USA > Iowa > Chickasaw County > History of Chickasaw and Howard Counties, Iowa > Part 27
USA > Iowa > Howard County > History of Chickasaw and Howard Counties, Iowa > Part 27
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If memory serves, we also got the lots about the same time, given, I think, by Joseph (or John), Bird, and beautiful by reason of the encircling oaks; and we also got out the stone for the foundation; Mr. Newton Palmer taking a leading hand at the quarrying. During the summer or fall we again made a bee, and laid the foundation, which, on the inside, presents several varieties of style. I recall the fact that one brother laid the stone slanting, like those in the stone fences of New England, which had been the origin of his stone craft. But all being fitly joined together, answered the purpose, and we laid the sills with rejoicing.
Was it about a year after that, that we began to erect the house? I should think so. And I do not remember that we had any sub- scription paper (though I may be mistaken), till much later, But every one gave labor or material as he could, and step by step progress was made. The house was roughly enclosed, except part of the tower that fall. Then rough boards were laid for a floor, and some use was made of the building. I specially remember a school exhibition under Mr. Taylor. It was well on in December, and there was no way to warm the building, but an exceptionally mild winter allowed the children to appear on the stage without discomfort, even in the most gauzy attire.
The next spring the finishing of the house was let by contract to two brothers (names gone from me), and a subscription was made for pine lumber to finish with. This was hauled, I think from McGregor. We were to receive a certain amount from the Congregational building fund, $400 or $500. But it began to ap-
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pear that even that amount would not be sufficient, and we all began to think where we could gain a little more help. It occurred to me that perhaps something could be obtained from the wealthy church of Pittsfield, Mass., whose pastor, Rev. John Todd, D. D. (author of "Student's Manual," "Index Rerum," etc.), had been formerly pastor of the church with which my parents were con- nected. A letter to him brought a characteristic reply, inclosing more than a hundred dollars. This began a most interesting per- sonal acquaintance with the doctor, and led to my visiting him repeatedly, and it happened that I had the privilege of attending him during a portion of his last sickness, in 1873.
The first religious use of the house was in the fall after it was furnished, but not seated-date forgotten-for the funeral obsequies of Mrs. Smith, wife of Capt. John Smith. The dedication occurred I should think, during the following winter, bad weather prevent- ing the presence of most of those invited. This brought us to the spring of 1865, when, as a delegate to the "Boston Council," I went east. While at Pittsfield I received a commission from Thomas Colt, of that place, to go to Troy, N. Y., and select a bell for the church. I did so, and sent it on. On its way it excited much attention, being rung by the crowd at Dunleith, Dubuque, and more or less at nearly every station along the line. On my. return I found it in place in the belfry. The pulpit of solid oak was made under my direction by a carpenter at Greenwood; I cannot call his name.
In some of these statements I may also possibly be mistaken.
What days those were when we we were all working together for that great object ! And though I have since had in hand much heavier jobs-have erected churches into which that might be set (without more than docking the top of the tower a little), and have plenty of room all around-yet never have I more enjoyed my work.
The railroad destroyed the town, but I am glad to know that the Little Brown Church holds its own, and is still accomplishing the work for which it was erected. Some day I hope to revisit the spot, and witness how much and what of fruit remains of these labors so long ago.
Yours very cordially,
J. K. NUTTING.
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HISTORY OF CHICKASAW COUNTY.
GENERAL REMARKS.
As will be observed it has not been attempted to give all the churches and school houses in the different townships, but only the more prominent ones. Many of these are scattered over the rolling prairies outside of the various towns and villages, and without some special prominence being attached to them, it would be a dreary list to enumerate.
POLITICAL.
In politics, the county on all national and state issues, is gener- ally republican, the vote on the presidential election of 1880, was, republican, 1324; democrat, 1003; greenback, 486. In county matters however the party lines are not so closely drawn, and local issues are nearly always able to distribute the offices among the parties. The greenback element in the county has grown to be quite a power as witness the vote of 1882 when for representative to congress from the fourth congressional district, L. H. Weller, the democratic-greenback candidate, received 1,356 votes; and Thos. Updegraff, republican, 928.
