Henry Roth Residence

This next building is probably my favorite here in Cedarburg. This house not only had one of the major figures in the town, but that figure was also a veteran of the American Civil War, and fought for the United States. His life impacted everything he did her in Cedarburg.

Established during Reconstruction in 1870, Henry Roth served in the American Civil War for the United States. Roth served in Company A of the 26th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, known as The Siegel Regiment, named after Franz Siegel, a German immigrant. The latter came to the United States after the German Revolutions of 1848. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln sought to recruit German immigrants who supported the Union and were for the abolition of slavery. Wisconsin in 1861 was a hotbed of pro-abolition sentiment. Most German immigrants who moved to Wisconsin and Cedarburg held abolitionist views and Wisconsin as a whole; in 1854, Wisconsin State Supreme Court ruled that the Fugitive Slave Act was unconstitutional due to a man named Sherman Booth who broke the law; as a result, he urged a mob to help an escaped slave named Joshua Glover being pursued by a Federal Marshall named Stephen Ableman. Wisconsin would later ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States.

Roth had the same beliefs as many German immigrants had before the war broke out with this context in mind. As a result, Roth would serve with the 26th Wisconsin as a Sargent at some of the most famous battles of the Civil War. Most notably, Roth fought at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, for his first battle. On May 2nd, 1863, Confederates under "Stonewall" Jackson surprised attacked the regiment's position. The regiment held its ground, offering heavy casualties to the Confederates until they were forced to retreat. The regiment suffered heavy casualties, and most of the soldiers were captured. Roth would survive this battle. He also fought at the Battle of Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he and the 26th Wisconsin would serve under Major General Ulysses S. Grant. He commanded the Eastern and Western Union armies there. Finally, Roth and the 26th Wisconsin would assault Missionary Ridge and drive Confederates from their fortified positions. Roth and the regiment would serve under William Tecumseh Sherman and fight in every battle of the Atlanta Campaign in 1864. Roth and the regiment would also serve in Sherman's March To The Sea and through the Carolinas. Roth would be discharged and mustered out with his regiment on June 13th, 1865. But Roth, like so many of his comrades, could never forget the traumatic horrors of war. The 26th Wisconsin had some of the highest casualties of any Union regiment in the war.

Roth would return to Cedarburg to resume his trade as a carpenter after the end of the war. As you can see, his residence shows what a Greek Revival structure looks like with its impact on the building. This limestone structure has engraved mortar joints. There are also chiseled margins with attentively crafted quoins. The southern portion of the building was built with cream city brick. Roth would also run a saloon that is across from the Wittenburg Mill. 

Zimmermann, H. Russell. The Heritage Guidebook: Landmarks And Historical Sites In Southeastern Wisconsin. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Heritage Banks, 1976. 196.

Zimmermann, H. Russell. The Heritage Guidebook: Landmarks And Historical Sites In Southeastern Wisconsin/Highlights Of Historic Cedarburg. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Heritage Banks, 1976.

A Walk Through Yesterday: In Cedarburg Wisconsin. 2005.

Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, Henry Roth House, Cedarburg, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, 13397. Accessed April 15th 2022. https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Property/HI13397

Stumpf and Everix, Glenn And Kathy. Henry Roth, Find A Grave. November 17th 2010. Accessed April 15th 2022. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61781443/henry-roth.

Wisconsin. Adjutant-General's Office. Roster of Wisconsin volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 (Madison, 1886). Online facsimile at http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/u?/tp,35928. 319.

Quiner, E.B. . Military History Of Wisconsin: 26th Infantry. Chicago , Illinois. Clarke And Co., 1866. 746-759.

Pula, James S.. The Siegel Regiment: A History Of The 26th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. Campbell, California. Savas Publishing Company, 1998.