Zaccheus W. Bailey
October 30, 1834 - September 9, 1902
Internment: Fairview Cemetery, White, SD
Civil War Veteran
Colonel
Co. F
25th Wisconsin Infantry
Zaccheus Bailey was the first born child to George and Mary (Dickens) Bailey while the couple temporarily lived in Massachusetts. They traveled back to New York after their second child, George, was born and settled in Steuben, NY. Zaccheus' first sister was born in New York and the other in Wisconsin (1860). Unfortunately, Zaccheus' mother, Mary, died two years later in 1862.
Zaccheus enlisted with the Union forces on August 14, 1862 serving in Company F of the 25th Wisconsin Infantry. He traveled with his company to St. Paul, MN during the Sioux Uprising and then moved on to Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin where they stayed until February of '63 when they moved out to Cairo, Illinois and then to Columbus, Kentucky. His Company was involved in the Battle of Vicksburg which is where he likely was injured. Corporal Bailey was discharged on December 28, 1863 due to an undisclosed disability.
Zaccheus married Catharine (House) sometime around 1870. The 1880 census shows them living in Verdi Township, Lincoln County, Minnesota with three children (Dora (9), Katie (7) and Willie (4) and his occupation was listed as Farmer. Records show that he worked as Postmaster starting in April of 1882 and that they stayed in the Verdi area until 1895. The family then moved to White, Brookings County, South Dakota. After Catharine's death (circa 1890), Zaccheus married Sarah (Monroe) on April 18, 1898. Zaccheus died on September 9, 1902 and was buried in Fairview Cemetery, White, SD.
Historical Essay
25th Wisconsin Infantry History
Wisconsin Civil War Regiment
The 25th Wisconsin Infantry was organized at Camp Salomon in La Crosse and mustered into service on September 14, 1862. The regiment was then ordered to St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 19, and assigned to duty on the Northwestern frontier briefly during the Sioux Uprising.
It then moved to Camp Randall in Madison, where it remained until February, 1863. The regiment departed Wisconsin again on February 17, 1863, for Cairo, Illinois, and then traveled to Columbus, Kentucky. During the war the regiment moved through Missouri, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas, Virginia, and finally to Washington D.C., where it was mustered out on June 7, 1865.
It participated in the sieges of Vicksburg, Atlanta, and Savannah, the battles of Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta, and Jonesboro, Sherman's March to the Sea, and the campaign of the Carolinas which included the Battle of Bentonville and the surrender of the Confederate army. The regiment lost 460 men during service. Three officers and 46 enlisted men were killed. Seven officers and 402 enlisted men died from disease.
Corporal Zaccheus Bailey
Son, Brother, Soldier, Husband, Father, Farmer