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HISTORY OF CHICKASAW COUNTY.
CHAPTER XIII. 1
WAR RECORD; ACTION OF BOARD OF SUPERVISORS; CARE OF SOL- DIERS' FAMILIES, ETC .; HISTORY OF 7TH IOWA INFANTRY; 38TH IOWA INFANTRY; 4TH . IOWA CAVALRY; ROSTER OF VOLUN- TEERS.
The principal regiments in which Chickasaw county volunteers served, were the seventh, and thirty-eight infantry, and fourth cav- alry, whose operations are briefly outlined in this chapter, however many men were in other regiments, as will be seen on reference to the roster of volunteers. A complete list of them is however im- possible to prepare at this day, but we have endeavored to make it as full as a thorough search of the adjutant general's report could allow, aided by the testimony of those best posted on the subject. But first will be taken up the action of the county government in regard to the matter.
Chickasaw county was an intensely loyal county throughout the war of the rebellion, and her part in its history was one upon which her citizens are justified in looking back with pride.
At the June meeting ofthe board ofsupervisors, in 1861, the fol- lowing resolution was introduced:
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HISTORY OF CHICKASAW COUNTY.
"Whereas, There is an extensive conspiracy existing in our nation, set on foot for the purpose of subverting the constitution and de- stroying the government; and several states being in open rebel- lion against the government, and now making war upon the same; and whereas, the president of the United States has issued his pro- clamation, calling upon all loyal citizens to rally around the ‘old flag,' and aid in the suppression of the rebellion; in response to which call, the people of the loyal states are freely offering their lives and money, in support of the best government on earth; and whereas, many of the citizens of Chickasaw county have enrolled themselves as members of a volunteer company, holding themselves in readiness to leave their homes in the defence of their country therefore,
"Resolved, That an appropriation be made to each volunteer, resi- dent of their county, who may enlist from this county, either in the state or national service, of the sum of ten dollars, as an outfit and the sum of three dollars per month, and the further sum of four dollars per month, each, to the wives of such as have families, and the parents of those who depend upon said volunteers for sup- port; and the sum of one dollar per month for each child of said volunteers under the age of six years. Said amounts to be paid for the time and during the absence of the volunteers from their homes, in the service. The said money to be paid to the order of the volunteers, or their wives, from the county treasury, out of the county funds not otherwise appropriated, on the warrant of the clerk of the board of supervisors of this county. And in further- ance of this object, it is hereby made the duty of the supervisors of each township, to furnish the clerk with a certified list of the names of the volunteers who go from his township, together with the names of the parents, wives and children of said volunteers, who may be entitled to money by this appropriation. And the clerk is instructed to keep on file in his office said list, and when any person shall present a valid claim for money under this appro- priation, whose name shall appear on either of said lists,said claim, on being duly sworn to, the clerk is authorized to draw his warrant for said amount."
This resolution was adopted by a vote of ten yeas to one nay.
The age of children to be aided by the appropriation, was after- wards changed from six to twelve years. It will be readily seen
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that in their haste to testify the county's loyalty to the Union' and in their eagerness to aid in its preservation, the board entailed a very heavy expense upon the young and sparsely settled county; so great an expense, in fact, as to become a burden scarcely able to be borne, and it is no wonder that, subsequently, alterations in the plan became necessary, and expedients were resorted to for the purpose of making the burden lighter, while at the same time con- tinuing to render the assistance needed to the volunteers and their families.
At the January meeting of the board, 1862, a committee of three was appointed to devise a plan to extricate the county from the difficulty occasioned by the appropriation for the benefit of the volunteers. This committee presented a majority report, signed by M. L. Palmer and M. L. Choate, and a minority report, signed by William B. Grant.
The majority report was, in substance, that there were 105 vol- unteers entitled to the benefits of the appropriation, and the month- ly amount, to which they were entitled, was $483, or $5,796 per an- num, without reference to future enlistments. It was evident to the committee that the county could not meet its liabilities as fast as they accrued, and county warrants must depreciate to a merely nominal sum, thus defeating the very object of the appropriation.
