USA > Iowa > History of the Fifteenth Regiment, Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry, from October, 1861, to August, 1865, when disbanded at the end of the war > Part 3
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The General resides the greater part of the time in Washington City where he has a large law practice in addition to being Iowa's Representative in the settlement of war claims. However, he still retains a beautiful home on the bluff at Keokuk, overlooking the great river.
He married in 1869 Miss Tomlinson, daughter of Dr. John Tom- linson, of Kentucky, who died in 1870, while he was Secretary of War. His present wife was her sister, and is a lady of much cul- ture and grace. He has two children, a son by his first wife, Hugh Reid, who occupies a position of trust in the service of the Balti- more and Ohio road, and a daughter, Alice, by his present wife.
It is a grateful task to those who knew and honored him, to sketch the life of a man who, in spite of his soldierly bravery, is
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Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry.
too modest to do it himself. General Belknap seems to have been one of those men less moulded by circumstances than he was adapted to the condition which created those circumstances. He was never in any position which he did not fill well. In civil and military life he was true to himself and his principles-the peer of any man-the sycophant at no door. His command was not so often " go" as it was " come." And in the future he will stand out as one of the boldest and grandest figures, that strong manli- ness, great intelligence, and a Nation's peril combined to produce. MORTIMER A. HIGLEY, Ist Lieut. and Quarter-Master 15th Iowa Vols. Brevet Major and Ass't Commissary of Subsistence. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, May, 1887 .
The story of the Great Rebellion will be the fruitful theme of poet and philosopher down to the latest beat of recorded time. From the pen of the historian will fall great volumes of political philosophy, showing the play and clash of ideas, the friction of political opinions which resulted in the most stupendous civil war of the century. The military critic will write of tactics, of grand and minor strategy, and show how battles were fought and won. But there is a human side to this great military upheaval, and this is the side that lies nearest the hearts of the people. The flesh that was pierced and the blood that was spilled bring their harvest of sorrow. In some manner or form each family has its skeleton, whose grim and ghastly visage will not down at their bidding.
The sudden transition from peace to war will never be under- stood by this generation. To-day the people are prosperous and happy in civil pursuits, the country basks in the smiles of the pro- foundest peace. To-morrow the land is filled with armed soldiers who seem to have sprung from the ground in a night. Swords and bayonets flash back the light of the noonday sun; the air re-
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sounds with martial music and the voice of command. The very earth shakes with the tread of armed men. Companies and Reg- iments are organized and sent rapidly to the front. How these men bore themselves in the field is a story that should be told by every Company and Regiment.
But the interest and history of a Regiment centers largely round its Commander. Upon his intelligence depend their comfort, their lives, their good name. In William W. Belknap the 15th Iowa had a Commander endowed by nature with the rarest gifts for high command. By education, Belknap was a trained scholar; by in- stinct, he was a soldier. . At Wagram he could easily have led the charge of Macdonald, a charge that routed a magnificent army and shattered an empire. At Waterloo he could have led the Old Guard with the same desperate valor of Cambronne. In his blood were mixed strange currents which seldom flow together.
He had in him the gentleness of a woman and the sturdy courage of the warrior. The hand that could indite the tenderest lines to the loved ones at home, could wield the sword like an Ajax. He had the voice of Stentor and the arm of Hercules. No word of bravado ever escaped him. Men who knew this polished gentle- man in peace were slow to believe him what he was in war. In camp he is seen in the hospital, or in the tents with the soldiers, writing letters for those who are stricken with disease, or disabled by wounds. In discipline he was exacting to severity ; delinquent officers were shown no quarter. Under his magic touch his Reg- iment stood like a wall of adamant at Corinth, Vicksburg and Atlanta. He knew every soldier by name, and every soldier knew him for a personal friend, and held for him an affection surpassing the love of woman. And yet this man, when the fight was on, seemed to have been created expressly by the Almighty to ride the whirlwind, and direct the storm of battle.
See him on the 22d of July at Atlanta. His camp- is in the thick woods. He and three comrades are quietly eating their dinner.
