USA > Iowa > Story County > History of Story County, Iowa: A Record of Settlement, Organization. > Part 23
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"After the siege of Vicksburg was well under way, General Crocker was sent home in an endeavor to recruit his health, and while in Des Moines he was warmly solicited to run for governor on the republican ticket. His reply was such as befitted the man, viz: 'No good soldier should run for any office while the war is on, and a bad soldier is unfit for governor.'
CROCKER AND THE THIRD IOWA.
"He returned to the front just at the time General Lauman retired from the 4th division of the 17th corps, and he was given command of that di- vision and assigned to command the post at Natchez. The 3rd regiment was the only Iowa troops in this new command, and he always appeared to have a neighborly feeling for the boys. We were constantly near him and all the boys learned to love him.
"He was quite irritable, probably on account of his poor health, and im- petuous in his manner. At times he was thrilling in his speech and at no time was there any doubt as to the meaning of what he said, nor that he expected to be obeyed. However, he was always kind and considerate of his men, at the same time demanding and expecting of them their whole duty upon all occasions. Any officer, soldier or civilian brought before him for some dereliction seldom received more than a reprimand, but that was of such a nature that the culprit was careful not to be brought the second time.
"In December, 1863, his command was returned to Vicksburg and the Ist of February following started on the Meridian expedition, which, taking just thirty days' time through a territory rich in forage, and never before traversed by our troops, was greatly enjoyed by our boys.
"It was the custom in our mess on this trip for one or two of us each day to furnish the necessary supply of fresh meat. After being out about ten days we learned on one occasion that we should go into camp about a mile farther on; and so Bartley Pardee and myself started out in quest of sup- plies, which we found rather scarce on account of others having been over the ground ahead of us. However, we soon struck the trail of a hog and got a glimpse of it as it entered a small open shed covered by tall grass. We shortly surrounded it and brought it down and started in to dress it suf- ficiently to lighten the burden and enable us to carry it to camp. Our shot had no doubt attracted the attention of the rebel scouts, and we had just got started when they came up and fired at us. We picked up our game and made for the brush close by, working our way toward camp, finally reaching a picket post about half a mile from camp. The post was in charge of a New Jersey lieutenant, who ordered us to drop our loot and submit to ar- rest. We told him the Johnnies were after us and that we preferred to get inside the lines and would then argue the question, and we moved on past his post. He became furious and ordered a guard to surround and disarm us. We kept our guns and stood guard over our belongings, telling him that we Western fellows were not used to that kind of treatment. We gave him
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our correct names and the name of the company, regiment and division to which we belonged. He no doubt thought we were lying and went to his superior officer for orders. Returning shortly he said he would take us to Crocker's headquarters. He told us to leave our forage, but we demurred, telling him that he would need that for evidence of our guilt when he turned us in. We guyed the lieutenant all the way in. To our remark that we were sorry for him he asked, 'Why?' We then asked him if he knew General Crocker and he answered that he had never heard of him. We answered, 'Well, you will hear from him pretty soon.' At the same time we were not entirely easy in our minds as to the outcome. We finally reached head- quarters, and Crocker came out of his tent, and the lieutenant reported that he had a couple of his men who were arrested while attempting to pass the picket line bringing in forage. The general's eyes flashed fire as he said to the lieutenant, 'You don't mean to say that you have disturbed me simply to report that some of my men have been caught bringing into camp some- thing to eat!' and added, 'I told my men when we crossed Black river that our quartermaster was supplied with plenty of crackers and coffee, but that he had no meat, and supposed they had sense enough to provide meat for themselves if they wanted any. I will take care of these boys and you can report back to your command.' He said all this and much more in a vein that no other than Crocker was capable of, and the lieutenant departed in a manner indicating that he was glad to get away.
"The general then turned to us and demanded fiercely why we were be- yond the picket line, and we told him mildly that we fell out of ranks about a mile back to get some needed supplies, and we did not know that we were beyond the lines until we ran up against the pickets on our way to camp. He lectured us severely and asked us what we had. We showed him all we had brought in and he then told us to report to our company and when we were wanted he would send for us. Our boys were camped about fifty yards away. We finished dressing the hog and took a ham and gave it to Crocker's cook.
