Title: Brosius, Carleton L. Papers and Photographs
Inclusive Dates: 1904-1976

Creator:

• Brosius, Carleton L.

Call Number: WVM Mss 17

Quantity: 3.8 linear ft. (1 archives box and 2 flat boxes) of papers and 0.1 linear ft. (1 flat box and 5 folders) of photographs.

Repository:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Have questions? Contact the Reference Archivist

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)

See the catalog entry for current shelf locations and additions.

Abstract:

Papers and photographs of Carleton L. Brosius, a physical trainer for the Army during World War I and a participant in the 1920 Olympic games. The bulk of the collection deals with Brosius's dedication to physical fitness. General orders, letters of commendation from Army personnel, and a scrapbook document his work as an Army trainer, while correspondence and a scrapbook full of ephemera and photographs document his participation in the Olympics. Two other scrapbooks provide additional biographical information about Brosius; they include photographs, newspaper clippings, ephemera, and letters. There is no documentation of Brosius's service in the Spanish-American War nor the Mexican Border War, and only general orders convey a sense of Brosius's stateside movements during World War I. This collection also includes the music for “March of the Maccabees,” which Brosius wrote in 1904; military certificates of promotion; a certificate commemorating Brosius's twenty-fifth anniversary as a member of the American Legion; and a thank you card from General Charles King.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00017

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Carleton “Carl” L. Brosius was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 18 July 1876. His father, George, served in the 35th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during the Civil War and became a prominent physical trainer in the Milwaukee area. Carl enlisted into Company F of the 4th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment (National Guard) in April 1896 and volunteered for service in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Brosius served in Company M of the 1st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during the War, and was honorably discharged in August 1900. In July 1913, he re-enlisted into Company D of the 1st United States Infantry; he was transferred to Company F in April 1915 and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant two months later. Brosius was mustered into service for the Mexican Border War in June 1916, where he commanded an infantry regiment. Having earned a sterling reputation as a physical trainer, Brosius remained stateside during World War I, going from camp to camp to implement training programs for American soldiers.

After the war Brosius participated in the 7th Olympiad, which took place in Antwerp, Belgium in 1920. He was a member of the United States fencing team and the captain of the tug o' war team; according to his scrapbooks, Brosius won an award in the former and led his team to a second place finish in the latter. Following the Olympics, Brosius worked as a physical trainer at St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin. He also served as director of Brosius Gymnasium, Inc. in Milwaukee during the 1930's, following in the footsteps of his father. In 1936 Brosius became adjutant at the Grand Army Home in King, Wisconsin. During World War II, he took over the role of Commandant, but returned to the adjutant position in 1945. Two years later, Brosius retired, but remained at the Grand Army Home. Brosius helped found a museum at King, which was dedicated as the “Carl L. Brosius Memorial Museum” in March 1955. He passed away at the Grand Army Home on 28 September 1955.

The papers of Carleton L. Brosius are divided into four series: Military, Olympics, Physical Training, and Photographs.

Military (1904-1947) consists mostly of official papers regarding the Army service of Brosius around the time of World War I. The “By-gones” scrapbook, the richest source of information in this series, contains newspaper clippings about Brosius's service in the Army. Other newspaper clippings give information on Brosius's father, George, a renowned physical trainer who founded the first Turner Society school in Milwaukee. The scrapbook also contains various Army special orders regarding Brosius, some correspondence, and photographs of Brosius in uniform. This series also contains general and specific orders from the War Department and other various Army departments; these show Brosius being moved around the country to establish and oversee physical training programs at different Army bases, and also convey a sense of the esteem with which the Army held Brosius as a physical trainer. The enlistment records and certificates document Brosius's involvement in the Army during the World War I era, as well as the promotions that he received. Also of interest in this series is the sheet music to a march song composed by Brosius, “March of the Maccabees,” as well as schedules for physical training routines and notes for instructors of physical training in the Army. This series lacks information that documents Brosius's service in the Spanish-American War and Mexican Border War.

