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History of Iowa from the Earliest Times to the ...
Benjamin F. Gue
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HISTORY OF IOWA
From the Earliest Times TO THE Beginning of the Twentieth Century
FOUR VOLUMES
By benjamin F. GUE
Iliustratid with Photographic Views of the Natural Scenery of the State, Public Buildings, Pioneer Life, Etc.
WITH PORTRAITS AND BIOGRAPHIES OF NOTABLE MEN AND WOMEN OP IOWA
VOLUME II THE CIVIL WAR
SEAL OF THE STATE OF IOWA
THE CENTURY HISTORY COMPANY
41 Lafayette Place
New York City
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PRESEftVATJON ^'f^l
COPY ADDED ^ C^^
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COFTBIGHT 1908
B. F. GuB
ALL RiaiETS BKSBBVBD
Publication OfBoe
186 Liberty Street
NewYqA,N.Y.,U.S.A.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
VOLUME TWO
CHAPTEE I
John Brown at Harper's Ferry— The Last EoU Call of His Band— Five Were Iowa Men— A Heroic Con- flict with Overwhelming Numbers— Not a Man Flinched in the Battle— A Bloody Ending— Fate of the Iowa Men— Stewart Taylor Falls in the Thickest of the Fight— Jeremiah Anderson of Revolutionary Ancestors, John Brown's Trusted Friend— Edwin Cop- poc Fires the Last Shot — He Calmly Meets his Doom —Barclay Coppoc, the Boy of Twenty, Escapes— Ter- rible Sufferings in the Mountains— Capture of John E. Cook— Barclay Coppoc Beaches Home 1-14
CHAPTER II
The Eighth General Assembly— Governor Lowe's Retiring Message— Governor Eirkwood's Inaugural Address— Virginia Demands the Surrender of Barclay Coppoc— Governor Eirkwood Finds a Flaw in the Requisition— Barclay Coppoc Escapes — ^Meets Death in Missouri in 1861 — The Notable Letter of Warning- How and Why it was Sent— The Letter and its Author —Acts of the Eighth General Assembly— A Veto Mes- sage 15-34
CHAPTER III
Perscmal RecoUectious of the Great Tornado of 1860 — Gathering Clouds and Oppressive Atmosphere — Meeting of the Conflicting Air Currents— The Trail- ing Column Descends to the Earth— The Destruction B^pms— In tihe Tornado's Pathway— Where it Began to €kither— Destruction of Life and Property Appal- ling—The Village of Camanche in Ruins— A Summary of Loss of Life and Property — Estimated Velocity of the Wind— The Republican National Convention of 1860— Abraham Lincoln Nominated for President- Democratic National Conventions— The Party Disrupt- ed and Two Tickets Placed in Nomination— Republi- can State Convention— Democratic Convention— Re- sult of the Election 35-45
CVol. 2]
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iv mSTOBY
CHAPTER IV
Effects of John Brown's Virginia Raid—First Movements Towards Secession— Peace Conventions-- Governor Kirkwood's Suggestions— His Conference with President Lincoln— Seven Slave States Secede Before Lincoln's Liauguration — South Carolina In- augurates the Rebellion— Lincoln's First Call for Vol- unteers—Iowa Unprepared for War— The First Iowa Regiment Promptly Raised Amid Intense Enthu- siasm—How the Money was Raised to Equip the First Regiments— An Extra Session of the Eighth Oeneral Assembly Convened — Partisan Consideration Ignored — ^Union Democrats Declare for a Vigorous Prosecu- tion of War— Resolutions by General Baker and R. D. Kellogg— Governor Kirkwood's Message — ^Prompt Ac- tion of a Patriotic Legislature 47-59
CHAPTER V
Measures for the Protection of the State from Missouri Invaders and Sioux Indians— Qovemor N. B. Baker Appointed Adjutant-General— Political Conven- tions of 1861— Qovemor Kirkwood Re-elected — Iowa Raises Sixteen Regiments the First Year— The Ninth General Assembly— The Victory at Fort Donelson— Four Iowa Regiments with the Victorious Army— The Indian Massacre in Minnesota— The Northwestern Set- tlers Arm for Defense— Military Disasters to the Eastern Union Armies — The President's Call for Three Hundred Thousand Volunteers — ^An Extra Ses- sion of the Legislature Called by Governor Kirkwood —Prompt Action of the General Assembly to Meet the Exigency 61-76
CHAPTER VI
The President's Emancipation Proclamation— Gov- ernor Kirkwood Urges the Removal of General McClel- lan from Command of the Army— The Political Con- ventions of 1862— Iowa Gains Four Representatives in Congress— The Democrats Carry the Elections in Many Northern States — The Union Armies Defeated in the East and Victorious in the West— Iowa has Forty Regiments in the Field— Copperheads and Knights of the Golden Circle— They Denounce the
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Government and Discourage Volunteering— The So- Called Arbitrary Arrests— George W. Jones, Dennis Mahony and Henry Clay Dean Imprisoned— Released Without Trials— The '' Tally War " in Keokuk County — Two Thousand Armed Men Gathered in Camp to Avenge the Death of Tally — The Governor Calls Out Eleven Military Companies— The Tally Army Dis- persed— Outrages on the Missouri Border— The Murder of Captains Bashore and Woodruff— The Arrest, Trial and Conviction of Gleason 77-92
CHAPTER VII
Iowa Invaded by Missouri Guerillas— Citizens Bobbed and Murdered — Governor Kirkwood Declines a Third Term— The Dramatic Nomination of Colonel William M. Stone— The Democratic State Conven- tion of 1863— The Republican Candidates Elected— Defeats of Union Armies— Gloom and Depression in the North— The Army of Virginia Under Lee Invades Maryland and Pennsylvania— Is Finally Defeated at Gettysburg — The Victory of. Grant at Vicksburg— \
Iowa Regiments Help to Win all Western Victories— The President Calls for 300,000 Soldiers— The Tenth General Assembly Convenes— Governor Kirkwood 's Last Message— His Services as the War Governor — In- auguration of Governor Stone— Re-election of Grimes as United States Senator— Important Acts of the Leg- islature-Disposal of the Agricultural College Land Grant— State Board of Education Abolished— Death Blow to **Wild Cat'' Currency 93-107
CHAPTER VIII
The President Calls for 500,000 Men— Rosecrans and Banks Meet with Disastrous Defeats— Thomas and Grant Win Brilliant Victories — General Grant Pro- moted to Command the Armies of the United States- Great Rejoicing in the West — Thirty Thousand *' Knights of the Golden Circle " in Iowa— Governor Stone Issues Stringent Orders to Circumvent Their Secret Conspiracies— The Political Situation in 1864— Organization of ** Union Leagues "—The Political Conventions of 1864 — Their Platforms and Candidates —Negotiations for Peace— The Political Campaign- Momentous Issues Involved— Peace Convention at
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Iowa City— Victory for Lincoln's Administration— More Peace Negotiations— Pall of Bichmond, Sur- render of Lee's Army — ^Assassination of President Lin- coln 109-128
CHAPTEE IX
First Iowa Infantry— Placed in the Army of Gen- eral Lyon — ^Pirst Long March— Battle of Wilson's Creek— General Lyon Attacks the Combined Armies of Price, McCollodi and Jackson— Desperate Engage- ment with Superior Numbers — ^Pirst Iowa in tiie Thickest of the FHght— Lyon Leads a Bayonet Charge by the Iowa and E^ansas Begiments— He Palls Mor- tally Wounded— One of the Most Desperate Battles of the War— The Pirst Iowa f\imishes Many Distin- guished Officers— Organization of the Second Iowa In- fantry—Its Notable Pirst Pield Officers— Is Sent to Missouri and Suffers from Disease— Promotion of its Officers— The Battle of Port Donelson— Colonel J. M. Tuttle Leads the Begiment in a Gkdlant Charge— Ck>od Service at Shiloh— Commanding Officers Slain at the Battle of Corinth— In Sherman's Atlanta Campaign — Serves Until the Close of the War 131-140
CHAPTEB X
Organization of the Third Iowa Infantry — ^Begi- ment Divided— Battle of the Blue Mills— Scott Com- manded—Severe Pighting and Heavy Loss— The Third at Shiloh— Pights Under Trumbull at the Hat- chie— In Grant's Vicksburg Campaign— Service in the Atlanta Campaign— Distinguished Officers — Their Promotions.
The Pourth Iowa Infantry— G. M. Dodge its Pirst Colonel— Services at the Battle of Pea Bidge — ^In the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou— Pighting of the Iowa Pourth— Services in the Vicksburg Campaign — In the Battles of Lookout Mountain and Binggold— Becep- tion of the Veterans by the Iowa Legislature— In Sher- man's March to the Sea— Losses in Many Engage- ments 1 141-152
CHAPTEB XI
Fifth Iowa Infantry— Pirst Service in Missouri— In General Pope's New Madrid Campaign— Death of
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Colonel Worthington— Changes in Field Officers — Fights in the Battle of Inka— Part in the Battle of Corinth— Services at Champion's HiU — In Sherman's Campaign— Regiment Nearly Annihilated by Hard Fighting — Consolidated with Fifth Cavalry.
Sixth Iowa Infantry— Joins General Fremont's Army in Missouri— Transferred to Grant's Army- Fights at Shiloh— Heavy Loss in the Engagement— In the Siege and Battle of Jackson— General Lamnan's Disastrous Charge— In the Chattanooga Campaign — In the Battle of Missionary Bidge— In Many Battles of Sherman's March to the Sea— Northward March to Washington— Participates in the Grand Review. .153-165
CHAPTER XII
Organization of the Seventh Iowa Infantry — Sent to SCssonri— Gallant Conduct at the Battle of Bel- mont— ^Lieutenant-Colonel Wentz Killed— In the Bat- tles of Fort Dondson and Shiloh— Participates in the Two Days' Battle at Corinth— In the Battles of Sher- man's March to the Sea— Members Vote for Lincoln's Re-election in Georgia— March to Washington by Way of Richmond.
Eighth Iowa Infantry— First Field Officers— En- gaged in the Battle of Shiloh — Surrender After Most Heroic Fighting— The Regiment Reorganized in 1863— Participates in Grant's Vicksburg Campaign— The Battle and Surrender of Mobile— Brilliant Charge and Assault on the Spanish Fort — Iowa Regiments En- gaged—Colonel Geddes Promoted 167-178
CHAPTER XIII
Ninth Iowa Infantry Sent to Missouri— Participates in the Battles of Sugar Creek and Pea Ridge — General Curtis Wins a Great Victory— Bravery of the Iowa Regiments— Disease and Death in the Swamps— The Ninth in the Vicksburg Campaign— In the Battle of Lookout Mountain— With Sherman's March to the Sea —Service in the Twenty-four Battles During the War.
The Tenth Iowa Infantry — Its First Service in Mis- soori- Attached to the Army of General Pope— At the Siege and Victory at Island Number Ten— In the Bat- tles of luka and Corinth— In Grant's Vicksburg Cam-
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viii HISTORY
paign — ^Participates in the Battles About Chattanooga — ^With Sherman in Campaign in the Southern States 179-194
CHAPTER XIV
The Eleventh Iowa Volunteers— First Service in Missouri — Sent to Grant's Army in Tennessee-— In the Battle of Shiloh— Serves in the Vicksburg Campaign —At the Battles of Bolivar and Corinth— A Disastrous March into Central Louisiana— With Sherman's Army at the Battle of Atlanta— Colonel Charles Foster Killed.
Twelfth Iowa Volunteers — Sickness at Benton Bar- racks—With Grant at the Capture of Forts Henry and Donelson — ^Magnificent Fighting at Shiloh— Forced at Last to Surrender— Suffering in Rebel Pris- ons—In the Battle of Tupelo— Gallant Defense of the Stockade on White River — ^With Thomas at the Battle of NashviUe 195-203
CHAPTER XV
The Thirteenth Iowa Volunteers— M. M. Crocker its First Colonel— Engaged in the Battle of Shiloh— In the Two Days' Battle at Corinth— Participates in the Vicksburg Campaign— With Sherman's Army in March to the Sea— Gallant Conduct at tiie Battle of Atlanta— Hoists the Union Colors Over the Capitol of South Carolina— In the Battle of Bentonsville.
The Fourteenth Iowa Volunteers— In the Capture of Fort Donelson— Among Gallant Fighters at the ** Hornet's Nest " in the Battle of Shiloh— Finally Forced to Surrender— Exchanged in November, 1862 —Sent to General Bank's Army in Louisiana — Cap- ture of Fort De Russey— The Disastrous Red River Expedition— Colonel Shaw Commands the ** Iron Brigade "-Its Heroic Fighting at Pleasant Hill— Colonel Shaw Criticises Superiors— Their Revenge on the Colonel— General A. J. Smith's Tribute to Colonel Shaw's Patriotism, Courage and Ability 205-213
CHAPTER XVI
Fifteenth Iowa Volunteers— Baptized in Fire at Shiloh— Incorporated in the *' Iowa Brigade "—Bel-
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knap Leads the Begiment at Corinth— In theVicksburg Campaign — Joins Sherman, Fights at Kenesaw Moun- tain—The Battle of Atlanta — Belknap Promoted to Brigadier-Gteneral— Participates in Many Battles.
The Sixteenth Iowa Volunteers— First Service at Shiloh— Placed in the *' Iowa Brigade "—In the Bat- tie of luka— Lieutenant-Colonel Sanders in Command —Fight at Corinth — ^Participates in the Vicksburg Campaign— In Sherman's Battles Around Atlanta- Surrounded and Captured— In Andersonville Stock- ade—Exchanged in September and Rejoins Sherman's Army 215-223
CHAPTER XVII
Seventeenth Iowa Volunteers — Sent to Halleck's Army at Corinth— With Rosecrans at luka — The Battle of Corinth— Bravery of the Iowa Seventeenth— Bril- liant Services in the Vicksburg Campaign— In Steele's Expedition Against Little Rock— At the Battles Around Chattanooga— Defense of Tilton — Colonel "Wever Commands a Brigade.
Eighteenth Iowa Volunteers— Sent to the Army of the Southwest— The Battle of Springfield— The Disas- trous Expedition Under General Steele— Fighting to Save the Forage Train— Colonel Edwards Promoted. 225-237
CHAPTER XVIII
Nineteenth Iowa Volunteers — ^Becomes a Part of the Anny of the Frontier— The Battle of Prairie Grove — Colonel McFarland Killed Leading His Regiment in a Charge— One of the Great Victories of the West— At tiie Siege of Vicksburg— A Portion of the Regiment Captured at Stirling Farm— Reunited at New Or- leans— ^Engaged in the Mobile Campaign.
Twentieth Volunteers— Sent to Southwest Missouri —Hard Marching and Great Suffering— The Regiment Joins Grant's Array Before Vicksburg— Transferred to General Banks's Command — Sent to Southern Texas— In the Mobile Campaign— In the Column that Stormed and Captured Blakely 239-250
CHAPTER XIX
Organization of the Twenty-first Iowa Volunteers —First Services in Missouri— The Battle of Hartsville
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HISTOEY
—Sent to Qeneral Grant's Army in Mississippi— At the Battle of Port Gibson— Makes a Gallant Charge at Black River Bridge — Lieutenant-Colonel Dunli^ Killed- The Begiment Sent to Texas — ^Participates in Grierson's Raid and the Mobile Expedition.
Twenty-second Iowa Volunteers — Joins Grant's Army in the Vicksburg Campaign— In the Battles of Port Gibson and Black Biver Bridge— In the Assault of May 22d— Griffith and Others Scale the Walls— Sixteen Iowa Regiments in the Battle — ^Magnitude of the Victory at Vicksburg— The Twenty-second Sent to Virginia — In Sheridui's Battles in Shenandoah Val- ley—Traveled More Than 13,000 Miles 251-263
CHAPTER XX
Twenty-third Iowa Volunteers— Death of Colonel Dewey— Joins Grant's Army Before Vicksburg— Bat- tle of Black River Bridge — Colonel Kinsman Slain— Battle of Millikin's Bend— Service in Texas and Lou- isiana—Participates in the Mobile Campaign.
Twenty-fourth Iowa Volunteers— Its Services in Arkansas— Great Suffering from Hardship and Dis- ease—Transferred to Grant's Army— Heroic Charge and Great Losses at Champion's Hill— Sent to Lou- isiana After the Pall of Vicksburg — Joins General Sheridan's Army in Virginia— Captain Rigby's Cool- ness in the Winchester Stampede — In the Battles of Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek— Colonel Wilds Mor- tally Wounded 265-277
CHAPTER XXI
The Twenty-fifth Iowa Volunteers— Sent to Arkan- sas and Mississippi— In Sherman's Army at Chicka- saw Bayou— At the Capture of Arkansas Post — ^Par- ticipates in the Vicksburg Campaign— In the Battle of Lookout Mountain— Attached to the ** Iowa Brigade " —With Sherman's Army in its Southern Campaign — The Twenty-fifth in Many Battles— At the Capture of Columbia.
The Twenty-sixth Iowa Volunteers — ^A Clinton County Regiment— The Battle of Arkansas Post — Services in Mississippi and Tennessee— In the Chat- tanooga Campaign— Participates in the Battles of
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Ringgold, Besaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain and At- lanta—With Sherman Throng the Carolinas 279-287
CHAPTER XXII
The Twenty-seventh Iowa Volunteers— Sent to the Northwestern Frontier— Transferred to Mississippi — Hard Service and Great Suif ering in a Winter Cam- paign—In Steele's Expedition Against Little Book- In General Banks's Bed Biver Campaign— In the Bat- tle of Nashville— Participates in the Siege and Capture of Blakely.
The Twenty-eighth Iowa Volunteers— Sent to Ar- kansas and Mississippi — ^A Winter of Sickness, Suf- fering and Death— In the Vicksburg Campaign — Bravery at Champion's Hill— Sent to lie Department of the Gulf— In Banks's Bed Biver Expedition^Ii^ the Battle of Mansfield— Transferred to Sheridan's Army in Virginia— In the Battles of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek 289-298
CHAPTEB XXIII
The Twenty-ninth Iowa Volunteers— Thomas H. Benton, Colonel— In General Gorman's Expedition— At the Battle of Helena and the Capture of Little Bock— The Battle of Terre Noir— Heroic Defense of the Bear Guard at Jenkins's Ferry.
The Thirtieth Iowa Volunteers— Sent to Sherman's Army at Chickasaw Bayou — ^Participates in the Vicks- burg Campaign — Colonel Abbott Slain in the Assault of May 22d— Colonel Torrence Killed in the Battle— The Iowa Begiments in the Battles Around Chatta- nooga— The Thirtieth in Sheridan's Campaign 299-309
CHAPTEB XXIV
The Thirty-first Iowa Volunteers— Services in Ar- kansas and Mississippi— With Grant in the Vicksburg Campaign and Battles Around Chattanooga— Joins Sherman's Army of Invasion— The Battle of Besaca —In the Battles of Dallas, Eenesaw Mountain and At- lanta—At Columbia and Bentonsville.
The Thirty-second Iowa Volunteers— The Begiment Divtded— Battle at Cape Girardeau— Evacuation of New Madrid — The Begiment Beunited — Sent to the
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Department of the Gulf —The Battle of Pleasant Hill —A Graphic Description of the Ccmflict— Heroic Fighting of the Thirty-second — Shaw's Brigade Bears the Brunt of the Battle— Banks orders a Retreat 311-323
CHAPTER XXV
The Thirty-third Iowa Volunteers— Samuel A, Rice its First Colonel — ^At Helena and Yazoo Pass— The Battle of Helena— In the Little Rock and Camden Ex- peditions—Colonel Rice Mortally Wounded at Jen- kins's Ferry— At Mobile and New Orleans.
The Thirty-fourth Iowa Volunteers— Sickness and Suffering at Helena and Chickasaw Bayou — ^Horrors of the Voyage up the Mississippi — Joins Grant's Army in the Vicfasburg Campaign— Services in Louisiana and Texas— Capture of Forts Gains, Morgan and Pow- ell—The Regiment Consolidated with the Thirty- eighth 325-335
CHAPTER XXVI
The Thirty-fifth Iowa Volunteers— Sent to General Grant's Department— Serves in Mississippi and Ten- nessee—Transferred to the Department of the Gulf— The Capture of Post at Henderson— In the Battles of Pleasant HDl and Yellow Bayou— Battle of the Old Red River and Tupelo— The Battle of Nashville — Iowa Regiments Engaged— Death of Colonel Hill— The Thirty-fifth at MobUe.
The Thirty-sixth Iowa Volunteers— Sickness and Suffering in the Swamps— In the Yazoo Expedition— In the Battle of Helena and Steele's Expedition— The Battle of Mark's Mill— Most of the Regiment Cap- tured 337-349
CHAPTER XXVII
The Thirty-seventh Iowa Volunteers— Made up of Men Exempt by Age from Military Duty— Services on Picket, Guard and Garrison— Patriotic Services Com- mended.
The Thirty-eighth Iowa Volunteers— At the Siege of Vicksburg — Tlie Regiment Prostrated by Sickness —In Texas and the Mobile Campaign— Consolidated with the Thirty-fourth.
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OF IOWA xiii
' The Thirty-ninth Iowa Volunteers— Battle of Park- er's Cross Boads— In Colonel Straight's Raid— Gal- lant Defense of Allatoona— Lieutenant-Colonel Bed- field Slain— In Sherman's March to the Sea 351-359
CHAPTER XXVIII
The Fortieth Iowa Volunteers— Sent to Kentucky and to Mississippi in the Little Bock Campaign— In the Camden Expedition— The Battle of Jenkins's Ferry — The Disastrous Betreat.
The Colored Troops from Iowa— In the Sixtieth U. S. Infantry.
The First Iowa Cavalry — Sent to Western Missouri —Capture of Van Buren— In the Little Bock Cam- paign— In the Camden Expedition— Five Years' Serv- ices.
The Second Iowa Cavalry— Sent to General Pope's Department— A Gallant Charge— The Battle of Boon- viUe— The Grierson Baid— Services in Mississippi and Tennessee— In the Battle of Nashville 361-379
CHAPTEB XXIX
The Third Iowa Cavalry— Services in Missouri— In the Battle of Pea Bidge— In Grant's Vicksburg Cam- paign— The Wilson Baid.
The Fourth Iowa Cavalry— Sent to Missouri and Arkansas— In the Vicksburg Campaign— Takes Part in Meridian Expedition — The Battle of Guntown— Serves Again in Arkansas and Missouri.
The Fifth Iowa Cavalry— Garrisons Fort Henry— The Bousseau Baid— The Fifth Infantry Consolidated with the Fifth Cavalry— A Brilliant Charge on Supe- rior Numbers— In the Wilson Baid 381-396
CHAPTEB XXX
The Sixth Iowa Cavalry— Sent to the Northwestern Frontier— A Campaign Against the Sioux— A Battle with the Indians.
The Seventh Iowa Cavalry — Services in the Indian Country— In the Battles of White Stone Hill, Little Blue, Bush Creek and Mud Springs.
Eighth Iowa Cavalry— Serves in Kentucky and Ten-
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xiv HISTORY OP IOWA
nessee — In the McCook Expedition— The Battle of Newman— In the Wilson Baid— Death of Colonel
DOPT.
Ninth Iowa Cavalry— Services in Arkansas— Scout- ing and Garrison Duties— The *' Hundred Days Men " —The Forty-fourth, Forty-fifth, Forty-sixth and For^-seventh Volunteer Infantry 397-408
CHAPTER XXXI
The Artillery Service— The First, Second, Third and Fourth Batteries — The Fort Dodge Cavalry Company —Attached to the Eleventh Pennsylvania Regiment of Cavalry— Services in Virginia— Andersonville and Other Confederate Prisons— The Horrors Told by a Confederate Surgeon — ^A Roll of Iowa Martyrs — ^Wom- en's Work in the War— Their Services in Camp, Hos- pital and Field— Mrs. J. T. Fales, Mrs. I. K. Miller, Mrs. Ann E. Harlan, '' Aunt Becky '' Young and Annie Wittenmyer— The Sanitary Commission — Coming Home from the War 409-423
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Samuel J. Eirkwood, War Gtovemor Frontispiece
Edwin Coppoc, Barclay Coppoc Facing page 2
David J. Que Facing page 29
Tornado of 1860 Facing page 35
John A. Kasson Facing page 42
Hiram Price Facing page 54
Caleb Baldwin Facing page 57
General N. B. Baker Facing page 61
General Samnel B. Curtis Facing page 64
Stockade at Estherville Facing page 69
Captain W. H. Tngham Facing page 75
Colonel William M. Stone Facing page 95
Levi L. Hoagy a Typical Iowa Soldier Facing page 130
Battle of Wilson's Creek Facing page 132
Forts Henry and Donelson Facing page 137
Generals S. A. Bice, E. W. Bice, J. M. Tuttle,
Colonel N. W. Mills Facing page 139
General James B. Weiaver Facing page 140
General Grenville M. Dodge Facing page 145
Battle of Chickasaw Bayou. Facing page 147
General James A. Williamson Facing page 151
Battle of luka Facing page 155
Battle of Belmont Facing page 168
General William Vandever Facing page 179
Battle of Pea Ridge Facing page 182
Colonel H. H. Trimble Facing page 183
Battle of Shiloh Facing page 200
General M. M. Crocker Facing page 206
Battle of Atlanta Facing page 207
Colonel William T. Shaw Facing page 212
Battle of Corinth Facing page 226
Battle of Prairie Grove Facing page 240
(General Francis J. Herron Facing page 242
Major William G. Thompson Facing page 249
Colonel Samuel Merrill Facing page 251
Colonel William H. Kinsman ^ Facing page 255
Siege of Yicksburg Facing page 261
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xvi HISTORY OP IOWA
General BcL Wright Pacing page 269
Lt.-Col. Leander Clark Pacing page 276
Colonel Milo Smith Facing page 283
Colonels J. A. McDowell, C. W. Kittredge, J. W.
Rankin, T. H. Benton Pacing page 299
Battles Around Chattanooga Pacing page 306
Colonel John Scott Facing page 315
Battle of Pleasant Hill Facing page 319
Generals G. W. Clark, John Edwards, S. L.
Glasgow, Col. J. A. Garrett Pacing page 329
Edmund L. Joy Pacing page 344
General Francis M. Drake Pacing page 346
General John M. Corse Pacing page 357
Lt-Col. James Bedfield Pacing page 359
General Pitz Henry Warren Pacing page 367
Colonel Henry C. Caldwell Pacing page 372
Lt.-Col. William P. Hepburn Pacing page 377
General Cyrus Bussey Pacing page 381
General John W. Noble : Pacing page 385
Colonel David B. Henderson Pacing page 407
Mrs. Ann E. Harlan Pacing page 420
Mrs. Annie Wittenmyer Facing page 421
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PREFACE
THE history of the important part taken by Iowa statesmen, volunteer soldiers and citi- zens in the great Civil War of 1861-5, has been told in many excellent publications and the elaborate records of the Adjutant-Gen- eral's OflBce. The dramatic story has been well written by Stuart, Ingersoll and Byers, in addition to the numerous regimental histories. The complete history of the patriotism, devotion to country, sacrifices and heroic endurance of mothers, wives, sisters and near friends of the men who marched to southern battle-fields can never be written.
The names of a few oflBcers who were prominent in the great conflict, of the regiments organized, the battles fought, find a place in history. The names and deeds of more than 75,000 common soldiers, like the nameless graves of wars* victims, scattered over the hills, valleys and plains of the South, are recorded only in the memory of friends or comrades who survive.
This volume embraces but a* brief history of the events connected with that most momentous war of modem times and the more important acts of the higher officials in civil and military affairs. No State in the restored Union is richer in noble men and women whose devotion to duty in camp, hospital and battle-field has never been excelled in any war or country. No State developed more brilliant officers or braver soldiers.
Iowa has always honored the memory of the Grand Army of the Eepublic, its survivors have filled the high- est positions id civil life. Our people have no sympathy with the mercenary spirit which for years, has sought to impeach the integrity of veterans on the pension roll. It
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xviii HISTORY OF IOWA
is a record of honor that the i)eople of Iowa will ever regard with grateful hearts and sustain with unswerving fidelity. It is little enough that money can do to com- pensate^ in any degree, the men who offered their lives in defense of tiieir country, and for years endured sacri- fices and sufferings that entitle them to the lasting grati- tude of their countrymen. There are no more sacred pages in Iowa history than those which record the brilliant deeds of Iowa soldiers.
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CHAPTER I
ON the 3d of July, 1859, John Brown, his sons Owen and Oliver, and John E. Cook were at Harper's Ferry carefully making obser- vations and plans for the attack. The men enlisted for the enterprise were assembling at the Kennedy farm, a few miles distant on the Maryland side of the Potomac. Here the arms, in- cluding a large number of pikes, were secreted. The ap- pearance of a party of strange men at the farm had aroused suspicion in the neighborhood and warrants had been taken out for searchiug the premises. As soon as Brown was informed of this danger he issued orders for the attack at once, eight days in advance of the time that had been originally fixed, and several men who were on the way failed to reach the rendezvous in time to partici- pate in the desperate conflict.
On the 16th day of October there was assembled at the Kennedy farm a remarkable group of men, twenty-two in number. As the roll was called on that eventful morning, the following persons responded ** here *': John Brown, Owen Brown, Watson Brown, Oliver Brown, A. D. Stev- ens, John E. Cook, J. H. Kagi, Chas. P. Tidd, Edwin Cop- poc, Barclay Coppoc, J. G. Anderson, Steward Taylor, Albert Hazlett, Francis J. Merriam, Wm. Thompson, Dauphin A. Thompson, Wm. H. Leeman, Oliver P. An- derson, John A. Copeland, Lewis S. Leary, Dangerfield Newby and John Anderson. The last five were colored men. Brown now issued his written orders, eleven in number, assigning to each man his part in the attack. Thirteen of the number had proved their valor on the bat- tle-fields of Kansas. Iowa furnished more actors in the last great tragedy,
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leading to the martyrdom of John Brown and most of his youthful followers, than any other State. It was in Iowa that he had established his chain of stations on the ** Un- derground Railroad/* leading from the Missouri slave plantations to freedom. It was at Springdale that his men had been drilled for the desperate assault upon slavery. Of the twenty-six volunteers who enlisted in this *' forlorn hope,'* Edwin Coppoc, Barclay Coppoc, Steward Taylor, Jeremiah Q. Anderson, George B. Gill and Charles W. Moffat were Iowa men. It was in Iowa that the rifles and revolvers were collected and secreted for arming the vol- unteers who were expected to join the expedition at Har- per's Ferry. It was from West Liberty, Iowa, that they were shipped as ** carpenters* tools,'* by John H. Painter, to a fictitious consignee near Harper's Ferry. It was from Iowa that the mysterious letter of warning was writ- ten to the Secretary of War two months before the attack. It was an Iowa Governor who saved from the Virginia gallows the Iowa boy who escaped capture and slaughter in the bloody conflict.
When the true story of the tragic affair came it was learned that twenty men captured Harper's Ferry and seventeen of them held it for two days and three nights against Virginia citizens and militia, from one to two thou- sand strong. One by one the members of the heroic little band fell. Not a man flinched. When the third night came, John Brown, Edwin Coppoc, Shields Green, Jere- miah G. Anderson, Watson Brown and Dauphin A. Thompson were the only survivors cooped in the engine house. Ten had been killed and several more severely wounded; still Brown sternly refused to surrender. It re- quired a reinforcement of one hundred United States Ma- rines, commanded by Robert E. Lee, and an assault led by J. E. B. Stuart, to enable the army to capture or slay the six unyielding emancipators. Of tiie Iowa members of the little army, Steward Taylor was killed at the engine house; Jeremiah G. Anderson was pierced through by
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EDWIN COPPOC BARCLAY COPPOC
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bayonets in the last assault; Edwin Coppoc, who fought to the end, was disarmed and captured unhurt. Owen Brown, Barclay Coppoc and F. J. Merriam had been left on the Maryland side to guard the arms there stored, while John E. Cook and C. P. Tidd were sent over Tuesday morning to take some prisoners to the schoolhouse. More than a thousand armed men were now between them and the spot where their leader and six survivors were making their last desperate fight. To join them was impossible. Lieutenant Hazlett, with O. P. Anderson and Shields Green, had been detailed to hold the arsenal, which they did until cut off from their comrades by a great body of miUtia. Brown and the other survivors, now surrounded, had retreated to the engine house for shelter. Green, who went as a substitute for Frederick Douglass, was a very black negro slave, who had escaped from South Carolina, leaving his only boy in slavery. He fought like a tiger all through. Now, when Anderson and Hazlett saw that all was lost, and there was a bare possibility for them to es- cape, they urged Green to go with them. He turned and looked toward Brown and the remnant of his command fighting at the door of the engine house, and pointing toward them, said: ** You tink der's no chancef *'
** Not one,'* said Anderson.
** An* de ole Captain can't get away? *'
'* No,** said both men.
** Well,** said the loyal negro, ** guess 1*11 go back to de ole man. * * And he marched calmly to certain death.
Anderson and Hazlett escaped across the river in the gathering darkness, the latter only to be captured and hung. The men on the Maryland side would not abandon their companions as long as there was a ray of hope. Led by Owen Brown they approached as near as possible to the Ferry and saw more than a thousand armed men between them and their comrades. Their rescue was hopeleds, but the chivalrous Cook crept still closer, and climbing among the limbs of a huge oak, opened fire on the enemy. Twenty
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or thirty men in range of liis rifle fled to shelter, while a hundred gnns were turned npon him. The balls severed the limb npon which he was resting and he fell to the ground. With a i>arting shot he turned sadly away and joined his companions in retreat to the mountains.
Volumes have been written in this country and Europe on John Brown the liberator and martyr, who gave his life without a murmur to free the slaves. The noblest men and women of his generation have paid tributes to his un- selfish life and his fidelity to duty as tie saw it--a fidelity which led him to the scaffold. His name wiU live in his- tory for all time. But little is known of his twenty-two fol- lowers who, in the early morning of their lives, actuated by the same spirit of self-sacrifice, enlisted in his ^' for- lorn hope *' and bravely marched to heroic deeds and al- most certain death. In the world's history no more des- perate and apparently hopeless undertaking has ever been entered upon by sane men. The chances for success were not one in a thousand and yet these young men were so imbued with their leader's abhorrence of slavery, a fierce and fearless determination to devote their lives to its de- struction, that they stopped not to count the cost or to calm- ly consider the chances of success. They had such confi- dence in the wisdom, courage and invincibility of their leader, that, where he conunanded, they marched without a murmur; where he led, they hesitated not to follow.
Not one of them could have been actuated by selfish mo- tives. There was no hope of reward, even in case of suc- cess. There was no pay for time or services, promised or expected. There were no honors to be won ; there was no glory to be achieved. They fully realized that death was far more likely to meet them than was success. And yet twenty-two men in the fervor of youth, freely offered their services and their lives, if need be, to strike a blow at American slavery, which, they firmly believed would, in some way not clearly developed, result in its final over- throw. As unlikely as it appeared to all the world besides.
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they were not mistakeiL They sacrificed their own lives, bnt the sacrifice proved to be the fire brand that, in less than five years, melted with the red glare of a hundred battle-fields, the shackles from fonr millions of slaves.
Justice to the memory of the fonr yoimg men from Iowa, who fought at Harper's Ferry in John Brown's band, re- quires a permanent record of what is known of their brief lives and heroic deaths.
Steward Taylor was bom at Uxbridge, Canada, October 29th, 1836. He came to Iowa when but seventeen years old and learned the wagonmaker's trade at West Liberty. Here he became acquainted with Oeorge B. Gill who took him to Springdale in the winter of 1858, and at John H. Painter *s house they met John Brown. Young Taylor was greatly impressed with the fervor of the old ** hero of Os- awatomie," and listened eagerly to his recitals of the hor- rors of American slavery. He made the acquaintance, also, of the yoimg men who were drilling under Stevens at the Maxson farm for the Harper's Ferry campaign and soon after enlisted with them. When the Chatham Con- vention was held he went to Canada to attend it While waiting for the leader to complete his plans for the inva- sion, Taylor found work at his trade in Illinois. He waited impatiently for many months for notice to join the expedition. At thnes he feared that he was not to be in- cluded in the select band that was to strike the blow and he wrote to an Iowa friend: ** My hopes were crushed and I felt as though I was deprived of my chief object in life. I believe that fate has decreed me for this undertaking, al- though at one time I had given up being wanted. '* But early in July, 1859, a letter came from Kagi telling him to ** come on.'* He wrote back: ** It is my chief desire to add fuel to the flame. My ardent passion for the work is my thought by day and my dream by night." He raised what money was due him and at once started for the ren- dezvous at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, paying his own expenses. He was now twenty-one years of age and is de-
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scribed as of medium height^ rather heavy in build, strong and capable of great endurance. His complexion was dark, his hair reddish-brown, his eyes dark brown, large and full. He was smooth-faced and boyish looking. He was a constant student, always carrying books with him. He was a stenographer, and played the violin. He was quiet but persistent in his purposes, faithful, courageous and loyal. When John Brown issued his eleven orders, just before the night of the attack. No. 6 required Captain Watson Brown and Steward Taylor to ** hold the covered bridge over the Potomac and arrest anyone attempting to cross, using pikes, if resistance is offered, instead of Sharpe's rifles.'^ Taylor was cool and fearless through- out the conflict. He escorted one of Brown ^s prisoners to his home, to let his family know of his safety, and brought him back through crowds of armed, excited, desperate, drunken men. Later on in the day, while bravely fightiog near the engine house, he received a mortal wound. He fell in the thickest of the fight and suffered great agony for three hours, when death came to his relief. The day before the attack he remarked to his comrades that he felt he would be one of the first killed. He was so impressed with the presentiment that he wrote farewell letters to his friends at home and then calmly marched to his death. Anne Brown, who kept house for her father, brothers and their comrades at the Kennedy farm, says of Steward Taylor: ** He was one who could never have betrayed a friend or deserted a i)Ost.''
Jeremiah G. Anderson was the grandson of an officer of the American Revolution. His father, John Anderson, left the slave State of Virginia soon after his marriage and settled in Putnam County, Indiana, where Jeremiah was bom on the 17th of April, 1833. After his father's death, his mother moved with her family to Des Moines, Iowa. Jeremiah was well educated. He was sent by his mother to a Presbyterian Academy at Kossuth, in 1854, to pre- pare for the ministry. Hon. James W. McDill, afterwards
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Jndge, and United States Senator, was one of his instrnc- tors. Judge McDill said ** he was an eccentric young man, quiet and very studious/* But he had no taste for the orthodox ministry. In an essay he declared his belief in universal salvation and soon after became a Spiritual- ist In 1857, Jeremiah went to Kansas and took a claim on the Little Osage. He joined Colonel Montgomery's army and fought with him to make Kansas a free State. He af- terward served under John Brown and was with him in one of his successful incursions for the liberation of Mis- souri slaves. He again joined his old commander in New York, where he was organizing the Harper's Ferry cam- paign and was one of his most trusted and faithful friends. John Brown told G^rrit Smith that '^ Anderson was more than a friend; he was as a brother and a son." Three days before his execution Captain Brown said: '* My brother Jeremiah was fighting bravely by my side at Harper's Ferry up to the moment when I was struck down." When Colonel Lee's marines broke through the barricade and charged on its five defenders, Anderson was pierced with three bayonets as his smoking rifle fell from his grasp. Mortally wounded he was dragged out by his captors, thrown down on the stone flagging and left to the mercy of the brutal crowd. He lingered there in great agony for three hours, subjected to the most fiendish tortures. A gang of Virginia ** chivalry " now mustered courage to approach the disarmed and dying man, kicking his face with their heavy boots, then opening his eyes, they spat tobacco juice into them, while others forced their filthy quids into his mouth amid laughter, jeers and horrid oaths. When death finally ended his sufferings, two vil- lage doctors came and crowded his mutilated body into a salt barrel, stamping it down with their feet. They carted their prey toward their office and that was the last seen of Jeremiah G. Anderson, the close friend of John Brown and one of the bravest Iowa soldiers who ever marched to the field of death.
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Edwin Coppoc was bom near Salem, Ohio, June 30, 1835. His father died when he was a child. He lived many years with his grandfather, going to district school and working on a farm. He is described as a studions, in- dustrious boy of cheerful disposition. His eyes and hair were brown and his skin fair. His head was large and well formed; he was fond of athletic sports and a genial companion. As a young man he was intelligent, active, brave, loyal and the soul of honor. He had win- ning manners, was amiable, generous and kind. Anne Brown says of Edwin: ** He was a rare young fellow, fearing nothing, yet i)Ossessed of great social traits, and no better comrade have I ever met." His mother was a woman of unusual intelligence and force of character. She strongly opposed the determination of her sons to enlist in the desperate enterprise. She had married again and her sons were living with her at Springdale when John Brown and his men came there to prepare for the Vir- ginia invasion. Her boys eagerly listened to the story of the wrongs and cruelties inflicted upon the help- less slaves, as eloquently told by John Brown, and longed to help them to freedom. Edwin and his younger brother, Barclay, at last determined to join the young men who were drilling at the Maxson farm and to follow wherever the old liberator should strike the next blow for emancipation. On the 15th of July a letter came from John Brown requesting them to come on to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. On the 25th they bade their mother goodby and started ostensibly for Ohio. But their mother was not deceived; she knew too well their destination and expected never to see them again. Order No. 9, made out by Captain Brown the day of the attack, details ** Lieut. Albert Hazlett and Edwin Coppoc to hold the armory opposite the engine house after it is taken, remaining there until morning, when further orders will be given." The fight began early in the fore- noon and Brown was so hotly engaged that his usual good
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judgment failed him and he did not realize the great peril until his little band was hemmed in on all sides by over- whehning numbers and retreat to the mountains was im- possible. His detachments, widely separated, stood at their i)Osts with a courage never surpassed in the annals of warfare. One by one they fell before the volleys i)Our- ing in upon them from every side. We hear of Edwin Coppoc standing at his i)Ost at the armory gates, while balls rained around him like hailstones. Soon after he joined Brown at the engine house and the siege began. Watson and Oliver, sons of the leader, were mortally wounded, but the heroic Watson fought on to the last. John Brown, his son Watson, Jerry Anderson, Edwin Coppoc, Dauphin A. Thompson, Steward Taylor and Shields Green were now the only survivors left on the Virginia side. Escape was impossible, and they determined to die fighting, knowing that no mercy would be shown them as prisoners. Col. Robert E. Lee, who was now in conunand of their assailants, sent a message to Brown demanding his surrender.
** Nol '* said Brown, ** we prefer to die here.*'
Firing began again on both sides, while Lee formed a column for assault
Few know how near the coming Southern Confederacy came to losing its greatest military leader at this moment at the hands of an Iowa boy. Edwin Coppoc saw from his port-hole the blue uniform of the commander and in- stantly drew a deadly bead on Lee at close range. Jesse W. Graham, one of Brown's prisoners, who was watching Coppoc, knew Lee and saw his danger. Instantly spring- ing forward he caught the rifle before Coppoc could fire and during the struggle Lee stepped out of range, and so lived to strike the deadliest blow against his country that it ever encountered. Had Coppoc 's bullet gone to its bril- liant mark, a hundred thousand lives of American soldiers might have been spared.
When the shock of the final charge came Brown, Ander-
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son and Thompson went down beneath the thrusts of sabers and bayonets. Edwin Coppoc fired the last shot and he and Green alone were left unhurt to surrender. The fight was ended. Ten of the little band were slain. Brown and Stevens were desperately wounded and with Coppoc, Green and Copeland, were prisoners. William Thompson and W. H. Leeman, who had before surren- dered, were butchered in cold blood by the Virginia * * chiv- alry.'* Harper's Ferry had been held fifty -eight hours by seventeen men against the assaults of from five hundred to 1,500 armed citizens and militia from Maryland and Virginia.*
Nowhere in modern warfare is there recorded such an unequal contest of similar duration. Of the immortal sev- enteen three were Iowa boys under twenty-four years of age. On the 22d of November Edwin Coppoc wrote home an account of the battle in which he says :
''Eleven of our little band are now sleeping in their bloody garments with the cold earth above them. Braver men never lived; truer men to
their plighted word never banded together As our comrades
fell we could not minister to their wants as they deserved, for we were surrounded by troops firing volley after volley, and we had to keep up a brisk fire in return to keep them from charging upon us. Watson Brown was wounded on Monday, at the same time Stevens was, while carrying a flag of truce; but he got back to the engine house. He fought as bravely as any man. When the fight was over he got worse. He and Green and myself were put in the watch-house. Watson kept getting worse until Wednesday morning, and begged hard for a bed, but could not get one. I pulled off my coat and put it imder him and placed his head in my lap,
and in that position he died Whatever may be our fate, rest
assured we shall not shame our dead companions by a shrinking fear. They lived and died like brave men ; we, I trust, shall do the same."
On the 19th Edwin Coppoc, Green and Copeland were taken to Charlestown jail, which was guarded by State militia with two cannon trained on it. Edwin ^s trial be- gan on the afternoon of November 1st and ended the f ol-
* Hinton gives the loss of life as follows : Of Brown's band, ten were killed and seven more executed ; of the liberated slaves, seventeen were slain ; of the citizens and soldiers, eight were killed and nine wounded. Total killed, forty- two.
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lowing day with conviction. lie was sentenced to be hung on the IHth of December. He bore himself bravely through the ordeal and calmly awaited his doom. He and Cook were confined in the same cell and were very warm friends. Great sympathy was felt for Edwin Coppoc and it was not confined to his Ohio and Iowa friends. Even Governor Wise could not refrain from expressing his admiration for his noble bearing through all the trying scenes of the battie, surrender, trial and conviction. He asked no f avorS) made no complaints, but calmly accepted the con- sequences of his heroic effort to free the slaves. He faced his awful doom without a murmur. His grandfather and uncle from Salem, Ohio and Thomas Gwynn, of Cedar County, Iowa, went to Virginia to appeal to Governor Wise for a commutation of his sentence to imprisonment, and to his credit let it be known that the Governor made such a recommendation to the Legislature, as, in cases of treason, he had not the power to interfere. A committee of that body recommended the commutation, but the Vir- ginia Legislature demanded his death. Shields Green, the faithful negro, managed to secrete an old knife when cap- tured, which he now gave to Coppoc. Edwin contrived to notch the blade into a rude saw. With this he and Cook sawed the shackles from their limbs and digging a hole through the brick wall of their cell the night before execu- tion, made a bold strike for freedom. But the guards dis- covered them as they crept out and they were returned to their cell.
The few remaining hours of their lives were spent in writing farewell letters to their friends. The morning of their last day dawned ui)on Cook and Coppoc. They were as calm and brave in death as they had been through the two days' of fierce battle. Their comrades. Green and Copeland, were executed at 10.30 a. m., December 16th, and at half -past twelve Cook and Coppoc were taken from their ceUs. They were i)ermitted to bid Hazlett and Stevens goodby on their way to the scaffold. When the
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black caps were drawn over fheir heads they clasped each other's hands in a last farewell and calmly met their doom. Edwin's body was taken by his friends to his boyhood home at Salem, and there laid to rest among his kindred.
Barclay Coppoc, Edwin's yonnger brother, was bom January 4, 1839. He was somewhat taller than Edwin, of slender build, brown hair, bold, large eyes, and a deter- mined expression. He was threatened with consumption from boyhood. When nineteen years of age he joined a party going to Kansas. Emigrant life improved his health and he enjoyed the stirring events of the Free-State conflict with the Missouri invaders.
Here he met Aaron D. Stevens, Bichard Bealf and John Brown, and enlisted in a number of their expeditions. When his old leader came to Springdale, a year later, Bar- clay was ready to again take up arms against slavery. As we have seen, he was not in the desperate fight at Harper's Ferry, from the fact that he was' sent with Owen Brown's party to guard their arms on the Maryland side. After all was lost and they escaped to the mountains, Owen Brown Was by common consent made their leader. A large re- ward was offered by Governor Wise for their arrest and delivery to the jail of Jelferson County. The country was soon alive witii armed men hunting for the fugitives. Governor Wise described Barclay Coppoc as follows :
"Ha is about twenty years of age; is about five feet seven and a half inches in height, with hazel eyes and brown hair, wears a light mustache^ and has a consumptive look."
Each member of the party was as minutely described. Cook was so well known at Harper's Ferry that a perfect description was given of him and a reward of $1,000 was offered for his capture. As the men passed near Cham- bersburg, in the mountains. Cook could not resist the temp- tation to venture into that town in the darkness of night to see his young wife and say goodby before going on to Canada. His companions protested most earnestly but
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he started on, after appointiiig a place to meet them before momiiig. They waited at the meeting place long and anx- ionsly bnt never saw him again.
The story of the fearful sujSerings of these men as they wandered for thirty-six days through the wilds of the Maryland and Pennsylvania mountains would fill a vol- ume. Subsisting on unground field com, occasional fruit, raw chicken now and then, without shelter or fire, huddling together when sleeping amid chilling rains, sleet and snow, with feet lacerated by sharp rocks and thorns, always nearly perishing from hunger, human suffering reached its limit They were pursued by human and brute blood- hounds—the &rst eager for blood money and the latter thirsting for their life blood. Merriam soon gave out He was left on a railroad track, entered an obscure station and, at a great risk, took a train and escaped.
After reaching northern Pennsylvania, starving and utterly exhausted, the others at last ventured to seek shel- ter at a farmhouse. Weeks had elapsed since they had es- caped and not a word had reached them of the fate of their comrades. A paper was lying on the table. Tiddtookitup and began to read. His face paled as he read on. Owenand Barclay were watching him intently. With a forced calm- ness Tidd then began to read aloud the story of the trial and death sentence of John Brown and Edwin Coppoc and the capture of Cook and Hazlett. Tears rolled down Bar- day's cheeks as the fate of his brother, the old captain and the gallant Cook was read ; but not a word dared they utter. After leaving them, it seems that Cook had sud- denly come to a clearing in the woods before dark, and found himself face to face with three woodchoppers. Two of them were stalwart brothers named Logan, professional slave-catchers. They had seen the description of Cook and knew of the $1,000 reward. They recognized and seized him at once, and binding his arms, delivered him over to the Virginia officers and obtained the reward. One of the Logans joined the rebel army two years later and was
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killed by a Union bullet. The other lived many years, al- ways suffering remorse for the inf amons sale of the gal- lant Cook to the Virginia hangman. He was finally crushed to death beneath the wheels of a railroad train.
The three famished men traveled on, after a night's rest for the first time in a month mider a roof, and after a few days more felt reasonably safe to travel by daylight. Cop- poc soon after took a train for Iowa, which he safely reached, worn almost to a skeleton by starvation and ex- I)Osure. He appeared suddenly in his old home on the 17th of December and met a warm and tearful wel- come. His brother Edwin and his comrade Cook had died on a Virginia scaffold the day before. Barclay was so near death from his terrible sufferings that his Spring- dale friends determined to defend him in his own home from surrender to the Virginia hangman. Armed and drilled, the guard kept nightly watch over him for many weeks. F. C. Galbraith, of Springdale, thus describes the plans of his defenders :
" Springdale is in arms^ and is prepared at a half-hour's notice to giYv his pursuers a recepticm of two hundred shots. There are three of our number who always know his whereabouts, and nobody else knows any- thing of him. He is never seen at night where he was during the day, and there are men on watch at Davenport, Muscatine, Iowa City, West Liberty and Tipton. It is intended to baffle them in every possible way without bloodshed."
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THE Eighth General Assembly met at Des Moines on the 9th of January, 1860. John Edwards was chosen Speaker of the House, and Lieutenant-Governor Oran Faville presided over the opening session of the Senate. The two houses met in joint con- vention on the 11th and canvassed the vote for Governor and Lieutenant-Governor. Samuel J. Kirkwood was de- clared elected Governor and N. J. Busch Lieutenant-Gov- ernor for the term of two years and were sworn into office by Chief Justice Wright.
Governor Lowe, in his retiring message, informed the General Assembly that during the past year a large body of hostile Lidians had appeared in the northwestern part of the State, driven off stock and alarmed the settlers at Spirit Lake and along the Sioux River. Urgent appeals had come to the Governor for protection, and he had re- sponded by sending a company of Frontier Guards under conunand of Captain Henry B. Martin, to the places threatened. After a service of five months, the danger passed and the Guards returned to their homes.
The report of the Auditor of State made at the close of the fiscal year 1859, shows a total indebtedness of $352,- 492.37. Of this $122,295 represented the indebtedness of the State to the school fund held in trust. Balance in the treasury, the delinquent taxes due and tax for 1859 amounted in the aggregate to $608,609.48. The expenses incurred in maintaining the Frontier Guards to furnish protection to the scattered settlements in the northwestern counties during the two years past was stated by the Gov- ernor at $19,800. The defalcation of James D. Eads, late Superintendent of Public Listruction, was found to amount
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to $71,880.97, for which suit was instituted agaiiist his sureties. Of this amount he had loaned to the builders of the temporary State House a sum which, with interest to this date, amounted to $53,733.61. The Governor recom- mended the purchase of this building now used by the State but owned by private parties and the cancelling of the mortgages standhig against them.
The special commission, consisting of John A. Kasson, J. M. GriflSth and Thomas Seeley, appointed to examine into the affairs of the various State offices, made an elabo- rate report showing many defects and irregularities in the manner of transacting the public business. Their recom- mendations for radical reforms were warmly approved by the Governor and by him commended to the General Assembly.
A large part of Governor Kirkwood's inaugural ad- dress, delivered to the Legislature on the 11th of January, was given to the consideration of issues involved in the Kansas and Nebraska struggle over slavery and John Brown ^s raid in Virginia. In speaking of John Brown's invasion, the Governor said:
" Is it strange that, maddened by recollections of wrongs inflicted upon them in Kansas because of their love of freedom, should lead men to the conclusion that they should do and dare as much at home for liberty as those who have oppressed them were doing abroad for slavery? While I deeply deplore and most imqualifiedly condemn, I cannot wonder at the recent unfortunate and bloody occurrence at Harper's Perry. While the great mass of our Northern people utterly condemn the act of John Brown, ihfij feel and express admiration and sympathy for the disinterestedness of purpose by which they believe he was governed and for the unflinching courage and calm cheerfulness with which he met the consequences of his failure."
The Governor attempted a solution of the troublesome negro problem and threatened dangers from American slavery by advocating a system of colonization of the negro population in some South American country. He argued that by such a plan both slavery and the negroes
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would, in time, be removed from onr coimtry. He ex- pressed the conviction that the love of comitry and the nnion of the States was so strong that there was not much cause for alarm.
On the 23d day of January, 1860, Gtovemor Kirkwood was called upon by a Mr. Camp, sent by Governor Letcher, of Virginia, bearing a requisition for the arrest and sur- render of Barclay Coppoc. Two members of the L^isla- ture* who entered the Executive office while the interview was in progress give the following rei)ort of what oc- curred:
"Wa found in conference with the €k>yemor a pompous-looking man, who seemed to be greatly excited. Governor Kirkwood was calmly listen* ing to the violent language of this individual, who was swinging his arms wildly in his wrath. The Governor quietly suggested to the stranger that ' he had supposed he did not want his business made public'
** The rude rq>ly was : ' I don't care a d — ^n who knows it now, since yon have refused to honor the requisition.'
^ The pompous man then proceeded to argue the case with the Governor, and we socm learned that he was an agent from Virginia bearing a requisi- tion from Governor Letcher t for the surrender of Barclay Coppoc
** In reply to a remark by the agent that Coppoc might escape before he could get the defect in the requisition cured, the Governor, looking signifi- cantly at us, replied: ' There is a law under which you can arrest Coppoc and hold him until the requisition is granted,' and the Grovemor reached for the code. We waited to hear no more, but, saying to the Governor that we would call again when he was not engaged and giving him a look that was a response to his own, we walked out."
We felt there was not a moment to lose if we would save Coppoc from the Virginia gallows and hastily communi- cated with J. W. Cattell, J. B. Grinnell, David Hunt^ Amos Hoag and other well-known Antislavery members of the Legislature. It was instantly decided that a special mes- senger must be sent to warn Coppoc and his friends of the danger. A purse was hastily made ujp and Isaac Brandt was delegated to find a man of nerve, who could endure a horseback ride in midwinter of a hundred and
* The two members were B<L Wright and B. F. Que of Scott tOorernor Wlee's term expired January 1, I860, and he was succeeded by Ckuremor Letcher.
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sixty-five miles without sleep or rest. He soon produced a smally wiry young man who was an experienced horse- man and as tireless as a cowboy. His name was Williams. A fast horse was procured, while Williams equipped him- self for a ride for life. Credentials were hastily prepared, to be presented by our messenger to the agents of the * * un- derground railroad *' on the route, to enable him to pro- cure fresh horses at each point without delay. A note was written to a trusted friend at Springdale, of which the following is a copy:
" DBS MoiNBS, January 23, 1860. " JoHir H. Painteb: There is an application for young Ck>ppoc from the Governor of Virginia, and the Governor here will be compelled to sur- render him. If he is in your neighborhood tell him to make his escape from the United States.
"Your Friend."
It was not prudent to sign a name to the note, but it bore its stamp of genuineness in the well-known hand- writing of Senator Cattell, with which Painter was famil- iar. In less than two hours from the time we left the Ex- ecutive rooms, the sharp, rapid strokes of the shoes of a fast horse on the frozen ground resounded on the old stage road out by the ** Prairie Queen '* and on to Four Mile Bidge. The rider was enveloped in a huge buffalo over- coat and fur cap, while a small leather saddle valise car- ried his baggage and refreshments to fortify against a piercing east wind, which he faced. His instructions were to reach Springdale as soon a^ horse flesh and human en- durance could make it and then rest, sleep and return at his leisure.
We confidently expected that Mr. Camp, the Virginian, would take the first stage east, which traveled day and night with frequent change of horses and arrest Coppoc before his friends could be rallied. We knew there was a drilled band of seventy-five determined young men in and about Springdale who were well armed and had declared
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that Barclay Coppoc should never be surrendered to the Virginia Governor, who had a few weeks before hung John Brown, Edwin Coppoc, John E. Cook, Shields Green and John Copeland. If our messenger conld reach Spring- dale before Mr. Camp could get to lowf^ City and procure a posse to make the arrest, a bloody conflict would be pre- vented and Coppoc would be able to reach a place of saf- ety. On the morning of the 25th, Mr. Williams alighted from his last foaming horse at John H. Painter's and Bar- clay Coppoc was saved.
When Mr. Camp reached Iowa City, he heard of the armed guard of Coppoc *s friends at Springdale, and re- membering that John Brown, with seventeen young men of the same stamp, had held Harper's Perry two days and three nights against a thousand armed Virginians, he had no consuming desire to lead an officer's squad against the Sharpens rifles of Coppoc 's defenders. He journeyed on to Muscatine to await legal requisition pai)ers.
The day after our messenger started, it became known that Governor Kirkwood's legal learning had enabled him to detect flaws in Governor Letcher's requisition papers and that he had refused to surrender Coppoc M. V. Ben- nett (a bitter Democratic partisan member of the lower house of the Legislature from Marion County), presented resolutions of inquiry, sometime after the affair became public, as follows :
" Whkbsas, a requisition was mad e on the Goyemor of Iowa by the Goremor of Virginia for Barclay Coppoo, an alleged participant in the difficulties at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, as a fugitive from justice, and
" Whereas, The Governor of Iowa has refused to deliver up said Coppoc under said requisition, alleging technical defects therein, therefore be it
** Resolved, That the Governor of Iowa be requested to lay before the House a copy of the requisition directed to him by the Grovemor of Vir- ginia, and all matters connected therewith; also to inform this House whether he possessed any knowledge in regard to a rumor that a special messenger was dispatched to inform Ck>ppoc of his danger; and if so, by what authority said messenger was dispatched to inform Coppoc of his danger."
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On motion of W. EL F. Gnrley, of Scott County, the reso- lutions were somewhat changed and passed. In response to them (Governor Kirkwood sent all the papers in the case to the House with a special message.
The reasons Kirkwood gave for refusing to order Cop- poc's arrest were :
First — ^No indictment had been found against him.
Second — ^The affidavit was made before an alleged notary public, but was not authenticated by a notary's seaL
Third— The affidavit did not show that Coppoc was in Virginia aiding and abetting John Brown.
Fourth — ^It did not legally charge him with commission of any crime.
The (Jovemor says :
*' It is a high prerogative of official power in any case to seise a dtisen of the State and send him upon an ez-parte statement without any pre- liminary examination, and without confronting him with a single witness, to a distant State for trial. It is a prerogative so high that the law tolerates its exercise only on certain fixed conditions, and I shall not ex- ercise that power to the peril of any citizen of Iowa upon demand of the State of Virginia, or any other State, imless these conditions are complied with.
''The fact that an agent of Virginia was here with a requisition tor Coppoc became publicly known solely through the acts of the agent himself. After I had communicated my determination to him not to grant the war- ranty' he sat in my office conversing with me on the subject. During our conversation other persons came in, and to my surprise he continued the' conversation in their presence. I said to him that ' I supposed he did not wish his business made known to the public' He replied that as the warrant had been refused he did not care who knew it. In this manner the fact that a requisition had be^i made for Coppoc became known in this plaoe. The insinuation that I had anything to do, directly or indirectly, with sending information to Coppoc, that a requisition had been sent fcnr him, is simply and unqualifiedly untrue; nor have I any means of knowing whether such information was sent by others, or, if so, by whom sent, other than common rumor. Permit me to say in conclusion that one of the most important duties of the official position I hold is to see that no citizen of Iowa is carried beyond her border and subjected to the ignominy of im- prisonment and the perils of trial for crimes in another State otherwise
than by due process of law. That duty I shall perform
Samuzl J. Kirkwood."
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These ringing words of the fearless old War (Jovemor stand out in bold contrast to the cringing attitude of Gov- ernor Packer, of Pennsylvania, who hastened to send two of Coppoc's companions (Cook and Hazlett) back to the Virginia gallows without even an investigation of the legality of the papers.
Gtovemor Letcher was in a great rage when the Iowa Governor's refusal reached him but he understood that nothing short of a rigid compliance with all requirements of law would enable him to wrest a victim for execution from Iowa. He had the grand jury summoned and pro- cured Coppoc's indictment The following is one of the counts in the famous document :
"Thirteenth Judicial Cirouit of Virginia, Jefferton Cottnty.
''The jurors of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in and for the body of the County of Jefferson, duly empanelled and attending upon said courts upon their oaths present, that Barclay Coppoc being a free person, on the Sixteenth and Seventeenth days of October, in the year 1859, and on divers other days before and after that time, in the County of Jefferson and Com- m<mwealth of Virginia aforesaid, and within the jurisdiction of this courts not haying the fear of God before his eyes, but being moved and seduced by the instigations of the devO, did maliciously, wilfully and feloniously conr spire wiUi certain John Brown, Edwin Coppoc, John B. Cook, Shields Qreen, John Copdand, Aaron D. Stevens and other persons to the jurors unknown, to induce certain slaves of said County and Commonwealth aforesaid, to wit, slaves called Henry, Levi, Ben, Jerry, Phil, Qeorge and Bill, the slaves of John H. Allstadt, and each of said slayes respectively to rebel and make insurrection against their said masters, and against the authority of the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, to the evil example of all others in like case offending, and against the form of the statute in that case provided, and against the peace and dignity of the Common- wealth of Virginia.
"Endorsed— ''A True Bill," February 3, 18«0.
" J. A. Lewis, Foreman.***
It was the 10th day of February before Governor Letcher's legal requisition reached Des Moines. Then Governor Kirkwood was compelled to issue his warrant
* Tbe original papers In this case, with a copy of Virginia's indictment of Bar- city Coppoc, may be seen in the Historical Department of Iowa.
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for the arrest— but Coppoc was not to be fonncL His friends promptly received news of the last requisition* That night, with his stanch friend, Thaddeus Maxson, Bar- clay was conveyed in a sleigh to Mechanicsville, accom- panied by a well armed guard. Coppoc and Maxson took the night train on the Northwestern road for Chicago, where they staid several days with a trusted family of col- ored friends. They went on to Canada and remained until the Virginia officer left for his home. Learning that his late companions, Owen Brown and F. J. Merriam, were staying in Ashtabula County, Ohio, Barclay and his f riaid Maxson joined them and tiie little party staid several weeks at the town of Dorset They were always well armed and ready to defend themselves day or night.
The young man who so narrowly escaped death the sec- ond time, was not to be intimidated by dangers. Barclay Coppoc never ceased his war upon slavery. Early in the summer of 1860 he went to Kansas and aided some Mis- souri slaves to freedom. When the Civil War began, he hastened to join the Union army and was commissioned Lieutenant in the Fourth Kansas Volunteers, commanded by the gallant Colonel Montgomery of Kansas War fame, lieutenant Coppoc was sent to his old home in Iowa to se- cure recruits. On his return with them he met his death on the 30th day of August, 1861, from the burning of a railroad bridge by Missouri guerrillas, precipitating the train he was on eighty feet into the Platte River. A large number were killed and wounded. Lieutenant Coppoc *s body was taken to Leavenworth and buried in Pilot Knob Cemetery. On a soldier's monument erected at Tipton, near his old home, by the patriotic people of Cedar Coun- ty, to the memory of its citizen soldiers who gave their lives for their country in the Rebellion, is inscribed the name of Barclay Coppoc.
The Maxson house near Springdale is still standing. Carefully preserved on the wall are the names of John
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Brown's men who spent the winter of 1858 there drilling for the Harper 's Ferry campaign.
A few days before they left in the spring each one placed his signature in pencil on the wall of the room most used by them. They were Owen Brown, John E. Cook, Aaron D. Stevens, John H. Kagi, Bichard Bealf, Charles P. Tidd, William H. Leeman, Charles W. Moflfat, Luke F. Parsons, Bichard Bichardson and George B. Gill. Par- sons, Bealf, Moffat, Bichardson and Gill failed to report at the Kennedy farm before the attack and were not in the battle.
Of the men who were most conspicuous on the other side of John Brown's war, Lee, Stuart, Floyd and Wise at- tained high rank in the war which followed for the i)erpet- uation of human slavery, while Mason, the author of the infamous Fugitive Slave Law, was the Confederate Am- bassador to England; Jefferson Davis, the Confederate President; Letcher, the Confederate (Jovemor. J. Wilkes Booth, one of Virginia's militia officers, who escorted John Brown and Edwin Coppoc to the gallows, closed his career by assassinating the great emancipator.
On the 14th of December, 1859, after the invasion, the Senate of the United States appointed a committee to in- vestigate and report all facts obtainable bearing upon the affair and especially to inquire whether such inva- sion was made under color of any organization intend- ed to subvert the government of any of the States of the Union, and whether any citizens not present were im- plicated therein. The committee consisted of Senators James M. Mason of Virginia, Jefferson Davis of Mississ- ippi, Qt. M. Fitch of Lidiana, Jacob Collamer of Vermont and J. E. Doolittle of Wisconsin. The committee had power to send for persons and papers. Its investigations were of the most rigid character, as a majority of its mem- bers sought to implicate prominent Bepublicans and Abo- litionists of the Northern States as instigators of the inva- sion. Among the witnesses called before that committee
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were such eminent Republicans as John A. Andrew, Will- iam H. Seward, Joshua E. Giddings, Henry Wilson and Charles Robinson. All efforts to connect leading citizens of the North with John Brown's invasion failed after more than five months of persistent efforts by Mason, Davis and Fitch, of the committee.
To their surprise and chagrin, the fact was devel- oped that John B. Floyd, Secretary of War and a Vir- ginian, had been informed in the August previous that such an invasion was being organized by John Brown and that he took no steps to prevent it. A letter had been mailed to a member of this committee by some unknown person purporting to have been written to Secretary Floyd from Cincinnati, Ohio, August 20th, 1859, nearly two months before the attack upon Harper's Ferry. This letter notified the Secretary that such a raid had been organized to be led by John Brown for emancipation of the slaves and that it would enter Virginia at Harper's Ferry, probably very soon.
The Secretary, when called before the committee* and shown the letter, testified as follows :
''I received ibis letter last summer in Virginia. My attention was a little more than usuai attracted to it, and I laid it away in my trunk. I receive many anonymous letters and pay no attention to them. I do not know but that I should have paid attention to this, notwithstanding it was anonymous, as the writer seemed to be particular in the details; but 1 knew there was no armory in Maryland, and supposed he had gone into details for the purpose of exciting the alarm of the Secretary of War and have a parade. I was satisfied in my own mind that a sdieme of such wickedness and outrage could not be entertained by any of the citizens of the United States. I thought no more of the letter until the raid broke out. Then I instantly remembered it and believed the first intelligence that we received from Harper's Ferry to be true, because I recollected the con- tents of the letter. I had shown the letter to nobody except a member of my family, until the outbreak at Harper's Ferry. Immediately after the outbreak the letter was hunted up and published. The object in publishing it was to show that the raid had more significance than a mere local out- break, and that the country might be put on guard against anything like a
* See Report of Senate Committee, pp. 261-262.
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concerted moyement. I had no means of knowing who wrote the letter^ A gentleman in Cincinnati, whom I knew, wrote to me for the letter be- lieving that the liandwriting might be traced. The writer waa not dis- covered, hut they had strong suspicions that a certain person somewhere in Kentucky had written it."
Had this letter of warning been heeded what a mighty change wonld have been wrought in our country ^s history I For more than thirty-six years this letter has been the sub- ject of historical controversy. The most sMUf ul detectives were employed by government officials, assisted by experi- enced experts in handwriting, to hunt down and locate the author. It was believed by Floyd, Mason, Davis and Gov- ernor Wise, that if the writer of this letter could be found, he might be compelled to disclose the names of the persons from whom he learned the facts mentioned in the Floyd letter, and evidence might thus be secured to implicate prominent Abolitionists and Bepublicans in the conspir- acy. But all efforts failed. Some have charged that it was written by Hugh Forbes, who was at one time em- ployed by John Brown to drill his men. They had subse- quently quarreled and it was thought by Brown's friends that Forbes had betrayed them. Richard J. Hinton, the author of ** John Brown and His Men,'M)elieved the let- ter was written by Edmund Babb, an editorial writer on the Cincinnati Gazette^ and gives his reasons, supported by some corroborating circumstances.*
F. B. Sanborn, another intimate friend and author of ^* life and Letters of John Brown,*' says, ** It has never been ascertained who wrote this letter. *' He thinks it might have been by a Cincinnati newspaper reporter, who had procured the information from a Hungarian refugee who had fought under Brown in Kansas. ** Or it is i>ossi- ble the information came indirectly from Cook, who talked
too freely. **t The letter has been published in newspapers and maga-
• " John Brown and His Hen," pp. 253-266.
t pp. 648-544 of " Life mnd Letters of John Brown."
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zinesy in the report of the Senate Investigating Committee and ill most of the numerous biographies of John Brown. Bev. J. L. Coppoc, brother of Edwin and Barclay Coppoc, thought the letter was written by Bichard Bealf, the poet, who was one of Brown's associates at Springdale.
In December, 1896, the author of this history prepared the following account of the origin of this letter, the pur- pose for which it was written and the manner in which its autlior obtained the information it contained. After the lapse of thirty-five years and the death of nearly all of the l^ersons connected with the tragic events which inspired it, the only two persons living who had knowledge of its or- igin and author, decided to divulge the long kept secret and thus settle the controversy.
*In August, 1859, tiiere were living with me in our log cabin on the banks of Bock Creek in the northwest comer of Scott County, Iowa, a cousin, A. L. Smith, of Buffalo, N. Y., and my youngest brother, David J. Gue, now of New York City. On the Thirteenth they drove to Springdale to visit Moses Vamey, who was an old friend of Smith. Dur- ing their stay the exciting topic of conversation among the Quakers of the village was ** Old John Brown '' and his men. They had made warm friends among the peaceful people of the settlement and several young men had gone from their homes to join John Brown's mysterious expe- dition. Enough had been told to his most trusted friends to arouse fears that the expedition he was organizing could not succeed and must end in the violent death of all engaged in it. On Sunday evening Moses Vamey took Smith one side and revealed to him in confidence what he knew of Brown's expedition. He felt that something must be done to save Brown, his followers and the young men from Springdale, who had gone to join him, from the cer- tain and terrible fate to which they were hastening. When Vamey had finished his narrative so startling and well- nigh incredible as it appeared to Smith, he exclaimed,
• Published in the Midland Monthly, In Februaiy, 1807.
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** What can we do! What must we do to save their lives? '* For two hours they talked and thought of various plans, but came to no decision. When they were about to separate, Yamey exclaimed:
** Something must be done to save their Uves. I can- not betray their confidence in me— consult your friends— but do something ! ' '
On their long ride home Mr. Smith and my brother tried to think of some plan by which the tragedy could be avert- ed without harm to the stem old emancipator, who was ¥rilling to risk liberty and life even for the slaves. In the evening they related to me the fearful secret which had been confided to them by our Springdale friend, and Yamey 's earnest appeal to us to devise some plan to save the little band from aknost certain death. We consulted together long and earnestly late into the night, and de- termined that these young men and their fearless and im- movable leader must not be left to march to inevitable de- feat and destruction if it were in our power to prevent it.
Moses Yamey had informed Smith that he and several other trusted friends of Brown had used all their powers of persuasion and entreaty to induce him to abandon a scheme so hopeless and so sure to end in the violent death of scores of persons. But no impression could be made upon him. Brown had a prophetic faith that he was or- dained to overthrow American slavery and that the time he had so long waited for had come at last. The prepara- tions of a lifetime seemed to him to have culminated in this plan. He was sure that in some way, not yet clearly devel- oped, he was now leading his heroic band to an assault which would result in the liberation of the slaves. Against such a faith and such devotion, no argument or entreaty could prevail. His youthful followers had implicit confi- dence in their leader and were imbued with the same spirit of martyrdom. The certainty of extreme personal danger made no impression upon these devoted men. We realized that whatever was to be done to, prevent the impending
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tragedy must be in another direction, that if anything was to be done we must do it We could not betray the confi- dence of that noble and humane Quaker, Moses Yamey, who, in an agony of apprehension over the fate of hi9 friends and neighbors, looked to us to devise some way to avert it. We were young and inexperienced in public af- fairs but dared not consult older and wiser persons. The night was wearing away and we knew there was no time to lose. It is likely a better plan might have been devised by wiser heads, but this is what we finally determined to do.
We would send two letters to the Secretary of War from different localities notifying him of the contemplated raid. These letters would give him enough facts to alarm him and cause prompt steps to be taken to guard the National Armory at Harper's Ferry. This would become known to Cook, one of John Brown's trusted officers, who was un- derstood to be at that place quietly taking observations preliminary to the attack. He would notify his command- er, who could easily lead his men to safety in that moun- tain region.
It was not an easy matter to so word these letters that they should alarm the Secretary and lead to prompt ac- tion. They must be anonymous and to spur the Depart- ment to move at once we considered it necessary to give the name of the leader whose late assaults upon slavery were weU known throughout the country. We must carefully conceal from the i>ossibility of finding out the names of the writers of these letters and the place from which they were written, so that we could not be called upon to give evi- dence as to the sources of our information, or in any way implicate our Springdale friends with a knowledge of the raid. Neither would we give any names or clue to x>ersons who could be used as witnesses against John Brown or his men if any of them should be arrested. So, in our little log cabin, the letters were written to John B. Floyd, Secretary of War. A. L. Smith,* wrote one dated Philadel-
* A. L. Smith was a young man from Buffalo. N. T. He returned to that city where he became a wholesale merchant and died many years ago.
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phia, August 18, 1859. It was indosed in an envelope, sealed and addressed to the Secretary at Washington, D. C, and a stamp put on it. The letter was then inclosed in a larger enveloi)e, sealed and addressed to the post- master at Philadelphia. It was mailed at Wheatland, a village in Clinton Connty. David J. Gne* wrote the other letter, which has became historic, of which the following is a copy:
OiNOiNirATiy August 20. Ban. Mr. Floyd, Beoreta/ry of Wwr, WtuMngton, D. C:
Sib: I have lately reoeiyed information of a movement of so great im- portance that I feel it my duty to impart it to you without delay. I have discovered the eodstenoe of a secret organization having for its object the liberation of the slaves at the South l^ a general insurrection. The leader of the movement is " Old John Brown," late of Kansas. He has been in Canada during the winter drilling the negroes there, and they are only waiting his word to start for the 8outh to assbt the slaves. They have one of their leading men (a white man) in an armory in Maryland — ^where it is situated I have not been able to leam. As soon as everything is ready those of their number who are in the Northern States and Canada are to come in small companies to their rendezvous, which is in the mountains of Virginia. They will pass down through Pennsylvania and Maryland, and enter Virginia at Harper's Ferry. Brown left the North about three or four weeks ago, and will arm the n^proes and strike the blow in a few weeks, so that whatever is done must be done at once. They have a large quantity of arms at their rendezvous, and are probably distributing them already. As I am not fuUy in their confidence, this is all the information I can give you. I dare not sign my name to this, but trust that you will not disregard the warning on that account.
This letter was pnt into an envelope addressed to John B. Floyd, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C, and marked ** Private/^ It was then inclosed in a larger en- velope directed to the postmaster at Cincinnati, and mailed at Big Bock. We songht to convey to the Secretary the impression that the writers of these letters lived in dif- ferent parts of the conntry, that they had accidentally learned something of Brown's raid, that they had no sym- pathy with him and his expedition and felt it a dnty to
* D. J. Gae was about twenty-tbree years of a^e at that time. He went to New York City, where he became an artist and portrait painter.
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warn the Govemment of the proposed attack. We hoped in this way to induce the Secretary to send a strong mili- tary guard to Harper's Ferry, which would at once be- come known to the old emancipator and avert the dreaded tragedy. But it was not to be.
We anxiously watched the pai)ers for many weeks to learn whether tiie letters had accomplished their mission. Two months passed by and we began to hope the expedi- tion had been abandoned. But on Monday, October 24th, the weekly mail brought our Tribune and there we read the fatal news. The blow had fallen, the second battle in the war for emancipation had been fought and lost. John Brown was desi)erately wounded, most of his little band were killed, wounded and captured.
A short time before the execution of the undaunted lead- er and his surviving comrades, this letter of warning came to light and was published in the principal papers of the country, as related by Secretary Floyd in his testimony before the Senate Committee. Whether the other letter ever reached him is unknown. But in the course of his evi- dence he states that he frequently received anonymous let- ters and gave no attention to them, among whidi he men- tions one from Philadelphia.
Almost half a century has passed away since the trag- edy at Harper's Ferry. As insignificant as was the affair when viewed as a battle, the impression that it has made upon impartial, thinking people throughout the civilized world has hardly been surpassed by any great conflict of modem times. When such men as Emerson, Theodore Parker, Frederic Douglass, Gerrit Smith, WendeU Phil- lips, and even Governor Henry A. Wise, the great Ger- man historian Von Hoist, Victor Hugo and Louis Blanc, were profoundly impressed with the life and martyrdom of John Brown, the smaller men and short-sighted i>oliti- cians who have never comprehended his sublime ideals can well be left to sneer at his battles for freedom of the slaves.
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In looking back npon the Kansas War for free soil, the assanlt upon slavery at Harper's Ferry, which precipitat- ed the great Civil War a few years later, the sublime fig-' ure of John Brown, the most conspicuous leader in the armed conilicts, stands out preeminent. Denounced at the time by superficial observers and writers as a half- crazy, fanatical incendiary, cruel and relentless in his warfare, for a time his motives were misunderstood. But when the ordeal came and he faced his accusers in court, asking no favors, but justifying his mission, he calmly ascended the scaffold and serenely suffered a martyr's death.
On the day of his execution Victor Hugo, in exile, wrote these prophetic words: ** John Brown, condemned to death, is to be hanged to-day. His hangman is not Gov- ernor Wise, nor the little State of Virginia. His hang- man (we shudder to think it and say it) is the whole Amer- ican Bepublic. Politically speaking, the murder of Brown will be an irrevocable mistake. It will deal the Union a concealed wound which will finally sunder the States.^ ^ A few months later he wrote: ** Slavery in all its forms will disappear. What the South slew last December was not John Brown, but slavery. The American Union must be considered dissolved. Between the North and the South stands the gallows of Brown. Union is no longer possi- ble. Such a crime cannot be shared. ' '
These words of the great French apostle of liberty at- tracted little attention at the time of their utterance, but two years later the great Army of the Potomac, a hundred thousand strong, was marching through Virginia singing to the stirring music of fife and drum :
" John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave, But his soul is marching on."
Harper's Ferry was the thrice fought battle-field of the hosts of Freedom and Slavery, until at Appomattox the last remnant of barbarism was forever crushed out of the
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American Bepublic by the legions of Grant and Sheridan. Victor Hugo's prophecy was fulfilled and among the names of the most conspicuous leaders of the war against human slavery will forever stand that of the man who per- ished on the scaffold at Charlestown^ for striking that in- stitution one of its most deadly blows.
One of the last utterances of the hero of Ossawattomie was: ** I do not now reproach myself for my failure. I did what I could I think I cannot better serve the cause I love so much than to die for if
As a leader he inspired his followers with the same ab- horrence of human slavery that he had entertained during all the mature years of his life. Every man of his Har- per's Ferry band was willing to give his life, if need be, for the overthrow of slavery. No one was more impressed with this conviction than Governor Wise. Manly forti- tude under sentence of death and upon the scaffold im- pressed the court, the Governor and the Southern people with the unwelcome conviction that slavery was in peril, when men would die for the liberation of its helpless vic- tims. From that hour the most sagacious of its defenders realized that the institution was doomed unless the South united under a separate government for its preservation. Secession, Civil War and Emancipation followed.
The most important work of the Eighth General Assem- bly was the consideration of the report of a commission selected by the previous Legislature to revise and codify the laws of the State. Their elaborate work was carefully reviewed, and, with some amendments, enacted and pub- lished as the '* Revision of I860.'' W. H. F. Gurley, of Scott County, chairman of the committee of ways and means, in the House, framed new revenue laws which with few changes, remained on the statute books for more than a quarter 6f a century, working a great reform in the col- lection of taxes.
Under the provisions of the law for the establishment of the State Bank of Iowa there had been twelve branches
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organized and put in operation before the close of the second year, 1859. The branches were located at Mosca- tine, Dnbuqne, Keokuk, Mount Pleasant, Davenport, Iowa City, Des Moines, Oskaloosa, Lyons, Washington, Bur- lington and Fort Madison* The amount of paid-up capital was $460,450; the amount of currency issued, $563,836. Applications were pending for the establishment of four additional branches at the close of the year. The law imder which the State Bank was authorized was so care- fully framed that there seemed no opportunity for evading its salutary requirements. The system was popular with the people who desired a sound currency and security for deposits. No banks had been established under the ** Free Banking Law,'' because of its conservative re- quirements. There were many capitalists in the State, however, who wished a more liberal law under which they could establish banks. They came before the Eighth General Assembly and managed to convince a majority of its members ttiat the Free Banking Law was too rigid and was keeping capital out of the State, which, under a more liberal law, would be sent here to establish banks and provide the people with an abundance of cur- rency. The arguments were plausible and met with favor. R. G. Kellogg, of Decatur County, introduced a bill to amend the general banking law, permitting the organiza- tion of banks with a capital of $25,000 in towns of less than five hundred inhabitants and abolishing the office of Bank Commissioners as provided by law. The bill was favor- ably received, and, with some amendments, passed both branches of the General Assembly. When sent to Gov- ernor Kirkwood for approval, he returned it with a veto. His objections were that it was unwise to dispense with Bank Commissioners, who were the special guardians of the depositors and bill holders, whose duty it was to make examinations of the condition of the banks to see that the laws were strictly complied with. He also regarded un- favorably the establishment of banks in small towns in-
[Vol. 2]
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aooessible to the biU holders who might wish to present the currency for redemption. He was farther opposed to a large issue of paper money as dangerous and cited the heavy losses heretofore entailed upon our citizens through flooding the State with irredeemable paper money. The bin was not passed over the veto and no Banks were ever established under the provisions of the General Banking Law.
