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Gc 973.74 Io9i 1755333
M. L
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00824 0712
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THE 3400 34%. Thirty-Fourth Iowa -
Regiment.
BRIEF HISTORY.
DES MOINES: WATTERS TALBOTT PRINTING CO 1892.
563
1755333
.
34526 Library of Congress
1 F 8349 .308
Iowa infantry. 34th regt., 1862-1865. The Thirty-fourth Iowa regiment. Brief history. Des Moines, Watters-Talbott printing co., 1892.
50 p. 17cm.
"Memorandum" signed : J. S. Clark, historian of the regiment.
1. U. S .- Hist .- Civil war-Regimental histories-Ia. inf .- 34th. I. Clark, James Samuel, 1841- II. Tille.
2-13188 Revised 2
Library of Congress
E507.5 34th
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:
15.117
DEDICATION.
TO THE
WIVES AND CHILDREN
OF THE
THIRTY - FOURTH BOYS,
THIS RECORD OF THEIR DEEDS AND SUFFERINGS IN BATTLE AND FIELD, IS REVERENTLY DEDICATED
BY THE HISTORIAN.
...
RE-UNIONS.
First meeting of the survivors was held at Chariton, on the 8th and 9th days of September, 1886.
Col. W. S. Dungan was elected President; Capt. N, B. Gardner, Secretary; C. T. Brant, Treasurer; Capt. J. S. Clark. Historian. Executive Committee consisting of one from each Company in the order given; the President and Secretary of the Association to be the President and Secretary of said Committee: J. B. Culver, A. J. Rogers, Ves. Barnes, J. L. Wilson, B. F. Dora, Capt. J. N. McClenahan, W. F. Galtry. J. R. Ashworth, Oliver Springer, W. F. Tout. Present one hundred and forty- nine.
Second meeting held at Indianola, on the 26th and 27th of September, 1888. Col. W. S. Dungan, President ; Capt. E. B. Herring, Vice-President; Capt. N. B. Gardner. Secretary: Lieut. J. T. Meek, Treasurer; Capt. J. S. Clark, Historian. Executive Committee, Sergt. J. B. Culver, A. J. Rogers, Ves. Barnes, J. L. Wilson, Lieut. B. F. Dora, H. H. Bobenhouse, Lieut. W. F. Galtry, J. R. Ashworth. Oliver Springer and W. F. Tout. Number presen-, one hundred and fifty-one.
Third meeting held at Garden Grove, on the 24th and 25th of September, 1890. Major R. D. Kellogg, President; Sergt. Jas. Brocewell, Vice-President; Capt. J. N. McClanahan Secretary: Lieut. F. G. Moffatt, Treasurer. Executive Committee: Capt. Eli H. Alexander, G. N. Proctor. Lieut. J. T. Meek, J. L. Wilson, J.W. Stout, H. H. Bobenhouse, Lieut. W. F. Galtry. Jos. Patterson, Capt. T. B. Ward and James Sowden. Present, about one hun- dred and twenty.
Fourth meeting, called to meet at Corydon, on the 28th and 29th of September, 1892. It is expected this will be one of the best meetings the Regiment has ever held. Capt. Mcclanahan. Secretary, is on his "native heath," and bringing his enthusiasm and splendid abilities to bear upon this reunion. This History will be ready for distribution at Corydon.
1
MEMORANDUM.
At the Re-union of the Regiment held in September, 1888, at Indianola, Capt. J. S. Clark, Historian, was requested to prepare a record for the next meeting.
At the Re-union held September, 1890, at Garden Grove, the history was presented and read, and a rising vote of thanks to the Historian passed with great heartiness. The following reso- lution was offered and passed by this meeting :
Resolved, That our worthy Historian, Capt. J. S. Clark, in conjunction with the Executive Committee, secure the publica- tion, in suitable form, of the History of the Regiment; and when in print, ready for sale, proper notice be given thereof.
In pursuance of the foregoing authority, this little book now comes into being. It is meager and imperfect and prepared under stress of private business most urgent and exacting. It is hoped comrades will be forbearing and indulgent in their criticisms and know that their historian has meant to do his work with care and fidelity.
Acknowledgment is hereby made of valuable assistance from Capt. B. Rockwell, who furnished the description of the ope- rations around Mobile and charge on Fort Blakely.
J. S. CLARK, Historian of the Regiment.
DES MOINES, Iowa, September 15, 1892.
HISTORY
OF THE
THIRTY - FOURTH IOWA.
