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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00824 0704
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HISTORY
Of the
30th Thirtieth lowa Infantry
Volunteers.
Giving a Complete Record of the Movements of the Regiment from its Organization until Mustered Out.
Written and Compiled by James A. Fowler and Miles M. Miller By the Authority of the Regimental Association.
Mediapolis, lowa: T. A. MERRILL, Printer. 1908.
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30th Fowler, James A 1 1843- : F7 History of the Thirtieth Iowa infantry volunteers, giving a complete record of the movements of the regiment from its organi- zation until mustered out. Written and comp. by James A. Fowler and Miles M. Miller, by the authority of the regimental association. Mediapolis, Iowa, T. A.
Merrill, 1908. 184 p. 24cm.
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PREFACE
The following pages have been carefully gathered especially for the surviving members and friends of the Thirtieth Regiment, Iowa Infantry Volunteers in the war of the Rebelhon of 1861 to 1865. In publishing it the authors aim to give a few facts that will bring fresh thoughts to the memory of every survivor of the "Old Thir- tieth" and to each comrade who is living today. In giving a brief history of the regiment, we do not aim to, in any manner, destroy or detract from the merits of any other regiment that was in the ser- vice of the United States during the war. We are at peace with the world: we never had any trouble with our regiment, or any com- pany or any other regiment we ever met with during our three years of service. But it is "our regiment", first, last and forever. Then comes the Brigade, then the Division, Fifteenth Army Corps, and then the Army of the Tennessee, of which we were a part all through the war, from 1862 until the close. June 5th, 1865. We were brigaded with the 4th. 9th, 25th, 26th and 31st nearly all the time. For nearly three years we were with them, and a part of them.
We were known as the third brigade. first division, fifteenth corps, Army of the Tennessee, and there was, and is still in our hearts such a feeling, that when we meet any of the survivors of these regiments, they seem like brothers to us. When we were on the bloody battle field in the "sunny south", wading swamps, cross- ing rivers, wading creeks waist deep, or in the face of the enemy, it was then we had them for our support; and wherever we went, we knew they would be there if we needed them, which was often the case. as for instance at Helena, Arkansas; Chickasaw Bayou. Miss .; Arkansas Post, Ark .; Jackson, Miss., on May 14th, 1863; Big Black River; Vicksburg, from May 18th to July 4th, 1863; or again at Jackson July 14th and 15th; or at Cherokee Station, Ala- bama, October 21st; or Chicakasaw, Alabama; or the famous battle above the clouds, November 24th, 1863; at Look Out Mountain; at Missionary Ridge the 25th; then Ringgold the 26th; Resaca, Georgia,
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PREFACE.
May 13th and 14th, 1864; Dallas the 25th to 28th; Kennesaw Mount- ain, June 10th to July 3rd; Marietta; Roswell Gap; Decatur; At- lanta July 22nd; Ezra Church July 28; and Jonesborrough. Colum- bia, S. C., February 17th; at Congaree Creek; Cheraw; Fayette- ville; Everettsville, and finally at Bentonville, N. C., March 20th and 21st, 1865.
We slept on the same kind of a bed, the ground; wet or dry; and drank, as the saying is, from the "same canteen"; we faced death side by side. Why should we not feel like brothers, who battled for the same great cause? Truly we do regard all comrades of these regiments as brothers, and friends of the greatest ties. But we do claim the right to put our regiment -- the thirtieth -- as having done all that was demanded of us, in suppressing the great rebellion of 1861 to 1865, and nothing more, as every other regiment has the right to do. The object of the authors is to get this history in the hands of every surviving member of the regiment, and their child- ren and friends, that they may refer to it, with pride, and we trust with some satisfaction, hand it down to the generations yet to come.
We old soldiers are nearing "the other side", we are passing away at the rate of five thousand a month, or sixty thousand a year. It will not be long; we feel that we are getting old and erip- pled up; we know diseases contracted while in service, by expos- ure of every description. are telling on us all; and the memories we have of the great struggle, will go too, unless written out and pre- served. This is our reason for writing the history of our regiment that it may live for years after we are gone.
The work of writing the history was left to Comrades James A. Fowler of Co. D and Miles M. Miller of Co. C, and was divided between them, Mr. Fowler writing the travels of the regiment and Mr. Miller compiling the statistics and causalities.
THE AUTHORS.
HISTORY OF THE THIRTIETH IOWA
INFANTRY.
