Obituary: Rock County, Wisconsin: Peter I. ERDAHL ************************************************************************ Submitted by Ruth Ann Montgomery, June 2005 © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ OBITUARY Peter Erdahl Mr. Peter I. Erdahl was born Feb. 9, 1841, at Bergan, Norway. He came with his parents to the United States in June, 1847, and settled in Pleasant Springs, Dane County, Wis. He was third in a family of seven, three brothers and four daughters. April 19, 1861, when a boy of twenty, six days after Old Glory, waving over Fort Sumpter was fired upon, he volunteered to defend the flag of his adopted country, and was enrolled as a member of Company K Third Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He was the first three-year volunteer from his township, Pleasant Springs, Dane County. He re-enlisted December 21, 2863, and served until the close of the war, when he received an honorable discharge on the 18th of July, 1865, after a service of four years and four months. He was in the battles of Winchester, May 25, 1862, Cedar Mountain, May 9, 1862, Second Bull Run, August 1862, Antietam, the three days fight at Chancellorsville, and also at Gettysburg. he was taken prisoner at Chancellorsville and wounded in the shoulder and thigh at Resaca, Ga., May 16, 1864. Upon his being taken prisoner at Chancellorsville on the second day of the fight, he was confined in Libby prison. An incident which took place at Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862, and which was related by Mr. Erdahl is not only interesting of itself, but also illustrates how, amid the smoke and carnage of battle, the human manifests itself in acts of kindness even to ones foes, and also played a large part in his early exchange when he was taken prisoner nine months later. While his regiment was crossing Antietam Creek, at the Arch Bridge, he was ordered to take all the canteens he could carry and after filling them with water to overtake the regiment then on its way into the fight. Upon joining his companions he gave the canteens to their owners, all but his own and one whom he could not find the owner. The fight was a hard one, and in a short time the ammunition was exhausted, and they were commanded to fill their cartridge boxes from those of their dead and wounded comrades. Then came the command to fix bayonets, and then to double quick across a field upon the enemy. It was a very hot day and many of the wounded Confederates had crawled under the shade of a thick overhanging tree. While Mr. Erdahl was passing this tree a wounded Confederate called out to him, "For God's sake give me a drink." He jerked the extra canteen loose and tossed it to the wounded man, saying give them all a drink and rushed on into the charge. When confined in the prison at Richmond while talking with the guard on his floor of the prison, he told the story of the canteen at Antietam, to find the guard was the man to whom he had given the water. A few days later the guard managed to get him transfered to another floor of the prison where he had learned an exchange was to be made. And thus again the proverb was proved true, "Cast they bread upon the waters and after many days it shall be returned ot you." May 19, 1866, Mr. Erdahl was united in marriage with Miss Sarah J. Hawkings, at the home of her parents in the town of Clayton, Winnebago County, Wis., and they at once began their home in Pleasant Springs, Dane County, where they continued to live for twenty-six years, when they removed to the farm in Center and resided there for twelve years, when they removed to the home in Evansville, where for the past eight years they have had their home. There has been born to them six children, five of whom survive him. Anna, who passed on thriteen years ago, Francis A., who lives on the old farm in Center, Ellsworth, whose home is in Beloit but who has been with his parents during the summer, Julius and James, both of Milwaukee, and Valeria of Utah. The sons are all present, only the daughter, Valeria, being absent and she was here for some time during her father's sickness. He leaves one brother, Mr. Lewis Erdahl of Pleasant Springs, Dane County, who is the last of the father's family. Mr. Erdahl was a member of the Lutheran church and a firm believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. The writer has spent many hours at his bedside and was present when death came. He has prayed many times with him and has administered communion at his request. He died in the faith. Mr. Erdahl has been a great sufferer for more than a year, and his iron constitution only kept him alive. His faithful companion left nothing undone through all the long months of his sickness, but was faithful to the last. For forty-six years they walked life's pathway together, her's will be the lonely path in the days to come. The end came just as the bells were ringing for evening service on Sunday evening at seven o'clock, Sept. 22, funeral was on Tuesday afternoon from the Free Baptist church conducted by the pastor C. H. Myers, assised by Rev. Mrs. Copp, burial at Maple Hill Cemetery. Fourteen members of the Grand Army Philo Buckman Post, under the lead of Captain Estes, of Stoughton was present and conducted the burial service of their old comrade, who was formerly a member of the Stoughton post. The T. L. Stuphen Post, No. 41, was present in a body with the Relief Corp to honor a comrade and express their sympathy to their friends. It certainly is a beautiful sight to behold the old comrades to gather with the Relief Corp lined up on either side of the entrance of the church, and seated in a body, to pay homage to an old soldier. One by one they are answering the roll call, and soon--too soon--these gatherings will be a thing of the past. The friends and old comrades of Evansville are grateful to the comrades of Stoughton for their presence and assistance. September 26, 1912, Evansville Review, p. 4, col. 2 & 3, Evansville, Wisconsin