CROCKER'S LAST DAYS.
"General Crocker remained with our division until about the first of July following and while on the Atlanta Campaign, he became so weakened in body that he was obliged to relinquish his command, and was succeeded by General Walter Q. Gresham. The boys parted with him with great regret and many expressions of sympathy. He was then given the command of the department of Arizona, or New Mexico, in the hope that in that climate he might be able to rally his health. He improved rapidly and, becoming restless over the tameness of his duties, sought a return to active service, which request was finally granted, and he was ordered to report to General Thomas of the department of the Cumberland for assignment to a command; but this being before the days of railroads west of the Missouri, the return trip was too arduous, and on his way east he was continuously exposed to
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inclement weather. Suffering a relapse, he never fully recovered. However, in the summer of 1865, he regained sufficient strength to go to Washington for the purpose of winding up his affairs with the government, and having done so he took to his couch, as if to repose in pleasant dreams of duties well accomplished, and soon expired, beloved and honored by all who were privileged to serve, either under him or over him.
Had General Crocker's strength of body equaled his power of mind, there is no doubt that he would have quit the service ranking, because of brilliant achievements, among the greatest soldiers produced by the war. He was unusually quick to take in the situation and prompt, aggressive and effective in action, seldom, if ever, making a mistake; and no general in the western army, save Logan, was his equal in that respect. General Crocker, in mental equipment, courage and decisiveness, was fully equal to Logan; his military training was superior, but in physical strength and power of endurance Logan had a great advantage. "J. A. F."
FOURTEENTH IOWA INFANTRY.
There was quite a squad of Story County men in Company G of the Fourteenth Iowa. The regiment was organized in October and November, 1861, and served through the war. Its commander was Colonel W. L. Shaw, of Anamosa, and the most trying situation that it ever got into was at Pleasant Hill in the Red River campaign, where the Fourteenth was next to the Thirty-second Iowa, (Col. Scott's regiment) in the very front line and in the thickest part of that battle.
Addison Davis, who had seen service as one of the First Iowa Regi- ment, was second sergeant of Company G and became second lieutenant later. The case of Henry Spangler of this company is typical of what happened to some soldiers. Spangler was a shoemaker in Nevada, a young man and married. He did not hurry into the war, but in January, 1864, when men were especially needed, he enlisted and became a recruit in the Fourteenth Iowa. Other recruits from this locality were being sent to the front and their story is that all the way down the Mississippi, Spangler was especially despondent. He joined his regiment in the Red River campaign and he had barely entered his first action when he was killed, by a minie ball through his head. He probably was killed after shorter service than was the case of any other Story County soldier, excepting John F. Shoe- maker, also of Nevada, who enlisted at the same time with Spangler and was killed in the same battle of Pleasant Hill.
THE EIGHTH CAVALRY.
Company I of the Eighth Cavalry, was organized at Marshalltown and had two squads from Story County, one from about Squaw Fork and the other from the vicinity of East Indian. There were altogether only eight or
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ten of them but they belonged to a command that saw exceptionally hard ser- vice. The first captain was Elliot Shartz, afterwards colonel, and in later years postmaster. The regiment was mustered at Davenport in August 1863, proceeded to Louisville and Nashville, was assigned to the army of the Cumberland and chased bushwhackers through middle Tennessee through the following winter, sending eight hundred of them to the war prison at Rock Island. In 1864, it was in the Atlanta campaign, and was engaged at Resaca and Kenesaw mountain. At Noonan, south of Atlanta, the regi- ment got into very close quarters. It had been sent out to cut a railroad, and was there to unite with another command under General Stoneman. Stoneman failed to arrive, but rebels arrived on trains from both ways and proceeded to get on several sides of the cavalry. The regiment lost heavily on this occasion and of the Story County squad Albert Briley was killed and John Fitchpatrick was captured and sent to Andersonville where he met his brother Joseph A. of the Third Infantry who had been captured at Atlanta. The regiment was the rear guard of Thomas's army of the retreat in front of Hood to Nashville and it saw some of its hardest fighting at Franklin, on the morning after which engagement Company I had eight men left in line. The remnants of the regiment were in the attack when Hood's army was destroyed at Nashville. In the spring of 1865 it went on Wilson's raid through Alabama and Georgia and while so engaged it met the news of peace coming from the rebel side at Macon. Afterwards, it joined in the chase after Jeff Davis and captured his supply train; but the fallen chief of the confederacy was captured by the Fourth Michigan cavalry, another regiment of the same brigade.