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CHAPTER 1.
ORGANIZATION.
In August. 1862. we left our homes for Keokuk, Iowa, and were escorted to Camp Lincoln. There the Government had erected buildings for the purpose of a rendezvous for collecting volunteers and organizing them into companies and regiments to be equipped and drilled in the arts of military discipline as laid down by Gen- oral Hardee and known as Hardee's tactics.
A regiment was composed of ten companies and designated as follows: A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H, 1 and K, and was formed as a regi- ment in the following order: Right wing. A, F, D, I and (; Left wing. H. E. K. G and B. The colors in the center with Company Cas color Company, and one U. S. flag and a banner to each regi- ment, and commanded by a Colonel, a Lieutenant Colonel and a Major. Each company was composed of from eighty to one hun- dred and one men commanded by a Captain and First and Second Lieutenant elected from the members of each company or appoint- ed by the Governor of the State.
The 30th Iowa Infantry, Volunteers, was recruited in what was then known as the First Congressional District: Companies A and I from Lee county; D from Van Buren county; E and K from Washington county; B and F from Davis county; G and H from Jefferson county and C from Des Moines county.
A glance at the age of the men at the time of enlistment will ac. count, in some measure, for the frequent use of the expression "the boys" among the veterans. In the average company there were 27 who were not of age. The average age was 25 years and the average age of 90 men was but 23 years.
We began drilling at once, and by the 31st of August. there
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HISTORY OF THE THIRTIETH IOWA INFANTRY.
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being enough companies, we were organized into a regiment, and marched down Main street in the city of Keokuk, Iowa, and while in line were sworn into the United States service as a regiment by Lieutenant Charles A. Ball, of the regular army and was to be known as the 30th Towa Infantry, volunteers, and commanded by Charles H. Abbott, of Oakland, Eliza county, as Colonel. The other officers were: M. G. Torrence, of Keokuk, Lee county, Lieutenant Colonel; Lauren Dewey, of Mt. Pleasant, Henry county, Major; Edwin Rhiner, of Columbus City, Louisa county, Adjutant; John C. Lockwood, of Port Louisa, Louisa county, Quarter Master; John W. Bond, of Keokuk, Lee county, Surgeon; Peter Walker, of Lib- ertyville, Jefferson county, Assistant Surgeon; Charles G. Lewis, of Libertyville, Jefferson county, Assistant Surgeon; John Burgess, Fairfield, Jefferson county, Chaplain; Moses F. Campbell, Kossuth, Des Moines county, Drum Major; Eben Ogden. Saline, Jefferson county, Fife Major.
Now, as we were organized as a regiment, we drew our ummi- forms, and arms consisting of the Austrian rifle, and were kept busy drilling by squads. companies and regiment in the manual of arms, until the 25th of October. We then received our first march- ing orders, and left Camp Lincoln for St. Louis, Mo., on board the steamer, John Warner, arriving there on the 26th, and marched out through the city to Benton Barracks. These barracks were a solid row of frame buildings, boarded up and down, and including forty acres or more of ground. The enclosed grounds were for drilling purposes. Here we came in contact with all the branches of the army, and saw men that boasted that they had seen the ele- phant" by being in numerous battles. We began to hear and see that there was plenty to learn, and we felt that we were equal to any emergency. We soon saw that military life was far different from home life. Our stay here was of short duration, and Novem- ber 2nd we were marched back into St. Louis to the river and on board of the transport Minnehaha. ' We lay at the wharf all night and left St. Louis early on the morning of the 3rd, not knowing our destination. We landed at Cairo, Ill., at the mouth of the Ohio River but were not allowed to go on shore. The next place we landed was Memphis. Tenn. The men were marched off the boat and up through the city and back on board the boat again and start- ed down the river to Helena, Ark. From Memphis to Helena, the Mississippi river winds its way through what seems an unbroken forest. with few towns.
We arrived at Helena on the night of the 6th of November. 1862.
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HISTORY OF THE THIRTIETH IOWA INFANTRY.
