Company K, 2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Association

03/11/2026

From Camp Douglas to Vicksburg: The Civil War Letters of William J. Kennedy, 55th Illinois Infantry, 1861-1863

with Rachael Mellen

During her program, Rachael Mellen will discuss the new book that she and Dave Powell edited which is titled From Camp Douglas to Vicksburg: The Civil War Letters of William J. Kennedy, 55th Illinois Infantry, 1861-1863. In August 1861 William Kennedy was a harness-maker living in LaSalle, Illinois. Married with four young children, he volunteered to recruit a company in response to Lincoln’s call for more troops. During the next two years, he saw action at Shiloh, Corinth, Chickasaw Bayou, and finally the Siege of Vicksburg. Observant, patriotic and sometimes cynical, Kennedy’s letters give us an intriguing picture of how people of the North really experienced the war.

Mellen and Powell used their expertise to sift through genealogical records, histories of the war, and other regimental accounts to flesh out the people, places, and events that can now be shared with everyone. These documents have brought William Kennedy and his family back to life for their 21st-century relatives and a wider audience.

Rachael is a teacher, writer, genealogist, and historian. Educated at the University of London (UK), she earned a Master’s in Humanities from California State University Dominguez Hills. She lives in Peru, Illinois, and is thrilled to share the story of William Kennedy with you.

The Second Friday Lecture Series is a monthly Civil War lecture program organized by the Civil War Museum of Kenosha, Wisconsin. All programs are held for an in-person audience at the museum. The lectures are recorded and posted to the museum’s YouTube channel.

The Second Friday Lectures begin at 12:00pm and there is no cost to attend. The Civil War Museum graciously thanks the Milwaukee Civil War Round Table and Iron Brigade Association for sponsoring this series of lectures.

03/09/2026

Campaign Schedule:
February Drill - February 21st
March Drill - March 7th
Grant's Home Front/ Galena - April 25th & 26th
Milton School Day - May 15th
Milton CW Days - May 16th & 17th
Memorial Day - Forest Hill Cemetery - May 25th
Menomonee Falls - July 18th & 19th
Pinecrest
Franklin National
Norskedalen
Hoard Museum - Oct. 10th

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12/23/2025

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Meeting Notes November 2025
1. Called meeting to order
a. We prayed and took the pledge of allegiance.

2. Secretary report
a. The previous year's secretary did not post notes to those who needed it.
3. Presidents report
a. Redid officer and NCO list, we are a smaller group so only one officer and two NCOs are needed but depending on how much we grow we may increase NCO and Officers.

4. Treasures report
a. We are looking at a business level CD. but ultimately, we have a positive balance. Not everyone paid dues, please pay your dues for 2026.

5. Quartermasters report
a. Ryan Holbrook is storing things in his garage. Uniforms may need some TLC.

Old business
6. Company K social media
i. Shut down old website that has not been used, Company K, 2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry on Facebook is the one we will use.
7.

8. Recruitment Fliers
i. Joshua Woychi will ask if he can set up fliers on UW Whitewater campus.
ii. Casey will have the flyers printed for 2026. Please spread them around and hand them out. This aids in our recruitment numbers as well as informs the public of our events they can attend.
iii. Motion for Tom Bass to be Treasurer seconded by Paul Metz. passed

9. Company Mess
i. Casey has lots of Pork and Joshua Woychik and his mother can help cook prepared meals. Motion to purchase food by Tom seconded by Isiah.

10. School day next year
i. This year was a huge success. Ryan will look into expanding other stations if there is enough help from the group. More info to come later.

New Business

11. Two drills for next year with the possibility of a third. New recruits must learn to CLEAN muskets

12. Tour will happen next summer with a focus on southern battlefields like Vicksburg and Shiloh. This year's trip out east was a huge success; Gettysburg, Antietam; and Petersburg was the main focus.

13. Running low on cap and powder so we are purchasing more. Future debate on the price at which we sell Caps and powder to members.

14. Ideas for next year are that we might want to go as Pioneers and build things at camp, note no Field fortifications
a. 9. Elections Tom Bass as Treasurer and Paul Metz as Secretary.

15. 10. The idea was mentioned to arrange a trip to either the Wisconsin veteran’s museum in Madison and/or the Civil War museum in Waukesha. We may try to get a behind the scenes tour to look at the items not available to display. Paul Metz will look into this if there is enough interest. This will be open to members, family and friends who have an interest in the Civil War.

16. 11. Possibly going to a more secure app for the group. There is a concern of safety and security with all the new privates in the company. The thought is to keep it within our group only. Any thoughts or ideas please let us know.

17. 12. The Battle of Franklin reenactment is next year. Stay tuned for more info.

18. Meeting was adjourned after which some stayed after and played/learned how to play a board game. If there is enough interest, we can look at doing it again.

05/28/2025

05/21/2025

Last weekend, Company K hosted our annual School Day and Milton House Living History event.

For the school day this year, taking place on Friday, we welcomed more than 1200 students to the Milton House grounds. As some of the photos below exhibit, students tried their hands at drill, watched cannon firing, learned how to cook on the campfire, and so much more.

For the weekend portion of the event, visitors were welcomed to watch various demonstrations of artillery and infantry drill, more cooking demonstrations, and were strongly encouraged to take part in playing Rounders, an iteration of Civil War Baseball.

If this seems like fun to you, join us at a future event! Further, if this is something you’d like to be a part of, as a civilian reenactor or military reenactor, leave us a comment below or send us a direct message! We’re always looking to expand our ranks and welcome you to the hobby!

Huge thanks go out to the Milton House for hosting and planning these events for the last decade! An additional thank you to Photography by laPHOTO for always taking some amazing photos at these events!

04/23/2025

Reminder to all of our members, our first event of the year, Grant's Homefront in Galena IL, is coming up this weekend.

We also have several events scheduled for the upcoming month of May, starting with battalion drill with other companies in our association. That will be held on May 3rd in Kaukauna WI.

Friday, May 16th is company K's school day, hosted at the Milton House museum. This is company K's maximum effort event and is attended by on average 1500 students, parents and teachers. The school day is followed by our living history event on the 17th-18th at the Milton house with a variety of stations for visitors to learn about the history of the Civil War as well as the town of Milton.

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02/20/2025

***REMINDER***

Our first drill is THIS Saturday, February 22nd, at the Hoard Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson, at 1PM!

Please know that all are welcome, no matter the experience or interest level! The only two things you have to do is let us know you are coming and then show up!

Feel free to message us right here to let us know you’re coming, ask questions, and more!

Hope to see you there!