USA > Iowa > Story County > History of Story County, Iowa; a record of organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 26
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Of the casualties in the company, the deaths and discharges, my re- ferences are very imperfect, and my memory poor after nearly a half century. But I may be pardoned in closing this sketch if I attempt to render a just tribute to the memory of Captain Paul A. Queal of Company B, a man without fear ; cool, calculating in action ; always solicitous for the welfare of his men. A strict disciplinarian ; with the genius to command, and the ability for a much higher rank. He was placed in command of a regiment of Tennessee Cavalry and soon brought order and discipline where heretofore had been lawlessness and disorder. Soon after he was made Judge Advocate on the Staff of General Hurlburt, at Memphis, where he died September. 1864. Had he lived and had the war continued for any length of time, he would most certainly have merited and attained a high position in military affairs.
H. H. BOYES.
CHAPTER XXII.
TWENTY-THIRD IOWA INFANTRY.
Company A of the Twenty-third Iowa Infantry was one of the distinctly Story County companies. It was organized at Des Moines, but was very largely enlisted in Story County. Fifty-eight Story County men at least were in this company, and there were enough more in other companies to raise the county's representation in the regiment to fully seventy-five. It is a close question whether A of the Twenty-third or K of the Thirty- second had the largest number of Story County men in one company; but it appears to be the fact that the Twenty-third had more of them than had any other regiment. It was a good regiment and Company A was a good company. The men in this command saw extended service which is reported more in detail further on; but it seems somewhat remarkable that all of the casualties in action reported of the Story County contingent in this company occurred in about five minutes at Black River Bridge where, in those few moments, Charles P. Miller was killed, Collins Snyder and Jacob A. Grove were mortally wounded, Andrew E. Chamberlin and Rich- ard May received wounds that retired them from the service; and Richard Jones and S. P. O'Brien received wounds from which they recovered so as to continue in the service. In this same action, C. P. McCord. of Com- pany K and also of this county, lost his leg.
Of the officers of this company, D. P. Ballard of this county was first lieutenant and afterwards captain; and S. P. O'Brien, who had served in the Mexican war was orderly sergeant and afterwards second lieutenant. Ballard wrote home sketches to the Egis from which we quote below. O'Brien still tells something of the story, and a sketch of his is also here given. Thomas J. Miller, who went from Bloomington and was discharged for disability after Vicksburg, was later county treasurer, and now lives at Ames, has prepared a more detailed report of the company, which report also is given herewith. Geo. F. Schoonover, who from his editorial ex- perience might easily have been the readiest contributor in this company to the fund of knowledge of the company's experience for the time he was in, does not appear to have written much ; but one letter from New Orleans
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has been preserved and portrayed briefly but graphically the state of that metropolis in war time.
These reports of Company A of the Twenty-third Iowa are as follows :
CAPTAIN BALLARD ON COMPANY A.
In the Ægis of February 24th, reporting from Fort Espranza, Texas, on the gulf coast, Capt. Ballard said :
"The 23d now numbers 297 present, with some 75 more on the way to the regiment. We left Des Moines on the 21st of September, 1862, with 987 men. Our companies now average both present and absent about 50 men. So that we may say 500 is the aggregate of the regiment. Let the bloody field, the weary march, the hospital, toil and watchfulness tell where the other 487 loyal ones are. We have lost 317 killed and wounded in action. many in hospitals, many have been discharged, and what are left are tough as hemlock knots, or they would have been dead. Company A. half of which is from Story, now numbers 37 enlisted and commissioned. After the battles and marches you may judge whether we do not need a little rest.
"The weather here is very disagreeable at this time. The cold 'norther' has blown almost unceasingly for the past two weeks. Some of the time the wind blew so hard that no vessel could cross the bar. Our rations got short, and beef was our principal living. Hard tacks sold at five cents each, and flour, potatoes, etc., would have brought their weight in gold. Today we got a supply and are again gay and happy. Taps have sounded, and I must close. The ÆEgis comes very regularly."
