David C. Yakey (May 13, 1830February 23, 1908) was an

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farmer and

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

volunteer in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He later served one term in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

Early life and career

Yakey was born on May 31, 1830, in Loudoun County, Virginia, but at age 2 moved with his parents to

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. He grew up in

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and

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, where his father owned a farm. In 1856, he came to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, settling in Vernon County (then known as "Bad Ax County"). He was employed as a teacher for several years—one of the first teachers in southwest Wisconsin—and in 1861 was elected superintendent of schools for the town of

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has frequently been used as a given ...

. However, shortly thereafter, he enlisted for service in the

Civil War service

Yakey joined up with a company of

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

and proceeded to Camp Salomon in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

, where they became Company A of the

25th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 25th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. During their service, they first participated in the Dakota War of 1862, then spent most of the rest of the war in ...

. The 25th Wisconsin mustered into service September 14, 1862, and were ordered to proceed west and report to General John Pope in

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to assist in the ongoing

Sioux uprising The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several ban ...

. After brief service in Minnesota, the regiment was ordered south to attach to XVI Corps for service in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. They joined the Siege of Vicksburg from June through July 1863, and were then assigned to guard duty in eastern

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. The regiment suffered from a severe wave of disease during this summer, and ultimately lost over 400 men to illness. In February 1864, they returned to Mississippi, and, in May, they joined General William T. Sherman's Atlanta campaign. They remained with Sherman's army through the subsequent Savannah campaign and Carolinas campaign. With the war ended, the regiment returned to

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, where they participated in the

Grand Review of the Armies The Grand Review of the Armies was a military procession and celebration in the national capital city of Washington, D.C., on May 23–24, 1865, following the Union victory in the American Civil War (1861–1865). Elements of the Union Army in the ...

. Yakey mustered out with the rank of

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

, July 11, 1865.

Postbellum career

After the war, in 1866, Yakey settled on a farm in the town of Clinton, in Vernon County, where he lived until his death. He served on the Clinton town board and the Vernon County board at various times. In 1879 he was elected to the

on the Republican ticket.

Personal life and family

Yakey married Julia Ann Adams in 1867. They had 8 children together. Yakey died on February 23, 1908, in Vernon County.

Electoral history

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1879

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yakey, David People from Virginia Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers 1830 births 1908 deaths 19th-century American legislators 19th-century Wisconsin politicians