then.    Late that night 1, reached Portage, where another pa¬ triotic landlord gave bed and board, refusing my offer to pay him when I j arrived  home.     I   shall  always  re-i member  my first  pilgrimage  to   the! historic    city     of   Portage,     and    I should   greatly   like   to   go   on   this later one.    How full of interest and reminiscence must    be the old fort Winnebago and the famous Portage ' of other days between the Fox and AVlsconsin  rivers." \
3L^