To remedy this state of affairs; it was proposed: 1st. That com- missioned officers, who are receiving the benefits of the appropria- tion, in view of the ample pay they are receiving from the govern- ment, be requested to release the county absolutely from further payments to themselves or their families. . 2d. All single men, volunteers from this county, not having parents or friends depend- ent on them for support, be requested to sign an obligation, defer- ring further claims to the end of the war. 3d. That those having families, be also requested to sign an obligation, or agreement, de- ferring the payment of one-third of their accruing claims until the close of the war. 4th. That a promise shall be inserted in said agreement, in relation to the deferred claims, that they shall not be assignable, and that they shall only inure to the benefit of the claimants and their families; and that $3,000 only of the deferred claims shall be paid in any one year. It was proposed also that the clerk embody the above agreement in proper form, and forward them at the earliest practical moment to Capts. Gardner,
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Powers and Crawford, with a request that action be taken thereon by those intended, at the earliest possible moment. The report closed with the following proposed resolution: Resolved, that all bounties and payments to persons, who may enlist in the service of this state, or the United States, hereafter, from this county, shall cease from this date."
This report was laid on the table, by a vote of 9 to 3.
The minority report recited the inability of the county to bear the burden of the appropriation, and proposed the following reso- lutions:
"Resolved, That said appropriation, as far as volunteers to those that do not need assistance, that have volunteered in the service of the state, or of the United States-residents of this coun- ty-be discontinued from and after this date; and that families of volunteers, who are in need of assistance, have such appropriation from the county as the supervisors or trustees of their respective townships shall deem necessary. And be it further
Resolved, That the volunteers from this county, who shall, or have returned sick, or in any way disabled in the service, have such appropriation as may be deemed necessary by the county board of supervisors. And further, that the wives and children, or those dependent upon the volunteers, who have been killed in battle, or died in the service of this state, or the United States, shall be liberally provided for by the county board of super- visors."
A motion to table the minority report was lost, by a vote of 3 to 9, but at a subsequent meeting, a motion to table prevailed.
The following resolution was offered by D. A. Jackson, and was adopted by a vote of 9 to 3.
"Resolved, That the appropriation made by the board of super- visors of this county, at the June meeting, 1861, for the benefit of volunteers and their families, be and the same is, hereby repealed, from and after the 6th day of January, 1862."
D. A. Jackson, D. R. Kerby and J. H. Vantassell were ap- pointed a committee to draft a resolution as to the manner of pro- viding for the destitute families of Chickasaw county volunteers. The resolution was immediately prepared, received, and the com- mittee discharged. At the evening session, the resolution was put . upon its passage and unanimously adopted as follows:
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"Whereas, A number of our fellow citizens have volunteered, and entered into the military service of the government, leaving · families in destitute circumstances; therefore, be it
"Resolved by the board, That all those who have volunteered from this county, and are in actual service of this state, or the United States; who may have families, residents of this county; that all those families of such volunteers, who are only receiving pay as private soldiers, are by this board considered to be entitled to an appropriation authorized by law to be made by the county board of supervisors, for the benefit of those families who are in destitute circumstances. And it is hereby:
"Resolved, by this board, That an appropriation of $4.00 per month be made to the wives of said volunteers, and $1.00 per month to each child under twelve years of age, and $4.00 per month to the parents of such volunteers, for support; to be paid from the county treasury, as hereinafter provided. And be it further.
"Resolved, That although the families of said volunteers may remove from the county, for temporary stay, during the absence of the aforesaid volunteers, they still are considered by the board as residents of this county. And, be it further
"Resolved, That non-commissioned officers shall be deemed as privates, so far as relates to this appropriation."
A pension of $4.00 per month to widows, and $1.00 per month to each child of deceased volunteers, was unanimously voted.
On examination of the books in relation to the appropriation to volunteers, the board found the amount in warrants issued as bounty to volunteers, $1,100.21; amount in warrants issued as monthly appropriations, $1,279; amount now due as monthly appropriations to January 6th, 1862, $637.48; total, $3,016.69.