---
T HIS regiment was called in- to existence by the proc- lamation of President Lin- coln for "Six Hundred Thousand More," made July 2, 1 862. The companies composing the reg- ment were enlisted in the month of August; one in Wayne, two in Decatur, three in Lucas, and four in Warren counties. These companies rendezvoused at Camp Lauman, Burlington, and on the 15th day of October, 1862, were mustered into the United . States service . The regimental officers at the com- mencement consisted of the following :
---
Colonel, G. W. Clark. Lieutenant Colonel, W. S. Dungan. Major, R. D. Kellogg. Adjutant. W. M. Bryant. Surgeon, C. W. Davis.
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HISTORY OF THE
Assistant Surgeons, V. H. Coffman and Henry W. Jay.
Quarter Master, J. D. Sarver.
Chaplain, U. P. Golliday.
Our stay in Camp Lauman was rendered delight- ful by the kind and courteous treatment received at the hands of the citizens of Burlington, and all will cherish pleasant memories of those days. One misfortune which befell the regiment at this time was the terrible suffering caused by the prevalence in the camp of measles, and this suffering was only a foretaste of the after effects of the disease, caus- ed in many cases by subsequent exposure.
On the 22d of November 1862. the regiment em- barked in boats for Helena, Arkansas. On this trip down the river many will recall the distress and in- convenience resulting from want of sufficient room and accommodations on the transports. The regi- ment arrived at Helena on the 5th of December and reported to Brig. - Gen. Steele, commanding the district of East Arkansas, and remained at Helena until the 21st of December. We had at this point . our first experience with " dog tents," and the hard- ships of soldier life, exposed to heavy rains, and chilled and benumbed with snow and the approach- ing inclement winter weather of that climate. And as if to test the courage and loyalty of as brave men as ever marched to battle, in addition to the above named afflictions, the small pox broke out in the regiment. It is impossible to go into details in
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THIRTY-FOURTHI IOWA.
this brief history, and to depict the intense suffering which followed the incidents which we have men- tioned.
We left Helena on the 21st of December and joined Gen. Sherman in his unfortunate expedition against Vicksburg. We were asigned to the Third Brigade of the Fourth Division of the Thirteenth Army Corps, commanded by Brig .- Gen. J. M. Thay- er. All who were present will remember with great distinctness the operations on the 27th, 28th and 29th of December at Chickasaw Bayou, and the un- availing assaults on Chickasaw Bluff, and how we lay in line in front of the eneiny under constant fire, drenched and almost overwhelmed with the terrific rain storm, leaving us as we awoke one morning, lying midside deep in pools of cold water.
We will pass lightly the humiliation and misery attending the useless, and seemingly senseless slaughter connected with Sherman's assaults upon those impregnable hills. This was our first baptism of blood. At that time the whole army criticised Sherman severely. holding him responsible for our want of success, but we did not then know that the capture of Holy Springs, with all the stores held there for Grant's army had caused Grant to fall back on Memphis, and permitted Pemberton's force which was opposing him, to occupy the defenses of Vicksburg, against which owing to the overflowed bottoms and bayous, Sherman could not bring to bear one-fourth of his troops.
y
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HISTORY OF THE
The accumulations of our sufferings and mis- fortunes in this early period of our history. as we now recall them, render it a matter of wonder that so many survived to fight the subsequent battles of the war and return home, crowned with victory and welcomed with applause.
About the time we finished our operations at the mouth of the Yazoo, just named, Gen. John A. Mc- Clernand arrived and organized out of these dis- heartened troops the expedition against Arkansas Post
McClernand's troops and Porter's fleet reached Arkansas Post on the evening of the 9th of Janu- ary. In the operations of the 10th and IIth of Jan- uary, 1863, we had a further taste of war, accom- panied with the exulation of victory. The Thirty- Fourth took a leading part in the seige and capture of the fort. Its flag being one of the first placed within the breastworks of the rebels, by Major R. D. Kellogg.
Among the 4,791 prisoners were Gen. Churchill, rebel general commanding, and his staff; seven col- onels; about fifteen lieutenant-colonels and majors, and 330 other officers. Rebels killed and wounded, about 800; of the Union troops, about 1,000; the Thirty-Fourth in killed and wounded, seventeen: among them the brave and fearless Capt. Dan. H. Lyons, of company C, mortally wounded by a bul- let in the breast, who died the morning after the bat- tle. .
II
THIRTY-FOURTH IOW'A.
As if in recognition of the gallantry of the Thirty- Fourth, the prisoners taken in this engagement were put in charge of that regiment with what assistance they needed, being six companies of the Thirteenth Illinois regiment. These prisoners except the commissioned officers were conveyed to Camp Doug- las, Chicago, Ill. The officers were sent to John- son's Island.
