George B. Thompson (1875-1946) served in Company E of the Third Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during the Spanish American War. His service lasted from June 24, 1898, until January 6, 1899. The Third Wisconsin did not see any major action during their campaign in Puerto Rico, although they did take part in the occupation of Ponce and the capture of Coamo. Thompson’s father was an Eau Claire banker named George T. Thompson (1850-1907). He was born in Troy Michigan and moved to Eau Claire in 1872. He married Julia Graham and became a cashier at the Union National Bank.

The Third Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was composed of twelve companies from northwestern Wisconsin and was under the command of Colonel Martin Moore of La Crosse. The regiment prepared for duty in the Caribbean at Camp Thomas on the Chickamauga battlefield in Tennessee and then later at Charleston, South Carolina. Along with the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, the 3rd Wisconsin were the first American troops to land at Ponce, Puerto Rico where they helped take Coamo. Throughout their service, the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment lost a total of thirty-five men—all but two of them perished due to disease. The regiment returned to Wisconsin in October 1898. (From the Wisconsin Veterans Museum http://www.wisvetsmuseum.com/researchers/military/Spanish_American_War/?ID=56)