Remembering their service: Oconto County’s military history

OCONTO – Every year on Nov. 11 schools, businesses and organizations across the country hold a moment of silence to acknowledge the dedication and service of brave men and women. But this Veterans Day, the Oconto County Historical Society is raising their voices to recognize Oconto service members.

From the Civil War to WWII and beyond, “Display Room Treasures: Oconto County Military History Exhibit” walks visitors through local connections to international affairs.

The exhibit, which opened in May of 2024 at the Beyer Home and Carriage Museum, has already attracted national attention. The exhibit committee, consisting of Lynn Exferd, Teresa Bake, Allen Stranz, Patty Gabrielson and event speakers David Retzlaff, Kitty Werner and Pete Gabrielson were able to locate veterans’ ancestors living as far away as Utah and Washington to invite them to the exhibit.

This included finding the family of Sergeant Samuel Johnston, a Civil War veteran.

“We invited the great-great-great-great granddaughter of [Sgt. Johnston] who had the opportunity to come and hold his hymn book which he took to the war with him,” Exhibit Coordinator David Retzlaff said.

Experiences like these showcase the historical society’s desire to tell the hidden stories behind images and artifacts. “There are stories behind each one of these artifacts, these photos. That was our goal, to tell these stories,” Retzlaff continued, “When you walk into some military exhibits, you see guns and uniforms. There’s no story behind it. And that is, once again, our goal… to put stories behind it all.”

Peter Gabrielson echoed a similar sentiment, “Everything has stories behind them, each of them could almost be a presentation in and of itself.”

The Oconto County Historical Society’s presentation on the exhibit began with Kitty Werner sharing her goal of creating a list with the names of all service members in Oconto County. Her research has included working with the Oconto County Genealogical Society, Wisconsin Veterans Museum, the Archive Center and a variety of local families. As Werner continues on her project, progress can be viewed on the society’s website and is sorted alphabetically and by conflict.

David Retzlaff and Peter Gabrielson then took a chronological approach to lecturing on the exhibit. They shared that researching and building the exhibit had been a lengthy process which required research from a variety of resources, including reaching out to military antique stores in Gettysburg, Pa.
Gabrielson added, “we built around what we had,” sharing his hope that as time goes on they will be able to access and add pieces from more recent conflicts such as the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Beginning with the Civil War, the two presenters spoke on the “Oconto Co. River Sackers of the Twelfth Regiment” poster. Retzlaff shared that they received the poster from the public library, but “in the best interest of documentation,” the original copy is now stored in the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. The display text explained “The River Sackers were involved in the 1863 battle in Vicksburg,” as well as Sherman’s March to the Sea.

One of the most famous pieces in the collection are small shards representing a green silk battle flag, made by the Ladies of Chicago and carried into battle by the 23rd Illinois Infantry Regiment, which included men from the Oconto Irish Guard. These flag pieces represent the historic moment in which Colonel James Mulligan ordered his men to “Lay me down and save the flag.” The flag was divided up by the men and brought back home to Oconto by Captain David P. Moriarty.

A detailed artifact taking center stage in the museum exhibit was a chest containing the military issued supplies of Corporal Walter P. Belongia. Serving in Company M during WWI, the chest contains religious pieces, American flag iconography and practical tools like a compass. This important piece is in “beautiful condition,” according to Peter Gabrielson, and was donated by CPL Belongia’s grandchildren.

While the men and women who worked to honor their veterans spent tireless hours researching, some pieces of information are simply lost to history. No exact reason is known for why Oconto County was selected during a maritime commission in which ships were named after American counties. However, the USS Oconto, nicknamed the Mighty-O, carried supplies, troops and American prisoners of war across the south Pacific during WWII. Roy Davis, a POW who survived the Baatan death march in 1942, is the only known person from Oconto, Wis., to board the USS Oconto.

While the Oconto County Historical Society presented on “Display Room Treasures: Oconto County Military History Exhibit” as a part of their Veterans Day programming, the public is welcome to visit the Beyer Home and Carriage Museum to learn more about the military history of Oconto.

To learn more about the museum, military and history projects or to donate a piece to the society visit https://ocontohistory.org.