One hesitates to attempt a description of the suf- fering of this trip to Chicago which resulted from packing and jamming of about 5,500 men on three moderate sized boats. The cases of small pox were greatly multiplied in the regiment and before we reached St. Louis the disease broke out among the prisoners. We were two weeks going from Ark- ansas Post to St. Louis.
Col. Clark stated in one of his reports, what we all remember too vividly, that " the human suffer- ing during this trip exceeded anything I have ever witnessed in the same length of time."
The state rooms were filled with sick. The floors of the cabin were covered with the sick of our own regiment, and also sick rebels, all lying closely to- gether, some with fevers, some with pneumonia, some with measles, some with small pox, all with chronic diarrhea. There were not enough well men to properly guard the prisoners and care for the sick.
Each night the pails used for excretions were fill- ed to overflowing and the overflow would run down
I 2
HISTORY OF THE
the sides of the cabin. The poisonous stench arising from the cabin was terrible. It could have been no worse in the black hole of Calcutta, or in the holds of slave-ships, which before our war, filled with human beings, made their long voyages with closed hatches.
At Memphis we put off a number of sick, at Cairo more, and at Arsenal Island just below St. Louis, a desolate looking place it was, 100 or more cases of small pox and varioloid; in Chicago hospitals we left 200 of " our poor sick boys."
After disposing of the prisoners in Chicago, the regiment returned to Benton barracks on the 5th day of Febuary, 1863. The regiment was at this time totally broken down. Its dead had been plant- ed along the islands of the Mississippi, and at every graveyard we touched in our route, its sick and dy- ing had filled the hospitals at every place where hospital accommodations could be had.
On the 26th of Feburary, 1863, at Benton bar- racks we had only 298 enlisted men present and IOI " for duty, " reduced from 941 four and a half months before, when we were mustered in -- a skel- eton of our former organization. The few who were able and fortunate enough to secure leave of absence had gone to their homes to die, or to be nursed back to health by loving, helpful friends.
Of this number the gallant Maj. Kellogg and the writer of this history were able to reach Burling- ton, and for some days lay on beds in opposite cor -
THIRTY-FOURTH IOWA.
I3
ners of the same room, watching each other to see who would die first, but as neither was willing to go and leave the other, both were finally helped into the cars, and in the course of time reached home and friends.
Of the stay in Benton barracks it is sufficient to say that this period was used to nurse the sick, and take care of the helpless, and gradually the men grew strong and were put on duty.
-------
On the 2d of April, Capt Gardner, with Lieuten- ants Dilley and Rockwell and seventy men were de- tailed to guard 470 prisoners, mostly bushwhackers, from Gratiot street prison to City Point, Va., a pleasing, though very arduous duty, which occupied fourteen days: one night was spent by this party at City Point under the stars and bars.
On the 20th of April the regiment went to Pilot Knob, Mo., which was at that time being threaten- ed by the rebel Gen. Marmaduke. Col. Clark was assigned to the command of the district and Lieut. Col. Dungan to the command of the regiment. The troops were very much benefitted by the im- proved sanitary condition of things at this locality.
On the 3d day of June the regiment broke camp and marched across the country to Saint Genevieve on the Mississippi river, where it embarked for Vicksburg. 1
On the 15th day of June the regiment arrived at Vicksburg. The soldiers had become seasoned and toughened, and were recognized by the command-
ch ve in ed th ro s, :S e e 2 5 .
1
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HISTORY OF THE
ing officers as remarkable for their strength and ef- ficiency. The Thirty-Fourth was assigned to the First Brigade of the Second Division of the Thir- teenth Army Corps, and joined the lines environ- ing Vicksburg, closing the gap on the river south of the city. Gen. Vandever commanded the brigade Gen. Herron the division and Gen. McClernand the corps.
From the 15th of June to the 4th of July, when the city surrendered, we kept up our part of the line and pressed forward with the parallels and grad- ual approaches, in excellent health and spirits, per- forming cheerfully every duty devolving upon the regiment.
Our casulties during the seige were four killed and six wounded. Lieut. Swift was badly wound- ed with a rifle ball and afterwards died at Baton Rouge, and Lieut. McAndrew slightly with shell.
During the last week before the surrender, our regiment was the last on the extreme left of the be- sieging forces. Never did we celebrate the anni- versary of American Independence with more joy and gladness than this day, when the white flag waved over those rebel fortifications, and we realiz- ed that the confederacy was cut in twain; that the greatest rebel stronghold in the west was ours.