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THE GREAT TORNADO OF JUNE, 1860. DESTRUCTION OF CAMANCHE
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THE greatest tornado that ever swept over Iowa was formed from a hail storm whieh was first seen on the prairies of Calhomi and Webster connties, on Smiday, June 3, 1860, at abont half -past three 0 'dock. The been sultry with the exception of eze. The wind continually shifted another, and, after blowing for a i As the day advanced the heat id not a breath of air was stirring, cattle and horses in the pastures k1 about throwing their heads into irbed by some unusual apprehen- 7 along the fences seeking a place gathered in the groves and shade- The dogs were seen snu£Sng the r something unusual was approach- Lghtly prairie elevation from which t a great distance to the west and ^med unusually clear and the trees e of seventeen miles, were plainly ad very seldom been known. At loticed in the west just appearing IS of light-colored clouds in a long ; from far in the north away to the / arose and in half an hour we could see below them ilie darkest blue-black continuous doud that I remember to have seen, reaching the whole distance from north to south. Soon a light haze of a bluish green tint began to be visible in the atmosphere. At this time the air seemed to be most profoundly still and oppressive. The uneasiness of all domestic animals increased. Those
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running at large upon the prairie ranges were seen ap- proaching the settlements in anxious haste. As the long line of clouds slowly arose, the lower portion, which seemed to touch the earth, became of inky blackness. We could now faintly hear long continued rumble of thunder and for some time sharp tongues of lightning had been visible. The atmosphere, the haze and the rising bank of clouds had a weird unnatural appearance and the oppres- siveness of the lifeless heat became almost unendurable. It was now noticed for the first time that the light-colored upper clouds, which resembled the dense smoke of a great prairie fire, were rapidly moving from the north and south toward the center of the storm cloud, and, as they met, were violently agitated like boiling water descending in a rapid movement to the black cloud below. We were all now intently watching this strange movement, something we had never before seen, when the thought flashed across my mind— this is a tornado! The cloud had now been in sight about three-quarters of an hour and the vivid flash- ing of the lightning and steady roar of the thunder were continuous.
The wind came in gusts from the east, dianging to the south, and again suddenly veering to the north, then dying away into a dead calm. The cloud was now rising rapidly and trailing below it seemed to be an immense fun- nel, the lower end of which appeared to be dragging on the ground. We could hear a steady roar, very heavy but not loud, like an immense freight train crossing a bridge. Looking toward a grove some three miles distant in the path of the black trailing cloud we saw high up in the air great trees, torn and shattered, thrown by the force of the whirlwind outside of its vortex and falling toward the earth. My family had gone into the cellar, which was of large rocks, upon which rested the balloon frame house. T stood close by the outside doorway, ready to spring in if the fearful black swaying trail should come toward the house. It appeared to be passing about half a mile north
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of us. The sight, while grand and fearful, was too fasci- nating to be lost unless the danger became imminent The roar was now awful, and a terrific wind was blowing di- rectly toward the swaying, twisting black trail, which seemed to be sweeping down into the ground. It was now coming directly toward the log house of my nearest neigh- bor on the north, and I saw the family run out and down a steep bluflf of Bock Creek and cling to the willows. Sud- denly the funnel rose into the air and I could see falling to the earth, tree tops, rails, boards, pests and every con- ceivable broken fragment of wrecked buildings. We watched the angry clouds as they swept by toward the east. It was an awe-inspiring sight. The whirlwind column which had so suddenly risen from the earth seemed ab- sorbed and lost in the rolling, tumbling, mass of clouds that overshadowed the eastern sky. The sight was ap- palling as the cloud of inky blackness settled down to the earth again in the distance, sweeping on with a mighty power, glowing with a thousand forked tongues of light- ning as the very earth seemed to tremble beneath the in- cessant roar of thunder. No pen or tongue can convey to the mind a true picture of the frightful sights and sounds that lurked in the rear of that irresistible tornado as it was tlien gathering greater power of destruction to over- whelm and crush the town of Camanche.
When we recovered from the terrors inspired by a nar- row escape from instant destruction, a few of us followed the path of the tornado to learn something of the devasta- tion wrought. Night was fast approaching and we hur- ried along the trail marked by the tearing up of the young grass and growing grain, broken rails, fence posts pulled out of the ground, shattered limbs of trees, the whole covered with a slimy coating of mud. When we reached the grove we found great trees torn up by the roots and swept into piles in ravines as though carried there by a mighty flood. Other trees had been caught by a rotary power and whirled around and around until they
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hung by a mass of fine splinters to their stmnps. Others, green and fnll of life, had been entirely stripped of their bark even into the small limbs. Nothing conld better show the irresistible rotary motion of the whirlwind. Beyond the grove we followed the fearful path thickly strewn with the shivered and splintered fragments of a neighbor's house until we reached the cellar, all that remained of the family home of two hours before. Several of the inmates were terribly injured, while others had strangely escaped. We returned home dreading to hear the tidings that were sure to come from the east and west At ten o'clock that night we were aroused by some emigrants who had been caught in a part of the tornado many miles to the east and were so terrified by the dreadful scenes they had witnessed that they fled from the horror, too dazed to realize that they were out of danger. We learned from them that twelve miles east, in Clinton County, houses and bams had been swept away, scores of people killed and mangled, animals killed and strewn over the farms and along the highway, and the roads obstructed by shattered trees. Day after day the news came of death and desolation until this was finally known to be the greatest tornado which has ever swept over any Northern State.
Investigation showed the storm to have gathered in east- em Nebraska as an ordinary thunder shower, about one o'clock p.m. An hour later it passed over Sioux City, where the rain was very heavy, with but little wind. Through Cherokee and Buena Vista counties there was strong wind. In Calhoun and Webster counties it was attended with hail, which did considerable damage. In Hamilton County it was refinf orced by other heavy clouds, which were driven toward it by air currents, and the hailstones increased in size. The clouds came together from different directions and the rotary motion developed. Column-like masses of cloud depended from time to time and the vol- ume of wind increased as it bore southeastward into Hardin County. New Providence was a little country vil-
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lage in the south part of the county, and was largely set- tled by Quakers. Most of them were at an afternoon meeting some distance south of the town, out of the track of the storm, which had now become a tornado with its tmnk*like trail dragging on the ground It struck the vil- lage from the northwest ; eleven houses were torn to pieces and several persons injured. It passed south of Eldora and crossing the Iowa Biver at Sanderson's mill, swept a clean path through the woods and passed on llirough a comer of Marshall, Tama and Benton counties, in a di- rection to miss most of the settlements. The destroy- ing funnel appears here to have risen, as little damage was done. As it approached linn, near Palo, two funnel- 8hai)ed clouds settled down toward the earth and the work of destruction began anew. These clouds were several miles apart, passing Cedar Bapids, one on the north and the other to the south. The storm passed near Bertram and just missed Mount Vernon. At Lisbon, the freight depot, a large warehouse, and a freight train of ten load- ed cars were completely destroyed* The north branch of the tornado now passed into Jones County, while the south branch swept into Cedar. The Jones County branch imssed through Greenfield and Bome townships. The southwest branch of the tornado swept through the north part of Cedar County, destroying fourteen houses and one church, killing ten persons and wounding twenty-two. About five miles east of the Wapsipinicon Biver the two branches united and a broad black column again descend- ed, which now swept on through the south part of Clinton County with a wider sweep and accelerated force. With a propelling power driving it eastward at a rate of seven- ty miles an hour and a rotary motion of inconceivable velocity the storm proceeded on its work of destruction. In many places the path of the tornado was from eighty to one hundred and sixty rods in width and this track was left a desert waste. Scores of people were killed and mangled and beautiful homes swept out of existence.
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As it neared the town of Camanche, the appearance of the storm was awful beyond description. The light of day was blotted out and the roar of the elements stilled every voice and blanched the cheek of the bravest. No escape seemed possible- Many families ran to the cellars, while others huddled together and clung to each other in their terror. The full fury of the united tornadoes struck the village at seven o'clock in the evening. One who visited the ruins the next morning gives the following description of the sights :
"Amid the devastation that met the eye and is utterly indescribable, wherever a few boards hung together were gathered the survivors, some slumbering, others sitting in despair mourning the loved and lost; some nursing the wounded, while many lay dead side by side in rough boxes in a building. The tornado had swept through the town a quarter of a mile wide, literally prostrating everything before it. The town was not a mass of ruins^ but it looked as though the houses and their contents w^e liter- ally scattered. There were fragments of what had been houses everywhere. All that was left of Camanche was a few houses and all of these injured. No houses were left in the direct track of the tornado, and those at the edges were riddled as if by cannon shot. In many cases broken timbers had been hurled through houses, carrying death and destruction. Eleven store buildings fronting on the river were piled in ruins, and much of them with their contents were swept into the river. There is not a business house in the town left unimpaired, and nearly every one was totally de- stroyed. The scene was appalling and cannot be described."
Thirty-nine business houses were totally destroyed, be- sides two churches and two hotels. Forty-one persons were instantly killed, and more than eighty lacerated and mutilated in every conceivable form. Of the three hun- dred and fifty dwelling houses in the town not fifty were left uninjured, and eight hundred and sixty persons were homeless. Crossing the river the tornado struck Albany, on the Illinois side, swept on eastward through the entire State, killing eleven persons, wounding more than fifty, and destroying an immense amount of property. Cross- ing Lake Michigan north of Chicago we last hear of it in Ottawa County, Michigan, where it had exhausted its de-
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structive power as a tornado after having traveled more than four hundred miles as a whirlwind, and a hundred and fifty miles additional as a severe hail, rain and wind storm. When it is remembered that in 1860 the larger part of the country over which the tornado passed was sparsely settled, the magnitude of this greatest storm that ever visited the northern latitudes can be realized.
From the most reliable information obtainable, the fol- lowing estimate was made of the destruction of life and property :
Hardin County— Killed 7, wounded 27, houses destroyed 37. Loss $75,000.
Linn and Marshall Counties— Killed 22, wounded 51, houses destroyed 26. Loss, $175,000.
Cedar County— Killed 3, wounded 13, houses destroyed 8. Loss, $15,000.
Jones County— Killed 9, wounded 30, houses destroyed 13. Loss, $30,000.
Clinton County— Killed 74, wounded 155, houses de- stroyed 168. Loss, $450,000.
Illinois— Killed 26, wounded 53, houses destroyed 60. Loss, $200,000. ^
Total— Killed 141, wounded 329, houses destroyed, 312. Loss, $945,000.
Many of the injured died of their wounds, bringing the fatalities up to nearly two hundred. The storm crossed the Missom'i River at Sioux City at^bout two o'clock p.m., on Sunday, striking Camanche at seven and reach- ing the northeast comer of Ottawa County, Michigan, at about midnight, a total distance of about five hundred and sixty miles in ten hours, or an average velocity of fifty-six miles an hour. But it was observed that during the time the storm traveled as a destroying tornado it swept over the country at a velocity of about sixty-six miles an hour. It is estimated by several meteorologists who made care-
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ful investigation to ascertain the velocity of the circular motion of the wind which wrought such fearful destruc- tion, that it was at the rate of about three hundred miles an hour, or something more than that of a cannon ball fired wilii a full charge of powder. Among the incidents of the passage of the tornado, which led to this belief, were the following: scores of live hickory and oak trees were found in the path with the bark entirely peeled off, even including that on the small limbs; hundreds of chickens were found stripped of every feather. Sills of houses were found driven endwise into the side of ravines so far that it took two or three teams to pull them out. Oak shingles were driven through the sides of houses and bams fast into the trunks of trees. Spokes were torn from wagon wheels and driven into the bodies of people and animals with fatal effects.
The Bepublican National Convention assembled at Chi- cago, on the 16th of May, 1860, for the purpose of nomi- nating candidates for President and Vice-President. Un- usual interest was aroused throughout the North over the meeting of this convention, for there was a belief wide- spread that if the action was wise and harmonious, it was possible to elect a Bepublican President. So great was the desire of politicians to become members of the convention that Iowa Republicans sent thirty-two delegates, while entitled to but eight votes. Among these delegates were John A. Kasson, William Penn Clark, Henry O'Connor, James F. Wilson, WiUiam B. Allison, Alvin Saunders, C. P. Clarkson, J. B. Grinnell, William M. Stone, C. C. Nourse, Reuben Noble, H. M. Hoxie, N. J. Rusch, William P. Hepburn, Jacob Butler and William Smytii, all oft whom have since attained prominence in Iowa and the Nation. John A. Kasson was the Iowa member of the Committee on Resolutions, and he, with Horace Greeley, formed the subcommittee which drafted the platform of that famous convention. Iowa divided its vote between William H. Seward, the great Antislavery leader and
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twenty States representing the Constitutional-Union Party. It adopted for a platform the Constitution, and de- clared adherence to the union of the States and the enforce- ment of the laws. John Bell was nominated for President and Edward Everett for Vice-President.
The old Whig party had now disappeared, and is no more heard of in American politics. Slavery, the crime against civilization, had no lonirer use for a party of com- promises but demanded the support and protection of the National Government. The Republicans sternly— and the Douglas Democrats mildly— resisted such demands. The Constitution-Union party was neutral and the Breckin- ridge Democrats were aggressive in support of slavery. All minor issues were overshadowed and the great conflict between freedom and slavery aroused the most intense in- terest of the entire country.
The Republican State Convention met at Iowa City, May 23d, 1860, and nominated Elijah Sells for Secretary of State; J. W. Cattell for Auditor; J. W. Jones, Treas- urer ; C. C. Nourse, Attorney-General ; A. B. Miller, Reg- ister Land Office and George G. Wright for Supreme Judge. The resolutions indorsed the platform and can- didates of the National Republican Convention.
The Democratic State Convention was held at Des Moines on the 12th of July, and nominated the following candidates for State officers : J. M. Corse,* Secretary of State; G. W. Maxfield, Auditor; J. W. Ellis, Treasurer; Patrick Robb, Register; D. F. Miller, Supreme Judge. The convention indorsed the candidates of the Douglas wing of the Democratic National Conventions and de- clared for economy in State expenses, a revision of the Constitution and radical changes in the banking system.
The campaign was a warm one, the candidates for elec- tors took the field and advocated the respective platforms of their parties with vigor, arousing enthusiasm and fierce antagonisms, which resulted in bringing out a large vote.
* Corse became a dlstlnsuiBhed officer in the War of the Rebellion.
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The result was the election of the Republican candidates by the following vote :
Republican average vote 70,300
Douglas Democrats average vote 55,000
Constitution-Union average vote 1,750
Breckinridge Democrats average vote 1,035
Republican plurality 15,300
The Republican State ticket received an average plural- ity of 13,670.
In the First District, Samuel R. Curtis, Republican, was elected to Congress over Chester C. Cole, Democrat In the Second District, William Vandever, Republican, was elected over Ben M. Samuels, Democrat. Iowa had now become one of the firm Republican States and as long as American slavery was an issue in politics her people con- tinued to stand for freedom.
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CHAPTER IV
THE invasion of Virginia by John Brown with twenty-one armed followers, having for its avowed object the forcible liberation of slaves, struck terror to the hearts of the slaveholders of the entire South. The cour- age with which he and his followers met their fate, demonstrated the fact that there were those at the North who were so earnestly devoted to the emancipa- tion of the slaves that they were willing to give their lives for the freedom of the oppressed, as in the war of the American Bevolution. The martyrdom of John Brown and his band had won the admiration of the friends of lib- erty throughout the whole civilized world and had con- vinced the most sagacious defenders of the slave system in the South, that the war upon American slavery would never cease until that institution was overthrown. They at last realized that the Antislavery movement inaugu- rated by William Lloyd Garrison had grown to such form- idable proportions that the destruction of slavery in the United States was only a question of time. The crusade begun by an obscure printer in Boston, who had been dragged through that city with a rope around his neck for publicly advocating the abolition of slavery, in less than thirty years had spread over the entire North and now numbered among its converts hundreds of thousands of earnest and conscientious disciples. The Republican party, which had just elected a President, was founded upon opposition to the extension of slavery. The Consti- tution alone stood between slavery and its gradual exter- mination. The realization of these facts led the defenders of the institution to counsel together, to devise some scheme by which it could be perpetuated. They finally de-
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termined upon secession from the Union. This was de- cided upon at a conference of prominent politicians held at the residence of Senator Hammond, near Augusta, Georgia, on the 25th of October, 1860. It was evident then that with the Democratic party divided, supporting two candidates for President, the election of Abraham Lin- coln, the Republican candidate, was inevitable. The con- ference decided that in the event of the election of Lin- coln, South Carolina should at once secede from the Union and that other Southern States should follow. Soon after the result of the election was known, a convention was called in South Carolina for the purpose of accomplishing the secession of that State. The convention assembled on the 17th of December, and on the 20th the ordinance of se- cession was passed by a unanimous vote. The action of South Carolina caused great apprehension throughout the country that a long and bloody conflict might be precipi- tated and earnest efforts were made by many prominent statesmen and citizens to secure a peaceful settlement of the controversy. Public meetings were held in many large cities of the North, having extensive trade interests and close political affiliations with the South, for the purpose of urging such concessions to the slaveholding States as were demanded to keep them in the Union. A great ** Peace Meeting " was held in Lidependence Square, Philadelphia, on the 13th of December, 1860, which was addressed by prominent Democrats and old line Whigs in the interest of concessions to the demands of the slave power. The resolutions adopted may be briefly smnmar- ized as follows : ' ' In the hope of winning back the seced- ing states and retaining the trade, custom and profits which we have hitherto derived from the South, we hereby pledge ourselves nevermore to say or do, or permit our neighbors to do, anything calculated to displease our Southern brethren or offend the slave holders/* On the 31st of January, 1861, a great ** Peace Conven-
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tion " assembled at Albany, New York. It was composed of thirty members and ex-members of Congress, several ex-Oovemors, State officers, members of the Legislature, Judges and the most distinguished leaders of the Demo- cratic, Whig and ** American *' parties. The speeches made and resolutions passed were in favor of making such concessions to slavery as were required by the seceding States and were hailed with undisguised exultation by the secessionists still lingering in the halls of Congress, one of whom exclaimed upon reading them, '* If your Presi- dent should attempt coercion he will have more opposition at the North than he can overcome." On the other hand, the Republicans, War Democrats and Free Soil men, in public meetings, in the State Legislatures and through the press took a firm stand in favor of the maintenance of the Union, enforcement of the laws and suppression of rebel- lion, if it should come.
The Legislature of Virginia issued a unanimous call for a ** Peace Conference, '* to be held in Washington on the 4th of February, at which all of the States were requested to send delegates. Twenty States were represented in this conference, thirteen free and seven slave. At the request of Governor Kirkwood, our Senators and Representatives in Congress, Grimes, Harlan, Curtis and Vandever, repre- sented Iowa in this convention. Ex-President John Tyler, of Virginia, presided over its deliberations. Governor Kirkwood sent a letter to our Congressmen expressing very clearly the general sentiment of the loyal people of the North as to the action of this conference. He wrote:
" If you find the convention in eameet in trying to save the Union, per- mit me to make a few suggestions: First — ^the true policy of every good citizen is to set his face like flint against secession. Second — ^to call it by its true name, treason: to use his influence in all Intimate ways to put it down: steadily to obey the laws, and stand by the Qovemment in all lawful measures it may adopt for its preservation, and to the people and eonstituted authorities to correct under the constituti<Mi any errors that may have been committed, or wrongs that may have been suffered. But
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if compromises must be the order of the day, that compromise must not be a concession by one side of all the other side demands, nor all for which the conceding side has been contending. In other words, the North must not be expected to yield all the South asks, all the North has contended for and won, and then call that a compromise. That is not compromise, and would not bring peace."
In the proceediiigs of the ^^ Peace Conference '' each State had one vote, and after deliberating twenty-three days, a plan for compromise was adopted by a vote of a majority of the States, and submitted to Congress with a request that it be submitted by that body to the different States to be by them adopted as an amendment to the Con- stitution. The proposition was rejected by the Senate by the decisive vote of seven yeas to twenty-eight nays. The House took no action upon it. Various plans for compro- mise were proposed in Congress and urged with great earnestness and eloquence; but no agreement could be reached by that body acceptable to the leaders of the seces- sion movement
Early in January, 1861, Governor Kirkwood made a visit to Abraham Lincoln, President-elect, to confer with him in a quiet way upon the perilous condition of the coun- try. At this conference Governor Kirkwood said to Mr. Lincoln:
''The people of low^ are very much excited oyer the condition of the country; that they are devotedly attached to the Union of the States and will never consent to its dissolution on any terms. They are not to be frightened into abandoning their principles by bluster or bravado. You may depend upon them to sustain you to the utmost in their power in preserving peace, if that can be fairly done, and in preserving the Union in any event and at whatever cost."
Mr. Lincoln expressed great satisfaction at what the Governor said of the intentions of the people of Iowa to give earnest support to his administration. He said he had strong hopes that a safe and peaceful solution of our troubles might yet be had. That it seemed to him incredible that any large portion of our people, even in the States
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threatening seoession, could really desire a dissolution of the Union that had done them nothing but good— his own opinion that Congress had not the power to abolish slavery in the States where it existed, was well known be- fore his nomination. The convention by which he was nominated with full knowledge of that opinion nomi- nated him, and with full knowledge of both these facts he had been constitutionally elected. He would not con- sent to, or advise his friends to consent to, any bargain or compromise that amounted to a purchase of the constitu- tional rights growing out of the election. So doing would invite defeated parties in future elections to pursue the course now being pursued with the hoi>e of achieving like success by similar means, thus reducing our Oovemment to a level with Mexico, which is in constant fear of revolu- tion. He would bear and forbear much to preserve the integrity of the Union, but if the issue was clearly made between war and a dissolution of the Union, however much he might regret the necessity, he would use all of the constitutional powers of the Oovemment for its preserva- tion, relying upon justice and the patriotism of the people for success.
Governor Kirkwood said of this interview thirty years later:
"^ I left for home with a strong eonTiction, whidi nerer left mB» tlUti he was the right man in the right pUoe, and that eonTietioB grew etroager U> the end of my life.**
Before the President-elect was inaugurated, seven States had seceded from the Union, and had organized armies to seize its forts and resist the execution of its laws. On the 12th of April, 1861, the Rebel army in South Caro- lina, under General Beauregard, opened fire on Fort Sum- ter and on the 14th the fort surrendered. The news of the inauguration of war produced the most intense excitement throughout the country. On the 15th President Lincoln
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issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteers to sup- press the insurrection. No one at that time realized the magnitude of the war so suddenly forced upon the coun- try. The people of the rebellious States believe that after a brief conflict they would be able to establish a new government and an independent nation. The people of the loyal States were confident that the insurrection would be speedily suppressed by the army, navy and the volun- teer soldiers.
Iowa had no military organization with the exception of a few independent companies and no laws providing for efficient equipment or muster of the State militia. As early as January, 1861, when the country seemed to be drifting toward civil war, these companies began to pre- pare for the dreaded emergency. Burlington possessed a well drilled rifle company under the command of Captain C. L. Matthies, which tendered its services to the Governor about the first of January. On the 17th, the ** Washing- ton Light Guards,'' of Washington County were tendered to the Governor by its captain, H. R. Cowles ; and on the 20th the ** Governor's Greys," of Dubuque, under Cap- tain F. J. Herron, volunteered to enter the service at any time they should be needed. This last company was ten- dered to President Buchanan by Governor Kirkwood in a letter to Hon. Joseph Holt, then Secretary of War. The *' Union Guards," of Columbus City, the '* Burlington Zouaves," and the ** Mount Pleasant Greys " were also among tiie earliest volunteers to tender their services to the State or General Government.
Since the close of the War with Mexico no necessity had existed for a large army and the people of Iowa during the pioneer years absorbed in peaceful pursuits, gave lit- tle thought to military organizations. When the shock of war burst upon the Nation on that April day, no State could have been more thoroughly unprepared to send sol- diers into the field than Iowa. Its militia was unorganized ; it was without arms or equipment and had less tiisn half
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a regiment of independent drilled companies. One regi- ment was required of our State by the President's Procla- mation, and on the 17th of April Governor Kirkwood is- sued a call for ten companies to be ready for service by the 20th* of May. Public meetings were held and intense en- thusiasm prevailed throughout the State; party lines were forgotten and in a few weeks more companies were raised and offered than could be accepted. General McKean, a graduate of West Point Military Academy, was called upon by the Governor to aid in organizing the First Regi- ment of Iowa Volunteers. J. F. Bates was appointed colonel; W. H. Merritt, lieutenant-colonel; Asbury B. Porter, major, and G. W. Waldron, adjutant. Young men from all occupations hastened to enlist; lawyers, doctors, teachers, merchants, farmers, mechanics and la- borers volunteered as privates. Public meetings assem- bled in every part of the State; patriotic speeches were made; women made flags and uniforms; martial music fanned enthusiasm and the ranks were filled to overflow- ing. The companies marched away to camp cheered by friends and neighbors, who gathered to bid them a sad ** good-by.'' Few realized the horrors of the terrible war that confronted them, and it was well that the trage- dies of the future were mercifully hidden from them and the friends they left at home. Bravely they went from luxuri- ous homes, from log cabins, from the quiet farm life, the village shop and the city office to become soldiers. War's miseries were unknown to them. The long marches be- neath the burning sun, the chilling blasts of winter storms, camping at night without shelter amid rain and sleet and sinUng exhausted by the wayside, the weary months in camp amid the deadly malaria of swamps, wasting away with disease in dreary hospitals, the indescribable horrors of the battlefield where every form of mutilation rends the human body, the hasty burial in unmarked graves, the hideous tortures of prison life. Could it have been known in the beginning of the Civil
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War that Iowa would be called upon for more soldiers than Washington had under his command in the War of the Revolution; for four times as many as General Scott led in the War with Mexico, our people would have been paralyzed with horror. But as the war progressed with varying fortune through the long months and years, our people learned to endure its sacrifices, and, like soldiers in battle, nerve themselves to do their duty at any cost
l^e difficulties encountered by Qovemor Earkwood and his staff in creating an army out of all classes of civilians, without adequate laws, funds or military experience dur- ing the first months of the war, were almost insurmount- able. But untiring efforts gradually brought system into the new work so suddenly thrust upon them and their fidel- ity*, patient industry and rare ability in that trying time have been universally recognized.
Before funds could be provided by law, the Governor found it necessary to use a large amount of money to meet the expenses of raising and equipping of the First and Second Regiments. In this emergency Hiram Price, Ezekiel Clark, J. K. Graves and W. T. Smith, officers of the branches of the State Bank, came promptly forward and furnished the money required. The amounts paid by the State for raising and equipping the First and Second Regiments, including one month's pay, but not arms, were $93,722. Every effort possible was made by the Governor to procure arms for the First Regiment, but so great was tiie demand upon the War Department that a long time passed before suitable weapons could be furnished. The same difficulty was experienced in the effort to supply the First Regiment with suitable uniforms and it was sent into the field with a poor quality of gray clothing most of which was soon in rags.
The Governor found it necessary to call an extra session of the General Assembly to provide funds and enact laws for military organization required by the emergency. The Legislature met in extra session on the 15th of May, 1861,
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and immediately organized for work. Partisan spirit was ignored and in the selection of officers William Thomp- son, a former Democratic member of Congress, was chosen Chief Clerk of the House. On the first day of the session, ez-Qovemor N. B. Baker, leader of the Democrats of the House, offered a resolution requiring all volunteers who entered themilitary service fromlowa to be paid from the date of enlistment to the time of entering the service of the United States and also from the date of discharge until their arrival home. B. D. Kellogg, a young Demo- cratic member of the House from Decatur County, imme- diately presented the following resolutions :
** Whebsas, The PreflSdent of the United States has appealed to aU Icyjral citizens to aid the efforts to maintain the honor, integrity and existence of the National Union, and suppress treason and rebellion against the Federal Government; therefore be it
"Resolved, By the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring) that the faith, credit and resources of the State of Iowa, both in men and money, are herd>y irrevocably pledged to any amount and to any extent vbich the Federal Government may demand to suppress treason and sub- due rebellion, enforce the laws, protect the lives and property of all loyal citizens, and maintain inviolate the Constitution and sovereignty of the Nation.
** Resohedt That the Governor and Secretary of State be and they are hereby authorized to forward a certified copy of these resolutions to the President of the United SUtes."
The resolutions were adopted without opposition. In the Governor's message, which was sent to the General As- sembly, he informed that body that in the absence of laws providing for the raising of troops to meet such an emer- gency as had suddenly come upon the country, he had assumed the responsibUity and promptly organized a reg- iment of volunteers to comply with the first call of the President. That, anticipating further calls for troops in the near future, he had accepted enough volunteers to make up another regiment, which was ordered into quar- ters in llie counties where the companies enlisted. He also
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said that enough companies had been tendered to make five additional regiments. In anticipation of further calls for troops from time to time the Governor had recom- mended that all companies thus raised should keep up their organizations and devote as much time to drill as they could spare without interfering with their ordinary business. This would give the State a large reserve force of partially drilled troops to meet future calls. The Gov- ernor urged the enactment of military laws that would enable the State to promptly meet all requisitions of the General Government for troops, and also enable the State authorities to protect the citizens from invasion on the south and from Indian hostilities from the west. He also urged the appropriation of funds to meet all expenses which might be incurred by the exigencies of war, and, further, to provide aid for the families of volunteers who entered the military service.
The Legislature remained in session but two weeks, promptly dispatching the business for which it had been convened. It framed a general militia law providing for the raising of two regiments of infantry, one regiment of mounted riflemen, one squad of cavalry and two battalions of artillery for the protection of the southern and western borders of the State. An act was passed authorizing the issue and sale of State bonds to the amount of $800,000 to provide a war and defense fund. A commission was ap- pointed, consisting of S. R. Ingham, John N. Dewey and I. W. Griffith, to audit all claims and bills paid out of the funds thus raised. The Governor was authorized to pur- chase arms and other war supplies ; to pay volunteers until they were mustered into the service of the United States; to authorize counties to aid families of soldiers in the serv- ice ; to provide staff officers for the Governor as Command- er-in-Chief of the State troops, to prohibit the commence- ment of any civil suit against a soldier during his term of service, and grant a continuance of any suit pending.
The extra session of the Legislature met the emergency
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CALEB BALDWIN
Chief Justice Supreme Court
1862
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which confronted the State and Nation with dignity, with wisdom and statesmanlike action. Every important meas- ure recommended by the Governor was carefully consid- ered and provided for. Partisan considerations were largely put aside and all of the principal war measures were considered upon their merits, and enacted into law, receiving the support of a majority of the Democratic members. There was honest difference of opinion often as to details but no factious opposition to important war measures. The patriotic sentiment of the people was well represented by this war session of the Legislature. Many of its members of both political parties entered the mili- tary service and attained high rank during the progress of the war. Under the wise legislation of this short ses- sion our State was enabled to promptly respond to all calls of the (General Government and place at its disposal a class of volunteer soldiers that has never been excelled by any country in any war.
Soon after the beginning of the war, our State was threatened with invasion by Missouri Rebels on the south and by Sioux Indians on the west and north. It was found much easier to find men to protect the frontier than to se- cure arms for their use. The calls upon the General Gov- ernment for arms from every section of the loyal States for the troops being mustered into the service, could not be at once supplied. Many regiments were in camp a long time before they could be armed. Colonel Cyrus Bussey, one of the Governor's aides at Keokuk, was intrusted with the distribution of arms for the protection of the southern border. A regiment of State militia, numbering nine hundred and thirty-three men, was organized in the south- western part of the State under command of Colonel John B. Morledge, of Page County. Hon. Caleb Baldwin, of Council Bluffs, was given full authority by the Governor to organize military companies in that part of the State and call them into the service when needed for protection of that frontier. He issued a call to the citizens of western
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Iowa urging the raising of one military company in each county of that section of the State to be held in readiness for immediate service. Colonel John Edwards, of Lucas County, was authorized to organize the militia in that part of the State and take command of any forces required to protect the lives and property of citizens and repel inva- sion. Judge A. W. Hubbard, of Sioux City, was placed in command of that section with full authority to use the military force in any emergency which might arise.
Union men in the northern counties of Missouri were often driven from their homes and sought refuge in Iowa with their families. In counties where the Union men were in the majority, they retaliated by driving out Rebels, who crossed to Iowa, where they found ** Copperheads '* who sheltered them. This condition of affairs was stirring up civil war in our own State. In order to meet this emer- gency a military district was formed known as the " West- em Division of Iowa,*' and troops were raised for service in this territory and the adjoining counties of Missouri, if necessary. While the Governor never ordered troops across the State line, he permitted the commanding officers to use their discretion, to go where in their judgment the troops were required to protect the Union men. Colonel Morledge, in command of a regiment in this district, was called upon to go to the rescue of Union men of Nodam^ay County, Missouri. He marched with two hundred and fifty men thirty-three miles, quelled the disturbance and took sixty prisoners. Two otiier exx)editions were made into Missouri by Colonel Morledge during the summer. On one of these he was joined by Colonel Cranor, of the Missouri militia, and they gathered a force of 3,000 men, marching as far as Saint Joseph. Here they found a large body of armed Rebels engaged in plundering the stores and dwellings of Union men, having robbed them of more than $40,000. The Rebels were driven out of the city and a portion of the property recovered.
In July, Colonel Edwards reported that 1,500 citizens of
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Iowa had left their harvest fields and families and gone into Missouri to the relief of Union men. They were armed with such weapons as they chanced to possess and fheir nK>vements directed by officers hastily chosen. They were warmly welcomed by tiie loyal citizens, provided witii food and shelter and remained tmtil danger passed. Ow- ing to constant alarms in the border coimties, a vast amount of grain was left in the fields unharvested.
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NATHANIEL B. BAKER.
Adjutant-General of Iowa,
During the Civil War
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CHAPTER V
GOVERNOR KIRKWOOD had, at the begin- ning of the war, no experience in military affairs and most of his aides were neces- sarily civilians. His first aides-de-Camp, John Edwards, Rush Clark, Wm. B. Alli- son, A. H. Sanders, D. B. Hillis and Cyrus Bussey were men of excellent judgment, but were witiiout militiu*y training. He was most fortunate in the selection of an Adjutant-General. Jesse Bowen, who held the posi- tion when the war began, resigned in June^ and the Gover- nor appointed as his successor, ex-Governor Nathaniel B. Baker, then a Democratic member of the Legislature from Clinton County. At the extra session in May, called to put Iowa on a war footing, Governor Baker led the war wing of his party in support of all of the important meas- ures reconmiended by Governor Kirkwood in his message. He had served as Speaker of the House of Representatives and Governor of New Hampshire, and possessed rare executive ability. He was eloquent and outspoken in urging vigorous prosecution of tiie war for the suppres- sion of rebellion. Ignoring partisan considerations and grateful for the patriotic support of the '* War Demo- crats ^' in the Legislature and in recognition of the hun- dreds who were oflfering their services as soldiers. Gov- ernor Kirkwood tendered the position of Adjutant-Gen- eral to Governor Baker. He promptly accepted and at once entered upon the arduous duties of that office. He speedily developed a remarkable talent for organization and throughout the year was a tower of strength to Gov- ernor Kirkwood 's administration. His energy was un- bounded and his office soon became a model of system and efficiency. Hiram Price was appointed Paymaster- Greneral.
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The act of the extra session of the Legislature providing for the issue of State bonds to the amount of $800,000, drawing seven per cent interest, also provided for a Board of Commissioners, consisting of the Governor, Charles Mason, William Smyth, James Baker and C. W. Slagle, to determine from time to time how many bonds should be issued. Various newspapers of the State, which were unfriendly to the administration and to the prosecu- tion of the war, published articles claiming that the law authorizing the issue of bonds was unconstitutional. This attack upon the legality of the bonds discredited them in the eastern cities where they were offered for sale and capitalists declined to buy them except at great discount Finally sales were made in Iowa at ninety-four cents on the dollar. $300,000 worth were sold at that price, which amount provided all of the money required for war pur- poses, and the remaining $500,000 worth were eventually destroyed.
Additional calls for troops came in rapid succession as the eastern armies met with disastrous defeats and the war assumed an unexpected magnitude. The vast amount of labor devolving upon the State administration called for additional help. Governor Kirkwood appointed N. H. Brainerd Military Secretary, and J. C. Culbertson was commissioned Assistant Adjutant-General.
On the 31st of July, 1861, the Eepublican State Conven- tion assembled at Des Moines and nominated (governor Kirkwood for reelection by the following vote : Samuel J. Kirkwood, three hundred and ten votes; Samuel F. Mil- ler, three, and Fitz Henry Warren, twenty-nine. John B. Needham was nominated for Lieutenant-Governor and Balph P. Lowe was nominated for reflection as Supremo Judge. The resolutions indorsed the National and State Administrations, and a vigorous prosecution of the war, and invited the cooperation of the loyal men of all parties in support of the Government
On the 24th of July, the Democratic State Convention
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met at Des Moines, and nominated Charles Mason for Governor, Matnrin L. Fisher for Lieutenant-Governor, and James M. Elwood for Supreme Judge. One of the resolutions declared ** that our Union was formed in peace, and can never be perpetuated by force of arms, and that a republican government held together by the sword becomes a military despotism.^' Another resolution de- clared that a convention of all of the States should be called for the purpose of securing to the States by legis- lation equal rights, and the removal of the agitation of the question of slavery from Congress, and the States of the Union. The convention also declared opposition to all paper money banking and to a protective tariff. Judge Mason accepted the nomination in a long letter, but later in the campaign he withdrew from the head of the ticket and Colonel Wm. H. Merritt was nominated to fill the vacancy.
On the 28th of August, another convention convened at Des Moines, and organized a ^* Union Party,'' nominating the following ticket: Governor, General N. B. Baker; Lieutenant-Governor, Lauren Dewey; Supreme Judge, Buben Noble. Baker and Noble promptly declined the nominations and warmly supported (Jovemor Kirkwood for reelection. Absorbed in the arduous duties of his po- sition in this darkest year of the Eebellion, the Governor had little time or disposition to engage in a political cam- paign. The disastrous defeats of the Army of the Potomac, from which so much had been expected, compelled the the President to make call after call upon the loyal States for volunteers to fill the depleted ranks. Every energy of the Governor and Adjutant-Gteneral was required to raise and organize the new raiments which our State was called upon to furnish. Evei^ neighborhood in Iowa was con- tributing young men to refinforce the Union armies, and their friends and relatives were not in a frame of mind to attend political rallies.
At the urgent solicitation of his friends, the (Governor consented to make one speech at Des Moines on the 4th of
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September, at which Judge Mason, the Democratic candi- date, was invited to be present and divide the time with the Governor in a joint discussion of the issues involved in the approaching election. Mason declined, however, and Gov- ernor Kirkwood in an elaborate Speech ably presented his views on the situation. He also reviewed the acts of his administration and in a spirit of candor replied to the criticism of his political opponents. He made but one other speech before the election and that was delivered at Davenport in October. General N. B. Baker, who had re- cently declined a nomination for Governor, tendered him by the so-called ^* Union Party,** was at this meeting and spoke ably defending the administration of Governor Kirkwood and strongly urging his reflection.
On the 10th of September, the Governor issued a procla- mation in which he stated that eight Iowa regiments were already in the field, that four more were in camp nearly ready to leave for the seat of war. The State was now called upon for four more regiments, which were speedily raised. The election in October resulted in the success of the Eepubliean candidates by a plurality of more than 20,- 000. In the First Congressional District, Samuel R. Cur- tis had resigned his seat in the House of Representatives and entered the military service. In the election to fill the vacancy James F. Wilson, Republican, was chosen.
Before the close of the year 1861, Iowa had raised and sent into the service sixteen regiments of infantry, four regiments of cavalry and three batteries of light artillery, making an aggregate of 19,105 men.
During the first fractional year of the war, Iowa regi- ments had participated in the battles of Wilson's Creek, Blue Mills and Belmont, where their courage and gallant conduct won the warm commendation of the commanding officers and reflected honor upon the State they repre- sented.
The Ninth General Assembly convened at Des Moines on the 13th of January, 1862. Lieutenant-Gk)vemor John
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B. Needham presided over the Senate. Bush Clark was chosen Speaker of the House. Governor Eirkwood, in his message^ called special attention to the financial condition of the State. He stated that the unpaid taxes due up to November 4th amounted to $400,000, a sum more than sufficient, if collected, to pay tiie entire expenses of the State Oovemment for one year. He urged such a revision of the revenue laws as would secure a prompt collection of the annual taxes, as well as the large amount now delinquent In view of the sus- pension of specie payment by the General Govern- ment and the banks of the country, the Governor rec- ommended such changes in our laws as would permit the payment of taxes in United States currency and bills of the State Banks of Iowa. He made a report of the gen- eral work of the executive and Adjutant-General in pro- viding for the defense of border counties, and stated that all calls by the War Department upon Iowa for troops had been promptly filled.
The most important acts of the (General Assembly were the following: assumption of the collection of the direct annual Federal taxes for war purposes ; an act for the re- lief of sick and wounded soldiers of the Iowa volunteers ; an act to provide for the payment of taxes and the princi- pal and interest of the school fund in United States Treas- ury notes and bills on the State Banks of Iowa; an act to authorize the reception of Auditor's warrants on the War and Defense Fund in payment of taxes ; an act to exempt the property of Iowa soldiers from levy and sale while in the military service, and an act to apportion the State in six Congressional Districts.
It was during this session of the Legislature that an epi- sode occurred which will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it For more than nine months the Civil War had been desolating the country. After the first crushing defeat of the Union Army at Bull Bun the people sud- denly realized that a war of long duration and of great
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magnitude was upon the country. Call after call had been made for volunteers until hundreds of thousands of sol- diers were in the field No great victories had been won and many humiliating defeats had been encountered The Army of the Potomac, 200,000 strong, from which so much was expected, was resting quietly in the immediate vicinity of Washington, under General McClellan, with no prospect of making a speedy movement against the enemy so audaciously blockading tiie Potomac Eiver a few miles from the National Capital.
In the meantime an obscure Illinois General, U. S. Grant, had gathered an army of western troops in Ken- tucky and, with the codperation of Commodore Foote, with a fleet of seven gun boats, proceeded against Forts Henry and Donelson, which commanded the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. Fort Henry was soon captured, the Tennessee Biver opened and the fleet proceeded up the Cumberland Biver to aid in the reduction of Fort Donel- son. This was a strong fort, mounting heavy guns, stand- ing on a steep blufif rising at a height of one hundred feet above the river and defended at the base by formidable water batteries. It was garrisoned by an army of 18,000 well drilled Confederate soldiers under the command of Generals Pillow, Floyd and Buckner. Investing the fort and its army. Grant made his plans to capture, not only the strong position, but to cut off the retreat and compel the surrender of the entire Confederate Army. Desperate fighting ensued; Generals Pillow and Floyd, with a few regiments escaped in the night, but on the 16th of Febru- ary, General Buckner surrendered the fort, his army of 15,600 men, sixty cannon, with the small arms and sup- plies to General Grant The glorious news was flashed through the country. It reached Des Moines at 11 a. m., the following day, in a dispatch to the State Register. F. W. Palmer, the editor, hastened to the Capitol, where the Legislature was in session and handed the dispatch to the Speaker of the House. Bush Clark sprang to his feet
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in the midst of a roll-call and shouted ' ' (General Grant has captured Fort Bonelson.'' Then followed a scene which defies description. Members sprang to their feet with the wildest cheers. The Senators hearing the great shout, came rushing into the House and catching the contagion, all joined in the most extravagant expressions of delight For ten minutes pandemonium reigned and no one thought of legislative dignity. When order was finally restored the two houses adjourned. In the afternoon, by a common impulse, State officers, members of the Legis- lature and citizens gathered at the old Des Moines House and joined in celebration of the great victory. Those of the present generation can scarcely realize the intense anxiety that pervaded the entire North at this period of the war. The depression of repeated defeats and doubts as to the final result, which had long oppressed the hearts of the loyal were suddenly lifted; hope and confidence were again inspired. Governor Earkwood and others were called out for speedies and the rejoicings were kept up to a late hour of the night
A general had at last been found who, without display, could not only fight brilliant battles, but could strike pow- erful blows at the Bebellion by capturing a large army with all of its equipments. Grant had proved more than a match in this campaign for the Confederate General Al- bert Sidney Johnston, who was regarded by the South as the equal of Gteneral Ijee. Johnston was in command of this department with headquarters at Nashville, while Halleck, from St. Louis, directed the Union armies of the West Grant, with a subordinate command, early realized that Forts Henry and Donelson blocked the river route to the heart of the Confederacy. In January, he asked permission of Halleck to capture these forts and open the river to Nashville. His request was at first re- fused, but seeing so clearly the great results to be obtained, a month later he again urged the importance of the project and obtained Halleck's consent. His
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brilliant success electrified the country and Halleck, in a dispatch to the War Department at Washing- ton, declared it to be '^ the taming point in the war/^ It caused the whole Confederate line in the west, from Nashville to CJolumbus, to fall back more than a hun- dred miles. So great was the consternation of General A* S. Johnston, that he telegraphed to Jefferson Davis, ^' the situation left me no alternative but to evacuate Nash- ville.'^ More important than all else, it gave hope to the administration and the country, that there was a western general who could not only plan a brilliant campaign, but who had the skill and courage to promptly execute his plans. The jealousy of Halleck and the slanders of envi- ous rivals for a time threatened to deprive the country of Grant's superb military skill, but fortunately the Presi- dent and Secretary of War recognized the merits of this new commander, who quietly took positions assigned him and without continually importuning for reinforcements, proceeded to strike the enemy stunning blows with such forces as he had.
Four Iowa regiments participated in this great battle, and were among the bravest of the brave. Our State felt a just pride in their brilliant achievements and mourned the loss of the heroic dead. The Legislature passed joint resolutions expressing for the people of the entire State, thanks to the Iowa troops for their bravery and devotion to the country, for their heroic deeds on the battle-fields of Wilson's Creek, Blue Mills, Belmont and Fort Donelson, and sympathy for the bereaved friends of those who per- ished from disease and on the battle-fields.
Soon after the beginning of the Civil War the Sioux Indians, on the Minnesota reservations, began to make hostile demonstrations in the northwestern counties of Iowa. Horses and cattle were stolen, and, on the 9th of July, two members of the Frontier Guards, Hobert Thomas and Henry Cordna, were killed within three miles of Sioux City. Several parties of Sioux Indians were seen
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in the Little Sioux Valley. The settlers became alanned and companies of '^ Home Guards " were organized in several of the northwestern comities. Under the authority of Judge A. W. Hubbard a military comjmny of the Sioux City Cavalry, under the command of Captain A. J. Mil- lard^ was ordered into State service for protection of the frontier.
There were at this time about 8,000 Sioux Indians on the reservations along the Minnesota Biver, at a distance of from sixty to one hundred miles from the north line of the State. These Indians, aware that thousands of the natural defenders of the frontier were absent in the armies, entered into a conspiracy to march upon the set- tlers and exterminate them before aid could reach th^n. So well had the plans of the savages been concealed, that no intimation of the impending doom had reached frontier settlements. On the 17th of August, 1862, the massacre began near the upper agency. On the 21st, while the men were gatheredat a public meeting,on the upper Des Moines Biver, near Jackson, to devise means for common defense, the Indians suddenly fell upon the settlement, murdering the defenseless families, plundering theii; homes and kill* ing the live stock. When the news of the massacre reached the settlements at Spirit Lake and Estherville, parties of armed men were hastily organized who marched to the aid of their neighbors. At Jackson they received reSn- f orcements and all marched up the river to the scene of the massacre; finding that the Indians had disappeared, they buried the bodies of fifteen of the victims and re- turned to their homes. The settlers in northwestern Iowa escai)ed the fate of their Minnesota neighbors. When the news of the massacres reached them, all the frontier set- tlements were abandoned except those at Spirit Lake and Estherville. At these places the sturdy pioneers erected strong stockades into which their families were gathered, preparations being made for a vigorous defense. Scouts were sent out and every precaution taken to guard against
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surprise. Efforts were at once made to secure State pro- tection. A detachment of Sioux City cavalry was immedi- ately sent to the lakes and the Dickinson County court- house was fortified. Here the families were gathered under the protection of the soldiers, while the men worked on the defenses. A saw mill was kept runnings cutting logs into plank four inches in thickness. A trench, three feet deep, was dug around the court-house, about thirty feet from its walls and into this the palisades were firmly planted, making a defense against any weapons in posses- sion of the Indians. Here the settlers remained in secur- ity while the terrible massacre was desolating western li^nnesota. Thousands of the Sioux were on the war path and troops were hurried to the frontier. The chiefs had planned to sweep swiftly down the Des Moines valley and the Little Sioux by way of the lakes of Dickinson County, thus exterminating all of the settlements in northwestern Iowa above Fort Dodge and Sioux City. They soon met with vigorous resistance, however; in Kossuth and Palo Alto counties preparations were at once made by the set- tlers to defend their homes.
The Minnesota authorities were soon thoroughly aroused, as they came to realize that they were assailed by the greatest Indian uprising of the century. The set- tlers seized such arms as they could find and hurried to the aid of their frontier neighbors. Such troops as were with- in reach were hastily called to their assistance but before the savages could be checked, more than 1,000 men, women and children had been slaughtered and 5,000 driven from their homes.
Houses were pillaged and burned, stock killed or driven off, fields devastated and more than two hundred and fifty women and children taken into captivity. In magnitude it exceeded any massacre ever perpetrated in North America, and in atrocities it has never been surpassed in any country. Desi)erat6 battles were fought at New Ulm, Fort Biley and Birch Coulie, with heavy losses on both
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sides ; and it was nearly a month before the Indians were thoroughly beaten by General Sibley's command at the Battle of Wood Lake. Here he captured a large number of prisoners and liberated two hundred and fifty captive women and children. Of the Indian warriors captured, four hundred and twenty-five were tried by a military commission, of which three hundred and twenty-one were proved to have been engaged in the massacres of the set- tlers; three hundred and three were sentenced to death, thirty-nine only were executed. A great outcry was raised in some parts of the East against the execution of the death penalty on the perpetrators of the brutal massacres ; influence was brought to bear upon President Lincoln to withhold his approval of the sentence of the military com- mission and all but thirty-nine were, after a short im- prisonment at Davenport, Iowa, sent up the Missouri Eiver and set at liberty. The Government afterward paid a fearful price for this leniency in the long wars waged by the Sioux Indians instigated by these liberated mur- derers. The campaigns against them by Gteneral Sully's army cost millions of dollars, and the Custer massacre of 1876 was planned by some of these' surviving Sioux, who assisted in that bloody drama.
On the 29th of August, Governor Kirkwood sent Colonel S. B. Ingham, of Des Moines, to northwestern Iowa to take such measures for the defense of that section against the Indians as the situation demanded. Colonel Ingham vis- ited the most exposed settlements, and conferred with the citizens, after which he authorized a military company to be raised in the counties of Palo Alto, Kossuth and Em- met. Before Colonel Ingham's report was made. Gov- ernor Kirkwood and called an extra session of the Legis- lature.
The summer and autumn of 1862 were the darkest days of the war. The Army of the Potomac, which had been or- ganized and drilled for nine months under General McClellan in the vicinity of Washington, numbering more
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than I5O9OOO men, had, at last, when the the patience of the Administration and the connixy was exhausted, started by the longest possible route for Richmond. Moving, about the first of April, by way of the Potomac and Fortress Monroe, McClellan laid siege to Yorktown, and by the 24th of May reached the Chickahominy, within striking dis- tance of the Confederate Army, 50,000 strong, under Gen- eral J. E. Johnson, guarding the roads to Bichmond. McClellan 's army now numbered about 110,000 effective men. Two corps were sent across the river, taking posi- tions at Seven Pines and Fair Oaks, from seven to ten miles from Richmond. Here, on the 31st of May, began the famous ** Seven Days' Battles, *' in which McClellan lost nearly 20,000 men in killed, wounded and prisoners, and retreated to the protection of our gun boats on the James Biver. This ended the most disastrous cam- paign of the war. Another large army was hastily gath- ered in Virginia to interx)Ose between General Lee, now commanding the Confederate forces, and Washington. General Pope was called from the West and placed in com- mand of the Union Army. After fighting several battles, he was defeated with heavy loss and his army driven into the intrenchments on the south bank of the Potomac, which defended Washington. His losses during the campaign were more than 15,000 men. Three great armies, equipped with all of the best modem appliances of war, had within little more than a year, under distinguished conunanders, attempted to crush the Bebel armies of Virginia, and capture Bichmond. All had been disastrously defeat- ed and General Lee was preparing to cross the Po- tomac and invade the North. More than half a mil- lion men had left their northern homes and en- tered the Union armies to crush the Bebellion; nearly 100,000 of them had perished in battle and of disease, or were disabled by wounds or sickness, or lan- guished in loathsome prisons. No progress had been made against the great central armies of the Confed-
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eracy in Virginia, or the defiant Government at Biclunond. Serious doubts now arose in the minds of loyal people of the North, whether the Bebellion could be subdued by any military power that our Government could command. A general feeling of gloom and despondency pervaded the country. The only rays of hope at this time came from the brilliant victories which had been won in the West. If Bebel armies in the West could be beaten and captured, surely some general could be found who would overthrow the Confederate armies in other sections of the country. Could the Union armies be again refinf creed by volunteers in numbers sufficient to conquer the Bebellion f If not, would the country peaceably submit to drafts to fill the depleted ranks and to raise new armies f These were some of the problems which now confronted the northern peo- ple, the President and his Cabinet There was no time for hesitation. On the 4th of August the War Department ordered a draft for 300,000 additional men. On the 16th Governor Kirkwood issued general orders appointing commissioners in the various counties of the State to make the enrollment for a draft
On the 17th he issued a proclamation appealing to the people to fill the quota required of Iowa by volunteers. He stated that he would immediately call a special session of the Legislature and urge it to provide for the payment of a liberal bounty to all who should enlist in the old regi- ments before the 1st of September. He stated that the quota, for Iowa, of volunteers called for by the President on the 2d of July was 10,570 men and that tiiere were more than 15,000 volunteers now organized into companies waiting to be assigned to new regiments. The War De- partment had, however, refused to give our State credit for the surplus over 10,570, due under the call of July 2d, until 8,000 should have been furnished to fill the old regi- ments. If these men were not supplied by volunteering by the 1st of September, the deficiency woidd be made up by a special draft, in addition to the draft to supply 10,570
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required to fill the quota under the order for a draft of 3OO9OOO issued on the 4th of August Such was the situa- tion at this critical period of the war. To meet the exigen- cies confronting the State and the Nation with prompt- nesSy the Governor issued a call for a special session of the General Assembly. It convened at the Capitol on the 3d of September, 1862, and, in his message, the Governor gave his reasons for calling the General Assembly to- gether. He said:
'' When 70U closed your regular session the belief prevailed very generally that the strength of the Kebellion against the General Qovemment had been broken, and your legislation upon some questions of great public interest was controlled by that belief. The lapse of time has shown that belief to be erroneous and a change of legislation on those questions has therefore become necessary."
He continued:
** Owing to the largely increased number of soldiers that will soon be in the field and the great length of time they will be exposed to the danger of disease and the casualties of battle, it is rendered absolutely necessary that a large increase of the fund be provided for their care and comfort. The magnitude of the war has greatly increased the work of the Executive and the Adjutant-General, and additional funds and assistance are required."
He recommended camps of instruction for the drilling of men who volunteered to fill the ranks of the old regiments. He strongly urged the enactment of a law providing for elections outside of the State, at which all Iowa soldiers absent from home in military service at the time of any general election, might have their votes received and can- vassed. He urged the immediate action in the acceptance of the Agricultural College land grant recently made by Congress, amounting to 240,000 acres for Iowa, so that these lands might be secured within the limits of our own State. He called attention to the alarming reports of In- dian massacres in Minnesota, and the danger threatening our i)eople on the northwestern frontier.
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The Legislature was in session but eight days and passed tiurty-nine bills. The most important .were the following: an act providing for the protection of tiie northwestern frontier; amendments to the militia law of 1861 ; appropriations for the extraordinary expense of the Executive Department of the State; a provision for the relief of the sick and wounded Iowa soldiers in the service of the United States ; an act for better protection of the southern border; a change in the name of Buncombe County to Lyon, in honor of General Nathaniel Lyon, who was kUled at the Battle of Wilson's Creek; acceptance of the Agricultural College land grant, and provision for the selection of the lands; an act enabling soldiers in serv- ice outside of the State to vote at the general elections ; authority was given to boards of supervisors to levy taxes for the support of families of persons in the military service, and for the payment of bounties for en* listments ; an act for the organization and discipline of the militia, and amendments to the general militia laws in re- lation to drafting ; creation of the office of Assistant Adju- tant-General. An act for the protection of the northern frontier was framed, considered by both branches of the General Assembly, approved by the Governor within five days. On the 12th of September, he issued orders for the raising of five companies under the supervision of Colonel Ligham, in the frontier counties. They were promptly or- ganized as follows: Company A, Algona, raised in the counties of Emmet, Palo Alto, Humboldt and Kossuth, Captain W. H. Ingham of Algona; Company B, in Web- ster County, Captain Wm. Williams of Fort Dodge; Com- pany C, in Hamilton County, Captain H. W. Crupper of Webster City; Company D, in Crawford County, Captain J. M. Butler of Denison; and Company E, in Woocftury County, Captain J. N. White of Sioux City. Lieutenant- Colonel James A. Sawyer was given command and Lewis H. Smith was made quartermaster. These troops were stationed in companies and parts of companies at Chain
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Lake, Estherville, Ocheyedan, Peterson, Cherokee, Ida, Sao City, Correctionville, Little Sioux and Melbonme, while Captain Millard's Company was at Spirit Lake, thus forming a line of communication from Chain Lake to Sioux City. This prompt action of the authorities effectu- ally protected the settlements of northwestern Iowa from attacks by the Sioux warriors, who were desolating west- em Minnesota.
All preparations for a draft were made by the State authorities, as few were sanguine in the belief that 20,000 more volunteers could be furnished by Iowa in time to avert it But the liberal provisions made by the L^^a- ture to authorize the counties by taxation to provide for the support of the families of persons in the military ser- vice, and also to pay liberal bounties for enlistments, en- abled the State to furnish its quota under the calls recent- ly made without resort to a draft
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CHAPTER VI
ON the 22d of September^ President Lincoln is- sned his famous Proclamation of Emanci* pation of the slaves in States which should be in rebellion against the United States on the 1st of January, 1863. On the 24th, he issued another proclamation declaring mar* tial law, and suspending tiie writ of habeas corpus during the existing insurrection.
During this time of general anxiety, Governor Curtin of Pennsylvania, with others in the east, issued a circular letter, addressed to the Governors of the loyal States, in- viting them to a conference at Altoona, Pennsylvania. On the 22d of September, 1862, the following named Gover* nors assembled for consultation: A. G. Curtin of Pennsyl- vania ; John A. Andrew, Massachusetts ; Israel Washburn, Maine; N. S. Berry, New Hampshire; Wm. Sprague, Bhode Island; P. H. Pierpont, Vermont; David Tod, Ohio; 0. P. Morton, Indiana; Richard Yates, Illinois; Austin Blair, Michigan ; Edward Salmon, Wisconsin ; and S. J. Kirkwood, Iowa.
They entered into a free discussion of the military situ- ation and the Emancipation Proclamation, which all ap- proved, and appointed Governor Andrew to prepare an address to tiie President expressing their views at length, and pledging their earnest support in all measures neces- sary to subdue tiie Eebellion. They visited the President in a body and Governor Andrew read him the address, to which Mr. Lincoln responded. A majority of the Gover- nors were firmly of the opinion that the public interest required the removal of Gteneral McClellan from the com- mand of the Army of the Potomac, but, as all were not agreed upon this, it was not mentioned in the address.
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Several of them, however, freely expressed their opinions of the incapacity of McCleUan, to the President, among whom was Governor Kirkwood. He urged npon the Presi- dent the consideration of the following facts :
"The Army of the Potomac had the first and heat of everything, and our Western armies had what was left. The Army of the Potomac was better armed^ better clothed and better equipped in eveiy way than our Western armies. Its soldiers fought as bravely as men ever fou^t and yet were continually whipped, and our Western people did not think he was a good general who was always whipped.'^
President Lincoln remained silent for a moment, and then said slowly and with emphasis :
"Governor Kirkwood, if I believed that our cause would be benefited by removing General McCleUan I would remove him to-morrow. I do not so believe to-day, but if the time shall come when I so believe, I will remove him promptly, and not till then."
The Eepnblican State Convention, which assembled at Des Moines on the 23d of July, nominated the following ticket: James Wright, Secretary of State; J. W. Cattell, Anditor; W. H. Hohnes, Treasurer; C. C. Nonrse, Attor- ney-General; J. A. Harvey, Begister Land Office.
The Democrats nominated B. H. Sylvester for Secre- tary of State; John Browne for Auditor; S. H- Lorah, Treasurer; B. J. Hall, Attorney-General; Fred Gk)tts- chalk, Begister Land CMSSce.
The election resulted in the choice of the Bepublican candidates by an average majority of about 15,200.
The census of 1860 showed the population of Iowa to be sufficient to entitle the State to an increase of Bepresenta- tives in Congress from two to six, and the Ninth General Assembly therefore apportioned the State into six Con- gressional Districts. The first election under this act was in October, 1862. The Bepublican candidates were James F. Wilson in the First District; Hiram Price in the Sec- ond; Wm. B. Allison in the Third; J. B. Grinnell in the
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Fourth ; John A. Kasson in the Fifth ; and A. W. Hubbard in the Sixth. The Democratic candidates were J. K. Homish in the First; E. H. Thayer in the Seicond; D. A. Mahoney in tiie Third; H. M. Martin in the Fourth ; D. 0. Finch in the Fifth; and John F. Buncombe in the Sixth,
The result of the election was the choice of all of the Be- publican candidates. Iowa kept this able delegation in Congress until after the close of the war ; with Grimes and Harlan in the Senate, no State in the Union had a stronger representation in the National Legislature during this critical period ; and in point of influence and high order of statesmanship, it has not since been surpassed, if indeed it has been equaled.
The elections in the Northern States under the general depression felt over the disastrous defeats of the Army of the Potomac, the call for 600,000 more men to reSnf orce the armies, the opposition to a draft, the desire for peace, and opposition to the emancipation of the slaves, resulted in the defeat of the Administration tickets in the States of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,. Ohio, Indiana, Il- linois and Wisconsin. This left the Administration a bare majority of two in the House of Bepresentatives. The majority in the Senate had also been lowered. There was little in the political or military situation at the close of the year 1862 to justify the hope of a speedy overthrow of tiie Eebellion. The Army of the Potomac, under McClel- lan, had checked Lee's invasion of Maryland by the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, but at the fearful loss to the Union army of 25,620 men, made up as follows: 1,568 at South Mountain, 11,538 surrendered at Harper's Ferry, and 12,469 at Antietam; while Lee lost but 13,533 in the campaign. At the Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in December by the Army of the Potomac, under General Bumside, our losses were more than 15,000, one of the most disastrous defeats of the war, while the Confederate's army lost less than 6,000. This swelled the losses of the Union army, from September 9th to December 15th, to
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30,620; while the losses of Lee's army were about 19,500. In the West, during this period, the invasion of Kentucky by a Confederate army under General Bragg, had ended with his defeat at Perryville by General Buell, and his expulsion. General Bosecrans had won brilliant victories at luka and Corinth in Mississippi, in which many Iowa regiments participated. The Union armies had been reen- forced by 300,000 men furnished under the President's last call. Up to the close of the year 1862 Iowa had raised and sent into the service, forty regiments of infantry, five regiments of cavalry, three batteries of artillery, compris- ing a total of 48,814 men. During the year twenty-six regiments of infantry and one of cavalry had entered the service from Iowa. The result of the conflict up to the be- ginning of the year 1863, had, on the whole, been such as to encourage the leaders of the Bebellion to anticipate final success for the Southern Confederacy. The Army of Vir- ginia held its defiant position on the banks of the Bappa- hannock Biver, its ranks replenished by a rigid enforce- ment of the conscription acts of the Confederacy. The long series of victories, under the able command of Gen- eral Bobert E. Lee, had inspired a belief in the ranks that it was invulnerable. Our Government learned from confi- dential reports, through our ambassadors in Europe, that there was danger of foreign intervention on the part of several of the great powers, by a recognition of the South- em Confederacy. Promptly, on the 1st of January, Presi- dent Lincoln issued his proclamation declaring all slaves in the rebellious States FBEE, and that the Executive, the naval and the military authorities of the United States would recognize and maintain the freedom of such per- sons. He also declared that such persons of suitable con- dition, would be received into the military service of the United States. Far-seeing statesmen had long believed that the emancipation of the slaves and their employment in our armies would be the death blow to the Bebellion, and so it proved. From this time on the slaves became our al-
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lies, rendering invaluable service to the Union armies in every department.
From the beginning of the Civil War, there were people in the Northern States, who sympathized with their South- em brethren engaged in the Rebellion. They were opposed to coercion of States which had seceded from the Union. C. L. Vallandigham, of Ohio, was the ablest leader in Con- gress of this element. At the extra session of that body^ called to meet on the Fourth of July, 1861, to provide means to subdue the Bebellion, Mr. Vallandigham, in an elaborate speech in opposition to the bill authorizing a loan of $250,000,000 for the support of the Government in the prosecution of the war, took the radical position that the (Government had no right to coerce a State in rebellion, and, with Wood, of New York, voted against the bill. When the army appropriation bill was before the House, Mr. Vallandigham moved to add the following proviso :
^Provided, however, that no part of the money hereby appropriated ahall be employed in subjugation, or holding as a conquered province, any sovereign State now or lately one of the United States; nor in abolishing or interfering with African slavery in any of the States."
The Democratic State Convention of Iowa, on the 24th of July, adopted the following resolution:
** Resolred, That our Union was formed in peace, and can never be per- petuated by force of arms, and that a republican government held together by the sword becomes a military despotism."
As the Eebellion grew in magnitude and the Union army met with repeated defeats, those in the North opposed to the suppression of the insurrection by force, became more outspoken and bitter in denunciation of the National Ad- ministration and its energetic prosecution of the war. Through newspapers and speeches they sought to cast odium upon the President and his supporters, to discour- age enlistments in the Union army and to injure the credit
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of the GovemmeBt by vicious attacks upon the constitu- tionality of its most important financial legislation. They also denounced the war as an ** Abolition Crusade '* and missed no occasion to endeavor to create sympathy for tiie leaders of the Southern Confederacy. These people, were called ** Copperheads, '* and were for the most part of that class in the North who were not opposed to slavery. Henry Clay Dean was the most prominent leader of this faction in Iowa, and a few extracts from his speeches and writings will give the reader a clear under- standing of the views and teachings of the ** Copper- heads ^' during the War of the Eebellion:
" The war between the States of the Union was not a riot. It was de- liberate, systematic and orderly, upon the part of the Southern States. It was not an insurrection or rebellion; everything was done in subordina- tion to the law and sovereign power of the States in which it transpired, with no more violence than is common to warfare. It was not a revolution. It changed none of the organic laws of the States; the people armed them- selves according to law to repel a threatened invasion of tttea country, overthrow of their Government and violation of their political, legal and social rights.
" The pretext for war was the preservation of the Union — an organized Union fighting against organised States.
" It was a war of States, with all of its attendant evils, in which the Qov- emment was guilty of usurpation. Lincoln tore up the Constitution and set up his arbitrary will instead. Lincoln selected the weakest, worst and most corrupt men in the country, who served him cheerfully as instruments of usurpation. Lincoln dissolved the Government and left the country in anarchy. Lincoln corrupted one part of the church to engage in waiiare with the other part, and burned 1,200 houses of worship; he mutilated graveyards, and left whole cities and churches in ashes; dragged ministers from their knees in the very act of worship ; tied them up by their thumbs ; had their daughters stripped naked by negro soldiers under command of white oaicers."
Again, in speaking of the bonds issued by the Govern- ment to meet the expenses of the war. Dean says :
"This debt was incurred to carry on a war conceived in the foulest passions of depraved human nature, carried on for the mercenary purposes
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of personal gain by syBtematiEed cormption, cmelty and crime. In all this wicked^ cmd war, there has been bat these unchuigeable objeets in viewt to glut the avarice of the rich» to satiate the vengeance of the spiteful^ minister to the most groveling appetites of the vicious; to make the people the slaves of money, and their armies the tools of tyrants. The people are not bound in justice to pay this debt. Every consistent friend of peace must oppose the payment of the debt.''
In iheir efforts to discourage volnnteerisg in the Union Army the ** Copperheads '' resorted to misrepresenta- tion and slander. The following is the language used by Henry Gay Dean:
" The popular mind was wrought up to an artificial frenzy. At a given signal the mercenary ecclesiastical politicians broke loose in their Sabbath day harangues to inflame the passions and prepare the jmblic mind for war. They made their absurd charges against the Southern people. Th^ appealed to the people to fly to arms in defense of their homes — to fight for liberty. The manufacturers closed up their mills and sold their operatives to the recruiting sergeant; merchants refused credit to the poor to drive them into the army; every manner of argument was used^ and every kind of bait held out as an inducement to the poor to rush to the army to fight the battles of plunder for the rich."
" Early in the second year of the war," says Dean, *' it assumed a pur^ mercenary character, stimulated by the hope of plunder. The public was undermined; licentiousness reigned to an extent without parallel or prece- dent among us. Thousands of enlisted soldiers, having first entered the army without bounty, became excited over the boimty mania, and engaged in bounly- jumping. They would leave the ranks at every available oppor- tunity, re-enlist and take the boimty. Sometimes in traveling several him- dred miles whole companies would disperse throu^^ the connivance of officers, re-enlist several times, take bounties and share the spoils liberally with their delinquent commanders. This mercenary spirit spread through- out every part of the army like a contagion. The soldiers caught the infection until the army became a reckless, mercenary mob of unfortunate conscripts driven to the slaughter. The degradation of society was con- summate. Parents might be seen selling their children in the conscript market and walking complacently away with the price of their own blood in their pocket."
The above are but examples of the falsehoods indnstri- onsly circulated, both in public speeches and in the news- papers under control of the '* Copperheads." A secret
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organization known as the ^^ Knights of th^ Golden Cir- cle '' was beginning to invade the Northern States. Its members were bonnd to secrecy by solemn oaths, and nn- der the protection of midnight gatherings in places un- known to the pnblic, felt a measure of security in their plots against the Government. When more than a million patriotic men had gone from their homes to swell the ranks of the Union armies, the disloyal element at home, through its votes and unceasing assaults upon the Admin- istration, became a serious menace to the country. The persistent assaults of the character set forth in Henry Clay Dean's speeches and writings were having their ef- fect upon thousands of people who believed them to be founded in truth. This was apparent from the result of the elections in the autumn of 1862, and the falling off of voluntary enlistments in the following months. When Congress found it necessary to provide for refinforcing our armies by draft, the most violent denunciations of the Government were poured forth by the disloyal leaders. Secret organizations in many places conspired to resist the draft. Absorbed in the mighty work that devolved upon them. President I^incoln, his Cabinet, and the loyal members of Congress, for a time gave little heed to these malicious enemies of the Government. But the patriotic people of the North, whose sons, brothers, or husbands, filled the ranks of the Union armies, were incensed beyond measure by slanders of as noble men as ever periled their lives for a sacred cause. T!he time came when the public safety required the strong arm of the Government to reach out and repress these treasonable practices. A few of the most prominent and influential of the ** Copperheads " were arrested by oflScers of the Government and impris- oned for a short time; some were tried on charges pre- ferred, while others were released without trial, after a period of imprisonment.
The most notable arrest of a citizen of Iowa, was that of Ex-Senator George W. Jones, who was the American
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Minister to Bogota, when the Rebellion began. As d delegate in Congress from Wisconsin, he had secured the establishment of the Territory of Iowa and was one of the first United States Senators chosen from the State of Iowa after its admission into the Union, serving nntil 1859. He was always faithful and untiring in his work for the interests of our State and was as widely known to its citi- zens as any man within its limits. When the news came of his arrest for treasonable utterances, in December, 1861, upon his return from Bogota to New York, and his incar- ceration in the military prison of Fort Lafayette, it pro^ duced great excitement in Iowa, and profound regret among his thousands of personal and political friends. li was in time learned that the cause of his arrest was found in an intercepted letter written by him to his long-time personal friend and colleague in the Senate, Jefferson Davis, lately chosen President of the Southern Confeder- acy. In that letter were found the following expressions :
"May God Almighty avert Civil War, but if unhappily it shall come, you may, and I think doubtless would count on me and mine, and hosts of other friends standing shoulder to shoulder in the ranks with you and our other Southern friends and relatives, whose rights, like my own, have
been disregarded by the Abolitionists The dissolution of the
Union will probably be the cause of my own ruin, as well as that of my country, and may cause me and mine to go South."
General Jones was imprisoned several months but was never brought to trial, or even indicted for crime, and was finally released and returned to his home at Dubuque. His indiscretion in this affair was attributed to his warm per- sonal friendship and long years of intimate association in the Senate with men who afterwards became leaders of the Bebellion. His great public services in behalf of our State, from the earliest period of its existence as a political or- ganization, were gratefully remembered and appreciated by the people he had faithfully represented and their de-
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soendants. His mistakes were forgotten or forgiven long before he died
D. A. Mahoney^of Dubnque^an editor of marked ability, and formerly a prominent member of the Iowa Legisla- tore, was arrested at his home on the night of August 14th, 1862, by H. M. Hoxie, United States Marshal for Iowa. He was tak^i to Washington and confined for nearly three months in the Old Capitol prison. He was never brought Co trial, which he repeatedly demanded, and it is not known what the charges were upon which he was arrested. He had been very bitter in denunciation of the Administra- tion through his paper, the Dubuque Herald, charging it with gross violations of Ihe Constitution, charging civil and military officers with infamous crimes. He was utter- ly fearless in his publications, which greatly exasperated the soldiers, who at times were with great difficulty re- strained from acts of violence against him and his estab- lishment. He was released on the 11th of November.
Gideon S. Bailey, of Van Buren County, who had served many years in both Territorial and State Legislatures, was at one time arrested, charged with disloyalty and af- ter a short imprisonment was released without trial. About the time of the arrest of Dr. Bailey, Henry Clay Dean was arrested in Keokuk, while on his way to Keo- sauqua to make one of his speeches in denunciation of the Government and the war. He was held in confinement for several weeks, and then released.
Many of his speeches were published and widely circu- lated through the lodges of the ** Knights of the Golden Circle,'* for the purpose of discouraging enlistments in the army. They were sent to soldiers in the service to en- courage desertion. In times of peace, these malicious assaults would have been harmless and passed unnoticed, but in the midst of rebellion, imperiling the very existence of our republic, the authorities felt justified in resorting to unusual and arbitrary measures to repress the disloyal from thus ** giving aid and comfort to the enemy.*'
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The influence of this class of speakers and writers was serious enough to engage the attention of the State authori- ties, and on the 18th of March, 1863, Governor Kirkwood addressed a letter to Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, on the subject, in which he said :
" There is a very unfortunate state of affairs in our State at this time. A secret organization Imown as the * Knights of the Qolden Circle/ is wide- ly spread through the State, the object of which I am informed and believe is to embarrass the gOTemment in the prosecution of the war, mainfy by encouraging desertions from the army, protecting deserters from arrest, discouraging enlistments, preparing the public mind for an armed re- sistance to a conscription, if ordered, and if possible to place the State government at the nest election in the hands of men who will control it to thwart the policy of the administration in the prosecution of the war. Indeed, with the exception of advising desertions, the purposes above men- tioned are openly advised and advocated by many persons in the State. .... There is undoubtedly a feverish and excited state of the public mind, and matters must be managed here prudently and firmly or a col- lision may ensue. I wrote you a few days since asking you to send me some arms, and also to allow me to raise two or three regiments as a State guard. I regard these as measures both of precaution and prevention. Much that is said in regard to resistance of the laws is no doubt mere bluster; but I believe there are men engaged in this work of desperate for- tunes, political and otherwise, who would have the courage to lead an out- break, and who would rejoice in the opportunity. I think it extremely probable that there are in this and other Northern States paid agents of the Rebels, who are organizing machinery and using the means to effect the purpose herein attributed to the ' Knights of the Golden Circle,' and there is real danger that the efforts of these men may so operate on the minds of their honest but deluded followers in some localities as to cause a
collision among our people The dismissal of those * arbitrarily
arrested,' as the phrase goes, has had a bad effect in this, that it has led many to suppose that the Qovemment had not the power to punish. I scarcely know what to advise in regard to these men who are talking treason, huzzahing for Jeff Davis, and organizing ' Knights of the Golden Circle '; it would be worse than useless to arrest them, unless th^ can be tried, and if found guilty, punished. If arrests could be made, trials and convictions had, and punishment sharply administered, the effect would be excellent."
The apprehensions of the Governor as set forth in this letter, that the disloyal teachings of certain leaders would
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result in serious trouble, were realized in the near future. There was a large settlement in Keokuk County of disloyal people who were aggressive in theirtreasonable utterances and public demonstrations. Their leader was a young Baptist minister, George C. Tally, a rough, uneducated man endowed with a rare gift of oratory. He was a firm believer in slavery as a divine institution, and a bold and fearless defender of the Bebellion. On the 1st of August, 1863, a mass meeting of ** Peace Democrats '* was held near English Biver, in Keokuk County. Several hundred came in wagons witii arms concealed beneath straw in the vehicles. Threats had been made to destroy the town of South English, which was a Union stronghold. The citi- zens, having heard of the threat, armed themselves. On his way to the mass meeting Tally, with a disloyal badge prominently displayed, passed through South English and became engaged in an altercation with some of the citizens. He was the chief speaker at the meeting, and by his fervid eloquence in denunciation of the Government and the war, his hearers were wrought up to a state of wild excitement. A large crowd of Union men had gathered on the streets, and, as the armed procession made its way among them, it was greeted with cries of ** Copperheads, '' *' cowards,'* ** why don't you shoott '' A shot was fired by some one in the confusion and excitement, which was tiie instant signal for a general discharge of guns and re- volvers by both parties. Tally was among the first to fire. Three shots from his revolver were sent into the crowd, when he fell dead in his wagon, pierced with three bullets. He was the only man killed or seriously injured. The news of the tragic death of their leader, as it spread among his sympathizers, produced a frenzy of excitement. They gathered from Wapello, Mahaska and Poweshiek counties in armed bands, making threats of vengeance. Their rendezvous was on the south bank of the Skunk River, about two miles from Sigoumey. Here they formed a camp and soon had nearly 2,000 armed men drilling.
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Messengers were sent to Governor Kirkwood, and he or- dered eleven military companies and a sqnad of artillery to assemble f orthwitii at Sigoumey, and, then, accompan- ied by three aides, tiie Governor proceeded to the county- seat. A large assembly gathered at the court-house, where the Governor made an address. He urged obedience to the laws and promised that every effort should be made by the lawful authorities to bring to speedy trial and punish- ment the guilty parties in the late affray. In the mean- time the ** Tally army,'^ in camp near the river, had elect- ed a commander-in-chief, and fixed the time to march upon South English. Charles Negus, a prominent attorney of Fairfield, had been called to the scene of the conflict, by friends of Tally, to assist in bringing the slayers of their leader to trial. He saw the imminent danger of a bloody collision if the army on the Skunk Biver made a hostile demonstration against Ihe citizens of South English. He had an interview with the commander of the ** Tally army *' and told him of the presence of the State troops, under command of Colonel N. P. Chipman, and that it would be folly to inaugurate war against the legally con- stituted military power of the State. The commander-in- chief returned to the army and informed his men of the condition of affairs, and the advice of their counsellor. When they found themselves face to face with State mili- tia, assembled by order of the Governor, their courage gave way to discretion, and, after consultation, they de- cided to disband. Twelve men were soon after arrested by the civil authorities charged with being implicated in the killing of Tally; they gave bonds to appear for trial at the next term of court. The prompt action of the Gover- nor prevented a bloody conflict, and was unmistakable warning to the lawless element that the military power of the State would be used to suppress mob violence.
On the 30th of October, of the same year, a party of law- less men was discovered passing through the western. por- tion of Fremont County. Provost Marshal Van Eaton
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called to his assistance Captain Hoyt and a few men, who followed them towards the Missouri Biver, to learn their intentions. The bushwhackers managed to conceal them- selves in the brush, where they lay in ambush until the marshal and his party came within gunshot, when they fired, killing Van Eaton and wounding one of his men. The survivors returned the fire, wounding one of the bush- whackers, but the whole party escaped. On the night of the 17th of November, a party of mounted armed men in- tercepted the pickets guarding the road leading into Sid- ney from the west. After a sharp skirmish and rapid fir- ing the enemy made a hasty retreat. On the 11th, a gang succeeded in entering the town by night and in blowing up the court-house, bxdlt at a cost of $36,000.
On the 17th, Adjutant-General Baker sent two hundred muskets, 4,000 ball cartridges and authority to Colonel Sears to call out as many companies of the Southern Border Brigade as were necessary to protect the county from the marauders. Captain H. B. Horn, in command of a company in the Southern Border Brigade, stationed in Davis County, in March, 1863, reported to the Adju- tant-General the doings of the disloyal citizens in that county. On the 9th of February, a force of armed men seized a negro and carried him into Missouri to slavery.
Captain Horn writes :
"Davis County is not the place to punish men for such crimes. The disloyal men among us have banded themselves together to resist the law and authority of those in power. At a recent peace meeting in our county, resolutions were unanimously adopted, in which they pledged themselves to resist to the death all attempts to draft any of our citizens into the army, and that they would permit no arbitrary arrests to be made among them by the minions of the Administration. ' That we will resist the intro- duction of free negroes into Iowa — first, by lawful means, and when that fails we will drive them, together with such whites as may be engaged in bringing them in, out of the State, or afford them honorable graves.' "
When the draft began in the fall of 1864, these disloyal utterances led to murder and mob violence. A draft had
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been made in September in Poweshiek Comity. The time for some of the drafted men to report had expired. In Sngar Creek township was a settlement of the disloyal, who had harbored deserters, and had a strong lodge of the '' Knights of the Golden Circle.^' On the 30th of Septem- ber, James Mathews, the provost marshal, sent two offi- cers—Captain John L. Bashore and Josiah M. Woodruff —into that vicinity to arrest deserters from the draft. They had nearly reached the residence of one of the de- serters, fourteen miles south of Grinnell, when they were fired upon by a number of armed men. Woodruff was instantly killed, his body was dragged into the bushes twenty yards from the road, where it was found riddled with bullets. Captain Bashore was lying in the road mortally wounded; he was shot in the head and through the body, then beaten over the head with the butt end of a rifle, which lay broken beside him. A man by the name of Gleason was found lying near Bashore, shot through the thigh, who, when found, said: ^^ I came to the assistance of the provost marshal, and was shot by the band who attacked him. " Bashore, hear- ing what he said, had strength enough to exclaim, ^^ that is not so, he fought us as wickedly as any of them " ; and in a short time Captain Bashore breathed his last. Upon investigation ordered by the Governor, it was ascertained that a company of pretended militia had been raised in Sugar Creek township, under the command of Captain Bobert C. Carpenter, and that a portion of this band had pledged themselves to resist the draft. Joseph Robertson, Thomas McEntire and Samuel A. Bryant, living in that vicinity, had been drafted, and having been notified, failed to report to the provost marshal, and became deserters. When it was learned through spies that officers were com- ing to arrest them, members of Captain Carpenter ^s com- pany assembled in a grove near the road where it was ex- pected the officers would approach the settlement. The men were armed with rifles and shot-guns, and planned to
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send a portion of the company to waylay and kill the offi^ oers. The plot was executed, but not without heroic re- sistance. Though taken by surprise, shot from ambush, and mortally wounded, Captain Bashore shot Gleason through the thigh, and he was left disabled in the road by his companions, when they fled from the scene of the mur- ders.
Gleason made a partial confession, in which he admit- ted that the gang had pledged themselves to resist the ar- rest of any of the number who might be drafted, and that he broke his rifle over Bashore 's head in tiie murderous attack. Upon order of the Governor, Adjutant-General Baker went to Grinnell and instituted an investigation. Captain Mathews had six men arrested and, with Gleason, lodged in jail at Oskaloosa. One of the men, by the name of Fleener, fled and was never found. When Gleason re- covered from his wounds he was tried in the United States court at Des Moines, convicted of murder, and sentenced to be hung. His wife went to Washington and appealed to the President to spare the life of the convict. President Lincoln commuted the punishment to imprisonment for life. After a few years in prison Gleason died.