Again in the Ægis of March 23, 1864, the Captain said :
"Company A, 23d Fowa Infantry, was organized at Des Moines, August 4, 1862, by the election of Leonard B. Houston as captain, Deville P. Bal- lard first lieutenant and Theodore G. Cree second lieutenant. Stephen P. O'Brien of Story was appointed orderly sergeant, Thos. H. Yarnall of Dallas second sergeant. Orin Belknap, Jr., of Polk, third sergeant, William S. Russell of Dallas fourth serg't, and William A. Saylor of Polk fifth serg't. The corporals were John W. Mattax of Dallas, Richard Jones of Story, Lyman P. Houston of Polk, Merion Smith of Polk, John F. Slaugh- ter of Dallas, Ira Briley, Charles P. Miller and George W. Smiley of Story.
"The company has been in the field from the time the regiment left Des Moines, September 21, 1862; has been engaged in the battles of Port Gib- son, Champion Hills, Black River Bridge, Milliken's Bend, Seiges of Vicks- burg and Jackson and at Fort Espranza, has traveled over a great portion of southeast Missouri and western Louisiana and has left its dead along the banks of the Father of Waters from Keokuk, Iowa, to New Orleans, La. Its numbers have been reduced from an aggregate of 99 to 36. The dis-
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tance traveled by the company is over 3,000 miles up to January, 1864. The company was composed of 83 farmers, 9 mechanics, 5 students, I teacher and i merchant. Of these 25 were men of families and 74 were single."
In the ÆEgis of April 6th, 1864, Captain D. P. Ballard continues his "Re- cord of Company A, 23d Iowa Infantry" and gives sketches of his pre- decessors in the captaincy, L. B. Houston and Theodore G. Cree. Of Houston he says in part : "He enlisted as a private in Company D, 2d lowa Infantry, and was with the gallant regiment at Donelson and Shiloh. At the latter place he was wounded in the ankle. Obtaining a furlough he went to Des Moines and at once began to recruit men for the 23d Iowa. Going to Story County, he obtained the assistance of the writer of this article, and the result was the organization of the company which was assigned the letter A at the organization of the 23d Iowa. In his election as captain there was not a dissenting voice." Captain Houston distinguished himself for bravery in the Vicksburg campaign and was later promoted to the majority of the regiment. Captain Cree went out as lieutenant of the company and succeeded Houston in this command. He had also been a member of the 2d lowa and was wounded in the arm at Donelson. He held the command of the company but a comparatively short time and at the time noted was living at Denver, Colorado. We understand that Major Houston as well as Cap- tain Cree returned from the war; but their story since then we have been unable to learn. A week later Ballard said of Lieut. O'Brien: "O'Brien is a native of Ohio, 38 years of age, formerly served in the Mexican war and was at the battle of Buena Vista, has been in every battle of the 23d; was severely wounded through the arm at Black River Bridge; was pro- moted 2d lieutenant, May 20, 1863, and is now recommended ist lieutenant to take rank from Oct. 21, 1863, was known as the best orderly in the 23d."
Again on April 23 Ballard reported the transfer of the 23d lowa from Fort Espranza, Texas, to Matagorda Island, in the same state. An incident of this transfer was that the 23d happened to be thrown out of its order in the march and the 69th Indiana put in its place. Then a lot of the Indiana men were sent across a bayou in an overloaded pontoon which sank with them, drowning 22. We have heard J. C. Lovell, who was there, tell of this incident as one of the most harrowing of his experience in the war. Ballard speaks of new recruits from Story County-Schoonover, Henry Barber, Gilbert Barber, Rhoades, Robinson, H. D. Ballard, Lovell and Elsbree,- and remarks: "They are now being put through the rudiments of the drills and are all apt. Lovell is the same dry 'old six-pence,' and is destined to be the life of the crowd with which he mingles. To George ( Schoonover ) it is not entirely new. (Schoonover had served in the First Iowa and had been the local editor) and he will handle a gun against the traitors as well as he did the quill against the tories." In the forty years that have passed since this was first written Lovell has maintained fully his early reputation for
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drollery and Schoonover's strong character is well remembered by those who knew him.
SCHOONOVER ON NEW ORLEANS.