After the siege was over on the 10th of July, our division embarked on transports for the purpose of joining Gen. Banks and assisting in the reduction of Port Hudson. That garrison, however, surrend-
15
THIRTY-FOURTH IOWA.
ered before our boats left the wharf at Vicksburg. and we were ordered up the Yazoo river to Yazoo City, which was captured on the 14th day of July. The 400 or 500 " able for duty" rebels skedaddled, but we made prisoners of about 300 convalescent Johnnies and captured twelve siege guns and one twelve pounder.
The gun boat which preceded our transport, the Baron de Kalb, struck a torpedo which exploded and sunk her. She carried fifteen guns; her crew was nearly all saved.
On the 16th and 1 7th we marched under Gen. Her- ron, in the direction of Canton, Miss., to assist Gen. Sherman. then engaging rebel Gen. Johnston, at Jackson.
This march was through a country overflowing with peaches, apples and all kinds of vegetables, as well as an abundance of chickens, mutton and beef which surrendered to us promptly and were put where they would do the most good. After cross- ing Black river, it was ascertained that both Can- ton and Jackson had been taken by our troops, and we returned to Yazoo City.
The last day of this march returning to Yazoo City was an awful one, and Gen. Vandever was se- verely criticised for marching men at quick time through the sun, burning hot, and the roads heavy with dust. Five or six of the brigade died from sun stroke and hundreds fell by the road side complete- ly exhausted. We then returned to Vicksburg,
of - he r- 1- of le e 2 e - - ..
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HISTORY OF THE
where the men were employed in filling up the trenches and preparing the place for defense.
On the 25th of July our division started on tran- sports for the department of the Gulf, stopping at Port Hudson twenty-three days. Here nearly every man had chills. Quinine and whisky were our chief articles of diet. To our Surgeons, Davis and Coff- man's skillful and careful attention we attribute our light losses from sickness while at Port Hudson.
The Thirty-Eighth Iowa which came down the river at the same time with us, 700 or 800 strong. had only twenty-five or thirty
for duty, death claiming its colonel and scores of men. We arrived at Carrollton, in the suburbs of New Orleans, on the 17th of August. Here we went in- to camp and enjoyed a rest, and rapidly recovered health and strength, which had suffered much by the hardships and malarial climate to which we had been subjected. While in camp at Carrollton, the Thirteenth Army Corps was reviewed twice by Maj. Gen. Banks and once by Gen. Grant.
On the 5th of September, we moved up the Mis- sissippi River and disembarked at Morganza, a small town on the west bank of the river thirty-five miles above Port Hudson. While at this point engaged in skirmishing and watching the enemy in the in- terior, the Nineteenth Iowa, Twenty-Sixth Indiana and detachments from other regiments, including the Thirty-Fourth, were captured at an outpost on the Atchafalaya river. Lieut. Walton of the Thirty-
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THIRTY-FOURTH IOWA.
Fourth and five men were included in this capturc, also one man of the Thirty-Fourth was killed at that time.
The regiment returned about the time of this in- cident to our old camp at Carrollton. On Tuesday the 13th of October, 1863, the members of Iowa Regiments, by authority of State law, voted for state and county officers. Those in our brigade cast the following vote for Governor :
STONE. TUTTLE.
Thirty-Fourth Iowa. 175 67
Thirty-Eighth Iowa. 160 17
Twentieth Iowa . 170. 25
On the 24th of October, 1863, our Divison em- barked at Carrollton on Steamer Belvidere, reach- ing the mouth of the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mex- ico on the 27th, and after a tedious and stormy voy- age, during which storm to save the ships the cavalry horses of the command were thrown overboard, and on the 3d of November arrived at Brazos de Santi- ago. Nine days were occupied in the passage for which three was the usual time.
Nearly all were very sea sick, and during the storm of the 30th, men lashed themselves to the sides with ropes, otherwise they would have been washed overboard. We remained on Brazos de Santiago three days on half rations of hard bread, and only one quart of water to each man per day.
One evening there was a rain, when we filled our canteens with water caught on our rubber blankets.
1- t y f
le
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HISTORY OF THE
From there we marched to Brownsville, Tex., which the rebels evacuated upon our approach, after burn- ing their barracks and all the cotton remaining on the Texas side of the Rio Grande. We could see thousands of bales which they had hastily moved across to the Mexican shore.
After a few days rest we marched with Forest's battery to Point Isabella, on the Gulf of Mexico, where we arrived on the 13th of November. At this point we joined an expedition under command of Brig .- Gen. Ransom, a brave, dashing and intelli- gent general, who, wounded many times during the war, died at Tennessee, just at its close.
Our first duty after arriving at this place was to boil every coat and shirt, each pair of pants, socks, drawers and blankets. I need not explain the rea- ron why. From Point Isabella we sailed up the coast to miles to Aransas Pass and landed on St. Joseph's Island, which is separated by a narrow strip of water from Mustang Island.
