Civil War Veterans Buried In Washington State - Carl Klaus

28^th WISCONSIN VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized: Summer, 1862 Milwaukee, WI
Mustered In: 10/14/1862 Milwaukee, WI
Mustered Out: 8/23/1865 Brownsville, TX

REGIMENTAL HISTORY: 
 

The 28^th Wisconsin was a three year infantry regiment. It spent its tenure in the western theater of the American Civil War (ACW).
 

Organized at Milwaukee, WI, the regiment left the state for Columbus, KY on 12/20/1862. While in Kentucky it participated in several minor expeditions.
 

On 1/5/1863 the regiment embarked for Helena, AR. There, it joined an expedition up the White River, then was sent on the Yazoo Pass expedition. Operations against Ft. Pemberton and minor excursions took up the spring.
 

In mid1863 the 28^th was on fortification and garrison duty at Helena, AR when an enemy force of 18,000 attacked the 4,000 Federals present. The regiment did its share to defeat the Rebels during that engagement.
 

1863. August saw the 28^th march to Little Rock, AR From there, it was sent to Pine Bluff for the winter.
 

In the spring of 1864 six companies of the 28^th were sent to defend a pontoon bridge on the Sabine River. During this period it helped repel an enemy attack at Mount Elba, AR. The winter of 1864/'65 found the 28^th at Pine Bluff and Little Rock.
 

Moving into Alabama in 2/1865 the 28^th was in the trenches before Mobile. In mid-May it was ordered to Clarksville, TX for guard and garrison duties. Final muster came at Brownville, in 8/1865.

REGIMENTAL LOSSES:
Officers Killed Or Mortally Wounded:  1; Officers Died Of Disease, Accidents, Etc.: 6; Enlisted Men Killed Or Mortally Wounded: 12; Enlisted Men Died Of Disease, Accidents, Etc.: 221.

SOLDIER:
Residence: Waukesha, WI   Age: 20.10 yrs.
Enlisted/Enrolled: 8/15/1862   Rank:  Pvt.
Mustered In: 8/15/1862
Mustered Out: 8/23/1865 Brownsville, TX
Highest Rank: Pvt.
Rank At Discharge: Pvt.

PERSONAL/FAMILY HISTORY:

NOTE: The birth - to - death biographical profile of Carl Klaus was created in September, 2021 during the Covid-19 medical pandemic. It contains less depth of detail than many other biographies within this website because military service, pension and other veteran-related files housed in Washington, D.C.'s National Archives were not available. At a later time those documents may be obtained and the data contained therein added to the narrative which follows.
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Charles Carl* Klaus, Jr. was born 10/8/1841. The place of his birth was Bernz Switzerland.
 

Available documents contain no information pertaining to his parentage beyond the fact that, as Charles Carl, Jr., his father's name was also Charles Carl Klaus.   There is no information regarding possible siblings.
 

In 5/1854 Carl and one or both of his parents sailed to America from Antwerp, Belgium. The Klaus family arrived in New York, NY in August of '54. Where they settled after that is not known. However, the U.S. Census for 1860 found Charles residing in Waukesha Waukesha County, WI.
 

In Waukesha Charles was living with the George Bugler family. Mr. Bugler listed his occupation as "shoemaker." Carl noted that he, too, was a shoemaker. Carl would embrace this trade for his entire life.
 

In 8/1862 Carl left the Bugler home and Waukesha and enlisted in the U.S. Army. His unit of service was the 28^th Wisconsin Infantry. Without access to Private Klaus' military files all we can say about his period of enlistment is that he survived The War and, in 1865, returned to civilian life.
 

Where Carl settled in 1865 we do not know. In 5/1866, however, he was in Little Rock, Arkansas.
 

On 5/3/1866, in Little Rock Carl, married. His bride was Mary Alice (nee Dulaney). Mary had been born 9/8/1845 in Alabama. Where and how the two had met are unknowns. 
 

During their years together Carl and Mary produced eight children. Five of the eight were living in 1910. Available documents, however list only six of the eight and five of those were living as of 1910. The identified children were: Estella Caroline Klaus (b. 1868 AR - d.12/3/1871 Little Rock, AR), Charles B. Klaus b. 12/1869 AR), Albert Cross Klaus (b. 5/24/1876 AR), Elizabeth A. "Bessie" Klaus (b. 1/27/78 AR), John Frederick Klaus (b. 3/26/1880 AR) and Maud A. Klaus (b. 1/8/1887 AR).
 

Where Carl and Mary initially set up their household is not known, but as of 1868 when Estella was born, they were in Arkansas. Likely their community of residence was Little Rock in Pulaski County as that was where the family was residing - with Carl plying his shoemaker's trade - in 1870.
 

The Klaus family lived in two or more Arkansas locations until 1889 when they moved westward to the Puget Sound region of the Pacific Northwest. Likely what drew them here was the availability of homestead land which Carl could claim because of his period Civil War soldiering.
 

With that in mind, the family settled on a tract of land located east of Seattle in or near the rural, eastern King County, community of Snoqualmie. Living on and working the soil, Carl "proved up" on the parcel in 1892 and acquired the patent (deed) to the property.
 

While the homestead process had begun in 1889, near the end of the following year - 1890 - Carl also applied for and was granted a U.S. Government disability pension based on his Civil War time. Without accessing his pension files early details of his stipend are not available. We do known, however, that as of June, 1925 he was receiving twenty two dollars per month. More on this, later.
 

Here it should be pointed out that while homestead and disability pension matters were in the works, Carl continued to make shoes. By 1910 he even owned his own shop!!
 

Jumping ahead a decade, in 4/1920 Carl appears to have had somewhat of a rude awakening regarding his citizenship status. It seems he believed that because his father had received citizenship papers and he - Charles Carl Klaus, Jr. - had been in the U.S. military he had - since 1865 - been an American citizen. Also, he had served on civilian juries, acquired a homestead patent and, was then, the mayor of Snoqualmie, WA. This, however, was not the case.

 Carl had to apply for citizenship. During this process he found that some of the proof being asked for he could no longer provide. All that having been said, it appears that he ultimately did acquire citizenship. The date, however, is not known. 
 

Mary died on 4/13/1925. At passing, she was seventy nine years and eight months of age. Details of her death are not known. She was/is buried in the Fall City Cemetery. (Fall City is a rural eastern King County community located near Snoqualmie.)
 

On the heels of Mary's death, in 6/1925 Carl applied for residence in the Washington State Soldiers' Home located westward across Puget Sound from Seattle in the Kitsap County community of Retsil.
 

Although the residence application was approved, it appears former Private Klaus never made it to the home. He died of a heart condition and nephritis (kidney disease) in the Snoqualmie Hospital. The date of the old soldier's passing was 10/12/1925. He was/is buried beside Mary in Fall City. 
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* The American Civil War Research Database shows Klaus' middle name as Karl.

Buried at Fall City Cemetery