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Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry.
The pickets are driven in with a rush. The forest is in a moment filled with the smoke and blaze and roar of musketry. A great battle has begun, one that may decide the fate of Sherman's army. But there is no demoralization. That wonderful voice of magic power cleaves the air like the blast of a bugle and men are lifted by it to the highest plane of daring and duty . This brigade is on the extreme left, "in the air," unsupported, and this Regiment on the left of the Brigade. They are attacked in front, on the flank and rear. But they hesitate not a moment; they knew they were in the hand of a Master. They knew that a retreat meant the wholesale slaughter of their comrades and the possible rout of Sherman's army, and they determined to hold their position to the last man.
Here Belknap was in his glory. His alert military intelligence took in the situation at a glance. He seemed to be everywhere at the same moment, directing and encouraging the men, pausing only an instant to lift a Confederate Colonel over the breast-works with the ease with which he would land a trout from a rivulet of the Adirondacks.
For hours the battle raged, but the victory was ours. Here in this valley of death this Iowa Regiment, under the leadership of this magnificent soldier, added to the fame of the Iowa Brigade a name for dauntless heroism which the people of Iowa will never let die. The man who could produce such veterans, and inspire them with his own sublime and majestic courage, was a man of no ordinary mold. Since Thermopylae the world has seen no braver day.
This was Belknap in war. In civil life he has given the world a spectacle of moral grandeur no less deserving the admiration of mankind.
His impeachment was born in base conspiracy. Throughout the severe ordeal of a Senatorial trial, he bore himself with silent
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History of the Fifteenth Regiment
bravery. His conduct there and his manly demeanor since, cap- tured his enemies, and fastened his friends more firmly.
A great orator has said, " the time will come when the world will pronounce Belknap a moral hero." With those who know the man and the facts, that time has already come. By his comrades, officers and men, he was loved and adored as no man was ever loved before, and they girt him about with his own bright baldric of honorable renown, crown him with the garland of laurel he has so fairly won, and commend him to those historic and immortal pages where stands the shining record of his country's glory.
The fame of Iowa in the war was surpassed by no State in the Union. Her valorous sons have filled her borders with a great wealth of widowhood and orphanage, but they have given her shield a resplendent lustre, a lustre upon which the coming gener- ations of Iowa youth will gaze in admiration forever.
WM. H. GIBBON, SURGEON 15TH IOWA VOLUNTEERS.
BREVET LT. COLONEL.
Chariton, Iowa, May, 1887.
JOHN M. HEDRICK.
JOHN M. HEDRICK, of Ottumwa, was the third and last Colonel of the Regiment. He entered as Ist Lieutenant of Company D, became Captain of Company K, and while in command of his Company in the battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862, was wounded and captured. After being in captivity for several months he was exchanged and returned to the Regiment on January 7, 1863. He became Major on January 17, 1863, on the resignation of Major
J. M. HEDRICK, COL.15TH IOWA VOLS. BREVET. BRIG. GEN'L U. S. VOLS.
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Cunningham; Lieutenant-Colonel, on April 22, 1863, on the pro- motion of Colonel Belknap; and Colonel in 1864, on the appoint- ment of the latter as Brigadier, and remained its Colonel until the close of the war, when he was brevetted as Brigadier-General of Volunteers, a rank which he had won by active service. He was a most brave, zealous, energetic, competent and extremely popular officer. His manner and demeanor attracted his men, and he was beyond question one of the most gallant and brilliant officers in the Service.
While at the front, in the battle of Atlanta, on July 22, 1864, he was fearfully wounded twice. His conduct was witnessed by the Colonel of the Regiment ( Belknap) who writes these lines, and he makes this lasting record of General Hedrick's service and fearless courage in that terrible action. He was too severely wounded to remain with the regiment, but was detailed on Court Martial duty at Washington and was retained in service for several months after the muster out of his Regiment.
He resides at Ottumwa, and is a reliable and public-spirited bus- iness man, prominent in public and private affairs. But his wound still gives him trouble, and reminds him constantly of his service in the field.
