USA > Iowa > Iowa colonels and regiments: being a history of Iowa regiments in the war of the rebellion; and containing a description of the battles in which they have fought > Part 1
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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01083 8404
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http://www.archive.org/details/iowacolonelsregi01stua
840
JOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS: V.1 BEING A
HISTORY OF IOWA REGIMENTS
IN THE
WAR OF THE REBELLION ;
AND CONTAINING A
DESCRIPTION OF THE BATTLES
IN WHICH THEY HAVE FOUGHT.
4-
BY CAPTAIN A. A. STUART, SEVENTEENTH IOWA INFANTRY,
DES MOINES, IOWA : MILLS & COMPANY, 46 COURT AVENUE, 1865.
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1:55178
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F 8349 .301
Stuart, Addison A.
Iowa colonels and regiments: being a history of Iowa regi- ments in the war of the rebellion; and containing a descrip- tion of the battles in which they have fought. By Captain A. A. Stuart ... Des Moines, Mills & co., 1865. 656 p. 23cm.
1. Iowa-Hist .- Civil war. 2. U. S .- Hist .- Civil war -- Regimenta histories-Ia. 3. Iowa-Biog. 4. Iowa-Militia. I. Title.
2-13154
Library of Congress
C
E507.802
SHELF CARD
(37e1-1
I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO THE COMMON SOLDIERS OF IOWA, WHO BY THEIR CONSTANCY AND BRAVERY, AND
WITHOUT DUE HONOR AND JUST COMPENSATION,
HAVE MADE THE MILITARY RECORD OF THE STATE WHAT IT IS.
THEY HAVE MADE AND SUSTAINED THE WORTHY MEN,
*
WHOSE SKETCHES ARE HEREIN GIVEN; AND HUNDREDS OF THEM,
HAVE DESERVED THE HIGHEST MILITARY POSITIONS WITHIN THE GIFT OF OUR STATE EXECUTIVE.
THEY HAVE BORNE THE BURDEN OF THE WAR, . AND ARE TENANTS-IN-COMMON OF THE STATE'S MILITARY RENOWN ; AND LET IT BE THEIR PROUD RECOLLECTION THAT, THOUGH THEIR NAMES MAY NEVER APPEAR IN PRINT, THEY DID THEIR FULL SHARE IN SAVING THE COUNTRY FROM RUIN AND SHAME.
THE AUTHOR.
PREFACE.
In preparing this book for the press, my object has been, first to learn the truth, and second, to present it honestly and impartially ; but, in justice to my - self I should state that, in my efforts to obtain needed information, I have been in some instances, unsuccessful. Some have felt, or manifested, so little inter - eet in the work, as to withhold from me the information, which would have enabled me to make it biographically complete. The obscurity which the great majority of such enjoyed in eivil life, together with my insufficient means placed the needed information beyond my reach.
In connection with the biographical notices of Iowa officers, I have given his- tories of the Iowa regiments and other Iowa troops, and a brief statement of military operations in the departments wherein they served. Nor have I eon- fined myself. strictly, to the mention of Iowa troops, but have, in many instan- ces, given the names of those of other States, whose names, to see associated with their own, will give to the Iowa soldiers great pleasure; for though a soldier be jealous of his own achievements and fame, he will ever cherish a recollection of those brave men who have been his comrades in peril and glery. Throughout this bloody struggle, the troops of the great North-West have fought side by side. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, and I may add Missouri and Kansas, are bound together by indissoluble ties for all time to come. All, in the War of the Rebellion, are entitled to equal eredit.
That which was necessary to avoid to preserve the interest of the book was rep- etition. This has cost mo much labor ; and to show it is a difficult task to give a history of each Iowa regiment, and have it DISTINCT and COMPLETE in it - self, it need only be stated that, almost from the beginning of the war till now. several of these regiments have served in the same division, and taken part in the same military operations. If, therefore, in some instances I have indulged in repetition, it is no more than should be expected.
One of the chief features of interest connected with this book is the life-like fortraits of many of Iowa's distinguished officers-those through whom the mil- itary prowess of the State is known abroad. In the future they will stand, in
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PREFACE.
connection with the War of the Rebellion, where to-day, Green, Gates, Ham- ilton, Schuyler, and many others stand, in connection with the War of tho Revolution.
