USA > Iowa > Taylor County > History of Taylor County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc. : a biographical directory of many of its leading citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of Iowa and the Northwest, map of Taylor County, Constitution of the United States, reminiscences, miscellaneous matters, etc > Part 56
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The Sixteenth Congress convened December 6, 1819. On the twenty- ninth the question of the admission of Missouri again came up on the oc- casion of the presenting the memorial of the legislative council of the Ter- ritory, by Mr. Smith, of South Carolina. From January 25, 1820, until February 19th, the matter was under consideration, when there was passed the following:
And be it further enacted, That in all that territory ceded by France to the United States, under the name of Louisiana, which lies north of thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes north latitude [excepting only such part thereof as is] included within the limits of the State con- templated by this act, slavery and involuntary servitude, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall be and is hereby forever prohibited: Provided, always, That any person escaping into the same, from whom labor or service is lawfully claimed in any State, or Territory of the United States, such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labor, or services, as aforesaid.
This amendment became the basis of the Missouri Compromise; and was only modified afterward by striking out the words in Italic, and em- braced in brackets. On the 8th of March, all the amendments being con- curred in, the bill was passed by the two houses, and the Missouri Compro- mise was about to be effected. The final action, concurred in by both houses, was the passage of the following resolution, reported by the famous committee of twenty-three, of which Henry Clay, of Kentucky, was a mem- ber and chairman:
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Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled: That Missouri shall be admitted into this union on an equal footing with the original States, in all respects whatever, upon the fundamental condition that the fourth clause* of the twenty-sixth section of the third article of the constitution submitted on the part of said State to Congress, shall never be construed to authorize the passage of any law, and that no law shall be passed in conformity thereto, by which any citizen of either of the States in this union, shall be excluded from the enjoyment of any of the privileges and immunities to which such citizen is entitled under the constitution of the United States: Provided, that the legislature of said State, by a SOLEMN PUBLIC ACT, shall declare the assent of the said State to the said fundamental condition, and shall transmit to the presi- dent of the United States, on or before the fourth Monday in November next, an authentic copy of the said act; upon the receipt whereof, the president, by proclamation, shall an- nounce the fact; whereupon, and without any further proceeding upon the part of Congress, the admission of said State into the union shall be considered as complete."
This resolution was passed on February 28, 1820. The conditions prec- edent having been complied with, President Monroe, by proclamation, an- nounced the admission of Missouri, August 10th, 1821.
The passage of this joint resolution calmed, for the time being, public excitement, and placed further off the coming of the final struggle. In all directions could be seen the lowering clouds, and heard the mutterings of the coming storm. The question was destined to be again brought up, but after a period of thirty-two years.
In December, 1852, Hon. W. P. Hall, of Missouri, introduced into the United States House of Representatives a bill to organize the Territory of Platte. This bill was referred to the committee on Territories, and in Feb- ruary, 1853, it reported a bill to establish a Territorial government in the Territory of Nebraska. The bill was opposed by all the Southern members of the House, since it did not contemplate the repeal of the Missouri Com- promise of 1820. On January 16th, 1854, Senator Dixon, of Kentucky, gave notice that whenever the Nebraska bill should be called up, he would move an amendment to the effect that the Missouri Compromise line of thirty- six degrees thirty minutes north latitude, from prohibiting slavery or invol- untary servitude north of said line, should not be so construed as to apply to the Territory contemplated by the act, or to any other Territory of the United States; but that the citizens of the several States or Territories should be at liberty to take and hold their slaves within any of the Territories or States to be formed therefrom. This was a plain statement that meant the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. The announcement of this amend- ment again stirred up all the excitement that in former years had been ram-
*This clause was the following: "It shall be their duty as soon as may be, to pass such laws as may be necessary to prevent free negroes and mulattoes from coming to, and settling in this State, under any pretext whatsoever."