On the morning of the 7th, we went on shore, formed in line, and marchel about a mile or so above the town and went into camp on the river bank. We here first drew tents and settled to real army life, drawing "hardtack and sow belly" as we used to call it, and coffee, sugar, beans and rice. Here some of our company had fun in their experience cooking beans and rice, as we were not expert cooks. Some of them put on a kettle full of beans, and commenced to boil them. When they began to swell the kettle boiled over and kept boiling over. But the funny thing was to see one of our com- pany cooking rice. He put on about one gallon of rice in a two . gallon camp kettle and when it began to boil the rice commenced to run over. Then he began to eat the rice that seemed to be going to waste. The kettle kept on boiling over and he kept on eating, but he finally set the kettle off. It was still boiling over and be was in about the same fix. The same experience has probably hap- pened to more soldiers than this one, as there are not many of the . "old boys" that like rice now.
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CHAPTER IL.
VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN.
On December 21st we received orders to strike tents and get ready to move. The Stephen Decatur, the same boat that we were on when we tried to go up White river, landed at our camp. When we were on the boat. Brigadier John M. Thayer came along and our Captain said he was to command our brigade, which consisted of the 4th, 9th, 26th, 30th and 31st Iowa regiments and was designat- ed as third brigade, first division. fifteenth army corps. Gen. Fred- erick Steel commanding our division and Gen. Wm. T. Sherman. the army corps. The river was lined with transports loaded with soldiers. The river from Helena to Vicksburg, Miss., winds its way through a dense, heavy forest, with very few plantations and but few hills and bluffs on either side. The tall cypress trees, with heavy moss hanging from the limbs, give it a wilderness ap- pearance. We only landed two or three times. then to carry on rails for fuel. Here one of company D. by the name of Nelse Kenutzen, deserted.
Christmas day found us anchored in the mouth of the Yazoo river. On the 28th we realized that our second battle had begun. It was not long before we began to see the horrors of war by some of our soldiers carrying back the dead and wounded men. It was now that the rebel shells were bursting all around us and it began to look like life was the most uncertain thing we owned on this earth. We were under fire for two days, the 28th and 29th. This ended the battle of Chickasaw Bayou. We got on board our boat, the Stephen Decatur, and ran to the mouth of the Yazoo river. then back up the Mississippi to the mouth of White river, then through the cut off into the Arkansas river and up that river to Arkansas
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HISTORY OF THIRTIETH IOWA INFANTRY.
Post. Here we had another hard battle- on January 11th, 1863. It commenced about 11 o'clock and lasted until about 5 o'clock p. m. We had thirteen men killed and forty wounded and took two sets of rebel colors. The enemy's loss was 100 killed, 400 wounded and 5000 prisoners. It was here that one rebel regiment came in after the battle for re-inforcement, and was bodily captured. The colors of the 30th Iowa were the first union colors on the rebel breastworks.
On the afternoon of the 12th we went on board our boats and ran down to Napoleon at the mouth of the Arkansas river to bury some of the boys who had died from the effects of their wounds. It snowed on us all night. "We again started for Vicksburg, Miss., reaching Young's Point, about six miles above Vicksburg, on the 23rd of January.
After this the regiment returned to a point on the Mississippi riv- er, opposite to, and just below Vicksburg, known as the Briggs plan- tation, which was its camp during the dreadful winter of work to attempt to change the course of the Mississippi river by means of a canal. This work was interrupted only by an expedition to Green- ville, Miss., which extended into the interior about 50 miles. The canal was started about four miles above Vicksburg, on the west side of the river, and run southeasternly until it strikes the river south and west of Vicksburg. Our regiment was out half way be- tween Vicksburg and Warrington. only on the west side of the river. In March we had to move out on the levee that was thrown up to keep the river, when high, from overflowing the plantations. The river then was, from six to eight feet higher than the land back of the levee, where we were camped on Briggs plantation. For a long time we were quartered in a frame house on the planta- tion, but we were forced to leave here and go to the levee. The levee was about twenty-five feet broad and twelve to fifteen feet high. We camped on it till the second day of March. 1863. Then was the time we had more sickness than at any time during the war. We buried several of the regiment in the levee, as the other ground was all under water at that time. We could see our gun- boats and mortars shell the city of Vicksburg. On the night of the 16th of April, when Admiral Porter was ready to run the block ade, he was on the flag ship "Benton", we could see them coming. and the remainder of the fleet, consisting of the Benton, Lafayette, Price, Louisville, Mound City, Pittsburg and Carandelet, which were ' all naval vessels, and next came the transports consisting of the Forest Queen and Silver Wave, each of them towing barges loaded
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HISTORY OF THE THIRTIETH IOWA INFANTRY.