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THE last raid into Iowa by Missonri guer- rillas was in October, 1864. On the morn- ing of the 12th, twelve young men, dressed in Federal nnif orms, and mounted on good horses, entered Davis County in the south- east comer, and, riding along the highway at a rapid gait, began to plunder the farm houses and peo- ple they met on the road. They seized such arms as they found, and destroying them, took some of the citizens pris- oners. Their leader was Lieutenant James Jackson, who sent out small detachments on intersecting roads to bring in plunder. The point at which they entered the county was about sixteen miles from Bloomfield, and, as they ad- vanced with a large number of prisoners, they presented a formidable appearance that so terrified the inhabitants that it was several hours before the news of the raid reached the county-seat The first man killed was Thomas Hurdy, a farmer, who refused to give up his team. The leader shot him in his wagon and robbed his body of about four hundred dollars. The next man killed was a returned soldier from the Third Iowa Cavalry, Eleazer Small, who was shot by the leader, who dismounted and coolly rifled the pockets of the dying man. At Springville, tiie ma- rauders went to the residence of Captain Philip Bunco, an officer of the Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, who happened to be at home on a visit They robbed him of his uniform and were about to shoot him when he walked up to the leader and in a low voice, that he might not be heard by his terrified family, requested that he might not be killed in the presence of his wife. He was accordingly taken sev- eral miles from home and brutally murdered. When the news of the bloody raid reached Bloomfield,
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the county fair was in session. The men rushed to the ar- senaly where arms and ammunition were hastily distrib- uted, horses were taken from the wagons and mounted. Colonel J. B. Weaver was called to the command. A com- pany of mounted men was soon organized, and, led by Weaver, started in pursuit of the guerrillas, whUe Lieu- tenant-Colonel S. A. Moore took command of the militia to protect the town. The party under Weaver struck the trail of the outlaws at Hurdy's and followed it with great rapidity xmtil the place was reached where Captain Bunce had been murdered. It was now midnight, they were in Missouri and five hours behind the raiders, as they learned from the citizens. It was impossible to track them in the darkness, and in a region where the raiders knew every bridle path and were among their friends, who would give no information to the pursuers. It was useless to proceed further and Weaver ^s party reluctantly turned back, tak- ing the body of Captain Bunce. On tiie 7th of November, while three men in Davis County were attempting to arrest suspicious characters, one of them, William Wallace, was shot by the raiders and killed. During these troubles in that county, thirteen of the guerrillas were captured by the militia, and delivered to the proper authorities.
Governor Kirkwood, having declined to be a candidate for a third term, there was a lively contest between the supporters of General Fitz Henry Warren and Elijah Sells, Secretary of State, before the Republican State Convention, which assembled at Des Moines on the 17tii of June, 1863, to nominate candidates for Governor and otiier State oflScers. Colonel William M. Stone, of the Twenty- second Regiment, who was home with a wound in his arm, received before Vicksburg, had a few supporters, who held the balance of power between the two chief candidates. The night before the convention, after the delegates had arrived in the city, a rally was held in the convention hall, at which General Warren and Colonel Stone were the chief speakers. Warren, who was an accomplished gentleman
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and an experienced politician^ opened the meeting with a polished address, but most injudiciously made some re- marks which seemed to reflect upon his principal competi- tor and gave great offense to the supporters of Mr. Sells, who was not a public speaker, and who did not address tiie meeting. Colonel Stone saw the mistake and was not slow to profit by it. When called out, he walked up to tiie platform in his blue uniform, with his wounded arm in a sling. The war feeling was high at this time, witii Grant's army covered with the glory of that wonderful campaign, in which he had outgeneraled and prevented the junction of the armies of Johnston and Pemberton, beaten both in a series of brilliant engagements, and was now tightening the coils around the Confederate stronghold at Vicksburg. Iowa regiments and officers had won fame in Grant's army and every Republican was wrought to the highest tension, waiting for the news of the fall of Vicksburg. As Stone paused a moment on the platform, the representative of ** our boys in blue '' with Grant, he must have realized that the opportunity of a life time was before him. He was equal to the occasion. Always an eloquent stump speaker, he now seemed inspired by the surroundings, and without alluding to the impending political contest on the morrow, he brought a message from the army before Vicksburg. Paying an eloquent tribute to the Iowa sol- diers and their glorious deeds on the battle-field, he con- tinued in glowing terms to eulogize the National and State Administrations under Republican rule, the superb loyalty of the people, their sacrifices and devotion to their country during the long and bloody war. Seizing the auspicious moment he made the speech that stampeded the convention the next day and made him Governor.
When the convention assembled in the morning and the balloting began, it looked as though Warren would be nominated. When Sell's supporters realized that the bat- tle was lost, they turned their votes for Stone, who had de- veloped unexpected strength after his speech the evening
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before. His nomination was won as clearly by an eloquent ^and adroit speech, as was Bryan's at Chicago in 1896. Enoch W. Eastman was nominated for Lieutenant-Gover- nor, and John F. Dillon for Supreme Judge. No new is- sues were represented in the platform adopted.
The Democratic State Convention met at Des Moines on the 8th of July and put in nomination the following candi- dates: for Governor, Maturin L. Fisher; Lieutenant-Gov- ernor, John F. Duncombe; Supreme Judge, Charles Ma- son. A lengthy platform of fifteen resolutions was adopt- ed, in which the most notable declarations were these :
" We are opposed to the war for the purpose of carrying out the eman- cipation proclamation of the President of the United States. That the power which has recently heen assumed by the President, wherein, under the guise of military necessity, he has proclaimed martial law over States where war does not exist, and has suspended the writ of habeas corpus, is unwarranted by the Constitution, and its tendency is to subvert our free government. That the establishment of military government over loyal States where war does not exist, to supersede the civil authorities and suppress the freedom of speech and of the press, and to interfere with the elective franchise, is not only subversive of the Constitution and the sover- eignty of the States, but the actual inauguration of revolution."
Mr. Fisher declined the nomination for Governor and General James M. Tuttle was placed at the head of the ticket by the State central committee. The campaign was fought out on the issues made in the above declarations by the Democratic Convention. The Republican candidates were elected by majorities ranging from 30,000 to 32,989.
The feeling of depression and gloom pervading the North after the disasters that had followed the great Army of the Potomac, under its various commanders, up to the close of the year 1862, was not lifted during the first half of 1863. General Bosecrans, after the indecisive battle near Murfreesboro, in Tennessee, in which he lost nearly 20,000 men, without advantage to the Union cause, re- mained iaactive iq that vicinity.
The Army of the Potomac, now under General Hooker,
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had fought anotiier great battle with Lee at Chancellors- ville and had been defeated with a loss of more than 17,000 men. No great victory had been won by a Union army in any department to compensate for these failures and heavy losses. Early in June, General Lee, with his army largely reSnforoed, and flushed with victories, marched northward, threatening Washington and Phila- delphia. Never before had the Union cause seemed in such imminent peril. President Lincoln hastily called upon the Governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Ohio for 120,000 militia to repel the invasion. Not more than 50,000 men from the five States responded to the call. The most serious apprehen- sions were felt in Washington for the safety of tiie city, and at no time since the beginning of the Bebellion had the people of the North felt so thoroughly disheartened. Their country was about to be invaded and all the horrors of war brought to their homes.
The largest and best army ever raised in the Southern Confederacy, composed of veterans who had never been beaten, was on the march of invasion. All attempts to crush this army, or capture the Confederate Capital, had ingloriously failed, and the National cause and its greatest army was now on the defensive. The disloyal element in the North was never so defiant as now. Loud and persist- ent threats were made of armed resistance to the draft. The only hopeful news for the Union cause in this time of general gloom was coming from Grant's army in the West. He had penetrated the heart of the enemy's coun- try, won a series of brilliant victories, driven a large army into the intrenchments at Vicksburg and, closing all ave- nues of escape, was now shelling that stronghold, the fall of which would open the Mississippi Suddenly the gloom that had long hung over the Union cause was lifted. On the 3d of July was ended the greatest battle ever fought on this continent. For three days the gigantic struggle for supremacy between the Confederate army xmder Lee, and
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liie Union army under Meade^ had raged among the hills and valleys of Gettysburg, while the Nation trembled with suspense. On the third day Lee's army was shattered, beaten, and in full retreat with a loss of nearly 30,000 men. Next day, Pemberton surrendered his entire army, can- non, small arms, and the city of Vicksburg, with a vast amount of property, to General Grant The result of this wonderful campaign was l^e defeat of the Confederates in five battles before Vicksburg was reached; the capture of Jackson, the capital of the State; the fall of Vicksburg, and the opening of the Mississippi Biver ; the surrender of an army of 37,000 after more than 10,000 had fallen in bat- tle. The ** History of the American Conflict, '* in sum- ming up the results of this campaign says :
" This was the heaviest single blow ever given to the muscular resources of the Kebellion. No other campaign of the war equals in brilliancy of con- ception and general success in execution that which resulted in the capit- ulation of Vicksburg."
It is an undeniable fact that the loss of this entire army, with all its equipment, and the fall of the great stronghold of the Mississippi Valley, was a greater blow to Confeder- acy than the defeat of Lee at Gettysburg. Although beaten, he had inflicted upon the Union army losses almost equal to his own; he had replenished his scanty army supplies from the granaries and storehouses of Pennsylvania; ex- changed his worn-out cavalry horses for the well-fed ani- mals of the northern farmers ; had levied forced contribu- tions of hundreds of thousands of dollars upon the cities in his line of march ; and so slow was Meade's pursuit that he escaped with nearly all of his plunder, and, taking a defi- ant position on the Rappahannock, checked Meade's ad- vance toward Richmond to the end of the year.
The great joy of the eastern people over the first de- cided victory of the Army of the Potomac, and the relief of the North from danger of invasion; so thoroughly ab- sorbed their attentioii, that the greater victory iu the West
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was not appreciated by theNation at large. Grant's armies from the beginning of his great career, were composed en- tirely of western troops, and were made up largely, to the close of his Vicksbnrg campaign, of Illinois and Iowa vol- unteers. Iowa soldiers had won fame in all of his battles and campaigns. Behnont, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, luka, Corinth, Champion's Hill and Vicksbnrg were inscribed on their banners ; with such victories, and no serious de- feats up to this time, no such feeling of depression pervaded the West as had prevailed in tiie East previous to the vic- tories at Gettysburg and Vicksbnrg. In the West our armies had generally been successful. Before the middle of July, 1863, we had opened the Mississippi Eiver to New Orleans, driven the Confederate armies out of Missouri, Kentucky, the greater portion of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. In addition to the many thou- sand Confederate soldiers killed and wounded in battie, our armies had taken more than 50,000 prisoners. This progress in the West had iaspired a confidence among its citizens iu the final overthrow of the Bebellion, which had never been seriously shaken by thie disasters to the eastern armies. From the beginning to the end of the war no Iowa regiments were in the Army of the Potomac, al- though we had many regiments witii Sheridan in his cam- paign of the Shenandoah Valley, when he won the brilliant victories of Opequan, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, in the fall of 1864.
On the 17th of October, 1863, the President issued a call for 300,000 volunteers to serve three years, if the war should last so long. This call was made necessary owing to the fact that the term of service of a large number of men now in the army would expire during the year 1864. Iowa again raised its quota with volunteers, without re- sort to a draft.
The Tenth General Assembly convened at Des Moines on the 11th of January, 1864. The Senate was called to order by Lieutenant-Governor Needham. The House was
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organized by the electdon of Jacob Bntlery Speaker. In his last message to the Legislature, Governor Elrkwood, in referring to the attitude of Iowa toward the Bebellion, says:
V The position occupied by our State in this war for the preservation of the Union is a proud and enviable one. From the first outbreak of the Rd>ellion, until the present time, Iowa has neither faltered nor wavered in the discharge of her duty. In both branches of the National Goundl has she presented an unbroken front to treason and rebellion, and has given a steady and undivided support to the General Qovemment. Her State Qovemment in aU of its branches has given evidence of her un* flinching and unconditional loyalty and devotion to the good cause. Her people have at all times and promptly filled aU requisitions made upon them for troops to fill the ranks of the Union armies; and the men she has salt to the field have been at least second to none in aU soldierly qualities.
When the war began ours was a new State without a history. To-day her name stands on one of the brightest pages of our country's record, graven there by the bayonets of our brave soldiers — and that page is all over glowing with proofs of their heroism and devotion. We have sent to tile field no regiment of which we do not justly feel proud, and the bare mention of the names of many of them stirs the blood and warms the heart of every lowan. It may perhaps be permitted me to say that I trust when the history of the gallantry and devotion of these men shall be written, the position I have held will of necessity connect my name humbly and not discreditably with theirs, and that this trust affords compensation for somewhat of toil and care which have attended the position, and should be sufficient to satisfy an ambition greater than mine."
The Governor, in his message, pays the following well- earned tribute to his able Adjutant-General, N. B. Baker:
** The office of Adjutant-General has been since the commencement of the wftr, and still is, a very important one. The labor and responsibility have been very great The labor has always been weU and promptly performed, and the responsibility cheerfully borne. .... It affords me great pleasure to say that whatever of success has attended the raising and or- ganizing of troops in this State is due to the efficient services of the present incumbent of that office."
At the close of Governor Kirkwood's term, the report of the Adjutant-General showed that these two officials had
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raised, organized and put into the field, forty regiments of inf antry, nine regiments of cavalry and f onr batteries of artillery.
The names of these two able, faithful and devoted public officials will be forever intimately associated with the most critical period of our National history. Governor Kirk- wood was calm and deliberate, endowed with excellent judgment and possessed a vast amount of practical com- mon sense. He was solid rather than brilliant and made few mistakes in solving the difficult problems thrust upon his admioistration by the war. Not the least difficult of these was the selection of field officers for the forty-nine regiments of volunteers organized during his term. Hun- dreds of prominent politicians sought these places, very few of whom had any knowledge of military affairs. It was impossible to fill these most important positions with officers educated for the profession of arms, for Ihey were not in the country. Selections had to be made largely from men engaged in civil pursuits, who must acquire a knowl- edge of military affairs in camp, on the march, or amid the carnage of the battle-field. Under these circumstances, it was inevitable that mistakes should be made. But in a large majority of cases the excellent judgment of the Gov- ernor and Adjutant-General enabled them to make wise se- lections. The incompetent were usually soon weeded out by resignation, and the places filled by promotion of those who had shown their fitness on the field of battle.
Governor Eirkwood was untiring in his efforts to meet every requirement of the National Administration, and at the same time was constant in his attention to the wants of the sick and wounded Iowa soldiers in camp and hospi- tal He retired from office witii the respect and esteem of all loyal citizens of the State, and his fame as one of the most eminent ** War Governors '* of that momentous period will endure for all time. x
On the 14th of January, 1864, William M. Stone was in- augurated Governor, and Enoch W. Eastman was sworn
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in as Lieutenant-Governor. On the 16thy the General Assembly met in joint convention and proceeded to ballot for United States Senator. James W. Grimes received one hundred and twenty-eight votes, John D. Jennings five, and J. M. Love one. James W. Grimes was declared elect- ed for the term of six years, beginning the 4th of March, 1865.
The most important acts of this session of the Legisla- ture were the following: an act to organize and disci- pline the militia of the State; an act for the relief of the families of soldiers and marines in the service of the United States, which required the collection of two mills on the dollar of all taxable property in each county for the benefit of such families for the years 1864-1865; an act making an appropriation for the erection of a building for the State Agricultural College; an act authorizing the trustees of said college to lease or sell the lands granted by Congress for the support of that institution; an act to repeal the law of the Third General Assembly, which pro- hibited the immigration of free negroes into this State; an act increasing the number of Supreme Judges from fliree to four; an act fixing the salary of the Governor at $2,500, and requiring him to keep the Executive Office at Des Moines, where he should transact the business of the Executive Department, and keep a secretary in his ab- sence. That all official acts of the Executive should, at the time, be entered in a journal. He should keep a military record, on which should be entered every act done by him as Commander-in-Chief. An act prohibiting the circula- tion of foreign bank notes in Iowa and an act abolishing the State Board of Education, and providing for the elec- tion of a Superintendent of Public Instruction were also passed.
Several joint resolutions were passed, among which were: one requesting the colonels of Iowa regiments in the service to furnish the Adjutant-General with a brief history of their respective regiments, in order that their
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achievements might be placed on record, and be preserved for use in permanent history; one asking a grant of pub- lic lands to aid in the construction of a railroad from McGregor to a point on the Missouri Biver, along or near the 43d parallel of north latitude; one authorizing the Oovemor to convey to S. H. Taft ten sections of land in Humboldt County upon which he had located a colony.
No act of this General Assembly proved to be of such far-reaching inportance as that authorizing the lease of the lands of the Agricultural College grant Under that grant, 224,169 acres of Government lands had been select- ed in our State by Peter Melendy, the commissioner ap- pointed by (Jovemor Earkwood in the years 1862-1863. There were, at this time, and for many years afterward, hundreds of thousands of acres of (government lands in Iowa subject to homestead entry at the cost of but four- teen dollars to the settler upon one hundred and sixty acres. Under such conditions there could be no hope of selling lands of the college grant for many years. The college could not be opened until reve- nue sufficient to meet current expenses could be derived from this land grant The State would make appropria- tions for the erection of buildings, but not for the support of the school. There was a growing and earnest demand for the establishment of the institution. The friends and founders of the college were not willing that this munifi- cent grant should be sacrificed for the insignificant sum that a sale of any portion would bring then, if, indeed, the lands could be sold at any price. In order to solve the difficult problem, if possible, Senators C. F. Clarkson, chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, and B. F. Gue, one of the originators of the Agricultural College bill, held several consultations, calling (Jovemor Kirkwood to con- fer with them. They finally devised the plan of having an appraised value placed on each tract of the land, at which price it would be sold at the end of five years to the person who should lease it, he paying interest at the rate of six per
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cent, in advance, annually, on the appraised value of the land leased. The title remaining in the State, the lands were exempt from taxation, the person leasing with the privilege of buying, was neither required to improve nor to live upon the land, as in the case of one taking a home- stead, and the amount that one person could lease and buy was not limited. These conditions made the college lands the most desirable investment to a large class of peo- ple who had confidence that in the future there must be great increase in the value of Iowa lands. This plan of disposing of the college grant met the approval of the Gen- eral Assembly and was promptly enacted into law. Its workings met the most sanguine expectations of its pro- jectors, as will be seen hereafter.
Article IX of the Constitution, which established aBoard of Education, also provided that after the year 1863, the (General Assembly should have power to abolish or reor- ganize the Board. After a trial of five years, public opin- ion clearly demanded that the Board should be abolished; not because its work did not meet the approval of the peo- ple of the State, but because under that system school leg- islation became cumbersome and complicated. The Board of Education had no power to levy taxes or make appro- priations of money; these powers could only be exercised by the (Jeneral Assembly. Consequently no act of the Board could become effective which required the expendi- ture of money unless it met the approval of a majority of the members of both branches of the Legislature. While the members of the Boards of Education had usually been men well qualified to enact educational laws, and their acts had met public approval, the people could see no necessity for a third legislative body and the additional expense and delay involved in the new system. The Board of Educa- tion was therefore abolished by the first (Jeneral Assembly which had the power, under a provision of the Constitu- tion.
The most notable contest in the Tenth General Assem-
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bly was over the suppression of the last renmant of what was known as ^' wild cat " currency in the State. In pioneer times^ gold and silver were for the most part nsed as money- The Miners' Bank of Dnbuque was the only one established in Iowa in early days, and when that f ailed, the people lost confidence in paper money, and in the first Constitution of the State prohibited the establish- ment of banks with power to issue paper money. The ob- ject of this provision was clearly to rid the State of bank notes and every form of paper currency, recognizing gold and silver only as lawful money. But it utterly failed to exclude the objectionable currency and in a few years our State was flooded with disreputable paper promises to pay. After ten years of trial of this constitutional prohi- bition and its disastrous failure to exclude the ^^ wild caf currency, another plan was adopted in the Constitu- tion of 1857. The prohibition was removed and the Gen- eral Assembly was authorized to enact laws for the estab- lishment of banks of issue, to take effect only after having been approved by the people at an election. A system of sound money and safe banking was enacted by the Sev- enth General Assembly, and it was expected that the notes of the State Bank of Iowa, which were always redeemable in specie, would displace tiie '* wild cat '* currency which still lingered in spite of all efforts to dislodge it. As the war proceeded most of the banks of the country, as well as the National Government, were compelled to suspend spe- cie payment, gold and silver commanded a high premium, and consequently were retired from general circulation. Treasury notes took their place to a large extent, and came into use as the common currency of the country; and, as they were not redeemable in specie, the State Bank bills which were gradually retired from circulation. In 1863 an act of Congress was passed for the establishment of National banks, and the Tenth General Assembly made the notes of these banks receivable for taxes. A movement was now made, having for its purpose not
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only strikmg a death blow to ** wild cat '^ currency in Iowa, bnt restricting our people to the nse of the money based on the credit of the Nation^ and thus aiding the (Gov- ernment in carrying the burden of debt incurred in prose- cuting the war.
On the 25th of January, 1864, Senator B. F. Gue of Scott County, introduced into that body a bill to prohibit absolutely, under severe penalties, the circulation of any bank note or bill intended to circulate as money in the State of Iowa, except United States Treasury notes. Na- tional bank biUs, or those of the State Bank of Iowa. This bill met with the most determined opposition from the day of ite introduction. Private bankers and brokers had for many years found a profitable business in receiving from distant banks of the country their paper currency in large quantities, at a heavy discount and putting it in circula- tion through produce buyers and in loans to their custo- mers. Hundreds of thousands of dollars had been lost by the people of Iowa in the failure of these worthless banks. No legislation thus far aimed at this evil had eradicated it. The profite were so large that a strong lobby soon gath- ered at the Capital to defeat this radical bill. It was fought at every stage, in committee, and on the floor of the Senate, as an arbitrary, unprecedented species of legisla- tion, discourteous to other Stetes. But it passed the Sen- ate and went to the House where it encountered a still more determined opposition. It was there in charge of Samuel McNutt of Muscatine. The committee of ways and means, to which it was referred, reported against it and an attempt was made by the Speaker to rule it out The press of the State took up the discussion, and a large majority of the newspapers urged the passage of the bill. When it came up for consideration the fight lasted two days and every device known to parliamentary practice was used by the opposition to modify, amend or defeat the bill. But under the guidance of McNutt and " Russell of Jones,*' it was carried safely through, received the ap-
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proval of the (Governor and became a law. This ended the long struggle, which, begun in Territorial Assemblies, was carried into three Constitutional Conventions and several State Legislatures to expel " wild cat ^^ currency from Iowa. It seemed to have as many lives as the tra- ditional cat of another species. This law terminated the existence of currency of doubtful value in the State.
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CHAPTER Vm
ON the 5ih of February, 1864, Governor Stone issned a proclamation notifying the people that Iowa wonld be required to furnish 6,000 more men to fill the State's quota under the President's recent call for 200,000 addition- al soldiers ; and that a draft was ordered to begin on the 10th of March, if the men were not furnished by tiiat time. The Governor made a strong appeal to the people to fill this quota with volunteers and thus avoid the necessity for a draft. On the 14th, he issued another proclamation, forbidding all persons to cross the Missouri Eiver before the 10th of March for the purpose of avoid- ing the draft Guards were placed at all of the crossings of the river below Sioux City to enforce the order. The men required to be furnished by Iowa under the late call of the President were secured by volunteering, and a draft at this time was avoided. A new enrollment act was passed by Congress early in July, 1864, by the terms of which the President was authorized at his discretion to call for any number of volunteers to serve in the army for one, two or three years. It was provided that in case the quota of any township or ward of a city should not be filled within fifty days after the call, the President should immediately order a draft for one year to fill such quota.
On the 18th of July came another call of the President for 500,000 more volunteers; and if they were not fur- nished by the 5th of September, a draft was ordered to begin immediately thereafter in any township, or ward of any city that was delinquent. Up to this time, by great exertions, Iowa had been able to furnish volunteers to meet all calls made by the President, but now it became evident that the quota under this call could not be filled without resort to a draft
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The progress of the war for the past year had, upon the whole, been favorable to the Union cause but the Con- federate armies were still formidable, and had won some important victories. One of the greatest battles of the war was fought at Chickamauga on the 19th and 20th of September, 1863, where the Union army under Qeneral Bosecrans, had been beaten by the Confederates under General Bragg, with a loss of more than 18,000 men. The redeeming feature of this bloody conflict was the magnifi* cent fight made by the right wing of our army under Gen- eral (Jeorge H. Thomas, which firmly held its ground after (General Bosecrans with the main body had been driven in confusion from the field. General Bosecrans was soon af- terward relieved of command, and was succeeded by Gen- eral Thomas. On the 11th of October General Grant, who assumed command in person, reached Chattanooga and in November won the brilliant victories of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Bidge, in which he captured more than 6,000 prisoners and forty pieces of artillery, after inflict- ing upon the enemy a loss of 3,000 killed and wounded. In Louisiana our army under General Banks was led to a disastrous defeat in the Bed Biver campaign, through the incompetency of the commander, notwithstanding the brilliant fighting of the Iowa regiments in his army. Banks lost about 5,000 men, and a large part of his artil- lery, in this campaign, and what little reputation he had as a military officer.
The Army of the Potomac, under Meade, had accom- plished nothing since the Battle of Gettysburg, and was still lying idle on the banks of the Bapidan, watching Lee. At last, the patience of the country became exhausted over the long continued inaction of that great army, and Con- gress took radical action in the premises. The Adminis- tration felt grateful to General Meade for the victory at Gettysburg and the country shared this feeling, although there was a general conviction in the North tibat he had neglected to reap the full fruits of that victory by the ex-
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treme caution displayed in failing to make a vigorous pur- suit of Lee's retreating army. As the months passed by until nearly three-quarters of a year had elapsed and his magnificent army had accomplished nothing, the belief be- came general that Meade lacked the aggressive energy that was necessary in a commander to crush Lee's forces, capture the Confederate Capital, disperse and destroy its usurping government.
The initiative for a radical change came from the West, E. B. Washburn of Illinois, on the 1st of February, 1864, in the House of Representatives, introduced a joint resolu- tion to revive the grade of Lieutenant-General of our ar- mies, a rank hitherto held only by George Washington (General Scott being such only by brevet). (Jeneral Gar- field moved to lay the resolution upon the table, but the House, by the decisive vote of nineteen to one hundred sev- enteen, refused to table the proposition, and after amend- ing the resolution by a vote of one hundred eleven to forty- one, recommending Ulysses S. Grant for the post, passed it by a large majority. It passed the Senate by a vote of thirty-one to six. President Lincoln promptiy approved the measure, and on the 1st of March nominated General Grant for the place, and he was promptiy confirmed by the Senate. This act was almost unanimously approved by the loyal people of Iowa and the West. Iowa and western soldiers had from the first served under Grant, and borne a prominent part in all of his great victories. They had unbounded confidence in his military ability, his untiring energy and his uncompromising fidelity to the Union cause. They hailed his promotion to the command of all of the armies of the Nation, under the President, as the sure harbinger of ultimate success. He was summoned to Washington, accepted the position, and was invested by the President with the command of all of the armies of the United States. Leaving General Meade as commander of the Army of the Potomac in name. General Grant made his headquarters with that army, and thereafter directed
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all of its movements. From that day it made no more re- treats, but slowly and surely with shot and shell crowded the Army of Virginia from one defense to another, nntil its shattered remnants were compelled to surrender.
In July, while the (Jovemor and Adjutant-Oeneral were putting forth every possible effort to secure volunteers to furnish the quota of the State under the late calls of the President, authority was received from the War Depart- ment to raise two new regiments of infantry to serve one, two or three years, as the recruits might choose. No new regiments were organized under this authority, and a draft was made, beginning in September, 1864, to supply the deficiency then remaining. An excellent class of men were secured, who, as a rule, cheerfully took their places in the ranks, and Inade good soldiers.
On the 27th of July, a general order was issued by Ad- jutant-General Baker for the enrollment and organization of the militia of the State in pursuance of the acts of the Tenth General Assembly. The number of companies ap- portioned to each county was published in the order. On the 20th of August, the Governor issued a proclamation in which he stated that he was in possession of information that refugees from Rebel armies, guerrillas and bush- whackers, guilty of robbery and murder of Union men in Missouri, were daily coming across the line into Iowa, os- tensibly for the purpose of becoming citizens, but with the intent to commit robbery and other crimes :
''I hereby forbid asylum in this State to this class of people, and all peace officers in the first and second tiers of counties on the southern bor- der, and in the County of Pottawattamie, and all militia officers of the State are commanded to stop and detain suspected pers(ms, and unless they can give satisfactory account of themselves they must be refused permis- sion to remain in the State."
In an official letter to the Adjutant-General on the 12th of September, 1864, Governor Stone sets forth at length, some of the serious dangers menacing certain localities
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from disloyal secret organizations in efforts to organize the State militia. He writes :
" In several lodges of the * Sons of Liberty/ a treasonable organisation which now exists in nearly every county in the State, it was determined by them to unite in organizing military companies under the militia law and use these to cover their movements from public observation. While pre- tending to drill as a militia company, they could practice the peculiar tactics of their order without being compelled as now to seek concealment. Most of the lodges in the southern part of the State are in constant corre- spondence with their coadjutors in Missouri, and since the first of July last their communications have been characterized by the most unblushing treason, both to the Federal and State Governments. Couriers are now running regularly on both sides of the State line, and much of the ex- traordinary tide of immigration now pouring in from Missouri is invited here by Iowa conspirators under promise of fellowship and protection.
"When you reflect that on the first day of August there were over 30,000 members of this secret order enrolled in this State, bound together by oaths which, if obeyed, renders every one of them an active traitor to the Union, and an abetter of civil strife in our State; that large quanti- ties of arms and ammunition are being secretly brought into these counties to be used for disloyal purposes, you may well conceive that the develop- ment of their nefarious militia scheme, concocted in midnight conclaves, became with me a matter of serious concern. The sad experience of our Missouri neighbors in their late troubles with disloyal militia, was a sufilcient warning for me to carefully guard that point in Iowa. I am informed by anonymous letters that my orders will be disregarded and my authority set at defiance. These orders will remain unchanged and be strictly enforced in every case. Companies which disr^^ard them will not be recognized or treated for any purpose as portions of the State militia. If the conflicts which they seem now desirous of inviting be forced upon us, they may flnd us prepared at points where they least expect us, and on our part at least there will be no blank cartridges used or shots thrown away."
In one case on the Missonri border^ a militia company elected as its captain a man who had been dishonorably dismissed from the United States service for the utter- ance of treasonable sentiments. In another case the cap- tain chosen had been a notorious Missouri guerrilla. In both of these instances the request for commissions and arms were refused by the Governor and Adjutant-Gten- eral. Through the vigilance of these officers the secret
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schemes of the disloyal conspirators to secure arms were defeated, but they were able in some of the border counties to seriously embarrass the organization of the militia.
On the 8th of October, 1864, the (Jovemor announced that the number of men required from Iowa, under all calls up to that time, was less than 4,000, and these were soon after furnished by the draft then in progress. On the 16th of November, tiie Adjutant-General issued an or- der requiring all militia companies that had received arms from the State, to meet and drill once a month, or sur- render their arms.
On the 30th of November, Governor Stone issued an ad- dress to the people of Iowa, in which he called special at- tention to the acts of the last General Assembly requiring the levy of a special tax for the aid of the families of sol- diers in the service. He says :
'^ With the number of iioldiers' families augmented beyond our anticipar . tions, the necessity for additional public effort in their behalf has been created. The receipts from taxes wiU prove inadequate to provide for the increased number in many counties, and further appeal to the generosity of our people is imperatively demanded. For this purpose I request that Saturday, the 31st of December, be set apart as a day for general contribu- tion throughout the State. If we could manifest a proper appreciation of the proud name our soldiers have won for us on so many fields, and prove ourselves wortliy of it, let us greet them with the assurance that their wives and little ones shall not suffer in their absence. Let us unite in sending them such a token of our love as will cheer them wherever they are around the flag of the Union, whether on the land or on the sea."
On the 9th of December, Adjutant-General Baker, upon learning that deserters from Price's Confederate army were crossing into the southern counties of Iowa for the purpose of robbery and murder, issued an order to the State militia in that region to be on the alert, '* and if these desperadoes enter the State to rob, steal and murder, and are caught in the act, they are to be treated as outlaws, and shot on the spot, or hung to the nearest tree. ' ' These
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energetic measnres served to protect very generally the border counties.
The number of militia companies organized under the acts of the last General Assembly, during the year 1864, was nine hundred and seventeen. The returns for that year showed the enrollment of the militia of the State to be 86,600. Of the militia, there had been organized twenty- nine regiments and two battalions.
While the war was absorbing every energy of the Na- tional Administration, and testing to the utmost limit the patience, endurance and patriotism of the loyal people of the country, in this fourth year of the conflict, the time for a Presidential election was approaching. That election was to determine the most important issue ever submitted to a vote of the American people. It was to decide whether the Republic was to endure as one great nation, or be di- vided into hostile factions, adopting different forms of government, liable to form alliances with foreign nations for selfish purposes, leading to endless danger of civil wars and internal disorders.
The reelection of President Lincoln would be notice to the Southern Confederacy, to its friends in the North and to foreign nations, that every power of our National Qov- emment would be put forth for the suppression of the Be- bellion until national authority was restored in every State and Territory in the Union.
When the Rebellion began, through the influence of such leading Democrats as Douglas, Stanton, Holt, Dix, But- ler, Dickinson and Andrew Johnson, there was a general uprising of the loyal people of the country in support of the President in his efforts and measures to enforce the laws and restore the authority of the Oovemment. Parti- san strife and conflicts were for a time ignored, and a wave of patriotic fervor swept over the Northern States. But as the war progressed, wide differences of opinion arose over the policy to be pursued in dealing with the Rebellion and slavery. The disloyal people of the North-
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em States were nntiriiig in the organization of the secret leagues before mentioned as the ^^ Knights of the Golden Circle ^^ and the ** Sons of Liberty/' These secret gath- erings enabled the disloyal to disseminate their doctrines with saf ety^ and this work went on unchecked until in Au- gusty 1864, when, as we have seen, Governor Stone stated that the membership of these lodges numbered more than 30,000 in Iowa. These organizations extended throughout the States not engaged in the Bebellion. Their influence was widespread and becoming a serious menace to the (Government. In order to counteract their treasonable con- spiracies the loyal people devised the " Union League, '^ a secret organization, which rapidly spread throughout the loyal and border States. The purposes of this league will be best understood by quoting a few passages from the ritual:
"In times of perU to our Government and the Union it becomes the sacred duty of aU true patriots to unite in the preservation of constitu- tional freedom and in thwarting the designs of traitors. It is a strange and sad necessity which compels American citizens to band themselves together in this manner to sustain the Constitution and the Union; but the Goyem- ment under which we live is threatened with destruction. We claim in no way to interfere with your religious or political opinions, save that you shall at all times and places seek to protect, preserve and defend the Got- eniment of the United States." An oath was administered to each member in vHkich he swore ''to support^ protect and defend the Omstitution and Government of the United States and the flag thereof, and aid in maintain- ing the laws of the United States, and to defend the State of Iowa (or whatever State the member lived in) against invasion, insurrection or rdi>ellion, to the best of my ability. Furthermore, I will aid and assist in electing true and reliable Union men, and none others, to aU offices of profit or trust) from the lowest to the highest; and should I ever be called to fill any office* I wiU there and then faithfully carry out the objects and principles of this League. To defend and perpetuate Freedom and the Union, I pledge my life, my fortune and my sacred honor."
As the time approached for the assembling of the Na- tional conventions to nominate candidates for President, there were found to be among Democrats and Republicans,
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those who were working together for a vigorous prosecu- tion of the war for the Union, a considerable number who were opposed to the renomination of President Lincohi for various reasons. This element held a National Conven- tion at Cleveland, Ohio, on the 31st of May, at which about three hundred and fifty i)ersons were present.
The resolutions adopted declared for a vigorous prose- cution of the war for the Union, the prohibition of slavery by amendment of the Constitution and a further amend- ment providing for election of President and Vice-Presi- dent by a direct vote of the people, limiting the term of the President to four years. The convention then proceeded to nominate John C. Fremont for President and John Cochrane for Vice-President.
The first political State convention of the year was that of the Kepublican party, held at Des Moines, on the 22d of February, to choose delegates to the National Conven- tion. The convention elected the following delegates for the State at large : Wm. M. Stone, J. T. Clark, Francis Springer and D. D. Chase. The district delegates chosen were: G. W. McCrary, D. P. Stubbs, D. W. Ellis, J. S. Stacey, J. S. Woodward, (Jeorge Kern, G. D. Woodin, J. M. Hedrick, Cole Noel, Frank Stewart, Gt. M. Woodbury and Peter Melendy. The resolutions adopted warmly in- dorsed the Administration and its war policy, and favored an amendment to the National Constitution abolishing slavery.
The Democratic State Convention assembled at Des Moines on the 16th of June, and nominated the following candidates for State officers: J. H. Wallace for Secretary of State; H. B. Hendershott, Auditor; J. B. Larsh, Treas- urer; B. D. Holbrook, Register Land Office; T. M. Monroe, Supreme Judge; and C. A. Dunbar, Attorney-General. For Presidential Electors the following nominations were made: D. F. Miller, John Swineforth, I. C. Mitchell, I. M. Preston, B. B. Richards, J. E. Neal, A. Lormier and J. M. Stockdale.
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A Republican State Convention was held at Des Moines on the 7th of July, at which the following candidates were nominated: C. C. Cole for Supreme Judge; James Wright, Secretary of State; John A. Elliott, Auditor; Wm. H. Holmes, Treasurer; Isaac L. Allen, Attorney-General; J. A. Harvey, Register Land Office; C. B. Darwin, W. G. Thompson, J. Van Valkenburg, S. S. Burdette, B. F. Hunt, Dan Anderson, C. C. Mudgett and H. C. Henderson, Presi- dential Electors.
The National Republican Convention, which was held at Baltimore on the 7th and 8th of June, renominated Abraham Lincoln for President by a unanimous vote, and Andrew Johnson was nominated for Vice-President on the second ballot. The resolutions approved the determina- tion of the Administration to make no compromise with Rebels, the offer of no terms of peace other than ** uncon- ditional surrender,** and the return to allegiance to the Constitution and laws of the United States, and the com- plete extirpation of slavery from the soil of the Republic by amendment of the Constitution. The resolutions ap- plauded the practical wisdom, unselfish patriotism, and unswerving fidelity to the Constitution and the principles of American liberty, with which Abraham Lincoln had discharged, under circumstances of unparalleled difficulty, the great duties and responsibilities of the Presidential office; approved especially the Proclamation of Emanci- pation, and the employment, as Union soldiers, of men heretofore held in slavery. They indorsed the Monroe Doctrine and the encouragement of foreign immigration by a liberal and just policy.
The Democratic National Convention assembled at Chi- cago on the 29th of August; Governor Seymour of New York was called to preside and, in his opening address, foreshadowed the ** peace policy ** which was to dominate the convention. Through their secret ** orders *' the anti- war men had been able to secure a large preponderance of delegates in the convention. From the speeches made
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during its sessions a few extracts are here given to show the character of the utterances which received the loudest applause. Eev. Chauncey Burr of New Jersey said:
" The South could not honorably lay down her arms, for she was fight- ing for her honor. Two millions of men had been sent down to the slaughter pens of the South, and the army of Lincoln could not again be filled, neither by enlistment nor conscription. If I ever uttered a prayer, it was that no one of the States of the Union should be conquered and sub- jugated."
Henry Clay Dean of Iowa said:
" For over three years Lincoln has been calling for men, and they have been given. But with all the vast armies placed at his command he has failed. Such a failure had never been known. Such destruction of human life had never been seen since the destruction of Sennacherib by the breath of the Almighty. And still the monster usurper wants more men for his slaughter pens. Ever since the usurper, traitor and tyrant has occupied tlie presidential chair, the Republican party has shouted ' War to the knife, and the knife to the hilt.' Blood has flowed in torrents; and yet the thirst of the old monster is not quenched. His cry is for more blood."
Judge Miller of Ohio said:
" There is no real difference between a war Democrat and an Abolitionist. They are links of one sausage, made out of the same dog."
C. L. Vallandigham wrote the platform adopted by the Convention, which made the following declarations:
"This Convention does explicitly declare, as the sense of the American people, that after four years of failure to restore the Union by the ex- periment of war, during which, under a pretense of military necessity of a war power higher than the Constitution, the Constitution itself has been disregarded in every part, and public liberty and private rights alike trodden down, and the material prosperity of the country essentially im- paired. Justice, humanity, liberty and the public welfare demand that im- mediate efforts be made for a cessation of hostilities, with a view to the ultimate convention of all of the States, or other peaceable means, to the end that at the earliest practicable moment, peace may be restored on the basis of the Federal Union of the States."
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Several other resolutions were passed denouncing in bitter terms most of the war measures of the Administra- tion, as usurpations, not warranted by the Constitution. General Gteorge B. McClellan was nominated for Presi- dent and George H. Pendleton for Vice-President.
When the issue was thus squarely made between a vigor- ous prosecution of the war for the preservation of the Union and a cessation of hostilities for the purpose of attempting a compromise with the Southern Confederacy, the loyal people of the country realized the fearful danger that confronted the Nation. Two attempts had recently been made to ascertain if it were possible to effect any kind of settlement between the Government and the lead- ers of the Bebellion, by which peace could be restored to ^ the country. The first attempt was made by prominent leaders of the Eebellion who asked leave to come to Wash- ington and enter upon negotiations and to be assured of safety on their journey. President Lincoln made them the following reply:
" Any proposition which embraces the restoration of peace, the integrity of the whole Union, and the abandonment of slavery, and which comes by and with authority that can control the armies now at war against the United States, will be received and considered by the executive Government of the States, and will be met by liberal terms on substantial and collateral points; and the bearer or bearers thereof shall have safe conduct both ways. (Signed) ** Abraham Linooln."
Nothing more came of this attempt at negotiation, which was begun early in July, 1864. Very soon after,, two prominent citizens of the North, with the knowledge of the President, but not by any direct authority from him, went to Richmond on a peace errand, being allowed to pass through the lines of both armies. They had a long per- sonal conference with President Davis, after which, he presented his ultimatum in the following terms :
" I desire peace as much as you do, but I feel that not one drop of blood of this war is on my hands. I tried all in my power to avert this war, but
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I could not. The North was mad and blind; it would not let ua govern ourselves, and ao the war came and now it must go on until the last man of this generation falls in his tracks, and his children seize his musket and fi^t our battles, unless you acknowledge our right to self government. We are not fighting for slavery. We are fighting for Independence, and that or extermination we will have. Say to Mr. Lincoln for me, that I shall at any time be pleased to receive proposals for peace on the basis of our in- dependence. It will be useless to approach .me with any other."
Mr. Vallandighamy when banished to the Confederacy the year before for treasonable utterances, had assured Mr. Ould that, ** if you can hold out this year, the peace party of the North will sweep the Lincoln dynasty out of political existence.*'
With a knowledge of all these facts, the Chicago Con- vention had deliberately resolved in favor of an immediate cessation of hostilities, that peace negotiations might be entered into. Under these circumstances there could be no misunderstanding as to the vital issues involved in the Presidential campaign of 1864. Never before had the fate of the Nation been so clearly at stake in a political cam- paign. All parties to the war recognized the supreme im- portance of the approaching election. If McClellan should be elected, it meant an end of the war upon the best terms that could be made with the Southern Confederacy, which had been so clearly stated by its President that there could be no misunderstanding. However much the Democratic party in the North might have desired the restoration of the old Union, due notice had been given by the President of the Confederacy that such a proposition would not even be considered. Peace, then, could only be secured by an abject surrender of all that the Union army had, for more than three years, been fighting to maintain. All of the superb patriotism of the people, the sublime loyalty and heroic deeds of the Union soldiers, the sacrifice of hun- dreds of thousands of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars, would have been in vain. Or, failing to bring about peace, could the country afford to trust a vigorous
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prosecution of the war for the Union to McClellan, who, as Commander-in-Chief, was a most conspicuous failure.
The hope of the election of McClellan and the defeat of Lincoln was the inspiration that sustained Lee's army in its desperate resistance to Grant's terrific assaults upon its strong defenses all through the months of the political campaign. No one realized more clearly than the leaders of the Confederacy and its armies that the reelection of President Lincoln would seal their doom. The political campaign was one of unparalleled vigor,* bitterness and stem determination. Union sympathizers were firmly possessed of the belief that the only hope of preservation of the Nation as one great undivided Republic, was the strong indorsement of tJie war measures and general poli- cy of the President and Congress. They did not doubt that the reelection of Lincoln would bring an early end to the Rebellion, the destruction of slavery, and the restorar tion of the Union.
While the Chicago platform and ticket received the sup- port of the ** Copperheads," and all disloyal elements in the North, as well as in the five slave States, which still remained in the Union, it should not be inferred that it was not supported by thousands of Union men. There were hundreds of thousands of Democrats in these States, who were loyal to the Union, but were opposed to emanci- pation, and to the employment of negroes in the National army, and who believed it possible to restore the Union with slavery as it existed before the Rebellion. These men also supported McClellan. But, as the campaign pro- gressed, it became evident that the contest was, as tersely stated by that great statesman, William H. Seward, when he said in a public address: ** The issue is squarely made up— McClellan and disunion, or Lincoln and union."
The country accepted that view, and on the 6th of Sep- tember, General Fremont withdrew as a candidate of the radical Republicans for President, saying :
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'"The policy of the Democratic party aignifiea either separation or re* establishment with slayery. The Chicago platform is simply separation. General McClellan's letter of acceptance is re-establishment with slavery. The Republican candidate is, on the contrary, pledged to the re-establish- ment of the Union without slavery."
In Iowa, the campaign was carried on with intense in- terest and earnestness. Public meetings were held in nearly every school-house, and the spirit of patriotism per- vaded every neighborhood. Our State had more than 50,- 000 soldiers in the Union armies, and they represented a large majority of the families of the entire population. Women who had fathers, brothers, sons or lovers in the field, hospital or Southern prisons, could not restrain their intense interest in the absorbing contest ; they turned out to the Union meetings, joined the processions, sang the war songs, and helped to swell the enthusiasm. A ** Peace Convention *' was called to meet at Iowa City on the 24th of August, which, among its resolutions, declared:
"That the war now being prosecuted by the Lincoln administration is imoonstitutional and oppressive and is the prolific source of a multitude of usurpations, tyrannies and corruptions to which no people can long submit without becoming permanently enslaved.
** Resolved, That, believing the war to be disimion, and desiring to stop the further flow of precious blood for a purpose so wicked as disunion, we respectfully urge the President to postpone the draft for 500,000 men to be driven like bullocks to the slaughter, until the result of an armistice and a National Convention of the States is known.
*' Resolved, That in the coming election we will have a free ballot or a free fight.
** Resolved, That should Abraham Lincoln owe his re-election to the elec- toral votes of the seceded States, under the application of the President's *' one tenth " system and military dictation, and should he attempt to exe- cute the duties of President by virtue of such an election, it will become the solemn mission of the people to depose the usurper, or else be worthy the slavish degradation which submission under such circumstances would seem to be their just desert."
It will be seen by the action of this convention that Iowa had its share of citizens who never ceased to do all in their
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power to instigate resistance to the measures adopted by the Government to overthrow the Eebellion. It was in the midst of this momentous political contest that the draft was taking place to reinforce the Union armies in the field. The draft at this time was a crucial test of the patriotism of the people, and was watched with intense anxiety by the National and State Administrations, Congress and the army. It was the most critical period of our national ex- istence. Would the Government stand the strain, and would the people sustain the Administration, and, decree in the approaching election, that the war should go on and the army be refinf oroed by drafts until the Eebellion was overthrown! These were the problems that the election would siettle. There could be no doubt as to the answer that Iowa would give. Every indication pointed to an overwhelming indorsement of the Administration. In the East there was a widespread feeling of apprehension. But the October State elections in Ohio, Indiana and Penn- sylvania, relieved the anxiety as all gave large Republi- can majorities.
At the November election, twenty-two out of the twenty- five States remaining in the Union gave their electoral votes for Lincoln and Johnson. Of these votes, Lin- coln received two hundred and twelve, and McClellan twenty-one. In fifteen of the States, the soldiers in the field were permitted to vote. In twelve of these States the soldiers' votes were cast so that they could be counted separate from the home vote, and the result was, 119,754 for Lincoln, and 34,291 for McClellan. In Iowa, the sol- diers' vote was 16,844 for Lincoln, and 1,183 for McClel- lan. The total vote in Iowa was 88,966 for Lincoln, and 49,586 for McClellan. On the State ticket the average vote for the Eepublican candidates was 90,033, and for the Democratic candidates 49,500. The election of the mem- bers of the new Congress was also an overwhelming ap- proval of the Administration. Of the one hundred and eighty-four Eepresentatives chosen, one hundred and
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forty-three were Union-Bepublicans, to forty-one opposi- tion. The Senate, after the election of the following win- ter stood forty Union-Bepablicans to eleven opi)osition. This gave the snpporters of the Administration a major- ity of more than two-thirds in each branch of Congress.
The result of this election removed all doubt in the minds of the mass of the people, both in the North and the South, as to the final result of tiie terrible Civil War that had for more than three years desolated the country. The leaders on both sides clearly saw what the end must be. The officers of the Confederate Government and of its armies lost hope in the success of their cause, although they were impelled by their positions to continue the hope- less struggle six months longer. When the news of the overwhelming approval of the prosecution of the war was flashed over the civilized world, it was accepted as the death blow to the Southern Confederacy.
When Congress assembled on the 6th of December, 1864, President Lincoln, in his message, said :
''Judging by the recent canvass and its results the purpose of the people in the loyal States, to maintain the integrity of the Union, was never more
firm, nor more nearly unanimous than now In affording the
people a fair opportunity of showing to one another, and to the world* this firmness and unanimily of purpose, the election has been of vast value to the National cause.
"In presenting the abandonment of armed resistance to the national authority on the part of the insurgents, as the only indispensable condition to ending the war on part of the €k>vemment, I retract nothing heretofore
said as to slavery While I remain in my present position I shaU
not attempt to retract or modify the Emancipation Proclamation, nor shall I return to slavery any person who is free by the terms of that Proclama- tion, or any acts of Congress. If the people should, by whatever mode or means, make it an Executive duly to reCnslave such persons, another, not I, must be their instrument to perform it.
** In stating a c<mdition of peace, I mean simply to say that the war will cease on part of the €k)vemment whenever it shall have ceased on part of those who began it."
The President strongly urged the passage by the House of the Constitutional Amendment (which had already
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passed the Senate by a two-thirds majority) forever pro- hibiting slavery in the United States.
These explicit declarations in the message left no un- certainty as to the terms upon which the Civil War would be ended. The Houise promptiy passed the amendment by a majority of more than two-thirds, fifty-six Democrats voting against it. All of the Iowa members, in both House and Senate, were warm supporters of the amendment
During the winter, an attempt was made by three Con- federate commissioners, Stephens, Campbell and Hunter, on the part of the Confederate Government, to secure peace on some basis of separation from the Union. These commissioners were permitted to pass through General Grant's lines at Petersburg, to meet and confer with Pres- ident Lincoln and Secretary Seward at Fortress Monroe. A free conference took place, but the President would con- cede no terms that did not restore the Union of all of the States, and the Confederate Commissioners were not au- thorized to surrender the independence of the Confeder- acy, and so ended the last effort to establish peace by ne- gotiation.
In the meantime, Sherman's great army was sweeping through Georgia and South Carolina with irresistible power. In it were a large number of veteran Iowa regi- ments. Thomas had won a great victory over Hood at Nashville and driven his army out of Tennessee. Grant was closing the coils around Lee's veteran army at Peters- burg and Richmond.
In the spring of 1865 the Confederate cause was des- perate. A most merciless conscription had already dragged almost every able bodied man of the middle and lower classes into the ranks. The wealthy scions of chiv- alry were holding Government i)Ositions or filling the of- fices in the army. The resources of men and money to be drawn upon were exhausted and all realized that tiie col- lapse was near at hand.
Soon after the inauguration of President Lincoln, in
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March, it was announced that Senator James Harlan, of Iowa, had been invited to a seat in his Cabinet, as Secre- tary of the Interior. The appointment was especially gratifying to the people of our State. Mr. Harlan was the first Republican Senator from Iowa, having been chosen in the winter of 1855 to succeed General A. C. Dodge. He was a representative of the Antislavery revolution in pol- itics which had just grown into control of the State, but was not organized into the Republican party until the next year. He was one of the trusted leaders of the party, and had been kept continuously in the Senate, where he now ranked among the ablest members of that body.
Early in April came the glorious news of the fall of Richmond, the Capital of the Confederacy, and soon after the surrender of Lee and his entire army to General Grant. The rejoicing in Iowa, and throughout the North, was un- bounded. The joy that entered the homes of the thousands of Union soldiers cannot be described in human language; neither can it be fully realized by the people of a later gen- eration. No one doubted that it was the last great battle of the four years of war. Peace was coming again to the country, and the National Government was again to be su- preme over our vast domain. The fearful list of killed and wounded that had brought woe and desolation to countless homes through the long agonizing years, would come no more.
Hardly had the news of the crowning victory and the dawning of early peace, reached the distant parts of the country, when, like an awful flash from a clear sky came the startling tidings of the assassination of the President. No pen can describe the shock of horror that paralyzed the hearts of millions of people as the terrible details of the hideous crime were confirmed. They assembled in the churches and school-houses all over tiie Northern States to give public expression to their deep sorrow. Governor Stone, who was in Washington at the time, issued a procla- mation to the people of Iowa, requesting them to assemble
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in their places of worship on the 27th of April, to testify their sorrow over this National calamity; they were also requested to suspend their ordinary labor on that day, and have all public offices draped in mourning. The day was observed by all classes of people, and for the time partisan differences were forgotten in the shock of a great crime and calamity.
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CONDENSED HISTORY OF IOWA
REGIMENTS ENGAGED IN THE WAR
OF THE REBELLION
CVoL 2]
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A TYPICAL IOWA SOLDIER
LEVI L. HOAG, COLOR BEARER 24th Iowa Volunteers
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History op Bboimbkts Enoaghd in thb Wab
OF THB BbBELLION
CHAPTEE IX
1IR8T IOWA niTABTRT
FOR two weeks the First Iowa Infantry remained in camp at Keokuk, drilling and preparing for war.* On the 13th of June, 1861, on order of General Lyon, the men embarked on a steamer for Hannibal, Missouri, and many of them looked for the last time on the Iowa shores. They were transported by rail to Qeneral Lyon's army at Booneville, where the day before that gallant and ener- getic officer had defeated and dispersed (jovemor Jack- son's Bebel army in the first battle fought in Missouri. Here the regiment remained in camp until the 3d of July, and during this time Hiram Price, Paymaster-Oeneral from Iowa, made the first payment for services. Qeneral Lyon, who now had an army of a little more than 3,000 iirfantry and one battery of artillery, determined to pur- sue Governor Jackson's Bebel army of nearly 7,000, which was retreating toward the southwest. On the morn- ing of July 3d the pursuit began. The Fourth was in- tensely hot and as the soldiers marched along the dusty roads, shut in by woods in places, many were overcome with heat and compelled to fall out of the ranks. They had not as yet become inured to long marches beneath the broiling sun. At Grand Eiver Lyon's army was refin- forced by General Sturgis, with two Kansas regiments, a detachment of regulars and a battery of artillery, 2,800 in all. The army was now marching twenty-five miles a day and becoming more accustomed to soldier's Ufe. The members of the First Iowa who died on this march, were
• Field Officers, p. 58.
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the first of the many thousands of Iowa soldiers who per- ished in the war for the Union. On the 1st of August Gen- eral Lyon overtook a force of the enemy under General McCullocb, at Dug Springs, and after a sharp fight de- feated it On the Union side the battle was fought by cavalry and artillery, the First Iowa Infantry acting as skirmishers on the right wing.
BATTLE OF WILSON'S CSBBK
General Lyon, who was now confronted by a superior army. Price having reinforced Jackson and McCulloch, sent urgent requests for more troops. But they were not furnished and, unwilling to remain idle wMe the Bebel armies were concentrating about him, he determined to attack rather than retreat. He formed his plan of battle, and on the evening of August 9th, the little army moved out of Springfield with 5,500 men to assail the combined Bebel armies, more than 20,000 strong. It was a desper- ate venture, but with no prospect of refinf orcements, Gen- eral Lyon was not the man to remain inactive until over- whelmed by the enemy surrounding him. Colonel Sigel was ordered to march by the Fayetteville road and open on the enemy in the rear with artillery, while General Lyon, with tiie main body, was to attack in front The Bebel army was encamped on Wilson's Creek. The First Iowa, under Lieutenant-Colonel Merritt, was with General Lyon. After a march of several hours in darkness and silence, the Union army, at 2 a. m., came within a short distance of the enemy and halted to take a few hours' rest. With the first dim light of the early morning the battle opened. Totten's Battery, supported by the Iowa regiment, from a hill, opened fire on the Beb- els. To the left was Dubois' Battery, and to the right of Totten's were the First Missouri and Second Kansas reg- iments. The engagement soon became general and strong lines of the Bebels charged on Lyon's little army. These were driven back in confusion by the steady fbre of the
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EXPLANATIONS
A. Captain Totten's Battery.
B. Dubois* Battery. G. Log House.
B. Oornfleld.
B. FnsT lowA YoLuimns.
F. Second Miarouri Yolunteere.
O. Second Kansas Volunteers.
H. FInt Kansas, First Missouri, and Captain Shaler's Battalion.
I. Captain Plummer's Battalion.
K. Rebel Batteries Masked.
L. Colonel Sigel's Artillery.
M. Sigel's Brigade. Third and Fifth MissonrL
N. Part of Rebel Train.
0. Concealed Rebel Batteries.
X. Road through Rebel Camp.
T. McCuIloch*B nead-Quarters.
Z. Rains' Head-Quarters.
BATTLK FIELD OP WILSON'S CREEK
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Union troops. Plimuner's battalion of regnlars, number- ing bnt two hundred and fifty men, for more than an hour sncoessfnlly resisted the attack of two Bebel regiments, nntil their commander fell severely wounded, when they slowly fell back, fighting as they went Sigel had made a gallant attack upon the Bebel rear and his men fought bravely until they were overwhelmed by greatly superior numbers and driven from the field with heavy loss. And now, for six hours the battle raged all along the lines. Charge after charge by fresh regiments was made upon the Union lines and repulsed. General Lyon had been twice wounded and his horse killed, but cool and undaunt- ed, he issued his orders and cheered on his men to new deeds of valor. No soldiers ever fought more bravely than the First Iowa all through this battle. Greeley's ** Amer- ican Conflict ' ' says :
"The First Missouri, the First Iowa and the First and (Second Kan> sas Regiments, with Steele's Regulars, won immortal honor by the per- sistent and heroic gallantry with which for hours thqr maintained their ground against immense odds.**
Three companies of the Iowa regiment, H, I and K, were placed in ambush by General Granger of the regu- lars. Lying down close to the brow of a hill, they waited for anotiier charge of the enemy. Soon it came in over- whelming numbers. Not a sound was heard among the lowans until the Bebels were witiun thirty-five or forty feet, when they poured the contents of their muskets into the enemy, routing him, though suffering heavy loss them- selves.
General Lyon now ordered a bayonet charge by the First Iowa and Second Kansas regiments and led it him- self. ** Come on, brave men,'' he exclaimed, and they again charged the enemy, as the gallant Lyon fell mortally wounded.
The command now devolved upon Major Sturgis. For half an hour the combat ceased, while each army was pre-
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paring for a renewal of the struggle. The remnant of tihie small Union force still firmly held its ground. Companies from the First Missouri, First Iowa and First Eimsas reg- iments were brought up to the support of Dubois' Battery, which was assailed by the enemy; falling upon his flank, they poured in a murderous fire, killing or wounding al* most the entire Bebel force. This was the last charge made on the Union lines, and the Bebels withdrew to a safe distance, badly shattered and demoralized. The Union army retired to Springfield in good order, its total loss in killed, wounded and missing being 1,235 men. The Bebel loss was probably about the same. The death of General Lyon was a loss to the Union cause that can scarcely be overestimated. In his brief career he had developed the rare qualities of great energy,fine military ability,prompt- ness in execution and dauntiess courage. At the time of his death, we had few officers in the service so valuable. No- where in the long war which followed can be found, in the great list of batties, one in which so small a Union army made so heroic and successful a fight against such superior numbers. The First Iowa lost in killed, wounded and miss- ing, at Wilson's Creek, one hundred and fifty-five men, and no Iowa regiment during the entire war won greater fame on a battie-field. Three months before all of its mem- bers were civilians, and in ninety days they had become soldiers whose achievements were not excelled by veterans of any war. Soon after the battie the army returned to Bella, and the First Iowa, whose term of service had ex- pired four days after the battle, was sent to St Louis, where the men were paid and mustered out. They had marched more than six hundred miles during their short term of service, showing endurance and valor unsur- passed. When they returned to Iowa, they were welcomed and honored everywhere. In the short period of three months they had proved, by long marches and heroic cour- age on the field of battle, that Iowa citizen-soldiers were superior to the boastful, slave-driving ** border ruffians '•
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of Missouri and Arkansas. They had won glory and re- nown by brave deeds which shonld be an inspiration to Iowa soldiers for all time. This pioneer regiment fur- nished many gallant officers to other regiments as the war progressed.
Of Company A, Captain Marko Cummins became Lieu- tenant-Colonel of the Sixth Regiment; Lieutenant Benja- min Beachy a Captain in the Eleventh; Sergeant H. J. Campbell, Major of the Eighteenth, and Private R. B. Baird, Quarter-Master of the Thirty-fifth. From Com- pany B, Lieutenant Harvey Graham became Lieutenant- Colonel of the Twenty-second; and Sergeants C. N. Lee and J. L. Gurkee, captains in the same regiment. Of Company C, Lieutenant W. Pursell became Major of the Sixteenth; Sergeant W. Grant, Captain in the Eleventh, and Corporal A. N. Snyder, Captain in the Thirty-fifth. Of Company D, Captain C. L. Matthies became Lieuten- ant-Colonel and Colonel of the Fifth, and later a Brigadier- (}eneral. Of Company E, Lieutenant J.C. Abercrombie be- came Lieutenant-Colonel of the Eleventh; Private W. J. Campbell, Captain in the Fourteenth; Private C. A. Cam- eron, Captain in the Thirty-ninth ; and Private A. Roberts, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Thirtieth. Of Company F, Captain S. M. Wise became Major of the Seventeenth; Lieutenant G. A. Stone, Colonel of the Twenty-fifth; and T. J. Zollars, Captain in the Fourth Cavalry. Of Com- pany G, Captain A. Wentz became lieutenant-Colonel of the Seventh. Of Company H, Sergeant Charles Schaeff er became Major of the Fifth Cavalry, and a staff officer of General Curtis. Of Company I, Captain F. J. Herron, be- came Lieutenant-Colonel of the Ninth, and was afterward promoted to Brigadier-Gteneral and Major-Gteneral; Pri- vate David Greaves, Captain in the Twenty-first; Private
D. B. Green, a Captain in the Third Missouri ; Private N.
E. Duncan, Adjutant of the Twelfth, and Private C. A. Reed, Assistant Surgeon of the Ninth. Of Company K, Sergeant J. H. Stibbs became a Captain and then Lieuten-
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ant-Colonel of the Twelfth; Sergeant Edward Coulter, a Captain in the Twentieth, and Private Qt. C. Burmeister, Captain in the Thirty-fifth. From its privates and oflBi- eers, the First Iowa furnished, as the war progressed, offi- cers of every grade from Second Lieutenant to Major- (Jeneral.
SECOND IOWA INFANTRY
This regiment was the first from onr State to enlist for three years* service and the first that left the State for the theater of war. Its members volunteered during the fii'st outburst of patriotic enthusiasm that followed the firing on Fort Sumter. It was made up of ten companies, one each from the counties of Lee, Polk, Jefferson, Van Buren, Davis, Washington, Clinton, Wapello and two from Scott
The first field officers were Samuel E. Curtis, colonel; James M. Tuttle, lieutenant-colonel; M. M. Crocker, ma- jor. Lieutenant N. P. Chipman was api>ointed adjutant. The regiment was fortunate in its officers. Curtis was a graduate of West Point Military Academy, and had served as Adjutant-General of Ohio and as colonel in the War with Mexico. Crocker had also received a military edu- cation at West Point. Whereas most of the regiments were first necessarily officered by men from civil pursuits, entirely unacquainted with military drill or organization, the Second Iowa had the great advantage of being under th(3 command of a veteran officer, who had won high honors in the military service. The regiment was mustered into the United States service on the 27th and 28th of May, and thorough drill was at once instituted. On the 13th of June, the regiment left camp at Keokuk, going by steamer to Hannibal, and from there was sent to Saint Joseph, where it helped to protect western Missouri from the Rebel element. Late in the summer it was sent south to Easton, Missouri, and in October, to St. Louis. It suffered greatly from sickness, since of nine hundred and eighty-nine men mustered in, but four hundred were now present, fit for
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duty. Curtis had been promoted to Brigadier-Qeneral, and, on the 6th of September, Tuttle was promoted to col- onel, and James Baker to lieutenant-colonel. Crocker was appointed Colonel of the Thirteenth Begiment, on the 30th of October. While guarding a museum in St. Louis, the Second Begiment was held responsible for the disap- pearance of some of the property, and upon order of Gen- eral fialleck, was publicly disgraced.
The year 1861 closed with a general feeling of disap- pointment and gloom on the part of the loyal people of the country. The defeats at Bull Bun and Ball's Bluff had seemed to paralyze the commanders of the great army gathered about the National Capital. McClellan, from whom much was expected, having sax army of nearly 200,- 000, was cooped up in Washington, with Eebel batteries commanding the Potomac, and not a movement made against them. The army had gone into winter quarters, with Washington virtually besieged by the Army of Vir- ginia.
BATTLE OF FORT D0NEL80N
Qeneral Grant, who was in command at Cairo, could how- ever, fight battles in the winter. Early in February he moved his army of 15,000 to the Tennessee Eiver, and in conjunction with Commodore Foote with a fleet of gunboats ascended the river and captured Fort Henry, thus opening the way for the Union army into the heart of Tennessee. Fort Donelson on the Cumberland Eiver, was garrisoned with a Eebel army of 15,000, and was defended by water batteries and heavy guns. Grant marched against it promptly and Conmiodore Foote cooperated with the fleet of gunboats. The river attack by Commodore Foote on the 14th, failed. The next day Gteneral Pillow made a desperate attack upon General Grant *s lines, forced McClemand back some distance and captured a battery. Grant refinf creed the weakened points, and, at 3 p. m., or- dered a general advance, Wallace leading the attack on
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the left and General C. F. Smith on the right. Both were successful and several of the outworks were taken and held. As night came on the weather became intensely cold, and our men held the lines without tents or fires, amid sleet, snow and piercing wind. Hundreds were frost-bit- ten and some of the wounded were frozen to death. Gen- eral Grant had been reinforced until his army now num- bered about 30,000, and it became evident to (General Floyd, commander of the Bebel army, that there was no hope of victory or retreat. Two steamers reached the fort during the night, when Floyd and Pillow, leaving General Buckner in command, loaded the steamers with soldiers, and escaped up the river. The next morning General Buckner surrendered the fort, seventeen heavy siege guns, forty pieces of field artillery, about 15,000 soldiers, and all of the stores and property. General Grant *s losses amounted to about 2,000 killed, wounded and missing. This victory, by far the greatest Union victory up to this time, was hailed with rejoicing everywhere. It was the first surrender of a large Bebel army, the first battle that seriously weakened the Eebellion. Iowa had three regi- ments in this battle— the Second, Seventh and Fourteenth. The Iowa regiments, one of western sharp-shooters, the Twenty-fifth and Fifty-second Indiana, made up the bri- gade commanded by Colonel J. G. Lauman, of the Seventh Iowa. This was the the one selected by General Smith to lead the assault on the left, on the 15^. Colonel Tuttle, with the Second, led the advance.
^The Rebel works were five hundred yards in advance; the Une of march was up a hiU obstructed by abattis. The advance was sounded at 2 p. m. Silent as the grave and inexorable as death the Second Iowa pushed its way up the hill through a storm of grape, shell and ball. Many dropped dead and many were wounded. Reaching the works the men sprang over without a moment's hesitation. The Rebels made a stubborn fight, but nothing could withstand the fierce charge of the Iowa Brigade. The outer works were captured and the men held them, sleeping on their arms as night came on. Color-Sergeant Henry B. Doolittle fell early in the charge; Corporal S. Page seised the fiag and pressed on until killed;
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GEN. E. W. RICE GEN. S. A. RICE
GEN. J. M. TUTTLE COL. N. W. MILLS
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Oorporal J. H. Churchill raised the colors as Page fell and bore them aloft until his right arm was shattered, when C!orporal V. P. Twombly seized the thrice fallen flag and bore it aloft to the end of the ftght Oap- tains Slayniaker and Cloutman were slain in the charge, and Major Chip- man was seyerely wounded."*
Such was the heroism of the regiment that Oeneral Hal- leck had sought to degrade for a slight offense. He now atoned by telegraphing to Adjutant-General Baker : ** The Second Iowa Infantry proved themselves the bravest of the brave ; they had the honor of leading the column which entered Fort Donelson. * * The Second went into the battle with six hundred men, of which forty-one were killed and one hundred and fifty-seven wounded. The regiment re- mained at Fort Donelson about a month and went from there up the Tennessee Eiver, arriving at Pittsburg Land- ing on the 19th of March. In the great battle at that place on the 6th and 7th of April, Colonel Tuttle commanded a brigadecomposed of his regiment and the Seventh, Twelfth and Fourteenth Iowa, and Lieutenant-Colonel Baker was in command of the Second. The brigade was in the hottest of the battle for many hours the first day and lost heavily. The Second made a gallant charge the next day and lost in the battle seventy-eight men. After the Battle of Shiloh, Tuttle was promoted to Brigadier-Gteneral ; James Baker to colonel of the Second; N. W. Mills, lieutenant-colonel; J. B. Weaver, major, and G. L. Godfrey, adjutant of the regiment The Second was in Halleck's slow advance on Corinth, and took part in the battle at that place on the 3d and 4th of October. Colonel Baker fell, mortally wounded, on the 3d, and Lieutenant-Colonel Mills, who succeeded to the command in the next day's battle, was severely wound- ed on the 4th and died on the 12th. The regiment suffered heavy loss in these battles, amounting to nearly one-third of the officers and men engaged. Major James B. Weaver was promoted to colonel of the regiment to succeed Mills, Captain H. R. Cowles became lieutenant-colonel, and
* " Iowa and The Rebellion/' L. D. Ingeraoll.
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Captain N. B. Howard, major. For the next year, the Sec- ond did duty in Tennessee, and, at the end of 1863, became a veteran regiment It was in a brigade commanded by Oeneral E. W. Bice, and in the Sixteenth Corps nnder (General G. M. Dodge, when it joined Sherman's army in the Atlanta campaign. It was in the battle of Jnly 22d, before Atlauta and other engagements following. In No- vember 1864, three companies of tiie Third Begiment, and one company of recmits and drafted men were consoli- dated with the Second, and lieutenant-Colonel Howard was promoted to colonel; G. S. Botsford, lieutenant-col- onel; M.G.Hamill, major; and V. P. Twombly, adjutant The regiment continued with General Sherman's army to tiiie close of that brilliant campaign and marched north by Bichmond and Washington, and at the close of the war, was disbanded at Davenport No bettter regiment ever entered the service tiiian the gallant Second; it sustained the high reputation of Iowa soldiers won by the immortal First at Wilson's Creek. Its first colonel, Curtis, resigned a seat in Congress to enter tiiie service, and became one of tiiie great Generals of the war, for a long time commanding the Army of the Southwest, in Missouri and Arkansas. Crocker became a distinguished Major-General, and Tut- tle, a Brigadier-General. Colonel J. B. Weaver was twice a candidate for President of the United States, and for two terms a prominent member of Congress from Iowa. Tut- tle was, in 1863, tiie Democratic candidate for Governor of Iowa. Chipman became General Curtis' chief of staff. He was Judge- Advocate of the court which tried and hung the infamous Wirz, keeper of Andersonville Prison; and was brevetted Brigadier-General. McKenney served on the staff of three different Major-Generals, and was brev- etted Brigadier-General. Twombly served four years as State Treasurer of Iowa.
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GENERAL JAMES B. WEAVER,
Candidate for President,
18S0 and 1892
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CHAPTER X
. THIRD IOWA INFANTRY
THIS regiment was raised in May and Jnne^ 1861, and was made np of the companies en- listed in the counties of Dubuque, Marion, Clayton, Winneshiek, Story, Fayette, War- ren, Mahaska and Black Hawk. There were, however, men from various other counties in this regiment, which numbered nine hundred and seventy men, and went into camp at Keokuk. Nelson Or. Williams was appointed colonel; John Scott, lieuten- ant-colonel; William M. Stone, major; and Fitzroy Ses- sions, adjutant After drilling at Keokuk for about a month, tiiie Third was sent to Hannibal, Missouri, where the regiment was scattered, companies being sent to vari- ous places to guard towns and railroads. Colonel Will- iams was not popular with a portion of tiiie regiment, as there had been a long and bitter strife in the choice of field officers, and the commissions had been issued when the regiment was sent to Missouri. The men went into service without equipments and were armed with old Springfield muskets of 1848 pattern. Seven companies were stationed at Chillicothe and three at anotiiier point. Lieutenant- Colonel Scott, with a portion of tiiie regiment, was sent to Macon in August, in pursuit of the Bebel (General Green; Colonel Williams, with anotiiier portion and six companies of a Kansas regiment, engaged tiiie Bebels at Paris and retreated with slight loss to Shelbina, where he was put under arrest by General Hurlbut.
BATTLE OF BLUE MILLS
On the 15th of September, Ideutenant-Colonel Scott, now in command of the regiment, with a squad of artillery, was ordered to march to Liberty and join Colonel Smith of the
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Sixteenth lUinois. When he reached there on the morn- ing of the 17th, Smith had not arrived. A courier was dis- patched to him as a large f orce, nnder General Atchison with four pieces of artillery, was reported to be at Blue Mills Landing. Firing was heard at tiiie Landing, where some Union troops were resisting the advance of Atchison. Hearing nothing from Smith, Scott finally started his small force in the direction of the firing. He was obliged to march through a dense wood penetrated by a narrow road. When about half way to the river, a road crossed at right angles his line of march. Here was a farm, making a small clearing in the woods. Skirmishers had been thrown out in advance and word came from them that the Bebel army was nearing in strong force. A few minutes later the column was enveloped by a sudden blaze of mus- ketry, and found it had marched straight into an ambush, and men were falling along the whole line. The officers and men, however, retained their presence of mind and deployed as well as possible, while a cannon was brought into position and opened on the enemy with canister. An^ other volley from the enemy killed and drove off the gun- ners, and Colonel Scott ordered a retreat. Of the sixteen officers ten had fallen, killed or wounded. The little band fell slowly back, dragging the cannon by hand and keeping up a steady fire. The Rebels fell on tiiie flank, but, meeting with stubborn resistance, were driven back with loss, and tiiie retreat continued. The engagement lasted about an hour; our little army fought as it retreated, bringing off most of tiiie wounded. Beaching Liberty just after dark, the loss was found to be one hundred and eighteen men killed and wounded, out of about six hundred. The loss of the Third Iowa was ninety-four. Altiiiough ambushed, taken by surprise and greatly outnumbered, Scott's com- mand fought bravely and retired in good order. Captain Trumbull and Lieutenant Crosley brought off the cannon by hand under a hot fire. The Tlurd spent the winter along the line of tiiie North Missouri fiailroad, with head-
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quarters at Mexico. In Febroary, Colonel Williams was released from arrest and returned to his regiment^ which, early in March, was sent to join General Grant's army at Pittsburg Landing in Tennessee. It was assigned to tiiie division commanded by General Hurlbut In the Battle of Shiloh, on the 6th and 7th of April, the Third fought bravely for many hours on the first day of the battle and shared in its disasters. Major Stone and many others, were taken prisoners. Late in the day, the remnant of the regiment, led by the gallant Lieutenant G. W. Crosley, cut its way through the enemy and on the next day, command- ed by Lieutenant Crosley, it did good service. Colonel Wil- liams, who commanded a brigade in the battle, was severe- ly injured. Lieutenant-Colonel Scott was ill and Major Stone commanded until he was captured. Captain Hobbs was killed and several other officers wounded. The losses of the regiment were very heavy. On the 5th of October, the Third, now under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Trumbull, took part in the Battle of Hatchie, where it made a gallant charge, crossing tiie bridge under a terrific fire of the enemy's batteries. In November, Colonel Williams resigned and was succeeded by Colonel Aaron Brown. In August, Scott was promoted to Colonel of the Thirty-sec- ond Eegiment and Major Stone to Colonel of the Twenty- second. Captain James Tullis became Lieutenant-Colonel of the Third in place of Trumbull, resigned. Lieutenant G. W. Crosley was promoted to major and G. H. Cushman was promoted to adjutant upon tiie resignation of Ses- sions. In May, 1863, the Third embarked on the steamer Crescent City to join Grant's army before Vicksburg. The steamer was fired on near Greenville, by a Eebel battery and riddled with shot. The Third, with the aid of a cannon on board, drove tiie Rebels into the woods, after having fourteen men wounded. The regiment shared in the bat- tles of that great campaign and the capture of Vicksburg. It was next in the siege of Jackson, and took part in Lau- man'fl assault of July 12th, where it met with fearful loss.
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Early in 1864^ two hundred of its members reSnlisted as veterans, and were, in March, granted a furlough to visit their homes. The remainder of the regiment under Lieu- tenant-Colonel Tullis, was sent to join General Banks in his disastrous Bed Biver expedition, after which it was discharged, as the term of service had expired. Upon the return of tiie veterans, tiie number was so reduced, that^ they were organized into a battalion of three companies. At the battle before Atlanta, July 22, this veteran battal* ion was nearly annihilated. It rallied around tiie color- bearer, fighting desperately, until surrounded and cut to pieces ; the remnant at last was compelled to surrender. The survivors were consolidated with tiie Second regi- ment, and the gallant Third passed out of existence. Cap- tain Jacob Abemetiiy, who had been promoted to lieuten- ant-colonel for gallant service, commanded the regiment on this bloody field and was killed. Captain Bobert P. Griffith, who, as corporal, had bravely carried the colors on former battle-fields, fell mortally wounded. An eye- witness of this last fight of the Third wrote as follows to the Dubuque Times:
** Ab the battle grew raging hot and desperate, a handful of our un- daunted men gathered amidst the pelting showers of shot and sheU, and there around the flag they stood its guard in the most perilous moments. The color-bearer, the bravest of the brave, relinquished his hold by death alone. Still the men stood there madly fighting in its defense; their num- bers fast decreasing by death their hopes began to fail. As the last of the little band were surrounded by overwhelming numbers, they were finally captured and disarmed. They were marched through Atlanta and their names reported to the provost-marshal. In passing through the cily, whenever a shell fell in the streets from our batteries, they cheered and sang 'Rally Round the Flag.' Rebel officers ordered them to *shut up,' as they were prisoners of war. They answered * We will always cheer a Yankee shell.' A squad of Rebel cavalry was passing through the street with a flag of the Iowa Third captured after the color-bearer feU pierced with bullets. Some members of the regiment who were prisoners saw it» and making a rush upon its captors, wrested it from them, and
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amid threats and curses tore it into pieces. Unarmed by the enemy, unflinching in courage and patriotism to the end, the last heroic remnant of the veteran Third thus closed its long record of glorious deeds."
Of the officers of this regiment, its first major, William M. Stone, became Governor of tiie State, in 1864, and af- terward Commissioner of the United States Land Office, Lientenant-Colonel John Scott became Lieutenant-Gov- emor in 1868; Captain M. M. Tmmbnll became Colonel of the Ninth Cavalry; Lieutenant G. W. Clark became Colonel of the Thirty-fourth; Lieutenant G. W. Crosley became Lieutenant-Colonel of a regiment in Hancock ^s Veteran Corps ; Lieutenant G. A. Eberhart became Lieu- tenant-Colonel of the Thirty-second, as did also Sergeant E. H. Mix, who fell at Pleasant Hill; Sergeant G. L. Wright became Lieutenant-Colonel of tiie consolidated Second and Third; Captain J. B. Knight became Lieu- tenant-Colonel of tile Ninth Cavalry. Many other mem- bers of tiie Third became officers of other regiments.
FOURTH IOWA INFANTRY
This regiment was made up largely in the southwest portion of the State. Company A was from Mills County ; Company B, from Pottawattamie, Harrison, Cass and Shelby; Company C, from Guthrie and Dallas; Company
D, from Decatur and Clarke; Company E, from Polk, Warren and Dallas ; Company F, from Madison and War- ren; Company G from Einggold; Company H from Adams and Union; Company I from Wayne; Company K from Taylor and Page. The first field officers were : G. M. Dodge, colonel ; John Galligan, lieutenant-colonel ; W.
E. English, major, and J. A. Williamson, adjutant. The regiment went into camp at Council Bluffs in June and July, 1861, and, early in August, was ordered to Missouri, and was in camp at St. Louis and Bella for some time, drilling and preparing for active service in tiie field. It was in Curtis* army in the campaign which closed with
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the Battle of Pea Bidge, in which Dodge commanded a brigade, and the Fourth Regiment was under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Galligan, who was wounded in the bat- tle and resigned, April 3d, when Adjutant J. A. William- son was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and Lieutenant R. A. Stitt became adjutant. The Fourth was in the thick- est of the fight at Pea Ridge on both days, and did excel- lent service, losing nearly one-half of its entire number in killed, wounded and missing. Dodge and Williamson were among the wounded. Li the first day's battle, on the 7th of March, 1862, the Fourth Iowa, in the brigade com- manded by Colonel Dodge, fought like veterans. Early in tile day. General Carres Division, on the right wing of Cur- tis* army, assailed by overwhelming numbers, made a most determined fight. For seven hours the Rebels pressed on his lines, and his division was forced back half a mile, while presenting an unbroken front to the enemy. The Fourth Iowa and Thirty-fifth Illinois, under Dodge, lying behind an old fence, were now attacked by a greatiy superior force supported by artillery. The diarge was met by a deadly fire and the enemy driven back in con- fusion. Again and again the Rebels rallied and renewed the attack and were each time repulsed with heavy loss. At one time the ammunition became exhausted and tiie Fourth made a gallant bayonet charge under the direction of General Curtis. The splendid fighting of the Fourth Iowa and Thirty-fifth Illinois challenged the admiration of General Van Dom and other Confederate officers. For brilliant services in this battle, Colonel Dodge was made a Brigadier-General; Williamson was promoted to colonel; Captain Burton to lieutenant-colonel.
Having driven the Confederate army out of Missouri, General Curtis marched toward Little Rock. The continu- ous rains rendered the roads nearly impassable and after remaining at Batesville and Jacksonsport several months, and finding it impossible to subsist his army in that coun- try, he marched to Helena.