In giving a description of the persons of Iowa officers, and in stating their merits, their habits, and their leading traits of character, I have endeavored to tell the truth in plain and simple language, and to avoid that foolish flattery so commonly bestowed on all who, by merit or chance, have mounted an eagle or a star. All have not won enviable distinction, and to give all a great name would be doing a gross injustice to the deserving.
That to which I have paid more particular attention is the description of the engagements in which the Iowa troops have taken part. It is the conduct of her troops in the face of the enemy, that has given the State her brilliant mili- tary reputation, and made her, in the judgment of that able paper, the Chica- go "Journal," "the banner State of the Union." In speaking of the conduct of our troops in battle, I have endcavored to avoid strained and unnatural lan- guage, stating simply what was done, and what results followed. I have given, as far as I could with good authority, lists of casualties; and also the names of those, who, by their gallantry, won special distinction.
I do not claim for the book literary merit. I have tried to write it with clear- ness and energy, and to present the greatest possible amount of matter in the fewest possible words.
A. A. STUART OTTUMWA, IOWA, May 21, 1865.
WILLIAM MILO STONE.
GOVERNOR OF IOWA.
WILLIAM M. STONE was born in Jefferson county, New York, on the 14th day of October, 1827. At the age of six years, he accompanied his parents to Coshocton county, Ohio. In that State he grew up and gained a meager education. He began life at the age of thirteen, as a hired hand upon a farm. Two years later, he was hired as a team-driver on the Ohio canal, and at the age of eighteen was apprenticed to a chair-maker, 1 which business he followed till he reached his twenty-fourth year. That same year he was admitted to the Coshocton bar. Since 1854, he has been lawyer, editor, judge, captain, major, colonel, and governor. Commencing lower down than thou- sands of his competitors, he has left them all gaping and star- ing after him, and wondering how he did it, and-there I shall leave them. All deelare he is the luckiest man they ever knew.
The extent of Governor Stone's early education, was two terms, or Winters, at a common country school. His knowl- elge of law was gained through the assistance and encourage- inent of James Matthews, Esq., of Coshocton county, Ohio -- later, his father-in-law. While following his trade, he had access to this gentleman's law library, and prosecuted the study of his chosen profession with such zeal and energy as to be able, in 1851, to exchange the chair-shop for the court-room. He began practice as a partner of his former preceptor, and con- tinued with him till 1854, when he removed to Iowa, and estab- li-hed himself at Knoxville, Marion county. During his first year in Knoxville, he practiced his profession ; but in 1855, pur- chased and began the publication of the Knoxville "Journal."
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IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS.
As editor of that paper, if I am rightly informed, he was the first man in Iowa to suggest the call of a convention to organize the Republican Party, then only in embryo. He was not only the first to suggest the call of a Republican Convention in the State, but was a delegate to that convention, when called; and was nominated one of the Presidential Electors. Indeed, the beginning of Governor Stone's career as a public man, in Iowa, bears date at Iowa City, the 22d of February, 1856.
During the Presidential canvass of 1856, he visited the princi- pal part of Southern Iowa, in company with our first Republi- can representative-Major-General Samuel R. Curtis. In that exciting canvass, he gained considerable note as a public speaker, which, with his genial, off-hand address, put him fairly before the people. In February, 1857, one year later, a judicial con- vention was called at Des Moines, to put in nomination a can- didate for district judge of Stone's district. Stone was present in the convention, and through the influence of his friends, secured the nomination. From that time he became a rising man in the State. He was elected to the judgeship with a flat- tering majority; and, having served that term with credit, was, in 1858, re-nominated and re-elected with increased majorities. He was the incumbent of this office, and holding a session of his conrt in Washington county, at the time the news reached him of the firing on Fort Sumter. He immediately adjourned his court, declaring at the time, that the country demanded of him and the people other and more important services.
Returning to Knoxville, Judge Stone raised a company, of which he was elected captain; was assigned to the 3d Iowa Infantry in May, and, on the 25th day of June following, was promoted to the majority of his regiment. He accompanied his regiment into Northern Missouri as captain, and in com- mand of his company, (B) -for he did not receive his commis- sion as major till after his arrival at Chillicothe. While con-
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WILLIAM M. STONE.
