An Introduction to Willem Roon
It is a cold December night in 1862, the only light from the dying bonfires. Young and middle aged men alike are fighting the elements to keep their source of heat and light alive. The snow falls in big, hefty flakes that flutter and dance through the air until they land on the soldiers – their hats, their eyelashes, their deep blue woolen uniforms are becoming whiter and whiter with every minute. They have snowball fights between shifts around the fire; they sled down the hills amidst their rigorous training regimen. A soldier is seated close to the fire, huddled under his overcoat trying to write a letter while shielding his lanky and angular body from the precipitation. His 6-foot, 160 pound frame is hunched toward the meager source of light with a fountain pen and some scraps of paper. He manages to scrawl two pages on his knee; other soldiers can see the joy on his rotund baby face as he shares his experience with his family who is living the war vicariously through this young 24-year old soldier from Zeeland, Michigan named Willem Roon.
It is December 16, 1862 in Coldwater, Michigan, the home of the training ground of the 9th Michigan Cavalry, Willem Roon’s group of fellow soldiers. In a letter written on this night to dear friend and fellow Zeeland soldier Jan Vogel, Willem writes, “The weather has been beautiful. We have already been sledding.” It is a few months before C Company of the 9th Michigan will get called into action. The soldiers are making the most of it.