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A number of cotton speculators followed the advance of the Union army to reap rich harvest in getting possession of that staple. Oeneral Cortis, in attempting to control these rapacious speculators and use the cotton in a way to bring tiiie greatest benefits to the Ctovemment, made ene- mies of many influential men of wealth, who were looking solely to personal gain. Helena and the surrounding country had a large slave i)opulation. As the negroes came into the Union lines the commanding Oeneral found another serious problem confronting him. Our Ctovem- ment had adopted no settled i)olicy to govern the action of the department commanders in the matter and each had to act upon his own judgment The Fourth Begiment re- mained at Helena until December, when it joined (General Sherman's expedition against Vicksburg and took a prominent part in that campaign, which terminated so disastrously to the Union causa
BATTLE OF CHICKASAW BATOff
On the 20th of December, 1862, Oeneral W. T. Sherman embarked with a large army on transports at Memphis, and, descending to Helena, was joined there by Oeneral Steele and his command. The army, which filled a hun- dred transx>orts, then continued the journey to Milliken's Bend, about twenty-five miles above Vicksburg. On Christmas evening orders were issued for the fleet, next day, to attack Vicksburg. The plan was for Oeneral Orant to march to the rear of the city and cooperate with Sher- man in tiiie attack. On the 20th of December, Oeneral Orant 's army was at Oxford preparing to move on Jack- son and Vicksburg. He had collected at Holly Springs, arms, ammunition and provision for the army during the campaign. Colonel Murphy, of the Eighth Wisconsin, with 1,000 men, was guarding them. He was surprised by Van Dom's cavalry early one morning and, without re- sistance, surrendered, with all of the army supplies. This loss of his trains and supplies compelled Orant
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to fall back to Grand Junction, and defeated his plan of cooperation with Sherman in the attack upon Vicks- bnrg. Grant's retreat had liberated the Confederate army, which had been gathered at Grenada to oppose his advance, and, unknown to Sherman, it had hastened to the defense of Vicksburg. This city occupied a range of high bluffs bounded on the north by swamps and bayous almost impassable. Protected by abatis covering rifle pits, with Ihe bluffs as strongly fortified as skill and slave labor com- bined could make them, the place was absolutely impreg- nable from assault, when defended by a large army. The mighty task which Sherman attempted was simply impos- sible; but somewhere in the long line he hoped to find a weak place where tiie army could force its way. The men were in excellent spirits and anxious to be led against tiie stronghold. Porter's gunboats were ready to render all x>ossible assistance. The troops were landed along tiie Yazoo River on the 26th of December. By the morning of tiie 29th the entire army was in position to move upon tiie works. The Rebel batteries opened fire on our lines and the battle began. All night our soldiers had heard the heavily loaded trains rolling into Vicksburg, bringing refinforcements from Pemberton's army. Thay- er, who commanded tiie brigade in which was tiie Fourth Iowa, charged upon the enemy and carried the first line, drove the Rebels from the second and halted under a ter- rible fire, waiting for supi)ort, scores of brave men and officers falling at every discharge. The couriers, sent for refinf orcements, were shot down. Thayer rode along tiie line, in anguish over tiie slaughter of his men and warmly commended their bravery. But no help came, and, at last, he gave the order to fall back. Slowly tiie regiment retired in order, as the terrible fire thinned its ranks. Ingersoll says:
" There were manj Iowa regiments and batteries which behayed with that high degree of credit which the troops of the State everywhere main- tained throughout the war, but no regiment from any State behaved with
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more deyoted gallantry tlian the Fourth in the assart of the 29th of December. Every officer and man did his ^^hole duty and only regretted that they could not accomplish more." *
The regiment went into action with five hundred and eighty men and officers^ of which one hundred and twelve were killed and wounded. Colonel Williamson and Cap- tain Still were wounded, Lieutenant J. M. Miller and Le- ander Pitzer were killed. General Grant, long afterward learning of the gallant conduct of the regiment, command- ed by general order that the Fourth Iowa Infantry have inscribed on its colors, * * First at Chickasaw Bayou. ^ ^ All the brave fighting and sacrifices of that bloody battle were in vain, as it was not possible for the gallant army aad its able commander to take that strongly fortified city by as- sault, and it was an undeserved humiliation for the Presi- dent to remove General Sherman from command, by plac- ing over him General McClemand.
The Fourth Iowa was in the campaign led by McCler- naad against Arkansas Post andwas commanded by Lieu- tenant-Colonel Burton, Colonel Williamson being dis- abled by wounds and sickness. In January, 1863, the Fourth was again in the army before Vicksburg, where, for two months, were spent the darkest days of its service, in the cypress swamps, under the frowning batteries of the enemy. Toiling on the famous canal, struggling in mud and rain, lying in camp through that dreary winter, while Grant was working out tii© great problem of how to subdue the Bebel stronghold and open the Mississippi Eiver. With Steele ^s Division, the Fourth embarked on steamers, early in April and, ascending the river to Greenville, thence marched eastward, threatening Vicksburg in the rear and collecting great quantities of provisions for the army, while Grant was drawing his lines around the doomed city. Betuming towards Vicksburg, this division of the army rejoined the main body at Grand Gulf and
^ " Iowa and The RebelUon."
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took part in the brilliant campaigni which drove Pember- ton's army back into the city. The Fourth was in the assault of the 22d and met with severe loss in the general defeat; then, for forty-seven days, it was employed in the siege, as the lines were gradually dosed. The regiment lost about eighty men during the siege. It was there to rejoice in the final great victory, which resulted in the capture of the stronghold and the entire Confederate army defending it, by far the most damaging blow inflicted upon the ene- my up to thiatime. After the surrender, the Fourth joined Sherman in his movement against Qeneral Johnston's army, capturing Jackson, the Capital, and driving John- son out of the State. Colonel Williamson was now in com- mand of a brigade in which was the Fourth Iowa. The regiment was in Osterhaus' Division in his expedition to Corinth, luka and Cherokee, and took part in several en- gagements. In November, the division joined the army at Chattanooga*. In the Battle of Lookout Mountain the Fourth was on the extreme left of Hooker's command. When the battle opened, the division moved across an open field to Lookout Creek, where it was for some time exposed to a severe fire, but finally moved on up the mountain, where the fight was warm. As night came on, the regi- ment held its position on the mountain prepared to renew the battle next day. When morning dawned, it was dis- covered that the enemy had withdrawn to Missionary Bidge. Early in the morning, the Fourth, Ninth and Thir- ty-first were sent to Rossville Gap, and placed in a good strategic position, turning the Rebel left They were at- tacked by a heavy column of the enemy and a fierce battle ensued in which the Fourth bore an active part until the Rebels were routed. It joined in the pursuit on the 26th, and at the Battle of Ringgold, the next day, fought with great gallantry, saving two railroad bridges, which were set on fire by the retreating army. After these battles the Fourth moved to Woodville on the Memphis and Charles- ton Railroad and went into winter quarters. On the 25th
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of February, 1864, the men were mustered in as veterans, and were granted furloughs. They reached Des Moines on the 9th of March, while the Legislature was in session, which adjourned to give the veterans a royal reception. The ladies of the city joined with the (General Assembly in tendering to the gallant soldiers a banquet, where all honors were accorded to the boys in blue, who had won fame on so many battle-fields. By the first of May, the regiment had again joined the army of Greueral Sherman, which was sweeping onward toward the sea, overcoming all opposition. In the long marches, skirmish lines, and battle-fields, Williamson's Brigade, composed of the Fourth, Ninth, Twenty-fifth, Thirtieth and Thirty-first regiments, bore a prominent part In the battle of July 22d, before Atlanta, this brigade made a gallant charge, recapturing De Grass' famous battery of twenty-four- pound Parrott guns, which had been taken.
A correspondent of the New York Tribune says of Will- iamson's Iowa Brigade, in the battle of the 22d: '^ It was one of the bravest, truest, most tenacious fighting brigades that has marched to the rescue of our Nation's liberties." The Fourth had fought bravely at Besaca, New Hope Church, Eenesaw Mountain and at Jonesboro, until losses had reduced its numbers below two hundred. Major Nichols was severely wounded. Captain Anderson was wounded at Jonesboro; Lieutenants Baker and Cramer were killed at Ringgold. Several changes were made in officers; Major Nichols was promoted to lieutenant-col* onel, and Captain A. R. Anderson was promoted to major.
In the pursuit of Hood's army which began October 5th, the Fourth Iowa took part. It remained with Sherman in his march through the Carolinas and fought at Bentons- port, the last battle of that famous campaign. Early in January, 1865, Williamson received his well-earned and long-delayed commission as Brigadier-General. The Fourth Regiment marched from Raleigh to Wash- ington and participated in the final grand review, and
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was then sent to Louisville, where it performed provost duty until mustered out in July, 1865. It reached Iowa, at Davenport, on the 28th, numbering four hundred and fifty seven men and twenty-three oflBcers. Entering the service with 1,000 men, three hundred had been added to its ranks as the war progressed. Now, at the close, the 1,300 were reduced by sickness, disability from hard marches, wounds, death, starvation in Bebel prisons, nearly eight hundred. Such was the terrible waste of four years of war in one regiment.
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FIFTH IOWA INFANTRY
THE companies composing the regiment were raised and organized in their respective neighborhoods soon after the fall of Fort Smnter, when the spirit of patriotism was sending the best men of the country into the volunteer service. But there was no room for them under the first call of the President and they waited for the next summons. The companies were enlist- ed in the counties of Cedar, Jasper, Louisa, Keokuk, Bu- chanan, Marshall, Benton, Jackson, Allamakee and Van Buren.
The first officers of the Fifth Eegiment were: W. H. Worthington, colonel; C. L. Matthies, lieutenant-colonel; W: S. Bobertson, major; John S. Foley, adjutant; Dr. C. H. Bawson, surgeon; B. F. Patterson, quartermaster, and A. B. Mederia, chaplain. The regiment numbered nine hundred and eighteen men when it went into camp at Burlington, on the 15th of July, 1861. After two weeks, it was moved to Keokuk and, while there, a detachment un- der Lieutenant-Colonel Matthies was sent in pursuit of the Bebel force under Green, who had recently marched to Athens on the Iowa border, where he had been driven off byColonel Moore. Thedetachmentdid rapid inarching, but was unable to overtake Green, who fled south. On the 12th of August, the regiment was sent to St. Louis by steamer, where arms were received. Soon after it was sent to Jef- ferson City, where the men were clothed in United States uniform and received other equipments for the field. The regiment was employed in various parts of Missouri until the 14th of October, when it was attached to General Pope^s Division of Fremont ^s army, on the march to
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southwestern Missouri. After a long march the regiment returned to Syracuse. During most of the winter Colonel Worthington was in command of a brigade and the Fifth was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Matthies. In Feb- ruary, after Grant's victory at Donelson, the Fifth was sent with General Pope, who was marching his army against New Madrid. General Pope had recently pro- nounced the Fifth Iowa the most soldierly appearing regi- ment he had seen in Missouri, and it was under the rigid drill and discipline of Colonel Worthington that his men had in, so short a period, become such thorough soldiers. The regiment did excellent service in the siege and cap- ture of New Madrid, and also in the taking of Island Num- ber Ten. In May the Fifth was with Pope, near Corinth, where, on the 22d, Colonel Worthington was accidentally killed. He was officer of the day and, while approaching one of the picket lines, was mistaken for an enemy by the frightened sentinel, and shot dead. Colonel Worthington was an excellent officer and had been recommended for promotion ; had he survived the siege of Corinth, he would have been made a Brigadier-General. Upon his death, (General Pope issued the following order:
HEADQUABTEB8 ASMT OF THE lOSSISSIPFI
New Fanniiigton, May 22, 1862. The General commanding announces with great regret to the army, the death of Colonel W. R Worthington, Fifth Iowa Volunteers. He was killed by an unfortunate accident at three o'clock this morning while in the discharge of his duties as general officer of the day. In the death of Colonel Worthington, this army has sustained a serious loss, and his place in the regiment will be hard to fill.- Prompt, gallant and patriotic, a brilliant career in the military profession was before him. . . . Sad as is his fate, he had lived long enough to be mourned by his country, and have his memory cherished by the army with which he served.
By order of Major-General Pope.
He was succeeded in command of the regiment by Lieu- tenant-Colonel Matthies. At the close of General Halleck's slow approach on Corinth, finding it evacuated, his
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army followed some distance on the line of retreat of Gen- eral Beauregard, without approaching that wily GeneraL By the 11th of Jnne the Fifth was back with the army in camp, near Corinth. In August the regiment was at Ja- cintOy where it remained until the day before the Battle of luka. Major Robertson had resigned and Captain E. S. Sampson had been promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and Captain Jabez Banbury had become major.
THB BATTLE OF lUKA
General Pope had been called to the command of the Army of the Potomac and was succeeded by General Bosecrans, General Grant commanding the Department General Price, with a large Confederate army, had seized luka and captured a large amount of stores. General Grant, who was at Corinth threatened by a large army under Van Dom, determined to attack and destroy Price's army at luka. He ordered General Ord, with 6,000 men, to move on Price by roads north of the railroad, while Bosecrans with 9,000, should move south by Jacinto and assail him from that direction. Price did not wait to be caught in the trap laid for him but marched out to over- whelm Bosecrans before Ord appeared. Two miles from luka, Price found a strong position protected by swamps and hills. As Bosecrans approached the head of his col- umn was fiercely attacked. The Eleventh Ohio Battery took position on the crest of a hill commanding the road in front. The Fifth Iowa was posted on the right and the Forty-eighth Indiana on the left The Twenty-sixth Mis- souri was in the rear of the battery. This was the entire front opposed to the Confederate army, 10,000 strong, moving against Bosecrans' advance. This line was hasti- ly formed under a heavy fire of artillery and musketry from Price's army in its strong position. A sharp fire was opened by the Union line as other regiments were brought up to positions on the flanks. The Tenth and Six- teenth Iowa were among the regiments warmly engaged.
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The battle opened about 5 p. m.y and raged until darkness pnt an end to the conflict No more desperate fighting was done during the war than that which, for four hours, sent death and destruction into the fiercely contending ranks at the front. Again and again the Confederates charged on our lines and were as often beaten back by the devour- ing flame of shot and shell that mowed them down. In the vicinity of the Ohio battery the combat raged with terrible fury. The guns were handled with wonderful effect, con- stantly hurling their iron missiles into the enemy's ranks at close range. A supreme effort was made by Price to capture that death-dealing battery. A large force was massed and ordered to take it at any cost. Before this ir- resistible charge, the Forty-eighth Indiana was swept from its position and the left of the battery fell into the hands of the enemy. Fresh troops came to the rescue, charged bayonets on the exultant captors and drove them from the guns. Three times in an hour this battery was taken and recaptured. Most of the gunners were killed or wounded, the horses were all dead or disabled, the battery was a mass of ruins, the guns dismounted were the only remnants that had escaped the awful destruction. When darkness put an end to the struggle the guns were in the hands of the enemy, but the Union lines held their posi- tion, the men sleeping on their arms. During the night. Price retreated to Eastport, and the Union army marched into luka. General Bosecrans said of the Fifth Iowa :
"The glorious Fifth Iowa nnder the brave and distinguished Matthies, sustained by Boomer with part of his noble little Twenty-sixth Missouri, bore the thrice-repeated charges and cross-fires of the enemy's left and center with a valor and determination, never exceUed by the most veteran soldiery."
General Hamilton, in his official report, says:
"The Fifth Iowa under the brave and accomplished Matthies held its ground against four times its number, making three desperate charges with the bayonet, driving back the foe in disorder each time; until with
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every cartridge exhausted, it fell back slowly and sullenly, making every step, a battle ground and every charge a victory."
Colonel Matthies commends his officers and men without exception, and speaks in the highest terms of Lieutenant- Colonel Sampson, Adjutant Patterson and Lieutenant Marshall. The loss of the regiment at luka was more than two hundred and twenty in killed and wounded. Among the officers killed were Lieutenants Shawl, Holcomb and Smith. Of other Iowa regiments in the battle, the Tenth and Sixteenth were particularly distinguished for bravery and valuable services. The Seventeenth, under Colonel BanMn, was thrown into confusion for a time, and Was unjustly censured by the commanding General; Colonel Matthies was promoted to Brigadier-General soon after the battle. On the 1st of October, the Fifth marched to Corinth and, during the battle of the 3d, was posted on the road to Pittsburg Landing, some distance from the scene of conflict. The next day, however, it fought bravely, re- pulsing a charge on the Eleventh Ohio Battery. The charge was made on the right of the battery, and in repel- ling it, the Fifth marched on the double-quick to the threat- ened point, fired four volleys into the advancing enemy, driving them back in great confusion. It joined in the pursuit of the defeated Confederate army some distance, returning to camp, at Corinth, on the 11th, greatly fa- tigued. From this time until March, 1863, the regiment was on duty in Mississippi and Tennessee, but engaged in no battles. On the 2d of March, it joined Grant in the campaign against Vicksburg. It was in the battle before Jackson, on the 14th of May, suffering small loss. At the severe battle at Champion's Hill, on the 16th, the Fifth was in the thickest of the fight. The Third Brigade, to which it belonged, held the left of Crocker's Division. When General Hbvey's right was driven in, the Third Brigade hurried to its aid and a fierce conflict ensued. For an hour and a half the unequal contest was maintained
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before the brigade was forced back by overwhelming num- bers. Jnst at this moment, the Seventeenth Iowa came to its relief, the tide was turned, and the Confederate army was soon in full retreat toward Vicksburg. Lieutenant- Colonel Sampson was in command of the regiment On the 1st of June Major Banbury was promoted to colonel ; Ad- jutant Marshall was promoted to major, and S. H. M. Byers to adjutant. The loss of the Fifth at Champion's Hill was nineteen killed and seventy-five wounded. In the assault on Vicksburg May 22d, the raiment lost three killed and nineteen wounded. In the campaign under (General Sherman, which followed the capture of Vicks- burg, the Fifth assisted in driving Johnston's army out of the State, after which it did garrison duty in Vicksburg for two months. The Fifth was attached to General Sher- man's army in the march to Chattanooga in November, and in the battles that were fought about that city and among the mountains the regiment bore an honorable part. Near Tunnel Hill, it fought bravely on the 25th of November, but toward night was overcome by superior numbers ; Major Marshall, Adjutant Byers and many of the men, with the colors, were captured, while others es- caped by running through a terrible fire of shot and shell. The regiment's loss in killed, wounded and missing was one hundred and six. Colonel Banbury closed his official report of. the part his regiment took in this campaign as follows :
"I can bear testimony to the manner in which my brave men haya performed the hard labor, endured the severe privations of the campaign, especially during the last week of November, following upon the long fatiguing march over two hundred miles. They were up at midnight of the 23d, fortifying and maneuvering for battle all day the 24th, fighting desperately and under most unfavorable circumstances on the 26th, pur- suing the enemy on the 20th and 27th, without rations or blankets, shiver- ing around the camp-fires during the nights, marching through rain and mud during the days, and returning to camp twenty-two miles on the 28th. All this in the dead of winter and without a murmur."
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The services of the Fifth had been most ardnons in two of the remarkable campaigns in military history— says Ingersoll:
"It had marched through the swamps of Louisiana; marched and fought oyer the hills of Mississippi; rushed under the guns of Vicksburg in the terrible unayailing assault; sweltered in the heat under those formidable works during long weeks of siege; commenced another cam- paign before that was finished and materially assisted in bringing it to a successful close; by steamer, railway and march, traveling five hundred miles to join in the final grand victory of the year, whereby the backbone of the Rebellion was broken, and its complete destruction made a question of time."
Campaigns like these had f earfnlly rednced the ranks of the splendid regiment that, two and a half years bef ore, had marched prondly to the levee at Burlington, in the full vigor of young manhood. Now, in January, 1864, as the remnant took its line of march to HuntsviUe, Alabama, to go into winter quarters, there were scarcely two hun- dred of the original nine hundred and eighteen men re- maining. While here, one hundred and fifty members of the regiment (being most of the men present fit for duty) reSnlisted as veterans and, on the 1st of April, started on furlough to visit their homes in Iowa. They returned in May to join their brigade at Decatur, Alabama. A number of the members of this regiment were taken pris- oners by a cavalry raid. On the 30th of July, the non-vet- erans were honorably mustered out and soon after the veterans were transferred to the Fifth Iowa Cavalry, and with this event the history of the Fifth Iowa Infantry closed.
During ite three years* service, the Fifth had marched on foot more than 2,000 miles, through Missouri, Ar- kansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Ala- bama and Georgia, participating in Fremont *s ** One Hundred Days' Campaign *' in 1861 ; in Pope's campaign against New Madrid and Island Number Ten; in Grant's campaigns of luka, Corinth, Vicksburg and Chattanooga;
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some of the most brilliant of the war, or of history. Its ranks were thinned by battle, hard marches, captures and sickness, nntil it closed its glorious record of deeds that can never be forgotten in Iowa's war history,
SIXTH IOWA INFANTRY
John A. McDowell, who was a brother of the first com- mander of the Army of the Potomac, was living at Keo- kuk when the Bebellion began. iEe had a military educa- tion and had served as captain of an independent com- pany. Early in the spring of 1861 he went to Washington and obtained authority of the War Department to raise a regiment. The companies were largely enlisted in the counties of Lee, Henry, Des Moines, Appanoose, Monroe, Clarke, Lucas, Johnson, Linn, Hardin and Franklin. A large proportion of the men were young vigorous farmers and mechanics inured to labor, and were, physically, fine specimens of manhood. The Sixth Begimen^ numbering eight hundred and eighty-three men, went into camp at Burlington early in July. John A. McDowell was aj)- pointed colonel; Markoe Cummins, lieutenant-colonel; J. M. Corse, major; E. B. Woodward, adjutant; James Brunaugh, quartermaster; A. T. Shaw, surgeon; and John TJfford, chaplain. The regiment was sent to Keo- kuk soon after Colonel Moore defeated General Greene, who attempted to cross the river at Croton and invade Iowa. A detachment of the Sixth was sent to refinf orce Moore at Croton, but Green had been defeated before they reached the field. General John C. Fremont was at this time in command of the Department of Missouri. On the 31st of August he issued his famous order placing the State un- der martial law, confiscating the property of Bebels and declaring the slaves of those engaged in war against the Government, free. The State was overrun by armed bands of Confederates destroying the property of Union men, driving them from their homes or murdering them. Gen-
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eral Fremont had, with great energy^ snooeeded in gather- ing at Tipton, the western terminus of the Pacific Bail- road, an army of 30,000 men. The Sixth Iowa was of this army. In October the army marched toward Springfield. It was a hard march with insufficient means of transpor- tation, bad roads, and the men suffered greatly. The Sixth was in Qeneral McKinstry's command which marched seventy miles the last two days of October. Gen- eral Fremont was suddenly removed from command in the midst of this campaign, from which so mudi was ex- pected; (General Hunter, who succeeded him, abandoned southwest Missouri, retreating to the railroad, thus sud- denly bringing the campaign to an end.
The Sixth Iowa was divided, six companies were at Tip- ton on garrison duty and four companies were sent on similar service to Syracuse. Colonel McDowell had com- mand of a brigade; lieutenant-Colonel Cunmiins com- manded the regiment, while Major Corse was on General Pope^s staff as Inspector-Gteneral. Early in the spring, the Sixth was sent to join Grant's army at Pittsburg Land- ing in Tennessee. It took part in the Battle of Shiloh and was in General Sherman's Division in front on the ex- treme right of Grant's lines. At the beginning of the bat- tle Colonel McDowell was in command of a brigade. Lieu- tenant-Colonel Cunmiins, who was in command of the Sixtib Iowa, was placed under arrest for misconduct early in the day, and Captain John Williams led the regiment in the battle. After two hours of brave fighting, the Sixth, with Sherman's entire command, was forced back on the Purdy road. Another stand was made in the edge of the woods, some distance in the rear, where for two hours the advance of the Confederate army was successfully re- sisted by most determined fighting. Here the Sixth lost heavily; Captain Williams was severely wounded, and the command devolved on Captain M. M. Walden. Of the six hundred and fifty men in the regiment when the battle opened, sixty-four were killed, one hundred wounded and
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forty-seven taken prisoners. Among the killed were Cap- tains Daniel Isminger and Eichard C- White. Captain P. Brydolf and Lieutenants J. H. Orman, J. T. Grimes and J. S. Halliday were wounded, and Captain Galland was captured. Not long after the battle. Major Corse returned to the regiment and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in place of Cummins, who was dismissed from the service by court-martial. Captain John Williams was promoted to major. McDowell remained with his brigade on duty in Tennessee and Mississippi until March, 1863, when he re- signed, being disabled by disease. On the 29th of March, Corse was made colonel of the regiment. The Sixth was with Grant's army in its first unsuccessful campaign against Vicksburg in the fall of 1862. During the winter of 1862- '63, the regiment was attached to General W. S. Smith's command and served in several raids into Missis- sippi. Major Williams resigned in October, 1862, and Captaiii A. J. Miller, promoted to his place, was made lieu- tenant-colonel in July, 1863, and Adjutant Ennis was made major. In (General Sherman's march against Johnston, after the fall of Vicksburg in July, 1863, the Sixth was at- tached to his command.
THE SIS OB AND BATTLES OF JACKSON
On the 6th of July, the army crossed the Black Eiver and drove the enemy toward Jackson, a place now strongly fortified. The weatiier was very hot, the dust stifling, and the movement of the army was slow. On the 9th, it reached the vicinity of formidable earthworks and by the 13th, held all of the roads west of the Pearl Eiver, while artillery commanded the State House. (General Sherman erected earthworks to protect his men and began the siege, as the place was too strong to be carried by assault. On the 12th of July, while the Thirteenth Corps was moving up to make the investment complete on the right. General J. G. Lauman, of Iowa, commanding a division, through a misapprehension ordered an assault by a brigade upon
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the enemy's works. Success was impossible and the bri- gade, after a terrible conflict, was driven back with a loss of nearly five hnndred men. The Third Iowa, led by Ma- jor G. W. Crosley, fought with desperate valor and lost one hundred and fourteen men. General Lanman was at once relieved of command by General Ord. On the 16th Colonel Corse, in command of the skirmishers of the First Division of the Sixteenth Corps, made a strong reconnois- sance of the enemy's works to ascertain the strength and position of his batteries. The Sixth Iowa was in the com- mand, and at a signal, the men dashed forward with a shout, driving in the pickets and skirmishers and charg- ing a strong battery. Here the men were ordered to lie down, as the battery was too strong to be taken. After ascertaining the strength of the lines and defenses, the troops were skilfully withdrawn with small loss. The Sixth received special commendation on this occasion from General Smith for coolness and bravery under a terrific fire. On the same night the Confederate army evacuated the city and retreated toward the east. The loss of the Sixth during the siege was about seventy men. When General Sherman marched to Chattanooga, in the fall of
1863, the Sixth Iowa was with him, and participated in the Battle of Missionary Bidge, losing sixty-nine men. Major Ennis was severely wounded and Captain Bobert Allison was killed. After the great victories at Chatta- nooga, the Sixth was sent with Sherman's army to relieve General Bumside, who was besieged by Longstreet at EJioxville. The march was begun on the 1st of Decem- ber, over roads almost impassable; the bridges had been destroyed and many of the rivers could not be forded. The weather was cold and the army in its forced march could carry neither baggage nor provisions. Early in
1864, the Sixth went into camp at Scottsburg, Alabama, where it remained until spring. Early in March, 1864, most of the men reSnlisted, were granted furlough, and the Sixth became a veteran regiment On the 27th of
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April liiey were ugaan on duty, soon after joining Qeneral Sherman's army at CSiattaiiooga. In the campaign ilirongh Georgia, the Sixth participated in the battles of Besafia, Dallas, New Hope Church, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Jonesboro and Lovejoy. At Dallaa, Colonel Miller was disabled and Major Ennis succeeded hin in command. Adjutant Newby was mortally wound- ed and lieutenant F. J. Baldwin was killed. At Big Shanty, lieut^iant J. T. Grimes, acting adjutant, was killed and in the Battle of Atlanta, July 28&, Major En- niiiy commanding the regiment, was mortally wounded. After Major Ennis f^. Captain W. H. Clune took com- mand and led it through this most desperate battle of the campaign. During tiiese battles, from Besaca to Lovejoy, the lowes of the Sixth were one hundred and fifty men, killed, wounded and missing, or about one half of the whole numW <hat marched from Chattanooga. The regiment with the army, resumed the march toward the sea about the middle of November. Bobert Barr, a member of the Sixth, first discovered the evacuation of Savaimah on the 2l8t of December, and was the first man of the Union army to enter the city. The regiment remained here about iliree weeks, and before resuming its march Major Clune was promoted to^lieutaiant-colonel, and Captain D. J. McCoy, major. About the middle of January, 1865, the army moved on through South Carolina and the swamps and gloomy foreste, driving the Confederate army before it, whwever resistance was offered, until the last battie was f ooght at Bentonsville, North Carolina. The Sixth went to Oi^dsboro and Balei^ marched on by way of Bichmond to Washington and participated in the grand review. The littile remnant of this once strong regiment, now veterans and heroes of many battle-fields, their colors torn to shreds, marched proudly before the vast multitudes gath- ered to do honor to flie survivors of the grand Union army. It was one of the early Iowa regimento which had shared in 80 many of the hard mardies of the southwestern cam-
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paigns, and hundreds at the National Capital^ who knew its history, cheered the war-worn veterans as they marched tiirongh the streets at the dose of the war.
The second colonel, J. M. Corse, had won national fame in the Atlanta campaign by his heroic defense of Alla- toona Pass, a very important position. Corse, who now a Brigadier-Gtenerid, was in command of the place with 1,800 men. General French, with a Confederate army of 7,000, was marching against it. (General Sherman signaled to him across the mountains to hold the pass at all haz- ards. Corse signaled back, ^ * I will hold it till h— 1 freezes over,'' and he did hold it after a heroic defense of many honrs. Moody's celebrated hymn, " Hold the Fort for I am Coming," was suggested to its anthor by this episode.
The Sixth regiment went to Parkersburg, Virginia, af- ter the grand review, was transported by steamer down the Ohio Biver to Lonisville, Kentucky, and in July re- turned to Iowa, and was disbanded.
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CHAPTER Xn
SEVENTH IOWA INFANTRY
THE ten companies composing this regiment were raised largely in the counties of Mns- catine, Washington, Chickasaw, Floyd, Cerro (Jordo, Mahaska, Lee, Wapello, Henry, Iowa, Des Moines, Jefferson, in Iowa, and Hancock and Henderson comi- ties, in Illinois. A majority of them were mustered into service at Burlington soon after the Battle of Bull Bun, in July, 1861. The regiment numbered nine hundred and two men, and so urgent was the need of troops at this time that the Seventh was sent to Si Louis before its organization was complete, and before clothing, arms, or equipments were furnished. Hurried into the field at Pilot Knob as soon as armed, it took the first lessons in drill and manual of arms at Ironton, Missouri. From here the regi- ment marched with Gteneral Prentiss's army to Cape Gir- ardeau and was transported by steamer from there to Cairo. Jacob G. Lauman had been api>ointed colonel, and Augustus Wentz now joined the regiment as lieuten- ant-colonel; Elliott W. Bice, a sergeant of Company C, was promoted to major; D. F. Bowler, a lieutenant of Company D, was promoted to adjutant; Dr. Amos Wit- ter* was appointed surgeon; I. H. Clark, chaplain, and Lieutenant S. E. Forska, of Company D, quartermaster. The regiment had now become well instructed in military drill and duties, and presented a soldierly appearance.
* Dr. Axnot Witter had been a dtstingulshed member of the Legislature, repre- senting at varlons times the ooontles of Scott, Cedar and Linn. He was the author of the first Prohibitorr Liquor Law and an eminent physician. He was captured at Belmont while attending our wounded soldiers, and died from the efTeots of his ardu- ous duties after the battle at Fort Donelson.
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BATTLB OF BELMONT .
General Grant, who was now in command of the District of Southeastern Missouri with headquarters at Cairo, was a man of action. On the 6th of November, 1861, he started with 3,000 men to make a reconnoissance toward Columbus to prevent the enemy from sending reinforcements to Gen- eral Price, in Missouri. He also proposed to destroy a Confederate encampment on the Missouri side of the river. Among the colonels commanding regiments in this expe- dition were the following, who afterwards became distin- guished officers in the Union armies: John A. Logan, commanding a detachment of cavalry; Colonel N. B. Bu- f ord of the Thirtieth Illinois, and General J. A. McCler- nand, commanding a brigade. The Seventh Iowa, under Colonel Lauman, was in a brigade commanded by Colonel Dougherty of the Twenty-second Illinois. Early on the morning of the 7th, Grant moved his little army by steam- er within three miles of Belmont. Up to the morning of the attack the encampment consisted of three regiments, under Colonel Tappan, but General Pillow, at Columbus, hastened over early on that morning with three additional regiments, and took command. (General Grant moved on the enemy immediately, meeting with stubborn resistance, but after a sharp coi^ct, drove the Confederates down the river bank, capturing their artillery and setting fire to the camp and stores. While the men were destroying the camp. Generals Cheatham and Polk, with five fresh regiments, hastened across the river from Columbus, and with greatly superior numbers attempted to capture Grant's small force. But, in spite of overwhelming num- bers, the Union army charged with such gallantry as to cut its way through the enemy's lines, taking two of the captured cannon, and gained the landing about five o'clock in the afternoon. Seven hours the little army under Grant had fought and the last part of the battle had been a con- flict of the most desperate character. Step by step the re- treating army cut its way through heavy ranks, while the
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Union gnnboats opened a steady fire upon the enemy. At last the steamers were reached, and the army safely em- barked The object of the expedition had been attained, bnt at heavy cost, as our losses amonnted to five htmdred and forty-six in killed, wounded and missing. The Con- federate loss in men was nearly 1,000, while a large amount of property was destroyed. It was near the be- ginning of the war and very few of the Union soldiers ^i- gaged had ever seen a battle, so that this conflict with sn- perior numbers gave them great confidence in themsdves, and proved again that there was no better material in either army than the volunteers from Iowa and Illinois. General Grant said in his order congratulating the men upon their coolness and courage in the battle :
" It has been my fortune to have taken part in aU the battiea ionc^t in Me3dco by Generals Scott and Taylor, save Bnena Vista, and I never saw one more hotly contested, or where troops behaved with more gal*, lantry."
The Seventh Iowa was in the thickest of the fight all through the battle and General Grant said, in his rei)ort, that '4t behaved with great gallantry and suffered more severely than any other of the troops. ' ' Among the killed were lieutenant-Colonel Wentz and Lieutenants Doc^, Beam and Gardner, while Colonel Lauman, Captains Gardner, Harper, Parrott and Eittrege were wounded. The total loss of the regiment in killed, wounded and miss- ing was two hundred and twenty-seven. lieutenant- Colonel Wentz was a promising officer, and his loss was greatly r^retted. It was generally believed that he would have won high rank had he lived through the war. The Seventh went to St. Louis soon after, where Captain Par- rott was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. Early in Feb- ruary, 1862, the regiment was with General Grant's army in the expedition against the forts on the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. After the capture of Fort Henry it proceeded with the army against Donelson. The Seventh
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bore an honorable part in the battle, serving in the brigade commanded by Colonel Lamnan, losing thirty-nine men. In March Colonel Lamnan was promoted to Brigadier- Cteneral and took command of a brigade in General Hnrl- but's Division. Major E. W. Bice succeeded to the com- mand of the Seventh Begiment, and Captain J. W. McMnl- len, of Company C, became major. The regiment joined Grant ^s army at Pittsburg Landing. It fought bravely at the Battle of Shiloh, serving in the Iowa Brigade com- manded by Colonel J. M. Tuttle, and lost thirty-four men during the engagements. Moving with Halleck in his slow and cautious approach on Corinth, following in pursuit of the leisurely retreat of General Beauregard and returning to Corinth, the Seventh rested until the middle of Septem- ber, when it was sent to luka, but was not engaged in the battle of the 19th. In the two days' battle at Corinth on the 3d and 4th of October, the regiment took a conspicuous part, maintaining the reputation it had won at Belmont, Donelson and Shiloh and losing nearly one-third of its number. Captain B. K. Smith was among the killed and Lieutenant-Colonel Parrott, Major McMullen, Captain Conn and Lieutenants Bennett, Camp, Hope and Irvin were among the wounded. The regiment remained at Cor- inth during the winter of 1862- '63 and most of the season following was engaged in uneventful but necessary duties connected with guarding and occupying the vast regions wrested from the Confederacy in Mississippi and Tennes- see. There were railroad lines to be held, bridges to be rebuilt and guarded, wagon trains to be protected over long routes and frequent scouts and foraging parties to be sent out. At Pulaski the Seventh remained some time and the men made themselves comfortable by erecting " shebangs," as the army named the huts erected at vari- ous stopping places. Unoccupied buildings furnished the material and there was always skill among the western troops to enable them to construct comfortable houses to shelter them from sun, storms and chilling winds. In raids
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for provisions the men often picked up furnishings for their temporary homes, and where they remained several months, they had a way of making their ^^ shehangs '^ qnite comfortable. Some of them became ornamented with luxuries not altogether appropriate to camp life, but the boys were not discerning as to harmony and artistic ef- fects. While at Pulaski, orders were received allowing the men, who had been two years in the service, to reen- list, thus becoming veterans, with the privilege of a month's furlough. Three-fourths of the men in the serv- ice, fit for duty, refinlisted, and on the 20th of January, 1864, they started for Iowa. After a month at home, where every honor was bestowed upon them, they assem- bled at Keokuk and returned to the army on the 27th of February; two hundred recruits were added to the regi- ment at this time. On the 27th of April the Seventh start- ed with Sherman's army on the Atlanta campaign. In the march through Qeorgia and the Carolinas the regi- ment participated in the numerous skirmishes and battles which marked the progress of the army, always doing its duty bravely, and winning honor in every conflict. At the crossing of the Ostanaula Biver on the 15th of May, Colonel Bice, in command of a brigade, led the advance of the Army of the Tennessee. The day before he had made a demonstration at a point higher up the stream. Early on the morning of the 15th he rapidly threw his brigade across Lay's Ferry by means of a flat boat and pontoons. To engage the attention of the enemy he had first sent a detachment of sharp-shooters over on the flat boats, which, under cover of a heavy artillery fire, sup- ported by the Sixty-sixth Indiana, drove the Confederates from their rifle pits, while the main body crossed. Hastily throwing up defense beyond view of the enemy, he await- ed the crossing of the Third Brigade, which took position on his left. (General Walker, with a whole division, now confronted the three brigades. The Seventh Iowa, Major McMuUen commanding, supported by an Indiana regi-
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menty was now sent forward against the enemy's left flank. Charging, with loud shouts and great vigor, on the flank, the regiment surprised and threw the enemy into oonfo- sion. Two batteries now opened ui>on them, but they still advanced and after a sharp engagement, drove the enemy from position and opened the way for our entire army to advance. In this brilliant engagement the Union loss was seventy-four men, of which sixty were in the Iowa regi- ment While the regiment was at Borne the Presidential election took place. The Iowa L^slature had provided by law a method by which our soldiers could vote in the field.
(General McClellan, having failed as a military com- mander, was now the candidate of the ** peace " wing of the Democratic party for President, against Lincoln, who was giving every energy of his grand character to the subjugation of the armed enemies of the Nation. Out of the three hundred and twenty-two votes cast by tiie gal- lant Seventh Iowa, Lincoln received three hundred and twenty and McClellan two. From Bome, our regiment marched to Atlanta and from there to Savannah, meeting with but slight loss. Colonel E. W. Bice had been pro- moted to Brigadier-Oeneral on the 20th of June, 1864, hav- ing entered the service in 1861 as a sergeant of Company C, in the Seventh. lieutenant-Colonel J. C. Parrott was now in command of the regiment; Samuel Mahon, major, and W. W. Sapp, adjutant The army moved from Sa- vannah on the 28th of January, 1865, on its march through South Carolina, amid the storms of mid-winter, wading swamps, swollen creeks and rivers. For four hundred and eighty miles to Goldsboro, North Carolina, the Seventh bravely endured the hardships without complaint, losing but three men. The campaign ended here, where camp was made on the 24th of March. During this march, Sher- man's army had built thirty-nine miles of corduroy road through the otherwise impassable swamps. The regiment marched to Washington by W9.y of Bichmond and partici-
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pated in the grand review. Soon after it was transported to Louisville where it was mustered out^ as the war dosed* The record of the Seventh Iowa, from the day it left its first camp to the end of the war, was one of which every member had reason to be proud The people of the State will never cease to remember its deeds of valor.
EIGHTH IOWA INFANTRY
This regiment was raised during the months of August and Sept^Doiber, 1861. The ten companies were enlisted largely in the counties of Scott, Clinton, Louisa, Washing- ton, Benton, linn, Maricm, Keokuk, Iowa, Mahaska and Monroe. They went into camp at Davenport, in Septem- ber, nine hundred and twenty strong. The first field and staff officers were: Frederid: Steele, colonel; J. L. Geddes, lieutenant-colonel; J. C. Ferguson, major; 0. H. Mc- Laughlin, adjutant; William McCullough, quartermaster; James Lrwin, suigecm; and C. Gt. Yandeveer, chaplain.
The raiment was sent to reSnforoe General Fremont's army in southwest Missouri and suffered severely in the hard marches over bad roads. Betuming to Sedalia in November, most of tibe winter was spent in camp and field in that vicinity. Early in February, 1862, Colonel Steele was promoted to Brigadier-CJ^ieral; Oeddes became col- on^ of the regiment; Major Ferguson was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and Captain Joseph Andrews, of Com- imny F, became major. On the 12th of March the Eighth joined General Grant's army at Pittsburg Landing. In the Battle of Shiloh, on the 6th of April, the regiment wad in the division commanded by General W. H. L. Wal- lace, which was stationed in tiie rear of General McCler- nand, with its ri^t near the Landing. As the Confederate army advanced, gradually forcing our troops in the front from their positions, the Eighth came imder fire. For an hour it supi)orted a battery on the front and suffered from the enemy's artillery. Later the regiment was ordered
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forward on a line that was making a most obstinate resist- ance, where the enemy was held in check until near four o'clock in the afternoon by the splendid fighting of the Union troops. The Eighth was the connecting link between the Division of General Wallace and what remained of General Prentiss' command. Here it was assaulted by a battalion of Confederates and for an hour a severe en- gagement ensued. Charge after charge was made on the Eighth and Fourteenth Iowa, which held their position, beating back and charging in turn the shattered columns of the foe. During the desperate efforts of the Confeder- ates to break our lines at this place, General Prentiss placed a battery in front of Colonel Geddes' position and the regiment was ordered to defend it at all hazards. It was now one o'clock and all along the lines the fighting was of the most desperate character. The Confederate army, in greatly superior numbers, was gradually forcing the Union army back toward the river. Grant had sent courier after courier to find and bring General Lew Wal- lace's strong division of veteran soldiers into the battle, but he did not appear. The battery placed by General Prentiss was mowing down the enemy at a fearful rate, and column after column was hurled against it, charging up to the muzzles of the guns. But they were met by Col- onel Geddes' men with such a steady and withering fire that the capture of the battery was impossible. Here the Eighth lost more than one hundred men but it saved the battery and held the position for two hours. At last Pren- tiss' line gave way, the enemy followed, swung around to the rear of the Eighth Iowa which was now surrounded, and forced a surrender at half past five. All day long it had made a most heroic fight and, to the last, stood firm and undaunted, refusing to save itself by flight as did several regiments on that terrible day. General Prentiss, who was also captured, in his official report, says of Geddes and his regiment:
^* He acted with distinguished courage, coolness and
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ability. His regiment stood unflinchingly np to the work the entire portion of the day daring which it acted nnder my orders. '*
The loss of the regiment in killed and wounded, was nearly two hundred. Captain W. F. Hogin was killed; Colonel GeddeSy Major Andrews, Captain F. S. Palmer and H. H. Benson, and Lieutenants E. Tichenor, D. J. Craigie, C. S. Wells and W. T. Hayes were wounded. About four hundred were captured, including most of the officers of the regiment.
That portion of the regiment not captured went into the Union Brigade, and participated in the campaign of the summer and fall in Tennessee and Mississippi under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel J. P. Coulter of the Twelfth Iowa, and fought bravely at the Battle of Corinth. This brigade consisted of soldiers of the Eighth, Twelfth and Fourteenth Iowa Volunteers, who escaped capture when their regiments were compelled to surrender at Shi- loh. The prisoners of these regiments captured at Shiloh were confined in various Confederate prisons, suffering from sickness, starvation and every kind of inhuman treat- ment, resulting in death and life-long disability to many. Most of them were released on parole or exchanged in the course of eight months. The Eighth Eegiment was reor- ganized at St. Louis early in 1863, and in April joined Gen- eral Grant's army and participated in his brilliant cam- paign against Vicksburg. The regiment was in General Tuttle's Division in the Battle of Jackson and took part in the assault on Vicksburg, May 22d. It served with Sher- man in the pursuit of General Johnston's army, where Colonel Geddes commanded a brigade. During the siege of Vicksburg Lieutenant-Colonel Ferguson died from sickness. He was a gallant and highly esteemed officer whose death was a loss to the service. For many months after the fall of Vicksburg the Eighth was en- gaged in service in Tennessee and Mississippi. Toward the close of 1864 a large majority of the men reSnlisted
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as veterans and visited their homes on furlough. The reg- iment was stationed at Memphis for a long time and took part in the defense of that city against the attack by Gen- eral Forrest, losing over forty men in that battle. In this conflict Lieutenant A. S. Irwin was killed; Captain C. P. Earl, Lieutenants J. A. Boyer and J. L. Tinkham, wound- ed, and Lieutenant John Harver captured. Captain Will- iam Bell, of Company C, was promoted to lieutenant-col- onel after the death of Ferguson, and Captain William Stubbs, of Company G, was promoted to major in place of Palmer, resigned. Early in March, 1865, the regiment was sent to New Orleans and soon after joined in the campaign against Mobile.
CAPTURE OF MOBILB
General Gordon Granger, with the Thirteenth Corps, and General A. J. Smith, with the Sixteenth Army Corps, marched up to the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, while Gen- eral Steele, with an independent column, marched from Pensacola. There were several Iowa regiments in the army that was concentrating around the city. The de- fenses of Mobile were very strong; the Spanish Fort on the left and Fort Blakely on the right commanded the approaches by land. They must be taken before the city could be occupied. Between these forts, which were sev- eral miles apart, were numerous earthworks and redoubts, the approaches to which were obstructed by ditches, trees, wires and torpedoes. At Spanish Fort there were several lines of inferior rifle-pits for skirmishers outside of the principal works. A formidable ditch added to the strength of the i)Osition and a most elaborately constructed abattis presented its sharp i)oints to the assailants. Trees were felled and laced together for an area of many acres around and the ground everywhere was thickly strewn with tor- pedoes. Artillery of various caliber bristled along the walls and 3,000 soldiers held the interior of the fort, which was crescent-shaped, its right and left defenses swinging
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back to near the river. At the northern extremity of these defenses, a deep ravine runs down to the river, dividing the high blnff along its eastern bank. On the northeast side of this ravine was the Brigade of Colonel Geddes, in which was the Eighth Iowa. At the month of the ravine was low bottom land and this was the point selected from which to carry Spanish Port The Eighth Iowa led the advance. For an honr and a half onr artillery had been sending balls and shells into the Fort and the snn was just sinking below the horizon when Colonel Geddes gave the order to charge. Instantly, the men of the Eighth Iowa sprang to their feet and mshed among the fallen trees, pushing their way throngh the obstmctions and across the mouth of the ravine. A loud shout from the rest of the division, as if the whole was about to charge, distracted the attention of the enemy. Those behind the log breast- works fired one volley and fled. But from the extreme left of the rifle-pits a heavy fire was poured into the ranks of the Iowa men until the foremost of them mounted the blujS and took the enemy in the rear. Three hundred Confeder- ates were made prisoners on the spot and the others re- treated toward the interior of the fort and a new line of battle was formed. For more than three hundred yards the gallant Eighth had fought its way toward the enemy's center. It was now dark, and in obedience to orders the regiment halted and constructed rifle pits. At eleven o'clock in the night the enemy began to retreat and the whole Union army moved against the fort. But little re- sistance was made, as our army took possession, captur- ing six hundred prisoners, forty pieces of artillery, a large quantity of ammunition, and other proi)erty. Gteneral Steele had been equally successful at Fort Blakely. When the news of Colonel (leddes' victory at Spanish Fort readied Steele, on the morning of the 9th, he at once ordered an assault, and in a short time everything was in our possession and the victory was complete. This cam- paign, so successful, reflected great credit on Iowa
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soldiers. General Steele had been the first colonel of the Eighth Iowa, and his Assistant Adjntant-General was Captain John F. Lacey. Twelve Iowa regiments shared the honors of this brilliant campaign, which captured more than 5,000 prisoners and more than one hnndred and fifty cannon, besides a vast amount of small arms, am- munition and other property. Beside the Eighth, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Bell, the following Iowa regiments were in the assault : the Twelfth, Major Knee ; Nineteenlh, Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce; Twentieth, Lieutenant-Colonel Leake; Twenty-first, Lieutenant-Colonel Van Anda; Twenty-third, Colonel Glasgow; Twenty-seventh, Lieu- tenant-Colonel Lake; Twenty-ninth, Colonel Benton; Thirty-third, Colond Mackay; Thirty-fourth, Colond aark, and Thirty-fifth, Colonel Keeler. General Gilbert, Colonels Geddes and Glasgow commanded brigades.
These regiments all won high honors in this closing campaign of the war. It was conceded that Colonel Ged- des' assault on Spanish Fort, in which the Eighth took such a conspicuous part, was the most brilliant achieve- ment of that notable campaign. Lieutenant-Colonel Bell and Lieutenant Henry Vinyard were especially commend- ed for their gallantry. TMs was the last battle in which the Eighth took part, but it was not mustered out of service until April 20th, 1866. Colonel Geddes was made brevet Brigadier-General June 5, 1865, and Captain S. E. Ban- kin was promoted to major July 1, 1865.
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GENERAL WILLIAM VANDEVER Member of Congress, 1869-62
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CHAPTER Xm
NINTH IOWA INFANTRY
IN July^ 1861, immediately after the disastronB de- feat of the TTnion army at Bull Bxm^ Hon. Will- iam Vandever, the Bepnblican member of Con- gress from the second district of Iowa, tendered to Secretary Cameron of the War Department a regiment to be raised in his district His offer was promptly accepted and in a few weeks recmits were gathering at Bnbnqne. The regiment was composed of companies enlisted largely from the counties of Jackson^ Jonesy Buchanan, Clayton, Fayette, Black Hawk, Winne- shiek, Howard, Bremer and Idnn, and numbered nine hun- dred and seventy-seven men. The field and staff officers were William Vandever, colonel ; F. J. Herron, lieutenant- colonel; W. H. Coyle, major; William Scott, adjutant; F. S. Winslow, quartermaster; Benj. McClure, surgeon; A. B. Kendig, chaplain. A few days after being mustered into service on the 24th of September, 1861, the regiment was sent to Benton Barracks, near St. Louis. For three months it was engaged in guarding the railroad from Bella to Franklin and in drilling in camp of instructioiL On the 22d of January, 1862, joining the Army of the Southwest, under General Samuel E. Curtis, Colonel Vandever was placed in command of the Second Brigade, consisting of the Ninth Iowa, Twenty-fifth Missouri, Third Illinois Cavalry, and the Third Iowa Battery; this brigade was in General Carres Division. The army marched to Springfield, in pursuit of Gteneral Price. He retreated to Arkansas, followed by General Curtis. In a skirmish at Sugar Creek the Ninth was under fire. Here was encoun- tered a large force of the enemy supported by a bat- tery and charging under a sharp fire, it was driven
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in conf nBion from its position. On the 4th of March Col- onel Vandever, with a portion of his brigade, was sent to Huntsville, fifteen miles distant He there learned that General Price had received heavy re&iforcements from McCoUongh and Van Dom and that the Confederate army, 40,000 strong, was now marching rapidly north nnder Major General Van Dom, to attack Cnrtis. Van- dever, in order to rejoin Cnrtis and avoid Van Dom, was oblig^ to make a circnit of abont forty miles* Starting at four o'clock in the morning, in a snow storm, in a foroed mardi of fourteen hours, he reached Pea Bidge, where Cnrtis had taken position and formed his lines of battle. His little army numbered but 10,500 men of all arms, with forty-nine pieces of artillery. General Sigel, at Bentons- ville, with part of two divisions, on the morning of the 6th, stanrted to join Curtis.
BATTLB OF PBA BIDGS
General Sigel was bringing up a small detachment of his command some distance in the rear, when he was at- tacked by the enemy and cut off from his main body. Help was soon sent and by sharp fighting his detachment was relieved with a loss of about thirty. Curtis now completed his lines, formed along the bluffs and ridges of Sugar Creek. In front was a broad valley, through which he ex- pected the enemy to approach. In the rear of his army, which extended along the creek for several miles, was a broken plateau called Pea Bidge and still farther in the rear was the deep valley of Cross Timbers. The enemy ap- proached on the extreme right of the Union lines, moving around to strike the flank and rear of the Union army at the same time, expecting with his greatly superior force to drive it in confusion and destroy it Curtis saw his design and hastily reformed his lines, bringing his army face to face with the enemy. In order to gain time to complete his new line of battle, as his little army was almost surrounded, Curtis ordered an attack on the Confederate flank, led by
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General Osterhans. The Third Iowa Cavalry and other detachments of horse were in this opening charge, and assailed the enemy with great vigor, bnt after a desperate struggle were driven back with heavy loss of men and one battery* The sacrifice, however, enabled Curtis to place his army advantageously in the new position just as the heavy columns of the enemy swept down on Carr's Divi- sion. And now the battle was on. One thousand Indians, under Pike, aided the Confederates with fierce war cries, tomahawks and scalping knives, adding to the horrors of one of the great battles of the war. On this part of the line the Dubuque Battery, under Captain Hayd^a, opened on the advancing enemy, doing great execution. The Con- federates made a fierce charge ui)on the battery, captured one gun, but the Ninth Iowa poured a deadly volley into them, covering the ground with their dead. Dodge's Bri- gade, on the right, was assailed and a section of the First Iowa Battery, under Lieutenant David, opened fire on the lines. The brigade for two hours held its position against greatiy superior numbers. Colonel Vandever's Brigade, after a stubborn fight and heavy loss, had been slowly driven back, Dodge firing his last round of ammunition into the Confederate ranks, and General Curtis ordering the Fourth Iowa to charge bayonets, the enemy was driven back.
In this day's battie the Iowa regiments suffered severe* ly, nearly two hundred eadi had been the losses of the Fourth and Ninth regiments. The latter had not a field officer left on duty. Lieutenant-Colonel Herron was taken prisoner and promoted to Brigadier-General for gallant conduct. Major Coyle and Adjutant Scott were wounded. When darkness put an end to the conflict the situation of tihe army was serious. All day it had fought with heroic courage against the best Confederate army of the south- west, ably commanded and outnumbering Curtis' men two to one. The losses had been heavy and the right wing, after a most desperate struggle, bad been forced from its
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position, while the enemy was still encircling it in front and rear. All night was spent by Onrtis in forming a new lineofbattie and there was littie sleep in the camp. Early on the morning of the 8th the battie was renewed all along the lines by a heavy fire of artillery. This was followed by a general advance of the Union army, which charged with such fierce determination and nn- flinching conrage that the Confederate lines began to weaken. The batteries were now pouring in snch a deadly fire that a number of Confederate positions were taken. The enemy's lines began to waver before the steady storm of shot and shell, bnt as Davis, Sigel and Carr closed in on them with volleys of musketry, they were met by a deadly fire at short range, which rap- idly thinned our ranks. Slowly the Confederates were crowded out of the woods into the open field, where their lines were broken, and the men at last turned and fled in confusion.
The Confederate army suffered very severely in this battie. Two distinguished Generals, McCulloch and Mcin- tosh, were killed, and Generals Price and Slack were wounded, besides the loss of minor officers and men of not less than 2,500. The Union loss was two hundred and three killed and a little more than 1,000 wounded and pris- oners. The Ninth Iowa lost two hundred and eighteen men; the Fourth, one hundred and sixty; the Third Caval- ry, fifty; the two Iowa batteries, thirty-nine.
IngersoU says of this battle :
''Whether considered in reference to the skill with whidi the troops were maneavered or the valor with which they fought, the battle of Pea Bidge muat be placed among the most memorable and honorable victories of the war. In a field far removed from General Curtis' base of suppUes, In a country much better known to the enemy than to him; that enemy out- numbered him more than two to one. Yet he defeated him so thoroughly, that his scattered squads were driven in panic far away to the south."
Iowa men had borne a most conspicuous part in this
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great battle and contributed largely to the glorious vic- tory.
The commanding General, Samuel B. Curtis, was an Iowa Congressman who had resigned his seat at the be- ginning of the war to enter the army. In this campaign and battle he had exhibited the rare qualities of an able and successful military commander. It is not too much to say that no General of the Union army won a victory against such superior numbers and no one fought a more difficult battle, requiring rare exercise of skill and re- sources to meet the sudden and unexpected emergencies of the battle-field. Colonels Vandever and Dodge, of Iowa, were in command of brigades. Colonel Dodge and Lieu- tenant-Colonel Galligan, who led the Fourth Iowa, were wounded; Lieutenant-Colonel Herron, who commanded the Ninth, was wounded, and Lieutenant-Colonel Trimble, who led a portion of the Third Iowa Cavalry in a desper- ate charge, was wounded. These three Iowa regiments and the brigades commanded by Dodge and Vandever were in the thickest of the two days' battle, and none sur- passed them in coolness, courage and stubborn fighting. The First and Third Iowa batteries also did excellent service.
** The Fourth and Ninth Iowa,'' says General Curtis, ** won imperishable honor, "and Colonels Dodge and Van- dever are especially commended. Among the killed of the Ninth were Captains Drips and Bevins, and Lieutenant Bice, while Lieutenants Kelsey, Neflf and Captain Towner were wounded.
After burying the dead and caring for the wounded, the army took up its march to Helena. While in camp here, the Ninth Eegiment was presented with a stand of beauti- ful silk colors by a committee of ladies, of Boston, in appreciation of its gallant conduct at Pea Bidge. In November Colonel Vandever was promoted to Brigadier- General. The Ninth was now assigned to Thayer's Bri- gade of Steele's Division, and joined Sherman's army in
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the expedition against Vicksburg. It took part in the dis- astrous Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, after which it went to Milliken's Bend, where General McClemand succeeded to the command of the army. During the year 1862 the r^- ment had lost by death, capture and discharge, three hun- dred and twenty-five men, and gained fifty-six by enlist- ment, so that it numbered seven hundred and twenty-six at the beginning of 1863. The new year opened with the capture of Arkansas Post, after whidi the Ninth was sent with the army to Young *s Point, opjwsite Vicksburg. The encampment was in a swamp near the river, where for long weeks, amid rain and floods, the camp was nearly sub- merged. Sickness and death were thinning the ranks, and acres of graves were made in the oozing swamx)s. The army was at last driven by the floods to the levee, where, cooped up between the river and the vast over- flowed stretch of lowland, the men had to lie in their camps day after day, listless and despondent. As the floods in- creased malaria invaded every camp, the swamps and graveyards were overflowed, and the dead had to share with tiie living the narrow levee, the only land above the all-^rvading waters. Here, amid the gloom and despair that prevailed, hundreds of the bravest and noblest young men of western homes sickened and died, with the sad thought that none of the glory of the battle-field would temper the tidings of their fate to distant friends, and their deaths could contribute nothing to aid the great cause they had volunteered to serve. For more than two months the Ninth suffered in these swamps.
In June, 1863, Captain Oarskaddon, of Company K, was promoted to colonel of the regiment, as Lieutenant^Ool- onel Herron had been made a Brigadier-General on the 30th of July, 1862, and on the 29th of November of the same year he was again promoted to Major-General ; and Major Ooyle was promoted to lieutenant-colonel; Captain Carpenter, of Company B, became major and Lieutenant Mackenzie, adjutant.
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The Ninth next marched with General Steele in his ex- pedition to Greenville, Mississippi, and after its return in April, joined in Grant's campaign against Vicksburg. It was sent with Sherman in the movement against Jack- son which resulted in its capture. The regiment re- turned to the army before Vicksburg on the 18th of May, and took part in the assault of the next day, in which it lost a number of men. In the general assault of the 22d, the Ninth made a gallant fight under the lead of Captain Washburn, who was three times wounded in the charge and died from his injuries at his home on the 16th of June. Among the killed in this charge were Captain F. M. Kelsey and Lieutenants Jones, Tyrell and Wilbur. Lieutenants Little and Sutherland were among the wound- ed. Sergeant J. M. Elson, the color bearer, while gal- lantly scaling the earthworks, was shot through both thighs and, as he fell, the flag was seized by Lieutenant Granger and brought off the field. During the siege the regiment lost one hundred and twenty-one men, killed and wounded. Immediately after the surrender, the Ninth was sent with Sherman against General Johnston's army, and participated in the siege and capture of Jackson. Colonel Williamson, of the Fourth Iowa, now took command of the brigade in which were the Ninth and other Iowa regi- ments, marching to Chattanooga to participate in the bril- liant campaign under Grant
On the 23d of November, after a march of three hundred miles, their tents were pitched at the foot of Lookout Moun- tain. Twenty-four hours later the Ninth was charging up the steep and rugged mountain side and fighting the great battle above the clouds. It joined in the pursuit of Hood ■ s beaten and flying army, fought at Binggold, and on the 27th was again moving against the enemy. Its losses in Aese engagements were three killed and sixteen wounded. Winter quarters were at Woodville, Alabama, where early in January, 1864, about three hundred of its members re- enlisted as veterans. A month's furlough enabled them to
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return to their homes. At Dubuque a royal reception greeted them and the citizens gave them an ovation that testified their appreciation of the many gallant deeds of the regiment At their various homes the veteran soldiers re- ceived the warmest welcome that loyal peoplecould bestow. Many recruits were added to the regiment^ and in March, under command of Major George Granger, the successor to Major Carpenter (who had died of consumption), it returned to Woodville. On the Ist of May, Colonel Car- skaddon, who had been absent on account of illness, joined the regiment and it took up the line of march from Chat- tanooga to join in Sherman's Atlanta campaign. For four months it participated in the hard marches, skir- mishes, sieges and battles of thatexpedition. It took i>artin the battles of Besaca, Dallas, New Hope, Big Shanty, Ken- esaw, Chattahoochee Biver, Decatur, Atlanta, Jonesboro and Love joy. The losses in these engagements were four- teen killed and seventy-six wounded and missing. In the battle before Atlanta, on the 22d of July, the left wing of the army was furiously assailed by Hood. General Mc- Phersonwas killed and for a time the situation was serious. De Grass' Battery of twenty-four pound Parrott guns had been captured, the left wing forced back and its cen- ter broken. Colonel Williamson in command of the Sec- ond Brigade, consisting of the Fourth, Ninth and Twenty- fifth Iowa, was ordered to charge on and recapture the lost battery. There was a deep ravine in front and through it the brigade moved with firm tread, climbed the steep banks and charged with great impetuosity straight upon the battery. So fierce was the assault on the flank that the enemy had scarcely time to fire before over- whelmed by the Fourth and Ninth Iowa, the guns were recaptured and turned upon the foe. This gallant charge was under the eye of the commanding general and was one of the most brilliant episodes of that great battle. In the fight of the 28th, Colonel Carskaddon was wounded. After the fall of Atlanta the Ninth marched with the army
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to Savannahy which was taken December 21st During the march to Savannah the Ninth was nnder command of Captain McSweeney, of Company B. After some weeks the regiment sailed to Beaufort, South Carolina. Col- onel Carskaddon, whose term of service had expired, was honorably discharged on the 29th of December, and Major Alonzo Abemethy succeeded to the command of the regi- ment He was a brother of Lieutenant-Colonel Jacob Abemethy of the Third Iowa, who was killed in the battle before Atlanta July 22d. Both had entered the service as sergeant and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. On the 19th of June, 1865, Major Alonzo Abemethy was pro- moted to that rank.
The northward march began on the 26th of January, 1865, and the regiment reached Alexandria, Virginia, on the 19th of May. In the last campaign it had done hard service in the swamps of South Carolina, building cordu- roy roads, bridges and erecting intrenchments. In skir- mish and battle it always fought with bravery. The regi- ment was in the Iowa Brigade under Colonel Stone, which held an important point in the capture of Columbia. It was in the grand review at Washington, after which, at Louisville, on the 18th of July, it was mustered out of the service, numbering at the time five hundred and ninety- five men. Lieutenant-Colonel Coyle, who had been absent from the regiment for two years, serving as Judge Advocate in the Department of Kentucky and on the staff of General J. M. Palmer, was mustered out of the service at the same time. During the term of service the Ninth Iowa Infantry had marched more than 4,000 miles, been transported by railroad and steamer more than 6,000, and participated in the skirmishes and battles of Pea Bidge, Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Jackson, assault and siege of Vicksburg, siege of Jackson, Brandon, Cherokee, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Bidge, Binggold, Besaca, Dallas, New Hope, Big Shanty, Kenesaw, Chattahoochee, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejoy, Savannah, Columbia and
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Bentonsville. It had fnmished the service Major-General Herron, Brigadier-Oeneral Vandever and Judge Advocate Coyle.
TENTH IOWA VOLXJNTEBES
This regiment was made np of companies raised in the counties of Polk, Boone, Warren, Tama, Madison, Greene, Jasper, Poweshiek and Washington. It mimbered nine hundred and thirteen men, who went into camp at Iowa City and were mustered into service in September and October, 1861. After whidi, at Cape Girardeau, tiie mea were drilled. The first field and staff officers were: Nicholas Purczel, colonel; W. E. Small, lieutenant-colo- nel; J. C. Bennett, major; W. P. Davis, surgeon; T. W. Jackson, adjutant; John Truesdale, quartermaster; D. W. Tolford, chaplain. On the 13th of December the regiment went into winter quarters at Bird^s Point On the 8th of January, 1862, Colonel Purczel was sent with his regiment to capture a body of Rebels reported to be at Charleston, twelve miles distant. The night was dark, the rain falling in torrents and the line of march led through swamps, where the roads were nearly im- passable. While slowly feeling their way in storm and darkness, the men were suddenly fired upon by an en^ny in ambush and thrown into confusion. Quickly rallying, the regiment returned fire in the direction of the con- cealed foe, the strength of which was unknown. The enemy was soon dislodged and scattered and the regiment marched on beyond Charleston. The Tenth lost in this first fight, eight men killed and sixteen wounded. In Feb- ruary the regiment joined General Pope's New Madrid expe^tion. That place was defended by five regiments of infantry and several companies of artillery, and strongly fortified by earthworks, upon which were mounted twenty- one heavy guns. Six gunboats, carrying from four to six heavy guns each, were anchored along the shore between the upper and lower redoubts. Thus the approaches to
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the town were cemmaaded by diiecfc and cro86-fire with at least sixty gnus of heKvy ealiber. Q^deral Pope sent a detachnmit of infantry with a battery of Parrott guns, nnder oonunand of Coloned Plmnmer, twelve miles below to seize Pleasant Point and there blodnde the river. The enemy had now been heavily leCnf oroed from Island Num- ber Ten, having in all 9,000 infantry^ a large addition to its artillery and nine gonboats. The siege gnns reached Qeor eral Pope on the 12th of March and early on tiie mom- ing of the 13th a vigorous bombardm^it began. The trenches were steadily extended nearer the town, and by night the army was within easy mnsket range. A furious thunder storm broke over the armies at night, and under cover of the noise and darkness, the Confederate army evacuated the town. The Tenth Iowa was the first to enter the place and leam that the enemy had fied in a panic, leaving artillery, tents, ammunition, horses, mules, wag- ons and camp supplies for an army of 10,000 men, to fall into the hands of the victors. The Union army lost but fifty-one men in the siege. General Pope's army was im- mediately sent to support the gunboats of Commodore Foote in an attack upon Island Number Ten. After a vig- orous bombardment of twenty-three days, this stronghold was also evacuated on the 7th of ApriL The trophies of this victory were one hundred and twenty-three pieces of heavy artillery, nearly 7,000 prisoners, 7,000 stands of small arms, several steamboats and wharf boats filled with stores, 2,000 horses and mules, 1,000 wagons and a vast amount of ammunition and army stores, llie Iowa regi- ments that took part in this successful campaign were the Fifth, Tenth and Second Cavalry. Soon after, (General Halleck absorbed Oeneral Pope's army in his march against Corinth, and the Tenth Iowa took part in the so- called siege. The Tenth went into camp at Corinth, where for months it was kept on duty, suffering greatly from sickness. Week after week through the hot summer the men were kept in idleness, the long sultry days bringing
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nothing but drill and sickness to vary the depressing mo- notony. Many died and many contracted disease which cansed their discharge. In September the regiment par- ticipated with Eosecrans' army in the bloody Battle of Inka, where it repnlsed two separate charges of Texas regiments and won special commendation of the command- ing general. In the desperate two days' Battle of Corinth which soon followed, the Tenth, nnder Major McCalla, in Oeneral SnUivan's Brigade, made a most gallant fight, of which Major McOalla says in his report:
" During both days I was assisted in the field by Captain N. A. Holson, acting lieatenani-oolonel; Captain Jackson Orr, acting major; and lieu- tenant William Manning, adjutant; who acted throu^out with great cool- ness and courage and to whom large credit is due. The line oflBcers with- out exception deported themselves with great gallantly, and to the men under my command too much praise cannot be given for their courage, endurance and strict obedience to orders."
The regiment lost three killed and thirty-seven wound- ed, among the latter was Captain Albert Head.
The regiment was with General Grant in the Oxford campaign and later at Memphis, where it went into winter quarters. Colonel Purczel had resigned in November, 1862, and was succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel SmalL Major Bennett had resigned in January of the same year, and Captain McCalla was promoted to the vacancy. Dr. Davis resigned in April, and R. J. Mohr was appointed surgeon. Adjutant Jackson also resigned in April and was succeeded by Lieutenant John Delahayed. The next active service of the Tenth was under General Quimby against Fort Pemberton, which was bombarded for sev- eral days without success. The regiment soon after joined General Grant's army at Milliken's Bend, and was in the great campaign which captured Vicksburg. Jxl this campaign the Tenth Iowa bore a conspicuous part, fight- ing bravely at Raymond on the 12th, at Jackson on the 14th and at Champion's Hill on the 16th of May. General
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Qnimby being ill, his division was nnder command of Gen- eral Crocker, of Iowa, and the Tenth was in a brigade nnder Colonel Boomer, in McPherson's Corps. At Jack- son the corps did the largest share of the fighting and then tnmed west to cooperate with the main body of Grant's army, which was concentrating to meet General Pemberton, marching from Vicksbnrg to resist Grant's progress toward that city. Pemberton had taken a strong position on a high hill on the plantation of a Mr. Cham- pion. To the right of the road a dense forest extended some distance down the hill, opening into cultivated fields on a gentle slope and broad valley. Here Pemberton, with 25,000 men, had posted his army, commanding the roads by which Grant was advancing. The divi- sions of Logan and Crocker were soon in the thickest of the fight, where the heavy rattle of musketry for an hour and a half had not been surpassed in any battle of the war. Hovey, who had been holding his ground tenaciously against greatly superior numbers, was finally forced slow- ly back, when Crocker and Logan reCnf orced him, and the tide was turned, the Confederates gave way, and were soon in retreat, so vigorously pursued that much of their artillery and many prisoners were captured. There were many Iowa regiments in this greatest battle of the campaign, and none fought with greater bravery than the Tenth. When Crocker came to the aid of Hovey, this regiment, with the brigade, was thrown into the vor- tex of as desperate a struggle as ever was witnessed on the field and helped to turn the tide of battle. But Boomer's brigade was immolated in the conflict and the loss of the Tenth was fearful, reaching nearly fifty per cent, of its entire number. Among the killed were Captain Poag and Lieutenants Terry and Brown, while Captains Lusby, Head, Kuhn and Hobson and Lieutenants Meekin and Gregory were wounded. Soon after the battle the Tenth was with the army before Vicksburg. It was in the as- sault of the 22d, making two gallant charges on the im-
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pregnable works. Colonel Boomer, commanding the bri- gade, was killed in one of the charges and Captain Head was severely wonnded After the surrender, the Tenth marched with Sherman against Johnston and after his retreat again returned to Vicksburg, remaining for two months on garrison duty. Near the close of September it was transferred to the Fifteenth Corps and marched with Sherman to Chattanooga. General Matthies, of Iowa, had succeeded to the command oi the brigade after the death of the gallant Boomer, and the Tenth took part in the brilliant battles which Qrant fought in and about the city. Here, many of its best ofScers and m^i perished in storming the defenses and bravely facing the death-deal- ing batteries. The soldiers never faltered in the line of duty and everywhere sustained the high reputation won on many battle-fields.
At ^ssionary Bidge the Tenth won high honors. At three o'clock on the 24th of November, General Sherman moved against Missionary Bidge, where Cteneral Bragg was strongly posted on that range of hills. The Tenth Iowa, with its brigade and division, marched down through the timber and low bottom land to the assault Beaching the first hill on a high range beyond, the enemy was seen strongly fortified and in force, and against this position the Seventh Division directed its attack the next day. The Union army had won Lookout Mountain and on the ni^t of the 24th, held the entire line from tiie north side of Lookout Mountain through the Chattanooga Val- ley to the north end of Missionary Bidge. General Bragg was now defeated and was fighting to save his army, artil- lery and baggage. The point against which the Fifth, Sixth, Tenth and Seventeenth Iowa regiments were di- rected on the 25th, covered Bragg 's line of communication to the rear, and if this hill were lost Bragg 's defeat would be disastrous. The Tenth, with its brigade, moved at eleven o'clock to refinforce Gteneral Ewing, marching over an open field to low ground covered with underbrush and
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advancing to the attack on the hilL The artillery fire was terrible. Solid shot, shell, grape and canister at short range from forty pieces of artillery, smote their ranks, mowing down the men by scores. No troops could stand against it and a retreat was ordered. General Matthies fell severely wounded; it was next to Champion's Hill the most terrific artillery fire the Tenth ever enconntered. After the close of the Chattanooga campaign the regiment went into winter quarters at Huntsville, Alabama, and, during the months of January and February, 1864, nearly three hundred of the men reSnlisted, converting it into a veteran regiment
Colonel Small had left the service in August, 1863, and was succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel P. C. Henderson; Major McCalla became lieutenant-colonel and Captain Bobert Lusby was promoted to major. The Tenth was sent with General Thomas in a movement against John- ston in Tennessee and in April was ordered to Decatur, Alabama. In June the veterans were granted a furlough, returning to duty in the latter part of July, and were sta- tioned along the Chattanooga and Atlantic Railroad, hav- ing headquarters at Kingston, Georgia. The Tenth was next in the expedition under Generals Steadman and Rous- seau against Wheeler, and in the Battle of Jonesboro, pur- suing the enemy through east Tennessee and northern Alabama, returning to Kingston after a march of nearly 1,000 miles. The regiment went to Atlanta and joined Sherman's army in the march to the sea, taking part in the battles around Savannah. In the campaign through theCarolinas it made a gallant passage of theSalkahatchie River, crossing waist deep under a heavy fire from the enemy posted behind earthworks and, with another regi- ment, dislodging the Confederates. The Tenth was with the advance upon Columbia, and was warmly engaged at Cox Bridge on the Neuse River in North Carolina at the opening of the Battle of Bentonsville. It moved with the army to Goldsboro and Raleigh, and was at the surrender
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of Johnston *8 army of nearly 37,000 men on the 2l8t day of April, 1865, which event virtually ended the war.
The Tenth soon after went to Washington and partici- pated in the grand review of May 24th. From there it was sent to Louisville, and thence to Little Bock and was not mustered out until the 15th of August It numbered at that time little more than three hundred men and had the following field and staff officers : Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. Silsby, Adjutant H. S. Bowman, Surgeon B. J. Mohr, Chaplain W. G. Kephart The regiment entered the serv- ice over nine hundred strong and had received thereafter about three hundred recruits; so that during its four years of camp life, hard mardies and battles it had lost from disease, wounds, disability and death as many men as it took into the service. Such are the ravages of war. The flag of the Tenth Iowa Volunteers, deposited in the Capitol of the State, is entitled to have inscribed upon its war-worn folds the names of Charleston, New Madrid, Is- land Number Ten, Farmington, luka, Corinth, Baymond, Jackson, Champion *s Hill, Vicksburg, Missionary Bidge, Decatur, Salkahatchie, Columbia and Bentonsville.
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ELEVENTH IOWA INFANTBY
THE Eleventh regiment was raised in Septem* ber, 1861, in the counties of Muscatine, Lou- isa, Cedar,Henry,Washington,Keokiik,VaQ Buren,Linn and Marshall. Goinginto camp at Davenport, it was organized by the ap- pointment of the following field and staff of- ficers: Colonel A. M. Hare, Lieutenant-Colonel William Hall, Major J. C. Abercrombie, Adjutant Cornelius Cadle, Quartermaster Eichard Cadle, Surgeon William Watson, Chaplain J- S. Whittlesey. It numbered nine hundred and thirty-one men when mustered into service on the 1st of November. The Eleventh was the first regiment provided with United States uniforms before leaving the State, and its first sad duty was to escort to the grave the remains of Lieutenant-Colonel Wentz, of the Seventh Iowa, killed at Belmont. The regiment embarked for St. Louis on the 16th of November and in December was sent to Jefferson City. The winter was spent in that vicinity in various duties and in March the regiment joined General Grant's army at Pittsburg Landing. In the great battle which soon followed, the regiment was commanded by Lieutenant-Col- onel Hall and was in a brigade under command of Colonel Hare until he was wounded, when Colonel Crocker took command. The Eleventh was in General McClemand's Division which supported Sherman in the first day's bat- tle; this was its first engagement and was sustained with varying fortune during that bloody day, losing heavily. It was in front of this regiment that the Confederate Gen- eral A. S. Johnston, while leading a charge, was mortally
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woundedy donbtless by an Iowa soldier. lientenant J. F. Compton was among the wonnded. The regiment was in the march to Corinth, where it remained a part of the gar- rison for about three months, and was afterward in the fight at Bolivar nnder Crocker. In October, at Corinth, it participated in the battle of the 3d and 4th, meeting with slight loss. In Jannary, 1863, the regiment was at Mem- phis and in February, with the Iowa Brigade, was at Lake Providence helping to, dig the canaL It was with Grant's army through the Vicksbnrg campaign, bnt not engaged in the severe battles. At the close of this campaign leave of absence was granted to many officers and men. About this time General J. D. Stevenson started on an expedition west of Vicksbnrg into a region of Louisiana that had not yet been invaded by a Union army. His command con- sisted of about 4,5<)0 men and among them was the Elev- enth Towa, then under Major Charles Foster. The trooi)s were transported by steamer to Goodrich's Landing, and about the middle of August marched into the interior, sub- sisting on the products of the country through which they passed. Their route was nearly due west through a re- gion low and marshy, covered with a dense growth of tim- ber, almost impenetrable underbrush and rank tangle of vegetation which excluded the breeze. The August sun beat down so fiercely that men dropped by scores and hun- dreds along the line of march. Slimy, oozing bayous crossed their way and had to be bridged; pontoons and corduroy had to be laid in the stifling heat. The only water for use of the army in many places was stagnant, warm and steeped in filth and decaying vegetation. The men were harassed day and night by concealed and re- treating enemies. The wagons and ambulances were load- ed with sick and exhausted men. The enemy led them on day after day among swamps and bayous, retiring across the Washita Biver, destroying the pontoons and retreating into a wild region toward Shreveport. The army stopped
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at Monroe two days, gathering cattle and provisions, and finding immense stores of cotton which were neither taken nor destroyed. Here General Stevenson decided to turn back The only results of this terrible march^ intense snf- feriDg and sacrifice of life, was the collection of a large drove of cattle and the capture of one hundred and sixty sick Confederates in hospitals. The next expedition in which the Eleventh was engaged was that which was known as the Meridian raid, which occupied a month. Nearly all of the members of the regiment now reCnlisted as veterans and were granted furloughs. They received a most enthusiastic welcome from their Iowa friends and neighbors and many recruits joined them on their return to the service. The Iowa Brigade joined Sherman at Ackworth on the 8th of June, 1864, after the invading army had marched, flanked and fought its way there from Binggold, near the north line of Alabama. A few days later the Confederate army was encountered, strongly posted on the ridges of Kenesaw Mountain. For nearly a month Sherman's progress was here blocked and the time was occupied in skirmishes with the enemy. Our army was posted within range of Confederate sharp- shooters and many fell victims to their deadly aim.* The Eleventh was not in the assault of the 27th, but lost sev- eral men killed and wounded in front of Kenesaw. As Johnston retreated, Sherman's army followed toward the Chattahoochee Biver, where the Confederate army was found again strongly posted. Here the Union army was held in check for a week. There was frequent fighting along the line in which the Eleventh was at times en- gaged, always bravely doing its duty. Before Atlanta the regiment was often under fire, and in the great battle of the 22d of July was in the thickest of the fight Lieuten- ant-Colonel Abercrombie, in his report of the action of the 22d, says:
* Ldeutenant Alfred Car^ was mortaHj wounded on tlie IStli of June^ and died Jnl7 26flL
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''Major Foster was wounded early in the action, faithful in discharge of his duty. Captain Neal was killed instantly by a grape shot. Captain Barr is missing. Captain Hose was wounded and captured. Lieutenant Caldwell was killed and Lieutenants Pfouts and Wylie wounded. I would make honorable mention of Sergeant J. G. Safely who, with Sergeant Buck (afterwards killed) and a party of picked men to the number of thirty or forty, made a dash over the worla held by the enemy, bringing oyer more than their own number as prisoners, among whom were a colonel and captain. During the action a Confederate flag was captured by pri- vate G. B. Haworth and a banner belonging to the Forty-fifth Alabama was captured by Private Edward Siberts."
Altogether the regiment captured ninety-three prison- ers. Captain J. W. Anderson and Adjutant B. W. Pres- cott are mentioned for gallant conduct. Major Charles Foster died of his wounds and was greatly lamented by the regiment. He was an excellent and popular officer and had been a member of our State Senate. The loss of the Eleventh in this battle was one hundred and thirty-seven men. Prom the 15th of June, 1864, to the 5th of Septem- ber the regiment lost in killed, woun4ed and missing ten commissioned officers and two hundred and seven en- listed men. Colonel Abercrombie was mustered out in November, and Lieutenant-Colonel Benjamin Beach suc- ceeded to the command of the raiment John Qt. Safe- ley was promoted from sergeant-major to adjutant on the 15th of September. Chaplain Whittlesley died from over exertion in care of the wounded after the Battle of Shiloh. John G. Miller succeeded Watson, who resigned as surgeon on the 4th of March, 1863. The Eleventh marched with the army to Savannah, and early in 1865 sailed for Beaufort and not long after took up line of march for the North. It lost two men at the Battle of Ben- tonsville and soon after was present at the surrender of Johnston. At Washington it marched in the grand re- view, where Lieutenant-Colonel Beach commanded the Iowa Brigade. The Eleventh reached Davenport on the 19th of July, was warmly welcomed by the citizens and was there disbanded.