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pant, and the entire country became aroused to the importance of the meas- ures about to be taken. On the 23d of January, 1854, Senator Douglas, of Illinois, reported a bill providing for the organization of the territory , comprised in the Platte bill of Mr. Hall, into two Territories, Nebraska and Kansas. This is the famous Kansas-Nebraska bill that became so mo- mentous as aiding in the precipitation of the civil war. The clauses that bear so directly on the Missouri Compromise are here given and are as fol- lows:
"SECTION 21. And be it further enacted, That in order to avoid misconstruction, it is hereby declared to be the true intent and meaning of this act, so far as the question of slav- ery is concerned, to carry into practical operation the following propositions and principles, established by the compromise measures of 1850; to-wit,
First .- That all questions pertaining to slavery in the Territories, and in the new States to be formed therefrom, are to be left to the decision of the people residing therein, through their appropriate representatives.
Second .- That all cases involving title to slaves and questions of personal freedom are referred to the adjudication of the local tribunals with the right of appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Third .- That the provisions of the constitution and laws of the United States, in respect to fugitives from service, are to be carried into faithful execution in all the organized Terri- tories the same as in the States.
The section of the bill which prescribed the qualifications and mode of election of a delegate to represent each Territory in Congress, was as fol- lows:
The constitution and all laws of the United States which are not locally applicable, shall have the same force and effect within the said Territory as elsewhere in the United States, except the section of the act preparatory to the admission of Missouri into the Union, ap- proved March 6th, 1820, which was superseded by the principles of the legislation of 1850, commonly called the compromise measures, and is declared inoperative.
February 6th, Hon. S. P. Chase, senator from Ohio, moved to strike out so much of the bill as declared the Missouri compromise of 1820 " super- seded " by the compromise of 1850, but the motion was defeated.
On February 15th, Mr. Douglas moved to strike out the clause objected to by Mr. Chase, and to substitute the following:
Which being inconsistent with the principle of non-intevention by Congress with slavery in the States and Territories, as recognized by the legislation of 1850 (commonly called the compromise measures) is hereby declared inoperative and void; it being the true intent and meaning of this act not to legislate slavery into any Territory or State, nor to exclude it therefrom, but to leave the people thereof perfectly free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way, subject only to the constitution of the United States.
This amendment was at once adopted by the Senate, and the bill became a law May 31st, 1854.
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The controversy was now carried to the soil of Kansas, and open hostili- ties between the opposing parties had. The presidential elections of 1856 and 1860 came, and still the question was before the public. Before either of these presidential contests both the disputed Territories came into the Union, however, as free States, and the immediate cause of disturbance was again removed, though the Union was in constant danger of dismember- ment.
The excitement of the political canvass of 1860 being over, the people of Iowa, with their usual patriotic spirit, accepted the result. In the South- ern States, however, the leading men at once sought to make practical their theories of secession; theories, the abstract correctness of which will never be questioned, but the execution of which was perhaps utterly impolitic and prejudicial to the best interests of the nation. The senator from South Carolina made the initial move by the resignation of his seat in Con- gress, three days after the presidential election. Six weeks later his State passed an ordinance of secession; then came the memorable occupancy of Fort Moultrie, and the year of 1860 and the first of a long series of his- toric events came to an end together. The following year, 1861, opened inauspiciously for peace. Public men, North and South alike, hastened the course of events to the threshold of war. On Friday, the 12th day of April, the war was inaugurated, and the first gun sent its ponderous missive over the walls of Sumter. At half-past one o'clock on Saturday, 13th, Sumter fell, the gallant Anderson surrendered, and the first tragedy had ended. Now the rush of events was thick and fast, for the war had actually begun. Men in the North, who dreamed not but that the threat of the Southerner died with its last echo, stood appalled, but up from the South came the bus- tle and preparation of war, and the activities and energies of these idle dreams were at once awakened to the terrible emergency.
