USA > Iowa > Roster of the Fourth Iowa Cavalry Veteran Volunteers, 1861-1865 : an appendix to "The story of a cavalry regiment." > Part 1
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LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS
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Am Force Jeott
ROSTER
OF THE
Fourth Iowa Cavalry
VETERAN VOLUNTEERS
1861-1865
AN APPENDIX TO "The Story of a Cavalry Regiment" By WM. FORSE SCOTT
NEW YORK PRESS OF J. J. LITTLE & CO. 1902
LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS
PREFACE
This book was begun years ago as an appendix to a history of the Fourth Iowa Cavalry," but was laid aside partly from want of time to complete it, and partly because it would have made that book too large. But men of the regiment have often urged the completing of the work, and one in particular, widely known and honored among the Veterans of the West for long and sub- stantial labors in their interests, Charles H. Smith, Lieutenant of Company C, finally induced me to take it up again, and he, with the other officers of the Fourth Iowa Cavalry Association (a society formed by the survivors of the regiment), have given much attention to the work during its progress. To him and them the old soldiers and their friends are indebted for any grati- fication they may feel on reading these records.
The plan of the book is to give the whole military record of each man while a member of the regiment, excepting sick-list and hospital experiences not connected with discharge or death, and excepting individual service without casualty in campaigns, marches, or engagements. The sick-lists were ephemeral papers and could not now be found or justly collated ; lists of hospital patients would be incomplete and imperfect, even if all the records were available, as they are not ; and in view of the way in which the company records were kept it would be impossible to tell what men took part in any particular action or campaign. When the records were made no one was thinking of the future fame of individuals. It seemed enough to say that the regiment went into action or on a campaign with a given number of offi- cers and men. The killed, wounded, captured, missing would finally be named, but no others.
The history given is that of the original records, supplemented by papers of my own and of other officers and soldiers, all veri-
* " The Story of a Cavalry Regiment," G. P Putnam's Sons, New York, 1894.
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PREFACE
fied with much care. But the great number of errors and contra- dictions found and traced to explanation makes it probable that many others remain hidden. I can say only that the work is as nearly correct as it could well be made, and certainly more nearly correct than the official records.
The regiment was organized by special authority of the War Department, obtained by the urgent request of Governor Kirk- wood and the personal influence of James Harlan, then United States Senator from Iowa. In the early part of the war the War Department was willing to accept only a few regiments of cav- alry, and it was felt as a kind of triumph when an order for the raising of this regiment was received.
Its camp was immediately established (October 17, 1861) at Mt. Pleasant, the home of Senator Harlan and of the proposed colonel, and was named Camp Harlan. This was a series of bar- racks and horse sheds at the western edge of the town, and as the equipping of the regiment was slow, the government finding it exceedingly difficult to obtain even a portion of the vast sup- plies then required, the camp became winter quarters.
All the original enlistments and nearly all of those of recruits were made " for three years or during the war," but a few recruits sent to the regiment in 1863 and 1864 were enlisted for one year. As given in this roster all enlistments are for three years if not otherwise stated.
The original organization was, or should have been, under G. Os. 15, 25 and 36 of 1861, War Dep. A. G. O., but no definite system prevailed among the mustering officers at that time, and many of their musters were not sustained. Some officers of the regimental staff had to be discharged after a few months under a ruling of the War Department that they were not au- thorized.
The mustering was begun November 23 and ended December 26, 1861; and the organization was then I colonel, I lieutenant- colonel, 3 majors, I adjutant, I quartermaster, I surgeon, I assistant surgeon, I chaplain, I sergeant-major, I quarter- master-sergeant, I commissary-sergeant; in the battalion staff, 3 adjutants, 3 quartermasters, 3 sergeant-majors, 3 quarter- master-sergeants, 3 commissary-sergeants, 3 hospital-stewards,
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PREFACE
3 saddler-sergeants and 3 veterinary-sergeants ; and 12 com- panies, containing each I captain, I first lieutenant, I second lieutenant, I first sergeant, I quartermaster-sergeant, I com- missary-sergeant, 4 sergeants, 8 corporals, 2 buglers, 2 farriers and blacksmiths, I saddler, I wagoner, and about 80 privates. The companies were divided into three battalions of four com- panies each, the order being A, G, D, K in the First, C, F, I, L in the Second, and E, H, M, B in the Third, this order being always followed in regimental and battalion formation. The colors were placed on the right of the Second Battalion, and were thus in Company C.