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TWELFTH IOWA INFANTRY
•I
The companies composing this regiment were made up largely of men enlisted in the following counties: Du- buque, Jackson, Delaware, Black Hawk, Hardin, Fayette, Winneshiek, Allamakee and Linn. They went into camp at Dubuque during the months of October and November, 1861. When mustered into service in November the regi- ment numbered nine hundred and twenty-six men. The first field and staff officers were: J. J. Woods, colonel; J. P. Coulter, lieutenant-colonel; S. D. Brodtbeck, ma- jor; N. E. Duncan, adjutant; J. B. Dorr, quarter- master; C. C. Parker, surgeon; and A. Qt. Eberhart, chaplain. The regiment was sent to Benton Barracks, St. Louis, soon after its organization, and during two months' stay suffered severely from sickness— measles and pneumonia prostrating nearly half the members, seventy-five of them dying while there. Among the dead was Captain Charles Tupper, of Company G, an officer of great promise. In February the regiment joined the army of General Grant, then starting on the campaign up the Tennessee Biver, and witnessed the capture of Fort Henry on the 6th, and on the 12th of February moved with the army against Fort Donelson. The regiment was in Colonel Cook's Brigade of Smith's Division, and did ex- cellent service in the severe engagements that resulted in the brilliant victory. This was their first battle, and the officers and men sustained the high reputation already won by Iowa soldiers. Soon after the battle the Twelfth was sent by steamer, with the army, to Pittsburg Landing. While lying here Major Brodtbeck resigned on account of ill health, and Captain Edgington, of Company A, was promoted to the place. In the great Battle of Shiloh, which opened early on the morning of April 6th, the Twelfth was in General W.L. Wallace's Division and in the brigade commanded by Colonel Tuttle. This brigade consisted of the Second, Seventh, Twelfth and Fourteenth Iowa yegi-
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rnents, and no troops on the field fought with more stem determination. As the commands of Sherman and Pren- tiss were gradually driven from their positions they fell back to the Une held by Hurlbut and Wallace. Here a ter- rific conflict ensued. In overwhelming numbers the Con- federates charged again and again upon our lines and were met with a continuous fire of musketry and artillery that has seldom been surpassed. So stubborn was the re- sistance that General A. S. Johnston^ commander of the Confederate army^ finding column after column driven back with shattered ranks^ at last led another charge in I)erson and in it fell mortally wounded. This part of the field has been appropriately named the ^^ Hornet's Nest," to designate the spot where, for hours, the hottest fight of that bloody conflict raged. General Wallace was mortally wounded; Prentiss and most of his command were sur- rounded and captured after five hours of heroic fighting. Woods says in his report :
"After receiving orders to fall back, seeing ourselves surrounded, we nevertheless opened fire on that portion of the enemy who blocked our passage to the landing, who after briskly returning our fire for a short time, fell back. A heavy fire from the enemy on our left was going on at the same time. Seeing the enemy in front falling bade, we attempted a rapid movement to cut our way through; but the enemy on our left ad- vanced rapidly, coming in behind us, pouring into our ranks a most de- structive fire. The enemy in front now faced about, and opened on us at short range, the enemy in our rear still closing in on us rapidly. I received two wounds, disabling me from furth^ duty. The command now devolved on Captain Edgington, acting as field officer. The enemy had, however, so closely surrounded us that their balls which missed our men took effect in their ranks beyond us. To have held out longer would have been to suffer annihilation. The regiment was therefore compelled to surrender. The officers and men stood bravely up to their work, and nev^ did men be- have better.'*
The killed and wounded numbered more than one hun- dred and fifty and over four hundred were captured, eighty of whom died in southern prisons. Colonel Woods was recaptured in the next day's battle. The
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REFERENCES. PotUion of M»jer-G«n»r»l Grant* • forcM en th« morning of April 6th. Position of Mtjor-Gonor»it Qrant't »nd Buoll't forcot, ovoning April 6th. Pofition of IMtjor-Gonoralt Grant and Buoil on morning of April 7th. Position of Maior-Gonoralt Grant and BuotI on ovoning of April 7th.
NOTE.— Tho positions of tho Rsbsl forces wsro gsnoraily par- allol to thoso horoin indicatod.
THE BATTLE FIELD OP SHILOH
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prisoners were taken to Corinth and from there sent to various prisons. Ahout half of the men were imroled in May and sent to St Lonis; the remainder, or those who survived, were paroled in November. Their sufferings had been great, and many were so disabled that they never regained healtii or strength.
About one hundred and fifty members of the Twelfth, who were not in the Battle of Shiloh, escaped capture and were organized into the Union Brigade under command of lieutenant-Colonel Coulter. The paroled men were ex- changed in January, 1863, and returned to duty. Lieu- tenant-Colonel Coulter resigned in March and was suc- ceeded by Major Edgington, and Captain J. H. Stibbs, of Company D, was promoted to major. The raiment served under Sherman in the Jackson campaign and participated in the siege and capture of Vicksburg. After the fall of Vicksburg the Twelfth marched with Sherman's army against Johnston. In the latter part of July the regiment went into camp at Bear Creek, fifteen miles east of Vicks- burg, where it remained until October. Here lieutenant- Colonel Edgington resigned and Major Stibbs assumed command of the regiment, as Colonel Woods was in com- mand of a brigade. Captain Van Duzee, of Company I, was promoted to major. About the middle of November the regiment joined the command of General Hurlbut and was soon afterplaced in chargeof Chewalla,and remained there until the close of January, 1864. Its services here were ar- duous in guarding railroads against numerous bands of guerrillas. In January a large portion of the regiment reSnlisted as veterans. In March, 1864, the veterans of the regiment visited their homes on furlough, returning toward the last of April. The regiment was sent to Memphis and was engaged in guarding lines of railroad. On the 13th, 14th and 15th of July it was engaged in fights with the enemy in the vicinity of Tupelo. On the 12th, while guarding a train, it was attacked by a Con- federate brigade, and after a desperate conflict defeated
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the enemy. On the 17th the Battle of Tupelo was f onght, in which the Twelfth did excellent service. It was sta- tioned behind a barricade constructed along an old f ence, where it was repeatedly assailed by the enemy's columns ; but for two hours it poured in a heavy fire, repelling the enemy's charges. Late in the day it joined several other regiments in a charge on the Confederates, which drove them from the field.
On the next day the regiment was assigned a position on the Pontotoc road, protected by a breastwork of cotton bales, where it took an active part in the battle. Its loss during the three days was nine killed and fifty-five wound- ed. Lieutenant A. A. Burdick, a gallant young officer, was among the killed, and Captain C. L. Sumbardo was se- verely wounded. In August it was stationed at Holly Springs, where lieutenant-Colonel Stibbs was placed in command. Companies A and F, under command of Cap- tain Hunter, were stationed at a post near the mouth of White Kiver, where they built a stockade. The little gar- rison, consisting of less than fifty men, was, on the night of June 4th, attacked by nearly four hundred Confederates. A desperate fight ensued, in which the little band fought with unsurpassed heroism against overwhelming numbers. At one time a number of the enemy entered the stock- ade, but was met by Sergeant Isaac Cottle and Corporal George D. Hunter with revolvers, who attacked them with such fury that they fled. The two brave men were, how- ever, fatally wounded in the heroic encounter which saved the post from capture. After losing fifty men, including their leader, the Confederates were defeated, and retired leaving their wounded on the field. Early in September the Twelfth, under General Mower, embarked on a steam- er with the army for White River. Landing at Duval's Bluflf the army started in pursuit of General Price, who was retreating toward Cape Girardeau. For nineteen days the men marched through rain, mud, swamps and rivers on short rations. On the 6th of October the army
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embarked for St Louis, where a supply of clothing was procured and a fresh start made to join General A. J, Smith 's army in pursuit of Price. They followed the Con- federate army to the Kansas line, but were not able to overtake it On the 30th the army turned back and ended one of the hardest marches of the year, reaching St. Louis on the 15th of November. On the 22d, Colonel Woods left the service, his term having expired. The non-veterans were also here mustered out and the regiment was reduced to about two hundred men present for duty. The next service was under General Thomas in his Nashville cam- paign, where the Twelfth fought with its usual gallantry. In January, 1865, it was at Eastport, Mississippi, under command of Major Enee, who had been promoted from captain of Company H. In February it joined General Canby in his expedition against Mobile, and did good service in that brilliant campaign. It continued in the service doing garrison duty until January, 1866, when finallyit was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, on the 20th. lieutenant-Colonel Stibbs had been promoted to colonel and Brevet Brigadier-General before being mus- tered out of the service.
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CHAPTER XV
THIBTBENTH IOWA INFANTRY
IN this regiment were represented the counties of Linn, Jasper, Marion, Lncas, Keokuk, Scott, Polk, Benton, Marshall and Washington. It was organ- ized in the months of September and October, 1861, and numbered eight hundred and ninety-nine men— the first field and staff officers being M. M. Crocker, colonel; M. M. Price, lieutenant-colonel; John Shane, major; W. T. Clark, adjutant; H. G. Bamer, quar- termaster; Joseph McKee, surgeon; John Steele, chap- lain. The regiment was moved from Davenport to Ben- ton Barracks, near Si Louis in November, and soon after was sent to join General Pope's army at Jefferson City. Here the winter was spent in drilling and learning the art of war under the direction of Colonel Crocker. In March the regiment was sent to General Grant's army then as- sembling at Pittsburg Landing, being placed in General McClemand's Division, with the First Brigade command- ed by Colonel E. J. Oglesby. At the Battle of Shiloh, on the 6th of April, the regiment was for the first time under fire, and for ten hours fought bravely, losing in killed, wounded and missing one hundred and seventy-two men. Among the wounded were Lieutenant-Colonel Price, Major Shane, Captain T. H. Miller, Lieutenants B. B. Sherman,* Elliott Shurtz and J. H. Watson. Lieutenant E. D. Duncan was killed. Soon after the bat- tle the Thirteenth was placed in the Third Brigade of the Sixth Division, commanded by General McKean. The brigade was composed of the Eleventh, Thirteenth, Fif-
* Aftorwardi Ooremor of Iowa.
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teenth and Sixteenth Iowa regiments, and was command- ed by Colonel Crocker. Lieutenant-Colonel Price re- signed on the 16th of April and was succeeded by Major Shane. Captain G. M. Van Hosen was promoted to major. The regiment was in the vicinity of Corinth most of the summer and was engaged in the two days* battle at Cor- inth, on the 3d and 4th of October, meeting with sli^t loss. It was in General Grant's Holly Springs campaign, and in January, 1863, was at Memphis. Major Van Hosen resigned on the 21st of that month and Adjutant James Wilson became major. Adjutant W. T. Clark had been promoted to Assistant Adjutant-General and his connec- tion with the regiment ceased. In 1864 he was promoted to Brigadier-General.
During the winter the Thirteenth was moved to Milli- ken's Bend and from there to Providence, where the men for some time assisted in work on the famous canal. Col- onel Crocker was promoted to Brigadier-General, Shane to colonel of the regiment. Major Wilson to lieutenant-colo- nel; Captain W. A. Walker, of Company G, to major. The regiment was actively engaged in the closing cam- paign about Vicksburg and in Sherman's movement against Johnston. Its losses in the various engagements were small, not exceeding forty men. During the re- mainder of the summer the Thirteenth was employed in various duties in the vicinity of Vicksburg. It was in the expedition to Monroe under General Stevenson, and in February, 1864, participated in the Meridian raid under General Sherman. The regiment had become reduced at this time to four hundred eighty-eight men. Of these three hundred and forty-three refinlisted as veterans. On the 16th of April they returned after a month's fur- lough, and in June joined Sherman's army in his march through Georgia. The Thirteenth lost several meo, on the picket lines and in various skirmishes. At Decatur, General Crocker, who was in command of the Fourtii di-
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SIEGE OF ATLANTA,
MARCH TO LOVEJOY.
THB 8IBOB OF ATLANTA
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vision^ was compelled to relinquish his command on ac- comit of failing health.*
BATTLE BEFORE ATLANTA
On the 21st of July Colonel Shane commanded the Iowa Brigade in which was the Thirteenth Begiment. To the left of this brigade was posted another under command of General Force. Immediat^y in front, on a high hill, the enemy in strong force held a fort The Iowa Brigade moved to the assault and was to be supported by General Force 's Brigade on the left. At eight o 'clock the line was formed, the Thirteenth under Major Walker, and the Fif- teenth under Colonel Belknap in front, the Eleventh, Lieutenant-Colonel Abercrombie, and the Sixteenth, Lieu- tenant-Colonel Sanders, in the second line. The order to charge was given and ^e men rushed to the assault with loud shouts. A terrible volley from artillery and mus- ketry smote them, thinning their ranks, but on they pushed filing rapidly as they advanced. When within fifty yards of the fort they encountered such a deadly fire that the order was given to lie down. Twenty feet in ad- vance Sergeant Starkweather held aloft the flag amidst the cheers of the men. A steady fire was kept up on the enemy as Force's Brigade took tite outworks. The enemy retired to a strong line in the rear of the fort and kept up a deadly artillery fire on the Iowa Brigade. Finally the order was given to retire and the men retreated in good order to their line of works. The Iowa Brigade lost two hundred and twenty-six men in the charge, of which one hundred and thirteen belonged to the Thirteenth Begiment. In their reports the coromanding officers speak in the highest terms of the conduct of the men, every one of whom bravely did his duty without flinching. In the terrible battle of the next day four companies of the Thirteenth were sent to reinforce the Eleventh and Six-
* General Oroc|[er never recoTered hie l^ealth but died of consumption In August, 1865. He was universally esteemed as one of the ablest military commanders Iowa sent Into the service.
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teenth regiments at a critical timey and these were for the most part taken prisoners. The remainder of the regi- ment fought to the close of the battle. The losses were one hundred and forty-nine men, among whom were Ma- jor Walker killed, and Lieutenants Hunter, Huff and Hawkins wounded. In the battle of the 28tix the Thir- teenth fought with great bravery. Its losses in the cam- paign, up to the occupation of Atlanta, in killed, wounded and prisoners, were three hundred and thirty-one.
Captain Marshall, of Company H, was promoted to major in place of Walker, killed. In November, Colonel Shane, Adjutant Bood and Quartermaster Kennedy were mustered out at the expiration of their terms of service. The regiment shared in the marches and battles of the campaign, reaching Pocotalio, South Carolina, on the 15th of January, 18G5. While here J. C. Wilson was promoted to colonel; Captain J. C. Kennedy, lieutenant-colonel; A. C. Meyers, adjutant; and N. C. Keyes, quartermaster.
In tile march through South Carolina Lieutenant-Col- onel Kennedy, of the Thirteenth, led seventy-five men over the Broad River on the 17th of February, took pos- session of Columbia and hoisted the Stars and Stripes over the State House. On the 20th of March the army reached Bentonsville, where the Thirteenth fought its last battle. On the 19th of May, Alexandria, Virginia, was reached, where the regiment remained until the grand re- view at the National Capitol.
On the 28th and 29th of July the officers and men were again in Iowa, at Davenport, where the regiment was dis- banded.
FOURTEENTH IOWA INFANTRY
The organization of this regiment was somewhat pecu- liar, for, as a matter of fact, the original Companies A, B and C never served with the regiment and were never un- der command of its colonel. These companies were, by order of the War Department, transferred to, and made
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a battalion of the Forty-first Iowa Infantry. They were sent to Fort Bandall in Dakota Territory^ and finally be- came a part of one of the cavalry regiments. Daring the first year of its existence the Fourteenth Regiment had bnt seven companies, D to K. These were largely re- cruited in the counties of Henry, Lee, Van Buren, Des Moines, Dubuque, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Iowa and Jasper. These companies assembled at Davenport, where the regi- ment was organized on the 6th of November, 1861, with the following officers ; W. T. Shaw, colonel; E.W.Lucas, lieutenant-colonel; Hiram Leonard, major; N. H. Tyner, adjutant; C. 0. Buel, quartermaster; G. M. Staples, sur- geon; S. A. Benton, chaplain. Toward the last of November the regiment was sent to St. Louis and went into a camp of instruction. . The men here suffered great- ly from sickness and many died of pneumonia and measles. Early in February the regiment was ordered to join General Grant's army, then about to move against Fort Donelson. In the battle it was in Lauman's Brigade, which was one of the first to enter the Confederate works. The loss in this first engagement was three killed and twenty-one wounded. On the 18th of March the Thir- teenth went with the army to Pittsburg Landing, where it was assigned to General Smith's Division in a brigade composed of the Second, Seventh, Twelfth and Fourteenth Iowa regiments, under command of Colonel Tuttle. All of that long, terrible day of April 6th this brigade made a desperate fight against superior numbers, at the " Hor- net's Nest," for hours, by heroic resistance, it stayed the progress of the enemy. Just as the sun went down, cut off from aid and surrounded, the gallant regiment was forced to surrender. The officers and men were held as prisoners until late in the following year, when, on the 19th of November, they were released in exchange and sent to St. Louis, where the regiment was reorganized during the winter. Two new companies, A and B, had been enlisted and here joined the regiment in place of
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those sent to Fort Randall. Many recruits were secured to M the depleted ranks. Captain J. H. Newbold was pro* moted to lieutenant-colonel in place of Lncas, resigned, and Captain E. A. Warner was appointed major to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Kirkwood. On the 10th of April, 1863, Company C joined the regiment which was soon after sent to Columbus, Kentucky, where for a long time it remained, performing garrison duty and drilling recruits. In January, 1864, it was sent to Yicks- burg and assigned to the Second Brigade of the Third Division of the Sixteenth Army Corps. Colonel Shaw had command of the brigade and Lieutenant-Colonel New- bold commanded the regiment It was with (General Sher- man in his Meridian expedition and soon after was sent to join General Banks in his disastrous Bed Biver cam- paign. In March General Smith marched a portion of the army against Fort De Bussey on the Bed Biver, Shaw's Brigade being a part of his force.
CAPTURE OF FORT DB BUSSBY
Admiral Porter with a formidable fleet started up the Bed Biver to clear it of obstructions, while Smith's army marched overland on the 13th of MarcL Colonel Shaw's Brigade was in the lead. At Bayou de Glaize the bridge had been burned and six hundred of the enemy on the west bank disputed his passage. He opened on them with artillery and soon dislodged them, then rebuilding the bridge, crossed the river in pursuit. Shaw moved on to within eight hundred yards of the fort and, posting his artillery, sent his skirmishers forward to annoy the enemy's gunners. The whole army had now come up and the batteries opened upon the fort. The enemy replied with shell and shrapnel, and it soon became evident that the fort could not soon be taken with- out a general assault. The columns were formed, and at the word of command moved forward with loud shouts. The fort was a formidable work, with bastions and bomb-
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proofs covered with railroad iron. Connected with the fort was a strong water battery, the casements of which were securely protected. After a short conflict the fort was captui*ed with the cannon and a large quantity of small armsy ammunition and commissary stores. It was destroyed, and the fleet and army moved on up Ked Biver to Alexandria, where Banks was concentrating his army. On the 8th of April the Confederate army assailed the ad- vance columns of the Union men near Mansfield. After a brave fight against superior numbers Bansom's Division gave way in confusion, reinforcements coming up a divi- sion at a time only to be beaten in detail. The road was blockaded by miles of wagon trains, obstructing the reinforcing columns, and soon the advance of the Union army became a routed, fleeing mob— infantry, cavalry, ar- tillery and wagon trains in utter confusion. Ten guns, two hundred and sixty-nine wagons and more than 1,000 prisoners fell into the hands of the enemy. General Emory in the rear, near Pleasant Grove, taking a strong position, finally checked the advance of the Confederates. Opening his ranks to let the retreating army pass through, the line closed again on the double- quick, and poured into the faces of the advancing enemy a terrific fire that mowed down hundreds and checked the pursuit. Again and again the Confederates charged on Emory's lines only to be hurled back in con- fusion, when night at last put an end to the bloody con- flict. General Smith's veterans were in reserve, and on the next day at Pleasant Hill made a vigorous stand. Col- onel Shaw's Brigade, composed of the Fourteenth, Twen- ty-seventh and Thirty-second Iowa and the Twenty-fourth Missouri was formed across the main road by which the enemy must advance to the attack. At four o'clock the Confederates again assailed the Union army and a des- perate battle ensued. No troops ever made a more heroic fight than Shaw's *' Iron Brigade." Greeley's American Conflict says:
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" Colonel Shaw, commanding the Second Brigade, deserves great credit for the able manner in whidi he repelled cavalry charges. The Texas cavalry undertook to break his lines; he ordered his men to reserve their fire until the rebels were within thirty yards. As the cavalry came on, each man selected his victim until the four hundred were close upon them, when a terrific fire emptied nearly every saddle. Of this cavalry regiment not more than ten men escaped."
The next moming General Bonks continned to retreat, haying lost in three days neiarly 4,000 men, eighteen guns and many wagons, the whole campaign being a disastrous failnre. At the Battle of Pleasant Hill, Lieutenant-Colo- nel Newbold, Lieutenants W. N. McMillen, Joseph Shanklin and G. H. Logan were among the killed. The entire loss of the Fourteenth Begiment was eighty-five.
The Fourteenth was sent to Vicksburg soon after the Bed Biver disaster, and in July was in the Battle of Tu- pelo, after which it was in Memphis for some time. Li September it was sent into Missouri, and a portion under General Ewing was in the defense of Pilot Knob. In No- vember, 1864, the regiment was sent to Davenport and there mustered out, as the term for which it enlisted had expired. About two hundred men had reSnlisted as vet- erans, and they, under command of Captain Hoffbauer, were sent to Springfield, Illinois, and did duty in guard- ing prisoners until the close of the war.
On the 4th of October, 1864, when Colonel Shaw was in command of a division, an order was procured from the War Department by request of (General Banks, dis- missing the gallant fighting commander of the " Iron Bri- gade '* from the military service. After the Battle of Pleasant Hill, Colonel Shaw had written a private letter to a friend at home, in which he freely expressed his opinion of some of the officers high in command on the Bed Biver expedition. The letter was published in the Anamoaa Eureka and Dubuque Times. There is sufficient evidence that Colonel Shaw told the truth in this letter, but its pub- lication over his signature was held to be a violation of
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army regalationsy and his superiors were thus able to pro- cure his dismissal from the service. The Iowa people aud soldiersy who know of Colonel Shaw's valuable services, his fine record as one of the most competent and fearless officers that our State sent into the service, are proud of his career. His dismissal, through the influence of a po- litical general, who never won a battle, is a fitting victory for the incompetent commander of the Bed Biver fiasco, who marched against the enemy with his baggage train at the front "When the order of dismissal came to Qeneral A. J. Smith, in whose army Colonel Shaw had served with distinguished ability, that officer refused to have it pro- mulgated and relieved him of his command in the follow- ing language:
" In relieying Colonel Shaw from command of tlie Third DiTision prior to his being muBtered ont, it is bnt an act of justice to an energetic, thor* ou|^ and competent officer to say that for the last fifteen months he has bem in this command as a poet brigade and diyision commander, he has in efrery position performed the incumbent duties well and faithfully with an ability few can equal, with courage, patriotism and skiU above question. The service loses an excellent officer when he is mustered out."
By order of Major-General A. J. Smith*
Upon his retirement the officers of the division Colonel Shaw had commanded presented him with an elegant sword as a testimonial of their high regard.
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CHAPTER XVI
FIFTEBNTH IOWA INFANTRY
THE companies makmg up this regiment were recruited in many counties^ principally Clinton, Linn, Polk, Mahaska, Wapello, Van Buren, Fremont, Mills, Marion, War- ren, Harrison and Pottawattamie. The companies began to assemble at Keokuk as early as September, 1861, but the regiment was not or- ganized until February, 1862. The field and staff officers were: H. T. Beid, colonel; William Dewey, lieutenant- colonel; W. W. Belknap, major; George Pomutz, adju- tant ; J. M. Hedrick, quartermaster ; S. B. Davis, surgeon ; and W. W. Eastbrook, chaplain.
On the 19th of March the regiment embarked for the seat of war and landed at St. Louis, where arms and equipments were received. On the 1st of April it started to join General Grant's army at Pittsburg Landing, and reached that place amid the roar of cannon, the fierce crashes of musketry and the bursting of shells of the first day's battle. It was a trying ordeal as the regiment land- ed from the steamer and witnessed the panic stricken hun- dreds who were fleeing from the field. Colonel Beid was ordered to the front, but while on the way the Fifteenth and Sixteenth were directed to form a line and stop the fugitives. The effort was in vain, however, and the regi- ments were sent toward the front, taking a position on McClemand 's line. Here the Fifteenth made a good stand for a new regiment until the order came to retreat, when it fell back in confusion. A portion of the men were rallied and took part in the battle later in the day and on Monday. Colonel Beid had been severely wounded, and Major Bel-
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knap, Adjutant Pomutz and many of the company officers behaved with great coohiess and courage in tMs their first battle. The loss of the regiment was one hundred eighty- eight in killed, wounded and missing. Captain Hedrick was severely wounded and captured while leading his com- pany in a charge. Among the wounded officers were Ma- jor Belknap, Adjutant Pomutz, Captains Hutchcroft, Blackner, Day, Lieutenants Porter, Ooode, Bing, and Beid. Soon after the battle the Iowa Brigade was formed, in which the fifteenth was placed. After Halleck's slow march on Corinth and its evacuation by Beauregard's army, the Fifteenth was one of the regiments left to occupy the place, and Major Belknap was made provost marshal. In the Battle of Corinth, on the 3d of October, Colonel Beid was ill. Lieutenant-Colonel Dewey had been transferred to the Twenty-third, leaving Major Belknap in command of the Fifteenth. The regiment was handled with skill and fought with conspicu- ous bravery. Among the killed were Lieutenants J. D. Kinsman, William Cathcart and B. H. Eldridge, while Major W. T. Cunningham, Captain B. L. Hanks aijid Lieu- tenant Logan Crawford were wounded. The loss to the regiment in killed, wounded and missing was eighty-five. During the next four months the Fifteenth was employed in various expeditions in Tennessee and Mississippi In January, 1&63, it joined the army operating against Vicks- burg. In April, Captain Hedrick, after a long captivity, rejoined the regiment and was promoted to major in place of Cunningham, resigned. On the 21st of April the Fif- teenth was sent to Milliken's Bend; Colonel Beid was in command of a brigade and the Fifteenth, under Lieuten- ant-Colonel Belknap, was in the Iowa Brigade, then com- manded by Colonel Chambers of the Sixteenth. From this time until the close of the campaign, the Fifteenth was engaged in active service, but fortunately met with no losses. In June, Belknap was promoted to colonel, Hed- rick to lieutenant-colonel, and Pomutz to major of the r^-
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ment and Lieutenant E. H. King became adjutant. The regiment remained in Vicksburg until August, then accom- panied General Stevenson's expedition to Monroe, and, returning from that unfortunate and disastrous raid, ex- hausted by hardships, remained in Vicksburg until Feb- ruary, 1864. A portion of the regiment refinlisted as vet- erans in January and accompanied Sherman on his Me- ridian raid. The non-veterans of the brigade were organ- ized into the Iowa Battalion under command of Major Pomutz. The veterans visited their homes in March and returned to duty in April. In May the Iowa Brigade joined Sherman on his march to the sea. The Fifteenth participated in the battles of Kenesaw Mountain, Nicka- jack Creek and before Atlanta on the 21st of July, losing in killed and wounded nearly one hundred men.
BATTLE OF ATLANTA, JULY 9Std
On the 20th of July, General Sherman was closing his army corps around Atlanta. General Hood was now in command of the Confederate army and assuming the of- fensive. On the 20th he had made a vigorous attack upon our advancing forces and a bloody battle ensued. On the 21st the enemy occupied a strong position on a range of hills and was well intrenched in lines which overlooked the valley of Peach Tree Creek, about four miles from Atlanta.
General Dodge with the Sixteenth Corps became warm- ly engaged. General McPherson had been killed and was succeeded by General Logan. The enemy had broken through our lines and a heavy fire in the rear created a panic, some of our regiment flying in confusion. Wood^s Division of the Fifteenth Corps, in which were several Iowa regiments and an Iowa brigade, charged on the ad- vancing enemy with great fury and regained the broken line, recapturing several guns that had been taken. Gen- erals Dodge and Blair were making a gallant fight against the desperate assaults of the enemy from various points.
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The Iowa Brigade in (General Smith's Division was warm- ly engaged General Smith speaks as follows of the battle in that quarter:
** Another and still more desperate assault was now made from the east side in the rear of Ck>lonel Hall's brigade. The men sprung over the works and the most desperate fight of the day now took plaoe. The enemy under ooYer of the woods could approadi within twenty yards of our works without discoyery. The Confederates would frequently occupy one side of the works and our men the other. Many individual acts of heroism here occurred. Men were bayoneted across the works and officers with swords fought hand-to-hand with men with bayonets. Ck>lonel Belknap, of the Fifteenth Iowa, took prisoner Colonel lAmpley of the Forty-fifth Alabama, by pulling him oyer the works by his coat collar, being several times fired at by men at his side. The colors of his regiment were cap- tured at the same time. This combat lasted three-quarters of an hour, when the enemy slowly retired. The battle lasted seven hours with few pauses. The fury of the charges has seldom been equaled during the war. Again and again Confederate regiments were hurled against our lines with reddees fury, only to meet a wall of fire whidi swept them down l^ the hundreds."
There were thirteen Iowa regiments in this great battle. The Second and Seventh in General Dodge's command fought with their usual valor; the remnant of the Third was almost annihilated. The Fourth, Ninth, Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth and Thirtieth, in General Wood's Division, fought bravely. The Eleventh, Thirteenth, Fifteenth and Sixteenth of the Iowa Brigade were among the bravest. The Fifteenth lost one hundred thirty-two men, of whom ten were killed, forty wounded and eighty-two captured. Lieutenant-Colonel Hedrick was severely wounded. On the 28th another severe battle was fought in which the Fifteenth participated. Soon after Colonel Belknap was promoted to Brigadier-General. As Colonel Hedrick was permanently disabled by his wounds Major Pomutz, who was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, took command of the regiment. After the evacuation of Atlanta the Fifteenth went into camp at Eastport. In October it joined in the pursuit of Hood's army and was in the march to Sa-
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vannalL In fhe Battle of Pocataligo Captain B. B. Kel- logg, a brave young officer, was mortally wonndecL The regiment marched to Goldsboro, Baleigh and Washing- ton. On the 24th of July, 1865, it was mustered out and returned to Iowa, at this time numbering seven hundred twelve men. Colonel Hedrick was Brevet Brigadier-Gen- eral, and Captain J. S. Porter was promoted to major.
SIXTEENTH IOWA INFANTRY
The Sixteenth was the last infantry regiment raised in Iowa under the President's proclamation calling for vol- unteers during the first year of the war. The failure of Greneral McClellan's campaign had greatly depressed the people at the North, and it became difficult to procure vol- unteers for this regiment. The first company went into quarters in September, 1861, and the last company was not ready until March 24, 1862. Two companies were recruited in Muscatine County and the others were enlisted from var- ious parts. The regiment numbered nine hundred ten men, and its first field and staff officers were : Alexander Cham- bers, colonel; A. H. Sanders, lieutenant-colonel; William Purcell, major; Oeorge E. McCosh, adjutant; C. W. Fracker, quartermaster; J. H. Cambum, surgeon. As soon as the organization was completed the regiment joined Grant ^s army at Pittsburg Landing and went into the battle with but little drilling. It was a trying ordeal, placed in an exposed position on that fearful Sunday, but the men never flinched, though many of their number were killed or injured. Among the killed were: Captain John Buehl and Lieutenant F. N. Doyle, while Colonel Cham- bers, Captains A. Palmer, E. S. Frazier, E. M. Newcomb and M. Zettler, and Lieutenants J. H. Lucas, G. H. Hol- comb, Peter Miller and Henry Meyer were among the wounded. At one time the regiment was thrown into con- fusion, but soon rallied and did good service. Upon the organization of the Iowa Brigade, soon after the Battle of
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Shilohy the Sixteenth was placed in it and served as a part of the Brigade from that time. After the march to Corinth the regiment was for two months in camp near that place suffering severely from sickness. For several months it served in the region abont Corinth, Bolivar, Tennessee^ and Somerville. At the Battle of luka the regiment did ex- cellent service. General Bosecrans in his official report says:
"The Sixteenth Iowa, amid the roar of battle, the rush of wounded artillery horses, the charges of a Rebel brigade, a storm of grape, canister and musketry, stood like a rock holding the center, while the glorious Fifth Iowa, under the brave l^latthies, sustained by Boomer with the noble Twenty-sixdi Missouri, bore the thrice repeated charges and cross-fires of the Rebel left and center, with a valor and determination seldom equaled and. never excelled by veteran soldiers."
When Colonel Chambers was wonnded and captured the command of the regiment devolved on the gallant Lieu- tenant-Colonel Sanders. Adjutant Lawrence, a brave young officer, was killed, while Captain Palmer, Lieuten- ants Lucas, Alcorn and Williams were severely wounded. This was the second battle for the Sixteenth, and it won high honors, losing, however, sixty-five men. In the Bat- tle of Corinth, two weeks later, the Sixteenth was hotly en- gaged, and its commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Sanders, was sevei*ely wounded in the first day's fight. General Crocker says in his report:
"Lieutenant-Colonel A. H. Sanders rode along the line of his regiment amid a storm of bullets, encouraging his brave boys, who had so lately suffered at luka, to remember their duly, and although severely wounded remained with his regiment until it marched off the field.''
Li the next day^s battle Major Purcell, who was in com- mand, was woimded, and Captain Williams was taken prisoner. After the battle the Sixteenth was one of the regiments that pursued the retreating enemy. For sev- eral months the regiment was employed in Mississippi
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and Tennessee, and early in Jannary, 1863, Captain Heavener died of smallpox. Soon after, the regiment nfiarched to Memphis, where it was joined by Colonel Chambers, who had recovered from his wonnd. It joined Grant's army in the Vicksburg campaign and bore an honorable part in the brilliant marches, battles and final great victory. When General Crocker took command of the Seventh Division, Colonel Chambers succeeded to the command of the Iowa Brigade. The first medal of honor for the Seventeenth Corps in this t^ampaign, was awarded to Lientenant Samnel DnfBn,* of Company K, Sixteenth Iowa. The regiment was in the Monroe expedition in Au- gust and September, and was with Sherman in the raid to Meridian in February, 1864. The members of the r^- ment reenlisted during the winter, and the veterans vis- ited their homes before joining Sherman on his march through Georgia. The Sixteenth was often under fire in the marches and skirmishes as the campaign progressed and in the severe fighting in the vicinity of Kenesaw Moun- tain lost about forty men. While the army was closing in around Atlanta on the 21st of July the Iowa Brigade was in a severe engagement in which the Sixteenth lost about fifty men, among whom were Lieutenant G. H. Holcomb killed, and Captain Hugh Shilling wounded. In the battle on the next day the Sixteenth, after a heroic fight, was sur- rounded and captured. The regiment was posted on the left of the Eleventh Iowa, in front of the Thirteenth Iowa. The ground ocoupied by the Iowa Brigade was covered with underbrush, but no timber. Just before noon General Smith had directed Colonel Sanders to have his regiment ready to fall back at a minute's notice, but adding, ** you must hold your works to the last, as the safety of the divis- ion may depend on the delay occasioned the enemy at this point. ' ' This was the last order given Colonel Sanders that day. Soon heavy firing on the skirmish line indicated the
* This bntTe joimf officer from Dayenport, was mortallj wounded at the Battle of Keneeaw ICottntaln, June 27, 1864, and died at Rome, Oeorsta.
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advance of the enemy in strong force. In a short time the skirmish line was driven in and heavy bodies of the enemy followed closely after them. The Sixteenth in the trenches awaited with muskets ready the dose approach of the advancing enemy with fixed bayonets, when Colonel San- ders gave the order to fire. Volley after volley smote the enemy at close range, and their lines were soon shattered, those not injured falling to the ground to escape the mur- derous fire which decimated their ranks. Another strong line of the enemy came to their aid and was repulsed with great slaughter. Heavy bodies of Confederates were also hurled against the Eleventh and Fifteenth regiments at the same time and they were finally forced from their po- sitions by overwhelming numbers. No orders came to re- tire and the Sixteenth was soon surrounded and com- pelled to surrender. Further resistance would only have resulted in the slaughter of the entire regiment. During the campaign, up to this time, the entire loss of the regi- ment in killed and wounded had been one hundred twenly- six. Nearly two hundred members of the regiment, many of whom were absent, sick, or wounded, escax)ed capture. The officers captured were first sent to Ma- con and later to Charleston and Columbia. The men were doomed to undergo the tortures of Andersonville stockade, where every form of suffering was endured. For nearly two months men were crowded in this most loathsome prison pen known in modem times, where many died and others were disabled for life. On the 22d of September the survivors were released by ex- change and returned to the regiment The officers were detained longer, but a few of them managed to escape, among whom was Captain J. H. Smith. The regiment was with Sherman until Johnston's surrender, when it proceeded to Washington and joined in the grand review. In July it was sent to Louisville, where Lieutenant-Col- onel Smith resigned. The regiment was soon after sent to Davenport and there disbanded. The field officers at
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this time were Lieutenant-Colonel J. T. Herbert, Major Peter Miller, Adjutant Oliver Anderson, Surgeon J. L. Philips, Quartermaster Smith Spoor. Colonel Sanders, who was Brevet Brigadier-General, had been compelled to leave the service in April, 1865, on aoconnt of disability incurred in Confederate prisons.
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CHAPTER XVn
SEVENTEENTH IOWA INFANTRY
THE comities of Decatur, Lee, Van Bnren, Polk, Wapello, Appanoose, Washington, Marion, Louisa and Dallas furnished the men who formed the Seventeenth Begiment which was organized at Keokuk in March and April, 1862, and consisted of nine hun- dred thirty-five men. The first field and staff officers were : John W. Bankin, colonel ; David B. HiUis, lieutenant-colo- nel; S. W, Wise, major; S. Guthrie, adjutant; Nathan Udell, surgeon; E. J. Aldrich, quartermaster; William L. Wilson, chaplain. On the 19tii of April the regiment was sent to St. Louis, and early in May joined Halleck's army near Corinth. After the close of that campaign it was on duty in that region until September 18th, when it marched to refinforce General Bosecrans' army at luka. Upon ar- riving at the front it was hurried into battle, of which Stuart says:
"Its position was at the cross-roads and along the open ridge. Just across a narrow ravine filled with dense brush was the enemy. Hardly had the regiment come into line, when it was met with a terrible fire of grape, canister and musketry, and General Sullivan ordered it to a less exposed position. While Colonel Rankin was giving the command for the movement, a portion of General Rosecrans' bodyguard in reconnoitering at the front encountered a terrible fire from the enemy, rode hurriedly back and finding the Seventeenth Iowa drawn up across the road, dashed through its ranks, knocking down and injuring several men. About this time Colonel Rankin's horse was shot and becoming immanageable ran and threw him, his head striking a tree which rendered him insensible. Standing imder fire for the first time, overrun and its ranks broken by stamx)eding cavalry; its commanding officer disabled, is it a matter of wonder that the Seventeenth was thrown into temporary confusion and partially discouraged? A portion of the left wing got separated from the
[Vol. 2]
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T^^t, but the greater part of the regiment was present thronc^ontthe engagement. Indeed it may be said that in all its hard fought battles the Seventeenth Iowa never did better, all things oonsidered, than it did in its luckless fight at luka.''
The censure, by General Bosecrans, in view of all of the circumstances was most unjnst. The regiment lost in killed and wounded in this battle forty men, among the killed being Lieutenant 0. P. Smith, while Captain S. M. Archer was severely wounded. Colonel BanMn resigned on the 3d of September and was succeeded by Lieutenant- Colonel Hillis. The Seventeenth joined in pursuit of the Confederate army the day after the battle, returning to Corinth, where it remained until the battle at that place on the 3d and 4th of October.
BATTLE OF CORINTH
After the Battle of luka the Confederates, under Price and Van Dom, with large reinforcements, increasing the army to 38,000 men, commanded by General Van Dom, moved against Corinth, held by General Bosecrans with an army of 20,000. On the morning of the 3d the Union army was in line of battle ; General Hamilton on the right, between the Hamburg and Purdy roads; General Davis held the center, between the Memphis and Columbns roads ; while General McKean held the extreme left fac- ing the west on the Chewalla road. General Stanley ^s Di- vision was in reserve; cavalry covered the flanks and front on the north and east. This position was some dis- tance from the town, and was ordered to be held until the force and position of the enemy was fully developed. It was then proposed by General Bosecrans to take a new position behind strong earthworks defended by artillery near Corinth. At 9 o'clock in the morning the Confed- erate army began the attack, Van Dom leading the right wing and Price the left. They were met with a heavy fire all along our line. But their superior numbers gradually pressed our army back from one line of intrenchments to
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another, in spite of the most determined resistance, and with heavy losses to both sides. Colonel Baker, of the Second Iowa, fell mortally wounded. When night came the Union army had been forced back into the strong in- trenchments of the inner line of defenses, where the heavy guns were mounted. Stanley ^s reserves were in line of battle early the next morning, while the earthworks had been everywhere strengthened. Van Dom, before daylight, opened the battle with artillery, and the sharpshooters on both sides were soon warmly engaged. At nine o^clock the enemy's batteries were withdrawn and the columns were formed for assault. They came on between the rail- roads presenting a huge, wedge-shaped form, moving di- rect upon our center. Our batteries opened upon the ad- vancing army with grape, canister and shells, tearing huge gaps in the compact mass, but on it came without falter- ing. Soon the wedge opened, spreading out right and left in great wings, sweeping onward over the whole field. Then the musketry opened upon the advancing host, be- fore which hundreds fell. Still on they came, closing up the great gaps in their lines. Musketry and artillery were rending their ranks in front and on the flanks, and the slaughter became fearful. Davis' Division gave way be- fore them and the heads of the columns began to enter the town. General Sullivan, in whose brigade was the Seven- teenth Iowa, hurried to the support of Davis, charging with bayonets and driving the enemy back in confusion. Davis 'Division rallied, joining in the charge upon the Con- federate lines. Lovell led his division against our left and a fearful combat ensued all along the line, but nothing could long stand against the steady advance of the vic- torious Union army. The Confederate charge was de- feated, and Van Dom saw that the battle was lost Soon after noon, he reluctantly gave the order to retire and abandoned the field to General Bosecrans. The Iowa troops who bore a conspicuous part in IMs battle were the Second, Fifth, Seventh, Tenth, Eleventh, Thirteenth, Fifteenth,
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Sixteenth and Seventeenth Infantry and the Second Cav- alry, The ** Union Brigade ^^ consisting of the remnants of th^ Eighth, Twelfth and Fourteenth regiments, which had escaped capture at Shiloh, was also engaged. The Second Infantry, under Colonel James Baker, went into the battle with tiiree hundred forty-six men, lost in killed, wounded and missing one hundred eight, among whom were Colonel Baker and Lieutenant-Colonel N. W. Mills, mortally wounded. Major Clark R. Wever, upon whom the command devolved, paid a glowing tribute to the unflinching bravery of the officers and men of the regiment. The Seventh, under Colonel E. W. Kice, lost one-third of its number. The Seventeenth was under the command of Major Banbury, of the Fifth, and smarting xmder the censure cast upon it at luka, went into the Battle of Corinth with a resolve to redeem its good name from undeserved reproach. It fought with superb valor all through the fierce engagement. In the crisis of the battle, when Davis' Division gave way and the army was in great peril, the Seventeenth made a heroic charge on the advancing foe, arrested the fierce onset and fol- lowed up the confused retreat. General Sullivan, in send- ing a stand of colors captured in this charge to Governor Kirkwood, wrote:
"I have never led braver men into action than the soldiers of the Seventeenth proved themselves in the desperate and bloody Battle of Corinth."
The colors were captured from the Fortieth Missis- sippi by Corporal John King, of Company G, from Mar- ion County, who was afterward mortally wounded at Champion ^s Hill. General Eosecrans issued a special or- der commending the gallant conduct of the Seventeenth at Corinth. The regiment in this battle inflicted as heavy loss on the enemy as any in the engagement, but by good management lost but twenty-five from its own ranks. After many months* service in various expeditions in
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Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas, in April, 1863, it returned to the army General Grant was concentrating for the most brilliant campaign of the war. In that wonder- ful march into the heart of the enemy ^s country, where by rapid movem^ts he prevented the junction of the two Confederate armies of Pemberton and Johnston, the Sev- enteenth Iowa was in the fighting line. On the 12th of May it participated in the Battle of Baymond, where the enemy was defeated. Two days later it was in the front brigade of General Crocker's Division, crowding the ene- my into Jackson, where it fought bravely in that bloody battle, losing twenty-five per cent, of its men. On the 16th it reached the battle-field at Champion's Hill, and took part in that desperate conflict where Pemberton made a determined stand to beat back Grant's army which was steadily forcing the Confederate hosts toward the intrenoh- ments of the doomed city of Vicksburg. On the field of Champion '& Hill the Confederates had the advantage of position with batteries planted on the commanding ridge protected by woods. They made a most stubborn resist- ance, inflicting heavy loss on the Union army. But noth- ing could withstand the fierce assault of Grant's western regiments, and the Confederate army was again forced to retreat with heavy loss. The Seventeenth Iowa captured a battery, a stand of colors and nearly two hundred prison- ers, and received the personal commendation of General Grant. The regiment remained on the battle-field several days to assist in burying the dead and caring for the wounded of both armies, and then joined the army which was now investing Vicksburg from the rear. Toward the last of May Colonel Hillis resigned, Lieutenant-Colonel Wever was promoted to the vacancy, Major Archer to lieu- tenant-colonel and Captain Walden to major.
During the siege of VicKsburg the Seventeenth Iowa was engaged in one fierce encounter with the enemy. A strong defensive work had been erected by the Confederates on the Jackson road named Fort Hill. This i>ost had been
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mined nnder direction of (General John A. Logan. On the 25th of June it was ready to be fired and the Seven- teenth was one of the two regiments chosen to assault and hold the works after the explosion. Early in the after- noon the center of the fort was blown up and some of the troops rushed into the breach and held it, but were not able to make much impression on the enemy. At eleven o'clock at night the Seventeenth Iowa entered the breach and for three hours made a desperate effort to dislodge the enemy. Our men stood on the summit of the shattered parapet and kept up a continuous fire on the enemy be- neathy not thirty feet away. One-half of the regiment loaded the guns for the other half to keep up a continuous fire. The enemy hurled shells and hand-grenades among the assailants continuouisly. Thus the combat continued for three hours, when the regiment was relieved by the Thirty-first Illinois. Its loss in this conflict was three killed and thirty-three wounded, many of whom died. Major Walden was in command of the regiment in this assault.
After the surrender of Vicksburg the Seventeenth re- mained in the city until the 9th of September, when the division of which it f ormd a part embarked for Helena, to reSnforce General Steele's army, and participated in the capture of Little Eock. Soon after the regiment was sent to General Sherman and marched with the Army of the Cumberland to Chattanooga. It took a conspicuous part in this brilliant campaign, fighting with great valor on Missionary Eidge, where it lost fifty-seven men, killed, wounded and prisoners. For several months the regiment was employed in Georgia and Alabama scouting, guard- ing foraging trains and lines of railroad. During the two years' service the Seventeenth had traveled over 4,000 miles, taken part in twelve battles, two sieges of Confed- erate strongholds and a score of skirmishes. Its nimibers had been reduced to four hundred seventy-nine men, all of whom regnlisted as veterans on the Ist of April, 1864.
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For several months the regiment was employed in Ten- nessee, Alabama and Gteorgia, guarding lines of commnni- cation« In Jnly it was sent to Tilton« In August, two companies, H and I, were attacked two miles from Dalton by a greatly superior force of the enemy, and, after a brave resistance were compelled to surrender.
On the 13th of October the Confederate General Stew- art with a large force appeared before Tilton. Lieu- tenant-Colonel Archer, of the Seventeenth Iowa, had two hundred seventy-five men with which to defend the place. The blockhouse built of heavy timbers, would hold seventy- five men. Two hundred were placed in the trenches, and as the enemy approached a heavy fire was opened by the little garrison, which was so effective that the Confeder- ates were held off for several hours. General Stewart then sent in a flag of truce, demanding unconditional sur^ render. Lieutenant-Colonel Archer refused to surrender and again opened fire on the enemy. Stewart next brought up several pieces of artillery and opened on the blockhouse at dose range. Every shot struck the building, shattering the heavy timbers, and piercing the roof in many places. Still the little garrison undismayed kept up a hot fire from the loopholes. Thus the fight went on until nearly three o^dock, when Archer ^s men had less than a dozen rounds of ammunition left. A shell crashed through the shattered wall, exploded among the brave defenders, prostrating and wounding many. Colonel Archer realizing that further resistance was hopeless, reluctantly surrendered after eight hours steady fighting. Twenty-four of the brave little garrison were wounded, but none killed. Colonel Clark B. Wever, of the Seventeenth, was at this time in command of a brigade at Besaca. On the 12th of Octo- ber General Hood approached with his army and opened an attack. Colonel Wever *s force numbered but seven hun- dred men with four pieces of light artillery. In order to deceive the enemy as to the size of his little army Colonel Wever so placed his men and artillery in the forts as to
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give the appearance of a formidable army. Hood began to attack with artillery and musketry on three sides. The gar- rison opened upon his army with a rapid fire, running the guns from one embrasure to another in quick succession, while a steady and deadly fire of musketry was belching from the forts. For hours the roar of cannon and rattle of musketry was kept up and no progress was made by Hood. At four o'clock he sent a flag of truce to the fort demand- ing immediate and unconditional surrender. Colonel Wever refused and the combat opened again with r^ newed vigor and was kept up until long after dark. In the meantime Colonel Watkins, with five hundred cavalry, had come up from below, crossed the river and gone into the fight to reSnf orce the garrison. Other reSnf oreements came during the morning and the battle went on until afternoon, when, upon the approach of General Sherman's army, Hood made a hasty retreat. All but about forty members of the Seventeenth had been made prisoners at the surrender of Tilton. The remnant of the regiment took part in the campaign in Georgia and the Carolinas. Colonel Wever joined Sherman's army at Savannah and commanded a brigade through the campaign, serving with great efficiency. The few men left of the Seventeenth re- mained with the Army of the Tennessee until the regiment was disbanded in August, 1865.
THE EIGHTEENTH IOWA INFANTRY
The companies making up the Eighteenth Infantry were recruited from the following counties : Company A from Linn,, Clinton, Jones, Dubuque and Winneshiek; B from Clarke; C from Lucas and Monroe; D from Iowa, Keokuk and Mahaska; E from Muscatine, Louisa and Linn; F from Wapello and Appanoose; G from Marion, Warren and Polk; H from Fayette, Benton and Clinton; I from Washington, Polk and others; K from Muscatine and Mahaska. The regiment numbered eight
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hundred seventy-five men and officers, and was mustered into service in August, 1862, at CUnton. The first field and staff officers were: John Edwards, colonel; Thomas F. Cook, lieutenant-colonel; Hugh J. Campbell, major; Charles E, Braunlich, adjutant; Sidney S. Smith, quarter- master; John H. Allen, surgeon; and David N. Smith, chaplain.
In August the regiment was ordered to join the Army of the Southwest at Springfield, Missouri, then under conmiand of General Schofield. A tedious campaign of hard marches, over bad roads, in bad weatiier, began in Missouri, extending into Arkansas, bringing much suf- fering to the soldiers who were learning their first lesson in the hard duties of army life in the enemy *s country. The Eighteenth regiment was sent back to Springfield with the sick and prisoners late in November, which place remained its headquarters until October of the next year. Here it was employed for nearly a year in guarding a great depot of army supplies, fortifying the place, op- erating against guerrilla bands and scouting.
THE BATTLE OF SPRINGFIELD
On the 7th of January, 1863, General E. B. Brown, who was in command of the Union army of the Springfield district, learned that the Confederate General Marma- duke with an army of several thousand men had crossed the White River and was marching toward Springfield with several pieces of artillery. Reinforcements were called in by couriers sent to the various stations within reach, and energetic efforts were promptly made to strengthen the defensive works about the city. Three pieces of light artillery were hastily mounted on wheels and placed in one of the forts. All night troops, aided by the citizens, worked on the barricades and other defenses. The convalescents in the hospitals were armed and organ- ized into a brigade. The Eighteenth Iowa was tiie only effective regiment in the city. The entire force that could
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be mustered in defense of the vast depot of army stores here collected did not exceed 1,500 men, including mil- itia, volunteer citizens, convalescents and soldiers. The forts designed for defense of the city were all unfinished. But General Brown was determined to make a desperate defense. Sharpshooters met the enemy three miles out and opened a galling fire from every i^eltered spot, re- treating slowly as the army advanced. Marmaduke had formed his line of battle with artillery in the center, strong ly supported by infantry, while heavy bodies of cavalry were spread out on each wing. As ^ey advanced from the south over the open prairie in battle array, firing from a battery of rifled guns in the center, it was an im- posing sight. The moment it came within range of our guns the artillery opened fire which, for a short time, checked the advance. Colonel King, with the Third Mis- souri Cavalry, and Colonel Hall, Fourth Missouri Cavalry, all militia, bravely charged the enemy's right and center, but were unable to check the advance. The artillery from Fort Number Four now opened on the foe and for a time held the cexiter in check and forced it back. After the battle had been raging along the entire line for more than an hour and but little progress had been made by the enemy, Marmaduke massed his forces in compact lines and advanced upon our right and center. To meet this formidable movement Captain Landis of the Eighteenth Iowa, with his piece of artillery, was ordered to the front supported by three companies of the regiment under Captains Blue, Van Meter and Stonacre. The enemy at once charged upon the gun and a desperate struggle en- sued. Surrounded by overwhelming numbers our men made a heroic fight to save the gun. Captains Blue and Van Meter fell mortally wounded among their slaugh- tered comrades, while CaptaiD Landis lost his gun after receiving a severe wound. The Confederates captured a stockaded building in the south part of the city, which they used as a fort from which a deadly fire was poured
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into our ranks. It was now the middle of the afternoon and the enemy was still pressing heavily upon our lines at several points, and it seemed that the lines would be pierced in spite of the utmost efforts of the defenders. Colonel Crabb now led a fierce assault on the enemy's left center, driving it from position. Qeneral Brown rode for- ward encouraging the militia who were making a desper- ate fight against overwhehning numbers, when he was shot down and carried from the field. The command de- volved upon Colonel Crabb and the battle continued with varying fortune. At one time a part of the Missouri militia gave way before superior numbers, and for a time it looked as though Springfield was lost But soon rallying, it charged the enemy with great spirit, while at this critical time five companies of Ihe Eighteenth Iowa, stationed at an outpost some distance from Springfield, reached the battle-field. Under the conmiand of Lieutenant-Colonel Cook they went into the fight with such effect as to drive the enemy's cen- ter into the stockade. The garrison, which had for many hours been hard pressed and fighting desperately a great- ly superior force, was now encouraged by this reftof orce- ment, and, as night came on, the Confederate army re- tired to the east and the battle was ended. The Eight- eenth regiment had something over five hundred men en- gaged in this battle and its loss was fifty-six. By the splen- did courage and heroice resistance of this Iowa regiment and the Missouri militia, Springfield and its valuable army stores were saved from the enemy, who lost more than two hundred men in the engagement. Our loss was about the same. The Eighteenth remained at Springfield several months after the battle, and in April, Colonel Edwards joined it and assumed command of the post. In the fall it marched into Arkansas and on to Fort Smith, where Colo- nel Edwards was placed in command and the Eighteenth was again assigned to garrison duty. In the spring of 1864, Colonel Edwards was in command of a brigade composed of his own regiment, the First and Second Arkansas and
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the Second Indiana Battery in the expedition under (Gen- eral Steele into Louisiana. It was a campaign of inef- ficiency, blunders, needless suffering, heavy losses of trains and useless loss of life. While retreating from Camden the rear guard of Qeneral Steele's army was fiercely attacked by the Confederates near Moscow. The brigade of Colonel Edwards for a while stood the brunt of the battle. Afterward it was reinforced by two other brigades and the conflict lasted several hours, throughout the whole of which the Eighteenth was engaged. On the 17th of April the regiment with a battery was sent to reinforce the First Kansas, which was guarding a forage train threatened by a large force of the enemy. The Eighteenth took its position in the rear of the train, the Kansas regiment being at the front On the morning of the 18th several thousand Confederates made a fierce at- tack. The Kansas regiment was overwhelmed and driven in confusion through the lines of the Eighteenth Iowa, which promptly closed up to resist the assault. Seven times the Confederates charged on the regiment with great impetuosity, often piercing its lines, but meeting the most determined resistance. Thus the struggle went on until the Iowa troops were surrounded by vastly su- perior numbers. Then, charging with fixed bayonets, a bloody path was cut through the enemy's lines and the survivors returned to Camden, leaving on the field seven- ty-seven of their comrades killed, wounded and captured. In the retreat of General Steele's army, which continued before a powerful and victorious Confederate force, the Eighteenth Iowa shared all the hardships and sufferings which attended this disastrous campaign. For more than three weeks its march continued through swamps and miry forests short of provisions, subsisting chiefly upon raw com. The gallant army bore its sufferings, defeats and disasters with fortitude. At the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry the Twenty-ninth, Thirty-third, Thirty-sixth and Fortieth Iowa regiments fought with their old-time valor,
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and the lamented Samuel A. Bice received a wound which proved fatal. The Eighteenth Iowa was in the reserve under Colonel Edwards guarding the ordnance train and was not engaged in the battle.
At the close of the campaign the regiment returned to Fort Smith, and for several months was employed in that vicinity. Colonel Edwards had been promoted to Briga- dier-General, and Lieutenant-Colonel H. J. Campbell was made colonel of the Eighteenth, with J. K. Morey as ma- jor. During the winter the regiment made a hard march on short notice beyond Fort Gibson. It was sent to pro- tect a train of six hundred wagons of army supplies, In- dian goods and sutlers' wares. The men for a part of the time subsisted on com in the ear, and after their return to Fort Smith often suffered for food. The supplies which came by steamboats were often delayed by attacks from the enemy. The Eighteenth remained in the service until late in the summer of 1865, when it was mustered out and re- turned to Iowa. While it had been engaged in none of the great battles of the war and thus deprived of winning the fame and glory shared by many other Iowa regiments whose brilliant achievements are associated with historic fields, it can be truthfully recorded that the Eighteenth Iowa never failed to render faithful service in every sta- tion in which it was placed.
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CHAPTER XVin
THE NINBTBBNTH IOWA INFANTRY
THE opening days of Jnly, 1862, brought a feeling of despair to thousands of patri- otic people in the North. The great Union Army of the Potomac organized, equipped and drilled under the personal supervision of General George B. McClellan, from which so much had been expected, after seven days of fierce battles near Richmond had been defeated, and by direction of its commander had retreated to the protec- tion of the gunboats. President Lincoln, however, undis- mayed by the great disaster, promptly issued a call on the 2d of July for 300,000 more volunteers to reSnforce the ranks of the Union armies. Under this proclamation Iowa raised twenty-two additional regiments. The first of these was the Nineteenth, which was composed of com- panies raised in the counties of Lee, Van Buren, Jefferson, Henry, Louisa and Washington. The regiment numbered nine hundred eighty-two olBScers and privates, the first field ojQScers being Colonel Benjamin Crabb, Lieutenant- Colonel Samuel McFarland, Major Daniel Kent The Nineteenth went into camp at Keokuk in August, where it remained about two weeks. Arriving at St. Louis on the 4th of September it was soon after attached to a brigade commanded by General F. J. Herron, which was sent to Springfield. About the middle of October the Army of the Frontier was organized, and the Nineteenth was attached to the Third Division under the same General. On the 17th began a campaign of hard marching, passing the battle-fields of Pea Eidge and White Biver, a distance of one hundred miles, over a rough mountain region, in
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three days and nights. Betuming to Camp Cnrtis, twelve miles sonth of Springfield, the regiment enjoyed a rest of two weeks, when it was ordered to join the army of Gen* eral Blnnt jnst before
THB BATTLE OF PRAIBIB OBOVB
General J. G. Blnnt, in command of the Army of the Frontier, had recently defeated a Confederate army un- der Marmaduke at Cane Hill in Arkansas and was camped near the battle-field. In the meantime Marmaduke had ef* fected a junction with a large army under General Hind- man and the combined forces turned back, making a rapid march to overwhelm the Union army. Blunt called upon Herron to come to his aid. Herron started on the morn- ing of December 3 with his two divisions, and moving by forced marches reached Elkhom on the evening of the 5th. From there he sent a large part of his cavalry, in- cluding the First Iowa, to General Blunt *s assistance, while the infantry made a night march over the mountains to within fifteen miles of the battle-field. In the meantime General Hindman, with his large army, had taken a posi- tion between the two Xlnion armies to prevent their junc- tion. The battle began on the 5th, when General Blunt 's pickets were attacked by a large force of the enemy's cav- alry, which was repulsed. The next morning, largely refinf orced, the enemy renewed the attack and drove the pickets several miles. General Herron was hastening for- ward to reach Cane Hill and had sent two more regiments of cavalry to join Blunt. These regiments, the Seventh Missouri and Fifth Arkansas, soon encountered a greatly superior force under Marmaduke and were driven back in confusion. Upon a further advance General Herron found the main body of the Confederate army drawn up on a high ridge, covered with timber and underbrush, be- yond Illinois River. The approach must be made over an open prairie of meadows and com fields. General Her- ron formed his line of battle with the Second Division on
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the right and the Third on the left. The Ninety-fourth Illinois infantry and a section of a Missouri battery crossed the river and opened fire on the enemy, but were soon compelled to retire before a heavy fire of artillery concentrated upon them by the Confederates. Opening a road through the woods half a mile away to divert at- tention of the enemy and draw their fire, General Her- ron, now under cover of the fire of eighteen pieces of artil- lery, threw his infantry across the ford and deployed into line on the south side of the river. The artillery opened on both sides with increased energy and for an hour the steady roar of cannon continued. Many of the enemy's batteries were disabled and General Herron firmly hold- ing his ground determined to assault the Confederate lines on the protected ridge, trusting that General Blunt, hearing the roar of artillery, would hasten to his aid. He realized the danger that confronted his little army facing a foe whose numbers exceeded his own more than three to one. With a river in his rear, on an open plain, he kept the enemy in check by the skillful handling of his artillery which poured a constant storm of missiles into the Con- federate lines. At length a strong force was seen moving from the ridge to charge on our left. Colonel Orm's Bri- gade was sent to meet the assault, while the First Brigade, under Colonel Bertram, charged directly upon the enemy's right center. The batteries supported by the Nineteenth and Twentieth Wisconsin advanced over the open ground, hurling shell and canister into the woods in front Their ranks were thinned by a battery on the hill and a con- tinuous fire of musketry as they moved steadily on to the assault. When within a hundred yards of the hill the artil- lery halted, and with fixed bayonets the two regiments charged up the hill, drove the supports from the battery, captured tiie guns and moved on. Colonel McFarland, who was leading the Nineteenth Iowa in this desperate charge, was pierced through the heart while cheering his men to deeds of valor, his manly form being a conspicuous
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mark for the storm of btdlets poured into the ranks. Over- whehned by superior numbers the gallant brigade was fi- nally driven back with heavy loss. The en^ay followed, charging m nuisse on our artillery which met l^em with a terrific fire, but on they came with reckless daring to with- in one hundred yards of the guns when they received a fire so terrible that they were hurled back, shattered, broken and dismayed. The batteries that did such heroic service and saved the day were those of Backof , Foust and Boe- ries. Another gallant charge was nowmade by the Twenty- sixth Indiana and the Thirty-seventh Blinois, led by Colo- nel Houston, which captured a battery, but was finally driven back with heavy loss. While the little Union army was still holding its ground by magnificent charges against vastly superior numbers, and was anxiously listening and watching for the coming of G^aeral Blunt, at three o'clock came the joyful sound in the distance of tiie roar of can- non on the extreme ri^t as his advance batteries hastily unlimbered and opened on the enemy.
Early on the morning of the 7th General Blunt dis- covered that a large portion of the Confederate army had disappeared from the field, and surmising that it had gone to intercept Herron's approach, he instantly put his army in motion for the battle-field. Hurrying forward by forced march in a few hours he heard the distant roar of cannon which told the story of Herron's peril. On double-quick his army made the last five miles in an hour, and with loud cheers appeared on the enemy's left. His artillery soon opened on the right to the great relief of Herron's sorely pressed regiments. The battle was now waged with great fury all along the line. Colonel Dye of Iowa, commanding a brigade of the Second Division, in which was the Twen- tieth Iowa, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Leake, made a vig- orous charge on tiie enemy's lines.* Charges and counter- charges were continued, while the destructive fire of artil-
* The lo8f of the regiment in this cliarge was forty-seren men. Major Thompson was among the wounded.
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lery thinned the ranks on either side until darkness put an end to the desperate conflict Now despairing of vic- tory General Hindman, nnder cover of ni^t, began |iis stealthy retreat. Muffling the sound of his artillery and wagons by wrapping the tires with blankets, he silently moved his defeated army in the direction of Van Buren, and when morning dawned the main portion of his army was many miles from the battle-field in rapid retreat. The Confederates' loss in this bloody battle was reported by General Blunt to be over 2,000, while that of the Union army in killed and wounded and missing was 1,143, more than nine hundred being in General Herron's command. When the greatly superior strength of the Confederate army is considered, this victory must be regarded as one of the most remarkable of the war.*
The Nineteenth Iowa remained in the vicinity of the battle-field until the close of the year. For several months the regiment was employed in southwestern Missouri, marching to various places threatened by the enemy, guard- ing trains and property. In May it was for a time at Salem, attached to the command of General Thomas Sw- ing. Early in June it was sent to reSnf orce General Grant's army before Vicksburg. Here it remained, par- ticipating in the various duties devolving upon the army of investment, until the surrender of that stronghold. On the 4th of July the regiment was a part of the conquering army that marched triumphantly into the captured city of Vicksburg. A week later it was sent with General Herron on an expedition to Yazoo City, participating in the hard marches of that midsummer campaign, returning to Vicks- burg on the 21st of July. The regiment was next sent with the army that moved by transports down the river to Port Hudson, where it suffered greatly from sickness, of which many died. In August the command continued down the river to Carrollton, near New Orleans, and
* The Nineteenth Regiment lost forty-flye killed and one hundred and flfty-flye wounded In this battle. Among the killed were Lieutenants L. M. Smith and Thomas Johnston.
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camped in a beautiful grove on dry and hcialthy ground, where for three weeks the men regained spirits and vigor. Early in September General Herron wa^ sent with his command np the river to disperse parties of the enemy who were attempting to blockade the Mississippi near the month of Bed Biver. The army first landed at Morganza and made a fortified camp, sending otit scouting parties in various directions. Constant skinhishes were taking place between small forces of the two armies.
On the 12th of September Lieutenlmt-Colonel Leake of the Twentieth, was sent seven mile^ to Stirling Farm in command of a large part of the Nineteenth Iowa, the Twenty-sixth Indiana and two pieces of artillery. His command had frequent skirmishes with the enemy. On the 29th a large force suddenly came upon his command, making a fierce attack in front, flank and rear. This at- tack was met with a sharp fire. But soon rallying in vast- ly superior numbers the enemy surrounded the small Union force and opened a deadly fire at close quarters. Seeing no hope of escape, to avoid the useless sacrifice of the lives of his brave soldiers. Colonel Leake at last sur- rendered. Ten members of the Nineteenth were killed and twenty-four wounded in the fight.* The prisoners were taken to Texas, and it was nearly a year before they were exchanged. The remainder of the regiment was now in command of Captain William Allen. About two-thirds of the members had fortunately been absent owing to sickness, and the captured numbered but two hundred thirty-one, two of whom were mortally wounded. The enemy lost fifty killed and many wounded. The next ser- vice of the Nineteenth was under Gteneral Banks in an ex- pedition into Texas. At Brownsville it formed a part of the garrison under command of Colonel Dye, where it re- mained until July, 1864. Betuming to New Orleans on the 7th of August one hundred eighty of those captured at
• Among the killed were Lieutenaiitfi Silas Kent and J. W. Roberta, while Captain Andrew Taylor and Lieutenants L. M. Woods and Thomas A. Robb were wounded.
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Stirling Farm, who had been exchanged, joined the regi- ment. It was a joyful meeting of comrades long sepa- rated. Many had died during the imprisonment, and Captain WilUam Adams died from its effects soon after reaching New Orleans.
On the 14th of August the regiment embarked for Pen- sacola, florida, where it remained scouting in the adja- cent country until the 6th of December, when it was sent to Fort Gaines in Alabama, and from there into Missis- sippi, where it had frequent skirmishes with the enemy. In January, 1865, the Nineteenth was back at Fort Gaines, and took a conspicuous part in the brilliant campaign of marches, siege and engagements which resulted in the capture of Mobile. The regiment was in the assault on the Spanish Fort where the Eighth Iowa covered itself with glory. In this battle the Nineteenth lost four killed and seventeen wounded. The fall of Mobile was substantially the last battle of the war and in July the Nineteenth Iowa was there mustered out of service. Returning to Daven- port it was disbanded the last of the month, being then xmder command of Colonel John Bruce.
THE TWBNTTETH IOWA INFANTRY
This was one of the first regiments raised in Iowa under the call for 300,000 volunteers issued in July, 1862, and was formed of ten companies raised in Scott and Linn, each of these counties furnishing five companies. They were rendezvoused at Clinton, where the organization of the regiment numbering nine hundred two men, was com- pleted on the 20th of August. Captain William McE. Dye, who had served in the regular army, was commissioned colonel; J. B.Leake, lieutenant-colonel; William G. Thomp- son, major; C. S. Lake, adjutant. Leake and Thompson had been prominent members of the Legislature. A week after organization the regiment went to Camp Herron at Davenport, where it remained a few days before embark-
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ing for the seat of war. On the 8th of September arriv- ing at St. Lonis it remained in Benton Barracks about a weeky when it was sent to Springfield under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Leake, Colonel Dye being in command of a brigade consisting of the Twentieth Iowa, Thirty-sev- enth Illinois, First Iowa Cavalry and a section of the First Missouri Light Artillery. This brigade was assigned to the division under command of General Totten and for two months was kept moving through the rough country of southwest Missouri and western Arkansas.
During the months of October and November the Twen- tieth marched more thanfive hundredmiles overbad roads, encountering cold rains, mud and swollen streams, which had to be forded. The baggage trains and artillery were often mired in the water-soaked roads, while the soldiers in drenching rains, shivering in their wet clothing, waited for them for hours unsheltered. The sufferings were so great that hundredB were prostrated by sickness until the hospitals were overflowing and deaths were frequent. At no time during the entire term of service did the Twen- tieth regiment endure more wretched discomfort than dur- ing these first two months of hard marching unrelieved by any of the exhilaration of a conflict with the enemy. To the common soldiers it seemed like a useless, fruitless and even a cruel campaign as they could see no results. But General Curtis, who commanded the department and was more competent to judge of its effects, held a different opinion. Hard marches sometimes accomplished more far-reaching results in a comprehensive campaign than a brilliant battle. Toward the last of November the Second Division, in which was the Twentieth regiment, was back in Camp Lyon near Springfield, where it remained about two weeks. On the evening of December 3d a courier ar- rived from General Blunt calling for reinforcements as he was about to be attacked by a largely superior army. Early the next morning the Second Division was on the road and made the march of one hundred ten miles in
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three days, reaching the field just in time to take a glor- ious part in the Battle of Prairie Grove. An account of the gallant service of the TwentiethBegiment has already been given in the description of this battle found in the Mstory of the Nineteenth Begiment. The loss in that conflict was eight killed and thirty-nine wounded out of two hundred seventy who were in the engagement. After the battle the regiment went into camp on the field, remaining untU near the last of December resting from its arduous ser- vices of the past three months.
The defeat of the Confederate army at Prairie Grove was most beneficial to the Union cause in Missouri, sav- ing that State from piUage, waste and the horrors which an invading army inflict upon the loyal people along its line of march. The army of Confederates, numbering more than 20,000 at the time of the battle, was now defeat- ed, demoralized and dispersed over the southwest in small bands. It was two years before another large army of Confederates could be mustered in that region north of the Arkansas line.
The TwentiethRegiment participated in General Blunt *s capture of Van Buren, where (Jeneral Hindman's army was further dispersed and several steamers and a large amount of army supplies destroyed. Upon the return of the Union army to Prairie Grove, General Schofield as- sumed command and soon after began a series of hard marches and counter-marches in pursuit of General Mar- maduke's army among the passes of the Boston Moun- tains. Bain, snow and mud brought great discomfort to the troops in this exhausting campaign. Late in April the Twentieth Begiment was sent to St. Louis and there divided, performing various duties in and about the city until the middle of May, when it was sent to Pilot Knob. Li June the Twentieth rejoined the command of General Herron. Captain Barney, in speaking of the services of the regiment in Missouri, says :
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" We had inarched on foot since leaving RoUa on the 10th of September one thousand one hundred and twenty-seven miles, most oi the marches being made during the winter season, exposed to rains and at times over roads almost impassable on account of the mud. Much of the time we had been on half rations and with inadequate supplies of clothing. The hardships endured on these marges had thinned our ranks more than would as many hard fought battles. And now, even aft^ the lapse of time, and more stirring scenes of si^;es and battles in whidi we took part» our memories still retain vivid recollections of the lonely wayside graves where we deposited the bodies of our comrades along the route of those unparalleled marches. They fell not in battle, but by disease contracted while in the performance of duties beyond their strength, and under cir- cumstances of peculiar hardship. We shall never cease to honor their memories for the heroism which enabled many of them at times while even suffering under disease to still continue in the discharge of their duUes."
The command was soon ordered to join Grant's army, then pushing the siege of Vicksbnrg from the rear, reach- ing its position on the left on the 14th of June. Here it remained taking an active part in the various duties re- quired until the surrender of the Confederate army and the strongly fortified city. On the morning of the 4th of July our regiment marching at the head of the division entered the Confederates' works and was the first on the left to plant the Stars and Stripes on the battlements of Vicksburg. Soon after the surrender General Herron's Division was sent to regnf orce the army of the Gulf, then under the command of General N. P. Banks. The change from the command of the great General who never lost a battle to that of one who brought only disasters to armies he led, was most unwelcome to the Twentieth, taking it from the stirring scene of brilliant victories to a region of monotonous marches and weary garrison duty. At Port Hudson the regiment suffered greatly from sickness and many brave soldiers died during the three weeks' stay. Early in September the Twentieth was sent with the expedition to Morganza, during which Lieutenant-Colonel Leake was sent out with a small command, including part of the Nineteenth Iowa, to hold an untenable position. At-
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MAJOR WM. O. THOMPSON, Member of Congress, 1881-83
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tacked on all sides by overwhelming numbers his small force made a heroic attempt to cut its way out, but the odds were too great and after fifty men had fallen in the struggle Colonel Leake was compelled to surrender. Col- onel Dye being in command of a brigade, that of the regi- ment now devolved upon Major Thompson. Early in November the regiment was stationed on the island of Brazos Santiago in Texas, and remained among the is- lands of this vicinity and on the mainland for a long time, afterward doing garrison duty on Mustang Island seven months, making trips along the bay and coast of the main- land in the spirit of adventure. A detachment of the regi- ment xmder Captain Barney captured the ^^ Lizzie Ba- con," a blockade running vessel, and took her to Mustang Island in May. Major Thompson resigned on the 18th of May, leaving Captain M. L. Thompson, of Company C, in command of the regiment. On the 24th of June, 1864, the regiment was relieved from its long exile and steamed to Brazos Santiago, and from there marched to Browns- ville, where it remained until the 29th of July. In August it was sent to Fort Gaines, Alabama, and later participated in the siege and bombardment of Fort Morgan without loss. Early in September it was carried by transport to New Orleans and up the river to Morganza, the old camp near which its commander was captured by the enemy nearly a year before. Here Lieutenant-Colonel Leake again joined his regiment, having been exchanged after a long imprisonment in Texas. The regiment was em- ployed at various points along the river and in Arkansas until the 8th of January, 1865, when it was moved to Pen- sacola, Florida. It was actively engaged in the Mobile campaign, doing excellent service in the brilliant achieve- ments of the Union army. The Twentieth took part in the investment and assault of Blakely and was in the column that stormed and captured the works in the face of a ter- rific fire of artillery and musketry on the 9th of April. On the 14th the regiment was moved into Mobile, where
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it remained until the 8th of July, 1865, when it was mus- tered out. It was disbanded at Clinton, Iowa, on the 27th in the presence of a large gathering of citizens, friends and relatives who welcomed the return of the gal- lant and war-worn soldiers who had survived the ravages of three years of hard service.
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COLONEL SAMUEL MERRILL Governor of Iowa, 1868-72
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CHAPTER XrX
THE TWBNTY-FIKST IOWA INPANTBT
THIS regiment was made up largely of com- panies raised in the Third Congressional District Company A, however, had been recruited in Mitchell, Worth and Black Hawk counties for the Eighteenth, but, as that regiment was full, it was placed in the Twenty-first. Companies B, D and G were raised in Clayton County; C, E, I and F in Dubuque; H and K in Delaware; mating nine hundred seventy-six men. The field officers first commissioned were: Colonel Samuel Merrill, Lieutenant-Colonel C. W. Dunlap, Major S. G. Van Anda, Alijutant Horace Poole. The Twenty-first went into camp near Dubuque late in August, 1862, where it remained until the 16th of September, then embarking on a steamer for St. Louis. Prom there proceeding to Bella it was armed and equipped and for a month drilled for service. On the 18th of October, after a march to Salem, it was placed in a brigade with the Ninety-ninth Illinois, Thirty- third Missouri, artillery and cavalry under command of General Fitz-Henry Warren, of Iowa. Early in Novem- ber the command marched to Hartsville. On the night of of the 24th the brigade train was moving from BoUa to Hartsville, when it was attacked by a large force of mounted men, captured and burned. The small guard in charge was nearly all killed or captured after a short resistance. Three o( the slain and fifteen of the prisoners were members of the Twenty-first Regiment, which at once marched to the scene of the disaster. The enemy had dis- appeared, leaving only the charred wreck of the train.
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Early in December the command marched to Houston* thirty miles northeast of Hartsville, where it remained a month.
THE BATTLE OF HARTSVILLE
On the 7th of January, 1863, General Brown, who was in command of the Union forces at Springfield, learned that General Marmaduke, with an army of 4,000 men was on the march to make an attack upon that place. He at once called on General Warren, who was eighty miles dis- tant from Springfield, for reenforcements. Colonel Mer- rill was sent with about 1,000 men from the Twenty-first Iowa, Ninety-ninth Illinois, Third Iowa Cavalry, and the Third Missouri cavalry, with two pieces of artillery. The command started on the 9th, marched twenty-two miles and camped for the night on Beaver Creek. Long before daylight the next morning the march toward HartsviUe was resumed, when the news came that a large force of the enemy had occupied that place the night be- fore. A reconnoissance was made while the command halted to learn the result. No enemy being found Colonel Merrill pushed on, going into camp on the night of the 10th within eight miles of Hartsville and but one mile from a Confederate encampment. Early the next morn- ing, it was discovered that a large force of the enemy was approaching from the direction of Springfield. This proved to be the advance of General Marmaduke 's army, which had been defeated by General Brown in an attack upon Springfield a few days before. Colonel Merrill formed his men in line of battle and kept up a warm fire on the advancing Confederates for an hour, holding them in check, while the main body occupied the town. About eleven o'clock Merrill advanced upon Hartsville, and placing his artillery on a commanding ridge made his dispositions for the battle. The Twenty-first Iowa, under Lieutenant-Colonel Dunlap, held the left, the Illinois in- fantry was on the right, with the cavalry on the extreme left, all sheltered by a dense growth of brush. General
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Marmaduke had formed his line of battle on the open field and in the town facing the Union lines, while a large force held the Springfield and Honston roads and banks of the Gasconade on the south of the town. Five pieces of artillery were in battery on a high bluff east of the town.
The battle was opened with artillery, and soon after a charge was made on our lines by Jeffery*s cavalry, seven hundred strong. Our infantry lying flat on the ground, sheltered by the brush, with guns cocked, coolly awaited the onset. With fierce yells the troopers came on at a gallop until close to our line, when a deadly fire smote them, horses and riders going down in death and confusion. The artillery opened on the disor- dered mass, which turned and fled from the field. All day charge after charge was made by the infantry on our lines, all of which were repulsed. Toward night the Confederates begun to retire on the Houston road, while Colonel Merrill, with the main body of his troops, retreated toward Lebanon. But the Twenty-first Iowa, not having received orders to retire, remained on the field long after dark, alone repulsing three charges of the enemy after their comrades had gone. After the last of the Confederates had retired from the field the Twen- ty-first moved off deliberately toward Lebanon, where the next day it joined the main body of the command. Of the two hundred twenty members of the regiment engaged in this battle, twenty-one were killed, wounded or missing. General Warren issued an address to his troops commend- ing them in high terms for the gallant fight made against greatly superior numbers. It was a stubborn fight of 1,000 ,Union soldiers, with two cannon, for six hours, against more than 3,000 Confederates supported by five pieces of artillery. The enemy lost General McDonald and two colonels among the three hundred killed and wounded, while the Union loss was seven killed and seventy-one wounded and captured.
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During the winter the Twenty-first, thinly clad and with insufficient food, endured hard marches over roads almost impassable. The men suffered greatly from dis- ease contracted from exposure and hardships until death carried off scores of them. In March the regiment was sent to Milliken's Bend, in Louisiana, and was assigned to the Second Brigade, Fourteenth Division of the Thir- teenth Army Corps, under command of General McCler- nand. After a toilsome march through a swampy coun- try, the army was embarked on transports which ran the frowning batteries of Vicksburg and Grand Gulf, landing fifteen miles below, to unite with General Grant's bril- liant movement which resulted in the fall of Vicksburg. On the 30th of April the Twenty-first was one of the regi- ments that made up the advance guard which followed the retreating enemy and opened
THE BATTLE OF PORT GIBSON
Detachments of the Twenty-first under Lieutenant- Colonel Dunlap led the advance, supporting the First Iowa Battery, Captain Harry Griffith, in a night march on Port Gibson. An old negro slave acted as guide. The road led through a dense forest, over ridges and through deep ravines lined with a heavy growth of underbrush. As the skirmishers approached the forks of the roads, four miles from Port Gibson, they came upon Magnolia Church, where a detachment of the enemy was posted, who opened fire upon them. Colonel Stone, in command of the brigade, ordered up support and the Iowa Battery opened on the enemy, aided by IQaus' Indiana Battery. The Confederate batteries replied and for two hours the rapid discharge lighted up the darkness of the night, the screeching shells were hurled through the air, bursting with fearful explosions as the artillery duel went on. Early in the morning of May 1st, the artillery firing was renewed while the troops came up and deployed into line. Soon after sunrise, General Osterhaus made a vigorous
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attack on the enemy's right, which occupied a strong po- sition, finally dislodging him after an hoar's stnbbom fight The battle was now in progress all along the lines, and continued with great fury throughout the day. Toward night the Union army had won every position at- tacked, and had captured five hundred and eighty prison- ers and several pieces of artillery. No report was made of the number killed and wounded. During the night the enemy retreated, burning the bridges, and abandoning Port Gibson and Grand Gulf. The Iowa regiments, aside from the Twenty-first, which participated in this battle^ were the Twenty-second and Twenty-third, both in the brigade under command of Colonel W. M. Stone. The Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth were in General Hov- ey's Division and supported artillery during the battle, losing a few men. The Twenty-second was under com- mand of Major J. B. Atherton and the Twenty-ttiird under Lieutenant-Colonel Glasgow, both doing excellent service. Lieutenant-Colonel Dunlap and sixteen men of theTwenty- first were wounded. The total Union loss was one hundred and thirty killed and seven hundred and eighteen wounded.
Soon after ttiis battle, the army advanced toward Jack- son and then on toward Vicksburg, in pursuit of the Con- federates. At the severe Battle of Champion's Hill, fought on the 16th, the Twenty-first was posted with the reserve, and was not actively engaged. The next day General Grant pushed on rapidly in pursuit of Pemberton's re- treating army and fought another battle at Black BiVer Bridge. General Pemberton had here taken a strong po- sition protected in front by a broad, deep bayou, behind which was a line of rifle pits. The Twenty-first and Twen- ty-third Iowa regiments were in a gallant charge made on the enemy's works, which were carried with heavy loss. Among the slain was Colonel Kinsman of the Twenty- third, while Colonel Merrill, of the Twenty-first, was se- verely wounded. His regiment lost in that diarge, thirteen
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killed and seventy wounded. On the 19th, the regiment was in the lines hivesting Vicksburg, and took an active part in the operations of that famous siege. In the assault of May 22d, Lieutenant-Colonel Dunlap was still suffer- ing from a wound received at Port Gibson and unable to lead his regiment in that charge, but rode on to the field to watch the progress of the battle and was killed by a shot from the enemy. Colonel Merrill was still prostrated from his wound and Major Van Anda led the regiment in the assault and was wounded. Its loss was one hundred and thirteen in killed and wounded. The command now devolved upon Captain William D. Crooke of Company B, the regiment doing duty in the trenches until the surrender on the 4th of July. It was then sent to refinf orce the army operating against General Johnson, participating in the siege of Jackson, until that city was evacuated, when it re- turned to Vicksburg. While tiiere, the regiment suffered greatly from sickness, losing many of its members by death from diseases which prevailed in the camps and city. On the 13th of August the regiment steamed down the river to CarroUton, where a delightful and healthful camping place was found just above New Orleans. Early in Sep- tember, it was sent on an expedition into western Louisi- ana to Vermillion Bayou, remaining in a beautiful and healthy prairie country for a month, guarding bridges and gaining health and strength. Early in November, it started eastward by easy marches, stopping at New Iberia, Berwick City and Brashear, reaching Algiers on the 21st of November. Captain Crooke had now been pro- moted to major. The regiment soon went to Texas, where it remained on various duties until June, 1864. While at Indianola, a detachment of fourteen men, while out on a scout, was surprised by a force of cavalry, captured and sent to a Confederate prison at Tyler. Early in June, the regiment was transported to New Or- leans and from there to various points in Louisiana. Late in July, it was sent to Morganza, remaining in that un-
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healthy region until September, guarding the property of cotton speculators. The winter was spent at St. Charles, White Biver and Memphis. Late in December, a long march with General Grierson's cavalry was made through the interior of Tennessee. In January, 1865, at Dauphin Island, Alabama, the regiment was assigned to the Thirteenth Army Corps, in a brigade commanded by General J. E. Slack. On the 17th of March, from Fort Morgan, it joined in the march to Mobile, participating in the stirring events of that campaign, the siege and capture of Spanish Fort and Blakely. The Twenty-first remained on duty in the vicinity of Mobile until near the close of the war, when it was moved to Baton Rouge, where, on the 15th of July, 1865, it was mustered out of the service.