The president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, issued the follow- ing proclamation,* April 15, 1861:
"WHEREAS, The laws of the United States have been and now are opposed in several States by combinations too powerful to be suppressed in an ordinary way, I therefore call upon the militia of the several States of the Union, to the aggregate number of 75,000, to suppress said combination and execute the laws. I appeal to all loyal citizens for State aid in this effort to maintain the laws, integrity, national union, perpetuity of popular govern- ment and to redress wrongs already long enough endured.
* The text of this memorable document has so often been garbled and so strangely made to say less than it really did, that it is here given in full. Even in the adjutant-general's re- port of the great State of Iowa, it was deemed fit to suppress some of its utterances in pub- lishing this document in volume I of his report for 1863.
O. C. Keing. COUNTY TREAS.
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I deem it proper to say that the first service assigned to the forces hereby called forth will probably be to repossess the forts, places and property which have been seized from the Union, and in every event the utmost care will be observed consistent with the objects afore- said, to avoid any devastation, any destruction of or interference with property, or any dis- turbance of peaceful citizens of any part of the country, and I hereby command the persons comprising the combinations aforesaid, to disperse and retire peaceably to their respective abodes within twenty days from this date.
Deeming that the present condition of public affairs presents an extraordinary occasion, I do hereby, by virtue of the power in me vested by the constitution, convene both houses of Congress. The senators and representatives are, therefore, summoned to assemble at their respective chambers at 12 o'clock, noon, on Thursday the 4th day of July next, then and there to consider and determine such measures as in their wisdom the public safety and in- terest seem to demand.
Done at the city of Washington this 15th day of April, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-fifth.
" By the President:
"WM. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State."
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
When this proclamation was issued by the president the excitement, which had long been at fever heat, broke forth into an unexampled patriot- ism. The whole North set to work with energy to prepare for the struggle before it, and the people of this county were not slow in coming to their country's aid. Two days after this call of the president the governor of the State issued the following proclamation :
WHEREAS, The president of the United States has made a requisition upon the execu- tive of the State of Iowa for one regiment of militia to aid the federal government in en- forcing its laws and suppressing rebellion,
Now, therefore, I, Samuel J. Kirkwood, governor of the State of Iowa, do issue this proclamation and hereby call upon the militia of this State immediately to form in the differ- ent counties volunteer companies with a view of entering the active military service of the United States, for the purpose aforesaid. The regiment at present required will consist of ten companies of at least 78 men, each including one captain and two lieutenants to be elected by each company. Under the present requisition only one regiment can be accepted and the companies accepted must hold themselves in readiness for duty by the 20th of next May at farthest. If a sufficient number of companies are tendered, their services may be re- quired. If more companies are formed and reported than can be received under the present call, their services will be required in the event of another requisition upon the State. The nation is in peril. A fearful attempt is being made to overthow the constitution and dis- sever the Union. The aid of every loyal citizen is involved to sustain the general govern- ment. For the honor of our State let the requirement of the president be cheerfully and proniptly met.
IOWA CITY, April 17th, 1861
SAMUEL J. KIRKWOOD.
This proclamation had a general response in rapid enlistments. There had been "Douglas Democrats" and "Breckenridge Democrats," a few "Bell-Everett men," and "Republicans," but now were forgotten political
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strife and contention and most, if not all, were for the Union, and prepared to give to the government a prompt and effectual support. Earnest, hon- est-hearted men sincerely desired to do their duty to their country. While of ardent nature, strong convictions, and indomitable will they added to the lustre of these endowments by subjecting them to the severest test one may know, that of the camp and battle-field. The sound of the drum and fife, and the tread of men filled the country with the bustle of war, and the long dormant spirit of 1776 found expression again as her sons prepared to go forth to war. There were many who placed their names on the enrollment list that there performed their last great act, for they died on the field of battle. The war was all the topic of discussion. Men left their plows and women their spinning-wheels to learn the news, talk over the situation and to counsel with their neighbors. Or they scanned with pale face and bated breath the list of each battle's dead. The women became animated with the war-spirit, and bade their husbands and sons go to the defense of the flag they loved. Many a Taylor county soldier went forth to battle ani- mated by the patriotic words of lover or kinswomen. Many a husband and father went with the blessing and "God speed thee" of the wife. Mothers gave their first-born to do battle for home and country, and adjured him to be brave and die-if die he must-a soldier, a name more honored than which there is none.