There was a brass band of I leader and 16 men, but these were enlisted men in the companies, assigned to duty as musicians.
Later two men were promoted from one of the companies to the Non-commissioned Staff as the principal musicians authorized by G. O. 15, above mentioned, but they were called " Chief Buglers," and acted only as buglers. There was also an enlisted man assigned to duty as Wagon-master of the regiment, as if that were a position of the Non-commissioned Staff.
Then the quartermaster and later the adjutant were mustered out as unauthorized, not being lieutenants of the line assigned to extra duty.
Under an Act of Congress of July 17, 1862, and G. O. 126, War Dep., A. G. O., dated September 6, 1862, all the volunteer cav- alry was reorganized. The battalion staff organization was dropped, and the men composing it (including the " Wagon- master ") were discharged. The regimental band was also dis- charged. An adjutant, a quartermaster and a commissary were added to the Field and Staff, and 2 hospital-stewards, I saddler-sergeant, and I chief farrier to the Non-commissioned Staff, while the chief buglers were dropped. The company non-commissioned officers were increased I sergeant and 2 team- sters, but lost the two buglers." The act of July 17, 1862, had provided for a chief trumpeter to each regiment and a super- numerary second lieutenant to each company, but the War Department did not order them mustered in.
* The men who had been buglers remained, however, and went on blowing just the same, though not recognized officially for some time.
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PREFACE
Still other changes were made in the cavalry by G. O. 110, War Dep., A. G. O., of April 29, 1863. Two assistant surgeons were now allowed, the chief farrier was replaced by a veterinary surgeon, and a chief trumpeter was added. In the company the 2 teamsters were dropped (leaving I wagoner) and 2 trump- eters were added. This organization continued to the end of the war.
A few other positions, found necessary in practice but not provided for by law, were filled by detail of men from the com- panies, namely, wagonmaster, armorer, and wardmaster in the hospital.
When the regiment was mustered in it had 1086 officers and men. The long service under unhealthy conditions in Arkansas, immediately followed by the exhausting toil and frequent fight- ing in the Vicksburg campaign, greatly diminished its numbers, so that in June, 1863, it was not entitled to muster a colonel to fill the vacancy then existing. This difficulty was overcome by the influence of General Sherman, who had taken a special inter- est in the regiment, and a new colonel was mustered in soon after Vicksburg surrendered.
The diminishing in numbers continued, though not so rapidly after the fall of Vicksburg, until November, 1863. About 500 had then been lost, and the lowest point in numbers in the his- tory of the regiment was reached. In December recruits began to come in, and they were added rapidly until May, 1864, when the highest point was gained, the rolls then containing 1,354 names.
Under a series of general orders of the War Department in the latter part of 1863, a large portion of the soldiers who had served two years reënlisted as Veterans. In the Fourth Iowa a large majority of those who were eligible reënlisted, a proportion which entitled it to be mustered as a Veteran regiment, which was done December 25, 1863. It proved to be one of the first Veteran regiments in the army and the first of the State of Iowa. Those who did not reënlist were discharged in December, 1864, at the end of the three years for which they had been mustered in.