THE TWENTY-SECOND IOWA INFANTRY
Seven companies of this regiment were raised in John* son County and one in each of the counties of Monroe, Jasper and Wapello. They went into camp near Iowa City in August, 1862, and were mustered into the United States service on the 9th of September. William M. Stone, who had been major of the Third Infantry, was appointed colonel; John A. Garrett, lieutenant-colonel; Harvey Graham, major; and J. B. Atherton, adjutant.
Soon after organization the regiment was sent by steamer to St. Louis, and from there to BoUa, where it remained about four months. In January, 1863, it was made a part of the First Brigade of the First Division of the Army of Southeast Missouri. Colonel Stone was placed in command of the First Brigade, which consisted of the Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Twenty-third Iowa and the Eleventh Missouri regiments. The Twenty- second was employed in service in southeast Missouri un- til toward the last of March, when sent to join Grant ^s army then starting on the Vicksburg campaign. The First Brigade was assigned to the Fourteenth Division
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of the Thirteenth Army Corps under General John A. Mc- Clemand. The corps was moved down the river below Vicksbnrg and soon after joined the army in its march toward the rear of Vicksbnrg. Under command of Major Atherton the Twenty-second participated in the Battle of Port Gibson, where it lost twenty men. This was the regiment's first battle, and it won the commendation of General Carr, commanding the division. At the Battle of Champion's Hill the Twenty-second was among the regi- ments held in reserve and was not engaged in the con- flict, but joined in the pursuit and captured many prison- ers. The next day it was slightly engaged at the Battle of Black Eiver Bridge, where two of its number were wounded, and from there it marched with the army to the rear of Vicksburg, where General Pemberton's army was driven into the defensive works of the city. In the after- noon of the 19th of May an attack was made on the ene- my's works, which proved too strong to be carried by as- sault. General Grant's army had now been marching and fighting for twenty-five days, victorious in every battle. General Johnston was gathering a large army in his rear for the avowed purpose of raising the siege and relieving Pemberton. Under these circumstances General Grant determined to risk a general assault in the hope of being able to carry the works and take possession of the city. He could not then know how nature and art had com- bined to make it the stronghold of the Southern Confed- eracy. The high bluffs commanding the river front made it impregnable from that side, defended as they were by massive fortifications mounting heavy artillery. In the rear, where it was now assailed, the best engineering skill of the Confederacy had been employed to strengthen the natural defense. The steep ridges were parapets and the deep ravines were natural ditches, covered with a tangled growth of vines, cane, brush and trees, through or over which no army could advance in lines. There were de- tached fortification connected by rifle pits on all com-
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manding points. The whole was manned and defended by an army of veteran soldiers equal to the best in the service on either side. It was against such combined strength that the western Union soldiers were to be led. The assault was ordered to begin all along the line at ten o'clock on the morning of May 22d. In order that all should move promptly at the appointed time, the watch of each corps commander was set by that of General Grant. Early in the morning every piece of artillery in position, with the great guns of the fleet on the river opened lire on the enemy's works. For three hours the earth rumbled beneath the thunder of cannon. The air was filled with the missiles of destruction and the explosion of shells and caissons. Many of the enemy's guns were silenced and breaches were made in some of the works. Sharpshooters kept up a continuous fire at the enemy's gunners, compelling the garrison to keep behind the de- fenses. Suddenly every gun became silent and the bugles sounded the charge as the hour of ten arrived. Out of the smoke emerged the head of every assaulting column, with fixed bayonets they moved forward without firing a gun. Pressing on over the obstructions, disordered by the difficult advance, they came within range of the en- emy's musketry. Suddenly the Confederates arose in the trenches and poured volley after volley at short range into our ranks. Hundreds went down beneath the deadly fire, dead and dying, but their comrades pressed on to share the same fate in a mad effort to carry the works. It could not be done. No troops could stand before the deadly fire. Thrown into disorder they sought the nearest shel- ter, holding their position by musketry fire. McClemand's corps won a slight temporary success. Charging on Fort Beauregard the Twenty-second Iowa led the colunm, fol- lowed by the Twenty-first Iowa and the Eleventh Wis- consin, with General Lawler in command of the brigade. When the command to charge was given the Twenty-sec- ond was sheltered behind a ridge. Advancing rapidly to
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the assault, it was met by a deadly fire, which killed and wounded many. Colonel Stone was disabled and lieu- tenant-Colonel Graham took conmiand. Rallying about sixty around him, they pressed forward, reached the fort and planted the colors on the rampart Sergeant Joseph E. Griffith and several others scaled the walls, entered the fort and captured some prisoners. But assailed by a deadly fire all were killed or captured except Sergeant Griffith and David Trine, who managed to escape. lieu- tenant-Colonel Graham and several of his men were cap- tured in the ditch at the fort The entire assault was most gallantly made on all parts of the bloody field and the defeat did not shake the confidence of the army or its commander in final success. In this assault Iowa fur- nished sixteen regiments of infantry and two batteries.
The regiments engaged were the Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth, Sixteenth, Twenty-first, Twenty- second, Twenty-fourth, Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth, Twen- ty-eighth, Thirtieth, Thirty-first and Thirty-fifth. The First and Second Batteries were also in the engagement doing excellent service. In his report of the Vicksburg campaign General Grant said:
''No troops anoceeded in entering any of the enemy's works with the exoq>tion of Sergeant Griffith of the Twenty-second Iowa Volunteers and some eleven privates of the same regiment; of these none returned ex- cept the sergeant and one man."
Those who participated with Griffith in this most heroic achievement of that day's terrible battle were Alvin and Hezekiah Drummond^ Ezra Xi. Anderson, Bichard Arthur and William Griffin, who were killed in the fort, and John Robb, M. L. Clemmons, W. H. Needham, Hugh Sinclair, N. C. Messenger, Allen Cloud and David Jordan, who were taken prisoners. Griffith and David Trine alone escaped to our lines. The regiment lost one hundred sixty-four killed, wounded and captured in the assault. Find- ing Ihe defenses of the city too strong to be taken
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by assault fhe army now settled down to the si^^. Week by week General Grant pushed his lines of in- trenohments nearer to the doomed city. The men toiled patiently early and late through the hot days and sultry nights, thoroughly imbued with the indomitable de- termination of the commanding general. Threatened in the rear by General Johnston's army, Sherman was sent to hold him in check while the siege was crowded with the greatest energy. More Iowa regiments and bat- teries were sent to strengthen the army until thirty were with Grant and Sherman before the end of the campaign. Finally, on the 3d of July, the endurance of the Confed- erate army reached its limit All hope of assistance or escape was abandoned and General Pemberton showed a white flag and proposed to negotiate for terms of sur- render. On the next day his entire army of 27,000 men, together with artillery, arms and munitions of war, for an army of 60,000, steamboats, locomotives, vast amount of cotton and other property and the strongest fortified city on the continent, were surrendered to General Grant. This was by far the most brilliant campaign of the war. From the time Grant's army landed below Vicksburg he had won five batties, killed and wounded 10,000 of the enemy, taken 37,000 prisoners and opened the Mississippi Biver. It was the most crushing and ruinous blow ever dealt to the Confederacy until the surrender of Gteneral Lee at Appomattox. The great Battie of Gettysburg, which had just been fought to save Washington and Phil- adelphia, so completely absorbed the attention of the East, that the magnitude of the far greater victory at Vicks- burg was not immediately realized by the country. Lee had been defeated at the end of a three days' battle and turned back from the invasion of the North. The losses on each side were about equal. Lee made an orderly re- treat; and Meade, slowly following, was unable to infiict any serious damage upon the retiring army. At Vicks- burg the enemy lost everything, the entire army, city,
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arms, equipment and the blockade of the river. Gettys- burg on our part was a strictly defensive battle, which left Lee's army able to continue the war nearly two years. Vicksburg annihilated all power of that army for further warfare. No State in the Union made greater contribu- tions of gallant soldiers to win this unparalleled victory than Iowa. No soldiers in that victorious army won more undying fame than the fourteen who carried muskets in an Iowa regiment and alone were able to scale the enemy's works on the day of the desperate assault.
After the surrender, the Twenty-second Iowa joined the army operating against Jackson, and participated in the arduous labors of that campaign. In August the regiment was sent to Carrollton, where it remained in camp until September, when it joined the army sent west on the Bayou Teche expedition, which operated in western Louisiana until the middle of November, when it returned to Algiers. From there it was sent to Texas. Early in January, 1864, the regiment, under command of Lieuten- ant-Colonel Graham, was sent by steamer to Indianola, where it went into winter quarters with the First Brigade, now under command of General Fitz-Henry Warren. Here, under the strict discipline of that accomplished of- ficer, the brigade was brought up to a high standard of efficiency. The Twenty-second lost six men here, cap- tured while on duty. Colonel Stone had resigned in Au- gust, 1863, and Lieutenant-Colonel Graham was promoted to colonel May 4, 1864. Early in July the regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade of the Second Division of the Nineteenth Corps, commanded by General Emory, and sent by ocean steamer to Fortress Monroe, and joined there tiie army under General Butler, then operating on the James Eiver. About the middle of August it was sent to General Sheridan's army in the Shenandoah Valley. On the 19th of September was fought the Battle of Win- chester. The Twenty-second was in General Molineaux's Brigade and was stationed on the left of the Nineteenth
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Corps, in the thickest of the fight. The position was as mnch exposed to the terrible fire of the enemy as any on the field. The Twenty-second held this position firmly nn- til D wight's Division on the left gave way, when it was forced to fall back, but soon rallied and joined in a charge with great enthusiasm. It lost in the battle in killed, wounded and missing one hundred nine men. Among the slain were Captains D. J. Davis and E. D. Parks, Lieuten- ant J. A. Boarts and Sergeant-Major George A. Eemley. On the 20th the regiment joined in the pursuit of the re- treating foe to the vicinity of Strasburg, where the army went into camp. The enemy took up a strong position at Fisher's Hill near by. On the 22d, Cteneral Sheridan led his army against the Confederates and fought the Bat- tle of Fisher's Hill, where he won another victory over General Early. The Twenty-second was but slightly en- gaged, losing but four men. Early in October the army went into fortified encampment on Cedar Creek, where on the 14th the last battle of that brilliant campaign was fought. The Iowa regiments in Sheridan's army took a prominent part in this engagement and shared in the honor of the great victory. The loss of the Twenty-second Eegi- ment in this battle was seventy-seven men. Early in Jan- uary, 1865, the regiment was ordered to Savannah to per- form garrison duty for a month. In April the brigade was reorganized under the command of Colonel Harvey Graham, of the Twenty-second Iowa. Toward the last of July it returned to Iowa having traveled more than 13,- 000 miles since entering service, and on the 3d of Au- gust it was disbanded at Davenport, numbering at the time four hundred thirty-six men.
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THB TWBNTY-THIRD IOWA INFANTBY
THIS regimentwas recndtedfroma large num- ber of conntieSy among which were Polk, Dallas, Story, Wayne, Page, Montgomery, Jasper, Madison, Cass, Marshall and Pot- tawattamie. The companies went into camp at Des Moines in Jnly and Angust, 1862. The regiment numbered nine hxm- dred sixty men and was mustered into the service on the 19th of September. The first field officers were: Colonel William Dewey, Lieutenant-Colonel William H. Kinsman, Major Samuel L. Glasgow, Adjutant C. O. Dewey. Its first service in the field was in Missouri, where several months were spent on various expeditions, including hard marches, skirmishes, to which were added suffering from hardship and disease. Colonel Dewey died of erysipelas at Patterson, Missouri, on the 30th of No- vember, and was succeeded by Kinsman, who was commissioned colonel on the 1st of December, 1862. The regiment was engaged in the hard march to Iron Mountain in February and soon after was sent down the Mississippi to Milliken's Bend to join General Grant's army in the campaign against Vicksburg, being as- signed to the First Brigade of the division commanded by General Carr, where it remained drilling until the army marched to encompass the Confederate stronghold. Many of the gunboats and transports having run the batteries at Vicksburg and Grand Gulf, the army was concentrating at Bruinsburg. The Twenty-third joined in the march into the interior and was warmly engaged in the Battle of Port Gibson, where it did good service and lost thirty-
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three men. On the 17th of May, after several defeats, the Confederate army made a last stand on the banks of the Black Eiver, and here was f onght
THE BATTLE OF BLACK BIVEB BBIDGE
At this point a high blnff rises abruptly from the water 's edge on the west side. On the east approach there is an open level bottom about a mile in width surrounded by a deep muddy bayou, from ten to twenty feet wide. Along the bayou earthworks had been thrown up mounted with artillery and long lines of breastworks manned by infantry. Half a mile in the rear was a line of earth- works, both extending from the river above the bridge to the river below. This was a strong position, skillfully fortified by able engineers.
McClemand advanced to the attack with Carres Divi- sion on the right and Osterhaus on the left; Gteneral Law- ler commanding the brigade in which was the Twenty- third Iowa on the extreme right of line. Several hours were occupied in skirmishing when Lawler^s Brigade was moved under cover of the river bank, from which he or- dered an assault of the enemy *s works. The troops charged across the level bottom land, through the bayou, under a terrible fire from the Confederate earthworks, which covered the ground with the slain; but closing up the gaps they pressed on over the breastworks and cap- tured eighteen pieces of artillery and 1,500 prisoners. Those of the enemy who escaped set fire to the bridge across the river to check pursuit. In this brilliant charge three hundred seventy-three brave men fell, most of whom belonged to the Twenty-first and Twenty-third Iowa regi- ments. Colonel Kinsman while leading his command wae shot by two balls which passed through his body and he fell from his horse dead. Many of his officers and men were slain or mortally wounded, carrying great grief to scores of Iowa homes.
After the battle the regiment was placed in charge of
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several thousand prisoners, who were captured at Cham- pion's Hill and Black Eiver Bridge, to be conveyed to Memphis. Betnming it was sent to Milliken's Bend, where General Dennis was in command of about 1,500 men. They were encamped along the Mississippi between the river and the levee. Breastworks had been thrown up and rifle pits dug to protect the camp. The troops were mostly colored men who had recently enlisted and were imder command of Colonels Lieb and Chamberlain. The Twenty-third Iowa, under Lieutenant-Colonel Glasgow, was now reduced by battle and sickness to about two hxm- dred men fit for duty. On the 6th of June, Captain Ander- son, with two companies of Illinois cavalry, and Colonel Lieb, with the Ninth Louisiana, colored, made a reconnois- sance on the Bichmond road. They were attacked by Con- federates when Colonel Lieb's regiment opened fire, check- ing the advance. Colonel Lieb then returned to the Bend, where he was refinf orced by the Iowa regiment. At three o'clock in the morning a large force of Confederates was discovered advancing in close column by divisions, with cavalry on the right. The little Union army in line waiting for the onset, withheld fire until the enemy was within short musket range, when it ojpened all along the line. The assailants wavered for a moment, but rallied and pushed on with the fierce ** Bebel yell.'' The negroes fought bravely, but were greatly outnumbered, and final- ly forced back in a desperate hand-to-hand struggle in which clubbed muskets and bayonets were used in the deadly combat. Two gunboats now opened on the enemy, which was finally repulsed with heavy loss, leaving more than one hundred dead on the field. The Twenty-third Iowa took a conspicuous part in this battle under the leadership of Colonel Glasgow, fighting with unsurpassed courage throughout the long and desperate encoimter, losing fifty men out of two himdred. Among the slain was Captain J. C. Brown, of Company I. This battle was notable as the first in which negro troops took a prominent part. The
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employment of colored men in the anny had met with strong opposition from the time it was first proposed. Bnt as the war continued public sentiment changed and many negro regiments were raised. The Battle of Milli- ken's Bend demonstrated the fact that the colored men would not only fight bravely but in every respect made good soldiers. In this battle the Iowa regiment fou^t with the colored brigade, and side by side they won from General Grant warm commendation for their gallantry. After the battle the Twenty-third returned to its brigade in the army investing Vicksburg. Though weak in num- bers it did good service in the various trying ordeals of the siege. After Pemberton's surrender the regiment was sent to reinforce Sherman's army in operations about Jackson, and at the close of that campaign returned to Vicksburg. About the middle of August General Ord's Corps was transferred to the Department of the Gulf, where for nearly a year the operations of the Twenty- third Iowa were intimately associated with the Twenty- second, as detailed in the history of that regiment. It was employiBd in Texas and the islands along the coast, then, returning to New Orleans in the spring of 1864, was sent to refinf orc« the defeated army of General Banks retreat- ing down the Bed Eiver valley. It ascended the Mis- sissippi with a command under General Fitz-Henry War- ren and proceeded to Fort De Eussey, and from there went into camp at the mouth of the Red Eiver, joining General Banks' army about the middle of May. Later in the season the regiment was placed in a brigade with the Twentieth Iowa, an Illinois and a Wisconsin regiment, and for a long time was employed in Arkansas without meeting the enemy. Early in 1865 the command returned to New Orleans to join tiie expedition then being fitted out for the last campaign of the war, that against Mobile. Colonel Glasgow was now in command of the brigade and Lieutenant-Colonel C. J. Clark commanded the regiment. In the hard marches, the siege and assaults of that bril-
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liant campaign^ the Twenty-third bore an honorable share. In storming the Spanish Fort it again met in combat the Twenty-third Alabama, which had been encoimtered at Port Gibson, where it was first imder fire. Here one man was killed and twenty-five wonnded. After two months' stay in the vicinity of Mobile, the regiment was moved to Colmnbns, in Texas, where it went into camp imder com- mand of Captain J. J. Van Honten. On the 26th of Jnly the regiment was mustered ont of the service at Harris- burg, Texas, with four hundred seventeen officers and men. They reached Davenport on the 8th of August, where the regiment was disbanded. After bidding their comrades " good-by " the war-worn soldiers separated to their homes.
THE TWBNTY-FOUBTH IOWA INPANTRT
Soon after the President's call for 300,000 volimteers of July, 2, 1862, Governor Kirkwood authorized Eber C. Byam, of Linn Coimty, to raise a regiment Three com- panies were accepted from Linn County, two from Cedar, two from Jackson, one from Johnson, one from Tama and one from Jones, making in all nine hundred fifty men. E. C. Byam was appointed colonel; J. Q. Wilds, lieutenant- colonel; Ed. Wright, major; and C. L. Byam, adjutant The regiment went into camp at Muscatine in August, 1862, and on the 18th of September was mustered into service of the United States. On the 20th of October it was embarked on a steamer, reaching Helena, Arkansas, on the 28th, where camp was made on the bank of the Mississippi Eiver. This proved to be an unhealthy locality and soon more than one hundred men were prostrated by sickness. The regiment remained here most of the winter, from time to time engaged in hard marches and fruitless expedi- tions. On January 11th the regiment embarked on the White River expedition, under General Gorman, and endured almost unparalleled hardships and sufferings,
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which cost the lives and health of hundreds of those who composed that nnf ortnnate army.
Upon the return to Helena the old camp and city were f onnd to be innndated and a new encampment had to be prepared on a range of hills. When the floods subsided, mud almost unfathomable prevailed everywhere. A rainy winter came on, in which drilling was almost impossible^ and long dreary hours and days were passed by the men cooped up in tiie cheerless quarters with nothing to re- lieve the depressing monotony. The hospitals were crowded with the sick and a feeling of hopeless despond- ency settled down upon the army. Late in February, Oeneral Washburn's expedition started from Helena to open the Yazoo Pass, and this aroused the army from the lethargy that had prevailed, and gave hope of active serv- ice in the field. Greneral Fisk's Brigade went with the ex- pedition, and from this time forward our regiment had daily drill and frequent dress parade. Under the in- struction of Lieutenant-Colonel Wilds, now in command of the Twenty-fourth, the regiment was becoming distin- guished for its fine discipline and general efficiency. When the army was reorganized in the spring for the Vicksburg campaign, the Twenty-fourth was attached to the Thir- teenth Corps under General McClemand, Hovey's Divi- sion. During the three months the regiment had been in camp at Helena, fifty members had died and many were in the hospitals. Of nine hundred fifty men who left their Iowa homes in October but little more than six hun- dred could be mustered in the ranks on the 11th of April when the fleet attempted to open the way to Vicksburg. The Twenty-fourth supported artillery at the Battle of Fort Gibson and was here first under fire. Not a man flinched and but six men were lost. It was at the
BATTLE OF CHAMPIONS HILL
fought on the 16th of May, that this regiment made its great sacrifice and won undying fame. General Grant
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had already won three battles since his army started to capture Vioksbnrg and General Pemberton determined now to move out of his stronghold and strike the Union army a crushing blow in the rear while General Johnston was engaging it in front. His plan was a good one, and if successful Grant *s army would have been caught be- tween the two Confederate armies and cut to pieces or captured. But Pemberton had a master in the art of war to deal with. Instead of being caught in the trap so skill- fully laid, Grant had sent McPherson and Sherman two days before to fall upon Johnston's army at Jackson, while he faced about the main body of his army to meet Pemberton, ordering the detached division to concen- trate near Bolton. Grant learned that Pemberton was approaching with an army of 25,000 and ten batteries of artillery, and at once directed Sherman to move with all possible speed to join the main army at Bolton. Pember- ton had taken a strong position on a ridge which was pro- tected by precipitous hillsides covered with dense forests and undergrowth. His left rested on a height owned by Colonel Champion, which gave the battle-field its name- Champion's Hill. McClemand was slow in reaching the ground and the battle was fought mainly by the divisions of Hovey, Logan and Crocker. Hovey moved on the main road until he came within sight of the enemy in his strong position. Deploying his division into line he at- tacked the whole front of the Confederate army with great imjpetuosity and for more than an hour the battle raged with great fury at this point. Charge after charge was made on the Confederate lines with varying success. At one time the Twenty-fourth Iowa, unsupported, made a desi>erate charge on a battery that was pouring a de- structive fire into our ranks, and captured it. Carried away with the enthusiasm of their brilliant achievement the men rushed on with shouts of victory until checked by a terrible fire of musketry from greatly superior num- bers. In this charge Major Ed Wright was woimded,
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Captains Silas Johnson and William Carbee and lien- tenant Ghauncy Lawrence were killed and Lieutenants J. 0. Gne, S. J. McKinley and J. W. Strong severely wonnd- ed. Hovey held his position for more than an hour and a half amid a most terrific fire of musketry when his lines were forced back by overwhelming numbers. For- tunately at this jxmcture he was re6nforced by Crocker's Division and, again returning to the attack^ the combined forces finally, by severe fighting, broke the enemy *s lines, re6nf orced by Logan, the enemy retreating in great con- fusion down the Vicksburg road, artillery and many pris- oners falling into our hands.
The enemy was now driven from every position, beaten and in full retreat, but our losses had been very heavy in this by far the greatest battle of the campaign. The killed, wounded and missing in our army were 2,457, of which Hovey 's Division lost more than 1,200. The Con- federate army lost more than 2,000 prisoners, twenty pieces of artillery and General Tilgham killed. Of the Iowa regiments engaged in this battle the Fifth, Tenth, Seven- teenth, Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eightii were in the thickest of the fight and were particularly distinguished for their bravery. The Twenty-fourth lost one hundred ninety-five men, of which forty-three were killed and forty mortally wounded. The regiment bore a prom- inent part in the siege and capture of Vicksburg, and few suffered more or accomplished more in bring- ing about that great victory. The Twenty-fourth joined General Sherman's army and participated in his cam- paign through central Mississippi, after which it was transferred to the Department of the Gulf. In Oc- tober and November it was with General Franklin's expedition to Opelousas. Upon its return while camped at Carencro Bayou Captain J. C. Gue was killed by a band of Texas Bangers. The regiment was in the battle near that camp, where Gteneral Burbridge was attacked on the 3d of November. During the winter months of 1864 the
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Twenty-fourth was in camp near New Orleans nntU in March, when it joined General Banks' army and was in his disastrous Red River expedition. The army, accompanied by an immense baggage train, was strung out in a long straggling line of many miles, as it made its way along the various roads through a dense pine forest On the Sth of April at Sabine Cross Roads, near Mansfield, the advance cavalry came upon the Confederate army drawn up in order of battle across our line of march. The cavalry was soon routed and fled back upon the infantry in great confusion. One at a time the divisions of the Thirteenth Corps were sent into action and fought bravely to check the advancing foe, but each in turn was defeated. The Nineteenth Corps made a strong fight to recover the for- tunes of the day but was overwhelmed by sujwrior num- bers, and the whole army was soon in retreat closely fol- lowed by the victorious Confederates, who were sending death and destruction into the disordered, fleeing mass of men and horses. But one-half of the Twenty-fourth Iowa was engaged in this battle, as five companies were in the rear guarding the trains. The part of the regiment en- gaged and the division to which it belonged fought brave- ly for an hour, but was finally com;)elled to retreat with heavy loss. Captain W. C. Dimmitt was mortally wound- ed and fell into the hands of the enemy, where he died. Dr. Witherwax, surgeon of the regiment, with his assist- ant, Dr. Lyons, were made prisoners while caring for the woimded. During the retreat the Twenty-fourth was fre- quently engaged in skirmishes with the enemy, in one of which Captain B. G. Paul was killed. At Alexandria Lieutenant-Colonel Wilds joined the regiment after some weeks' absence in the recruiting service. Colonel Byam had resigned soon after the Battle of Champion's Hill.
On the 22d of July the regiment began its long voyage by river, gulf and ocean to Alexandria, Virginia, arriving on the 30tii. It was soon sent to join General Sheridan's army in the Shenandoah Valley, and participated in the
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Battle of Winchester, where it won especial distinction. When the fortunes of the day seemed to be going against the Union army, after the Nineteenth Corps and a part of the Sixth had been overwhehned and thrown into a disorderly retreat, the Confederates advanced steadily with yells of triumph and a constant roll of murderous musketry. It was the bloodiest, darkest and most dra- matic moment of the day. Through the midst of hopeless confusion, when all seemed lost. Captain William T. Bigby of the Twenty-fourth Iowa was observed leading a ser- geant and twelve men, all marching in perfect order to- ward the assigned rallying point. ^' Captain, you are not going to retreat any further, I hope? ^' said Bradbury, of the first Maine Battery. ** Certainly not,** said Bigby. ''Haiti Front! Three cheersi** and the Uttle band dieered loudly. It was the first note of defiance that broke the desperate monotony of the panic; it gave heart to every one who heard it and made an end of retreat on that j>BTt of the field. In a few moments a battalion of men from a dozen raiments had rallied around the brave little band, supporting Captain Bradbury, who had opened with two guns of his battery on the advancing enemy. Inspired by the sight, soldiers rallied by the hundreds, our shattered lines were reformed and the dis- orderly retreat ended. A heavy fire of musketry was now poured into the ranks of the exultant Confederates, which compelled them to halt. Begiment after regiment of Union soldiers was hastily reformed; our second line ad- vanced and gained the lost ground amid terrible slaugh- ter. All along the lines our men had rallied and the order was given to charge. With loud shouts of defiance the soldiers rushed to the attack, and the tide of battle was turned. The enemy gave way before the impetuous charge; the lines were broken by the terrible onset, and the whole Confederate army melted into a routed, disor- ganized mass of fleeing men, sent whirling up the valley pursued by Crook *s cavalry. Three thousand prisoners
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and five guns were captured. Onr loss in killed and wonnded was about 3,000. The Twenty-fourth did as good service as any regiment on the field and none contributed more to stay ^e panic early in the day and turn that disas- ter into a sweeping victory. It lost seventy-four men, only three of whom were captured. Among the killed were Cap- tain J. B. Gould and Lieutenant S. S. Dillman, while Adju- tant D. W. Camp and Lieutenants Edgington and Wil- liams were wounded. Immediately after the battle General Early rallied his retreating army at Fisher's Hill, a strong position just beyond Strasburg, his line extending across the valley, while his right and left rested on mountains. On the 22d, General Sheridan drew up his men in line of battle before the Confederate army and made his prep- arations for attack. It was a short but brilliant action as the Union army moved to the assault and swept every- thing before it. One thousand two hundred prisoners and sixteen cannon were captured. The Twenty-fourth went into battle in support of a Maine battery and took part in the final charge on the enemy's lines, joining in the pur- suit during which Captain McKinley was severely wounded.
The army took up a position on Cedar Creek and pro- ceeded to fortify its lines on the left and center. General Early, having been heavily reinforced, determined to risk another battle. General Sheridan was absent in Win- chester on the 19th of October when the attack was made. It was a complete surprise of the Union army as no one suspected the presence of an enemy in the vicinity. Start- ing early in the evening of the 18tii the Confederate army in two columns, made its way over six miles of rough ground on the mountain sides. For a long distance the enemy made its silent march close to General Crook's line, but so stealthy was the midnight movement that no alarm was given. An hour before daylight all of the divisions of Early's army had reached the places as- signed them. The command was given and a tremendous
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volley of musketry in flank and rear roused the sleeping soldiers of the Union army. Then came the well known battle yell as the enemy charged into our bewildered lines and occupied the trenches. In fifteen minutes our army was a flying mob. Generals Grover and Emory made heroic efforts to stop the wild panic, and with a few bri- gadesy which retained their organization, to check the fierce onslaught; but they were overwhelmed with great slaughter. The Sixth and Nineteenth Corps made a stem resistance, but were unable to stand long against the fearful odds and soon the whole army was in retreat with the loss of twenty-four guns and 1,200 prisoners, camps and equipage. At ten a.m., Sheridan, after his famous ride from Winchester, reached the field just as Wright had succeeded in checking the retreat The Confederates, exhausted by sixteen hours ^ hard marching and fighting, had now halted to rest or were slowly march- ing without firing. Sheridan's presence and cheering words soon inspired confidence, each command was or- dered to face about, form lines and advance. For two hours he rode along the newly forming lines visiting dif- ferent parts of the field, encouraging the men and care- fully studying the situation. Emory had posted the Nine- teenth Corps in the woods on the left, thrown up a rude breastwork of rocks and rails, where he was attacked at one p.m., bat the enemy was repulsed. This cheering news soon reached other parts of the field, inspiring courage and hope. At three p.m. the order was given for the entire line to advance. Steadily but firmly the long lines of in- fantry pressed forward pouring in a deadly fire of mus- ketry. The Confederates faltered, broke and fled. A second charge completed the victory as our cavalry rode fiercely through the disordered ranks of the enemy now in full retreat. All of the lost guns were recaptured with additional ones, also 1,500 prisoners, besides rescuing most of our men taken in the morning. In this the last of the three great victories of the campaign the Twenty-
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fourth Iowa bore a brilliant part. No regiment in that famous and desperate battle f onght more steadfastly and heroically all through the varying f ortmies of the day than the Twenty-fourth. Nearly a hundred of its oflBcers and men were killed or disabled. The brave Colonel Wilds was mortally wounded and died soon after the battle. Major Ed Wright, Captains E. H. Pound, A. R. Knott and A. M. Loomis and Lieutenant 0. H. Kurtz were wounded, and Captain W. W. Smith and Lieutenant Charles Davis were taken prisoners.
The regiment remained in Virginia until early in Jan- uary, 1865, when it was sent to Savannah, (Georgia, where it remained two months, afterward doing duty in North Carolina and various parts of Georgia. It was mustered out of the service on the 17th of July, 1865, at Savannah. During the term of service one colonel and six of its cap- tains were killed, and the regiment participated in nine of the great battles of the war. No State ever contributed a better regiment to the Union army.*
^Jjeyi It. Hoag, corporal of Company C, kept a diary In whlcli was briefly re- corded a history of the doings of the regiment eyery day from the time It left Muscatine until It retnmed to Iowa at the close of the war. He served through the entire war In the exposed position of color bearer without receiving a scratch.
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CHAPTER XXI
THE TWENTY-FIFTH IOWA INFANTRY
FpUE companies from Henry Connty, three from Des Moines, two from Washington and one from Louisa made up the Twenty-fifth regiment The field officers were Colonel George A. Stone, Lieutenant-Colonel Fa- bian Brydolph, Major Calvin Taylor, Adju- tant S. K. Clark.
It was mustered into the service on the 27th of Septem- ber, 1862, with nine hundred seventy-twomen. For amonth the regiment remained in camp undergoing thorough in- struction in drill and discipline, rendering it one of the most efficient at the commencement of service. On the 17th of November the regiment landed atHelena, accompanying several expeditions into Arkansas and Mississippi. On the 22d of December the Twenty-fifth attached to the Second Brigade under General Hovey, First Division of the Fif- teenth Army Corps, moved down the river with the expe- dition under General Sherman to Chickasaw Bayou to operate against Vicksburg, taking part in the assault which was unsuccessful, meeting with but slight loss. Soon after the army witiidrew and was sent to Young's Point to cooperate with General McClemand. The Twenty-fifth was engaged in the campaign which, on the 11th of January, 1863, terminated in the battle and capture of Arkansas Post. The regiment lost about sixty men killed, wounded and captured in this action. Among the wounded were Adjutant Clarke (mortally). Captains Pal- mer and Bell and Lieutenants Stark and Orr.
Soon after the regiment returned to Young's f^oint, remaining several months. Li April it was in General
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Steele's expedition into the interior of Mississippi, where large quantities of stores were captured and the attention of the enemy diverted from the important movements of the campaign. It joined Grant's army at Grand Gulf and participated in the brilliant campaign which drove Pem- berton's army behind the intrenchments of Vicksburg, but was not engaged in any of the battles until May 22d. In the assault of that day it lost thirty men, among whom was Captain J. D. Spearman, severely wounded. During the siege which followed its losses amounted to about thirty more. The regiment was sent with General Sher- man against Jackson, and returning, went into camp on Black River. In September it was with General Sherman in his march through Tennessee to the relief of Chatta- nooga and it took part in the battle near Cherokee, where Osterhaus engaged and defeated a Confederate army un- der Lee and Bhoddy. On the momiiig that the Twenty- fifth reached Lookout Mountain it went into the battle above the clouds, under General Hooker, and supporting u New York battery, met with no losses but gathered up many prisoners. It was engaged in the Battle of Ring- gold on the 27th and lost twenty-nine men. Of the twenty- one officers in the battle, seven were wounded. Colonel Stone was soon after placed in command of a brigade and Lieutenant-Colonel Palmer succeeded to command of the regiment. Near the close of December it went into winter quarters at Woodville, but was sent on several expedi- tions during that time. The Twenty-fifth was now as- signed to the Second Brigade made up of the Fourth, Ninth, Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first Iowa regiments, un- der command of Colonel J. A. Williamson of Iowa and called the ** Iowa Brigade. ^^ Ingersoll says of this famous brigade:
"There was no brigade in the Fifteenth Army Corps which performed more eminent services in the grand campaign of Atlanta than William- son's Iowa Brigade. It met the enemy at Resaca on the 11th of May and
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from that time until the 5th of September at Lovejoy Station, two marches beyond Atlanta, it was nearly every hour of the time within sound of the enemy's guns under fire. It met the foe in heavy skirmish and in battle on all of the last five days of May at Dallas. On the 28th, when the divi- sion on its rig^t was about giving way before overwhelming numbers, it was Williamscm's Iowa Brigade that saved that division and the day by a daring charge. It was engaged in the movements and heavy fighting which preceded the assault on Kenesaw Mountain and the evacuation of that strong position by the Bebels. It was again most conspicuous in the corps at the great Battle of Atlanta on the 22d of July. Here again did William* son's Iowa Brigade make a bold charge under the eye of (General Sherman himself, restored the line of the Fifteenth Corps which had been broken, drove the enemy from our works and recaptured the guns which had been taken from us. Again at the Battle of Ezra Church it fought finely and suffered heavily. So also at Jonesboro and Lovejoy. Everywhere and at all times, on the march by day or by night, in the trenches of a besieged army, or in battle, it faithfully, bravely, nobly did its part in that re- markable campaign."
The Twenty-fifth was in all of the engagements here mentioned, except at the Battle of Dallas, where its posi- tion was snch that it did not take part in the charge. When Marietta was captured, Colonel Stone was made commandant and his regiment was detailed as provost gnard. Its losses during the campaign were considerable, but do not appear in any of the official reports. Early in October it joined in the rapid pursuit of Hood's army and had a skirmish with Wheeler's cavalry. The regiment was with the army in the march to Savannah and at Wright's Bridge had a short conflict with a regiment of cavalry, putting it to flight. On the 21st of December the Twenty-fifth entered Savannah and there went into camp. While here Colonel Stone took command of the Iowa Bri- gade and Lieutenant-Colonel Palmer commanded the regi- ment. In the campaign through the Carolinas, which be- gan on the 10th of January, 1865, and lasted until the 26th of March, the Iowa Brigade performed hard marches and labor and was in several battles, among which were the engagements at Littie Congaree on the 15th of February;
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at the capital Columbia two days later, at Cox Bridge on the 20th of March and the following day at Bentonsville. The Twenty-fifth was in all of these conflicts.
THE CAPTURE OF COLUMBIA
The Iowa Brigade took a prominent part in the capture of Columbia. Early in the evening of February 16th, Colonel Stone received orders to cross the Broad Biver on pontoon boats two miles above the city. He landed his troops on an island early on the morning of the 17th and erected earthworks which were attacked by sharpshooters. As re3nf orcements were preparing to come to the assist- ance of the enemy. Colonel Stone ordered an assault upon his lines at once. The Thirtieth Iowa led, following by the Twenty-fifth, supported by the Fourth. They moved forward rapidly, wading the bayous and scattering the enemy, took many prisoners. The way was now open to the city, but before reaching it Colonel Stone was met by a carriage bearing a flag of truce in which were the mayor and aldermen who came to surrender the city. Colonel Stone received the unconditional surrender and with Ma- jor Anderson of the Fourth Iowa joined the officials in the carriage and, proceeding to the State House, raised the Stars and Stripes above it. During the night the city was set on fire in several places and more than one-third of it was destroyed. The fires were believed to have been started by some of our released prisoners and negroes. Every possible effort was made to save the city but a strong wind carried the flames into the cotton warehouses and a vast amount of property was destroyed. Colonel Stone reported the capture of forty pieces of artillery, 5,000 stands of small arms and two hundred prisoners. Soon after the capture of Columbia the army continued its march northward meeting the enemy at Cox Bridge on the 20th of March, where the Twenty-fifth Iowa was in the thickest of the fight. It had about thirty men MUed and wounded, among the latter Captain William G. Allen, act-
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ing major, who lost his right leg. The next day at Bentons- ville the entire brigade fought bravely and received the commendation of superiorofficers. Thiswas theregiment's last battle. The losses during the campaign were seven tdlledy sixty-four wounded and twelve missing. The com- mand forming the rear of the army reached Goldsboro on the 26th of March. From there it moved on to Baleigh and, after the surrender of Johnston's army, by way of Bichmond to Washington. The Iowa Brigade was in the grand review of the Union army on the 23d and 24th of May, where it attracted general attention from the martial bearing of its veteran regiments. The Twenty-fifth Iowa went into camp at Crystal Springs near the city, where it was mustered out on the 6th of June, returning to Daven- port, where it was soon after disbanded. On the 13th of March Colonel Stone was commissioned Brigadier-Gen- eral.
THE TWENTY-SIXTH IOWA INFANTRY
This regiment was made up of Clinton County men, al- though Jackson and Jones counties made contributions to the ranks. It was mustered into the service at Clinton on the 30th of September, 1862. The field officers were Colo- nel Milo Smith, Lieutenant-Colonel S. G. Magill, Major Samuel Clark, Adjutant Thomas G. Ferreby. Very little time was given for drill before the regiment was ordered South, going to Helena on the 28th of October. Its first service in the field was under General Hovey on the White River expedition. Two of its prominent field officers, Lieutenant-Colonel Magill and Major Clark, were so un- fortunate as to be captured at Helena and both resigned on the 2d of December. After a inarch into Mississippi, in support of General Grant's first movement against Vicks- burg, the regiment was assigned to the Third Brigade, First Division of the Fifteenth Army Corps. With Gen- eral Sherman in his bloody defeat at Chickasaw Bayou it suffered no loss. On the 2d of January, 1863, it was sent
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down the river to the month of Yazoo Biver, where Gen- eral McClemand was in command of the army. Soon after the regiment moved against the enemy occupying a strong- ly fortified position on the Arkansas Biver about fifty miles from the month. This was the key to central Ar- kansas, had a fine armament of heavy Parrott guns and columbiads ; the garrison numbered about 7,000 well disci- plined troops under command of General ChurchilL
BATTLE OF ARKANSAS POST
General McClemand moved his army by transports up the Arkansas Biver and disembarked on a swampy bank a few miles below the little village of Arkansas Post. Dis- positions for the attack were promptly made. General Morgan commanding two divisions of the Thirteenth Corps on the left and Sherman with two divisions of the Fifteenth Corps on the right moved forward over ground greatly obstructed by swamps and bayous. A brigade under Colonel Lindsay was landed below the Post on the opposite side of the river to prevent the escape of the enemy in that direction. Admiral Porter with a fleet of gunboats was cooperating with the land attack. Finally after much difficulty the lines were drawn around the Post under a heavy fire of artillery from the fort and of musketry from the earthworks and rifle pits. The fleet soon opened fire, which was kept up until after dark when the troops passed a cold and gloomy night in swampy bivouac witiiiout fires. The next day a heavy fire was opened on the works from the gunboats and land artillery under cover of which the infantry advanced to the attack. The brigades of Hovey, Thayer and Smith gained a posi- tion in the woods near tiie enemy ^s rifle pits, but met such a terrible fire of artillery and musketry that they were compelled to seek shelter for a time. Again they advanced supported by Blair's Brigade, to within short musket range and took position in deep wooded ravines. The infantry of Morgan's Corps advanced and gained a position close
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to the works. The battle now raged with great fury all along the lines, the enemy making a desperate defense. The guns of the fort had been silenced by our heavy artil- lery, but the musketry fire of the enemy never slackened. General McClemand now decided to order an assault. The brigades of Burbridge, Smith and Sheldon pushed for- ward under a deadly fire and several of the regiments swept over the intrenchments. Sherman's command at the same time stormed the works in front in an equally brilliant manner, the victory was won and soon the Union flag was raised over Fort Hindman. There was captured with the Post 5,000 prisoners, seventeen pieces of artillery, 50,000 rounds of ammunition, six hundred horses and mules, 5,000 muskets and a large amount of other property. The Iowa regiments engaged in this battle were the Fourth, Ninth, Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth, Thir- tieth, Thirty-first and the Thirty-fourth. This was the first battle in which the Twenty-sixth met the enemy in mortal combat, and no regiment contributed more to win the great victory. Its loss was one hundred twenty men. lieuten- ants P. L. Hyde, J. S. Patterson and James McDill were slain, and among the wounded were Colonel Smith, Adju- tant Ferreby, Captain N. A. Merrill and Lieutenant Svendsen. Soon after the battle the Twenty-sixth was sent down the river and stationed a few miles below Vicks- burg, where it remained until the 2d of April— then ac- companying General Steele's expedition to Greenville, Mississippi, where five men were captured.
Toward the last of the month it went into camp at Mil- liken 's Bend and early in May joined Grant's army then moving out on the Vicksburg campaign. The regiment participated in the capture of Jackson and on the 16th moved with the troops toward Vicksburg. During the siege it was on the left of Thayer's Brigade in General Steele's Division and took part in the assaults of the 19th and 22d of May; its losses during these engagements and the siege were six killed and thirty-three wounded. The
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Twenty-sixth was in the second expedition against John- ston's army, in which Colonel Smith commanded a bri- gade, and Adjutant Ferreby who had now recovered from his wound was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and in com- mand of the regiment. At the close of the campaign it returned to Black River, remaining in camp about two months. In the latter part of September it was sent to Memphis and on to Corinth, where Osterhaus' Division was engaged in repairing the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. Early in November Osterhaus' command joined General Sherman's army then moving on toward Chatta- nooga. The Twenty-sixth reached Lookout Mountain the evening before the battle and took part in the engagement. Lieutenant-Colonel Ferreby was again severely wounded. Under Hooker's command, which followed the retreating enemy, the Twenty-sixth was in the battle near Ringgold where it did excellent service. Captain J. L. Steele was here mortally wounded and Lieutenants N. D. Hubbard and William Nickel were severely injured. During the month the regiment marched over three hundred miles of the rough mountain country of Alabama and took part in three battles. About Christmas time it went into winter quarters at Woodville.. reduced in numbers to about one- half of the original strength, and during the winter it did patrol duty along the Tennessee River where eight men were captured. EarlyinMay the Twenty-sixth joined (gen- eral Sherman's army at Chattanooga and for the next four months participated in the marches, skirmishes, sieges, bat- tles and exhausting labors of that famous campaign. The regiment lost eighty men in the various battles at Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw and Atlanta. After a month's rest at East Point it joined in the march northward early in Oc- tober in pursuit of Hood, and on the 16th lost five men in battle at Taylor's Ridge. In December the regiment was with the army in Savannah and in January, 1865, started on the march through the Carolinas, sharing the labors, hardships and battles of that campaign and at Bentonsville
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ended its brilliant fighting career. Marching on north- ward to Baleigh, and from there to the National Capital on the 6th of June it was mustered out of the service. The flag of the ** Clinton County Begiment '* bears upon its folds the names of the numerous battles in which honor is reflected upon the State by gallant conduct. Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Jackson, Vicksburg, Cherokee, Tuscumbia, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Bidge, Bing- gold, Besaca, Dallas, Big Shanty, Eenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Ezra Church, Jonesboro, Love joy. Savannah, Co- lumbia and Bentonsville make a formidable list of engage- ments where this noble regiment won its proud place in our war history.
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CHAPTER XXn
THE TWENTY-SEVENTH IOWA INFANTRY
THIS regiment was made up of companies re- cruited largely in the counties of Allama- kee, Clayton, Delaware, Floyd, Buchanan, Mitchell and Chickasaw. The Twenty-sev- enth went into camp at Dubuque in August, 1862, and was there organized by the ap- pointment of the following officers : Colonel James I. Gil- bert, Lieutenant-Colonel Jed Lake, Major George W. Howard and Adjutant C. A. Comstock. Soon after the regiment entered the service it was ordered to Minnesota to assist in protecting the frontier from the terrible mas- sacre there inaugurated by the Sioux Lidians. General Pope was in command of that department. Colonel Gilbert was sent with his regiment to Fort Snelling, and was soon after sent, with six companies, one hundred twenty-five miles northwest to Mille Lac to superintend the payment of an annuity to a tribe of Indians. He returned to St. Paul on the 4th of November and learned that Major Howard with the four companies left at Fort Snelling had, during his absence, been sent to Cairo, Illinois, where he was or- dered to join him. The united command was soon after sent down the river to Memphis to join General Sherman's army.
Not long after the army moved into central Mississippi to operate against Vicksburg. The Twenty-seventh regi- ment was sent to the Tallahatchee River to guard the Mis- sissippi Central Railway between that stream and Water- ford. Parties of Confederate cavalry were hovering near the railroad and on the 20th of December one of them made a dash on the regimental hospital, captured eleven
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men of the Twenty-seventh, hurried off some fifteen miles and paroled them. The surrender of Holly Springs with its army stores, by Colonel Murphy, compelled the aban- donment of the expedition against Vicksburg and the regiment was sent to Jackson, Tennessee. Soon after it joined General Lawler's command to reSnforce General Sullivan ^s army beyond Lexington, making a hard march the first week in January amid mud and cold winds, camp- ing at night in freezing weather without shelter. Early in the morning without breakfast and shivering with cold the army started in pursuit of the retreating enemy, but the Confederates escaped, and our troops returned to- ward Jackson. The weather was very severe, the army was without tents and many of the men had no blankets. To add to the suffering the command was without rations and had to subsist on com meal obtained from the farmers along the line of march. The hardships and sufferings of this midwinter march brought to the regiment an amount of sickness and death that surpassed its losses in any bat- tle in which it was engaged. Each company buried many members and several oflScers were compelled to resign to escape a similar fate. The winter was a gloomy one, al- most every day of which was saddened by the death of a comrade.
The second campaign under General Grant against Vicksburg was now under way and many Iowa regiments were sharing in the marches, battles and victories which marked its onward progress. Others were performing im- portant but less brilliant service in guarding lines of com- munication, and holding captured territory wrested from the enemy. Among these was the Twenty-seventh, now posted in detachments at points on the railroad in the vi- cinity of Jackson, where Colonel Gilbert was in command of the post Early in June the regiment was sent to Mos- cow where it remained for two months guarding railroads and posts, occasionally having a brush with guerrilla bands to vary the monotony of camp life. As the news of
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great battles and victories in other parts of the country reached them, the officers and men longed for the time when they might share in the excitement and glory of more active service in the field. On the 20th of August, 1863, marching orders came, the regiment broke camp and passed through Memphis on the way to join Q^neral Steele's army then moving on Little Bock, Arkansas, and participated in that campaign and the capture of the city, remaining near that place about two months on guard and picket duty. Colonel Gilbert being most of the time in com- mand of the brigade. In November it moved to Memphis, remaining there until near the end of January, 1864. Al- though the Twenty-seventh did not take an active part in any battle during the year 1863 its losses from other causes were large; from death, discharge and transfer to invalid corps it lost one hundred eighty-eight men. When it left Memphis there were two hundred seventy less offi- cers and men on its rolls than when it entered the service. Of these, sixty-four had died during the year 1863, and one hundred eight had been discharged for disability.
On the 26th of January, 1864, the regiment embarked on transports and moved down the river to Vicksburg, where it became a part of a brigade commanded by Colonel W. T. Shaw of Iowa, made up with one exception of Iowa regiments. Soon after it was sent to join General Banks' Bed Biver expedition. The regiment participated in many of the skirmishes and general engagements of that disas- trous campaign. In the Battle of Pleasant Hill, where Shaw's brigade stood like a rock against the terrible on- slaughts of the enemy and rolled back the tide of disaster that threatened to stampede the army, the Twenty-seventh regiment was long and heavily engaged. It lost four killed, seventy wounded and fourteen captured. Among the wounded were Colonel Gilbert, Captain J. M. Hol- brook and Lieutenants Brush, Smith and Granger. In the retreat from Grand Ecore the Twenty-seventh was one of the regiments under General Smith which protected the
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rear of the army and had several engagements with the enemy. Near Alexandria there were several skirmishes before the city was evacuated and burned on the 13th of May. A severe battle was fought at Yellow Bayou, where the Confederates were defeated with heavy loss. The Twenty-seventh Iowa had four men killed and thirteen wounded. Soon after it moved to the mouth of Bed River and was transported by steamer to Vicksburg and ten days later was in the expedition under Gteneral A. J. Smith which was sent to dislodge General Marmaduke, who was blockading the Mississippi at Greenville. On the 16th of June after a sharp engagement the enemy was defeated and the blockade raised. In the latter j>BTt of June the Twenty-seventh took part in the expedition against Tu- pelo and shared the hard marches and skirmishes of the campaign. The Battle of Tupelo began at six o'clock on the morning of July 14th9 lasting until noon, when the enemy was defeated with very heavy loss. Our regiment was here engaged and had one man killed and twenty-five wounded. It was also in the Oxford expedition under (General Smith and returned to Memphis the latter part of August The next service was under General Bosecrans in Missouri, who made a series of rapid marches in pur- suit of Price into Arkansas, traveling nearly seven hun- dred miles in forty-seven days but accomplishing nothing of importance. Early in December (General Smith's forces were sent to Nashville to refinforce the army under Gteneral Thomas operating against Hood's army. In the Battle of Nashville, fought on the 15th and 16th of December, where General Thomas won a great victory. Colonel Gilbert had command of a brigade in which were the Twenty-seventh and Thirty-second Iowa regiments, commanded respec- tively by Lieutenant-Colonel Jed Lake and Lieutenant- Colonel G. A. Eberhart This brigade did excellent serv- ice in the engagement and joined in the pursuit of the de- feated Confederates. Colonel Gilbert was soon after pro- moted to Brigadier-General. During the year 1864 many
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changes had taken place in the Twenty-seventh regiment; several officers had resigned, and the losses from death, discharges and transfers had been about eighty. On the other hand many recmits had been secnred, so that there were about eight hundred names on the roll. In February the regiment was sent down the river to the Gulf of Mexico and to Dauphin Island, near Mobile Bay, and soon after joined General Canby's army in a movement against Mo- bile. While on the march, to open commxmication with General Steele, General Gilbert had a narrow escape from death by a torpedo buried in the road which was exploded by his horse walking over it. After joining General Steele's army the Twenty-seventh regiment did good service dur- ing the siege of Blakely, skirmishing by day and extend- ing the parallels by night, continually under fire. On the 9th of April under Major Howard it joined in the assault which resulted in the surrender of the fort and garrison. General Gilbert's brigade captured six hundred prisoners and eight pieces of artillery. Soon after this victory the brigade joined the Sixteenth Corps marching upon Mont- gomery, where it remained more than two months. On the 16th of July, 1865, the Twenty-seventh regiment began the journey home by way of Selma, Jackson and Vicksburg and up the river by steamer to Ointon, where it was mus- tered out on the 8th of August General Gilbert was bre- vetted Major-General, serving until the close of the war. Colonel Lake, in his farewell address to the regiment as it was disbanded, states that it had traveled since it entered the service a distance of more than 12,000 miles.
THE TWENTY-EIGHTH IOWA INFANTRY
This regiment was composed of Company A of Benton County, Company B of Iowa and Tama counties, Com- panies C and H of Poweshiek County, Company D of Ben- ton County, Company E of Johnson County, Company P of Tama County, Company G, Iowa County; Company I,
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Iowa County; Company K, Jasper County. It was organ- ized in the autumn of 1862 with the following officers: Colonel William E. Miller, Lieutenant-Colonel John Con- nell, Major H. B. Lynch, Adjutant J. E. Pritchard It went into camp at Iowa City, where several weeks were spent drilling. On the 10th of October the regiment was mustered into the United States service, numbering nine hundred fifty-six men. The regiment reached Helena, Arkansas, on the 20th of November, three hundred men under Major Lynch being sent to join (General Hovey's command in Mississippi, then marching to reenforce General Grant's army operating against Vicksburg. The detachment was absent nearly two weeks, marching most of the time, losing one man killed by guerillas. The men at Helena suffered greatly from sickness. The smallpox broke out in the army and many died before it was sub- dued.
On the 11th of January, 1863, the regiment was sent with General Gorman's expedition up the White River by steamer to Duvall's Bluff. Heavy storms of rain, wind and snow drenched the men's clothing, then froze, caus- ing great suffering. The expedition accomplished noth- ing; many soldiers died from the effects of exposure and hardships encountered. Rude winter quarters were now built in which the men endured a gloomy existence with almost every form of discomfort imaginable. Fevers seized them, hospitals were crowded with the sick and dying, every day muffled drums were beating funeral marches. The troops were unpaid, their clothing was in rags, their shoes worn out, misery, homesickness and des- pair prevailed throughout the desolate camp. In Febru- ary the well men of the regiment were sent with General Washburn's command to remove the obstructions from Yazoo Pass, where they worked in the water for a week clearing the channel for the passage of steamers. Soon after the return to camp Colonel Miller resigned and was succeeded bv Lieutenant-Colonel Connell. On the 11th of
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April the regiment began the campaign that resulted in the capture of Vicksbnrg. It was in a brigade with the Twenty-fourth Iowa, an Indiana and an Ohio regiment commanded by Colonel Slack. At the Battle of Port Gib- son, for the first time under fire, it fought with the coohiess and courage that had characterized aU of thelowa regiments. The loss was one killed and sixteen wounded. From this time until the 16th of May marching and skir- mishing composed the daily movements of the army. At the Battle of Champion's HUl the regiment won the com- mendation of its superior officers and in his report Gen- eral Hovey says :
" Of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-ei^^th Iowa, in what language ahaU I speak! Scarcely more than six months in the service and yet no troops erer showed more bravery or fought with greater valor. Of them and their commanders the State of Iowa may well be proud."
In this battle the Twenty-eighth had twenty-two men killed, sixty-five wounded and thirteen taken prisoners. Four companies came out of the fight without a commis- sioned officer. Captain B. F. Kirby and Lieutenant J. J. Legan were killed, Captain A. J. Staley was captured and Lieutenant John Buchanan was wounded. The regiment served through the siege of Vicksbnrg, having several killed and wounded. On the day of the surrender it was sent to join the army operating against Jackson with num- bers now reduced by sickness, wounds and death to two hundred fifty men. Major Lynch had resigned on account of ill health and Captain John Meyer had been promote3 to the vacancy. In August the regiment was transf ererd to the Department of the Gulf and went into camp at Carroll- ton, where it remained a month, the men meantime gaining in health and strength. In September the Twenty-eighth joined Gteneral Franklin *s army which made an expedition into southwestern Louisiana to Brashier City, Vermillion- ville and Opelousas. Upon retiring it was followed by the enemy and several slight engagements took place. Noth-
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ing was accomplished by this expedition which cost our army many valuable lives. The regiment returned to New Orleans late in December and went into camp at Madison- ville near the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain. Here was found a healthful location and strengthened by re- cruits and the return of many from the hospitals, early in March the regiment went to Brashier on the way to join General Banks* Bed River expedition. Marching up Bayou Teche, through Opelousas and Washington to Alexandria, it united with General A. J. Smith's com- mand. The army left Alexandria late in March and began a slow movement toward Shreveport. When the enemy was encountered near Mansfield, our regiment was many miles in the rear. With other troops it hurried to reSn- force those engaged and was soon in battle line. When the advance of our army was checked and soon after over- whelmed by superior numbers in a crushing defeat. Colo- nel Connell was severely wounded and captured and the regiment lost eighty officers and men, killed, wounded and prisoners. The next day at the Battle of Pleasant Hill, where several of the Iowa regiments in the brigades of Colonels Shaw and Hill made a most heroic stand and saved the army from destruction, the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth were not engaged, as they had been sent toward Grand Ecore to guard the trains, Greneral Banks having begun his retreat on the day previous. Notwith- standing the repulse of the Confederate attacks on our army at Pleasant Hill, our wounded were left on the field and the retreat was continued to Grand Ecore. Lieuten- ant-Colonel Wilson and Major Meyer were absent at this time securing recruits and after the capture of Colonel Connell the command of the regiment devolved upon Cap- tain Thomas Diller of Company G. The army halted some time at Grand Ecore, where Lieutenant-Colonel Wil- son joined his regiment with a number of recruits. In June it was at CarroUton, where Colonel Connell, who had
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lost an arm, had been exchanged and was able to again take command.
On the 22d of July the regiment embarked on a steamer for Virginia, reaching Alexandria on the 2d of August. In camp, not far from the National Capital, it found the Twenty-second and Twenty-fourth Iowa regiments and with them was soon sent to join General Sheridan's army then about to open the brilliant campaign which cleared the Shenandoah Valley of Confederate armies. In the Battle of Winchester the Twenty-eighth participated, do- ing gallant service and bringing additional honors to Iowa soldiers. This was the first battle in Virginia in which Iowa regiments were engaged and, side by side with the veterans of the eastern armies, they won additional fame for their State. No regiments engaged in this desperate conflict contributed more toward the brilliant victory won on this field than the three from Iowa. The Twenty- eighth lost nearly ninety men in killed and wounded. Cap- tain John E. Palmer was slain and Captain Scott House- worth mortally wounded. Adjutant J. G. Strong, Cap- tains J. B. WUson and J. W. Carr and Lieutenants C. E. Haverly, D. S. Dean, J. C. Summers and M. O'Hair were among the wounded. The regiment joined in the pursuit and on the 22d took part in the Battle of Fisher's HiU where Sheridan won his second victory over General Early's army. It captured six guns and many prisoners here, and lost but four men. There was little more fight- ing until the 18th of October, when General Early made the unexpected assault at Cedar Creek, where the Twenty- eighth lost nearly one hundred men. Ingersoll says of the Twenty-eighth in this battle:
" It was engaged early and late in the Bevere contest. By failure of a Maine regiment to connect on its right, it was left in an exposed position, but held it manfully until driven back by overwhelming numbers. Here it lost nearly fifty men killed and wounded. Falling back half a mile the regiment was rallied and again offered a stout resistance to the enemy. Here Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson was severely wounded and Captain Rie*
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meoBchneider was alain. Major John Meyer, who led the regiment throii|^ the rest of the battle with great skill and courage, declares in his official report that no officers or soldiers ever fought better than those of his com- mand on the field of Cedar Greek. As thej had been among the last to retire, so they were among the first to press forward in the charge and pursuit when the tide of battle had turned."
The regiment remained in the vicinity of Cedar Creek, Martinsburg and Harper's Ferry the remainder of the year and was transferred to the brigade of General Mol- ineanx to which the Twenty-second Iowa had for many months been attached. In January, 1865, the Twenty- eighth was sent by water to Savannah, Georgia, and for several weeks formed a part of the garrison of that city. In March it was sent to Newbem, North Carolina, to reen- f orce the army under General Schofield. After the sur- render of Gteneral Johnston it returned to Savannah and on the last day of July was mustered out of the service. Owing to the loss of his arm Colonel Connell relinquished command of his regiment, and on the 20th of March had been honorably discharged. Wilson was commissioned colonel on the 15th of June, 1865. The regiment reached Davenport in August, where it received a cordial welcome and was disbanded. The Twenty-eighth had done service in nearly every State of the Coirfederacy and everywhere nobly performed the duties that will for all time reflect the highest honors upon the gallant men who marched and fought under its flag.
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COL. J. A. Mcdowell col. c. w. kittredgb
COL. J. W. RANKIN COL. T. H. BENTON
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CHAPTER XXm
THE TWHNTY-NINTH IOWA INPANTRT
OF the companies composing this regiment k was raised in Pottawattamie Comity, B in Mills Comity, C in Harrison Comity, D in Adams and Adair comities, E in Frempnt Comity, F in Taylor Connty, G in Ringgold Connly, H in Union Connty, I in Guthrie Connty, K was made np of men from all of these comities. Thomas H. Benton, Jr., a well-known Democratic politi- cian and educator, was commissioned colonel; R. F. Pat- terson, lieutenant-colonel; C. B. Shoemaker,* major; and Joseph Lyman, adjutant. The regiment was mustered into the service at Council Bluffs on the 1st of Decem- ber, 1862, with nine hundred men. Soon after, marching by detachments to St. Joseph, Missouri, it was transported by rail to St Louis and from there was sent down the river to join General Gorman *s expedition then about to start for the White River. The expedition to Duvall's Bluff and return resulted only in the suffering of the men, which was very severe, causing a great amotint of sick- ness. Upon the return to Helena more than four hundred members of the regiment were on the sick list, three hun- dred of whom were! permanently disabled and lost to the regiment.
While at Helena, in March, Captain J. J. Haf er of Com- pany H was attacked with smallpox and died. The regi- ment was next sent on the Yazoo expedition to Fort Pem- berton, aiding in removing the obstructions from the Pass, after which, returning to Helena, was engaged for the first time in a fight with the enemy. It bore a glorious part in the Battle of Helena on the Fourth of July, 1863,
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capturing many prisoners and losing thirty-one men,killed and wounded. The regiment was in a division under command of General Samuel A. Eice of Iowa, while Colo- nel Benton commanded the brigade to which it belonged during the march under General Steele from Helena to Little Bock. The start was made on the 11th of August, when the weather was very hot and dry. From Duvall^s Bluff to Brownsville the route was over a beautiful prairie country at that time entirely destitute of water. Each man had to carry a supply in his canteen. The heat was so great that many were prostrated by sun-stroke. There were not enough ambulances to carry all who were stricken and they were obliged to travel on a few miles, leave the sick by the wayside and return for others. This was re- peated for two days while the disabled and sick had to suffer for hours unsheltered from the broiling sun. As the army approached Little Bock General Steele caused a pontoon bridge to be thrown across the river, over which General Davidson ^s Division of cavalry and artillery passed to the south side, where his march was stubbornly resisted. But soon after dark his cavalry entered the city and found that the main body of General Price *s army had retreated in haste, leaving the arsenal and much pub- lic property unharmed. The Union army went into camp around the city.
General Marmaduke made an attack upon our army at Pine Bluff, sixty miles below Little Bock, but was defeated with heavy loss. General Bice was sent with two brigades to intercept him. The Twenty-ninth Iowa was in one of the brigades but did not succeed in overtaking the Con- federates. This ended the active service of the regiment for the year 1863 and it remained at Little Bock until near the last of March. The year had been one of hard service in the long marches through mud, swamps and bayous, amid cold storms and excessive heat, often on short ra- tions, frequent skirmishing by day and night; heavy labor in removing obstructions, building bridges and making
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roads through marshes as well as fighting battles^ had converted the men of the Twenty-ninth Iowa into well- seasonedy thoroughly disciplined veteran soldiers. On the 2d of April, General Steele's army was on the march from Arkadelphia to Washington. As the country was destitute of provisions the Union army had to transport its supplies. The train, consisting of four hundred wagons, when passing along the ordinary road was four miles in length.
A large body of Confederate cavalry hovered around the marching columns watcliing for a favorable chance to make a dash upon the long wagon train. On this day when the main body of the army crossed the bayou of Terre Noir, the train was several miles in the rear.
BATTLE OF TERRS NOIR
Here was the long-looked-f or opportunity to attack the line of wagons. About eleven o'clock Shelby's Brigade of cavalry suddenly fell upon the train in a wild rush with loud shouts, pouring in a volley from their carbines and charging with drawn sabers. The Twenty-ninth Iowa with a section of artillery made up the rear guard and met the charge with a well directed fire, which emptied many saddles. Three times the Confederate brigade charged upon the single regiment before the line was broken. The odds were, however, too great to be longer successfully resisted. The left wing of the regiment was overwhelmed by superior numbers and forced back in confusion onto the main body. Just at this critical mo- ment General Bice with reinforcements came upon the field and charged the enemy, driving the cavalry back with heavy loss. Soon after Shelby was reSnf oroed by a bri- gade under Cabell and the attack was renewed. The Ninth Wisconsin now reached the field of conflict and opened a heavy fire on the enemy. The battle continued until after dark. While our troops were repelling an attack the train would close up and move on. Then the march in fighting
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order wonld be resnined and eontmued until the next at- tack. Jnst at dark the Confederates made a most deter- mined assanlt in an effort to capture the artillery. Onr men held their fire until the cavalry had come within thirty yards of the line, when artillery and musketry opened with such a terrible hail of lead and iron that the troopers were driven back in confusion, leaving scores of men and horses on the field. The Union troops rushed forward with ishouts of victory and drove the last of the enemy from the field. The battle had continued for a distance of ei^t miles and at nine o'clock the rear guard marched into Okolona with drums beating and colors fly- ing to find the long train parked with not a wagon missing. The Union loss was sixty killed and wounded, twenty- seven of whom belonged to the Twenty-ninth Iowa.
The regiment was under fire three hours at the Battle of Little Missouri at Elkin's Ferry. It was in the front during the march of the 15th when our army entered Camden, where it remained until the 26th, when the re- treat toward little Bock began. On the evening of April 29th the army reached the Saline Biver. The rear guard was attacked by the combined armies of Price and Kirby Smith. The battle was sure to be renewed in the morn- ing. The night was stormy and dismal, the rain was falling in torrents and with full banks the river was flood- ing the low lands. Behind was a confident enemy, in front a river that must be bridged by pontoons to enable our army to cross. But few slept that night as the prep- arations went on to meet the emergencies of the critical situation. General Bice with the Twenty-ninth and Thirty-third Iowa, the Fiftieth Indiana, the Ninth and Twenty-eighth Wisconsin, was in command to protect the army as it crossed the swollen river on a single pontoon bridge. TVith the dawn of day the attack began, and hour after hour the conflict went on. Assault after assault was hurled against the Union lines which stood like a granite
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wall between the retreating army and destruction by a sn- perior foe. Nothing could move the gallant command of General Bice from its position, and about noon the enemy withdrew defeated. At two o'clock the last regiment had crossed and the bridge been destroyed, while the army re- sumed its march toward Little Rock. The army was saved by a fearful sacrifice of noble men; eight hundred had fallen in the battle including the gallant General Bice, who was mortally wounded. Captain George S. Bacon of Com- pany C and fifty-nine men of the Twenty-ninth Iowa were left wounded on the field and fell into the hands of the enemy.
The regiment remained at Little Bock nearly a year. On the 9th of February, 1865, it was sent down the river to New Orleans and soon after joined the expedition be- ing fitted out for the capture of Mobile. It took an active part in that campaign and won additional honors in the siege and battles which resulted in the surrender of the city and defensive works. The losses were one killed, seventeen wounded and four captured. On the 13th of April the regiment was sent to Mount Vernon Arsenal and on the way engaged in a running fight with a party of the enemy, one of the last combats of the war. On the 1st of June it was sent to Brazos Santiago, in Texas, and remained until, on the 10th of August, 1865, it was mus- tered out of the service. When the regiment reached Davenport on the 19th it numbered seven hundred sixty- five officers and men, of whom four hundred fifteen only had been originally attached to it. The others were re- cruits of regiments which had been previously disbanded. The efficiency of the Twenty-ninth was largely due to thorough drill and discipline bestowed upon it by Lieu- tenant-Colonel Patterson, who had few superiors as an accomplished soldier and commander. Colonel Benton was not a brilliant military man but he was intelligent, brave and highly esteemed by his regiment.
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THE THIRTIETH IOWA INFANTRY
This regiment was made up of two companies each from the counties of Lee, Davis, Jefferson and Washing- ton and one each from Des Moines and Van Buren. They assembled at Keoknk late in the summer of 1862 and were organized into a regiment with the following officers: Colonel Charles H. Abbott, Lieutenant-Colonel W. M. G. Torrence, Major Lauren Dewey, Adjutant Ed- win Beiner. The regiment, numbering nine hundred sev- enty officers and privates, was mustered into the service on the 23d of September, 1862. After a few weeks drilling in camp it was sent down the river to Helena and, like many previous regiments suffered from sickness in that un- healthy region. The Thirtieth was attached to the Third Brigade of Steele's Division of the Fifteenth Army Corps. This brigade consisted of the Fourth, Ninth, Twenty-sixth, Thirtieth and Thirty-fourth Iowa regiments under tiiecom- mand of General John M. Thayer and was a part of Gten- eral Sherman's army that moved against Vicksburg and was engaged in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou on the 28th and 29th of December. The Thirtieth was not in the dis- astrous assault and lost but four men wounded during the engagement. Failing in his campaign against Vicks- burg General Sherman moved his army down the river and united with General McClemand in the expedition against Arkansas Post. Before the attack Colonel Ab- bott was taken seriously ill and Lieutenant-Colonel Tor- rence was in command of the regiment during the engage- ment. It took a prominent part in the severe fighting and was warmly commended for coolness and courage. Five men were killed and forty wounded, among whom were Captains Creamer and Burk and Lieutenants Creighton and Alexander. Private James W. Smith of Company C acted as adjutant and received the special commendation of Colonel Torrence. The regiment returned with the army to the vicinity of Vicksburg and in April was in the
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Greenville expedition, about a month later returning to Milliken's Bend. It joined the corps near Jackson and participated in the capture of that city and the destruc- tion of the railroad in the vicinity. Soon after it joined the army enfca^ed in the si^e of Yicksburg. In the as- saults of the 19th and 22d of May the Thirtieth bore an active and prominent part. Colonel Abbott led his regi- ment in the desperate attack of May 22d on the enemy's works, making a most heroic effort to pierce the strongly intrenched lines. He was slain with many of his brave men, a superb officer of undaunted courage highly esteemed by his command and associates. All through the investment the regiment rendered valuable service and after the surrender took part in the Jackson cam- paign, returning to Black River where it went into camp. Late in September the Thirtieth, now under Colonel Tor- rence, was sent to Corinth and later to luka to assist in repairing the damaged lines of railroad. While at the latter plae^ Colonel Torrenee sent home to Iowa the tat- tered renmants of the regimental flags which had been carried in all of the marches and battles in which the Thir- tieth had participated.
On the 18th of October it started with the army for Cherokee, Alabama, where on the 21st it met the enemy in battle. The morning was dark and gloomy, with a dense fog, when General Osterhaus moved against the enemy. The mist was so heavy that it was very difficult to distinguish friend from foe. The Third Brigade led the advance and soon met a large force of Confederates under Lee and Eoddy. A steady fire of musketry was opened on both sides lasting for an hour, when the enemy was driven back with heavy loss. The Union army lost about one hundred men, among whom was the gallant Colo- nel Torrenee, who was killed in the thickest of the fight, his body falling into the hands of the Confederates. Soon after his regiment made a fierce charge, driving the enemy in confusion and recovering the body of their colonel. He
[Vol 2]
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was a brave and skillful oflScer who had served in the Mex- ican War and at the beginning of the Bebellion had raised a company for the First Iowa Cavalry. Captain W. H. Randall was also slain^ and Captains H. C. Hall, Joseph Smith, Mathew Clark and Adjutant J. H. Clendening were severely wounded* The loss of the regiment was thirty officers and men. Soon after this battle the division marched to Chattanooga to refinf orce the Army of the Cumberland. Here the Confederate army occupied a strong position on Missionary Bidge under command of (General Braxton Bragg. The Union army under General Grant fought a series of brilliant engagements in this vicinity known as
THB BATTLE OF CHATTANOOGA
General Bosecrans had been defeated at the Battle of Chickamauga and his army saved from disaster by the skill and firmness of General Thomas, who held his posi- tion on the battle-field immovable as the granite rocks, while the commander-in-chief fled with a shattered wreck of the army to Chattanooga for safety. Bosecrans was superseded by General Thomas, and (Jeneral Grant, who had been appointed to the command of the Department of the Mississippi, which embraced the region about Chat- tanooga, proceeded in person to tiiat place on the 23d of October. The Confederate lines extended for six miles from south of ChickamaugaRiver, along Missionary Bidge, across Chattanooga Valley and Lookout Mountain to Lookout Creek on the left. The position was one of great natural strength and was fortified on the sides and summit of the mountains by lines of rifle pits and elaborate earth- works. Early on the morning of November 23d Generals Thomas and Howard moved against the enemy in front of Chattanooga, seizing the first line of works and a range of hills south of them. During the night the position was strongly fortified and artillery planted to sweep the ap- proaches. General German began operations on the left
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CHATTANOOGA.
I g^ Sherman's first position. Oct S). iSd) o Hooker's Corps •tLoobout Ml .No* 1*.
3 -ji Shormtn's Corps mommg. Mo* 94
4 ^ Shorman't Corps avomng. No« 34-
REPCPCNCES
G^A Gr«A|-« H .Quti Nov 13 Se 94. J?
Gon • No* as «&
0«n Now. 16. J^
RcMi^etroat. Nov 1^. -*♦.•••'•
CHATTANOOQA BATTLE FIELDS
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by crossing the river on pontoon boats with 8,000 men and fortifying his position with trenches and rifle-pits. Before noon a pontoon bridge was laid across the river over which the remainder of Sherman's troops crossed and occupied the northern extremity of Missionary Bidge. General Hooker was now fighting one of the most brilliant battles on record among the clouds on Lookout Mountain. Forcing a way among the rocks of the rugged ascent, step by step the men climbed the mountain side, drove the Confederates from their trenches and siezed tiie summit of Lookout.
On the morning of the 25th of November Sherman moved against the enemy's right, (General John M. Corse of Iowa leading the assaulting colunm. His command was soon heavily engaged in a most desperate conflict with varying success. (General Matihies of Iowa, with two bri- gades, was sent to reSnf oree him and the battle raged with great fury. Corse and Matthies were shot down and borne from the field. Gteneral Thomas advanced from the center steadily pushing his lines of veterans up the sides of Mis- sionary Bidge in the face of a most terrific fire of artillery and musketry. Before midnight our army had been suc- cessful at all points. The great battle was won and the Confederate army was in full retreat. In many respects this was the most remarkable victory of the war and one of the most brilliant in history. The Confederate army held a much stronger position than General Meade witii the Union army occupied at Gettysburg. The ground over which Hooker, Thomas and Sherman made their assaults was infinitely more difficult to approach than that at Gettysburg, where the veterans of Longstreet and Pickett made their famous charge. How different the results 1 On these two famous battle-fields of the war, the superior military ability of Grant over Lee is most clearly demon- strated. Grant planned and won a campaign beset with almost insurmountable obstacles. Lee failed where all of the conditions favored his success. Iowa was largely rep-
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resented in the Chattanooga campaign. Onr Fif th. Sixth, Tenth and Seventeenth regiments fought under Sherman on the left ; and no more desperate fighting was done any- where on the field. The Fifth, under Colonel Banbury, lost more than one hundred men. Among the wounded were Major Marshall and Adjutant S. H. M. By^rs, the latter being captured. Lieutenant-Colonel Archer of the Seventeenth was also taken prisoner. Major Ennis of the Sixth was wounded. The Fourth, Ninth, Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth, Thirtieth and Thirty-first Iowa regiments fought under Hooker on the right All of these with the exception of the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth were warmly engaged on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Bidge.
At the Battle of Binggold, fought on the 27th of No- vember, the Thirtieth and several other Iowa regiments lost more heavily than at the battles before Chattanooga. In that engagement Colonel Williamson's Iowa Brigade took a prominent part and contributed largely to the vic- tory after other troops had given way in a disorderly re- treat. Major S. D. Nichols of the Fourth was especially distinguished on that occasion for coolness and courage. The Thirtieth went into camp at Woodville, Alabama, toward the close of the year and remained until the open- ing of the campaign in the spring of 1864. It took a full share of the hard marching and fighting which marked Sherman's advance upon Atlanta and in September went into camp at East Point. Since the death of Colonel Tor- rence the regiment had been under command of lieuten- ant-Colonel Aurelius Roberts, with Robert D. Creamer of Company G promoted to major and James N. Smith, ad- jutant. The Thirtieth joined in the pursuit of Hood and in Sherman's march to the sea. Early in the spring of 1865 it went with the army through the Carolinas and was in the last battle at Bentonsport. It marched with Sher- man's victorious legions to Washington and took part in the grand review. On the 6th of June, 1865, the Thirtieth
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started for Iowa, having been mnstered ont the day before. On the way home the train was thrown from the track and Sergeant Charles C. Bradshaw of Company H was killed and several men were severely injnred. The* regi- ment was disbanded at Davenport
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CHAPTER XXIV
THE THIBTY-FIBST IOWA INFANTBY
OF the companies making up fhis regiment^ A was raised in Linn Connty, B, C and D in Black Hawk County^ E and F in Jackson, G in Cedar and Jones, H in Jones Comity and I and K in Jackson Comity. William Smyth of Linn Comity was commissioned colonel; J. W. Jenkins, lieutenant-colonel; Ezekiel Cutler, major; and E. C. Blackman, adjutant. The companies went into camp at Davenport in the early part of September, 1862, and were mustered into service on the 13th of October, numbering nine hundred seventy men. Early in Novem- ber the regiment was ordered south and reached Helena on the 20th, where it went into camp. It was sent with the Hovey exi)edition to Coldwater Eiver, Mississippi, and two weeks later joined Sherman's army in the Vicksburg campaign. It fought with Hovey *s Brigade in the Battle at Chickasaw Bayou, but was not in the disastrous assault which closed the engagement. Colonel Smyth was not a military man and the thorough drilling of his regiment had been neglected, which for a time detracted somewhat from its eflSciency in the early months of service. The Thirty- first was in the expedition against Arkansas Post and took part in the severe battle which resulted in its capture on the 11th of January, 1863.
The general history of the Thirty-first regiment from this time to the close of Grant's campaign against Vicks- burg is similar to that of the Fourth, Ninth, Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth and Thirtieth regiments already given. In brief, it was in the Greenville expedition, in the battle at Baymond on the 12th of May, marched with that part of
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the army which captured Jackson and from there joined Grant's army before Vicksburg, took part in the bloody assault of May 22d and bore its part in the labors and perils of the siege which f oUowed, until the surrender. It did its duty nobly all through the severe campaign and met with heavy losses. Lieutenant-Colonel Jenkins was among the wounded. Joining the column sent against Jackson the second time, on the 27th of July, it went into camp on the Big Black Biver. Toward the last of Sep- tember the regiment moved with Osterhaus' Division to enter the campaign against Chattanooga. It was engaged in the battles of Lookout Mountain, Missionary Bidge and Binggold, after which the Union army went into winter quarters— the Thirty-first regiment at Woodville, Ala- bama. On the 1st of May it marched to northern Georgia and joined the grand army collected by General Sherman for his famous conquest of the southeastern States. This army now consisted of nearly 70,000 men under (General Thomas known as the Army of the Cumberland; the Army of the Tennessee under General McPherson 24,000 strong; the Army of the Ohio numbering 13,000 under command of General Sehofield; making a total of more than 100,000 men with two hundred fifty-four pieces of ar- tillery. Against this magnificent array of western soldiers, led by some of the most brilliant officers in the service, the Southern Confederacy was only able to gather an army of about 50,000 men which consisted of the corps of Hood, Hardee and Polk and 4,000 cavalry under Wheeler, all under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston, one of the ablest officers in the service. The disparity in numbers was too great for hope of being able to successfully resist the onward march of Sherman through the South.
THJS BATTLE OF BB3ACA
Johnston took a position at Dallas behind a lofty spur of the Alleghanies called Bocky Faced Bidge, through which runs a railway following a gap made by Mill Creek,
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which winds along the opening here calledBnzzard's Boost Gap. On the 7th of May the Army of the Cumberland took a position opposite the Gap on Tnnnel Hill and two days later General Schofield moved down from the north close to Dalton. Demonstrations were made by Hooker and Howard and an engagement of some magnitude took place. General McPherson occupied a strong position in the mountains at Snake Gap. Leaving Howard's Corps to watch the enemy in front of Buzzard's Boost, (General Sherman sent Hooker and Palmer with the Twentieth and Fourteenth Corps to Snake Gap where Schofield was di- rected to join them. On the 12th Sherman's entire army with the exception of Howard's Corps moved from the Gap into a more level country and marched in battle array toward Besaca, where General Johnston was found strong- ly intrenched on a line extending from the Oostanaula above, to the river below the town. Hood's Corps held the right of his position, Hardee the center and Polk the left. McPherson was on the right wing of the Union army, Thomas, the center, and Schofield, the left. The battie opened on the mormng of the 14th. Palmer with his Fourteenth Corps on the left center made a powerful at- tack trying to force the enemy from his strong position. Schofield, with the divisions of Newton and Cox, made a vigorous advance further on the left, driving the Confed- erates from the works. Still further to the left Schofield in person led an attack supported by Howard who had followed the enemy from Dalton. They were repulsed with heavy loss at tiiis point, retreating in confusion. But Hooker came to their aid and drove the Confederates back. Logan's Fifteenth Corps on the right now made a success- ful charge and, crossing Camp Creek, drove the enemy from the rifle pits and gained a commanding position from which he opened an enfilading fire. A furious charge was made to drive him from his position but it was defeated with great slaughter. This ended the first day's battle. On the morning of the 15th Hooker made a fierce as-
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sault on the enemy's right and carried two important posi- tions from which he conld not be dislodged. The battle now became general all along the line. The steady roar of artillery and the incessant rattle of musketry told the desperate nature of the conflict. General E. W. Bice of Iowa, commanding a brigade in (General Dodge's Six- teenth Corps, crossed the Oostanaula below Besaca and making a fierce attack turned the enemy's position at that point. During the night of the 15th the Confederate army retreated. The loss of the Union army in these engage- ments was about eight hundred killed and 4,000 wounded. In addition to the heavy loss of the enemy in killed and wounded 1,000 prisoners and eight guns were captured by General Hooker. The Iowa regiments did not suffer se- verely with the exception of the Seventh which had a sharp engagement at Lay's Ferry. lieutenant-Colonel Jenkins was again severely wounded.