But there was work to be done at home and the women of the country were not slow to perceive how and where they might be useful. There were sanitary stores to be provided, lint and bandages to be prepared, a thous- and little conveniences to men in the field to be gathered and sent. All this they did, and more. While husbands, and sons, and lovers were in the field, they, at home, were praying for the success of those who bore arms in the loyal cause. Letters were to be written, taking words of comfort and cheer to the sick and wounded, or inspiring renewed zeal and courage in the hearts of such as were weary with fighting or the march. And last of all, but not least, there were homes to be kept in order for the coming of peace. Who shall say the hearts and loves of the women of Taylor county were not interested in this struggle, the greatest the world has ever known. Many buried their fondest hopes, their greatest joy months before the dawn of peace and the glad news that the flag they loved so well had been re- deemed, though at the cost of some of the best blood of the nation, both North and South. If now there comes an occasional pang when the mem- ory of loved ones steals in the mind, as come these recollections will, it should be remembered that these were all they had to give-a gift which even the dawn of peace cannot alone recompense. But so long as the na-
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tion endures the heroes of Shiloh and the two Corinths, of Vicksburg and Helena, of Prairie d'Anne and Mission Ridge shall be remembered, when those who have founded nations shall have been forgotten. Aland free in all its bounds to every class and condition of men is the best, the most endur- ing monument to their sacrifice and their valor. Of each one's resting place, unknown as many are, may it justly be said:
Within this lowly grave a conquerer lies;
And yet the moument proclaims it not,
Nor round the sleeper's name hath wrought
The emblem of a fame that never dies- Ivy and amaranth in a graceful sheaf
Twined with the laurel's fair, imperial leaf A simple name alone, To the great world unknown, Is graven here, and wild flowers rising round,
Meek meadow-sweet and violets of the ground, Lean lovingly against the humble stone.
But peace has come with its duties, its responsibilities, and its blessings. The powder-begrimmed warrior of yesterday is the husbandman of to-day. Newer duties demand the attention and care of veterans of the war-duties which they may not neglect. The war is over, and its issues are freely, fully accepted.
In the roster of each regiment given below the facts relative to what be- came of each person enlisting and all promotions or reductions to ranks are given so far as known, and as fully as the most authoratative documents will admit. No statements of this nature are made save on the authority of the official reports of the adjutant-general of the State of Iowa, and may hence he relied upon as eminently correct. Where no after statement is made it will be understood that the person was mustered out with his regi- ment.
HISTORY OF THE FOURTH.
This regiment was mustered in with G. M. Dodge, of Council Bluffs, as colonel.
August 24, 1861, the regiment went to Rolla, Missouri, where it re- mained until January 22, 1862. From that date until the 14th of July, 1862, when it arrived at Helena, Arkansas, the regiment was almost con- tinually on the march, forming a part of the Army of the Southwest. Its first engagement was that of Pea Ridge,* Arkansas, March 6, 7 and 8,
*The regiment acquitted itself bravely in this celebrated battle, standing a most terrific fire of grape, canister, solid shot and shell for more than three hours. So grand a stand did
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1862, followed by that of Chickasaw Bayou, on the 28th and 29th of De- cember, 1862. On the 10th and 11th of January, 1863, the regiment was in the battle of Arkansas Post. After this last battle the regiment returned to the front of Vicksburg, reaching Young's Point January 22, 1863. The regiment lay at this point until April 2d, when it was ordered to Green- ville, a point one hundred and fifty miles up the Mississippi River, and thence it went to form a portion of the force engaged in the raid up the Deer Creek Valley. On May 2d the regiment started to participate in the active campaign against Vicksburg, arriving on the 18th, having been de- layed two days at Jackson to destroy the fort.