nected with the 3rd Iowa Infantry, Major Stone fought at the battles of Blue Mills, (where he was wounded) and Shiloh. In - the last named engagement he commanded his regiment, and was made prisoner. Something of his sojourn in Dixie, as a prisoner of war, may be seen in the sketch of Brevet Brigadier- General J. M. Hedrick, then a captain of the 15th Iowa. In nearly all cases, Stone was the spokesman of the party; and his cheerfulness and wit contributed not a little in keeping his fel- low prisoners in spirits. What, I believe, afforded the most amusement were the arguments between himself and the bel- ligerous Colonel Shaw, of the 14th. Stone could advocate any thing, and Shaw would always take the opposite. They would often drag their discussions into the small hours of morning, while the other prisoners, congregated about them,' would watch and listen attentively, except when giving occasional attention to a straggling gray-back. I imagine that I can see them now congregated together. I can see them, attired in their cleanest linen, and seated in old rickety chairs, and on benches and boxes, exhausting the whole calendar of attitudes.
But Major Stone was even lucky as a prisoner of war. In June, 1862, after some three months' captivity, he was selected ns one of three Federal officers, who, being paroled by the rebel War Department, were dispatched to Washington to aid in arranging a cartel of exchange between the belligerent parties. The first mission was unsuccessful, and one of the parties, at least, (Stone) returned to Richmond and surrendered himself to the rebel authorities. Jefferson Davis, pleased with his conduct and with what he had done, sent him back to Washington to renew his efforts. His mission this time was successful, or at least was so represented; but, however that may be, it is certain that a general exchange came off in the following Fall.
llis experience as a prisoner of war, gave Major Stone much notoriety, and put within his reach any position that ordinary
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IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS.
desires might covet. Accordingly, after securing his liberty and returning to his home in Knoxville, he was tendered the colonelcy of the 22d Iowa Infantry, which he accepted. He was made colonel of that regiment in August, 1862, and served with it till August 14th, of the following year, when he resigned his commission with the almost certain promise of succeeding to the highest honors within the gift of his State.
Though Stone made a good record as colonel of the 22d Iowa, there is nothing strikingly brilliant about it. He first served with his regiment in Missouri, and was for several weeks com- mander of the post at Rolla. His regiment served as the pro- vost-guard. In the early part of 1863, he was ordered South to take part in the experiments against Vicksburg; and immedi- ately moved down the Mississippi, to Milliken's Bend, Louisi- ana. Attached to Carr's Division of MeCIernand's Corps, (the 13th) Colonel Stone joined in the brilliant march of Grant's army across the country to opposite Bruinsburg on the Mississippi, and thence to the rear of Vicksburg. A full account of this march, and of its incidents, will be found elsewhere. On this march the 22d Iowa first met the enemy.
In the battle of Port Gibson, the first of the campaign, Colo- nel Stone commanded the brigade to which his regiment was attached; or rather, he commanded it during the forenoon of the engagement. Early in the forenoon, he had become so completely exhausted as to be compelled to turn his command over to Colonel Merrill of the 21st Iowa. During the time he acted on the field, he conducted himself with much credit. In this engagement, too, the 22d Iowa reflected on itself much honor. Colonel Stone's Brigade led the advance from Bru- insburg, and was, of course, the first to encounter the enemy among the rugged hills south of Port Gibson. This was not far from the hour of mid-night.
So soon as the enemy were encountered in force at Thomp-
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WILLIAM M. STONE.
son's Hill, Major Atherton, the unfortunate, who was in com- mand of the 22d Iowa, hurried the regiment to the front, and deployed it in line to the left of Captain Griffith's Battery. There the regiment rested on their arms that night. Until about ten o'clock of the following morning, the regiment acted as an artillery support, and was then led forward to charge the rebel line, which it did with gallantry, quickly routing the en- einy, and promptly occupying the ground just before held by them. In the severe fighting of the afternoon, the 22d Iowa was in the front, and joined in three distinct charges against the enemy's line, each of which was successful. The following is from the official report of the regiment's conduct in the action :
,
"Throughout this series of engagements, the officers and men of the regiment behaved with great coolness and gallantry. I found them always ready and eager to obey the order to move on the enemy. So well did the entire command acquit them- selves, I can not, without seeming invidiousness, enter into par- ticulars. It is sufficient to say, they acted nobly, and well sns- tained the honors already earned by Iowa soldiers. Great care was taken to shelter the men from the enemy's fire, which the unevenness of the ground enabled us to do, with comparative success. And yet, the loss of the regiment, being greater with but one exception than that of any other in the brigade, shows plainly where they were during the long and hotly contested engagement. Too much praise cannot be awarded to our sur- goons, White and Peabody."