Since the above was written, General Hedrick was on September 29, 1886, stricken with paralysis, caused undoubtedly by the wound received in the battle of Atlanta, and died on October 3.
It is believed that no more fitting tribute can be paid him here than the following account of his funeral services from the Ottum- wa Courier, of October 5, 1886, written by his devoted friend, Major A. H. Hamilton.
Resolutions passed at a meeting of the Regiment are also ap- pended.
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THE LAST SAD RITES TO THE LAMENTED GENERAL HEDRICK.
From the Ottumwa Courier, October 5, 1886.
Tuesday at the appointed hour for the funeral services, 9:30 A. M., West Second street, on which the family residence of the lamented dead is situated, was thronged with people and carriages. Great numbers had arrived by teams from all parts of the country, and hundreds came by trains. It being also the opening day of the reunion of the gallant 2d Iowa Infantry, there had arrived during the night and the early morning, soldiers of various Regi- ments from all parts of this and other states to attend the funeral and to participate in the reunion. General W. W. Belknap, of Washington, D. C .; Dr. W. H. Gibbon, of Chariton, Major H. - C. McArthur, and Capt. R. H. Whitenack, of Lincoln, Neb., all old comrades in arms of the deceased, arrived also during the night. Others of General Hedrick's old Regiment were here from abroad, but their names we have not been able at this hour to obtain. To the four mentioned deceased was knit with a brotherly affection. How strong and enduring this affection was will be found ex- pressed in the short address of General Belknap, which follows further on.
Gen. Belknap brought with him the old silk flag of the 15th Iowa, carried in the battle of Corinth, which was laid upon the coffin of the dead hero and enshrouded his remains as they were borne to their final resting place.
There were floral tributes of great beauty and abundance. There was a beautiful wreath and four pillows of flowers, containing the following designs and mottoes in flowers: "Our Father," " Cour- age," "J. M. 11.," and a sword and pen crossed in evergreen, sur- mounted by the figure " 30" in pink flowers-"30" is the printer's finis.
.
.
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Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry.
The face of the dead was wonderfully placid and natural. The living brothers and sisters, besides the General's own family, were all present, and also some more distant relatives from abroad. The family residence, though large, could accommodate but a few of the great crowd which assembled in respect for the dead and in sympathy with the bereaved family. The services were opened by a hymn rendered by the choir of the First Methodist Church of this city. The Rev. W. F. Cowles then addressed the Throne of Grace in fervent prayer, after which the Rev. J. B. Blakeney read a lesson from the scriptures and spoke briefly of the deceased and his many virtues, closing with words of comfort to the bereaved. The remains were then viewed by the vast concourse of people, the sad parting leave taken by the family, and the immense procession took up its journey to the grave in our city cemetery. The head of the procession was taken by Co. G. I. N. G , of this city, preceded by Prof. Carl Schwabkey's band. Next came the army veterans, Cloutman Post No. 69, G. A. R., and soldiers of other Posts, and they were followed by the chaplain, hearse, family and relatives in carriages. The friends followed in carriages and on foot. The number of carriages in line was one hundred and sixty .
The business houses of the city were closed and there was an outpouring of the people enmasse to attest their respect and love for the deceased soldier, citizen and friend, and their sympathy with the sorely bereaved family .
