Recap: 7-7-7 Week One - General Charles King
Two blog posts in a week - must be some kind of record!
As some of you may know, we are undertaking another series of artifact-based lectures this summer. Last year we did “7 Wars,” while this year we are doing “7 Veterans.” We have had two successful programs so far and hopeful that holds true throughout the rest of the series.
For those of you who missed out, we will recap what artifacts each speaker presented. Sadly, we don’t have pictures of them (soon!), but we will describe the provenance of each object. So, for week one, Reference Archivist Russ Horton took on General Charles King, who served in five campaigns from the Civil War through World War I - a military career that spanned from 1861 to 1918!
“7 Weeks, 7 Veterans, 7 Objects - Week One”
General Charles King, United States Army and Wisconsin National Guard
1844-1933
The starting lineup:
1) M1917 Officer’s Coat (V1999.1.268.1)- This coat tells the story of King’s service, from the Wisconsin National Guard collar insignia and wound chevron on the right sleeve to the five campaign ribbons (Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, Philippine War, World War I) that only King earned the right to wear.
2) M1881 Cavalry Helmet (V1995.27.304a-c)- Featuring a buffalo hair plume and ornate gold wire details, King wore this helmet for dress occasions while serving with the 5th U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars.
3) Buckskin Riding Trousers (V1999.1.1)- A gift from “Buffalo Bill” Cody, King wore these beaded buckskin trousers in the field while serving in Wyoming and the Dakotas with the 5th U.S. Cavalry.
4) Novels (Library)- As storied a military career as he had, King was at least as well known to the nation as a writer, as evidenced by his many published books, both fiction and non-fiction.
5) Epaulettes (V1995.26.145a,b)- King wore these epaulettes while serving in the Philippines to reflect his rank of brigadier general.
6) Gruen Wrist Watch (V2000.46.1)- This gold wrist watch was presented to King by a regiment of the Wisconsin State Guard in appreciation of his stateside service during World War I.
7) General Charles King Camp No. 44 Flag (V2002.64.1)- A group of Spanish-American War veterans located at the Wisconsin Veterans Home named their camp after Charles King while he was alive, indicating the regard with which the state held him. The village in which the Wisconsin Veterans Home is located was renamed King in his honor in 1941.
