“Frederick Eberlein was born in Wittenberg [sic] Germany and was twenty two years of age when he enlisted as a private of company C 2nd Regiment Cavalry of the Regular Army of the United States on the 26th day of July, 1855. He enlisted for five years and after serving for nearly two years while returning from an Indian expedition his horse was shot out from under him and he was violently thrown to the ground. The indian expedition was made in Texas near the Rio Grande River and it was here that Frederick Eberlein received his injuries. After his horse was killed and he received severe injuries he tried to ride his pack mule in an effort to reach Fort Clark to have his injuries attended to and his pack mule became vicious and also threw him violently to the ground breaking his shoulder and bruising his lungs. His comrad [sic] then took him on his horse and carried him to the camp where the soldiers where encamped. In doing so many creeks and rivers had to be forded and Frederick Eberlein became wet and cold and when camp was reached he was about dead. After weeks of illness he was removed to Fort Clark where Pneumonia developed and many more weeks were spent in the hospital. It was during this time that he became blind. When his eyesight was improved sufficiently and he became well enough he was honorably discharged upon the surgeon’s certificate and sent home. He received a small pension from the time of his discharge until his death on the 9th day of February, 1896. During his life time he was of very poor health and was never able to do a good hard day’s work. He was a shoemaker by trade but was forced to abandon the profession on account of his poor eye sight.

Katherine Eberlein, widow of Frederick Eberlein, has never received a pension although she has often tried. Her claim was rejected for the reason that she was unable to prove that her husband Frederick Eberlein did of the same disease for which he was pensioned. He was pensioned for a broken shoulder and his great trouble was his lungs and eye sight of which nothing was mentioned. The records of Fort Clark have been destroyed and there is not way to show how he suffered in the hospital there to show the injuries he received in the army outside of the stories often told his family. He died of the disease which mostly troubled him, lung trouble.

Catherine Eberlein has no means of support outside her own labor. She is old and feeble and sixty four years of age. The last year she suffered a great deal from a cancer in the cheekbone and for the last ten weeks has been confined to her bed on account of a compound facture and dislocation of the ankle. Catherine Eberlein was married to Frederick Eberlein nearly forty years when he died and has not since married and she holds his original discharge, a copy of which is hereto attached.”

Source: Photocopy of typescript, acquired from Frederic C. Eberlein, Shawano, Wisconsin. Probably written in 1905, based on the information that it contains, in an attempt to get a widow’s pension for Katherine Gerner Eberlein.