Teamsters from the county, in the service of the government, were declared not entitled to the benefit of the county appropria- tion. ·
At the September meeting, 1862, it was resolved to ask the gen- eral assembly of the state to authorize the board of supervisors of Chickasaw county to levy an additional tax of three mills, to meet the deficiency in the county funds on account of the appropria- tions to the families of volunteers. At the October meeting, it was resolved to levy a tax of four mills for the benefit of the fami-
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lies of volunteers, to be called the volunteer fund. At an adjourned meeting of the November term, 1862, the appropriation was re- duced to $2.00 per month for the wife, and $1.00 per month' for each child. At the January meeting, 1864, the appropriation was increased to $4.00 per month for grown persons and $1.00 per month for children under the age of twelve years, "in consideration of the high price of necessaries, and the hardness of the winter," this increase to continue until the June term.
The following appears among the proceedings of the same meet- - ing:
"Whereas, G. R. Rowley, of Chickasaw county, Iowa, is entitled to the banner, by having more sons in the United States service than any other man in said county; he being poor and . dependent entirely on the efforts of one son only for his and his wife's sup- port; therefore, be it
"Resolved, That the sum of $5.00 per month be allowed him from the county until further action by this board."
At the September meeting, 1864, the following was spread upon the minutes:
"The friends of the volunteers now in the field, who enlisted in 1861, are requested to notify them that they will be entitled to $3.00 per month from the time of their enlistment up to the time they may be honorably discharged from the service."
At the November meeting. 1864. It was adopted "That it is the sense of the board, that when a drafted man of this county's families pays a substitute to take his place, that the drafted man's family is to receive the appropriation from the county the same as if said drafted man was in the service personally.
And upon the records of the board for the January meeting of 1865, we find the following:
"Resolved, That the clerk be authorized to issue county war- rants for full pay to the families of volunteers, from this date, to-wit: The sum of four dollars per month to the wives and parents of the volunteers, and one dollar per month for each child under twelve years of age, dependent on the volunteer for support. Provided, That this apply only to such as volunteered and entered the service prior to November, 1862, and also that the clerk draw warrants for the sum of two dollars per month to the wive, and parents of volunteers, and fifty cents per month for each
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child under twelve years of age dependent upon the volunteers for support this to apply to all who entered the service since Novem- ber, 1862."
At the regular session of the board of supervisors in September, 1865, a resolution was passed; allowing the widows of all deceased soldiers to draw the allowance, from the county for six months after death of the husband.
And at a meeting in October of the same year, the following resolution appears on the minutes, as having been carried: Re- solved, That all who have enlisted and served as privates, in the U. S. army, from Chickasaw county during the late war, be placed on the same footing, and paid the same monthly wages as by resolution of this board is allowed to volunteers who have enlisted since January 1st, 1862, excepting such regulars from the benefit of this resolution as may have received $300, and upwards, as bounty from the United States.
SEVENTH IOWA INFANTRY.
During the heats of the summer of 1861, while the pulse of the nation beat with feverish intensity, while all hearts were aching with the dread of civil war, and the sound of men flocking to arms, in their country's cause, resounded through all the hills and val- leys, forests and prairies of this northland; then the spirit of Chickasaw county was stirred, and men came forward, with alacrity, at the call of the government, for its preservation, com- pany B., seventh regiment of Iowa volunteers was raised, and com- posed almost entirely of the sons of Chickasaw, Capt. Gideon Gardner and all the officers being residents of the county.
The history of the company is nearly always the history of the regiment, especially so in infantry, therefore we give an abridged account of the movements of the regiment for which we are indebted to the official reports.
