WILLIAM L. WHISLER
William L. Whisler, one of the Cass county pioneers, was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, in the town of New Lisbon, July 23, 1838. He is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth R. Whisler, pioneers of this county. They came here in 1855, from Whitney county, Indiana, where they had lived four years. They settled at Edna Grove, where Mr. Whisler, Sr., was postmaster for a number of years. The old homestead is now owned and occupied by R. M. Whisler. The subject of this sketch, in 1859, went to Kansas and spent one year in teaming and breaking prairie, then returned home. In the spring of 1860, he went to Colorado with his brother, John Whisler, and they together purchased a mining claim and engaged in mining a part of the season. The latter part of the time William hauled quartz. Not being satisfied with the prospect, he returned in November, crossing the Platte River at Fort Kearney on the day Lincoln was elected president. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Company I, Twenty-Third Iowa Volunteer Infantry. His first active service was during the Vicksburg campaign. He participated in the battles of Port Gibson, Champion Hill and Black River Bridge. In the last battle, their colonel, William Kinsman, was killed, and the loss of the regiment was very heavy. They lost during the space of ten minutes, one hundred and fifty men. They were sent to Memphis in charge of prisoners, then to Milliken's Bend where the regiment was again engaged and afterwards rejoined the brigade at the siege of Vicksburg. He was in the battle at Jackson after the surrender of Pemberton, was then in the department of Louisiana and spent the winter of 1863-64 in Texas. He joined General Banks' force during the retreat of the latter from the Red river campaign, took part in the campaign against Mobile, was in engagements at Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely, and again took part in a campaign in Texas. He was honorably discharged at Davenport, Iowa, as a noncommissioned officer, August 26, 1865. Mr. Whisler was wounded at Fort DeRussey, on the Red river, by the accidental discharge of a revolver in the hands of a Union soldier. He returned to the home of his father. He was married to Maria S. Mercer, daughter of Jesse and Rachel Mercer, of Pottawattamie county, Iowa, and soon after bought his present home on section 31, Union township. His farm contains one hundred and twenty acres. Mr. and Mrs. Whisler have seven children---Jesse R., born in December, 1867; Laura J., born in December, 1869; Lewis E., born in August, 1872; Laura M., born in August, 1875; Wilbur F., born in May, 1878; Florence E., born in March, 1881 and Mary O., born in February, 1884. In the fall of 1876 Mr. Whisler rented his farm here and removed with his family to Pottawattamie county to a farm which they owned near the village of Elliott. In the spring of 1881 they sold this place and returned to Cass county. Mr. Whisler in 1867 was township clerk of the territory including Victoria, Edna and Noble townships. He is a life member of the Iowa Soldiers' Orphan's Home association.
Contributed by Lisa Varnes-Rex from "History of Cass County, Iowa. Together With Sketches of its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens." Springfield, Ill.: Continental Historical Company, 1884, pp. 744-745.