penalty by forfeiting its life for its rashness, because it found an irresistable mark for the rifles of some of the boys. We marched on thence to Hardtimes, reaching there the 6th, where we crossed the Mississippi the next day on the transport Silver Ward, being about 6 miles above Grand Gulf. After crossing the Mississippi we crossed the Big Black river, at Hanken's Ferry, thence to Rocky Springs, thence to New Auburn, thence to Raymond, thence to Mississippi Springs, thenee to Jackson, where we had quite a fight on the 14th of May. Steele and Tuttle's Divisions were near Pearl river, south and east of Jackson. We engaged a detachment of Joseph E. Johnson's army, under General Walker. We formed on both sides of the Raymond road, and drove them from their posi- tion, capturing 18 prisoners and one battery.
On the 15th and 16th we were engaged in destroying and burning the railroad track on the Jackson and Great Northern Railway. On the isth our division was ordered by General Sherman to advance to the Edwards depot. About dark we came to Bolton Station and were turned to the right and ordered to go to Vicksburg by the np- per JJackson road, which crosses the Big Black river bridge at Bridgeport. just beyond Bolton. There was a double log house on a large plantation, which the darkies said was the property of the president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. We went to the well and got our canteens filled with water, as the weather was pretty warm. and hore was one of the funny things that happen to soldiers. There were thirty or forty bee hives behind and inside of the back vard fence, and you would be surprised to see how quickly they were taken outside of the yard, and away. A soldier would put one on his shoulder and start for the back gate, and by the time he had gotten twenty-five or thirty rods, there would scarcely be a bee in the hive; they came out and flew back to where the hives had been. There were officers riding up to get water, and it was not long be- fore they could not stay on account of the bees. George Fox and John Bickford said, "Sergeant, you take our canteens and water and we will take one of the bee hives," to which I consented. They carried it about a quarter of a mile toward the camp. which was about one half mile away. It is enough to say that the com- pany had plenty of honey that night for supper.
The confederate forces held the important fortified strongholds of Vicksburg, Miss., and Port Gibson, La., on the Mississippi river, which prevented the free navigation of the river and virtually kept united the portions of the confederacy on the east and west sides of the great river.
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HISTORY OF THE THIRTIETH IOWA INPANTRY.
penalty by forfeiting its life for its rashness, because it found an irresistable mark for the rifles of some of the boys. We marched on thence to Hardtimes, reaching there the 6th, where we crossed the Mississippi the next day on the transport Silver Ward. being about 6 miles above Grand Gulf. After crossing the Mississippi we crossed the Big Black river, at Hanken's Ferry, thonce to Rocky Springs, thenee to New Auburn, thence to Raymond, thence to Mississippi Springs, thence to Jackson, where we had quite a fight on the 14th of May. Steele and Tuttle's Divisions were near Pearl river, south and east of Jackson. We engaged a detachment of Joseph E. Johnson's army, under General Walker. We formed on both sides of the Raymond road, and drove them from their posi- tion, capturing 18 prisoners and one battery.
On the 15th and 16th we were engaged in destroying and burning the railroad track on the Jackson and Great Northern Railway. On the Isth our division wasordered by General Sherman to advance to the Edwards depot. About dark we came to Bolton Station and were turned to the right and ordered to go to Vicksburg by the up- per Jackson road, which crosses the Big Black river bridge at Bridgeport, just beyond Bolton. There was a double log house on a large plantation, which the darkies said was the property of the president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. We went to the well and got our canteens filled with water, as the weather was pretty warm. and here was one of the funny things that happen to soldiers. There were thirty or forty bee hives behind and inside of the back vard fence, and you would be surprised to see how quickly they were taken outside of the yard, and away. A soldier would put one on his shoulder and start for the back gate, and by the time he had gotten twenty-five or thirty rods, there would searcely be a bee in the hive; they came ont and flew back to where the hives had been. There were officers riding up to get water, and it was not long be- fore they could not stay on account of the bees. George Fox and John Bickford said, "Sergeant, you take our canteens and water and we will take one of the bee hives," to which I consented. They carried it about a quarter of a mile toward the camp. which was about one half mile away. It is enough to say that the com- pany had plenty of honey that night for supper.
The confederate forces held the important fortified strongholds of Vicksburg, Miss., and Port Gibson, La., on the Mississippi river. which prevented the free navigation of the river and virtually kept united the portions of the confederacy on the east and west sides of the great river.
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HISTORY OF THE THIRTIETH IOWA INFANTRY.