The War Department was continually striving to get more men on the " duty " lists and also to put to service the mob of
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PREFACE
negroes who followed the camps. One of its devices in this. direction was G. O. 323, of September 28, 1863, providing for the enlistment of " Under-Cooks of African Descent," two for each company. All of the companies of this regiment had been' using negroes as cooks, but not all now took the trouble to formally enlist them. Many of those who were enlisted soon disappeared, on slight provocation or inducement, and no one cared to pursue them as deserters. Their names, too, were uncertain and usually limited to the single " Tom " or " Abe." So, although those who were enlisted were officially members of the regiment, any record of them would be so far from com- plete or certain that it has been thought best to omit them all from this roster.
When the war ended and the Confederates had quietly sur- rendered, not taking to the woods as guerrillas, as was half expected on one side, nor to death in last ditches, as had been promised on the other, the War Department set about reducing the numbers of the army. One of the orders it issued for this purpose was G. O. 77, of April 28, 1865, which directed that " all volunteer soldiers patients in hospitals, except Veteran Volunteers, Veterans of the First Army Corps, and enlisted men of the Veteran Reserve Corps, who require no further medical treatment, be honorably discharged from the service, with im- mediate payment."
It also directed that " all officers and enlisted men who have been prisoners of war and are now on furlough or at the parade camps, and all recruits in rendezvous except those for the regular army, be likewise honorably discharged."
Another of these orders was G. O. 83, of May 8, 1865, which directed that " all Volunteer soldiers of the cavalry arm whose term of service will expire before October 1, 1865, be mustered out and discharged immediately."
To avoid repeating the terms of these orders in all the cases to which they apply in this roster the hospital patients are reported discharged " as convalescent in [or ' from '] hospital," the prisoners of war " as paroled prisoner of war on furlough," and the third class as " term of enlistment to expire before Oct. I."
Some of the military departments issued their own orders,
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PREFACE
designed to carry out these orders of the War Department; in particular the Department of Kentucky issued its G. O. 27, dated May -, 1865, in execution of G. O. 77, above mentioned. As the records of some men mention this G. O. 27, and not G. O. 77, they so appear in the roster.
The discharge of others is, in the records, referred to certain special authority or telegraphic orders received from the War Department direct during the same period. These special orders, however, nearly all prove to be merely supplementary to G. O. 77, and they are mentioned in the roster because given in the records as reasons for discharge.
When the regiment was mustered out many of its men who were in general hospital at different posts, from Iowa to Georgia, from Ohio to Arkansas, were not within the description of G. O. 77. These were entered on the final rolls and nominally mus- tered out with their several companies; and so they appear in this roster as " mustered out on Co. rolls as absent sick," etc. They are, therefore, counted in the summary as if present at final muster-out and discharge.
Many men served in different ranks and in different places in the regiment. Those whose service was all within one com- pany are mentioned only once, in the highest place held, and the whole record is there given, while the others are named in each company in which they served.
The place-name in italics following the soldier's name is that of the town or county of his residence at the time of his enlist- ment. In some cases the records do not give the residence, but only the place of enlistment, and I have so indicated.
All places the names of which are not followed by the name of a State or other country are in Iowa. This is, of course, to avoid the otherwise very frequent repetition of the name of the State.
It may be noticed that there is apparent confusion between the titles "wagoner " and " teamster," and " bugler " and " trumpeter." Wagoners and teamsters were in fact the same in duties, and so were buglers and trumpeters; but the several successive orders of the War Department reorganizing the cav- alry used these different names, and of course the names stood as ordered until a modifying order was issued.
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PREFACE
It ought to be said that the men appearing on company rolls as " deserted " were not always deserters within the usual black meaning of the word. In a few cases in this regiment the crime must have been deliberately intended, but in the most of them the report became necessary under the regulations, which require that a soldier absent without leave be reported as deserted. He may have been originally sent away sick, or on furlough, or under lawful orders; but not returning or having his leave ex- tended, he must in time be accounted for by his company com- mander. Yet he may have been dead or disabled; sometimes it was found that he had simply enlisted in some other command. Many volunteers had vague or loose conceptions of their position and obligations as soldiers.