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CHAPTER XX.
THIRD IOWA INFANTRY.
As has already been suggested, the Third Iowa Infantry has a recognized claim from the Story County point of view for the first consideration among the regiments in which Story County was represented during the Civil war. The county was too far inland for it to be able to get a company into the field in time to be accepted as a part of the one regiment which was Iowa's quota under President Lincoln's first call for troops. The company was organized and tendered but could not be accepted by Gov. Kirkwood be- cause the first regiment was already full. Very soon, however, there fol- lowed a second call by the president for more men and under this call Iowa was expected to furnish two regiments to serve for three years or for the war. Iowa's response to this call was the organization of the Second and Third regiments of Iowa Infantry, and insomuch as the first regiment which alone had preceded them had been raised for a ninety day service only and proved in fact to be chiefly a most valuable training school for volunteers in still later regiments, the Second and Third Iowa were the earliest organiza- tions that went from this state to the field enlisted for the war and destined in fact to serve out the war. These two regiments went out on equal foot- ing-the grouping of companies into one or the other being largely acci- dental. They saw similar service through the most of the war, were in the thickest of the fight together at Shiloh and when both had been depleted by the casualties and hardships of the war, until neither was longer entitled to maintain a regimental organization, they were united in one battalion which was thereafter known as the Second Iowa Consolidated. It was for such an organization and service that Company E of the Third Iowa Infantry was first brought together in the old courthouse at Nevada. The idea of Story County furnishing by itself a company for one or the other of these two regiments had been discouraged at the state capital ; but recognition had been promised for a company to be organized from Story and Boone counties and Story County having been first of the counties in this neighborhood with its tender of a company for the First Iowa, it maintained its seniority as the one north of Des Moines, in which one of the new companies should be formed. So the squads from other counties came to Nevada for or- ganization. When the squads came together, Story and Boone had about
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forty men apiece while the rest of the company was made up from Hamil- ton, Marshall and Jasper, these smaller details falling in with the Story bunch and so giving the latter the advantage over the Boone crowd. These geographical matters were important in the first organization of the com- pany but were hardly ever heard of afterwards. The company went out a unit in sentiment and the spirit of unity characterized the company and the regiment and the later consolidated regiment to the end. In the company were the young men of the county who had been first to volunteer after the firing on Sumter, and whose enthusiasm did not falter when the processes of reenlistment, reorganization and consolidation had afforded to them ample opportunity for the exercise of second thought in the matter of going in for the war. Those who actually went constituted a splendid contribution to the nation's service.
The general story of the regiment and the company is best told for the present purpose in the two articles written about the time of the last regi- mental reunion at Nevada in 1906, by Col. G. W. Crossley of Webster City and Senator J. A. Fitchpatrick of Nevada. Both had enlisted in the com- pany at Nevada and could write with fullest understanding. Crossley was the first orderly sergeant of Company E but was soon jumped to first lieu- tenant and after Shiloh, where he came out of the first day's fight the senior officer still present and in actual command of the remnants of the regiment, he was again jumped this time over all the captains to the position of major. Still later he was brevetted lieutenant colonel. Fitchpatrick was younger and went through the service as a private. He was captured at Shiloh but soon exchanged and was in all the battles of the regiment up to the battle of Atlanta, where the regiment was cut to pieces and he was again captured, this time going to Andersonville, where he remained until released by ex- change. The two are most admirably qualified to speak for the regiment and the company and their reviews are given herewith :
CROSSLEY'S REVIEW OF THE THIRD REGIMENT.