Arriving at the cemetery the casket was borne to the open grave and deposited preparatory to being lowered to the final resting place of all that is mortal of the honored dead, when, in the pres- ence of two thousand people, General Belknap in a clear, strong, but tremulous voice, as though his sad heart was struggling for the mastery, delivered the following beautiful and feeling address : FRIENDS OF OUR FRIEND AND COMRADES OF THE ARMY:
When one who has been called away is bound to some by the bonds of kindred, and to all by the ties of affection, there is a 3
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mournful pleasure in the act of love which honors the memory of the dead. It is not for me to intrude upon the sanctity of the sor- row, which falls like a burden upon the broken hearts of those who were of his own household. The bitterness of this bereavement comes, in a measure, to us all. But, knowing him as I did, I will- ingly recall some memories of the past, and in this solemn hour give the tribute of my best affection to this most noble gentleman. I recall him when in the full flush of beautiful manhood, he joined the 15th Iowa in 1861, and received his commission as captain. Bright as day, quick in movement, and sincere in friendship, he tied himself to the men of his command, and at once captured our regard. On the fearful field of Shiloh, where the crash of the conflict came so suddenly, he bore himself bravely and as a true soldier should. Captured there, he was a prisoner for months, and returned to the Regiment to become its Major, its Lieutenant- Colonel and its Colonel. That General Hedrick filled all these positions with great judgment and military skill, all of his comrades know, and none better than myself. I recall him in that severe siege of Vicksburg, when the fire of the Southern batteries shook the stoutest heart, and well remember that smile of joyful happiness which showed how he welcomed victory, with a cool confidence that could not be disturbed. I recall him, and so do you, my com- rades of the Iowa Brigade, when he moved on that bright morning in July, 1864, with the entire 15th Regiment deployed as skirmish- ers in the advance of the 4th Division upon the opposing works. His figure and form were the perfect development of young man- hood, as he moved his men to the charge. I seem to hear now his voice, which, like a clarion, called to the men to be steady, and nerved them for their work, and we remember again that group of Generals-McPherson, Blair and Gresham, who looked with ad- mitted admiration upon his skillful leadership, and united their cheers with his and those of his victorious comrades as they swept up the parapet and captured the work. We recall him again in
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that bloody assault on July 21st, when the Regiment marched like men up to the blazing mouths of the batteries, and in that bat- tle of giants on the next day-July 22, 1864-when, in the midst of action, in the extreme front, and with his sword on high, waving in encouragement among his men, he received that fearful wound, which for twenty-two years has been sapping the foundation of his life.
1695770
Well do I recall his heroic demeanor on that eventful day. See- ing him come from the line, with the blood streaming from arm and side, I said " Where are you wounded?" "I am shot all over, Col.," he said, but there was no complaint, though with the con- sciousness that it might prove fatal soon. That battle at great cost ended in victory. I knelt down by the stretchers on which he and his brother lay side by side, during a lull in the fight, and spoke to him of his heroic conduct and cheered him as best I could amid the havoc of action. But he needed no words from me to aid his cour- age. With a smiling face and a strong heart, he was carried to the hospital, and the President brevetted him Brigadier-General for his great gallantry.
The men of his command had no truer friend than he, and they trusted him with the firm reliance of devoted faith. The words of discipline which came from him as an officer, came so firmly and yet so gently that it was happiness to obey. His tender words and cheering voice in the hospital smoothed the rough pillow of the dying soldier, and brought to him the blessings of the sick. His career since the war is known to you all. As a man of affairs he was earnest, courageous and true. This gathering of old men and matrons and young men and maidens is a sure tribute to his worth as a citizen, while his comrades of the army bind upon his brow the laurel wreath which he has won, as he leaves them to march without fear and with calm faith, into the presence of the God of Mercy and of the God of battles.
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General Hedrick was my fond and faithful friend. I loved him as I did no other man on earth. For years associated with him in camp and fight, in field and march, there never was the shadow of a shade to come between us. The tender memories of his manly love all come to me now, and I bless Heaven that I have known him so long and well.
Two weeks have not passed since I met him in Burlington by appointment, and we journeyed together to Chicago and spent a day there together. We were both interested in the history of our Regiment of which he had the charge, and his last act, in my pres- ence, was to arrange for the publication of the likenesses of all the men of the Regiment in that work. Devoted to his men his last act there was for them and theirs.
Original in his ideas, brilliant in conversation, the life of every circle, and the loved of his friends, my comrades " we shall not look upon his like again." Our hearts go out in sympathetic affection to those who bear his name. No words of ours can be their solace. The blessed memory of his beloved companionship and kindest care is theirs to keep forever. This will be a joy to them in their dark- est days, and though some plans in life may fail and hopes be broken, they cannot lose the recollections of this manly, noble life.
