Governor Proclaims Recognition Year to Honor the Legacy of the Civil War
2011 the Year of the Wisconsin Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission
(MADISON) – Governor Scott Walker, in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, has proclaimed 2011 as the year of the Wisconsin Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.

In 2010, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) announced the formation of a 12-member, volunteer commission to honor the legacy, service and sacrifice of the state’s citizen-soldiers who fought in the Union Army. From 1861 to 1865, Wisconsin sent more than 91,000 men to war, and suffered more than 12,000 casualties.

“The history of the Civil War and Wisconsin soldiers who served is important to our state’s legacy,” said Gov. Walker. “We learn from the past and go forward in the future to honor our service members, past and present.”

In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Governor Scott Walker and First Lady Tonette Walker are pleased to announce the addition of Civil War themed artwork and artifacts to decorate the interior of Wisconsin’s Executive Residence.

The Wisconsin Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission brings together Wisconsin’s museums, libraries, historical societies and veterans organizations to develop educational programming, encourage exploration of Wisconsin’s role in the war and make resources available to the public, particularly at WDVA’s Wisconsin Veterans Museum.

“We thank the volunteers from around the state, with varied backgrounds, for working together on the Commission,” said WDVA Secretary John A. Scocos. “The photos, letters, diaries and materials presented help bring the Civil War time period to life.”

Featured until the end of September 2012 is a Civil War exhibit entitled, “From Paper to Iron,” a display of never before seen Civil War artifacts from the Museum’s collection. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is a free public educational activity of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and is located at 30 W. Mifflin St., across the street from the State Capitol. To learn more about the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, visit www.CivilWarWisconsin.com. For more information about the Museum’s Civil War exhibit and other activities, visitwww.WisVetsMuseum.com/.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has launched a new section of its website, Wisconsin in the Civil War, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the war. It contains more than 16,000 pages of eyewitness accounts from historical documents, most of which have never been seen online before. The site also offers 44 biographies of Wisconsin Civil War leaders, 73 histories of regiments, 34 summaries of battles in which Wisconsin troops fought, and 68 compelling stories excerpted from the original documents.
Wisconsin State Historical Society

Madison — If a man wanted to live, he didn't carry his Civil War unit's flag onto battlefields.

Flag bearers and color guards suffered one of the highest casualty rates on both sides of the war that rent our struggling nation in two 150 years ago.

Perhaps that's why Civil War battle flags are such emotional artifacts. The soldiers are long dead and buried. But their history survives in the tattered remnants of the flags they carried with them from home.