Under proclamation of the president of the United States bearing date May 3rd, 1861, the ten companies composing the 3rd Iowa Infantry Vol- unteers were ordered into quarters at Keokuk, Iowa, May 18th, 1861.
These ten companies were mustered into the service of the United States on June 8th and 10th, 1861. The aggregate strength of the regiment closely approximated one thousand men. The Ist and 2nd Iowa Infantry had been mustered into the service only a short time before and these three regiments constituted the full quota of our state under the president's call for troops up to that date and the general presumption was that no further calls for troops would be necessary and that the 2nd and 3rd Iowa whose term of enlistment was for three years would most likely not be required to serve longer than the Ist whose term of enlistment was for three months, but that gallant regiment fought at the battle of Springfield, Missouri, after its term
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of service had actually expired. Then we began to realize the magnitude of the task before us and that our three year term of service might expire be- fore the task was accomplished. This proved to be the case, the last sur- vivors of the 3rd Iowa being mustered out of the service at Louisville, Kentucky, in the latter part of the summer of 1865, more than four years from the time of their enlistment at Keokuk. At the close of the first three years three-fourths of the men then able for duty reenlisted for another three years and the history of the regiment therefore covers the entire period of that great war. Time will only permit brief reference to the service performed by the regiment during that long and bitter struggle.
The regiment remained in quarters at Keokuk but a short time before it was ordered into active service. We took the field insufficiently equipped and with but brief opportunity for becoming acquainted with the real duties of soldiers. Only a very few of our officers or men had had experience in actual warfare. There were a few Mexican war veterans, among them the then Captain of Company E, John Scott of Nevada, where this little remnant of the survivors are now assembled. We had but little time to study the theory of war apart from its practice and this fact no doubt proved of ad- vantage to us for we at once became hard students and found quick occasion for practical use of the knowledge we had gained. The imperative necessity for promptly invading the enemy's territory was such that we took the field under the command of the senior captain of the regiment, and our field and staff officers were not appointed until we were in camp in the immediate vicinity of the enemy. Our first Colonel, N. G. Williams, had not previously belonged to the regiment. He was appointed by the governor on account of his having had some military education and training at West Point, but on the start that only proved a disadvantage to him and to the regiment, as we were not prepared for the severe discipline which he at once enforced. Cap- tain Scott of Company E was our first lieutenant colonel and Capt. Wm. M. Stone of Company B was our first major. The subsequent changes on account of casualties in battle and transfers by promotion to other regi- ments, were many. Scott became colonel of the 32nd and Stone colonel of the 22nd Iowa Infantry and the numerous other changes which took place would make a list too long to be given here.
We remained in Missouri until March 1862, and the history of that campaign-covering the summer, autumn, and winter of 1861-2 if given in detail would show a record involving great hardship from long marches; num- erous encounters with the enemy culminating in one engagement in which our loss was very heavy-the battle of Blue Mills fought September 17th, 1861-forty-five years ago yesterday. Lieut. Col. John Scott commanded the regiment in that battle and we who were with him there know how bravely he led us against the enemy who greatly outnumbered us, how we maintained the unequal contest for more than an hour in the vain hope that our expected reinforcements would reach us before night would come, how we fought until nearly surrounded and then safely conducted our retreat
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until after dark when we met the troops coming to our assistance, how we lay upon our arms ready to resume the attack at dawn of day and how we found the enemy had retreated under cover of the night.
During this arduous campaign we also had the experience inseparable from the breaking in and seasoning of raw troops, a loss from sickness far out of proportion to our loss sustained in battle. In our subsequent cam- paigns, as we became used to hardships and exposure, and learned how better to adapt ourselves to the hard conditions of a soldier's life, we suf- fered less from sickness; in fact we became thoroughly seasoned soldiers. We also learned in the hard school of war the lesson of discipline so neces- sary to the proper discharge of a soldier's duty.