The loss of the 22d at Port Gibson was two men killed, and fourteen wounded. Lieutenants D. J. Davis, W. M. DeCamp, J. T. Whittington, D. N. Henderson, and John Francisco were among the latter. Lieutenant Davis was adjutant of the regi- ment.
In the official report of the Division Commander (Carr) is paid the following compliment to Colonel Stone:
"Colonel William M. Stone, 22d Iowa, who succeeded to the command of the 2d Brigade, took his place with the extreme
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IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS.
advance guard at night, during the advance upon the enemy, exposed himself freely, and exerted himself so much that he became completely exhausted in the afternoon, and was com- pelled to relinquish his command to Colonel Samuel Merrill, 21st Iowa, for above an hour. By his bravery and the admi- rable management of his brigade, he reflects new honor on his noble State."
In speaking of his division general, Colonel Stone, in his official report, is equally complimentary.
Soon after the action at Port Gibson, General Lawler was assigned to the command of the 2d Brigade, when Colonel Stone again assumed command of his regiment. There is little of special interest in the Colonel's military record, or in that of his regiment, from the date of the Port Gibson battle to the 22d of May following. The 2d Brigade of the 14th Division did the magnificent fighting at Black River Bridge; but both the 22d Iowa and 11th Wisconsin regiments were in reserve, and suf- fered little. The 21st and 23d Iowa regiments are entitled to the credit of that brilliant affair, and none will be found to dis- pute it with them.
That which most distinguished Colonel Stone in the service, was the part he sustained with his regiment in the memorable charge at Vicksburg, on the 22d of May. In that charge he was for the second time wounded.
The nature of the country in the immediate vicinity of Vieks- burg, and the character of the enemy's works were such as to insure almost certain defeat to the assaulting army, provided the rebel garrison were not reduced to a state of total demorali- zation. It was precisely this that General Grant counted on, as appears in his official report ; and, when we reflect that he had been a witness to the enemy's shameful defeat and flight at Big Black River Bridge, were his inferences unreasonable ?
In the march from Big Black River to the rear of Vicksburg, Sherman followed the Bridgeport road, MePherson the Jack,
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WILLIAM M STONE.
son road, and MeClernand the sanie road as McPherson, till he reached Mount Albans; then, turning to the left, he gained the Baldwin Ferry road. This threw Sherman on the right of the investing line, MePherson in the centre, and McClernand on the left. The 22d Iowa, being attached to the command of McClernand, was therefore on the south side of Vicksburg. The general character of the ground over which the charge was made, and the kind of obstructions to be overcome, I have given (Isewhere. I give below an extract from Major Atherton's official report, showing the particular part the 22dl took in the murderous assault.
" At four o'clock A. M., the regiment took position opposite the enemy's works, preparatory to the charge, where we were sheltered by the crest of a hill, and companies A and B deployed as skirmishers. We lay upon our arms until ten o'clock A. M., the appointed hour for the charge, when we formed in line of battle on the summit of the hill, and imme- diately pressed forward. From our first appearance upon the hill, we were exposed to a terrible fire from the enemy, con- caled within their forts and riffe-pits. The men maintained their line and advanced like veterans to the ravine in front of the enemy's works, and made a charge upon the fort situated to our right. While here we were exposed to a murderous fire from the front, and an enfilading fire from the right and left, the enemy's works being so constructed as to effect this result. The column pressed forward, stormed the fort, took possession of the same and its inmates, and held it till dark. We main- tained our position during the day, receiving and returning the enemy's fire -- they concealed in their forts and other defences, and we, in a great measure, without any shelter. A continuance of the contest was deemed unadvisable, and we retired under cover of the night."
In this action, the 22d Iowa lost heavily. Colonel Stone was wounded, and Lieutenant-Colonel Graham taken prisoner. Captain James Robertson and Lieutenant M. A. Robb were among the killed. They were both good men, and their loss was deeply mourned in the regiment. One of the severely
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IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS.
wounded was Sergeant Leonidas M. Godley. When near the enemy's works, he was shot above the knee, and his leg badly fractured. He lay under the enemy's guns till after midnight, when he was rescued by the enemy and taken into Vicksburg. He still lives to tell the story of his prison-life in the beleaguered city. The chief hero of Grant's army, that day, was a member of the 22d Iowa -Sergeant Joseph E. Griffiths. "No troops," says General Grant in his official report, " succeeded in entering any of the enemy's works, with the exception of Sergeant Griffiths, of the 22d Regiment Iowa Volunteers, and some eleven privates of the same regiment. Of these, none returned except the Sergeant, and possibly one man."