Olympics (1920) documents Brosius's participation in the Seventh Olympiad, which took place in Antwerp, Belgium in 1920. Brosius's role as a fencer and the captain of the United States tug o' war team are highlighted in the Olympic games scrapbook. The scrapbook contains many photographs of the trans-Atlantic voyage, Belgian forts and troops, American troops in Europe, Brosius at Olympic Stadium, the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and various actions shots of fencing matches and warm-up exercises. It also has ephemera from Brosius's trip to Belgium, such as ticket stubs, receipts, stamps, and postcards from various European locations. Newspaper clippings about the Olympic games and Brosius can also be found in the scrapbook. Also included in this series is correspondence that deals with Brosius's preparations for the Olympics, as well as a roster of the United States tug o' war team.

Physical Training (1918-1976) contains materials relating to Brosius's post-Army life as a professional physical trainer. The Green Scrapbook contains newspaper clippings about Brosius, his father George, and their connections to the field of physical training. The scrapbook also contains advertisements for Brosius Gymnasium, Inc., which Carl directed in the 1930's. Also included in the scrapbook are the obituary of George Brosius, photographs of a 1932 parade in Milwaukee, which honored General Charles King (Brosius was King's aide for the parade), and several essays that Brosius wrote about fencing. This series also contains a booklet and scrapbook of letters of attestation that various military officers and acquaintances of Brosius wrote on his behalf. All of the letters stress Brosius's skill as a physical trainer, and many of the letters were quoted in the advertisements for Brosius Gymnasium, Inc. Also included in this series is some correspondence regarding Brosius's time as a trainer at St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin and papers concerning the dedication of the Carl L. Brosius Memorial Museum at the Grand Army Home in King, Wisconsin.

Photographs (1910-1955) consists of five portrait style photographs of Carleton L. Brosius that were taken at various stages of his life. A signed photo taken in 1910 shows a youthful Brosius in fencing gear, saluting with his weapon. Another photo, which was signed in 1953 but was probably taken in the 1930's, is a bust view of a middle aged Brosius in Army uniform. The last three photos all show Brosius at the Grand Army Home in King. The first depicts him sitting in a chair while reading a magazine and smoking a pipe. The last two are versions of the same photo, with one being a little enlarged. Both show Brosius at the dedication of the Carl. L. Brosius Memorial Museum at the Grand Army Home in King, March 23, 1955. He is standing and holding a dedication plaque to his left side.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Frances Brosius, King, WI in 1956. The collection was previously known as Accession Number: Record Group 17, Accession Number: K1971.389, and Accession Number: Mss 2007.110.

Processing Information

Originally processed by Mark Van Ells, circa 1994; processed with additions by Russell Horton in 2002, and by Duane Rodel in 2016.

	Series: Military
	Personal Records (Military)
Box   1 Folder   1	Enlistment records, 1919, 1947
Box   1 Folder   2	Military certificates, 1920-1942
Ov   4 Folder   7	Promotion certificate, 1917
	Orders
Box   1 Folder   3	Miscellaneous general and special orders, 1918-1919
Box   1 Folder   4	War Department general orders, 1919-1920
	Training
Box   2 Folder   1	By-gones scrapbook, circa 1922
Box   1 Folder   5	Instructor's notes, 1920
Ov   4 Folder   7	“March of the Maccabees” sheet music, 1904
Box   1 Folder   6	Miscellaneous correspondence, 1919-1920
Box   1 Folder   7	Physical training schedule, 1920
Box   1 Folder   8	Physical training subject schedule, 1920
	Series: Olympics	⇧
Box   1 Folder   9	Olympic games correspondence, 1920
Box   4	Olympic games scrapbook, 1920
	Series: Physical Training	⇧
Box   3 Folder   1	Green scrapbook, circa 1932
Box   1 Folder   11	Letters of attestation booklet, 1918-1924
Box   1 Folder   12	Letters of attestation scrapbook, 1918-1924
Box   1 Folder   13	St. John's military academy, 1931, 1942
Box   1 Folder   14	Carl L. Brosius Memorial Museum, 1955, 1976, undated
	Series: Photographs	⇧
Ph   3 Folder   40	Carleton L. Brosius [6] , 1910-1955
Ph   3 Folder   41	Olympics (from Scrapbook) [12], 1910
PhOv   65 Folder   5	Fencing [1], 1910
PhOv   65 Folder   6	Unidentified Infantry Band [1]
PhOv   65 Folder   7	1st Wisconsin Infantry [1], 1898