The winter of 1862 found the regiment scattered in detachments of one and two companies each at stations along the line of the North Missouri railway, guarding the line and keeping it open for the transportation of troops and supplies. This was both important and arduous service and in- volved great hardship in a climate but little milder than that of Iowa. Early in the spring of 1862 we found ourselves embarked at St. Louis as part of the army of reinforcement to General Grant who had just captured Forts Donelson and Henry and was preparing to move against Johnson at Corinth, Mississippi. Little did we think at that time that in so short a time we would be fighting on the defensive instead of striking the enemy in his chosen position at Corinth and that so long a time would elapse before we would confront him there. We were now for the first time assigned to a regular brigade and division organization and placed in readiness to partici- pate in the operations of a large army. Our brigade consisted of the 28th, 32nd and 4Ist Illinois regiments and our own and formed a part of the 4th Division, Army of the Tennessee. From that time to the close of the war the 3rd Iowa was a part of that splendid army and shared its fortunes in many hard fought battles. Shortly after our ar- rival at Pittsburg Landing came the battle of Shiloh in which we were to take so conspicuous a part. In that great battle Iowa had eleven regiments engaged. The official record of the war department compiled with great care from the reports of the commanders of the regiments, brigades, and divisions, show the number of killed, wounded and captured. From this record the inscription upon the bronze tablets attached to the battle monu- ment erected by the state of Iowa for each of its regiments which fought there is taken. These inscriptions have been approved by the War Depart- ment and pronounced historically correct. There they will stand forever to show to the world a record of valor and heroism that will compare favorably with that shown by soldiers upon any battle field in history.
While every one of the Iowa regiments engaged in that battle is en- titled to equal honor-because, under conditions in which they fought each one performed its whole duty-the fact remains that the 3rd Iowa sus- tained the greatest loss in killed and wounded, the average loss in the eleven regiments being twenty per cent while that of the 3rd was twenty-eight per
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cent. If to the list of killed and wounded we add the captured the loss of the eleven Iowa regiments is increased to thirty-six per cent of the number engaged because of the fact that three regiments-the 8th, 12th and 14th, were nearly all taken prisoners. The total number of Iowa troops engaged was 6,664 and of this number 1,325 were killed and wounded and 1,057 were captured, making a total loss of 2,409. If we add the loss of the 3rd Iowa in captured to the number of its killed and wounded its percentage would be 33 1/3, and it had but 30 captured, nearly all of whom were wounded. Of the 1,057 taken prisoners, 952 were from the three regiments I have named, leaving but 105 taken prisoners from the other eight regiments. Reference to the official reports and the map of the battlefield showing the positions of the Iowa regiments near the close of the battle on the first day will show that they were in a most critical position. The 3rd was nearly surrounded near its own camp ground but fought its way through. The 8th, 12th and 14th were completely surrounded and compelled to surrender at and near our camp just after we had passed beyond it and narrowly escaped capture. I think it is not claiming too much for the three captured Iowa regiments and the 3rd which came so near sharing their fate, to say that by their stubborn resistance and slowness to retreat, they contributed much toward the pre- vention of a complete victory of the enemy on that day.
After Shiloh the 3rd was engaged in the long siege operations against Corinth and led its brigade over the works on the morning of the evacuation of that strong-hold and in the pursuit of the enemy which followed. Then came the hard campaign of the summer of 1862 in which the 3rd bore its full share culminating in the battle of the Hatchie where it again suffered a heavy loss in killed and wounded. Then followed the Mississippi Central expedition, that long and arduous march with Vicksburg as the objective point. Following the failure of that expedition we returned to Memphis There we rested for a short time preparing for the mighty struggle before us-the second campaign against Vicksburg. This time the approach was by water. We went from Memphis by boat and joined the investing force at the siege of Vicksburg participating in the siege from its commencement until the surrender on the 4th of July, 1863.
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