On July 4th the regiment was again detailed to Jackson, arriving in time to participate in that hard-fought battle. From July 29th until Septem- ber 22d the Fourth lay in camp at Black River, fourteen miles in the rear of Vicksburg, when, on the date last named, it embarked on a steamer for Memphis, Tennessee. From this point the regiment set out on the cam- paign to northern Georgia, marching by way of Corinth, Tuscumbia, East- port and Inka, to Chattanooga, which place it reached November 23d. Weary and travelworn as it was, it, nevertheless, was heroically brave in the battle of Lookout Mountain, on the 24th, that of Missionary Ridge on the 25th, and again in the battle of Ringgold on the 27th. On the third day of the following month, December, the regiment went into camp at Bridgeport, Alabama, and thence to Woodville, remaining until February 26th, when it started home on veteran furlough. In April, of the same year, 1864, the Fourth again started for the field, outfitting at Nashville, to engage in the campaign against Atlanta, Georgia. From that date the cam- paign was one of continual fighting and weary marches. After the fall of Atlanta the regiment went with Sherman to the sea, thence through the Carolinas to Washington, and finally to Louisville, Kentucky, where it was mustered out July 24, 1865, and was paid and disbanded at Davenport, Iowa.
It is eminently proper that the address of General Williamson to this regiment-many surviving members of which still reside in this county- should here be given.
The address of General Williamson was as follows:
HEADQUARTERS, DISTRICT OF ST. LOUIS, ST. LOUIS, Mo., July 6, 1865.
Fellow soldiers of the Fourth Iowa infantry :- Having received the appointment of brig- adier-general, and been assigned to duty in another quarter, my official connection with you
the gallant Fourth make that the general commanding said of it in his official report, " This regiment won immortal honors." It lost in this battle fully one-half of all actually en- gaged.
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has ceased. In taking leave of you I deem it my duty to briefly allude to our past associa- tion as soldiers, Four years ago we left our homes and loved ones to fight for the Union cause. Then we numbered one thousand men. We were undisciplined and knew nothing of war, but we did know that our country needed our services, and that was enough. Since then we have had more than three hundred added to our ranks. To-day our whole number is less than four hundred. Where are the one thousand of our missing companions ? Most of them have fallen on the battle-fields from Pea Ridge to Columbia. Some have been dis- charged on account of wounds received in battle, but the saddest thing of all remains to be told; some were starved to death in Southern prison-pens. * You, the sur- vivors of our glorious old regiment, will, I hope, very soon be permitted to go home and en- ter again upon the duties, and assume the responsibilities of citizens of the republic, and of yours, the young State of Iowa, for which you have helped to make so glorious a name dur- ing the war.
It need not be said to men like you, who have fought on more than thirty different battle- fields; who, under Curtis, " won immortal honors " at Pea Ridge, and made the memorable march through Missouri and Arkansas in midsummer, who were ordered by General Grant to place " First at Chickasaw Bayou " on your banners; who were under Sherman at "Chick- asaw Bayou and Arkansas Post; who were under Grant through the entire campaign of Vicksburg, including Jackson and Brandon; who marched from Vicksburg to Chattanooga under Sherman; who fought with Hooker above the clouds at Lookout Mountain* and were with him at Missionary Ridge and Ringgold; who were under Sherman through the entire Atlanta campaign, and participated in every battle, and who, again, under their great leader, made the famous "march to the ocean," and thence to Washington-to be good citizens. Whatever may be said to the contrary, none can appreciate peace and civil government better than those who have so freely offered their lives in war to secure these blessings.
In conclusion, I have only to add that I thank my lucky star that my fortunes as a soldier were cast with you, and I thank you for my " stars." May that kind Providence who has preserved and directed you through so many hardships and dangers guide you in the path of honor and glory in the future as in the past.
Your fellow soldier,
J. A. WILLIAMSON.
COMPANY K.
George W. Friedley, Bedford, first lieutenant, enlisted August 10, 1861, mustered in August 31, 1861, resigned May 11, 1862.
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