Daughter of the Civil War

Eileen S. Wise’s family has a long-standing tradition of military service – very long.

Her father, Hiram Craig Shouse, served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Wise is the 18th of Shouse’s 19 children. Though she lost her father at age 13, she has vivid memories of him, and his military service is a proud part of her family history.

In 1861, President Lincoln issued a call for volunteers to serve in the Union Army. “My dad wanted to join right away, but his mom wasn’t a bit happy – he was about 16 at the time,” Wise said.

But Shouse enlisted in July 1861 and was assigned to Company G of the 11th Illinois Volunteers. He was wounded during the battle of Fort Donelson in 1862. Unable to move, he lay where he fell through a long, cold night.

“As he lay there, he made up his mind that if he ever got out, he’d be a doctor,” said Wise.

When morning came, medics loaded the wounded soldiers on boats and took them to a makeshift hospital in a warehouse. The attending physician decided Shouse’s arm needed to be amputated.

Fortunately, a woman from Shouse’s hometown had arrived to help care for her husband and the other injured soldiers. Mary Newcomb cleaned Shouse’s arm and steadfastly refused to let anyone amputate it.

Shouse lived to fulfill his dream. “He became a doctor back in the horse-and-buggy days,” said Wise. “He delivered over 1,000 babies, including 19 of his own.”

Wise’s parents emphasized education to their children, so when it was Wise’s turn to start school, she couldn’t wait. An older sister, LaFola, got the privilege of taking Eileen to her classroom and settling her in.

“My sister was in high school,” Wise said with a grin, “and she wasn’t thrilled to take me. She just shoved me through the door and left.

“Well, I looked around, and I didn’t know anyone – so I left. My mom and dad weren’t pleased to see me when I walked into the kitchen, so I took off running. My dad chased me through the cornfields,” Wise recounted.

He eventually caught her and took her back to class.

Like her father, Wise is a veteran. She enlisted in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in 1942 at the age of 22. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, “people were so mad,” she said. She enlisted as a private and was sent to officers school at Smith College.

The Navy discharged her as a lieutenant junior grade in December 1945.

“I still have very patriotic feelings,” Wise said. “I used to say my blood was red, white and blue.”

Wise’s late husband, Richard, was a Navy veteran of World War II. They raised five children in the north Spokane home they built in 1956, where Wise still lives on her own.

The family military tradition continued. Her son served in the Army and her daughter, Jennifer, served five years in the Navy during the Vietnam era.

Though somewhat disabled by a stroke, the feisty 87-year-old maintains her independence. “I’ve always had a mind of my own,” she said.

Her philosophy of aging is simple: “If you can’t do things the old way, you have to figure out a new way.”

She says she regrets not asking her dad more about his time in the Union Army. “I passed up the chance of a lifetime,” she said.

And she offers these words of wisdom: “Ask us for our stories while we’re still here. Don’t miss the chance.”