The charge of the 22d of May, at Vicksburg, was Colonel Stone's last engagement. Having received early in the fight a gun-shot wound through his left fore-arm, he retired from the field, and a few days later left for his home on leave of absence. Fortune was again favoring him.
Soon after arriving at his home in Knoxville, the Republican Gubernatorial Convention assembled at Des Moines. He atten- ded it, and in a contest between himself, Honorable Elijah Sells, and General Fitz Henry Warren, received the nomination ; then, returning to Vicksburg, he resigned his commission, and at once entered upon the vigorous canvass, which resulted in his election. Such rapid and uninterrupted success has never before fallen to the lot of any man in Iowa.
His administration of the Executive Department of the State, has been characterized by that shrewdness and energy which has marked his whole political course. Thus far, it has been a popular one; and, in this respect, contrasts favorably with that of his predecessor. Though not so able a man as Ex-Gov- ernor Kirkwood, his prospects for the future are now much the brightest. His conduct as governor has been criticised, to my knowledge, ouly in one particular. His visits to the army
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WILLIAM M. STONE.
wer pronounced by some buncombe expeditions, but the sol- diers did not, I am informed, so regard them.
Governor Stone is about six feet in hight, and slender and +net. He has a Grecian face, a large, straight nose, large, full, gray eyes, and spare features. His appearance is intelligent and prepossessing. The chief elements of his success are, I believe, an easy, entertaining address, untiring industry, and unlimited self-confidence. These, sustained by a vigorous con- -titution, and driven by an iron-will, have enabled him to wyomplish whatever he undertook. He rarely loses his temper, and seldom discovers an immodest desire for distinction.
Asa public speaker, Governor Stone is fluent and forcible, but not polished -just what one would expect, when he remem- bers that all his early oratorical efforts were made at the bar. He has the happy faculty of forgetting himself in his theme. Many were witnesses of this fact at Des Moines, when himself and General Warren addressed the delegates the evening before the convention. Colonel Stone's wound was still troubling him, making it necessary for him to carry his hand in a sling; but, after entering upon his speech, he forgot that he had but one well arm, and, drawing it from the sling, began twirling it in violent gesticulations.
Governor Stone's past successes have not only disappointed hi- enemies, but surprised his friends. He is the most remark- able publie man in Iowa, and his future, as promising as that of any man in the State.
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NATHANIEL BRADLEY BAKER.
ADJUTANT-GENERAL OF IOWA.
NATHANIEL BRADLEY BAKER, Iowa's able and eccentric Adjutant-General, was born on the 29th of September, 1818, in Hennika, Merrimack county, (then Hillsborough) New Hamp- shire. His education is liberal. He pursued his preparatory course at the Phillip's Exeter Academy, New Hampshire, and graduated at Harvard College-the Oxford of American univer- sities, and the alma mater of a large per cent. of the distinguished jurists, statesmen, clergy and literary savans of the country.
I am unacquainted with the history of General Baker's col- lege days, but I venture the assertion that he was not a hard worker, and that, if in passing a difficult ascent in Horace or the Iliad a pony would help him, he would not hesitate to mount one. A half-hour would suffice him in preparing for a recitation; and, during that time, I imagine I can see him lounging on his bed and smoking a cigar. His active mind would enable him to grasp principles without eternally plod- ding, and his text-books would lack sufficient charms to engross his entire attention. He could never have been a book-worm. He graduated in the year 1839, with fair standing in his class, and had the credit of possessing much general information.
After leaving Harvard, he studied law in the office of Ex- President Franklin Pierce, and later in that of Asa Fowler and Charles H. Peaslee. In 1842, he was admitted to the Merrimack county Bar, but did not enter the practice. He became editor of the New Hampshire "Patriot," a half-interest in which he had purchased prior to 1842. In 1845, he disposed of his inter- est in that paper, and received the appointment of Clerk of the
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NATHANIEL B. BAKER.
Court of Common Pleas for Merrimack county. Five years later he was elected to the New Hampshire Legislature, as represen- tative from the city of Concord, and the following year was re- elected. During both sessions, he served as Speaker of the House. In 1851, he was only thirty-three years of age, and there was not a more popular man in the State of New Hamp- shire.
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