At this place we were joined by the First division of the Thirteenth Army Corps, under command of Maj .- Gen. Washburn. The entire command includ- ing the Thirty-Fourth marched forty miles to the head of this Island, crossed Cedar Bay to Matagor- da Island, and marched to the head of this Island where the rebel fort, Esperanza, was situated. The Thirty-Fourth regiment assisted in the capture of that fort.
.
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THIRTY-FOURTII IOWA.
All who were present and still survive will re- member the winter spent in camp in the vicinity of Fort Esperanza, where the regiment remained un- til the 20th of April following. The five months spent on these Islands mark one of the bright spots in the history of the regiment. Occasionally a norther drove us all to bed to keep warm, but usually the air was bracing and balmy, the salt water bathing was fine. We celebrated Christmas by a dip in the Gulf of Mexico. We caught great numbers of fish and feasted on oysters. At this period of the history of the regiment the command was in fine condition, excellent health, splendid discipline, well drilled, well equipped and a fine regiment. although somewhat reduced in numbers. During this winter, company C. of the Thirty- Fourth regiment, under command of Captain J. S. Clark, competed in a prize drill with five of the best companies in the division, under the direction of Generals McClernand and Lawler.
This company excelled in many particulars, and was only beaten in the aggregate by one company, and by that company only two degrees in thirty. Some of the companies ran down as low as seven. This drill elicited a great deal of admiration and called out a highly complimentary order from the commanding general.
The regiment had attained a remarkable profici- ency in drill. In the bayonet exercises it excelled all other regiments with which it came in competi-
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HISTORY OF THE
tion, and was inferior to none in the service, as far as the writer hereof is aware.
On the 20th of April, 1864, we embarked for New Orleans, where we were at once transferred to river boats and joined Gen. Bank's celebrated cam- paign on the Red River. We arrived at Alexan- dria on the 27th of April, where we met Banks' army on the retreat,
Our division being composed of fresh troops was put to the front and did outpost duty. For two weeks we skirmished daily with the enemy. Re- veille would be sounded at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, and our brigade with a battery would move outside our pickets and drive back those of the enemy who made it a rule to picket up close to our lines each night. We would march in lines of battle two to five miles out, our progress being contested by the enemy's cavalry and artillery.
Many will remember how on May 5th, Col. Dun- gan's life was saved by his horse dropping to the . ground, thus avoiding a passing shell which went between two files of our men, knocking a canteen off one, but not injuring either. During the running fight of this day our brigade lost about twenty, kill- ed and wounded; only one wounded in the Thirty- Fourth, but many miraculous escapes.
On the 12th our regiment was transferred to the Second Brigade Fourth Division and Col. Clark made Brigade Commander; Gen. Bryant, Assistant
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THIRTY-FOURTIL IOW'A.
Adjutant General and Capt. J. S. Clark, Brigade Inspector.
This campaign has gone into history as celebrated for one thing, if for nothing else, that as a failure it was monumental. The retreat was most masterly and successful.
While the Thirty-Fourth was in bivouac near Alex- andria, a rebel planter secured a guard for his store house, and while the guard was religously marching up and down in front of the only door, the sugar all mysteriously disappeared through an accidental hole in the floor.
It was a Thirty-Fourth man who astonished the same planter by bending a lead pipe into a siphon and drawing water for the regiment from a big wooden tank cistern, which the owner thought was dry, and he declared that no one but a Yankee could make water run up hill.
It has also been stated that it was a Thirty-Fourth man who, on his retreat, coming from a hen house and encountering the rebel owner's wife on the porch in conversation with Gen. Banks and his staff said: "Madam, will you let me have a little but- ter to fry my chicken in ? "
We crossed the Atchafalaya River at Simmsport on a novel bridge. Twenty-four steam boats lay alongside of each other and across the bows was laid a pontoon bridge. Each boat had steam up so that in case one took fire the others might pull out and save themselves.
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HISTORY OF THE .
It took from May 13th to May 22d to march from Alexandria to Morganza, and slow and tiresome it was, marching all one night, and often late into the night. We would not know when we halted wheth- er it would be for five minutes or for five hours, and would lie down in the dusty road and wait, catching what sleep we could with our harness on. Our cavalry, and advance and rear guards were fir- ed upon daily; the entire command losing 600 to 700 during the retreat.
We struck the Mississippi at Morganza on May 22d, and in a few days went from there to Baton Rouge. All will remember the pleasant encamp- ment and comfortable time the regiment had doing light garrison duty at this post.
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