Writing from New Orleans in October, 1864, Mr. Schoonover complains of the continued and excessive heat, which but for the occasional breezes from the gulf would be insufferable, and continues :
"As a consequence, partly, the city, which owes its existence to its com- mercial advantages, is very dull. Of business, leaving out government trans- actions, there is none to speak of. Two or three river steamers per week and an occasional steamer from New York manage to bring and carry away all the imports and exports of the vast metropolis. As far as life and ac- tivity are concerned, the whole city, with the exception of two or three of the principal streets, has the aspect of a country village on Sunday, more than anything else. In fact, the greatest stir and bustle perceptible for weeks at a stretch on any of the principal thoroughfares is occasioned by the ar- rival of a mail from New York, and the soldiers contribute even a good share of that. New Orleans is not what it used to be. This may seem strange at first, since the city had been in possession of our forces and under wholesome government for more than two years. But the reason is ap- parent. The trade of immense districts now in rebellion, which formerly drew all their supplies from here, is now entirely cut off, and leaves thie business men a comparativelly small field to operate in. Of course, with the return of peace and the black cloud of slavery dispelled, New Orleans will resume more than her wonted spirit of enterprise and commercial buoyancy."
"STEVE" O'BRIEN'S STORY OF THE 23D.
Company A of the 23d Iowa, of which I was lieutenant, joined the rest of the regiment at Des Moines and left that place on September 19, 1862. One half of our regiment was transported to Keokuk on old four-horse stages, and the other half, of which I was one, had the pleasure of footing it. We thought it a great hardship when we started, but we were glad later as the stages were so crowded there was no comfort at all. The men were piled on like tar-buckets, inside and on the top.
From Keokuk to St. Louis we went by steamer. We remained at St. Louis two weeks and then went on to Patterson, Mo., on foot. The prev- alence of small-pox, measles, and mumps, of which several of our company died, caused us to remain in Patterson the greater part of the winter.
Our first skirmish was at Pitman's Ferry, Missouri, where the rebels ran from us as quick as we fired on them and got away from us; and on the road to Pitman's Ferry our advance guard captured a rebel picket, composed of a captain and thirteen men. In the spring we went on down the river to Milliken's Bend or Young's Point, where we witnessed the running of
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the batteries at Vicksburg. Then we went cross-country to and down the river to Purkin's plantation where we again witnessed the running of a blockade-this time that of Grand Gulf. Then we crossed the river at Bruinsburg and started for Jackson, Mississippi, and on the morning of the first day of May we ran into our first engagement which was a real fight. It was first called the battle of Thompson's Hill and later Magnolia church, and was finally entered on record as the Battle of Port Gibson. We were successful in defeating the rebels there and in driving them back-quite an army of them. At this battle our regiment made a desperate bayonet charge, capturing the 23d Alabama regiment.
After we had succeeded in capturing that regiment, by the request of my colonel, I ran back to where we had started on the charge where he said he had seen Corporal Hiestand wounded. When I got back there I found that the corporal had been moved back to the primary hospital, and in mak- ing my return to my regiment, fearing they might think I had deserted, I took a short cut across a deep ravine. In this ravine I ran onto a rebel lieutenant colonel unexpectedly, who was hiding behind a tree, having been cut off from his regiment. His name was Petus and he was a brother of the confederate governor of Mississippi. He was as handsome a man as 1 ever saw and when he saw my bayonet he surrendered like a man. 1 de- livered the colonel over to the provost guard at the hospital and hastened back to rejoin my regiment on their way to Port Gibson, feeling about as big as General Grant. At Port Gibson the next day I was telling my ad- ventures to some soldiers on the street in front of a mansion where three ladies were standing in a doorway. I noticed that they turned on hearing my story and hastened upstairs. One of them soon returned and said that there was a wounded confederate officer upstairs who wanted to see me. 1 at once went up to meet him and he told me he was the colonel to the same regiment to which Lieut. Colonel Petus belonged. He treated me very kindly and seemed to be very glad to know that Lieut. Col. Petus was not killed or wounded. The colonel had good grit and said we had defeated them yesterday but that they would finally succeed. 1 stayed all the after- noon and had a good visit with him and in parting told him he had lots of sand but poor judgment.
We then went on to Jackson having a few skirmishes on the way. and when we got within seven miles of Jackson we got orders to go into camp. Jackson having been evacuated by the rebels. We went next to Champion Ilill, at which place our regiment did not participate in the active fight, but were held in reserve for Generals Hovey, Logan, and Osterhaus. In the afternoon after the battle we were ordered to advance towards Vicksburg. We arrived the next morning at Big Black river, where our regiment led the charge on the rebels and where we lost in killed and wounded about half of our number. In this charge our colonel was killed and several other officers, and I myself was wounded, receiving three flesh wounds. 1 was held in the hospital for eight days and then went forward to the ditches, in
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the rear of Vicksburg, afterwards meeting my regiment at Young's Point. Our regiment was held there until June 7th, when we went into the fight at Milliken's Bend, where we were charged upon by Walker's Texas Brigade. At this place our regiment suffered great losses but we defeated General Walker with his brigade of 1,800 Texans. After that we went back and into the ditches near Vicksburg and remained there until the surrender.