The object of the union forces under General U. S. Grant was to capture these strongholds and open the river to navigation and sever the confederacy in twain.
The campaign of 1863 was really a continuation and a result of the campaign of 1862 by General Grant. In this latter campaign he had an army of about 30, 000 in the vicinity of Oxford, in north Mississippi, which confronted the confederate army under General J. C. Pemberton at Grenada, Miss. The object of this campaign was to hold the confederate army in its front, to force it into battle or follow it towards Vicksburg if necessary, while another union army under General Sherman took passage in the transports at Memphis, Tenn., made a dash down the Mississippi river and at- tempted to capture Vicksburg, while the confederate army. which really constituted the garrison of Vicksburg, was kept confronted by General Grant's army.
This campaign in 1862 signally failed, although remarkably well planned. The confederate cavalry, under General N. B. Forrest, broke up the lines of communication in west Tennessee and de- st royed railroads, while another body of confederate cavalry; under General Earl Van Doren, raided in the rear of General Grant's army at Oxford. Miss., and captured the great depots of supplies at' Holly Springs, Miss.
These two raids compelled General Grant to fall back to Mem- phis. Ten., to supply his army. The expection of about 30.000 men and about 60 guns, under General Sherman, had, however, left Memphis, Ten., before it could be stopped.
After these disasters had overtaken the railroads and supplies of General Grant's army in north Mississippi. General Sherman's ex- jedition, of which we were a part, also failed. He landed at the mouth of the Yazoo river on Christmas day, 1862, and attemptel to seize the hills in the rear. He was defeated by a confederate force under General S. D. Lee, and re-embarked his army after two days hard fighting.
Will say right here that there was no set of soldiers that could have taken the place from this point. as the hills were so stoop that no set of men could have climbed mp them with even a feeble resistance, as the hills are too steep for any human being to climb. General Grant. upon arriving at Memphis about December 31st. 1862, decided to follow General Sherman down the Mississippi river and unite a portion of his army with that of General Sherman's. He. however, had troops enough at his disposal to leave about 32. 631 men for duty in Memphis, Tenn .. and Corinth. Miss .. and
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HISTORY OF THE THIRTIETH IOWA INFANTRY.
along the Memphis & Charleston railroad, extending in a line along the entire northern portion of the state of Mississippi.
To comprehend the situation thoroughly it is necessary to review briefly the events leading to the successful campaign of the union army during the months of January, February, March and part of April, 1863.
General Grant, from the Louisiana side of the river, and in con- nection with Admiral Porter's fleet of gun boats and the large number of transports at his disposal, attempted to reach the bluffs or high land of the Yazoo river north of the city of Vicksburg. He did this by cutting the levees of Yazoo Pass on the Mississippi side of the river, nearly opposite Helena, Ark., and foreing his gunboats and transports laden with troops, into the Coldwater and Talla- hatchee rivers to get into the Yazoo river. He also attempted a similar movement through Steele's bayou into Deer Creek in trying to reach the Sunflower river, and through it the Yazoo river above Snyder's Bluff. He also attempted to reach the Mississippi river south of Vicksburg from Lake Providence, La., through the bayou into Red river, then up the Mississippi to Vicksburg. The canal on the Lonisiana side was also dug, to enable the fleet and army to pass by Vicksburg to the south of the city.
These attempts were energetically made in the face of most ad- verse circumstances for several months and General Grant was foiled in all of them on the Mississippi side by the energy and sa- gasity of General Pemberton. This continous and persistant ef- fort caused General Pemberton to widely separate his troops to op- pose and meet these attacks from Greenwood, Miss., on the Yazoo river to Port Gibson, La., a distance of over 300 miles along the Mississippi river front, as also to watch the large forests along the Charleston & Memphis railroad.
General Grant, after all these efforts, then conceived a plan to reach the highlands to the south of Vicksburg. On the 15th of April, 1863, he concentrated his army at Young's Point, La., mov- ing two corps, MeClernand's and MePherson's, the 13th and 17th, on the Louisiana side, to the south of Vicksburg and opposite Bruinsburg, Miss., below Grand Gulf at the mouth of Big Black river. He kept Sherman's corps, the 15th, at Young's Point, being about 15,000 men to demonstrate up the Yazoo river and again threaten General Pemberton's right flank, as he had done for soy- eral months in an attempt to gain the bluffs north of Vicksburg.
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