Ernest F. Pletschke is the name of the surveyor who platted

Houghton, Michigan Houghton (; ) is the largest city and seat of government of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-largest city in the Uppe ...

in 1854, prior to its incorporation as a village in 1861. In Houghton's first days it was said that "only thieves, crooks, murderers and Indians" lived there. An Ernest F. Pletschke, most likely the same individual (though this is by no means certain) also was a leading citizen of nearby

Outagamie County Outagamie County is a county in the northeast region of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,705. Its county seat is Appleton. Outagamie County is included in the Appleton, WI Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

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 ...

during 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 ...

era. This Pletschke was a professor of German at

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducation ...

in Appleton, Wisconsin. In November 1860, he and forty students formed a local militia company, with Pletschke as Captain and a Professor Pomeroy as First Lieutenant. In April 1861, Professor Pletschke became the captain of the Appleton Light Infantry, with one T. R. Hudd as First Lieutenant. On May 31, 1861, Pletschke offered the services of his company to Adjutant-General

William L. Utley William Lawrence Utley (July 10, 1814March 4, 1887) was an American portrait artist, hotel keeper, politician, newspaper editor, and Union Army Colonel from Racine, Wisconsin. He served in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Free Soiler, and in the ...

in the Union's battle against the southern rebels; Utley accepted in early June, noting that the Appleton Light Infantry would likely be called upon within ten days. They were mustered into service soon after. His command was folded into the regiment of Colonel Frank J. Hecker of Illinois, where his captaincy was confirmed and made official. Pletschke died in October 1861 at

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

as a result of a relapse of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

, which he had contracted at some earlier, unspecified time. He was survived by a widow and a daughter. His funeral was held in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel at

References

Union Army officers People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War 1861 deaths Year of birth missing Lawrence University faculty People from Appleton, Wisconsin People from Outagamie County, Wisconsin People from Houghton, Michigan Military personnel from Michigan Deaths from typhoid fever {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub

See also

References