Bauerly, Christian 1819-1904

BAUERLY, FOLLMER

Posted By: Doris Hoffman (email)
Date: 6/24/2010 at 14:24:20

A VETERAN OF TWO WARS
A Gallant Old Soldier Answers the
Final Roll Call
HE WAS IN VAST ENGAGEMENTS

Christian Bauerly Passes Away After
Long and Painful Illness Surrounded by
His Family. He Led a Perilous and Ex-
citing Life in His Earlier Days and Saw
Much Service in the Army.

Christian Bauerly died at his home
on Howard Street in this city at an
early hour on Wednesday morning at
the advanced age of eighty four years
and seven months.

Mr. Bauerly has been an invalid for
the past six years and for the past
nine months has been practically helpless
unable to lie down or stand up
without help and has passed nearly all
that time sitting in a chair. During
his long illness be has been tenderly
nursed and cared for by his aged and
devoted wife, assisted by his sons and
other members of the family, who
have been unremitting in their care
and attention of the old gentleman.

Mr. Bauerly's life in his younger
days was full of peril and adventure.
He served in three wars and in addition
to hard service he was an Iowa
pioneer. He was born at Fehlbach,
Wittenburg, Germany, on December
24, 1819, and came to the United States
in 1846 landing at Baltimore. On
February 13, 1847, he enlisted in the
army and served through the Mexican
war. He was united in marriage with
Margaret Follmer, on June 9, 1849,
at Jefferson Barracks, Mo. On Feb-
ruary 13, 1852, he received his discharge.

In December 1852, he moved
to Davenport where he resided until
1870 working at his trade in a saw
mill. In 1862 he enlisted in the Twentieth
Iowa volunteers and served to
the close of the war.

In 1870 he moved from Davenport to
Plymouth County making the trip
overland in a prairie schooner accompanied
by wife and young family.

He homesteaded a piece of land in
Liberty township and built up a home.
In 1882 he moved to Merrill and in
1884 came to Le Mars which has been
his home since.

He leaves a widow who has been
his devoted consort and helpmate for
fifty-five years, and no man ever received
more tender devotion and
constant love at angel woman's hands
then he, for in wealth and woe in health
and sickness, in sunshine and darkness,
she has been a wife and companion
in the truest and best sense of
the word. In the closing years of his
life through the long period of travail
and sickness, her soothing care and
loving touch did more to alleviate his
pain and anguish than aught else, and
when his soul left its earthly shell,
his hand was clasped in hers, and her
prayers followed the spirit of her life's
companion to the mercy seat.

Mr. Bauerly was crippled with rheumatism
for many years, contracting
the malady while in the service of
his country as a soldier.

The deceased leaves four sons
Christian J. Bauerly, Le Mars; Jacob J.
Bauerly, of Liberty township, J.
G. Bauerly, of Washington township,
and F. W. Bauerly. of Sioux City.

Four children, two boys and two girls
died many years ago. He also leaves
twenty grand children, and fourteen
great grandchildren.

Christian Bauerly was one of the
very few survivors of the Mexican
war who are now living. He related
to the writer of this sketch, several
years ago, how he enlisted in the
United States army and how he was
the only Dutchman in an Irish company
and what a time he did have
with "dose Irish mens." He was a
member of the Seventh infantry
regiment and served throughout the
Mexican war under General Winfield
Scott and was at the taking of Vera
Cruz and the battle of Cerro Gordo
Pass when General Santa Anna was
defeated and at the fall of the City of
Mexico. Mr. Bauerly used to relate
good anecdote in connection with
the march from Vera Cruz to Cerro
Gordo. While camping on the route
he was on picket guard one night and
thought he saw and heard a Mexican
around the adjacent brush. Bauerly
challenged the supposed enemy and
receiving no response fired, and thereby
alarmed the whole of the command.
The Mexican adversary proved to be a
jackass rampaging around. Bauerly
said he got cussed from the general
down to the corporal. But forty
minutes later the Mexican troops
made an attack on them hoping to
surprise them and found them up and
ready and Bauerly was personally
complimented by his superior officers
for having been so alert at his post.

While serving as a private in the
army he was united in marriage
with Miss Margaret Follmer, also a
native of Germany, and she followed
his fortunes in the army for a period
of two and a half years, tending the
sick and performing other kind offices.
After the Mexican war the regiment,
of which he was member, was
sent up through the Florida swamps
to subdue the Seminole Indians and
suffered great hardships penetrating
the then almost impregnable vastnesses.
He was later in Kansas and made the
famous march under Kearney when
the troops proceeded three hundred
miles west of Fort Leavensworth and
were forced to retreat, as the Indians
had burnt every spear of grass and
there was not a vestige of foilage for
the horses of the troops.

After being discharged from the
regular army Mr. and Mrs. Bauerly
lived in Davenport. When the civil
war broke out Mr. Bauerly enlisted In
the Twentieth Iowa volunteers and
served in General Herron's brigade.

He was in many of the principal engagements
and was present at the
siege and fall of Vicksburg and at the
fall of Richmond at the close of the
war. He and Gus Haerling. of this
city, served in the same regiment
under Col. Mackedye and Col. Leake.
He was mustered out at the close of
the war at Mobile. Ala. and returned
to Iowa. While in service he was
made a non-commissioned officer for
gallantry in the field.

Mr. Bauerly was well known to
many Davenportites and his acquaintance
was an extensive one in this
county as he was one of the pioneers
coming here before the advent of the
railroad when the prairies were but
sparsely and thinly settled. He was of
a genial and cheery disposition and
was a good deal of a philosopher in a
kindly rough way and even when the
pangs of illness and pains of rheumatism
tortured him, he was remarkably
patient and bore suffering with fortitude,
his grim humor helping as a
saving grace
.
He was a member of Mower Post
G. A. R., and the members attended
the funeral which was held on Thursday
afternoon from the home in a
body.

Services were held at the German
Lutheran church on Fifth street. Rev.
Hingle, the pastor, and Parker
Smith, of the First Baptist church,
conducting the services which were
very impressive. A very large number
of people attended and paid the last
tribute of respect to the departed
veteran.

Many beautiful flowers were sent
by friends as tokens of esteem.
The services at the graveside were
conducted by the old soldiers and the
remains were carried to their earthly
resting place by six comrades, R. B.
Molampy, D. R. Hammond. Geo.
Heyl, Gus Haerling. T. J. Carpenter
and G. W. Forsythe.

The coffin was draped with the flag
for which the departed fought and
bled in the cause of his adopted country.
The death of Christian Bauerly removes
one more from the almost thinned
out ranks of the Mexican veterans.
There are but very few more of these
veterans to answer the final roll call.

Le Mars Semi-Weekly Sentinel
Friday July 29, 1904