On the 28th the Battle of Dallas was fought. Here Mc- Pherson was attacked and at one time his lines were broken. But Williamson's Iowa Brigade came to the rescue and in a brilliant charge drove the enemy from the field. All through this campaign the Thirty-first Iowa bravely did its part. At Big Shanty and at Kenesaw it was engaged with the enemy, and again at Nickajack Creek. It moved with the army in the flanking movement to Jonesboro and participated in the numerous engage- ments which resulted in the fall of Atlanta. It joined in the march to the sea in November. On the 15th of De- cember, 1864, Colonel Smyth resigned and the command of the regiment devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Jen- kins. In January the regiment moved with the army northward through the Carolinas and participated in the capture of Columbia and the Battle of Bentonsville. In May it reached Washington and was in the grand review of the 24th. The active service of the regiment was ended but it was not mustered out until June 27tli, being at tiiat time stationed at Louisville, Kentucky. Upon its arrival
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at Davenport thousands of citizens assembled and gave it a most cordial welcome. James T. Laae on behalf of the city in an eloquent address expressed the gratitude of the i)eople at home over the return of the war-worn vet- erans and Colonel Jenkins responded on behalf of the regiment. As the remnants of the various companies re- turned to their respective homes the gladness of families and friends was temi)ered with sorrow of the bereaved ones for the brave boys who slept in unmarked graves from Helena to Bentonsville. Of the nine hundred seventy men who, less than three years before had proudly marched away in their country *s service, but three hun- dred seventy were now in the ranks of the returning veter- ans.
THE THIBTY-SECOND IOWA INTANTBY
This regiment was raised in the late summer and early fall of 1862. Company A was recruited in the counties of Hamilton, Wright, Hardin and Kossuth, B in Cerro Gordo, Winnebago and Hancock, C in Black Hawk, D in Boone, E in Butler and Black Hawk, F in Hardin and Grundy, G in Butler and Floyd, H in Franklin and Butler, I in Webster and Humboldt, K in Marshall and Story. The regiment went into camp at Dubuque and was organ- ized with John Scott of Story County, colonel ; E. H. Mix of Butler, lieutenant-colonel ; G. A. Eberhart of Black Hawk, major; and Charles Aldrich of Hamilton, adju- tant The measles in a malignant form broke out in camp and there was much suifering. The regiment numbered nine hundred twenty men when ordered to St. Louis, reach- ing Benton Barracks on the 21st of November. Six com- panies under Colonel Scott were sent by order of General Curtis to New Madrid and the other four companies to Cape Girardeau under command of Major Eberhart. The Reparation of the regiment continued until the spring of 1864 and caused much annoyance, besides being very dis- tasteful to the officers and men. Tlie companies under Ma-
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jor Eberhart were A, commanded by Oaptain L.H. Cutler; Dy Captain Thomas IDe Tarr; F, Captain Joseph Edging- ton, and Qt, Captain C. A. L.Bioszell. They^with a company of Missonri heavy artillery, made up the garrison of Cape Girardeau until tiie spring of 1863. On the 10th of March the garrison was reinforced by the First Nebraska Volun- teers and soon after Major Eberhart marched his detach- ment with a regiment of Wisconsin cavalry and a battery of Missouri artillery to Bloomfield, where it remained un- til the 21st of April. The Confederate General Marma- duke was now threatening Cape Girardeau. General Mc- Neil, commanding the Union forces in the vicinity, marched at once to the threatened town and called in the scattered detachments. The companies under Major Eberhart guarding a train at Dallas marched twenty miles to Jack- son in less than six hours, reaching Cape Girardeau on the morning of the 24th. The next day General Marma- duke with his army 8,000 strong invested the place. At ten o 'clock that night he sent an officer with a flag of truce demanding unconditional surrender. General McNeil de- clined and prepared for a vigorous defense. The attack began at ten o'clock on Sunday morning. An artillery duel ensued lasting until two o'clock, when the Confed- erates withdrew with considerable loss just as General Vandever came down the river with regnforoements for McNeil. Major Eberhart occupied a position on the right supporting a battery and lost but one man captured. Gen- eral McNeil pursued the Confederate army some distance. Major Eberhart 's command remained at Cape Girardeau until the 11th of July, then marched to Bloomfield, where it was attached to the reserve brigade of a cavalry divi- sion of the Department of Missouri and began the cam- paign which ended with the capture of Little Bock.
On the ISth our detachment was sent on three gun- boats up the White Eiver. It ascended the Little Bed Biver to the town of Searcy, there destroying a pontoon bridge and capturing two steamers. On the return the
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little fleet was attacked by three hundred Confederates who directed their principal fire on the prize ** Kaskas- kia,'* which was manned by half of Company D, under command of Lieutenant W. D. Templin. The crew made a gallant defense driving the assailants off with heavy loss.
A large quantity of public property was destroyed and some prisoners captured by this expedition. At a heavy skirmish at Bayou Metoe on the 27th the detachment of the Thirty-second Iowa lost one killed and two wounded. Re- turning to Duvall 's Bluff it had charge for a time of more than ly2iMj sick soldiers and on the 10th and 11th of Sep- tember moved on to Little Rock, having the care of more than a regiment of sick and wounded. Remaining there until the last of January, 1864, it was sent to Memphis and from there taken down the river and attached to the Division of General A. J. Smith. On the 27th of February it marched out to Black River to await the return of the army operating in the interior.
Returning now to that portion of the regiment under the command of Colonel Scott, which had been sent to New Madrid, we find that it was kept there to garrison the post and prevent contraband trade with Arkansas. On the 17th of December, 1862, Colonel Scott sent out a party of one hundred men under Captain Peebles as far as St. Francis River which gathered up valuable public property and brought in several prisoners. On the 28th of December upon order of Brigadier-Gteneral Thomas A. Davies, Colo- nel Scott spiked the siege guns, destroyed the other pub- lic property and evacuated the post at New Madrid. He was very reluctant to execute the order as he felt confident of his ability to hold the place against any force likely to be sent against it. But the order was peremptory and General Fisk whom he consulted, assured Colonel Scott that Davies had authority from General Curtis who had command of the Department. Under these circumstances Scott obeyed the order and moved the garrison to Fort
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Pillow. General Carr preferred charges against Colonel Scott and a si>ecial conunission was convened to investi- gate the facts in the premises. On the 26th of February, 1863, the commission made a report fully exonerating Colonel Scott from all blame or censure for his action in the affair and decided that he did right in obeying the order of (General Davies. The command remained at Fort Pillow for nearly six months doing garrison duty and go- ing on scouting expeditions into the interior. On the 17th and 18th of June the regiment embarked in detach- ments for Columbus, Kentucky, where it remained for about seven months. Colonel Scott being in command of the post most of the time. Union City, Tennessee, was taken by the enemy on the 10th of July and our command hastened to its relief, but the Confederates made a rapid retreat and were not overtaken.
The regiment was again divided into detachments which were scattered about in various places. In the month of January, 1864, six companies were again brought together and embarked for Vicksburg, where they were assigned to the Second Brigade of General A. J. Smith's Division. They were in an expedition sent to destroy rail- roads and public property belonging to the Confederates and were engaged in several skirmishes. Captain Peebles, while in command of a foraging party of twenty-five men belonging to Company C, was attacked by three hundred mounted Confederates and lost eight out of twenty-one wagons and one man killed. Upon returning to Vicksburg the regiment was greatly rejoiced to find Major Eberhart with the four companies, so long absent on detached ser- vice, and for the first time since November, 1862, the whole command was together. Colonel Scott issued a special order in which he warmly congratulated the regiment upon its reunion after long separation and the gallant services rendered by all. He closed with an eloquent trib- ute to those who had met death on the march, in battle or hospitals. Soon after came the order transferring the
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OPERATIONS OF SHAW'S " IROR BRIGADE. ••
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BATTLE FIELD OP PLEASANT HILL
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command to the Department of the Gnlf nnder command of Major-Qeneral Nathaniel P. Banks of Massachusetts. General Banks had been a prominent politician, a member of Congress, Speaker of the House and Governor of the State, a Whig and later a Republican. He was an am- bitious man and had many admirers who hoped some day to see him President. He was a favorite with many in- fluential politicians and when the war began was one of the many civilians who was promoted to high rank in the army while experienced soldiers, educated in military af- fairs, had to slowly win their way to commands by merit on the field of battle. This eminent politician was the man who organized and led the Bed Biver Exi)edition to disastrous and disgraceful defeat
With a fine army of experienced veteran soldiers led mostly by able, brave and accomplished ofl&cers, the com- mander came near sacrificing the entire army. The splendid fighting of the western soldiers under their trust- ed and heroic leaders, alone saved the expedition from a greater disaster than any that befell a Union army dur- ing the war. It has already been related how, on tiie 9th of April while the narrow roadway leading to the front, where the Confederate army was lying, was obstructed by a long wagon train, our advance regiments were attacked and cut to pieces at Sabine Cross Beads. Begnf orcements were sent, a division at a time and shared the same fate, until more than 2,000 men had been sacrificed, artillery and wagon trains captured and the whole army in wild retreat
THE BATTLE OF PLEASANT HILL
Fif te^i miles from the field of carnage the army halted ; General A. J. Smith had come up with his fresh troops and General Banks decided to make a stand. A line was formed consisting of the First Brigade of the 19th Corps on the right; Second Brigade in the center, supported by Shaw's Brigade in which was the Thirty-second Iowa;
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Third Brigade on the left. There was skirmishing dur- ing the morning but the heavy fighting did not begin nntil near four o'clock when a tremendous cannonade opened upon our lines, followed soon after by a cavalry charge. Senator W. V. Allen of Nebraska, then a private in Com- P^uiy G, gives the following graphic account of what fol- lowed:
"The cloud of Bmoke from our guns hung for a moment in the hreea^ then rose, repeal ing to us the sidcening sight of riders and horses lying in a promiscuous heap of dead and dying. Their warm life-blood was form- ing little pools, which uniting, ran away in streams, while the pitiful neighing of dying horses, and the sorrowful cries and appeals of the dying soldiers for help and water was a sight to make the soul sick. While we were contemplating this horrible picture there debouched from the oppo- site woods three strong lines of infantry, the divisions of ChurchiU, Par- sons and l^Iajors, with wings spread out like a great fan. Their bayonets were fixed ready for use and they carried their guns at right shoulder shift. It was our time to turn pale. There were two of them to one of us, three strong lines to our single line. They broke forth in the ' Rebel yell,' which was simply a cheer from fine voiced men, a high piercing noise like the call of a woman made at a long distance. It differed from the cheer of our men, which was heavier, heartier and more uniform. They brushed aside our skirmishers and dropped their guns to the position of a charge. Th^ were to fall upon and crush in our center by the fury of their assault and the machine strength of numbers, while other portions of their army were to envelope, overlap and crush our flanks, and thus rout if not capture our entire army. Their success the previous day had made this, to their minds, not an impossible feat. Banks, always fruitful in blunders, had sent back to Grand Ecore a large part of the Thirteenth Ck>rps and all our cavalry except one brigade, which being roughly handled early in the fight was unfit for (tensive service when needed; so that when the enemy struck us in full force with his assaulting columns, we were weakened fully one-fourth by this reduction of our numbers. We were ordered to shield ourselves as best we could from the enemy's fire, and reserve our own, until he approached within a few rods of us. The chival- rous Shaw was at his best. His usually dull eye kindled with an unnatural fire, and his unusually homely countenance grew almost beautiful in con- templation of the death struggle that was at hand. He rode along the line giving his orders as coolly as if on dress parade. ' Aim low, boys ; it is better to wound than to kill, for it will take two good men to carry a wounded man from the field,' he said. Above the din of the gathering storm, again rang out the voice of Shaw as the Rd>els approached us.
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' Fix bayonets/ he said, and in an instant every man's bayonet waa ready for use. The Rebels were upon us. The noise of 1,600 Springfield rifles rang out in unison as 1,600 minie balls sped into the enemy's ranks to do their deadly work. Re was strong and stepped, but rallied and again re- newed the assault with additional fury. Another volley thrown full and fair into his ranks caused the enemy to reel and stagger Ukt a drunken man, but he rallied to renew the attack. The assault waa repeated and another made, this time along parts of the line the bayonet was used; but each as- sault was repulsed with great loss of life and limb on both sides. So the fighting went on, on other parts of the field. Our ri|^t wing waa crushed in and driven back to the reserves, and this made it necessary to retire Shaw's Brigade a distance to keep a connected line. The order was given, and the Twenly-fourth Missouri, Fourteenth and Twenty-seventh Iowa drew bade, but Adjutant Charlie Huntley, brave as a lion and mild as a woman, while bringing the order to the Thiriy-sec<md was killed, and the order never reached the regiment. Having previously cnrders to hold the position at all hazards there was but one thing for Ck)lonel Scott to do, and that was to hold his position unless wrenched from him by the enemy. The regi- ment at our left had been withdrawn, leaving both fianks of ours exposed. For more than an hour this r^;iment alone was fighting ten times its number. Everywhere in front, on the flanks and in the rear the contest raged with great fury and loss of life. Nowhere in ancient or modem warfare can be found an instance of more heroism than was here ex- hibited. Up to this time the enemy had been the assailant^ but now that he was weakened, the time came for us to take the offensiva General Smith had made all preparations to receive the advancing foe; and as the human tide came rolling up the hill, almost to the muzzle of his guns, a sheet of flame flashed along his lines and swept the front like the besom of destruction. Hundreds fell dead and dying before that awful fire. Scarcely had the seething lead left the guns when the word ' charge ' was given and 7,000 men precipitated themselves upon the shattered ranks of the enemy. Emory's division was pushed forward and joined the Six- teenth Corps, driving the Rebels rapidly down the hill to the woods, where they broke and fled in confusion. The victory was won, and our troq[w followed the enemy imtil night put an end to the pursuit."
Then was rei)eated the stnpid blunder perpetrated by McClellan after the Battle of Malvern Hill. A sweeping victory had been won by his subordinate officers and su- perb soldiers and the only demoralized man in the army was the commander-in-chief, who ordered a retreat. So it was with Banks at Pleasant Hill, after his army by nn-
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STirpassed valor had redeemed the disastrous rout and slaughter of the day before by a hard won victory, he ordered a retreat, abandoning his wounded officers and men and leaving the dead unburied. The Confederate army fled in one direction while Banks hurried his army away in the opposite direction. When GteneraJ Dick Tay- lor learned the next day of Banks' flight he faced his beaten army about, returned to the battle-field, took our wounded men prisoners and claimed a victory. But what of the heroic Thirty-second on that fateful day? When its supporting regiments were withdrawn and no order came to Scott to retire, there was but one thing to do- fight to the end. Lieutenant-Colonel Mix and Captain A. B. Miller holding the right of the regiment, fell mortally wounded and three companies gave way before over- whelming numbers. The lines now faced in three direc- tions while a destructive fire was rapidly thinning the ranks. Captains Peebles and Ackerman, Lieutenants De- vine and Howard had fallen dangerously wounded. The sun had gone down and the enemy had passed on to the rear. Colonel Scott was now able to move his regiment to the left, where it joined our most advanced troops. The loss of the regiment was two hundred ten men out of four hundred twenty, or one-half of the entire number that had answered to the roll call in the morning. It was a larger per cent, than that suffered by the famous '^ Light Brigade '^ in its charge at Balaklava. General Banks in his official report of the battle did not even mention Shaw's Brigade, which by its heroic fighting and fearful sacrifice, saved the army from utter rout. Neither did he mention an Iowa regiment. But he did a few months later secure the dismissal from the service of the gallant and fearless Colonel Shaw for daring to tell the truth about some of the drunken and cowardly officers high in command at Pleasant Hill. But impartial history rights many wrongs. Greeley's ** American Conflict '* says:
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"Shaw'8 Brigade moved forward and took its position in front, and the brunt of the fighting fell on this gallant brigade. It oould hardly have found one more able and willing to meet it."
The brigade lost five hundred men, more by far than any other in the battle. It covered the retreat to Grand Ecore. In the retreat from Alexandria the Thirty-second regiment had several engagements with the enemy. Colonel Scott resigned on the 27th of May, 1864, and was succeeded by Colonel Eberhart. From June to November the regiment was in various expeditions in Tennessee and Missouri and later moved to NashviUe and joined the army of General Thomas. It took part in the great battle of December 15th and 16th and captured a battery of five guns and many prisoners, losing twenty-five men. Its next im- portant service was in the campaign against Mobile early in 1865; in which additional honors were won for duty faithfully performed upon all occasions. It remained in Alabama several months after the fall of Mobile and was mustered out of the service at Clinton, Iowa, on the 24th of August.
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CHAPTEE XXV
THE THIETY-THIBD IOWA INFANTRY
SAMUEL A. EICE, formerly Attorney-General of Iowa, was largely instnunental in securing the enlistment of the men who formed the Thirty-third regiment Companies A, G and I were raised in Marion County, B, F and H in Eeoknk County, and C, D, E and K in Mahaska County. The regiment was organized in August, 1862, and went into camp at Oskaloosa, numbering nine hun- dred eighty men. Samuel A. Bice was commissioned colo- nel; Cjrrus H. Mackay, lieutenant-colonel; Hiram D. Gib- son, major, and F, F. Burlock, adjutant. On the 20th of November the regiment started south, stopping at St Louis, where it remained until December 21 when sent to Columbus, Kentucky. On the 1st of January, 1863, the Thirty-third was sent to assist in defending Union City which was threatened, but no attack was made and it re- turned to Columbus. On the 8th the command went down the river to Helena, Arkansas, where it suffered the mis- ery of that unhealthf ul camp until February 9, when join- ing the expedition to the Yazoo Pass, for two weeks it as- sisted in clearing the channel, then went with the army to Fort Pemberton. Upon the return to Helena, Colonel Bice on the 11th of June, was placed in charge of a bri- gade composed of the Twenty-ninth, Thirty-third, Thirty- sixth Iowa regiments and the Thirty-third Missouri and never after returned to his regiment, which was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mackay from that time.
THB BATTLE OF HELENA
Ideutenant-General Holmes had succeeded in assem- bling a Confederate army over 15,000 strong for the pur-
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pose of captnrmg Helena. Under ]iis command were the troops of Price, Marmaduke, Parsons and Shelby. Hel- ena is situated on low level ground and on the west is a ridge of hills a quarter of a mile distant broken by deep ravines into numerous elevations. The valleys open to- ward the town and all of these approaches were com- manded by guns of Fort Curtis. But beyond the fort was still higher ground upon which were four batteries of light artillery, each on a commanding elevation from which the guns could sweep in all directions and con- nected by rifle pits for infantry. The low ground on both flanks of this line of fortifications was protected by rifle pits and batteries of ten-pound Parrotts and six and twelve-pound brass cannon. The public roads leading into the town had been obstructed by fallen trees. The effect- ive force of the garrison was about 3,800 men. The gun- boat ** Tyler '^ was lying in the Mississippi near Helena and rendered valuable assistance during the entire en- gagement. The garrison was aroused at two o'clock on the 4th of July, 1863, by the approach of the Confederate army and the various commands were assigned to posi- tions. The battle was opened by artillery upon both flanks of our army at about half -past four and both wings were soon engaged. It soon became evident that the plan of the Confederate commander was to concentrate his main assault on the center of the Union defenses, break through the line, then taking the two wings in turn throw them into confusion. Holmes and Price directed the at- tacks upon batteries D and C simultaneously, but were met with a fire which hurled them back with broken ranks. These were reformed, heavily reinforced and again pressed forward for the assault. Again they were re- pulsed with heavy loss and sought shelter in the ravines and among fallen trees. A dense fog now settled over the field and for an hour the conflict was suspended. As the mist cleared away, three regiments were seen advancing upon battery C, tiie bayonets glistening in the sunlight as
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they moved over the low ridges. The artillery opened upon them doing great execution but not checking their progress ; on they came with the fierce ** Rebel yell '* and captured the battery. The artillerymen and infantry fell back in some confusion but rallied at the foot of the hill and acted as sharpshooters to protect the gunners of the principal work, I'ort Curtis. Against this fort now came the exultant enemy, shouting and cheering, confident of victory. Five twenty-four pounder siege guns and one thirty-two pounder columbiad now opened upon the black mass of men as it swept up the hill. The broadside of the gunboat *^ Tyler '^ sent a storm of bursting shells into the moving column. The vast surging crowd was riddled and torn with the unceasing shower of death-dealing mis- siles. At last horror-stricken with the sight of heads, limbs and mangled bodies left, torn and bleeding on every side by the storm of iron, the Confederates turned and fled. In front the officers attempted to rally the men but the roar of cannon and the deadly fire of our sharp- shooters made it impossible. Our infantry and dismount- ed cavalry now swept over the hills driving the enemy and capturing many prisoners. At eleven o'clock the battle was won and the Confederate army in full retreat toward Little Rock. This brilliant defense of Helena under the direction of General Salomon of Wisconsin, was over- shadowed by the great victories of Vicksburg and Gettys- burg coming at the same time and did not receive the attention it deserved. The Iowa troops who fought here were the Third Battery, Captain Hayden; Twenty-ninth Regiment, Colonel Benton; Thirty-third, Colonel Mackay; Thirty-sixth, Colonel Kittridge; Colonel Rice command- ed a brigade. No regiment did better service during the engagement than the Thirty-third. It had the most ex- posed position and sujBfered the greatest loss of any in the battle. The next service in the field was with the ex- pedition against Little Rock, where after the capture of the city, the regiment remained until March, 1864. It was
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in the campaign against Camden, sharing in its hardships and battles, in Bice's Brigade. As an account of this fruitless and disastrous expedition has been given in an- other place it is not necessary to follow our regiment through the long march, though it may be said that it never shirked a duty and in all respects did honor to the State it represented. At the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry where the beloved brigade commander received his fatal wound, the soldiers of his old regiment fought bravely, winning new honors. The loss in killed, wounded and missing was one hundred twenty nine. Among the se- verely wounded was Colonel Mackay who was obliged to relinquish the command to Captain Boydston. Captain P. T. Totten and Lieutenant T. B. Connor were mortally wounded and Captain Comstock, lieutenant De Garmo and Kindig were severely injured. Major Gibson re- signed on the 22d of April while at Camden and, return- ing with the command which was defeated at Mark's Mills, was there captured and suffered great hardships in cap- tivity.
During the retreat of the army to Little Bock the Thirty-third suffered severely. It remained there during the summer under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel John Loffland who was on the 18th of August, 1863, pro- moted from captain of Company D. In February, 1865, it left Little Bock and was transferred to the Depart- ment of the Gulf and participated in that last brilliant campaign which closed with the capture of Mobile. From there it was sent to New Orleans, and there on the 17th of July, 1865, was mustered out of the service. Through the fortunes of war it did far more than its share of irk- some garrison duty, so distasteful to young and active soldiers, and was deprived of participation in many bril- liant campaigns and glorious victories, which fell to the lot of other Iowa regiments. But in almost three years of faithful service it made a record that reflects honor upon
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GEN. S. L. GLASGOW COL. J. A. GARRETT
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the State which sent it into the field; and left hundreds of its brave men in Southern graves.
THE THIRTY-FOURTH TOWA INFANTRY
This regiment was raised in August, 1862, in response to the call of the President for volunteers, issued July 2 of that year, immediately after the disastrous defeat of McClellan's army in the Richmond campaign. A long and terrible civil war was now seen to be inevitable and 300,- 000 more soldiers must reinforce our defeated armies in the field. It was the supreme test of patriotism and nobly did the loyal citizens respond. This Iowa regi- ment was full and in camp in less than sixty days from the date of the President's proclamation. Companies A and I were from Decatur County, Companies B, C, D and H, from Warren, Companies E, Qt and K, from Lucas, Clark and Marion and Company F from Wayne County. They went into camp at Burlington numbering nine hun- dred fifty-three men, where the regiment was organized in September by the appointment of George W. Clark of Warren County, colonel.; W. S. Dungan of Lucas, lieu- tenant-colonel; R. D. Kellogg of Decatur, major; and W. W. Bryant of Warren, adjutant. While at Camp Lauman the measles broke out among the men and not less than six hundred of them were afflicted with the disease. On the 22d of November the regiment embarked on a steamer and going down the Mississippi arrived at that desolate and unhealthy rendezvous Helena, Arkansas. Soon after landing the smallpox appeared and before it was subdued several men died. The regiment was assigned to Thayer's Brigade of Steele's Division and joined General Sherman's army which was about to enter upon the Vicksburg campaign. In that expedition the Thirty-fourth bore its full share. The bloody repulse at Chickasaw Bluff proved that Vicks- burg was far too strong to be taken by assault and fur-
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ther operations against it were abandoned. The hard- ships of the campaign and the great amonnt of sickness that afflicted the regiment had sadly iMnned the ranks by death and discharge for disability and cast a shadow over the spirits of the survivors. These were among the darkest days of its history when the grave was closing over the forms of so many comrades who left their homes in robust health but a few months before. They were realizing that the terrible ravages of war were not con- fined to battle-fields and loathsome prisons. But the gloom soon gave way to tiie excitement of the coming con- flict General McClemand was marshaling his army for the capture of Arkansas Post and this regiment was among those who took an active part in the operations which brought a brilliant victory. Soon after the Thirty-fourth was sent on an expedition attended with great suffering. Colonel Clark was ordered with his own regiment and five companies of the One Hundred and Thirteenth Illinois, to guard and convey to Chicago 5,000 prisoners taken in the recent battles. But three poorly equipped steam- boats were provided and into them were crowded 6,500 human beings. Ingersoll says of this trip :
''Fuel had to be coUected along the river as it could be found. The voyage from Arkansas Poet to St. Louis occupied two weeks, every mo- ment of which was miserable beyond expression to every man on the more than crowded boats. As if to bring our devoted command to the very depth of misery, smallpox in its most loathsome form attacked the prisoners. When the little fleet at last reached St. Louis the men had suffered all the horrors of the ' middle passage.' "
General McClemand, responsible for crowding men worse than a humane man would crowd cattle on a voyage to the shambles, was scarcely less blameworthy than those who tortured our prisoners at Andersonville. Colonel Clark, who had seen suffering on many battle- fields, declared that the human suffering during this trip exceeded anything he had ever witnessed. Leaving his
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sick at St. Louis, Colonel Clark proceeded by rail with the prisoners to Chicago. When his command returned to Benton Barracks, it was utterly prostrated. Colonel Clark said ** We were the most sickly, depressed and melancholy set of soldiers I ever saw. During the follow- ing month the mortality in the regiment was frightfuL'* Many were discharged for disability and the raiment was but a wreck of its original strengtii. During the stay at St. Louis Captain Gardner, Lieutenants Dilley and Block- well, with seventy men, escorted several hundred prisoners to City Point, Virginia. At this time the number of men fit for duty in the regiment did not exceed three hundred out of nine hundred fifty three— its original strength. Late in April the Thirty-fourth was moved to Pilot Knob, where Colonel Clark took command of the post and Lieutenant-Colonel Dungan commanded the regi- ment. Here in a healthful and pleasant camp, the sick be- gan to recover and it was not long before the number fit for duty reached four hundred. On the 3d of June the regiment was ordered to embark to join General Grant 's army then besieging Vicksburg. It was placed on the extreme left of the line of investment and remained on duty until the surrender of the Confederate army. Its loss during the siege was four killed and six wounded. In July the Thirty-fourth accompanied General Herron^s Di- vision on an expedition to Yazoo City—fifty miles from tiie mouth of the river. On the morning of the 16th Gen- eral Herron began a march across the country in the di- rection of Canton to protect the rear and flank of General Sherman's army then besieging Jackson. He crossed the Big Black Eiver at Moore's Ferry and found that Gteneral Johnston had evacuated the city the night previous. Her- ron returned to Vicksburg on the 21st, having captured during his absence three hundred prisoners, six pieces of heavy artillery, 1,000 horses and mules, 2,000 bales of cot- ton and one steamer, while causing the destruction of five others. The heat was intense on the march and many sol-
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diers of the Thirty-fourth were prostrated by sun-stroke. The next movement was down the Mississippi toPortHud- son, where the regiment remained three weeks, from there proceeding to the beautiful and healthful encampment among the grand live-oaks of Carrollton, just above New Orleans, where the Thirteenth Corps was waiting. While here the army was reviewed by Generals Grant and Banks. On the 7th of September the regiment was sent to Mor- ganza, a small town above Port Hudson, where it remained a month. At the engagement near Sterling Farm on the 29th of September, which resulted in the defeat and cap- ture of the Nineteenth Iowa, tiie Twenty-sixth Indiana and other troops under lieutenant-Colonel Leake, the Thirty-fourth lost lieutenant Walton, five men captured and one mortally wounded. On the 25th of October the regiment embarked with the army for Brazos Santiago, Texas, and after moving from place to place finally joined General Washburn's expedition against Fort Esperanza. The fort was attacked on the last day of Novanber and, after several hours' defense, the enemy at night spiked the guns, blew up the magazine and escaped. The regiment remained in that vicinity for nearly five months. On the 20th of April, 1864, the army embarked for New Orleans and was at once sent to reinforce General Banks at Alex- andria. It joined in the retreat and was in camp at Baton Eouge for six weeks. In July orders came to Colonel Clark directing him to join the army ordered to Virginia. But when the regiment reached Algiers its destination was changed and it joined (General Granger's expedition against the forts at Mobile Bay. The forces under (Gen- eral Granger landed on Dauphin Island the 2d of August and marched to within two miles of Fort Gaines, where they threw up intrenchments. The object of tiie expedi- tion, codperating with the navy, was the capture of the forts which commanded the entrance to Mobile Bay. There were three forts protecting the city of Mobile from attack by our naval fleet under Admiral Parragut Fort Gkunes
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on the east end of Danphin Island^ Fort Morgan three miles east of Gaines on the western extremity of Mobile Point, a peninsula from the main land of Alabama. These two forts completely commanded the channel through which ships must pass to enter the bay and reach the city. The channel west of Dauphin Island could only be used for vessels of light draft and this was commandcKl by Fort Powell.
CAPTURE OF FORTS GAINBS AND MORGAN
Admiral Farragut, with a fleet of fourteen wooden ves- sels and four iron clads, on the morning of August Sth, ran by the forts into Mobile Bay and attacking the Con- federate fleet, soon vanquished the ram ** Tennessee,*' captured thegunboat **Selma,** drove the ** Gaines** ashore and drove the ^ ^ Morgan * * into shallow water where it could not be followed. In the meantime the land forces under Granger were steadily pushing their earthworks within short range of Fort Gaines, which on the morning of the 8th was forced to surrender. The Union army now moved from Dauphin Island and formed across the peninsula three mUes in the rear of Fort Morgan. This fort had been constructed under the direction of the best engineers in the army, was exceedingly strong, and mounted forty- six guns. General Page, its commander, had boasted that he could hold out six months against any force that could be brought against it. Fort Powell had been destroyed but Fort Morgan proved to be so formidable that General Granger was obliged to send to New Orleans for heavier artillery and begin a regular siege. On the 20th of Au- gust he had thirty-four heavy guns in position and all preparations completed for bombardment. The army gradually approached the fort until within five hundred yards of the works and on the morning of the 22d at day- light opened fire. The squadron three miles out in the Gidf threw solid shot and shell with great accuracy. The fire from the ships and monitors and the captured ram ** Ten-
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nessee '^ within the bay was constant and terrible, while the mortars and heavy guns on land ponred in a steady storm of missiles. Solid shot went crashing through earth and masonry, followed by shell bursting open and tearing wide the fractures they had made ; the terrible work con- tinued all day with unabated fury. At night the fleet re- tired but the army kept up a continuous fire. About ten o'clock flames burst from the citadel which had been fired by our shells. At midnight on the 23d a signal of sur- render appeared on the fort and the firing at once ceased Negotiations were oi>ened with the commander of the fort and at two o'clock in the afternoon the formal surrender took place, in the presence of the Thirty-fourth Iowa. This regiment under Colonel Clark marched up to the front of the fort, the band playing ** Hail Columbia,'' formed in line of battle, as the Confederates marched out, stacked arms, the officers surrendering their swords. The Confederate flag was hauled down and the Stars and Stripes run up. It was just three weeks from the time the army had first landed on Dauphin Island that the fort sur- rendered. In that time it had with the aid of the navy captured three forts, nearly a hundred heavy guns, 1,500 prisoners and destroyed a formidable fleet of the enemy. On the 16th of September the Thirty-fourth regiment was sent to New Orleans and from there to Morganza, where it remained for about three weeks. Colonel Clark and Lieutenant-Colonel Dungan being absent on other duties, Major Kern was left in command of the regiment. Dur- ing a skirmish with the enemy in this vicinity lieutenant Walton was severely wounded. On the 12th of November, 1864, an order was issued reducing the regiment, now numbering less than half the maximuTn, to a battalion of five companies. The major, adjutant, and several other officers were consequently mustered out On the 12th of December this battalion was consolidated with the Thirty- eighth and the regiment thus formed was called the Thirty-fourth, Colonel Clark and Lieutenant-Colonel Dun-
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gan remained in their offices. It now numbered nine hun- dred fifty men. The next important duty of the regiment was with the army of General Canby against Mobile. It participated in the siege and assault of Blakely and lost three killed and nine wounded, was afterward sent to Gal- veston and Houston, in Texas, and mustered out of service at the latter place on the 15th of August^ 1865, reaching Davenport on the 29th where it met with a most cordial reception. During the term of service this regi- ment had traveled more than 15,000 miles.
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CHAPTER XXVI
THJBJ THIRTY-FIFTH IOWA INFANTRY
THE county of Muscatine raised eight com- panies for this regiment and Cedar County furnished the other two. They went into camp on Muscatine Island late in the fall of 1862, numbering nine hundred fifty-seven men. Sylvester G. Hill was appointed colo- nel ; James H. Eothrock, lieutenant-colonel; Henry O'Con- nor, major ; and Frederick L. Dayton, adjutant. The regi- ment was sent to Cairo in November and during the winter performed duty at Columbus, Kentucky, Mound City and Island Number Ten. In 1863 the regiment joined the be- sieging army before Vicksburg. After the fall of that city it was with tiie army of observation on the Black River and moved with the army against Jackson, returning to Vicks- burg. About this time Lieutenant-Colonel Rothrock and Major O'Connor resigned and were succeeded by Captains W. B. Keeler and Abraham John. In November the regi- ment moved to Memphis, and served in Tennessee during the remainder of the year. In March, 1864, it joined the army under Gteneral A. J. Smith in the Department of the Gulf, to take part in the Bed Biver campaign. Colonel Hill was now in command of a brigade in General Mower's Division and Lieutenant-Colonel Keeler commanded the regiment.
On the 22d of March the Thirty-fifth Iowa and the Thir- ty-third Missouri regiments were sent to capture a post at Henderson's Mill, forty miles from Alexandria. It was a cold stormy day of alternate rain and hail, the mud was deep and night found the troops a long distance from their destination. They pushed on, however, through the dark-
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ness and rain. Lieutenant-Colonel Keeler and his regiment making a detour of the place effected a complete surprise. There was a short, sharp struggle and the post was cap- tured with three hundred fifty prisoners, four pieces of ar- tillery, caissons, horses and other property. The captured guns were named ** Keeler^s Battery '^ in honor of Lieu- tenant-Colonel Keeler then in command of the regiment. The regiment was heavily engaged at the Battle of Pleasant Hill on the 9th of April and met with heavy loss. Captain Henry Blank was killed and Lieutenant Dugan was mortally wounded. It fought with the greatest cour- age on that bloody field and retreated with reluctance by order of a demoralized commander-in-chief after a hard won victory. At the Battle of Yellow Bayou on the 18th of May the regiment was actively engaged and lost about forty men in killed and wounded. Here Captain Bur- meister received a fatal wound and young Frederick Hill, the colonel's son, a brave and generous youth, fell dead by his father's side. Five days after the battle the regiment went into camp at Vicksburg, having lost on the Bed River campaign, nearly one hundred oflScers and men in killed and wounded. On the 4th of June the troops were moved up the river on transports. Two days later was fought the Battle of Old Red River which was a short, severe, combat resulting in the defeat of the enemy. It was here that the Thirty-fifth won additional fame. Coming suddenly upon the enemy in strong force it never wavered for a moment, but stood like a wall to its position, losing twenty men in the short time the engagement lasted. Major Abraham J. John was mortally wounded and died the same evening ; his death was mourned by the entire regiment. Captain William Dill was very severely injured. The Thirty-fifth next proceeded to Memphis and joined the column under Smith which soon after defeated Forrest at the Battle of Tupelo. In this engagement the Thirty-fifth lost in killed and wounded thirty-eight men. It returned to Memphis with the army and took part in the Oxford expedition.
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About the last of August the regiment was again in Mem- phis and early in September was moved to Brownsville in Arkansas, where it joined the army in the pursuit of Price, first in Arkansas and later in Missouri. In this campaign it marched several hundred miles. Many of the soldiers were without shoes and all of them destitute of sufficient food and clothing. The suffering of the army was very great in the long marches through the States of Arkansas and Missouri. Betuming to St. Louis about the middle of November, on the 23d, the regiment with General Smithes troops marched to re6nf orce the army of General Thomas in Tennessee.
THE BATTLE OF NASHVILLE
When the Confederate General Hood crossed the Ten- nessee River, General Thomas was but poorly prepared to meet him. The Battle of Franklin had been fought on the 30th of November and was practically a Union victory al- though General Schofield abandoned the field. It checked, however, the advance of the Confederate army and damp- ened its ardor, but after a brief pauseGeneralHood pushed on and threatening a wide extent of country, invested NashviUe. General Thomas at once began to call in all of the garrisons from points within reach and put his cavalry in good fighting condition. There was great activity and often heavy skirmishing all along the lines from a short distance below Nashville to Chattanooga on the Tennessee River. At Nashville the Cumberland River makes a sharp bend north and within this bend on the south side the city- stands. South of the city and two or three miles distant. General Thomas had posted his army behind strong earth- works. General Hood took a position on a range of hills about two miles beyond and extended his lines from the river on his right to the river on his left Here he began to fortify, after making a slight demonstration, merely feeling our position and sending his cavalry to cut our lines of commxmication and harass our army.
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On the morning of the 14th Thomas issned orders for a general attack on the Confederate position^ The flanks of the Union Army rested on the Cmnberland and were cov- ered by gunboats. The right was heavily supported by cavalry. A body of colored troops held the left under command of General Steadman. General Thomas' plan was to demonstrate boldly on the left but to deliver his real attack from the right. Steadman moved a heavy force of white and black troops imder General Cruft against the enemy on the morning of the 15th. They made an impet- uous attack causing Hood to heavily reenf orce his left and the assailants were repulsed with heavy loss.
Soon the plan of General Thomas began to develop. Smith advanced on the right, supported by Wood and cov- ered by cavalry under Wilson; the whole right wing made a grand left wheel, sweeping like an avalanche over the enemy !s left wing. The first line was quickly crushed, the batteries stormed and carried, his position flanked and his whole line doubled up in the greatest confusion. Our cav- alry dismounting joined in the charge and it was not long before the whole left wing was hopelessly broken. Hood saw the mistake he had made in sending his masses to the left and now hurried long lines of infantry and artillery from that part of his lines to support the center. He still held a strong position, protected by breastworks, fringed with rifle pits and abatis and brisiling with artillery that swept all approaches. Smith prudently halted to recon- noiter. Wood came up on his left, Schofield swung round to his right, the cavalry being still to the right of him and well on to the enemy's rear.
The army made a further advance, feeling the enemy's position under a heavy fire of artillery and musketry and about nightfall Wood made a splendid dash against a bat- tery, and carrying it, closed the battle for the day. Many guns and a large number of prisoners had been captured and so far Thomas had been successful. During the night both armies made disposition for renewing the battle the
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next day. Hood drew back his right center and right wing so as to straighten the new line he had been forced to form. It was now about two miles in the rear of his original Jine and but half as long. He occupied the crests of closely wooded hills, with a line about three miles in length, and admirably adapted for defense.
General Thomas pursued a plan similar to that which had proved so successful the day before. Steadman on the left and Wood in the center made strong demonstrations against the enemy and the roar of battle was continuous all the morning on the left of Thomas ^ lines. On the right it was comparatively quiet. Wilson ^s cavalry was sent to the rear of the enemy and about four o^clock the sharp rattle of carbines was heard on the enemy ^s left. Simul- taneously with ringing cheers and with leveled bayonets, the lines swept steadily forward up to and over the Con- federate works while Wood and Steadman on their left pressed forward and in a general movement carried all before them. For a short time there was hot work, the whole Confederate line was ablaze with musketry and can- non. The shock was awful as the contending forces met, but in thirty minutes the conflict was over, as the Union army bore down all opposition and Hood^s army was broken into a mass of flying fugitives, pursued to the Ten- nessee River. The results of this great victory were the capture of 8,000 prisoners, including five major generals, fifty-six cannon and a large number of small arms.
The State of Iowa was represented in this battle by the Second, Fifth and Eighth Cavalry, the Twelfth, Twenty- seventh, Thirty-second and Thirty-fifth Infantry and the Second Battery. The artillery and infantry fought under General Smith; the cavalry imder Wilson on the extreme right. Of the cavalry General Hatch commanded a divi- sion which received tiie warm praise of General Thomas.
The Twenty-seventh and Thirty-second Infantry were in a brigade commanded by Colonel Gilbert of the former regiment. This brigade did some of the most intrepid
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fighting of the battle. The Twelfth, Lieutenant-Colonel John H. Stibbs, and \he Thirty-fifth, Major Dill command- ing, were in the brigade commanded by Colonel Hill of the latter regiment. An eye witness thus describes a charge made by Hill^s Brigade :
"Meanwhile Hill's men, who had borne the brunt of the battle of Tupelo and had now witnessed the splendid charges of their comrades, were eager to emulate their heroism and storm the formidable redoubts far in their front. As the corps continued wheeling to the left, an opportunity was soon presented. About six hundred yards in advance of the brigade, near the Hillsboro Pike, on a high and bastion-like ridge, was another strong redoubt where the Rebel guns redoubled their fire and seemed striving to make good the loss of the two first redoubts and hurl back our advancing columns. Shot and fragments of shell filled the air. The roar of artillery was incessant and the flashes of exploding shells quickly fol- lowed eadi other like vivid flashes of lightning. The guns must be silenced and the redoubt captured without delay. Colonel Hill saw that it could only be carried by direct assault in front and immediately ordered a charge. The boys welcomed the order with a battle cheer and fixed bay- onets and under a terrific fire of shot and shell, with uniform step and steady columns, they descended a gentle slope, crossed a ravine and, on the double quick, moved in front of the enemy's fire, up the hill to their works.
"Sergeants Clark and Grannis of the Twelfth Iowa in advance of tiie charging line, first planted the regimental banner and the National colors upon the Rebel battlements. The brave Colonel Hill, mounted on horse- back and gallantly leading his brigade to the assault, fell from his horse, shot through the head, just as the troops were carrying the breastworks of the enemy. The men rushed forward to avenge the death of their lamented commander. The enemy had hastily limbered up the guns of the fort, withdrawn them to a redoubt, distant about three hundred yards, and again opened with grape, canister and musketry upon our men just as they entered the first redoubt. Continuing to advance, the brigade charged across the Hillsboro Pike, in the face of another torrent of fire up to the second redoubt, captured its guns, caissons, horses, one head- quarters, thirteen baggage wagons and two hundred and fifty prisoners. The wings of the brigade in storming the redoubts had wheeled in toward the central point of attack, thus creating some confusion. Lieutenant- Colonel Stibbs, of the Twelfth Iowa, mounting a captured artillery horse, quickly reformed the brigade in line of battle and dispatched Sergeant- Major Burch forward to inform Colonel Marshall of the Seventh Minne- sota, of the death of Colonel Hill. Colonel Marshall not stopping to look
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after captured property, nor even to receive the swords presented to him by the Confederate officers, and Adjutant Reed, of the Twelfth Iowa, with about one hundred men from each of their regiments, had not stopped in the second redoubt, but pressed on after the flying fugitives to a third re- doubt in front of the right of the Fourth Corps. Adjutant Reed en- tered it from the rear; with him a few men of the Seventh and Twelfth just as those of the Fourth came over the works in front."
The Thirty-fifth marched in pursuit of the enemy as far as Pulaski. Soon after the command embarked for East- port, Mississippi, and there encamped for the winter. Early in February the regiment started for New Orleans reaching General Jackson's old battle-field on the 22d of February, where it went into camp. From this historic ground tiie Thirty-fifth moved early in March to join in the Mobile campaign, where its last military duties were performed. In this expedition the regiment was under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Keeler. After the fall of Mobile the regiment moved to Montgomery and from there to Selma, where it remained until the 21st of ^uly. It was mustered out at Davenport on the 10th of August. When the regiment reached Muscatine the veterans met a most cordial welcome from old friends and neighbors. The ranks were sadly thinned by battle and disease and many comrades were sleeping in southern graves.
The Thirty-fifth had traveled more than 10,000 miles, had unflinchingly fought in a dozen battles witii honor to itself and credit to the State it represented.
THE THIRTY-SIXTH IOWA INFANTRY
This regiment was made up largely of companies re- cruited in the counties of Monroe, Wapello, Appanoose, Marion, Lucas and Van Buren,and was organized at Camp Lincoln near Keokuk in September, 1862. While there a great amount of sickness from small-pox and measles pre- vailed, resulting in loss to the regiment of more than a hundred men. This was a gloomy beginning and had a de-
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pressing effect upon the troops from which they did not soon recover. From Keokuk they were sent to the malari- ous swamps of the Yazoo River and from there to the deadly region about Helena. Disease reduced their ranks until but a fragment was left of the nine hundred seventy men who enlisted.
The field officers were : Colonel Charles W. Kittredge of Wapello County, Lieutenant-Colonel Francis M. Drake of Appanoose, Major Thomas C. Woodward of Wapello, Adjutant A. G. Hamilton of the same county, and Moses Cousin of Monroe, surgeon.
The regiment was sent to Benton Barracks on the 24th of November, from there to Helena where it was in camp the first of the year 1863. For a time the Thirty-sixth was the only regiment at this post where garrison duties were constant and severe. When the regiment joined the Yazoo Pass expedition on the 24th of February the ranks had been so depleted by sickness that but six hundred oflScers and men were fit for duty. The Twenty-ninth, Thirty- third and Thirty-sixth Iowa Infantry regiments accom- panied this expedition, which started with a fleet consist- ing of thirty-six transports, two iron-clads, several gun- boats for musketry and mortar rafts. The object of the expedition was to clear the channel of trees and brush which obstructed the navigation of Yazoo Pass. When the channel was cleared the fleet entered the narrow pass and by means of steam, ropes and poles dragged its slow length along making but three or four miles progress a day. For five days the boats moved forward smashing the projecting limbs which often tore off their upper works, finally reaching Cold Water River. The entire country was flooded so that it was difScult to find landing places ; the boats were densely crowded and the water was filthy and sickening. The voyage brought disease and death to hundreds of brave men. There were but few ex- citing incidents during the journey; guerrillas fired on the transports and a few men were wounded. The chase of a
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steamer loaded with cotton was one of the exciting events. Finding that she would be overtaken, the crew set her on fire and abandoned her. On the 11th of March the trans- ports reached Shell Mound, three miles above Fort Pem- berton. Here the troops were landed and the Thirty-sixth was immediately formed in line of battle and marched to the support of a brigade skirmishing with the enemy. The men remained under fire of the fort for more than two hours with the coolness of veterans, this being their first engagement with the enemy. They stayed at Shell Mound doing picket duty, scouting among the cane-brakes and sadly burying their dead at the base of a little hill until the morning of the 20th when the army, having failed to ac- complish its purpose, embarked on the transports and re- traced its way to the Mississippi. It returned to Shell Mound debarking on the 22d, the gunboats moving down and engaging the fort. Cannon from the gunboats and from the batteries on shore hammered away at the fort till the morning of April 4th, the infantry standing picket, when not in camp, or assisting to plant land batteries, la- boring always under fire of the enemy. On the morning of the 5th the expedition was finally abandoned and the retreat begun. The fleet, badly injured, reached the Miss- issippi on the afternoon of the 8th of April. The Thirty- sixtii soon fell into the old routine of garrison duty, dig- ging ditches and building breastworks. It was in the Bat- tie of Helena on the 4th of July and remained at that place imtil the 11th of August when began General Steele ^s Ar- kansas expedition. Major Woodward had resigned on ac- count of ill-health, Lieutenant-Colonel Drake was disabled by sickness, Colonel Kittredge had command of a brigade, and so in the emergency Captain Vamer of Company A commanded the regiment until Lieutenant-Colonel Drake came up at Bock Bea Bayou and assumed command. Ma- jor Hamilton, who had been promoted from adjutant, re- joined the regiment at DuvalPs Bluff. Here Captains Vamer and Webb and Lieutenant Spooner obtained leave
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of absence on account of illness but all died on the way home. Before reaching Little Rock Colonel Kittredge assumed command of the regiment which now marched in hourly expectation of a battle. The army, however, reached the capital unmolested and went into winter quar- ters on a beautiful hill not far from the arsenal.
There had never before been a time since the organiza- tion when disease had not been thinning the ranks of the regiment. Sickness and death had followed it everywhere. Now the conditions changed and for the first time good health and corresponding goods spirits prevailed in the camp. The regiment now numbering six hundred thirteen men, toward the last of March accompanied the army of General Steele on its way to cooperate with Gteneral Banks then marching up the Bed River. But learning of the de- feat of Banks at Camden, Steele went no farther. In the campaign thus far the Thirty-sixth had taken part in a number of skirmishes and was engaged at the Battle of the Little Missouri, where it repelled an attack with coolness and courage. While at Camden, on the 22d of April, a de- tachment of the Twenty-sixth with other troops, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake, was sent to escort a train of about three hundred wagons in which it was pro- posed to bring back supplies for the army. The road taken bore northwest crossing the Saline River near Mount Elba. On the third day out the command went into camp on the western border of Moro Bottom, a low marshy margin of a bayou of the same name.
BATTLE OF MARK'S MILL
On the evening of the 23d the little army escorting the train heard heavy firing in the direction of Camden. On the morning of the 25th a body of one hundred cavalry was sent forward to reconnoiter the road. It pushed ahead five miles and reported no enemy in sight. Meantime the For- ty-third Indiana and one section of the battery were sent forward across the bottom and the train put in motion.
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Receiving word from the cavalry in advance, Lieutenant- Colonel Drake immediately dispatched another body of cavalry to the rear, fearing the enemy might come in from the south on the Princeton road. The rest of the troops remained at the west side of the bottom till two-thirds of the train had passed, when they moved forward taking the sides of the road not to disconunode the train and to occu- py a position on the eastern side of the lowlands. Hardly had the advance reached this point when a courier rushed to the front and announced that the enemy was in force two miles ahead. The Thirty-sixth marched on double- quick to the field and hastily but coolly formed the line of battle on the right of the artillery, the cavalry now refin- forced by about one hundred fifty horse and one howitzer from Pine Bluflf, under command of Major Spellman, tak- ing position on the left. The other troops were being hur- ried up as rapidly as possible. The troops in line were posted in a small narrow clearing with skirmishers thrown out about one hundred yards in advance. The country was rough, covered for the most part with dense woods and al- most impenetrable undergrowth. No less than 5,000 Con- federates under command of General Fagan had here concealed themselves from the view of our cavalry scouts and were now confronting our little army of 1,000 men. The Forty-third Indiana held the skirmish line and fought manfully till overpowered and driven back by superior numbers, when it retired through the thick underbrush in some confusion with each man, however, fighting bravely on his own account. The enemy now came on in heavy force against the main line and the action became general. Our troops kept up a constant fire for more than two hours without giving ground. The battery, having been desert- ed by its own men, two companies of the Thirty-sixth Iowa manned the guns with great effect during the rest of the fight. The Confederates now extended their lines and surrounded our small force. Having lost about twenty killed and nearly one hundred wounded and being hemmed
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in on all sides, the Union army was forced to surrender. Lientenant-Oolonel Drake was severely wounded early in the action. Major Hamilton was cool and courageous throughout the struggle. When he saw there was no hope for the little army he advised his men to escape as best they could and many tried but few succeeded. The major with about three hundred forty of his regiment were taken prisoners, and at five o'clock the prisoners were started southward and marched fifty-two miles without rest or food. They were sent by way of Camden to the Confederate prison at Tyler in Texas, reaching that place on the 15th of May. From here Major Hamilton and Captains Lambertand Miller succeed- ed in making their escape in July and after enduring great hardships reached Little Eock on the 2d of September. Major Hamilton recovered from the effect of imprison- ment, but Captains Miller and Lambert died soon after reaching home. On the evacuation of Camden the rem- nant of the Thirty-sixth, consisting of two officers and sixty men, accompanied the retreat. At the Battle of Jen- kins' Ferry thirty-nine of these men and Lieutenant Hus- ton of Company I fought bravely. The Lieutenant and seven of his men were wounded. On their arrival at Little 'Roek they found a number of recruits for the regiment so that the rolls showed six officers and two hundred fifty men, including the sick. Colonel Kittredge soon after assumed command of the post and the regiment thus re- duced by capture, disease and death remained there dur- ing the year, a sad remnant of the 1,000 strong men who left Keokuk two years before. From this time to the close of the war the regiment was usually on post duty at Little Bock, St. Charles and DuvalPs Bluflf. Lieutenant-Colonel Drake was brevetted a Brigadier-General in February, 1865.
In April the survivors of those captured at Mark^s Mill returned to the regiment at St. Charles. They had been released from imprisonment in Texas in February, where
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they had suffered great hardships and had been allowed to return home on f nrlongh. It would be impossible to de- scribe the joyons meeting of these old comrades after their long separation. The regiment was mustered out of the service on the 24th of August at Duvall's Bluff. On the 2d of September, 1865, the survivors of the Thirty-sixth reached Davenport, where they received a most cordial welcome.
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CHAPTER XXVn
THE QBAT-BEABD BEOIMEKT.
t
THERE were in Iowa large numbers of men past the age for military service who were anxious to serve the country during the War of the Rebellion. They succeeded in obtaining authority through our State offi- cials to organize a regiment of men over the age fixed by military regulations, for the performance of garrison and post service, which would relieve younger soldiers and thus add to the active army in tiie field. No purer patriotism was ever exhibited than that which prompted these men exempt by law, to thus serve their country in this great extremity. In the month of August, 1862, Secretary Stanton at the head of the War De- partment authorized the organization of such a regi- ment. The companies were soon raised, made up of men from forty-five to sixty-four years of age. It was officially known as the Thirty-seventh regiment but was xmiversally called the ** Gray-Beard Regiment.''
Iowa alone of all the States in the Union raised a regi- ment of ** gray beards." Every Congressional District in the State was represented in the regiment. Stephen B. Shellady, who was sixty-one years of age, and had been Speaker of the House of Representatives, was a volunteer in its ranks. The field and staff officers were : George W. Kincaid, colonel; Gteorge R. West, lieutenant-colonel; Ly- man Allen, major; David H. Goodno, adjutant; Prentice Ransom, quartermaster; John W. Pinley, surgeon, and James H. White, chaplain. They went into camp at Mus- catine but the regiment was not mustered into service until the middle of December. Early in January, 1863, it was
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sent to St. Louis, and as it marched through the streets General Curtis pronounced it one of the finest looking regi- ments he had seen in the service. The regiment remained in the city until the latter part of May guarding military prisons, when it moved out on the Pacific Railroad In January, 1864, it was sent to Bock Island to guard prisoners at that place. In June the regiment was sent south to Memphis, Tennessee, where it was employed in guard and picket duty. On the 5th of July a detail of fifty men from the regiment, sent out to guard a supply train on the Memphis and Charleston Bailroad, was at- tacked by guerrillas and Corporal Charles Young and Samuel Cobum were killed and two others wounded. From Memphis the regiment was sent to Indianapolis, In- diana, whence five comj^anies were moved to Cincinnati under Colonel Kincaid, three under Ldeutenant-Colonel West being stationed at Columbus, and the other two at Gallipolis, Ohio, where they remained until the middle of May, 1865, when the regiment was united at Cincinnati. On the 20th the regiment started for Davenport, where it was mustered out of the service on the 24th. During the two and a half years of service the regiment had lost from death by disease one hundred thirty-four members; two were killed in battle and three wounded. The patriotic services were appreciated by the commander, as will bp seen by the following letter from General Willich, the last officer under whom they served:
Hbad-qua&tkbs, Cinoinnati, Ohio, May 18, 1866. Brigadier-General L. ThomaB, Adjutant-General U. S. Armj.
General: — I have the honor to submit the following for your consido'a^ tion: The Thirty-aeventh Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry, called the Gray-Beards, now on duty at this poet, consists exclusively of old men — none under forty-five years of age and many over sixty. After the men of this regiment had devoted their sons and grandsons, numbering 1,300 men, to the service of their country their patriotism induced them to en- liet themselves for garrison duty, thus enabling the Government to send the young men to the front. Officers and men would cheerfully remain in the service as long as they are wanted, though they are very badly needed
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at home to saye the next harvest, most of them being farmera. I most respectfnlly submit to you whether there is any necessity now to hold these old men under such heavy sacrifices. They have received the com- mendation of their former post commanders. At this post they have very heavy duties, which to perform would even have been difficult for an equal number of young men. The high patriotism displayed by these men in devoting a few years of their old age to their country's service is un- paralleled in history, and commands the respect of every true republican.
I therefore most respectfully recommend that the Thirty-seventh Iowa Volunteers may be mustered out of the service immediatly, with the honors and admowledgments of their services due to the noble spirit with which they gave so glorious an example to the youths of their country. Very respectfully, etc.,
J. WILLICH, Brigadier-Qeneral, Commanding.
General Willich's request was granted and the regiment was mnstered out. The command was disbanded; the pa- triotic survivors returned to their homes. Many members of this noble regiment had broken down under the hard- ships of the field and camp and survived but a short time. Their superb patriotism can never be forgotten in the an- nals of Iowa. To the latest generation the story of the services and sacrifices of the ** Gray-Beards '* in the War of the Bebellion will be an inspiration to the young.
THE THIRTY-BIGHTH IOWA INFANTRY
This regiment was raised in the old Third Congressional District; four companies in Fayette County, two in Win- neshiek, two in Bremer, and the remainder in Chickasaw and Howard. They went into camp at Dubuque in Au- gust, 1862, numbering eight hundred thirty-two men. The regiment was not fully organized until early in No- vember. The field oflBcers were Colonel David H. Hughes ; Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph 0. Hodnutt; Major Charles Chadwick, and Adjutant H. W. Pettit Having remained in camp some time for drill the regiment was first sent to St. Louis, where its equipment was received. On the 2d of January the regiment was sent to New Madrid with orders
[Vol. 2]
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to rebuild the barracks and put the town in condition for defense. Here it remained undisturbed until June. On the 7th of that month it departed for Vicksburg, joining General Herron's Division. On the 15th the command took a position on the left of the investing army and from that time until the surrender was engaged in the duties of the siege. The position of the regiment was on theborders of a cypress swamp, which proved to be a very unhealthy place, producing a great amount of sickness, resulting in many deaths. On the 12th of July the regiment embarked with General Herron's forces on the Yazoo City expedition and was later sent to Port Hudson, where it was in camp about three weeks during which time almost the entire regiment was prostrated by sickness. At one time only eight oficers and twenty men were fit for duty. The encampment was for a long time merely a hospital filled with the sick and dying. Among those who died were Colonel Hughes, Cap- tain Henry A. Tinkham and Lieutenant George H. Ste- phens, all gallant officers whose untimely deaths were a great loss to the regiment. Lieutenant-Colonel Hodnutt being absent on sick leave the command was assumed by Major Chadwick. The remnant of the regiment was moved from Port Huron about the middle of August and went into convalescent camp at CarroUton, Louisiana, re< maining about two months, regaining heallJi and strength. When Gteneral Banks began his Texas expedition the Thir- ty-eighth joined Herron^s command and on the 23d of Oc- tober embarked for Brazos Santiago. From there the army marched to Brownsville and there remained on gar- rison duty until the latter part of July when the town was evacuated by the Union Army. The regiment returned by transport to New Orleans and was from there sent to the army operating against Mobile. Here the conunand re- mained, taking part in the siege, until some time after the surrender of Fort Morgan. The regiment then returned to New Orleans and Lieutenant-Colonel Hodnutt was or- dered to Donaldsonville, Louisiana. On the 12th of Decem-
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ber, 1864, General Canby issued an order for the consolida- tion of tiie Thirty-fourth and Thirty-eighth Iowa regi- ments into the Thirty-fourth Iowa Volunteers and the Thirty-eighth ceased to exist as a separate organization. Lieutenant-Colonel Hodnutt was honorably discharged The history of the Thirty-eighth Iowa is a sad and pa- thetic one, beyond that of any other that went from our State. Before it had been in existence two years more than three hundred members had died of disease in the un- healthy camps where it had been stationed or on the march, and more than one hundred had been discharged on ac- count of illness. There were many long dreary weeks when disease and death brooded over the camp and there were not enough well to care for the sick and to bury the dead. Finally, with decimated ranks the regiment itself yielded to a hard fate, passed out of existence and sadly saw its survivors transferred to another. The Thirty-eighth was made up of as brave men as ever marched from Iowa, but fate decreed that it should achieve no heroic deeds on the field of battle, where amid shot and shell noble sacrifices are made and undying glory won; but in dreary camx)s devoted men were stricken with disease which carried them to a soldier's lonely grave.
While other more fortunate regiments have emblazoned upon their banners the names of historic fields where fame was won in fierce, deadly strife, the martyr regiment, de- prived of these emblems, will not be forgotten by a grate- ful posterity.
THE THIRTY-NINTH IOWA INFANTBY
This regiment was made up of two companies each from the counties of Madison, Polk and Dallas, with one each from the counties of Clarke, Greene, Des Moines and Decatur, although other counties were repre- sented in most of the companies. Nine of the companies went into camp near Des Moines in September, 1862, and
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began drill, but the regiment was not organized until No- vember. H. J. B. Cummings was commissioned colonel; James Bedfield, lieutenant-colonel; Joseph M. Griffiths, major, and George C. Tichenor, adjutant. On the 13th of December the regiment started for the south, stopping for a few days at Cairo, Columbus and at Jackson, Tennessee, marching from there to Trenton. Here two .brigades were organized to move against General Forrest. Colonel C. L. Dunham of the Fiftieth Indiana commanded the Union forces which included the Thirty-ninth Iowa. On the 27th of December he marched eastward with 1,600 men and on the fourth day came suddenly upon Forrest's army 6,000 strong, drawn up in battle array at Parker's Cross Beads, a few miles south of Clarksville. The battle at once began and was carried on with varying success for several hours, the little Union army holcHng its position with great bravery until General Sullivan came up with heavy refinf orcements, when the Confederates were routed. The Thirty-ninth was under heavy fire for several hours ' and fought bravely. Misapprehending an order at one stage of the battle, the regiment was temporarily thrown into confusion but soon rallied and regained its place in the line. Lieutenant-Colonel Bedfield and Captain Cam- eron, Major Griffiths and Adjutant Tichenor were con- spicuous for gallantry. The loss of the regiment was four killed, thirty-three wounded and eliBven missing. Among the wounded were Lieutenant-Colonel Bedfield, Major Griffiths, Captain Brown and Lieutenant Bawles. On the 29th about one hundred men of the regiment, worn out on the march in attempting to return to Trenton, were cap- tured at Shady Grove and suffered an imprisonment of nearly ten months. In January, 1863, the regiment moved to Corinth and was there assigned to the Third Brigade in the division commanded by General G. M. Dodge of Iowa. Headquarters were in Corinth for nearly a year, with an occasional march into the adjacent country. The raiment was with Colonel Streight in his raid into Alabama, re-
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turning to Corinth. Company H in April being sent a few miles from Corinth to guard a corral^ was surrounded by several hundred of the enemy's cavalry , the captain and most of his men captured. During the remainder of the year the regiment was employed in Tennessee guard- ing lines of railroad and similar duties. In the spring of 1864, the Thirty-ninth joined Sherman's army at Gordon's Mills, and from this time until it reached Eongston our regiment marched and fought on the right wing. It led the army in the flanlring movement by Calhoun, which caused the evacuation of Besaca by the Confederates. Here it was engaged with superior numbers and was extri- cated from a position of great peril by the arrival of re6n- forcements. The regiment remained at Rome doing gar- rison duty until October when, joining the forces under General John M. Corse, it participated in the
BRILLIANT DEFENSE OF ALLATOONA
General Hood in command of the Confederate army was now moving northward and sent a force of cavalry to cut Sherman's communication near Marietta, while with the main army he crossed the Chattahoochee and marched on Dallas. A large force of the enemy, after destroying the railroad at Big Shanty, moved against Allatoona Pass, where there were immense stores of rations for Sherman's army guarded by the Ninety-third Illinois under Lieuten- ant-Colonel Totui»lotte. General John M. Corse was at Rome with his division. General Sherman signaled him to refinforce Allatoona Pass and hold it at all hazards. Early on the morning of October 5th Corse was there with 2,000 men, including the Thirty-ninth Iowa under Lieuten- ant-Colonel Bedfield. Soon after daylight General French had the works completely invested and sent Corse a sum- mons to surrender, which was promptly declined. An assault was then ordered and the Confederate army rushed upon the outer works with the utmost fury. A deadly fire was opened upon them by the garrison making
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great gaps in their lines which were promptly filled, and one of the most deadly combats of the war ensned. The enemy charged by regiments and brigades and the strag- gle over the rifle pits and onter works was of the most des- perate character. After three hours of hard fighting Sher- man became anxious as to the result and signaled from mountain top to mountain top ** Hold the fort, I will help you.'* Corse signaled back his grim reply and the battle increased in fury. Having failed to break our lines by re- peated charges of brigades the Confederates now came on in mass. Wrought up to the highest pitch of desperation on both sides the combat became of the most deadly nature. Men bayonetted each other over tiie rifle pits and officers thrust tiieir swords into the bodies of their foes. Corse received a severe wound in his face and became insensible, when Colonel Bowell of the Seventh Illinois assumed com- mand and directed the battle with skill and courage until he, too, fell severely wounded. Corse having revived, now resumed command and the garrison was driven into two forts. At two o'clock the crisis of the hard-fought battle came. The garrison was weakened by long hours of the most desperate fighting and the loss of many brave men, but there was no thought of surrender. The Confederates now formed in compact masses for another assault. Our gunners double-shotted their field pieces and waited until the enemy was within a few paces, then opened upon the crowded ranks with grape and canister. Nothing could stand against the deadly missiles; staggered and confused they halted, then broke and finally turned and fled. The great victory was won but at a fearful cost. More than seven hundred of the brave defenders fell in the heroic struggle.
No regiment at Allatoona Pass fought with greater gal- lantry than the Thirty-ninth Iowa. In the early part of the battle it was posted some three hundred yards from the principal forts which had been constructed for the defense of the place. Here the enemy made the most determined
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attacks which were several times repulsed. At length the regiment fell slowly back to cover of the forts, where it f ought with courage and obstinacy never surpassed. The losses in killed, wounded and captured were one hundred and sixty-five and among the slain was the heroic com- mander, Lieutenant-Colonel James Bedfield. He was first wounded in the foot but retained his command; a sec- ond shot shattered his leg but he still refused to leave his I)ost, and directed the fight encouraging his men by ex- ample and words to hold tiieir ground. A third ball pierced his heart and Iowa lost one of its noblest and bravest officers. Lieutenants 0. C. Ayers, A. T. Blodgett, N. P. Wright and J. P. Jones were also killed and 0. D. Bussell was severely wounded. The Thirty-ninth was in the division with Corse in Sherman's mardi to Savannah and participated in that wonderful campaign to the end.
It was in the grand review at Washington at the close of the war and was mustered out of the service in that city on the 5th of June, 1865.
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CHAPTER XXVni
THB FOBTIBTH IOWA IN7ANTBY
THIS was the last in point of nmnerical num- bers of infantry regiments enlisted for three years, organized in Iowa. But it was not the last to leave the State. Three or fonr other regimental organizations were begun bnt never completed. Because of these at- temptSy by persons holding commissions to raise regi- mentSy when the ** Hundred Days ** regiment was formed, it was numbered the Forty-f oturth. The Fortieth was in war times called ** The Copperhead Begiment *' for the insufficient reason that a large number of its members were Democrats. An active Republican member of this regiment wrote thus indignantly on the subject:
In the summer of 1862 our pariy friends urged that the Democrats did not but should enlist and bear their portions of the burdens of the war. Under these circumstances the men of this regiment^ Democrats as well as Republicans, left their homes, and responded to their country's can. With perhaps a few exceptions from both sides they i had endured every hardship, braved every danger, performed every duty and obeyed every order with a hearty and unselfish patriotism which might be bene- ficially emulated by those who denounce them as " Oopperheads,'' because they differ in the matter of politics. As between those who enter the army and fight Rebels wherever opportunity offers and vote the Demo- cratic ticket and those who stay at home and disparage the men who fl^t, because they cannot control their votes at the polls, it is not difficult for me to make choice. I hold the former in the hi^^est esteem and have nothing but contempt for the latter.
The regiment was made up of four companies from Marion County, two from Jasper and one each from the counties of Poweshiek, Mahaska, Keokuk and Benton. John A. Garret, of Jasper, was appointed colonel ; Samuel
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F. Cooper of Poweshiek, lieutenaat-colonel; S, Ot. Smith of Newton, major, and L. A. Dnncan of Iowa City, adju- tant On the 15th of November, 1862, the regiment, nine hundred strong, was mnstered into service at Iowa City, where it remained in camp a month. The men were armed with Enfield muskets and on the 17th of December started for Cairo, going from there to Columbus, Kentucky. Here the regiment remained during the winter. Sheltered only by dog tents, the men were exposed to the sudden and se- vere changes of that climate, a succession of cold driving rains, deep mud, snow and hard freezing. Unaccustomed to such exposure many were stricken by disease and died. The monotony of post duty unrelieved by the excitements of active service in the field was depressing in the extreme and there was great rejoicing when the order came to em- bark for Paducah, seventy miles up the river. Here in comfortable quarters the men soon recovered their health. They remained at Paducah nearly three months, on light duty, becoming well drilled and disciplined. On the last of May the regiment moved down the river to join General Grant's army, then engaged in the Vicksburg campaign. It was not caUed to take part in the numerous brilliant bat- tles which followed in rapid succession but was employed in the swamps of the vicinity where sickness and death thinned the ranks. Bad water and the malaria of the swamps were more fatal to the men than hard fought bat- tles. In August the Fortieth joined General Steele's army in the campaign against Little Bock. With about 12,000 men General Steele marched against that city. On the 10th of September the Fortieth led the advance in cross- ing the Arkansas Biver at a point below the city, where the enemy was thought to be in force on the opposite side in the timber. It supported the batteries during the laying of the pontoons, a part of the time under fire, but met with no losses either there or at the crossing. The enemy fled and Little Bock surrendered. The colonel being ill the reg- iment was under conmaand of Lieutenant-Colonel Cooper,
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who was barely able to mount his horse. The march had been a hard one and of the seven hundred and fifty men in the regiment less than two hundred and fifty were able to keep their places in the ranks. Before General Steele's army had marched half the distance from Helena to Little Bock^ more than 1,000 men had been sent to the hospital at Dnvall's Blnff. The Fortieth Begiment was with General Steele in his disastrous Cam- den expedition and suffered all the hardships of that badly managed campaign. The army moved from Little Bock on the 22d of March, 1864, the Fortieth forming a part of the Third Brigade of the Third Division. On the 3d of April the regiment was in a heavy skirmish near Okolona, in which Lieutenant Boberts was wounded. Li the run- ning engagement at Prairie d'Anne on the 10th of April the regiment was conspicuous, losing eight men wounded. On the 27th General Steele began his disastrous retreat, the enemy pursuing. On the 29th the main body of the Union army was in camp on the bottom lands of the Sa- line Eiver at Jenkins* Ferry. Heavy skirmishing at once began which was continued at intervals until after dark.
BATTLE OP JBNKIN8* FBBRY
Bain had been falling all day and came down in tor- rents during the entire night. Wet to the skin and cov- ered with mud, the soldiers worked with desperate energy to save the army, but morning came before the passage was completed and with the first rays of light the enemy opened the attack. The situation was perilous in the ex- treme. A battle must be fought against greatly superior numbers or the army must surrender. The Thirty-third Iowa under Colonel Mackay held the extreme rear near the bluff. At daylight this regiment was fiercely attacked. It was hastily refinforced by the Fiftieth Indiana, but the line was gradually forced back by superior numbers. The Ninth Wisconsin and Twenty-ninth Iowa were posted in a strong position about half a mile to the rear of the line
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first taken, their right resting on the creek, their left to some extent protected by a marsh, while in front was an open field. The Thirty-third Iowa and Fiftieth Indiana now fell back behind this line not far from where Colonel Engleman's Brigade was stationed. In a short time the battle was raging f nrionsly, requiring all the troops on the right bank of the river and reinforcements from those who had already crossed. General Eioe of Iowa here commanded and as the regiments came to his aid, person- ally posted them as advantageously as possible. The Con- federates hurled three divisions against our little army, each of which was repulsed with great slaughter. At one time a movement against our right flank was threatened and the Forty-third Illinois and a detachment of the For- tieth Iowa were sent to the point of danger, driving the enemy back. The Confederates now advanced from all quarters in a grand attack upon our left and center, forc- ing our line on the left, held by the Thirty-third Iowa, which had stood its ground until the ammunition was ex- hausted. Four companies of the Fortieth under Colonel Garrett, marched rapidly by the left flank to the support of the Thirty-third and, forming under a withering fire, restored the line. Within an hour these regiments had advanced more than half a mile, driving the enemy entire- ly from the field. It was a batUe of musketry. A section of Confederate artillery was planted and fired one round when the Twenty-ninth Iowa and Second Kansas, colored, charged across the field and brought the guns back in tri- umph. The battle was fought largely by the brigades of General Bice and Colonel Englemann on the Union side. At half -past twelve o'clock the Confederates had retired from the field and the Union army crossed the river in safety. The battle was fought in the mud where the men sunk to their horses' knees and in many places stood in water up to their own. The Fortieth did not fight in a body at any time during the engagement. Early in the morning two companies under Captain Campbell had
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been sent out as skirmishers. Later four companies un- der Major Smith crossed the creek on the right and re- mained there during the engagement The remaining companies under the colonel did a large part of the regi- ment's hard fighting and suffered much of the loss.
"The four companies holding the extreme left," says Colonel Engle- mann in his report, "were hard pressed bj the enemj, but maintained their position with the most oommendable bravery, suffering, however, in proportion to the number of men composing those companies, the most severe loss of any of our troops engaged at Jenkins' Ferry."
Out of one hundred men these companies lost six killed^ thirty-four wounded and five captured. Shortly after midnight on the morning of May 4, orders were issued limiting transportation to one team for each brigade and directing the destruction of all surplus baggage. This done, the army continued its retreat. The men were short of food and the horses were in starving condition. Cordu- roy roads had to be constructed through swamps over which men helped to drag the artillery as the horses sank down exhausted. The heavy guns and caissons had to be dragged by the weary soldiers. New roads had to be cut through the dense forests and causeways built by men famishing with hunger. It was one of the most desperate retreats of the war. The army struggled along day after day bearing the pangs of hunger and all of the fearful hardships with stem endurance and stout hearts, finally reaching Little Rock. In November a detachment of the Fortieth was sent up the Arkansas Biver to guard the steamer Alamo. When near Dardenelle the boat was attacked by two hundred cavalry who were driven off with loss after a spirited fight. General Bussey, in com- mand of the Fort Smith district, called for a good regi- ment and the Fortieth was sent to him. lieutenant-Col- onel Cooper was at this time detailed for duty on the staff of General Beynolds and did not again join the regiment. Colonel Garrett being for some time in command of a
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brigade, the regiment was under Captain Bidlen. Colonel Garrett was assigned to the command of the District of South Kansas with headquarters at Fort Gibson and re- tained the place until his regiment was mustered out. On the 2d of August, 1865, the Fortieth Iowa was mustered out of the service and after a journey by steamer of 1,500 miles, reached Davenport on the 10th, and was soon dis- banded.
THE IOWA BEGIMENT OF COLOBED TBOOPS
According to the census of 1860 there were about 1,000 persons of African descent in Iowa. The beginning of the Bebellion sent more into our State from Missouri and it is likely that the negro population had increased to nearly 2,000 before 1863. These realized early in the gigantic struggle that their race had a vital interest in the results of the war. The success of the Union armies would al- most certainly bring emancipation to the slaves. As soon as our Government determined to enUst colored soldiers the negroes of Iowa hastened to volunteer their services. The Sixtieth regiment of United States colored troops was largely made up of Iowa men. Six companies of this reg- iment went into camp at Keokuk, where they were mus- tered into the service of the United States on the 13th of October, 1863. The four companies which completed the regiment, entered the service at St. Louis at different times during the two following months. The regiment numbered about nine hundred. It was not employed in any of the great campaigns of the war but through no fault of the patriotic men who were anxious for partici- pation in the fighting line. Assigned to garrison duty at St. Louis, while serving about a year and a half, it per- formed valuable guard and garrison duty. The Sixtieth was afterwards employed on similar duties in other parts of the Mississippi Valley. The chief officers of the regi- ment were Colonel John G. Hudson, Lieutenant-Colonel
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Milton F. Collins, Major John L. Murphy, Adjutant T. W. Pratt.
The regiment performed every duty required of it faithfully, was well drilled and soldierly in appearance. Upon returning to Iowa the members addressed a memor- ial to the people of the State on the subject of equal politi* cal rights, which received the earnest attention of the thoughtful and fair-minded citizens. A few years later the State removed the unjust discrimination and granted the race full citizenship.
THE FIBST IOWA CAVALBT
The first regiment of cavalry raised in Iowa was re- cruited from the State at large. Six companies were in camp at Burlington as early as July, 1861. Others were soon ready and in August the regiment was organized. Fitz Henry Warren, one of the most able and accom- plished public men of Iowa, was commissioned colonel, Charles E. Moss was lieutenant-colonel, JE. W. Chamber- lain, James 0. Gower and W. M. G. Torrenoe were the ma- jors, while J. C. Stone was adjutant The regiment num- bered 2,200 men when it embarked for Saint Louis early in October. The first and second battalions were soon sent into the field. The third remained at Saint Louis under Coloned Warren. The eight companies sent into the field were employed most of the winter in patrolling the State which was infested with guerrillas and many were hunted down and shot by the First Cav- alry. Four of the companies, with a detachment of the First Missouri Cavalry, attacked and routed a party of the enemy under Poindexter at Silver Creek in January. The same companies in February, made a raid on Warsaw and captured several Confederate officers. In similar services the eight companies spent the winter almost con- stantly in the saddle on either side of the Missouri Biver everywhere protecting Union men. Early in March the
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third battalion was ordered to Sedalia where it joined the first battalion under Major Torrence. On the 12tii the two battalions marched to Clinton, where they estab- lished headquarters and remained nntil the 8th of April. Colonel Warren marched with a part of his regiment to the river Marias des Cygnes and returned with thirty prisoners and a quantity of ammunition. In July Major Gtower defeated the notorious guerrilla Quantrill in a fight, killing and wounding many of his men. Our loss was three killed and ten wounded. On the 2d of August Captain Heath with one hundred men, attacked a greatly superior force of the enemy posted in a grove on Clear Creek and with the help of Captain Caldwell, was vic- torious ; Captain Heath lost four men killed and fourteen wounded. On the 8th of August all of the companies of the regiment were united for the first time since leaving Burlington. Although the separated battalions had ren- dered valuable services in hunting down bands of des- peradoes that were a terror to the Union men of Missouri, that kind of warfare brought them no glory. It was full of hardships and dangers and helped materially to hold Missouri in the Union. In September Colonel Warren was promoted to Brigadier-General and, bidding farewell to his comrades of the First Iowa Cavalry, departed to assume his new duties. He was succeeded in command by Colonel J. O. Qower, promoted from lieutenant-coloneL Soon after the regiment marched to Springfield and was employed in protecting that region from hostile bands. In December the regiment marched to Cane Hill and joined General Blunt 's army taking part in the Battle of Prairie Grove and rendering valuable service.
THB CAPTURE OF VAN BURBN
After General Hindman's defeat at Prairie Grove he retreated toward Van Buren. On the morning of the 27th of Decenrber General Blunt moved his army toward that place and at night rested on the north side of Lee's
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Creek. Early the next morning the army crossed the swollen stream, the cavalry was ordered forward, the First Iowa taking the lead. At ten o'clock the advance came npon two regiments of Confederate cavalry at Dripping Springs eight miles north of Van Buren. The First Cav- alry promptly charged npon them supported by the re- maining mounted troops of the army and by f onr moun- tain howitzers, keeping up a running fight into the town* After a few shots from the howitzers the cavalry made a dash into Van Buren, galloping down the hill at great speed. Some rode to the landing to prevent the escape of the Bebel cavalry, while others descended the bank of the river to capture steamboats which were mak- ing off. The boats were captured and brought back to ' the landing. The enemy now opened on our cavalry with artillery from the south side of the town but the guns were soon silenced by Blunt *s howitzers. Before four o'clock in the afternoon our army was in complete possession of the town and had captured a large amount of property consisting of wagons, commissary stores, four steamboats, a ferry boat, camp equipage, mules, a large quantity of ammunition and about one hundred prisoners. The total loss to the Confederate cause from this foray was esti- mated at about $300,000. Blunt 's army returned to Prairie Grove. The early months of 1863 found the First Cavalry in Arkansas and Missouri scouting over a great extent of country, dispersing guerrilla bands and cap- turing many prisoners. On the 26th of April a night at- tack was planned on the advance guard of a Confederate force near Jackson and the charge was intrusted to the First Iowa Cavalry under Major Caldwell. At midnight Lieutenant Hursh with a platoon of eight men and a howitzer loaded with musket balls steadily approached to within thirty yards of the unsuspecting foe and, discharg- ing howitzer and carbines simultaneously, effected great slaughter among the enemy. A moment later the First Iowa Cavalry charged and not a man of the entire force
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escaped, all who were not killed or wounded being taken prisoners. Gnns, horses, camp equipage and several thousand dollars' worth of property were captured by the Union army.
The affair was a most brilliant one and the Iowa regi- ment returned without the loss of a man. The pursuit of Marmaduke's army was continued to Chalk Bluff, on the Saint Francis Biver, with skirmishing all the way. Ma- jor Caldwell, who had the advance, lost but five men wounded. In March the regiment was armed with Colt's navy revolvers, five hundred new sabers and six hundred Sharp's breech-loading carbines, making a much more complete armament than it had ever before possessed. General Steele was now preparing for his Little Bock Campaign and the First Iowa Cavalry accompanied the expedition. When the advance approached Brownsville, midway between the White and Arkansas rivers, on the 26th, there was a sharp skirmish, the Iowa Cavalry hav- ing the extreme front. The enemy was driven from his works but on the next day strongly posted behind a bayou, made a stubborn resistance. The First Iowa made a dash- ing charge to capture a bridge which afforded the only crossing of the deep and miry stream. The charge was made with drawn sabers on full gallop under a heavy fire from the enemy's artillery and sharpshooters. But it was not possible to save the bridge as every preparation for its destruction had been made beforehand. Lieuten- ant-Colonel Anderson had his horse shot from under him and the regiment in the brief charge lost thirty-seven men in killed and wounded. When the army approached Little Bock the Second Brigade of cavalry was placed in the advance the First moving in front as skirmishers. Dur- ing the fighting which continued nearly all day our regi- ment was on the extreme front sometimes fighting its way on foot, again charging with drawn sabers, often under heavy and continuous fire. It recaptured from the enemy two howitzers which had been taken from the
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Tenth Illinois Cavalry. Thongh the regiment had been nnder fire most of the day, its loss was bnt one killed and three wonnded, among the latter Major Caldwell.