The regiment was mustered out at Atlanta, Georgia, all the companies on August 8 and the Field and Staff on August 10, 1865. After a few days required for turning in its horses, arms and equipments, it was moved by rail to Davenport, where it was paid and finally discharged on August 24, 1865.
A list of the engagements of the regiment, excepting minor ones, appears in the history above mentioned, but for conven- ience of reference from the roster and to make some corrections, another list, reduced and revised, is printed here, immediately following the roster. This list contains only those engagements in which some of the regiment were killed, wounded or captured, the others, though some of them were important, having no necessary connection with a roster.
It had been proposed to have portraits in this book, and some photographs were received; but it was feared that if an effort were made to get pictures of all who were members of the regi- ment the number might be so large as to make their publication impracticable. It was finally decided to use only the pictures of the officers of the Association of the regiment, before men- tioned, one being excepted, however, because it already appears in the book to which this volume is an appendix.
I am indebted to many comrades of the regiment, soldiers as well as officers-so many that they cannot be named here-for information and aid cheerfully given me; and two gentlemen of the Adjutant-General's Office at Des Moines, John L. Hume and
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PREFACE
Thomas L. Stephens, have, with much patience and interest, made for me a vast number of special searches of the rolls and records of their office.
And to my wife I owe nearly all the work on the index, as well as constant help in the long and tedious labor of comparing and correcting.
New York, September, 1902.
WM. FORSE SCOTT.
ABBREVIATIONS
Common abbreviations like those of State names and military titles it is not thought necessary to explain. The others are as follows:
A. C .- Army Corps.
A. D .- African Descent.
A. G. O .- Adjutant-General's G. O .- General Orders, No. Office.
App .- Appointed.
Cav .- Cavalry.
C. C. M. D. M .- Cavalry Corps Non-com .- Non-commissioned. of the Military Division of Prom .- Promoted. the Mississippi.
Co .- Company, County.
Com .- Commissioned.
Com. Subs .- Commissary of Subsistence.
Com .- Serg. - Commissary-Ser- Regtl .- Regimental.
geant.
Dep .- Department.
Disch .- Discharged.
Enl .- Enlisted.
F. and S .- Field and Staff.
Hdqrs .- Headquarters.
Inf .- Infantry.
Nat. Cem .- National Cemetery.
Qrmr .- Quartermaster.
Reapp .- Reappointed.
Reënl. Vet .- Reënlisted as Vet- eran.
Regt .- Regiment.
Sec .- Section.
S. O .- Special Orders, No.
FIELD AND STAFF
When the War Department authorized a fourth regiment of cavalry from Iowa the Governor had already chosen Asbury B. Porter for the Colonel and Mt. Pleasant for the place of rendez- vous. It was to be the first camp at Mt. Pleasant, and the town and surrounding country were excited to the deepest interest. The greater part of the Field and Staff and nearly the whole of three companies (C, D, and K), as well as many in other com- panies, came out of that beautiful little city and its county.
The promise of the Field and Staff was excellent. It was composed of men of the highest standing in their several com- munities, some of them already experienced in the war. The Colonel, one of the Majors, the Adjutant and others had fought with Lyon at Wilson's Creek; the Lieutenant-Colonel was a brilliant officer of the regular cavalry; and the months spent in camp awaiting equipment offered an unusual opportunity for instruction and preparation.
The Colonel was an expert horseman; he supervised the pur- chase of the horses of the regiment and personally examined them all. No regiment could have been better mounted.
Changes in the Field and Staff were rapid and numerous after the regiment got into the field. Some were disabled by disease, others discharged because of erroneous muster, others pro- moted in later regiments, and others dropped under orders re- organizing the cavalry. Within a year of muster-in only I officer and 2 non-commissioned officers of the original Field and Staff remained, and its organization had been reduced by law from 44 in number to 19.
The whole number in the Field and Staff during the war (in- cluding battalion) was 44 officers and 45 non-commissioned officers, of whom there remained to be mustered out on the last roll 11 officers and 8 non-commissioned officers.