From there we went on down through Texas but were not in any more engagements until after I had returned home in 1864. One fact that ought to be on record is that out of the 99 men of Company A in September '62. only 35 were permitted to return to their homes.
THOMAS J. MILLER'S REPORT OF STORY COUNTY IN COMPANY A.
Company A, 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, was organized at Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 4th, 1862, by the election of Leonard B. Houstand of Des Moines, as captain, and Deville P. Ballard of Story County, Ist lieuten- ant and Theodore G. Cree of Des Moines, 2nd lieutenant.
Stephen P. O'Brien of Story County, was appointed Ist sergeant, Thomas H. Yarnall of Dallas County, 2nd sergeant ; Orin J. Belknap, of Polk County. 3rd sergeant ; William S. Russell of Dallas County, 4th ser- geant, and William A. Saylor of Polk County, 5th sergeant. The corporals were John W. Mattox of Dallas County, Richard Jones of Story County, Lyman P. Houstand of Polk County, Marion P. Smith, of Polk County, John F. Slaughter, of Dallas County, and Ira Briley. Charles P. Miller and George W. Smiley of Story County.
The company numbered 99 men, 83 of whom were farmers, 9 mechanics, 5 students, one teacher and one merchant.
We went into Camp Burnside, Des Moines, lowa, Aug. 18th 1862, and there remained until September 19. 1862, when we were mustered into the United States service, and company A and four other companies started on the march for Keokuk, Iowa. We arrived there September 25, and went into camp. We remained until the 27th, when we went on board the steam- boat, Metropolitan, and started for St. Louis, where we arrived on the 28th, at IO a. m. and on the 29th, we went into Schofield Barracks, where we re- mained doing provost duty until October 10th, when we again started south this time on the cars, stopping a few days at Pilot-Knob and Arcadia, and finally landing at Camp Patterson, Mo., on the 18th day of October, 1862.
Seven days later or on Oct. 25th. Company A and two other companies of the 23rd Iowa, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman, were ordered out on a raid to break up a camp of confederates at Pitman's ferry. The balance of this expedition was made up as follows: 5 companies, Mis- souri volunteers ; 2 companies, Missouri state militia ; I section Stang's bat- tery, and 18 men of the 12th Missouri cavalry. We were joined 12 miles out by 3 companies of the 24th Missouri. This expedition was under com- mand of Colonel Dewey, of the 23rd Jowa and started at 6 o'clock on the morning of the 25th of October, 1862, and marched 26 miles to Black river, which place they reached at 4 o'clock, p. m., and found a wide, deep stream,
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very difficult to cross. But by II o'clock that night, all were across and in camp. We were up and on the march by 8 o'clock on the morning of the 26th, and marched 20 miles and went into camp 17 miles from Pitman's ferry. At 2 o'clock a. m. the 27th, we were on the march again, without any breakfast, we reached the ferry about 5 o'clock in the morning, having had a few little brushes with the enemy and capturing a captain and 13 men. We gained possession of the ferry and a part of the command crossed and deployed as skirmishers following the retreating Johnnies. The rest of the command were held in reserve, and kept skirmishing until dark, when we went into camp, having made a march of 65 miles in two and one-half days, and without anything to eat for the last twenty hours, the first day through a severe storm. The next morning we started back to Camp Paterson by a more circuitous route of eighty miles, which we made in four days, crossing two wide deep streams and reaching camp at 6 o'clock on the evening of November 2nd. Thus ended Company A's first raid into the enemy's country which was regarded as very successful, though very severe on the boys, who were as yet quite green at soldiering.
We again left Camp Paterson on the 20th day of December, 1862, go- ing south, our real destination unknown, but supposedly Little Rock, Ar- kansas. We made a short stop at Van Buren on the 23rd, and on the first clay of January, 1863. we were in camp on the south side of Current river, which the officers named Camp Emancipation, in honor of the taking effect of the emancipation proclamation on this day. But the boys with their faith in the eternal fitness of things, and the characteristic shrewdness of the Yankee soldier, changed the name, to the far more appropriate one of "Camp Starvation."