Many changes had been made in the field officers of the regiment, dnring the year 1863. When Colonel War- ren was promoted to Brigadier-General, Lieutenant-Colo- nel Bryan was elected to succeed him as colonel bnt Gov- ernor Kirkwood exercised his power and gave the com- mission to Major Gower. Lientenant-Colonel Bryan, who stood first in line of promotion and was an excellent and popular officer, regarded the action of the Governor as un- just and resigned his commission. Colonel Gower who made an excellent officer, resigned August 20th on account of failing health and died at his home in Iowa City in the fall of 1865 from disease contracted in the army. Gap- tains Chase and William Thompson were promoted to majors and lieutenant-Colonel Anderson was made colo- nel of the regiment upon the resignation of Colonel Gower. Major Caldwell was promoted to lieutenant-colo- nel and Captain McQueen was at the same time made major. During the campaign which closed with the caj)- ture of Little Bock, the regiment suffered greatly from sickness. Disease brought on by hardships and exposures of the march prostrated hundreds of men and death sadly thinned the ranks. During the last two months of the year the men were most of the time in the saddle scouring the country in the vicinity of Little Eock in search of forage or dispersing bands of the enemy. It was with Steele's Camden expedition and had many brushes with the enemy during that disastrous campaign, losing five men killed and twenty-five wounded. Ldeutenant-Colonel Caldwell was in command of the Third Brigade at this time and Captain Crosby of the First Cavalry. The recruits and non-veterans of the regiment were now left in command of Colonel Anderson while the veterans with Lieutenant- Colonel Caldwell were granted furloughs and while on their way North they overtook the retreating army of
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General Steele near Jenkins' Ferry and participated in the severe battle of that place. Beaching Little Bock on the 2nd of May they continned their homeward jonmey, returning to the army abont the middle of July. On the 27th of September the guerrilla Anderson captured a train near CentraUa, murdering all of the soldiers on board numbering about thirty. Among them were seven members of the First Iowa Cavalry.
Colonel William Thompson, promoted from major, was in command of the non-veteran portion of the regiment which was on duty at Memphis. Lieutenant-Colonel Cald- well, after three and a half years' honorable service, was mustered out in the fall of 1864. He was succeeded by Major Alexander McQueen. Toward the dose of the year 18B5 the regiment was sent to Texas where it served until February 15th when it was mustered out Its his- tory is a record of hard and faithful service, extending through a period of nearly five years. Although not its , fortune to participate in many of the great battles of the war, no regiment sent out of Iowa performed a greater amount of arduous labor for the Union cause. It was one of the first in the field and one of the last mustered out.
THE SECOND IOWA CAVALBY
In the summer of 1861 steps were taken to organize the Second Eegiment of cavalry and companies were recruited from the State at large. They went into camp at Davenport during the months of August and September numbering 1,050 men. Captain W. L. Elliott of the regular army was appointed colonel, Edward Hatch, lieutenant-colonel; W. P. Hepburn of Marshall County, Datus E. Coon of Cerro Gordo and H. W. Love of Johnson were the majors. The adjutant was Charles F. Warden. The regiment remained at Davenport nearly three months undergoing thorough drill and when it en- tered upon active service in the field the men were expert
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COLONEL H. C. CALDWELL. Judge of U. S. Circuit Court
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in the use of the saber. Before the departure of the regiment for the South, Adjutant-General Baker, on be* half of the State, presented it with a stand of colors.
On the 7th of December the Second Cavalry left Daven- port for Benton Barracks near Saint Louis. While here the mefD. were crowded into close quarters where a great amount of sickness prevailed resulting in sixty deaths. On the 17th of February, 1862, the regiment entered upon active service in southwest Missouri, making hard marches through a swampy region. It was with General Pope at the siege and capture of New Madrid, and was for a long time thereafter employed in scouting, guarding trains and picket duty. Upon tiie fall of Island Number Ten the regiment crossed the Mississippi and the advance under Lieutenant Schmitzer was the first body of Union troops to land on the island. Eighty-six prisoners were captured before the remainder of the regiment under Colonel Elliott came up. The regiment captured in all about two hundred prisoners. General Pope's command soon after joined General Halleck's army which was cau- tiously approaching Corinth and was engaged in skir- mishes, losing several men and capturing many prisoners. On the 29th of May General Paine was occupying a posi- tion in advance of (General Pope's camp, where he was attacked by the Confederates under Price and Van Dom. About ten o'clock lieutenant-Colonel Hatch was sent with the Second Cavalry to reSnf orce Paine. Coming upon the field Paine was found to be retreating before over- whelming numbers, meanwhile making a strong fight. The Union forces were obliged to cross a creek on a poor bridge and were in a dangerous position. The Confed- erates were preparing to charge in order to gain an emi- nence from which their artillery would command this bridge and render passage over it impossible. To prevent the seizure of this eminence, the Second Cavalry was or- dered to charge. Drawing sabers the men swept forward in a resistless charge upon the artillery and drove the men
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from their gnns. But the Confederate infantry assailed them in overwhehning numbers driving them back. The charge however had served its purpose as the army had time to cross the creek.
When the Second regained its position the battle was ended. The charge had been a desperate one but had saved the army from great disaster and during the brief time, fifty of the brave men had fallen killed or wounded. Among ^e wounded were Captains Henry Egbert and William Lundy and Lieutenant Benjamin Owen, the latter being captured. Not a member of the regiment flinched from the desperate and hopeless encounter; every man was a hero. It was one of the sudden emergencies liable to come, when a sacrifice is demanded. While Halleck's army was lying before Corinth, Colonel Elliott was sent with the Second Iowa Cavalry and the Second Michigan to destroy the railroad at Boonville as well as such prop- erty of Ihe enemy as might be found. Starting at mid- ni^t on the 28th, by forced marches he reached the Mobile and Ohio Bailroad at Boonville on the 30th. He proceeded at once to destroy several miles of the railroad blowing up a culvert, burning a depot, a locomotive and a train of twenty-six cars loaded with supplies. He also destroyed 10,000 stands of arms, three pieces of artillery, a great quantity of clothing and ammunition and paroled 2,000 prisoners. The loss of the Second Iowa on this expedition was but two killed and six captured. For his success in this affair Colonel Elliott was promoted to Brigadier-General. Hatch was soon after made colonel of the regiment. Major Hepburn succeeded him as lieuten- ant-colonel and Captain F. A. Kendrick was promoted major. About this time the Second Michigan Cavalry received a new commander in Colonel Philip H. Sheridan who developed into one of the greatest generals of the Union army. In the latter part of June Sheridan was in command of a brigade made up of the Second Iowa and Second Michigan Cavalry. On the Ist of July while at
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Boonville, he was attacked by General Chalmers with 5,000 men. After skirmishing for some time Sheri- dan fell back toward his camp situated on the margin of a swamp, where he conld not be easily flanked. Here he held the enemy at bay for some time. Finding there was danger of being surrounded Sheridan had recourse to that rare strategy for which he afterwards became so dis- tinguished. He sent a detachment of the Second Iowa, numbering about one hundred men, to the rear of the enemy by a detour of several miles with orders at a cer- tain time to make a vigorous attack while he at the same time was to attack in front. The detachment gained the rear without being discovered and emptying their carbines on the enemy charged with drawn sabers. The Confed- erates, taken by surprise and supposing they were as- sailed by a strong force, were thrown into confusion. Be- fore they had time to recover, Sheridan charged them in front with such fury that they fled in utter rout leaving many dead and wounded in our hands. They retreated twenty miles throwing away arms, knapsacks, coats and every impediment to their flight. This brilliant affai*r made Sheridan a Brigadier-GeneraL He had by his superior strategy, defeated nearly 5,000 men with a force of eight hundred. Colonel Hatch with the Iowa cavalry in this affair cooperated in the most skilful man- ner, aiding greatly in winning the brilliant victory. The loss of his regiment was twenty-two killed and wounded. While in camp near Bienzi ^e command was attacked by a Confederate force under General Faulkner. After a lively fight the enemy was driven off and pursued many miles with heavy loss. In this affair the Second Iowa lost ten men. During the fall campaign the regiment par- ticipated in the battles of luka and Corinth and in Grant's campaign in Central Mississippi. On the day of the Battle of luka the cavalry had a sharp skirmish with Faulkner's troopers at Payton's Mills, routing them with considerable loss, many prisoners falling into our hands. The Second
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Iowa Cavalry this day marched forty-five miles, had a sharp skirmish with the enemy and captnred a Bebel camp with much property. At the Battle of Corinth it did good service on the right, acting as couriers and joining in the pursuit.
In Grant's Mississippi campaign it was continually em- ployed; entering Holly Springs, driving the enemy out and on the 19th mardied on Bipley, dispersing a large force of the enemy capturing many prisoners, horses, and mules. The Battle of Coffeeville was fought on the 5th of December in which the Union forces under Colonel Dickey were defeated. The Second Iowa here lost twenty-two men in killed and wounded. It soon after marched to La Grange, where it went into winter quarters.
THB GRIBB80N RAID
The orders for this expedition were issued on the 16th of April, 1863. The army consisted of the Second Iowa Cavalry, the Sixth and Seventh Illinois with five pieces of artillery. The object of the raid was to cut railroad communication with the Confederate army at Vicksburg, in the rear of that city, to inflict damage on the enemy's resources in central Mississippi and to make way as best it could into the Union lines of the Department of the Gulf.
Colonel B. H. Grierson of the Sixth Illinois Cavalry was in command. On the morning of the 17th the troops be- gan one of the most daring raids of the war. At Clear Spring Colonel Hatch with his command separiEtted from the main body and managed to attract the attention of the enemy to his regiment, concealing by stratagem the march of the main body under Grierson. This he did so suc- cessfully as to give the principal column nearly two days* start of the enemy's forces gathered to resist the invaders. After obliterating Colonel Grierson 's trail. Hatch marched in the direction of West Point and, when near Palo Alto, was attacked in rear and on both flanks by a large force
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under Oeneral Gholson, while between him and West Point was an Alabama regiment with several pieces of artillery. Hatch made a most gallant fight driving the enemy some three miles, capturing many arms and horses and releasing a company which had been cut off on the first attack. Hatch then moved on northward in face of an enemy which greatly outnumbered him, arriving safely at La Grange. He had attacked Okolona driving before him the enemy's cavalry, burning barracks for 5,000 men and destroying stores and ammunition; he had repulsed Chalmers with loss near Birmingham and Molino; had marched in by-ways and bridle paths and through fields; had, beside the damage inflicted on the enemy already noted, captured twenty-five horses and mules, fifty prisoners and killed and wounded more than one hundred men. Upon his return to La Grange Colonel Hatch took command of a brigade consisting of West Ten- nessee Cavalry and four pieces of artillery. He made frequent raids in different directions captured horses, mules and prisoners. He was attacked at Wall Hill by Chalmers whom he defeated. During the summer he made a raid on Panola capturing much property. He marched against Forrest, who had entered Tennessee and fought with him near Jackson, where the Union loss was fourteen and that of the Confederates was one hundred and seventy-five.
Li the raid on Grenada Major Coon commanded detach- ments from the Second Iowa, Third Michigan and Elev- enth Illinois, numbering five hundred mounted men. After reaching Grenada through great difficulties, he destroyed two depots, sixty locomotives, five hundred cars, machine shops, two flouring mills and a large number of army wag- ons. In November the regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Hepburn marched to Collierville to the relief of the garri- son threatened by Chalmers and coming upon the enemy had a lively engagement, defeating Chalmers, killing forty- one, wounding about two hundred and capturing fifty
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prisoners. On the 28th of November Colonel Hatch in command of his own regiment, the Sixth and Ninth II- linoisy moved out to Moscow where Lee was threatening the garrison. A battle was f onght in which Lee was de- feated with heavy loss. Hatch lost eleven killed^ thirty wounded and f or^ missing. Hatch received a dangerotis wound with a Mini6 ball which passed through his lungs. Li February, 1864, the Second Iowa under command of Major Goon accompanied an expedition under General W. S. Smith, sent to cooperate with General Sherman who was marching on Meridian in Mississippi. Hepburn was in conmiand of a brigade. The expedition was a failure. On his retreat from West Point there was heavy fighting, in which the Second Iowa bore a conspicu- ous part. At one time it fought and retreated for sixty consecutive hours, saving the whole column by its bravery and endurance. The losses of the regiment during the expedition were heavy. In March, a sufficient number of the regiment having reSnlisted, the Second Iowa Cav- alry Veteran Volunteers were mustered into the service. The regiment now numbered 1,028, of which three hundred and sixty were veterans. On the 7th of April the veterans departed for home on furlough and on the 15th of the following month returned to service. Major Coon was now colonel, while Captains C. C. Horton, Gustavus Schmitzer and Charles P. Moore were promoted to majors of the regiment. The men were remounted and armed with Spencer seven-shooting carbines. In the sum- mer of 1864 the regiment took part in General A. J. Smith's campaign in central Mississippi fighting in tiiie Battle of Tupelo. It was with Gteneral Thomas in his cam- paign against Hood in Tennessee and won additional fame. Hatch, who had been made a Brigadier-General, commanded the Fifth Cavalry Division and won great re- nown. In the Battle of Nashville, Gteneral Hatch's Divi- sion took a brilliant part and, with the Second Iowa, was in the severest of the fight. Iq this battle and the pursuit
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of Hood, Colonel Coon's Brigade did gallant service. It captured 1,186 prisoners, fifteen pieces of artillery and a great amount of other property. The Second Cavalry had fourteen men killed and forty-seven wounded.
The regiment continued to serve with great efficiency until September 19, 1865, when it was mustered out of the service at Selma, Alabama. No sketch so brief as this can do justice to this superb regiment The long term of serv- ice, extending through four years, was filled with deeds of daring, suffering and heroic endurance that have sel- dom been surpassed in modem warfare. It was always noted for vigor, fire and dash. Officers and men were of the best material to be found in the service. They seemed to be endowed with superhuman energy and endurance. No march was too long, no peril too great for these superb horsemen. Their fame will live in the annals of Iowa and make one of the brightest pages of her glorious war record.
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MAJOR-GENERAL CYRUS BUSSEY
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CHAPTER XXIX
THE THIRD IOWA CAVALBY
WHEN the war broke out in the spring of 1861 Cyrus Bussey, a member of the State Senate from Davis County, was aj)- pointed aid-de-camp on the staff of Gov- ernor Kirkwood. To him was assigned the duty of superintending the forces called out for the protection of the southern border of the State. He received authority from General Fremont to raise a regiment of cavalry for the United States service. On the 13th of August he issued a call for volunteers. On the 28th there were 1,000 men assembled at Keokuk, well mounted and ready to enter the service. They were promptly accepted and mustered in. The officers were Colonel Cyrus Bussey; Lieutenant-Colonel H. H. Trim- ble; Majors C. H. Perry, H. C. Caldwell, and W. C. Drake. The adjutant was John W. Noble. On the 4th of November, 1861, the regiment was sent to Saint Louis where drill was begun. On the 12th of December one bat- talion under Major Caldwell was sent to Jefferson City and was employed some time in the vicinity of Boonville, attempting to (Hscover ammunition that had been secreted for the use of the Eebels. Large quantities of powder were found and brought in. With winter quarters at Ful- ton, the regiment was kept busy dispersing guerrilla bands in that vicinity as well as gathering munitions of war which had been secreted in various localities. In the spring of 1862 a i)ortion of northeastern Missouri had been formed into a military sub-district, under command of Major Caldwell and his battalion was kept busy in sup- pressing disloyal bands. He had many sharp sMrmishes
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with these hostile companies during the winter. In Au- gust he encountered a large force of the enemy at Kirks- ville and after a severe battle defeated and dispersed them, killing one hundred and twenty-eight and wounding about two hundred. In this engagment Captain Mayne was killed and Captain Hughes, Lieutenant Burch and ten men of the battalion were wounded. The southern sympa- thizers in that part of the State having been dispersed, Major Caldwell reported with his command at Lebanon. He was soon after promoted to lieutenant-colonel in place of Trimble who had been dangerously wounded at the Battle of Pea Ridge and had resigned. For several months the command was employed in suppressing out- breaks in southern Missouri and keeping open lines of communication. In the smnmer of 1863 it joined the cav- alry division under General Davidson and took part in the Little Rock campaign. Colonel Bussey, with two bat- talions of the regiment, remained at Saint Louis until the 4th of February, 1862, when he was ordered to RoUa, from which place he soon marched to join the army of General Curtis, who was pursuing Price. After a rapid march of two hundred miles in four days, the command reached Sugar Creek where Gteneral Curtis' army was found. Learning that the Confederates had been largely refin- forced and were now greatly superior in numbers, Gen- eral Curtis had concentrated his army in a strong posi- tion on Sugar Creek. It was William Miller, a private of the Third Iowa Cavalry acting as a spy, who discovered the approach of the Confederates in overwhelming num- bers and at the risk of his life, gave the information to General Curtis. The Third Cavalry bore a conspicuous part in the Battle of Pea Ridge which now opened. It had a desperate fight near the front where Lieutenant-Colonel Trimble was wounded and lost twenty-two killed, sixteen wounded and nine captured. Colonel Bussey 's regiment was one of those which joined in the pursuit, capturing many prisoners. Major Drake, who had been left at
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Salem, had several sharp skirmishes in that vicinity, finally rejoined the regiment and in the absence of Colonel Bussey on other duties took command of the Third. The command remained in that city several months, and was sent on frequent expeditions into the interior. Early in November Major Drake resigned on account of failing health and returned to his home where he soon after died. He was a brave and accomplished officer and his death was a severe loss to the regiment. Adjutant John W. Noble was promoted to fill the vacancy. During the stay at Helena the Third Eegiment was engaged in two important expeditions. One was the attempt of the army under (Gen- eral Hovey to capture Arkansas Post, which was unsuc- cessful. Colonel Bussey had command of 2,000 cavalry in this affair and in the march to Grenada, under General Washburn, the cavalry destroyed the railroad, encount- ered the enemy, the Third Iowa losing four men captured. Colonel Bussey was now assigned to the command of the Second Brigade of the Second Division of Cavalry of the Army of the Tennessee. The Third Iowa Cavalry was in this brigade under command of Major Scott, Major Noble commanding a battalion. On the 21st of April Major Noble in command of the regiment encountered a detach- ment of the enemy and a week later near Big Creek met another party both of which were defeated. During the month of May detachments of the regiment engaged in frequent skirmishes in the vicinity of Helena. In June Colonel Bussey was ordered to join General Grant's army then engaged in his Vicksburg campaign. His regiment was assigned to General Sherman's command on the line of the Big Black Eiver. He was placed in command of the cavalry which was kept busily employed until the sur- render of Pemberton. Soon after the close of this cam- paign Major Noble took command of the Third Iowa i;i place of Major Scott who had resigned. After the two detachments of the regiment were again united at Little Bock, lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell took command and Ma-
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jor Noble was appointed Chief of Cavalry on the staff of Qeneral Davidson. On the 1st of January, 1864^ more than six hundred men of the Third Iowa Cavalry re6n- listed as veteran volunteers and on the 6th were granted furloughs of thirty days to visit their homes. About this time Colonel Bussey was promoted to Brigadier-GFeneral, H. C. Caldwell to colonel, John W. Noble lieutenant-colo- nel. Captains Mudgett and McCrary were promoted to majors. Colonel Caldwell was soon appointed Judge of the United States District Court of Arkansas and resigned his military commission. Noble was thereupon promoted to colonel and Major Duj£eld became lieutenant-coloneL
The Third Iowa Cavalry was in the disastrous march to Guntown under command of (General Sturgis and lost sixty-seven men. On the 24th of June the regiment joined the command of General A. J. Smith in the Tupelo cam- paign which was successful. It was in several severe en- gagements and was distinguished for skill and bravery, losing nineteen men during the campaign. Qn the 2d of September the regiment under Major Jones marched to Brownsville, Arkansas, there joined the army under General Mower and, with the Fourth Iowa and Tenth Mia- souri, formed a brigade commanded by Colonel Winslow. On the 22d it joined the army under General Pleasanton near Independence where a battle was in progress. The men at once dismounted, deployed into line and fought until late in the afternoon. In this engagement Lieuten- ant James H. Watts, acting adjutant, was mortally wound- ed, one man was killed and three wounded The enemy was driven across the Big Blue River where he took a strong position. Colonel Winslow formed his bri- gade for a charge and moving forward drove the enemy in confusion, but with heavy loss. Colonel Win- slow was severely wounded in this engagement and the Third Iowa had thirteen men wounded Winslow *s Bri- gade pursued the enemy in his rapid retreat over the prairies for a long distance until he turned and made a
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stand. The Umon brigade at once charged and again put the enemy to flight. In the Battle of Osage James Dnn- lavey, a private in Company D, captored Confederate Gen- eral Marmadnke^ and Sergeant C. M. Yonng captured General Cabell on the same field. The loss of the Third Cavalry in this campaign was six killed and forty-four wounded. That portion of the regiment left at Memphis^ under Colonel Noble, took an active part in the Grier^on Baid, after which it went to Vicksburg in January, 1865. Soon after the entire regiment was reunited and moved to northern Alabama.
THB WILSON RAID
In March General James H. Wilson completed the or- ganization of an army of about 12,000 men for an expedi- tion into northern Bahama. (General Edward P. Win- slow commanded a brigade composed of the Third and Fourth Iowa Cavalry and the Tenth Missouri. The com- mand left Chickasaw on the 22d of March and for about a week marched in a southerly direction through a very rough country. Prom Elyton to Selma, Wilson fought most of the way, gaining an important victory at Ebenezer Church on the 31si He assaulted and carried the works at Selma on the 2d of April, capturing many prisoners and a large quantity of stores. Moving on the army en- tered Montgomery about a week later and raised the Union flag over the first Capital of the Southern Confederacy. Columbus was taken by assault in which Winslow's Bri- gade bore the brunt of the battle. On the 20th, while mov- ing toward Macon, news came of the close of the Bebel- lion. This expedition was one of the most successful of the war. It had moved over five hundred mUes in the heart of the enemy's country in thirty days capturing nearly 7,000 prisoners, two hundred and forty-one pieces of artillery and a vast quantity of small arms ; laid waste the granary of the Soutii, demolished the iron works, fac- tories, arsenals and armories upon which the Confederacy
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depended for arms, munitions and supplies; destroyed many bridges and miles of railroad. There was not an engagement during the campaign in which the Third Iowa did not behave with great gallantry. The loss of the regi- ment during the campaign was about forty killed and wounded. Moving from Macon to Atlanta on the 9th of August it was mustered out of the service, reaching Dav- enport on the 21st. For nearly four years this regiment had done most effective work in every field on which the fortunes of war had placed it. The record of its brilliant achievements was never dimmed by an unworthy act
THE FOUBTH IOWA GAVAIiBY.
This regiment was raised during the autunm of 1861 and was in part formed of companies enlisted for other regiments. Henry County furnished nearly three com- panies; Poweshiek, one; Madison, one; Jefferson, one; and others were enlisted in various parts of the State. The regiment originally numbered 1,035 men and assem- bled at Camp Harlan, near Mount Pleasant, and was there mustered into service late m November, 1861. The field officers were Colonel Asbury B. Porter, Lieutenant-Colo- nel Thomas Drummond, Majors Simeon D. Swan, Joseph E. Jewett and George A. Stone with George W. Waldron adjutant. The regiment remained in camp most of the winter, drilling and procuring arms, horses and equip- ment, for active service. The men suffered greatly from the exposure of camp life during the severe weather, which caused a great amount of sickness. Toward the last of February the regiment was sent to St. Louis, soon after to Eolla and from there to Springfield. Here the men were furnished a variety of antiquated arms, at which they were justly indignant. The regiment joined the army of General Curtis which began an invasion of Arkansas and was assigned to General Vandever's Bri- gade. After a long march the army turned eastward and
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finally reached Helena on the 15th of July. The Fourth Cavalry followed the fortunes of the army, which had seen more hard marching than fighting. From this time until April, 1863, the regiment remained in Helena em- ployed in scouting and picket duty, having frequent skir- mishes with thQ enemy in the vicinity and losing a number of men. On the 11th of October Major Ben Rector with a detachment of fifty men was attacked and routed. He was captured with fourteen men, while several more were killed and wounded. Lieutenant Parsons with fifty men came up a few minutes later driving the enemy from the field and capturing the lieutenant-colonel commanding. Colonel Porter was a slack disciplinarian, while lieu- tenant-Colonel Drummond was a bom soldier and knew the value of strict discipline and rigid drill. Their ideas of military requirements were so radically different that frequent misunderstandings ensued. Drummond resigned and returned to his place in the regular army in June, 1862, while Colonel Porter left his command, returned home" without leave, sent in his resignation in March, 1863; he was however dismissed from the service by order of the President He was the only Iowa colonel thus dismissed during the war. He had previously served as major of the First Iowa Infantry, made a good officer, and had distinguished himself at the Battle of Wilson's Creek. In July, Major E. F. Winslow was promoted to colonel of the regiment. In January, 1863, Major Ben Eector who had been exchanged and returned to ihe regiment, died at Helena and in February Captain Tullis died at the same place. On the 29th of April the regiment moved to join Grant's army then engaged in the Vicksburg campaign and was assigned to Sherman's Corps and at once placed in the advance. On the 16th of May it was employed in the rear guard on the march of Sherman's Corps toward Vicksburg. During the entire siege the regiment was in action being in the saddle fifty-two days out of the fifty-
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six. The men were worn out by hard and continuons serv- ice, many were prostrated by sickness and a large number died. On the 22d of June, while a detachment from fhe regiment was blockading tiie road leading to Johnston's army then trying to break the blockade, it was suddenly assailed by a body of eight hundred cavalry which cnt off one company and made a furious attack on the others. The detachment made a vigorous fight and cut its way through to the camp but with the loss of nearly half its men. On the 5th, after the fall of Vicksburg, the regiment under Colonel Winslow, in a brigade commanded by Colo- nel Bussey, crossed the Big Black River and took the ad- vance on the road to Jackson. Three hundred men under Major Parkell forming part of a force of eight hundred cavalry commanded by Colonel Winslow, on the 10th of August made a raid of over three hundred miles by Grenada and Coldwater to Memphis. Prom this time un- til December the regiment was employed on various ex- peditions over a wide range of country, losing but few men. The opening of winter found the regiment at Vicks- burg in comfortable quarters. By the 19th of December enough reSnlistments had been secured to constitute the Fourth Iowa a veteran regiment and during the early part of the winter enough recruits were received to fill up the ranks. On the 1st of February the Fourth Iowa Cav- alry started with Sherman's army on the Meridian ex- pedition. This, with three other regiments of cavalry un- der Colonel Winslow, constituted the advance of the army and was almost constantly engaged with the enemy dur- ing the entire march of one hundred and fifty miles to Meridian. Battles of more or less magnitude were fought by the cavalry at Bolton, Jackson, Hillsboro, Morton, Tunnel Hill and Meridian. Upon its return to Vicksburg the regiment was granted a long expected furlough. On the 29th of April the veterans were back in camp at Mem- phis where they were joined by recruits filling up the
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ranks to the number of 1,350 men. The Fourth was in the army under Qeneral Sturgis in his disastrous Missis- sippi campaign that marched in June to find Qeneral For* rest's army. Lieutenant W. F. Scott gives the following graphic description of the Battle of Guntown:
"Gtoeral SturgiB' army consiBted of about twelve thousand men. Tht cavalry, numbering three thousand, was under command of Gtoeral B. H. Grierson. Colonel Winslow, of Iowa, had command of a brigade consist- ing of the Third and Fourth Iowa, and the Tenth Missouri. The cavalry kept in advance of the army, and on the morning of the 10th of June be- came engaged with the enemy's cavalry near Guntown, a smaU station on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The Rebels fell back until they gained the protection of their main body, which was soon found to be posted in force and ready for battle. Our infantry was over five or six miles in the rear. General Sturgis ordered it up on the double-quick, on learning the dis- position of the enemy, and directed the cavalry to engage him until th« infantry should arrive. The enemy, under Forrest, was about equal to our force and was strongly posted on the crest of a semi-circular hill or ridge, in front of which ran a small credc with but one bridge and otherwise impassable, except in a very few places for footmen. The day was very warm and when the infanhy regiments came up they were exhausted and disordered, having double-quicked the whole distance from where they were ordwed forward. By another great blunder close up with them came the train of more than two hundred wagons, which was hurried across the bridge and parked in a field within easy range and sight of the enemy*s batteries. If there was a time when the attacking force should be weU organized and disposed with particular skill it should be when the enemy has so great advantage in position. But in this instance the in- fantry, tired and disordered, was hurried into the fig^t^ already opened by the cavalry, and was soon and completely beaten. The division, brigade and subordinate officers made strenuous ^orts to check the tide of de- feat, but without avail, and the whole army was soon in full retreat, the greater part in utter confusion. The Rebels rejoicing in their easy victory pursued with unrelenting vigor, capturing the entire wagon train and cutting off our weary infantry men in large numbers. It was some time! before an attempt at order in the retreat was made, and then CJolonel Winslow's brigade was ordered to act as rear guard, it being the only organised force in the whole command. Of the First Brigade of cavalry a large part ha4 been taken as an escort for the commanding general, while several detachments had been used for other purposes. No attempt was made to restore order in the infantry, and it was hurried along, a fleeing mob. Back toward Memphis fled tiie disordered army^ its retreat
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eoTcred bj Winslow's brigade of caralry dnring the terrible idijtkV% nuundi of June 10th, and throng the next day until Ripley was readied. Here the enemy preesed so hard that the ninning sldrmiah swelled into a sharp engagement, checking the ardor of the pursuit. General Sturgis made no attempt to reorganize or ccmtrol the troops after the retreat began and he alone should be held directly responsible for this great disaster. Our losees were about four thousand men killed, wounded and missing, the entire train of two hundred and fifty wagons captured and almost the whole ambulance train with every gun except two belonging to Winslow's brigade of caralry were lost."
The Fourth Cavalry was with Qeneral A. J. Smith in his Tupelo campaign, also in his expedition sent from Memphis, in the month of August into Mississippi It was with the army sent into Arkansas the latter part of August in pursuit of Price, which did not overtake him. The regiment was with General Pleasanton in his pursuit of Price in western Missouri taking part in engagements near Independence and at Big Blue River. In forcing a passage of this river Colonel Winslow^s Brigade had a sharp skirmish with the enemy strongly posted on its banks. In this battle the colonel was severely wounded and the Fourth lost several men. At Mine Creek the Union army again overtook Price where a cavalry battle took place on the open prairie. The Fourth Iowa made a most gallant charge on the enemy's lines breaking through them and sending him off in full retreat. Our whole line now joined in the charge and the rout of the foe was com- plete. Our army captured nine hundred prisoners, killed and wounded more than three hundred and took seven pieces of artillery. The pursuit of Price's army was con- tinued until it was driven into the Indian Territory and nearly destroyed. Winslow's Brigade now returned to St. Louis. It had marched nearly 2,500 miles in three months, worn out two sets of horses and fought in many engagements with unvarying success. The Fourth Iowa took part in the two great raids under Grierson and Wil- son, described in another place. In the Battle of Colum-
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bus, under Wilson, the Fonrih captured nine hundred and forty prisoners and twelve field pieces. In August, 1865, the regiment was finally mustered out of service at At- lanta, Georgia.
THB FIFTH IOWA GAVALAY.
The regiment known as the Fifth Iowa Cavalry was not wholly an Iowa organization but was composed of com- panies recruited in Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa and Ne- braska Territory. Carl Schaeffer and A. W. Haw, who had served in the First Iowa Infantry, were authorized to raise a troop of cavalry in Iowa to form part of a body- guard for General Fremont Schaeffer was a German and a nobleman by birth. Succeeding to his title and estate of Baron of Boemstein he assumed the surname of Boemstein to which his rank and estate entitled him. In conjunction with Sergeant Haw he succeeded in raising two companies which were organized and mustered into service at St. Louis as ** Fremont Hussars.*' Captain Boemstein, serving on the staff of General Curtis, suc- ceeded in having the troopers from Iowa detached from the ** Hussars ** and formed into an independent com- mand. On the 20th of December, 1861, a regiment called the * * Curtis Horse * ' was formed to which the Iowa troops were attached. Four companies of the regiment were from Nebraska, three from Minnesota and two from Mis- souri. The organization was completed in February, 1862, and the *' Curtis Horse *' entered the service with about 1,000 men.
W. W. Lowe was colonel; M. T. Patrick, lieutenant- colonel; the majors were Carl Boemstein, Wm. Kelsay and A. B. Brackett, with W. B. McGeorge adjutant. In February the regiment was sent to Fort Henry, recently captured by General Grant's army, and in this vicinity remained for more than a year. On the 14th of March a detachment of two hundred and fifty men under Captain
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Croft, marohed toward Paris, Tennessoe, and, being joined by Captain Bnllis' Battery of Light Artillery, pushed on, attacked a body of about six hundred Confed- erates, posted west of the town and after a short but sharp engagement, defeated them with considerable loss. Cap- tain Bullis of the Union battery was mortally wounded. Early in May, Major Boemstein with one hundred and fifty men marched beyond Paris and, while in camp near Lockridge's Mills, was suddenly attacked by Colonel Claybome with overwhelming numbers. The little party made a brave resistance but was overpowered and soon cut to pieces. Captain Nott was thrown from his horse and seriously injured but escaped with eleven of his men. Captains Haw and Van Minden were wounded and cap- tured. Major Boemstein was mortally wounded and died the next day. He was a gallant soldier and an accom- plished genfleman and his death was universally deplored in Iowa where he was widely known. More than half of his men were killed, wounded or captured.
On the 25th of June the regiment was assigned to our State and became the Fifth Iowa Cavalry. Colonel Lowe was continued in command and, as Major Kelsay had died of disease, Brackett was the only major remaining in the regiment. On the 25th of August Fort Henry was attacked by a force of Confederates under Colonel Wood- ward. Major Hart in command, telegraphed Lowe for reSnf orcements. Taking six companies of the Fifth Cav- alry, Colonel Lowe hastened to the rescue but upon his arrival, found that the enemy had been defeated and had retreated up the river. Early the next morning Colonel Lowe started in pursuit and soon overtook the Confed- erates making a vigorous attack. Lieutenant Summers riddled with bullets, fell from his horse surrounded by enemies who attempted to bayonet him, but, fighting with his saber and revolver, he refused to surrender. When finally disarmed and captured he was found to have seven Mini^ balls and a bayonet wound in his body.
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The regiment remained in the vicinity of Fort Heiman during the winter, making many incnrsions into the sur- rounding country and having several sharp fights with the enemy. In March it was sent to garrison Fort Donelson, remaining three mcmths and then joined the army of Gen- eral Bosecrans at Murfreesboro. For a long time it was in active service in Tennessee and Alabanut, frequently in skirmishes with the enemy. On the 9th of October, 1863, Colonel Lowe met with Wheeler's Cavalry at Sugar Creek where thirty of the enemy were killed and about one hundred taken prisoners. The regiment was on active duty in Tennessee during the remainder of the year and, before the Ist of January, 1864, more than three-quarters of its members had reSnlisted, becoming veteran volun- teers. Toward the last of the month they were granted furloughs and visited their homes. During the month of February, Companies G, I and K were sent to Minne- sota, where they were formed into an independent bat- talion under the command of Major Brackett and did not again join the regiment
THB R0U88BAU RAID
In July (General Sherman's army was in the heart of the Confederacy resting in northern Georgia. At this time he was planning a raid for the purpose of destroying the communications of the Confederate army at Atlanta with the southwest Major-General L. H. Rousseau was chosen to lead the expedition. His army was about 3,000 strong and with it was the Fifth Iowa Cavalry, in com- mand of Major Baird, Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick having command of a brigade. The expedition started from Dec- atur in light marching order, without wagons and with but a single ambulance to each regiment Going by way of Sommerville and Ashville to the Coosa River, Rous- seau's army dispersed General Clayton's command which disputed his passage. It pushed on rapidly by Talladega destroying railroads, store houses, iron-works and bridges.
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On fhe 18fh a detachment under Major Baird sharply en- gaged a Confederate force nnder Clayton, near Mont- gomery, in which the latter was defeated with consider- able loss. As the sun went down on the 22d Bonssean's army reached Marietta, on the line of communication from Chattanooga to Atlanta, where Sherman had thirteen days before directed him to strike the Confederate lines. Gen- eral Bonssean had marched nearly f onr hundred miles in thirteen days, had crossed the Sand Mountains, two large rivers, fought two battles, destroyed thirty miles of rail- road, five large depots of cotton and army supplies. Not a single act of pillage or vandalism had been committed by his soldiers. His loss did not exceed thirty men.
The Fifth Iowa took a prominent part in this raid in which Captain Curl was killed and Captain Wilcox se- verely wounded. In the latter part of July the Fifth Cav- alry took part in another raid which proved disastrous. It was under command of General Edward McCook who for a time was successful. He destroyed two large wagon trains, filled with supplies, and many miles of railroad north and south of Lovejoy; but soon disasters came thick and fast. The loss of the Fifth Iowa was very heavy although it fought bravely on all occasions. Lieutenant Andrew Guler was killed, Lieutenant W. T. Hays was taken prisoner and about one hundred and twenty men were killed, wounded and captured. The remnants of the regiment were collected near Sandtown, numbering but a little more than one hundi'ed men. This fragment of the regrment, now under Major Young, in August marched with General Kilpatrick to cut the communications south of Atlanta on the Macon railroad. There was hard fight- ing and severe marching. The Fifth Begiment greatly distinguished itself, again losing heavily. In September, by order of the War Department, two companies of the Fifth Iowa Infantry were consolidated with the remnant of the Fifth Cavalry. Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick re- signed and Major Harlan Baird was promoted to the
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place. November^ 1864, found the regiment at Colnmbiay on Duck Biver, not far from Nashville, Tennessee. On the 28th General Forrest forced a passage of the river above the fords guarded by the brigade to which the regiment belonged. The brigade commanded by Colonel Capron was by this movement left in a bend of the river com- pletely isolated from the main army and in a perilous position. Colonel Capron was missing and Major Young assumed command. He at once determined to make a desperate attempt to save the brigade by cutting his way through the enemy's lines. The dispositions were quickly made and the order given ** forward.** The Fifth Iowa was in advance and when the enemy's lines were reached, the major shouted—** charge ! " and with a fierce yell the cavalry cut its way through the Confederate ranks. The brigade reached the Union lines about midnight and re- ported to General Wilson. He was most agreeably sur- prised as Colonel Capron had arrived some time before and reported his brigade cut to pieces. The Fifth Iowa lost fifteen men in this affair. Lieutenant-Colonel Baird, now having secured horses from Kentucky to replace those lost in the campaign, was ready for the Battle of Nashville. On the 15th of December General Thomas advanced with his army to attack the Confederates and won a great vic- tory. The Fifth Iowa was in the fight on the right of the line where Lieutenant John W. Watson was killed. Join- ing in the pursuit it skirmished with the retreating enemy for several days. The next imp<)rtant service of the regi- ment was in the raid led by General J. H. Wilson. Major J. M. Young was now promoted to colonel, in place of Lowe who had previously resigned. In an engagement near Six Mile Creek the Fifth was in the advance when Colonel Young gave the order to *' charge." For a mo- ment both friend and foe were obscured by dust but the next moment revealed the enemy broken and fleeing in every direction. At the battles of Ebenezer Church and at the capture of Selma our regiment was in the thickest
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of the fight The last battle in which it fought was the taking of Columbus, Georgia, where three oompanies joined in the assault Colonel Young captured the books and assets of the bank of Tennessee, and money amounting to about $800,000. The war now being ended, the regiment was sent to Nashville where on the 11th of August, 1865, it was mustered out of the service.
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THE SIXTH IOWA OAVAIiBY
THIS regiment was recmited from the State at large in the year 1862 and the early part of 1863. The Sioux Indians in the northwest, taking advantage of the Civil War in prog- ress had, in 1862, begun a war of extermina- tion npon the settlers in western Minnesota, in which many hundred men, women and children had been massacred. The Government was organizing two armies on the frontier to punish the Indians and protect the set- tlers. One of these armies was to move up ihe east side of the Missouri River, the other to march west in Minne- sota to the Indian country, the two to form a junction at some point on the Missouri River. The army at Sioux City was under command of General John Cook.
The Sixth Cavalry was organized by the appointment of the following officers: Colonel David S. Wilson of Dubuque; Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel M. Pollock; Ma- jors Thomas M. Shepherd, E. P. Ten-Broeck, A. E. House; Adjutant Rufus L. Miller. When starting for Sioux City on the 16th of March, 1863, the regiment num- bered about 1,100 men. Soon after reaching Camp Cook, in Dakota Territory, on the 26th of April, a report was brought to the camp that a large band of Indians was threatening Fort Randall, which was garrisoned by a small force under command of Major John Pattee. One battalion of the Sixth Cavalry under Major Ten-Broeck was ordered to march at once to Fort Randall to refinf orce the garrison. On the 22d of May another battalion un- der Major Shepherd was ordered to proceed to the fort accompanied by Lieutenant-Colonel Pollock, who was di-
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rected to take command and drive all hostile Indians from the vicinity. Upon the approach of the troops the Indians fled, pursued by a detachment of cavalry. Near the end of the month the battalion under Major Ten-Broeck marched to Fort Pierre, about two hundred miles up the river, where preparations were being made to move the army on a campaign against the Indians. In the month of June General Cook was relieved of command in the Department and his place filled by Gteneral Alfred Sully, who made Fort Pierre his base of operations. Prepara- tions having been completed, the army began its march northward on the 13th of August, 1863. The command consisted of the Sixth Iowa Cavalry, Second Nebraska Cavalry, the Seventh Iowa Cavalry and the Prairie Bat- tery of four guns, making in round numbers 2,500 men aside from those necessary to care for the supply train. The army moved rapidly up the east bank of the river about one hundred miles to the mouth of the Little Chey- enne Biver and then halted to await the arrival of a steamer with supplies. The sick and the baggage were sent by steamer back to Fort Pierre.
BATTLB OF WHITE STONS HILL
On the 21st the army resumed its march up the river and on the 25th a scouting party sent out, saw the first Indians bringing in a number of squaws and children. On the 3d of September the army went into camp on tiie shores of a lake where signs of Indians were discovered and scouts sent out to examine the country in the vicinity. One battalion of the Sixth Iowa, three hundred men under Major House, came upon an encampment of more than four hundred lodges of warriors. Major House at once dispatched a messenger to (General Sully and endeavored to detain the Indians without bringing on a battle. Upon the arrival of the messenger the bugles were sounded and the men mounted, except four companies left to guard the train. The command was formed in the following order :
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the Second Nebraska on the right, the Sixth Iowa on the left, one company of the Seventh, or Sionx City Cavalry, and the battery in the center. The command * * Forward * * was given and, starting at full gallop, in less than an honr the Indian camp was reached. The Indians had formed their line of battle so skillfully that they could only be dis- lodged by a charge. Although this was the first battle most of the men had ever seen there was no flinching; they moved steadily forward and in less than half an hour the Indians were in full retreat. They were armed with rifles, shot guns, bows and arrows and fought for a time with great courage and desperation. Most of the cavalry, by order of General Sully, dismounted and fought with ri&es until the Indians were dislodged when they mounted their horses and joined in the pursuit. Night coming on most of the Indians succeeded in making their escape. The following day General Sully sent out strong parties in a vain effort to overtake and capture the fleeing In- dians but they had got beyond his reach. The loss to our army was twenty killed and thirty-eight wounded. The loss of the Indians was estimated at one hundred and fifty killed and wounded, while thirty-two warriors were cap- tured as well as a great amount of provisions and many ponies. The Sixth Cavalry which was in the thickest of the fight, lost twelve men killed (among whom was Lieu- tenant T. J. Leavitt) and ten wounded. The bodies of our dead were buried upon a knoll near a small lake at the foot of White Stone Hill, from which the battle takes its name. On the 11th of September the army was back at Fort Pierre. In obedience to orders General Sully se- lected a site and erected a log fort. The buildings had accommodations for five companies of soldiers. Before they were completed General Sully returned to Sioux City wiiii most of his troops leaving Lieutenant-Colonel Pol- lock in command with five companies of his regiment to complete the fori It was named Fort Sully and was situ- ated about three hundred miles northwest of Sioux City.
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In the spring General Sully returned with a brigade to prosecute another campaign against the Indians. His army now consisted of eleven companies of the Sixth Iowa Cavalry under Lieutenant-Colonel Pollock (Colonel Wil- son having resigned) ; three companies of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry; a battalion of Minnesota Cavalry; two companies of Dakota Cavalry ; a battery of four guns and howitzers and a company of scouts under Captain Natha- niel Pope. The whole command numbered about 1^00 men. On the 26th of June the army began a march of two hundred miles up the river, where a military post was erected and named Fort Bice. While here a brigade which had marched from Minnesota jointed the expedi- tion. On the 19th the army resumed its march northward, leaving a detachment of infantry tofinish the fort. Follow- ing a divide between the Big Cannon Ball and Heart rivers the expedition moved on toward the Yellowstone. The passage through the '* Bad Lands '' was attended with great difficulties owing to the natural obstructions which sheltered and concealed the movements of the Indians. Dismounting his cavalry (General Sully moved cautiously forward, driving the Indians from their lurking places, often meeting with determined resistance. The Yellow- stone was reached on the 12th of August where two small steamers were waiting with supplies for the army.
With the assistance of the steamers the army with its trains was able to cross the river on the 13th and moved on toward Fort Union, a trading post on the Missouri River, on the border of the Crow Indian country. The ex- pedition then proceeded westward to Fort Berthold, where one company of the Sixth Iowa Cavalry was left to garri- son the post The march was continued to * * Dog Buttes ' ' on the Mouse River, in search of hostile Indians but none were found and the army turned back reaching Fort Bice on the 9th of September. Here the active campaign for the summer ended. Bands of Indians were often seen in the vicinity for several weeks and while pursuing a party
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one day, Sergeant Murray of the Sixth Iowa was killed. The main army started on its return march toward Sioux City on the last of September, leaving a battalion of the Sixth Iowa at Fort Eice to garrison the i)Ost. The re- mainder of the regiment was quartered at Fort Randall, Sioux City, Yankton, the Sioux and Winnebago Agency and at Fort Berthold for the winter. The Indians had been so thoroughly overawed by the march of the army through their country that they made no trouble the next year. No further hostilities being anticipated, orders were issued to disband the Sixth Cavalry and it was ac- cordingly mustered out at Sioux City on the 17th of Oc- tober, 1865.
THE SEVENTH IOWA CAVAIiBY.
Efforts had long been made by Samuel W- Summers and H. H. Heath to organize a regiment of cavalry to be known as the Seventh. Finally on the 27ih of April, 1863, two companies were mustered in, on the 28th two, on the 29th two more, on the 3d of June and the 13th of July one. Three companies raised for the Forty-first Infan- try and a company of Sioux City Cavalry were, by order of the War Department, now transferred to the Seventh. These latter companies had for some time been in service on the frontier. The regiment was now complete and the following officers were assigned to it : Colonel Samuel W. Summers, Lieutenant-Colonel John Pattee, Majors H. H. Heath, G. W. O'Brien and John S. Wood. The adjutant was Eugene S. Sheffield. Six companies were sent to Omaha under Major Heath and stationed in different •parts of the Territory. In September Colonel Summers moved from Davenport with the remainder of the regi- ment and made Omaha his headquarters. During the entire term of service the various companies of the regi- ment were scattered over a wide extent of country where they were employed in active duties, protecting the frontier from hostile Indians. They garrisoned i)Osts, escorted
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trains, protected emigrants, guarded lines of travel and telegraph and had frequent engagements with hostile bands of Indians.
Portions of the regiment were engaged in many battles including White Stone Hill, Little Blue, Julesburg, Bush Creek, Mud Springs, Horse Creek, in some of which losses were sustained. They did good service over a wide range of country in Nebraska, E^ansas, Dakota and Colorado un- der Generals McKean, Mitchell, Curtis and Heath. Their greatest loss was at Julesburg on the 7th of January, 1865, where Captain O'Brien with Company F was escorting a train. The Indians in large numbers made an attack upon the train which was kept up during the entire day. Colonel Summers was with the company and directed the fight At one time he was besieged on a ranch while Captain O'Brien brought up artillery and opened upon the In- dians, who were finally driven off with heavy loss. Colo- nel Summers shot one of the chiefs with his revolver and fifty-five warriors were killed during the fight. Captain William D. Fonts and twelve men were killed during the year in other engagements. Colonel Summers was mus- tered out of the service on the 31st of January, 1865. Heath was, in the following May, promoted to colonel and soon after was brevetted Brigadier-General. He was placed in command of a sub-district with headquarters at Fort Kearney and subdued the hostile Indians in that re- gion who had long harassed the settlers ^d emigrants. Major O'Brien also became colonel of the regiment and was a brevet Brigadier-General. The regiment was finally mustered out of service at Leavenworth, Kansas, on the 17th of May, 1866.
THE EIGHTH IOWA CAVALRY
Early in the year 1863 Lieutenant Joseph Dorr of the Twelfth Iowa Infantry received authority from the Secre- tary of War to raise a regiment of cavalry in the State
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of Iowa. Enlistments were at this time being made for the Seventh Cavalry but with the energetic work of Colo- nel Dorr the Eighth was soon made up to the number of 1^34 men from all parts of the State. It was mustered into the service on the last day of September and went into camp at Davenport H. G. Bamer was appointed lieutenant-colonel; J. J. Brown, J. D. Thompson and A. J. Price, majors and J. H. Isett, adjutant. On the 17th of October the regiment broke camp for the seat of war, stop- ping at Louisville, Kentucky, remaining there until No- vember, then marched to Nashville, and from there to Waverly which was headquarters during the winter. A long line of communication was to be guarded and hostile bands suppressed over an extensive region, all of whidi required constant vigilance on the part of the command- ing officers. During the winter nearly five hundred Con- federate prisoners were captured in small bands, includ- ing Colonel Hawkins, a noted leader. In April, 1864, the regiment was sent to Chattanooga to join the Cavalry Di- vision of (Jeneral McCook in which Colonel Dorr was given command of the First Brigade, after which lieu- tenant-Colonel Bamer took command of the regiment. During the campaign now opening the regiment had fre- quent skirmishes with the enemy. On the 24th of May a detachment under Captain M. M. Walden routed a supe- rior force of the enemy in a daring charge. On the 22d of July Colonel Dorr resumed the command of his regi- ment On the 27th General McCook began his disastrous raid. Colonel Dorr, with the remnant of his regiment, now reduced to about three hundred and twenty men, was in the expedition. On the 29th the command reached Lovejoy where the railroad was torn up and obstructed, after which the retreat began. Soon after a fierce attack was made on the Union army and a severe battle took place. The Eighth Cavalry bore a conspicuous part, los- ing between twenty and thirty men, killed or wounded. Among the killed were Lieutenants James Horton and
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Joseph H. Cobb, both gallant young officers who fell at the head of the colmnn. Colonel Dorr and many others were wounded. On the next day the Battle of Newman was fought with a largely superior force of the enemy. As the head of our column entered Newman it encountered Rhod- dy 's dismounted cavalry, which was soon after refinforced by Wheeler and a fierce battle ensued. Croxton's Brigade^ in which was the Eighth Iowa, at once made a gallant charge on the enemy's lines, forcing them to give way but the rest of the division failed to come up in time so that the Confederates rallied and held their position. The fight was continued for some time by the First Brigade alone, now commanded by Dorr. Tliis enabled most of the command to reach the main army in safety while Colonel Dorr with his regiment was captured by the en- emy. They had made a most gallant fight against vastly superior numbers and only surrendered when further re- sistance was hopeless. Of the three hundred and sixteen officers and men who started on the raid but twenty ever regained the Union lines. After some months' im- prisonment Colonel Dorr and a portion of his men were exchanged and rejoined the army then resisting Hood's invasion. The cavalry fell back slowly before the enemy skirmishing continually and harassing his advance. The Eighth took part in the Battle of Nashville but was not heavily engaged, joining in the pursuit it captured a num- ber of prisoners. The winter was spent at Waterloo, Ala- bama, where it remained until the Wilson raid.
In this expedition the Eighth Cavalry was in the First Brigade commanded by Gteneral Croxton. After moving with the main army to Elyton, on the 1st of March, it was detached and moved toward Tuscaloosa for the purpose of drawing a portion of Forrest's force away from Wil- son's front. General Croxton captured that city, de- stroyed the military school, iron works, factories and other property, recrossed the river, burned the bridge and moved toward Columbus. Turning toward Taladega/
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he encountered Gteneral C. B. Hill with a force of cavalry which he put to flight and moved on to the city. Here he destroyed the public property and passed on to Ox- fordy CarroUton and Newman, and on the 1st of May joined the main body of the army at Macon. His com- mand had marched more than six hundred and fifty miles over a mountainous country, crossed four large rivers, destroyed five extensive iron mills, numerous factories and captured five hundred prisoners and many small arms. The loss had been about one hundred and seventy men, most of whom had been captured while foraging. No regiment did more fighting than the Eighth Cavalry, which lost six men killed, seven wounded and a few captured.
On the 28th of May Colonel Dorr, who had been suf- fering for some time with rheumatism, was attacked by a congestive chill and lived but a few hours. His sudden death was a shock to his regiment, with which he was a great favorite. The sad news was received with sorrow throughout the State.
lieutenant-Colonel Bamer was promoted to command of the regiment, serving as colonel during the remainder of the term of enlistment On the 13th of August, 1865, the regiment was mustered out of the service at Macon, Georgia.
THE NINTH IOWA CAVAUIY
This was the last of the three years' regiments raised in Iowa for service in the Civil War. The various com- panies making up the regiment were recruited in the State at large. Its organization was completed at Davenport on the last of November, 1863, by the appointment of the following officers: M. M. Trumbull, colonel; John P. Knight, lieutenant-colonel; Edgar T. Ensign, Willis Drummond and WiUiam Haddock, majors; and John Wayne, adjutant. The regiment consisted of about 1,200 men many of whom had served in other regiments. Field
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operations were in the State of Arkansas where serv- ices were largely confined to scouting, guard and garri- son duties. Although this was one of the best regiments sent from Iowa, its officers and men having largely seen active service in the field, it so happened that during the entire term of enlistment the fortune of war did not offer the opportunity to participate in any of the great battles. Its services were no less valuable to the Union cause, how- ever, than of those engaged on historic fields. Detachments of the regiment often encountered small parties of the enemy in heavy skirmishes, in which their skill and cour- age were tested, proving that they were in no respect in- ferior to any troops in the field. Colonel Trumbull was brevetted a Brigadier-General, John Wayne and John J. Young were promoted to majors in the places of Drum- mond and Haddock, who resigned. The regiment was mustered out of service in February and March, 1866.
'' THE HUKDBED DAYS' MEN "
During the summer of 1864 when the armies of Grant and Sherman were slowly penetrating the Southern Con- federacy and engaging its veteran armies in great battles the Governors of the Northwestern States proposed to raise a number of regiments for a short term of service, for the purpose of relieving experienced troops then on guard and garrison duty in order that they might re6n- f orce our armies in the fighting line. The offer was accepted and (Governor Stone issued a proclamation call- ing on the i>eople of Iowa to furnish volunteers to serve one hundred days. In response to this call four regiments and a battalion were enlisted. The first to organize under the call was the
FOBTY-FIPTH I2STANTBY
consisting of nine hundred and twelve men who assembled at Keokuk and were mustered into the service on the 25th
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COLONEL DAVID B. HENDERSON. Member of Congress Twenty Years.
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of May. The field officers were Colonel A. H. Bereman, lientenant-Colonel Samuel A. Moore, Major James B. Hope.
THE FOBTT-POUBTH INFAKTBY
consisting of eight hundred and sixty-seven men, assem- bled at Davenport on the 1st of June and was organized by the appointment of the following officers:- Colonel Stephen H. Henderson, Ldeutenant-Colonel Henry Egbert, Major Josiah Hopkins.
THE POBTT-SIXTH USTPAJSTTKY
numbering eight hundred and ninety-two men and officers assembled at Davenport and was mustered into the service on the 10th of June. David B. Henderson was appointed colonel, L. D. Durbin lieutenant-colonel and George L. Torbett major.
THE POBTY-SBVBlirrH INPANTBY
was enlisted in May and went into camp at Davenport where it was mustered into the service on the 4th of June, numbering eight hundred and eighty-four officers and men. James P. Sanf ord was appointed colonel, John Wil- liams lieutenant-colonel and GFeorge J. North major.
One battalion of the Forty-eighth was enlisted to the number of three hundred and forty-six men. It went into camp at Davenport and on the 13th of June was mustered into the service, with 0. H. P. Scott lieutenant-colonel and W. T. Hayes adjutant.
The Forty-fourth, Forty-fifth and Forty-sixth regi- ments performed good service in Tennessee, relieving troops whidi had been engaged in guarding lines of com- munication and garrison duty, so that these were sent to reinforce the armies engaged in the great campaigns.
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In acknowledging the valuable assistance to the Union cause rendered by these hundred day regiments the Presi- dent said in an Executive order :
"It was their good fortune to render efficient service in the brilliant operations in the Southwest and to contribute to the yictories of the Kational arms over the Rebels in Qeorigia, under the command of Johnston and Hood. On all occasions and in every service to which they were as- signed, their duty as patriotic volunteers was performed with alacrity and courage, for which they are entitled to and are hereby tendered the Na- tional thanks."
The Forty-seventh was sent to Helena, Arkansas, where many were stricken with disease and died in hospitals or soon after reaching their homes. The battalion of the Forty-eighth was sent to Bock Island to guard the Con- federate prisoners stationed at that place. These r^- ments lost ninety-four men during their short term of services, nearly all of whom died from disease.
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CHAPTER XXXI
THE IOWA ABTILLBBY SEBVIGB
OUB State furnished four batteries of light artillery for service during the Civil War. The First Battery was organized early in the first year of the war and was mustered into the service at Burlington about the middle of August, 1861, having enrolled one hundred and sixteen officers and men. They were enlisted from the State at large. The first captain was Charles H. Fletcher of Burlington, who served until January 8, 1862. He was succeeded by Lieutenant J. A. Jones who was wounded at the Battle of Pea Bidge and resigned on the 24th of March, 1862. Harry H. Griffith, who was a captain of Company E, Fourth Iowa Infantry, was his successor. This battery did excellent service in many im- portant battles and received honorable mention in reports of commanding officers. During its term of service the First Battery lost ten men killed in battle, fifty died of disease, twenty-seven wounded in action and twenty-six discharged for disability. It was mustered out at Daven- port, July 5, 1865.
The Second Battery was raised in the counties of Polk, Dallas, Harrison, Fremont and Pottawattamie and went into camp at Council Bluffs in August, 1861. It consisted of one hundred and twenty-three men and was organized with Nelson T. Spoor as captain. Upon the expiration of his term of service on the 30th of August, 1864. Lieutenant Joseph B. Beed was commissioned captain. Upon the ex- piration of his term of service, June 19, 1865, he was mus-
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tered out and succeeded by Lieutenant John W. Coons. This battery did excellent service during the war and was among the most famous for its brilliant action at the bat* ties of Vicksburg, the Atlanta campaigns and at Nash- ville. Its losses were two kiUed, twenty-nine deaths from disease^ fourteen wounded in action and sixteen dis- charged for disability. It was mustered out at Daven- port on the 5th of July, 1865.
The Third Battery was raised in the Third Con- gressional District, and numbered one hundred and forty men. It went into camp at Dubuque in August, 1861, where it was mustered into the service. Captain M. M. Hayden was its first commander and served until October 3, 1864, when he was mustered out, being succeeded by Lieutenant Melville C. Wright who served until January 5, 1865, when he in turn was succeeded by Lieutenant 0. H. Lyon. This battery took an active part in the battles of Pea Bidge and Helena as well as several engagements in other parts of Arkansas. Its losses during the war were four kiUed, thirteen wounded, thirty-three deaths from disease and twenty discharged for disability. This battery was mustered out of the service on the 3d of Oc- tober, 1865, at Davenport.
The Fourth Battery was enlisted largely in the counties of Mahaska, Mills, Fremont and Henry, went into quarters at Davenport and was mustered into the service on the 23d of November, 1863. It numbered one hundred and fifty-two men, including officers, and was organized by the appointment of Philip H. Goode, captain. Many of the officers and men were soldiers who had seen service in other organizations in the early years of the war. It was stationed in Louisiana and was not called upon to participate in any important engagements with the enemy during the term of service. Its only losses were from dis- ease and accident and it was mustered out at Davenport on the 14th of July, 1865.
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A FOBT DODGE 0AyAl4BY OOMPAKY
In the spring of 1861 after Fort Snmter had been fired upon, a number of yonng men living in Fort Dodge and vicinity determined to make preparation for the war that was then seen to be inevitable. They assembled weekly for the purpose of reoeiving military instruction. After the Battie of Bull Bun they decided to organize a military company and enter the service. Dr. L. L. Pease who was in Washington about this time^ learned from Senator Har- lan that Colonel Josiah Harvey, a relative of the Senator, was raising a regiment of cavalry in Philadelphia and would be pleased to have a company from Iowa for his regiment. Upon his return to Fort Dodge the doctor con- ferred with the members of his home company. Desirous of meeting the enemy as soon as possible, the members of the Fort Dodge Company decided to join Colonel Harvey *8 regiment of Pennsylvanians which became the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry. The following officers were chosen by the members of the company who received their com* missions from Governor Kirkwood of Iowa: Captain Frank A. Stratton ; First Lieutenant George S. Bingland ; Second Lieutenant George W. Bassett. This company reached Washington on the 6th of October, 1861, and was given the place of honor as ** Company A, Eleventh Penn- sylvania Cavalry. '* It was the only organization of Iowa soldiers that served during its whole term of enlistment in the eastern armies. The regiment to which this Iowa com- pany was attached was employed in Virginia during the greater part of the war. Captain Stratton became a ma- jor and Lieutenant Bingland was promoted to captain of the company. Upon the expiration of its term of service the company was given a cordial reception by the citizens of Fort Dodge.
andebsonvhjle and otheb confedeeate prisons During the war of the American Eevolution the gov- enmient of Great Britain won a record of infamy that has
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not been equalled by that of any civilized nation of mod- em times, in its treatment of American prisoners. Crowded in the holds of prison ships reeking with foul air and filth, suffering horrors indescribable, they perished by hundreds. The cruelties practiced by the prison keep- ers upon their helpless victims were perpetrated for the avowed purpose of punishing rebels and terrifying the patriots who were joining the armies of the Revolution.
The Confederate government in the treatment of pris- oners captured from the Union armies surpassed the Brit- ish in barbarity, in many of the prison pens. The horrors endured by inmates of libby, Salisbury, Florence, Macon, Belle Isle, Tyler and Columbia have been told by sur- vivors in every Northern State and the record of thou- sands who perished from inhuman treatment, disease and starvation and were buried in the prison cemeteries, bear witness to an infamous system of cruelty that must ever shock humanity.
Iowa soldiers endured the horrors of these prisons and hundreds sleep in nameless graves, who were slowly mur- dered within the stockades.
A brief description of the Andersonville stockade, where more Iowa soldiers perished than in any other prison, will give the people of present and future generations a truth- ful picture of the horrors of all of them.
Early in 1864 the site was selected in southern Qeorgia remote from any large city or town, in the heart of a swampy, desolate region covered with pine forests. A railroad station and seven small buildings made the town of Andersonville. Half a mile east, twenty-seven acres of the forest were cleared and inclosed with palisades firmly planted in the ground to a depth of five feet. This made a solid wooden wall twelve feet in height Inside of this wall at a distance of seventy feet was another wall of palisades and, at a distance of one hundred feet inside of this, was a third wall eighteen feet high. Within this wall, at a distance of seventeen feet, was the *^ Dead line,"
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made by driving into the ground posts which projected five feet above the surface npon which were spiked two by four scantlings. On the inside of the palisades were erected sentry boxes thirty yards apart in which were stationed the armed guards, with instructions to shoot any prisoner who should reach or step inside of this ** dead line/' A swampy creek ran through the indosure from west to east, so that there was left inside of the ** dead line '' not more than thirteen acres of dry ground upon which men could live. Into this pen were crowded in Jxme, 1864, 22,291 prisoners. Dr. Joseph Jones, a distinguished Confederate physician and surgeon of Augusta, Georgia, made a visit to the stockade in August and gave a report of its condition from which the following extract is made :
"In July there were twenty-nine thousand and thirty, and in Augosi thirty-two thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine prisoners confined in the stockade. No shade trees were left in the entire indosure. But many of the Federal prisoners had ingeniously constructed huts and caves to shelter themselves from the rain, sun and night damps. The stench arising from this dense population crowded together here, performing all the duties of life, was horrible in the extreme. The accommodations for the sick were so defective and the condition of the others so pitiable that from February 24th to September 2l8t nine thousand four hundred and seveniy-nine died, or nearly one-third of the entire number in the stockade. There were nearly five thousand prisoners seriously ill, and the deaths exceeded one hundred a day. Large numbers were walking about who were not reported sick, who were suffering from diarrhea and scurvy. 1 visited two thousand sick lying under some long sheds; only one medical officer was in attendance, whereas at least twenty should have been em- ployed. From the crowded condition, bad diet, unbearable filth, dejected appearances of the prisoners, their systems had become so disordered that from the slightest abrasion of the skin, from the heat of the sun or even a mosquito bite, they took on rapid and frightful ulceration and gangrene. The continuous use of salt meat imperfectly cured and their total depri- vation of vegetables and fruit caused the scurvy. The sick were lying upon the bare floors of open sheds without even straw to rest upon. The haggard, dejected, living skeletons, crying for medical aid and food, and the ghastly corpses with glazed eyeballs staring up into vacant space, with flies swarming down their open mouths, and over their rags infested with swarms of lice and maggots, as they lay among the sick and dying, formed
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a picture of helplees, hopeless misery, impossible for words to portray. Millions of flies swarmed over everything and coyered the faces of the side patients and crowded their open mouths, depositing their maggots in the gangrenous wounds of the living, and in the mouths of the dead.
" These abuses were due to the total absence of any system or any sani- tary regulations. When a patient died he was laid in front of his tent, if he had one, and often remained there for hours."
This was the language of a distingnished snrgeon of the Confederacy who recites what he actually witnessed. His soul revolted at the cruelties that he saw on every side and the indifference of the officials who were directly re- sponsible for the awfuly needless sufferings that he so graphically describes. The condition of the perishing vic- tims of this horrible prison was repeatedly reported by the Confederate surgeons in attendance upon the prisoners and to the Confederate Government at Bichmond but not a word of rebuke came to check the horrid work of Winder and Wirz. Winder, the superintendent of prisoners, ap- pointed by Jefferson Davis, openly boasted that ** in 1864 he had destroyed more Yankee soldiers at Andersonville than had Gteneral Lee with twenty of his best regiments in the field." Thus perished 12,853 Union soldiers in less than a year. They were buried in a cemetery near the scene of their awful sufferings and lingering deaths. These heroic men were repeatedly offered release from the horrors of the prison, if they would enlist in the Con- federate army but to their enduring honor let it be here recorded that they spumed the offers with a patriotism unsurpassed in the annals of history and remained to suf- fer the martyr's death. The following is the roll of honor of the Iowa victims of Andersonville, the number being that inscribed on the marble slab that marks the soldier's grave:
167. Henry M. Collins, Company G, Fourth Infantry.
267. John Moon, Company H, Thirty-ninth Infantry.
362. William H. Ennes, Company B, Fourth Infantry.
307. Emanuel Myers, Company G, Fifth Infantry.
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828. William Chenowith, Company K, Fourth Infantry.
450. James Moon, Company H, Thirty-ninth Infantry.
461. John C. Stout, Company A, Fifth Infantry.
699. John P. ShufBeton, Company H, Fifth Infantry.
641. Norman Seeley, Company B, Ninth Infantry.
760. Leonard 6am, Company C, Sixth Infantry.
862.- Andrew Heller, Company D, Fifth Infantry.
892. Charles M. Lamhert, Company H, Thirly-ninth Infantry.
1192. James McMullen, Company C, Fourth Infantry.
1293. Christian Bartshe, Company E, Fifth Infantry.
1316. James Tormey.. Company K, Tenth Infantry.
1317. Francis M. Miller, Company H, Fifth Infantry. 1472. Wm. T. McCammon, Company A, Fourth Infantry. 1484. Jacob Gender, Company I, Fifth Infantry.
1670. Wm. H. Bingham, Company H, Thirty-ninth Infantry.
1674. Omer R. Whitman, Company £, Fifth Infantry.
1796. Charles Ryan, Company G, Fifth Infantry.
1797. Frank Moore.
1816. Isaac B. Hurl^, Company H, Eighth Infantry.
1820. John Richardson.
1961. Elias Ratliffe, Company I, Fourth Infantry.
1972. Johann Peterson, Company £, Twenty-sixth Infantry.
1981. William Tippery, Company K, Fifth Infantry.
2027. Asahel McAllister, Company C, Fourteenth Infantry.
2046. Thomas S. Littletcm, Company C, Fifth Infantry.
2161. Franklin Wells, Company I, Fifth Infantry.
2168. Robert J. H. Huffman, Company H, Fifth Infantry.
2213. Andrew R. Whitenack, Company K, Ninth Infantry.
2703. Thomas M. Davis, Company E, Third Infantry.
2712. Robert T. Smith, Company H, Tenth Infantry.
2845. Jasper N. StatUer, Company K, Thirtieth Infantry.
2866. Benjamin F. Wolfe, Company E, Eighth Infantry.
2869. Leroy Palmer, Company D, Ninth Infantry.
3060. Mathew T. Sparks, Company K, Fifth Infantry.
3204. Harman Kolenbranden, Company H, Seventeenth Infantry.
3423. John W. McNiel, Company I, Fourth Infantry.
3660. F. Kesler.
3617. John C. Clark, Company H, Thirty-first Infantry.
3706. Job M. Field, Company K, Fifth Infantry.
3986. Martin Thompson, Company G, Fifth Infantry.
4178. Samuel Sutton, Company H, Fifth Infantry.
4206. John Davis, Company D, Fifteenth Infantry.
4221. Alfred C. Barnes, Company H, Fifteenth Infantry.
4461. Courtlin Jones, Company B, Fourth Infantry.
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4603. Setli FamBworth, Company H, Second Cavalry.
4682. Qeorge W. Cromwell, Company F, Twenty-seventh Infantry.
4676. Lawrence Demotte, Company G, Fifth Infantry.
4773. Charles Smith, Company F, Twenty-sixth Infantry.
4804. William W. Moore, Company A, Fifteenth Infantry.
4916. John A. Wolfe, Company C, Second Cavalry.
6006. George Gentle, Company E, Fourth Infantry.
6101. Silas Cooper, Company B, Fifth Infantry.
6244. Edward D. Cox, Company G, Fifth Infantry,
j 5378. Bernard Kennedy.
6410. Charles F. Starr, Company H, Thirtieth Infantry.
6446. James I. Murray, Company I, Seventeenth Infantry.
6461. John Harrb, Company U, Eighth Cavalry.
6661. Moses Allen, Company K, Third Infantry.
6622. William A. Cox, Company I, Fifth Cavalry.
6836. Christie Graushoff, Company I, Twenty-sixth Infantry.
6878. Kienza Reid, Company I, Sixteenth Infantry.
6892. John Shadle, Company C, Sixteenth Infantry.
6099. Ezra Coder.
6167. Thomas McCall, Company M, Eighth Cavalry.
6209. Charles P. Philpot, Company B, Thirty-first Infantry.
6378. Henry Cox, Company I, Fifth Cavalry.
6464. Ehenezer King, Company C, Second Cavalry.
6672. David Robertson, Company G, Thirteenth Infantry.
6604. Henry Clausen, Company E, Twenty-sixth Infantry.
6687. Charles D. Teevis, Company A, Fifth Infantry.
6816. William Merchant, Company G, Thirteenth Infantry.
6848. Malcolm J. Collins.
6849. Samuel P. Driskell, Company F, Twenty-sixth Infantry. 6878. Isaac V. Maynard, (Company B, Fourth Infantry. 6932. William A. Comsr.
6934. John Whelan, Company D, Twenty-sixth Infantry.
6969. Richard O'Connor, Company I, Twenty-sixth Infantry.
7716. John W. Freel, Company F, Tenth Infantry.
7779. John L. Baird, Company H, Twenty-sixth Infantry.
7878. John Q. A. Fredericks, Company C, Sixteenth Infantry.
7964. Wm. W. Symms, Company D, Third Infantry.
7969. l^wis Lord, Company G, Thirteenth Infantry.
8062. Samuel S. Culbertson.
8101. Charles E. Washrath, Company K, Fifth Infantry.
8106. Joseph B. Hastings, Company B, Eleventh Infantry.
8120. Zach. L. McClure, Company C, Sixteenth infantry.
8131. Simon P. Wolston, Company H, Thirteenth Infantry. James W. Smith, Company A, Thirteenth Infantry.
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8263. John A. Lazining, Cknnpany I, Thirteenth Infantry.
8204. Frederick Buckmaster, Company K, Fifteenth Iowa.
8362. Benjamin Crow, Company £. Fourth Infantry.
8380. George W. Tmssell, Company D, Sixth Infantry.
8656. George A. Junk, Company C, Eighth Infantry.
8974. L. Ankobus.
9126. John Sherman, Company I, Third Infantry.
9209. Charles Smith, Company D, Fifth Infantry.
9221. Obed B. Ward, Company A, Third Infantry.
9229. Hugh Davit, Company A, Seventeenth Infantry.
9214. Sharridan S. Martin, Company G, Eleventh Infantry.
9301. J. Buel.
9367. Daniel Smith, Company D, Third Cavalry.
9370. Orlando Putnam, Company F, Twenty-seventh Infantry.
9379. Daniel Airel.
9414. Marx fienson. Company B, Sixteenth Infantry.
9438. Isaac M. Loudenback, Company B, Fifth Infantry.
9466. ComeliuB Boylun, Company C, Fourteenth Infantry.
9483. Fernando T. Keeves, Company I, Ninth Infantry.
9486. Joseph B. Wagner, Company B, Third Infantry.
9492. Aaron M. Ashford, Company C, Eleventh Infantry.
9609. George W. Overturf, C^ompany H, Fifth Infantry.
9686. Jacob Mann, Company A, Sixteenth Infantry.
9692. Michael B. Bowles, Company D, Eleventh Infantry.
9784. James W. Cowles, Company K, Fifth Infantry.
9727. F. Weisbrod.
9820. Ephraim Cobb, Company C, Second Cavalry.
9846. Daniel Bixler, Company B, Fifth Infantry.
9862. William Dingman, Company D, Thirty-first Infantry.
10016. Charles Reed.
10017. Alexander Bogers. Company G, Fourth Infantry. 10048. Noel Torkelson, Company H, Sixteenth Infantry. 10110. John Miller, Company D, Fifth Infantry.
10224. David K. Loudenback, Company B, Fifth Infantry.
10262. Daniel Himes, Company I, Third Cavalry.
10270. John W. Pitts, Company I, Sixteenth Infantry.
10207. Aaron Pugh, Company M, Eighth Cavalry.
10361. John M. Yolk, Company B, Fifth Infantry.
10360. James S. Ireland, Company H, Fifth Cavalry.
10361. Isaac Gatherel. 10403. D. Parker.
10511. James Gray, Company C, Eleventh Infantry.
10769. James K. P. Billings, Company B, Fifth Cavalry.
10827. George B. McCoy, Company G, Fifth Infantry.
[Vol. 2]
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10845. Philo D. WilBon, Company G, Fifth Infantry.
10884. William H. Sayer, Ck>mpany £, Fifth Infantry.
10901. Philo J. Chapman, Company G, Third Infantry.
10942. J. Woodward, Sutler, Ninth Infantry.
10960. John A. Mercer, Company I» Fourth Cavalry.
11078. J. W. Finer.
11098. William H. Denoya, iDompany M, Fifth Cavalry.
11114. Josiah A. Whitten, Company I, Fifth Cavalry.
11281. John F. Knight, Company I, Ninth Infantry.
11334. George W. Blakely, Company B, Third Infantry.
11414. Titus England, Company E, Ninth Infantry.
11429. Daniel W. Bstelle, Company L, Second Cavalry.
11708. Adam Thyne.
11746. Elmore MiUer.
11762. Jonathan Luther, Company B, Ninth Infantry.
11784. Wm. W. Alderman, Company F, Thirly-first Infantry.
11789. Milton W. Shaw, Company H, Fifth Infantry.
11896. William Austin, Company K, Third Cavalry.
12069. George P. Littler.
12169. Frederic L. Osborne.
12230. Joseph B. Chamberlin, Company A, Eighth Cavalry.
12264. Elias W. Russell, Company G, Fourth Infantry.
12287. Albert Baser, Company L, Eighth Cavalry.
12484. Jeremiah B. Martin, Company B, Fifth Cavalry.
12660. Joseph H. Griffith, Company C, Fifth Cavalry.
12661. CyruB V. Macy. 12629. Leveret J. Littlej<rfm.
12669. Wm. W. Dericson, Company M, Eighth CAvalry.
12711. Amos W. Ferguson, Company A, Fifteenth Infantry.
12729. Wesley Smice, Company E, Sixteenth Infantry.
12747. Charles J. Eubanks, Company H, Seventeenth Infantry.
12864. Nathan Beezly, Company I, Fourth Cavalry.
12866. Thomas J. Miller, Lieutenant, Company D, Third Cavalry.
12866. tFohn W. Delay.
12879. James J. Jones.
12888. Alexander King, Company H, Seventeenth Infantry.
12899. John T. Rule, Company A, Tenth Infantry.
12992. Richard C. R. Young, Company C, Eighth Infantry.
women's WORK IN THE WAR
Volumes have been written on the noble services of the Union soldiers, in the somber years of the great Civil War. During the whole of that fearful drama the newspapers
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and periodicals told in glowing words of countless deeds of heroism of American soldiers in the bloody conflicts on a hundred battle-fields. The names of gallant officers are inscribed on imperishable records in every State of the Union. Their brilliant deeds will be an inspiration to patriotism in all the coming years of the Bepnblic. But no history of the war however minute can record the silent sufferings on the countless marches, the heroic deeds in deadly conflict, the horrors of the prison pens, of the com- mon soldiers. Their unmarked graves are scattered among the forests, swamps, highways and farms of more than twenty States. They marched away from northern homes in the years of early manhood when hopes were high and life was dear to them and to all the family circle from which they parted. If there is a more trying degree of patriotism than that which sent the young men of the family out into unknown dangers for love of country, it is the suppressed grief, too deep for utterance, the long, lingering ever present anxiety of the wives, mothers, sis- ters and dear ones who remained at home. No language can utter, no pen describe the silent, oppressive fear that never ceased to brood over the minds of the sufferers at home. How bravely they endured the fearful suspense of years has never been and can never be told. Many were left with heavy burdens to bear in providing for the family and with too much pride to accept assistance, struggled on with uncomplaining endurance. The women on farms took the places in the field of the volunteers who had gone to war, while others added to the long hours of la- bor by working late into the night to provide for the family support. These humble heroisms in every day life of the patient women all over the land, were inspired by as fervent patriotism as ever impelled the men of the family to face their country's foes on the field of battle. Like the deeds and sufferings of the private soldiers they must ever remain unrecorded but like the nameless graves that the red demon of war left scattered all over the South, in
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which serenely slept the unknown dead, the memory of what they (id in the great struggle ** will never perish from the earth/'
During the war the women of Iowa were untiring in their work to alleviate the suffering and to add to the com- fort of the soldiers in the field and hospital. Almost every town and neighborhood had its society to collect or make such articles as were needed by the sick and wounded. Hundreds of women offered their services as nurses in the hospitals but for a time were rejected byEegular Army officials. But, as the need of their services became great, and higher and more humane officials were appealed to, the obstructions were removed and their valuable services were gladly accepted.
Mrs. J. T. Fales was the first Iowa woman to visit army hospitals and minister to the sick. Mrs. L K. Fuller, wife of the chaplain of the First Iowa Infantry, went witii her husband to the field, was the first army nurse appointed from the State and rendered most valuable service. Mrs. Ann E. Harlan, wife of our disinguished United States Senator was the first to visit the battle-field of Shiloh.
When the newa of that great battle reached Washington Mrs. Harlan procured from Secretary Stanton a pass to take herself and a lady companion through the lines of our army. At St. Louis she procured a steamboat, a large supply of sanitary goods and field equipments and hast- ened to the battle-field, at once entering upon her humane work. She and her helpers were the only civilians per- mitted by General Halleck to pass the lines and go upon the battle-field to minister to the wounded, while hundreds of the relatives of the dead and dying soldiers who had come on the same humane mission, were heartlessly turned back by his order. It was only tiie written order of Sec- retary Stanton that secured to Mrs. Harlan admission into the camps and hospitals. After affording all possible re- lief to the wounded on the field, Mrs. Harlan obtained i)er- mission of the authorities to remove a steamer load of the
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MRS. ANN E. HARLAN. Who Ministered to Union Soldiers
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ANNIE WITTENMYER
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wounded to Keokuk, where a special hospital was pre- pared for them. Daring the remainder of the war Mrs. Harlan was untiring in her work in behalf of our soldiers. She was one of the principal movers in a State Sanitary Convention which was held at Des Moines in November, 1863, at which a State organization was effected which worked through the local Aid Societies in providing sani- tary supplies for the soldiers.
Another of the women who was unceasing in the good work of ministering to the wants of the sick and wounded soldiers was ** Aunt Becky Young.'' She went from New York, but since the war has made Iowa her home. She was one of the most faithful, helpful and sympathetic of the army nurses who, during the war gave her services in be- half of the suffering.
In August, Governor Earkwood appointed Mrs. Annie Wittenmyer of Keokuk, State Sanitary Agent. She en- tered at once upon the work and proved, to bte a Daost ef- ficient and energetic leader in the cause to which she de- voted her entire time and best energies from the day of her appointment to the dose of the war. She made fre- quent visits to the armies, camps and hospitals wherever Iowa soldiers were to be found, looking carefully into their condition and was untiring in her labors to alleviate their sufferings and supply their wants.
In almost every town and county throughout the State the women of Iowa earnestly codperated in this humane work. Sanitary fairs were held at Dubuque, Burlington, Muscatine and Marshalltown at which large amounts of money were raised through cordial work and generous contributions from the county organizations. The aid thus given to the soldiers in the field was estimated to amount to more than half a million dollars.
At a convention of one hundred twenty-eight women held at Muscatine in October, 1863, Annie Wittenmyer proposed that steps be taken to organize an associar tion for the care and education of the orphans of Iowa
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soldiers. The proposition met with general favor and representative men and women throughout the State as- sociated themselves into a body corporate and deter- mined to raise a f nnd sufficient to establish the Iowa Sol- diers' Orphans' Home. Jndge Chester C. C!ole was chosen president, B. F. Allen, treasurer, Miss Mary Kib- ben, secretary and Bev. P. P. Ingalls, general agent Mr. Ingalls gave his entire time to the work of raising f nnds, traveling through all parts of the State presenting to the people the plans of the Association, everywhere meet- ing with cordial reception. IngersoU says '^ There has never been any one work in the State that has con- vened so many people in large and enthusiastic assemblies, filled so many churches and halls, thrilled so many hearts, awakened so much emotion, suffused with tears so many eyes, commanded such great liberality, or enlisted so many great minds as the Soldiers' Orphans' Home." The solcKers in the field made most liberal con- tributions to the fund, amounting to more than $45,000. One of the Homes was located at Davenport where Gov- ernment buildings were appropriated to its use and re- modeled for that purpose. Three hundred orphans were there gathered and provided for within a year from the time the Home was opened.
Another Home was established at Cedar Falls where the soldiers' orphans in the northern part of the State were cared for to the number of more than one hundred the first year.
So generous had been the contributions of the people of Iowa that, after the buildings had been remodeled and furnished, the Association had remaining in the treasury more than $75,000. All of the money used in this humane enterprise had come from the voluntary contributions of the people in addition to the heavy burdens cheerfully car- ried through the war. This generation cannot realize the continued sacrifices borne by the men and women during the war period. No pen can describe them in all of the
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varied forms in which they came upon the people from year to year as the conflict increased in magnitude. Every new emergency was met with a lofty and unselfish patri- otism that has never been surpassed in any age or by any race.
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