All of the non-commissioned officers reënlisted as Veterans,
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FIELD AND STAFF
and only two of the officers accepted a muster-out when their original terms of service expired.
Colonel Asbury B. Porter, Mt. Pleasant. Commission dated Oct. I, 1861; mustered in Dec. 26, 1861. Resigned for ill health; resignation accepted by order of Gen. Grant, March 19, 1863, in S. O. 78 of 1863, Dep. of the Tenn. Organized and equipped the regt .; served with it in the field until Aug., 1862. Was Maj. of Ist Iowa Inf., com. May 14, 1861, and served with it in the field throughout its term.
Colonel (Brevet Brigadier-General) Edward F. Winslow, Mt. Pleasant. Raised Co. F and enlisted with it Oct. 14, 1861; com. Capt. to date Nov. 23, 1861; prom. Maj. Jan. 3, 1863, vice Parkell, prom .; Col., June 20, 1863, vice Porter, resigned. Not mustered because the regt. was then below minimum in numbers; then com. Lieut .- Col. to date July 14, 1863, but muster suspended; and finally mustered Sep. 2, 1863, as Col. Remained with the regt. on Vet. reenlistment ; prom. Bvt. Brig .- Gen. Dec. 12, 1864, " for gallantry in the field." Mustered out with F. and S. Aug. 10, 1865, Atlanta, Ga. Wounded in action by piece of shell, left leg, May 29, 1863, Me- chanicsburg, Miss., and again, left leg, severe, Oct. 23, 1864, Big Blue, Mo. Returned to active duty in Dec., though still disabled by wound.
Chief of Cavalry on staff of Maj .- Gen. Sherman and commanding Cavalry Forces of the 15th Army Corps (later of the 17th Army Corps) in Miss., Sep. 1863, to March, 1864; in command of 2d Brig., Cav. Div. 16th Army Corps, April to July, 1864; of 2d Div., Cav. Corps District of West Tenn., July to Dec., 1864; of 2d Brig., Cav. Div. Dep. of the Miss., Dec., 1864, and Jan., 1865; of Ist Brig., 4th Div., Cav. Corps M. D. M., Jan. to May, 1865; of 4th Div., Cav. Corps M. D. M., hdqrs. at Atlanta, Ga., May to July, 1865; and of the cities of Selma, Ala., and Columbus, Ga., on their capture, April, 1865.
Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Drummond, Vinton. Com. to date Dec. 24, 1861. Resigned June 3, 1862, cause not found; resignation accepted by order of Gen. Halleck, command- ing Dep. Served with the regt. in the field in the first campaign, in Mo. and Ark. Was Lieut. in 5th U. S. Cav., to which he returned on leaving the 4th Iowa; was prom. to Capt. in that regt. and killed in action April 1, 1865, at Five Forks, Va.
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LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN H. PETERS Vice-President Fourth Iowa Cavalry Association
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FOURTH IOWA CAVALRY
Lieutenant-Colonel Simeon D. Swan, Mt. Pleasant. Com. Maj. (Ist) to date Oct. 14, 1861; prom. Lieut .- Col. June 4, 1862, vice Drummond, resigned. Resigned July 13, 1863, cause not found. Served with the regt. in the field until resignation, in command of it from July, 1862. - Lieutenant-Colonel John H. Peters, Delhi. Raised Co. B; en- listed with it Sep. 15, 1861; com. Capt. to date Nov. 23, 1861; prom. Maj. June 20, 1863, but not mustered in; prom. Lieut .- Col. Sep. 2, 1863, vice Swan, resigned. Remained with the regt. on Vet. reenlistment. Mustered out with F. and S. Aug. 10, 1865, Atlanta, Ga. Wounded in action Nov. 8, 1862, Marianna, Ark. Served with the regt. in the field throughout the war, except portion of 1863, when recruiting for the regt. in Iowa. Com- manded Cav. Forces of 17th Army Corps, March and April, 1864, and often in command of the brigade to which the regt. belonged.