"The seventh Iowa infantry was organized at Burlington, Iowa, in 1861. The first companies were mustered into the United States service on the 24th of July, and the last company, I, was mustered in on the 2d day of August. Col. J. G. Lauman was in command of the regiment. On the 6th day of August they broke camp marched to Burlington under a burning hot sun and em- barked on the steamer Jennie Whipple for St. Louis. Arrived at St. Louis on the morning of the 8th, and were marched to the
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arsenal, where they bivouacked for several days. Moved from thence to Jefferson Barracks, where they remained for several more days; were then ordered to St. Louis, where the regiment. was armed, the flank companies with Springfield rifles, and the other eight companies with the improved Springfield muskets. The same night they took the cars, and went to Pilot Knob, and after remaining there half a day, marched to Ironton, where the regiment went into camp and remained there, drilling and getting into discipline for two weeks, and were then ordered through southeast Missouri to Cape Girardeau. This commenced the first campaign of the regiment. The division consisted of six regi- ments, and was commanded by Brig. Gen'l. B. M. Prentiss. Ar- riving at Jackson, Mo., during the last days of August, the com- mand remained one week, then moved to the cape, where they took transports, and went to Cairo, and were sent from thence to what was afterwards known as Fort Holt, Kentucky. The ground was covered with a dense forest and under growth, but in a short time the camp was cleared up, and policed, and all hands were comfort- able. The regiment remained at Holt about two weeks when it was moved down to Mayfield creek, and established camp Critten- den, distant from the Mississippi river about three miles, and from Columbus the rebel stronghold, about eight. Here Lieut. Col. Wentz reported to the regiment for duty. Remaining but a short time at camp Crittenden, the regiment was moved to Fort Jeffer- son, on the Mississippi, nearly opposite to Norfolk, Mo.
During their stay at Fort Jefferson they still kept a strong: picketguard at their old camp Crittenden, at which place the regi- ment had its first skirmish, in which one man was slightly. wounded.
On the 6th of November, 1861, the regiment received orders to embark on transports, and about night steamed down the Missis- sippi a few miles rounded to, and lay all night at Lucas Bend. Early on the morning of the 7th, they got under way and landed on the Missouri shore about three miles above Bel- mont; disembarking there the troops formed line of battle, and proceeded to the attack of the latter place. The seventh Iowa and twenty-second Illinois were brigaded together and com- manded by Col. Dougherty of the latter regiment, The battle of Belmont was a bloody day for the seventh; which went into fight
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with but eight companies numbering in all 410 men; two com- panies, K. and G. being detailed as fleet guard were not in the engagement. The regiment lost, in killed, wounded and missing, 237 men. It was on this field that the gallant and lamented Wentz fell with many other brave officers, viz: G. W. S. Dodge, second Lieut. company B .; Benj. Ream, second Lieut. company C .; Chas. Gardner, second Lieut. company I .; Col. Lauman and Major Rice were both severely wounded, as were also Capt. Gard- ner, company B .; Capt. Harper, company D .; Capt. Parrott, company E .; and Capt. Kitteridge, company F.
It was in this fight that Jowa officers and soldiers proved to the world that they were made of the right kind of material, and .added to the lustre of our young and gallant state.
On the evening of the 7th of November, 1861, the shattered remnant of the seventh Iowa arrived at Bird's Point, where they remained a few days, and were then ordered to St. Louis, Miss- "ouri, to rest and recruit. This terminated the first battle for this brave and gallant host of heroes.
On the 13th of January, 1862, the seventh were embarked at St. Louis, on the steamer Continental, and although the weather was intensely cold, which detained the boat, finally got under way and proceeded down the river about twenty miles; but when that dis- tance was reached the floating ice, with which the river was filled, blocked the boat with its freight of brave boys in blue and was frozen in. Here they staid for two days, until the cold had so congealed the ice that it was solid enough, when the regiment with its baggage was removed to the shore, and took the railroad, and returned to St. Louis. The weather was intensely cold, but the good citizens of that city tendered Col. Lauman the use of the chamber of commerce to shelter his inen in, and the boys found comfort in the hot coffee, warm rooms, etc., so generously provided by their friends.
Next morning, the regiment started for Cairo, marching through Illinois and after reaching that place moved forward again. After a fatiguing march, interspersed with some delays for rest, the regi- ment was ordered to go up the Tennessee, with balance of the troops to attack Fort Henry.
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