Biographical Details
Date of Birth: July 29, 1823
Birth Location: Somerset, OH, USA
Major Study: Law
Graduation Year(s): 1850
Degree(s) Earned: Bachelor of Laws
Date of Death: August 19, 1875
Death Location: Berlin, WI, USA
William Augustus Bugh
Life Experience
William Augustus Bugh was born the fifth of nine children to John and Mariah Bugh. His mother, Mariah, was descended from a Spanish family, who came to America before 1676. His grandfather, Jacob, enlisted as a boy in the Revolutionary War, and was already a lieutenant at age sixteen. George Washington ordered Jacob to guard some mills owned by “a wealthy Spaniard” from attack, and he ended up marrying the owner’s daughter.
Bugh graduated from IU in 1850 with a law degree. Around that time, he was living with the family of a schoolteacher, James Brown, in Decatur, Indiana. In 1852, Bugh moved to Wisconsin, where he published the Madison Statesman newspaper. He eventually settled in Berlin, Wisconsin, where he practiced law.
During the Civil War, Bugh served in the 5th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, eventually commanding Company G as a captain. In 1866, he served in the Wisconsin State Assembly. He was a Republican, affiliated with the National Union Party. He was then appointed postmaster of Berlin, Wisconsin, serving until his death. He also published the Berlin Messenger newspaper and worked on behalf of surviving war veterans.
Marriage and Family
Bugh married Amanda Augusta Brown. Their only child, daughter Estelle, was born in 1858.
Interesting Anecdote
Bugh was badly wounded in the battle of Williamsburg in May 1862, when a Confederate musket ball went through his upper right thigh. The Confederate army ceased their fire specifically to allow him to be removed to safety. In the Yorktown hospital, he is believed to have been cared for by Nurse Clara Barton, who would later found the Red Cross. He went from there to a hospital in Baltimore, where he recovered for four months. He never returned to the battlefield, although he was honorably promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 32nd Regiment.
References
- Findagrave.com
- Wikipedia
- sites.rootsweb.com/~scprnyz/ZouaveArchive/UnionZouaves/Wisconsin/
- Luzerne County Federalist 10/05/1801
- The Representative (Fox Lake, WI) 08/27/1875
- The Hudson Green (Hudson, OH) September 2006 (Vol. 17 #3)