Major Joseph E. Jewett, Des Moines. Com. Maj. (2d) to date Oct. 14, 1861. Resigned Jan. 2, 1863, cause not found. Served with the regt. in the field through its first cam- paign, in Mo. and Ark. Was 2d Lieut. Co. D, 2d Iowa Cav., com. Aug. 30, 1861; disch. to become Maj. as above.
Major George A. Stone, Mt. Pleasant. Enl. Sep. 28, 1861, and assigned to Co. H. Com. Maj. (3d) Nov. 2, 1861. Mustered out Aug. 10, 1862, to accept com. as Col. of 25th Iowa Inf. Commanded his brigade much of the time thereafter; served in the field until the end of the war; prom. Bvt. Brig .- Gen. March 13, 1865. Was Ist Lieut. Co. F, Ist Iowa Inf., com. May 9, 1861, and served with it in the field throughout its term.
Major Benjamin Rector, Sidney. Enl. Aug. 10, 1861, in " Sears' Rangers " for 2d Iowa Cav. (later Co. A, 4th Iowa Cav.). Com. Capt. Co. A to date Nov. 23, 1861; prom. Maj. June 4, 1862, vice Stone, prom. Died Jan. 21, . 1863, Helena, Ark., of dysentery. Captured in action Oct. II, 1862, Jones's Lane, Ark .; exchanged and returned to service Oct. 29, 1862.
Major Alonzo B. Parkell, Grinnell. Raised Co. E; enl. with it Sep. 14, 1861. Com. Capt. Co. E to date Nov. 23, 1861, prom. Maj. Aug. 10, 1862, vice Rector, prom. Resigned for ill health; resignation accepted Sep. 26, 1864. Served with the regt. in the field continuously until resignation, often in command of it.
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FIELD AND STAFF
Major Cornelius F. Spearman, Mt. Pleasant. Raised Co. D; enl. with it Sep. 17, 1861. Com. Capt. Co. D, Nov. 25, 1861; prom. Maj. Jan. 22, 1863, vice Winslow, prom. Mustered out Nov. 24, 1864, term of service expired. Served with the regt. in the field continuously until mustered out, often in command of it.
Major Abial R. Pierce, Lockridge. Raised Co. M, Oct., 1861. Com. Capt. to date Nov. 25, 1861; prom. Maj. Sep. 13, 1863, vice Spearman, prom. Remained with the regt. on Vet. reënlistment. Mustered out with F. and S. Aug. 10, 1865, Atlanta, Ga. Often in command of the regt .; commanded it in the great " Price " campaign, Sep. to Dec., 1864, in which he was wounded in action, foot, severe (permanently disabled), Oct. 25, 1865, Marais des Cygnes (" Osage "), Kan. Recommended by brigade and corps commanders, May, 1865, for promotion to Lieut .- Col. by brevet, " for gallantry and unusual courage and judgment frequently displayed, especially in the ac- tions at Brice's Cross-roads and the Osage."
Major William Wells Woods, Burlington. Enl. Aug. 15, 1861, in Pleyel's (Ist U. S.) Lancers at Burlington. Joined this regt. Nov. 19, 1861; com. 2d Lieut. Co. L, Nov. 25, 1861; prom. Ist Lieut. Jan. 9, 1862; Capt. Aug. 1, 1862. Remained with his Co. on Vet. reenlistment; prom. Maj. Sep. 27, 1864, vice Pierce, prom. Mustered out with F. and S. Aug. 10, 1865, Atlanta, Ga. Served with the regt. in the field throughout the war, sometimes in com- mand of it. Was A. A. Insp .- Gen. on staff of Bvt. Maj .- Gen. Upton, commanding 4th Div., C. C., M. D. M., April to July, 1865. Recommended by division and corps commanders, May, 1865, for promotion to Lieut .- Col. by brevet " for habitual good conduct and for gallantry at Selma."
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