We left starvation heights on the fourteenth, with the ground frozen hard enough to bear up a six mule team, and by ten o'clock the mud was ten inches deep and so we dragged along till dark, and went into camp in a low, wet piece of ground without any tents, the roads being so bad our teams could not get in, so we cut corn stalks from a nearby field, and corded them up about ten inches high, and spread our blankets on these, and crawled in. We woke up in the morning with about three inches of as pretty white snow as you ever saw on our blankets. We stayed here all day the sixteenth. On the morning of the seventeenth we again broke camp and started south. On the evening of the 31st of Jan. we went into camp at West Plains, where we remained until the 8th of Feb. when we received orders to return to Arcadia and started at once for that place, where we ar- rived on the first day of March, 1863.
On the ninth of March we again took up the line of march, this time for Ste. Genevieve, on the banks of the Mississippi river, where we arrived on the eleventh and on the morning of the thirteenth we went on board the steamboat Chouteau and steamed off down the river passing Cairo on the evening of the fourteenth and arrived at New Madrid on the morning of the fifteenth, where we went ashore and into camp. On the twenty-second
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day of March, we went on board the steamboat again, this time the White- cloud. As our boat pulled off down the river we, with swelling hearts, bid adieu to old Missouri and ran down to Memphis where we tied up all day the twenty-third. Here we met our old home friends J. A. Fitchpatrick, R. J. Campbell and others of the Third Iowa. And, gentle reader, you may be sure it was a happy greeting we gave each other and for quite a number of the boys that was their last meeting on this earth.
On the twenty-fourth we loosed anchor and swung off down the river again, landing at Milliken's Bend on the second day of April, 1863, where we remained until the twelfthi, when we started for the rear of Vicksburg. We marched down through Richmond and Carthage, La., and finally stopped at Hard Times landing, where we took the boat again, and ran down the river about twelve miles, in sight of and about four miles above, Grand Gulf, where we witnessed the bombardment of the enemy's fortification on the twenty-ninth, which lasted several hours, and was unsuccessful. So we then marched across the country to about five miles below Grand Gulf, where we bivouacked for the night, and during the night the gunboats and I think, five transports ran the blockade.
On the morning of the thirtieth of April, we went aboard the boats again and ran down the river to Bruinsburg, sixteen miles below Grand Gulf, where we landed at four o'clock p. m., and immediately took up the line of march toward Port Gibson, marched till sundown, when halted and got a hurried supper, and started on, with the 23rd Iowa in the advance. We marched without interruption until one o'clock, a. m. on May first, when the advance guard was fired upon by the enemy's pickets; out about three or four miles from Port Gibson. We opened ranks and the first Iowa battery thundered through, wheeled to the right, unlimbered and opened fire on the enemy, and for an hour or more there was quite an artillery display, after this firing ceased, Companies A and F. were ordered forward and deployed on the skirmish line, and in the darkness advanced for perhaps a quarter of a mile feeling our way (as you may imagine) very carefully. Everything being quiet, we concluded the enemy was going to remain, and give us a welcome in the morning, so we were recalled and marched back a short dis- tance over the brow of a little hill, where we lay on our arms, on the bare ground till about four o'clock a. m. to get a little much needed rest, if pos- sible. Shortly after sunrise the ball was again opened by the confederate batteries, the first Iowa battery immediately replying. About ten o'clock the 23rd, which occupied the extreme right, was ordered forward, we had to pass through a deep ravine which was thickly covered on both sides with underbrush and cane; then we came out into an open field where we did our fighting. We remained in line here for about half an hour, firing rapidly all the time, when we fixed bayonets and charged the enemy, who retreated in some confusion, but again rallied and retreated slowly for about a mile, when they made another stand for a considerable time, but finally gave way, and the retreat was general all along the line, after five hours of hard
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fighting. Our regiment the 23rd Iowa, lost in this battle nine men killed and twenty-six wounded. Company A lost one killed and five wounded. The one killed was Calvin Johnson, of Boone County. A finer young man and a better soldier than whom never lived. Thus ended our first real battle.
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