Comrades-Trouble may be with us in the passing years, and the vicissitudes of life may bring disaster, but those who have been side by side in the fire of battle are bound to each other by a con- fiding devotion which no blow can break.
The hour has come. The flag of his Regiment lies upon his bier. The march which he has made will soon be ours. He has crossed the unknown river, and is with that great army whosc spot- less tents are pitched near the celestial city.
Rev. J. B. Blakeney pronounced the benediction, and the large concourse silently wended their way to their homes.
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Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry.
Resolutions of Respect and Condolence Adopted by Members of the 15th Iowa on the day of General Hedrick's Funeral.
At a meeting of members of the 15th Iowa Volunteers, at the Ballingall House, Ottumwa, Iowa, on October 5th, 1886, Col. Wm. H. Gibbon, of Chariton, was called to the chair and Major H. C. McArthur, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was appointed secretary.
On motion of Ben. Johnston, of Keosauqua, the following reso- lutions were adopted :
Resolved, That, with all the members of the 15th Iowa, we mourn the death of our brave comrade and commander, Brigadier- General John M. Hedrick. Gifted in a marked degree with ability, both as an officer and a citizen, he fastened himself to us by his generous character, his considerate kindness and thoughtful regard. As a comrade he was our personal friend; as a soldier, he was heroic in every act; as a Commander, he led instead of followed; and as a man he kept the esteem which his kindly ways had won. We shall cherish to the end the memory of his noble life.
Resolved, That we give to his loving widow and children the sincere assurance of the unfeigned sympathy of the Regiment, in this, their most sad hour.
H. C. McARTHUR,
Secretary.
WILLIAM DEWEY.
WILLIAM DEWEY, of Fremont county, Iowa, was the first Lieu- tenant-Colonel of the Regiment. He was with the Regiment at the battle of Shiloh, and having been appointed Colonel of the 23d Iowa, resigned to accept the new commission. He died in Missouri during the war.
William W. Belknap was the second and John M. Hedrick the third Lieutenant Colonels. Their history is given above.
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History of the Fifteenth Regiment
GEORGE POMUTZ.
GEORGE POMUTZ was the Fourth Lieutenant Colonel, and was appointed November 23, 1864. He was an exiled Hungarian who came to America in 1848 and settled in New Buda, Decatur county, Iowa.
He had a military education in the old country and was appoint- ed Adjutant of the Regiment on its formation. As an Office Ad- jutant he had no superior. Methodical beyond example in his Regimental papers, he kept a descriptive book of the Regiment, giving the service of every officer and man, which is historically accurate and which is surpassed by no Regimental record in the War Department. While Adjutant he was wounded in the thigh at Shiloh where he behaved with gallantry. He afterwards be- came the Major of the Regiment on the promotion of Colonel Hedrick and the Lieutenant-Colonel on the promotion of the same officer. While Major, he was Provost Marshal on the staff of Major General Blair, commanding the 17th Army Corps. He was mustered out with his Regiment in 1865, and was appointed Consul General at St. Petersburg and Cronstadt, which position he filled with honor and efficiency. Governor Curtin, of Pennsylvania, formerly United States Minister to Russia, bears cheerful witness to his great usefulness in that position. But political changes removed him from this place, and financial troubles coming upon him he died in great poverty at St. Petersburgh, on October 12, 1882. A stone was erected to his memory through the exertions and contri- butions of Governor Curtin, the officers of the 15th Iowa, and other friends, and the Regiment now makes a yearly contribution towards the care of his grave. His records of this Regiment form his best memorial. And as long as any man of the 15th Iowa lives, the Adjutant will be remembered, and the words will be recalled which he spoke, when expecting death when thrown from his mare, whom the surrounding soldiers denounced, he defended his favorite animal and said: " If I dies, I forgives Mary ."
JAMES S. PORTER. MAJOR 15TH IOWA VOLS. BV'T. LT. COL.
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Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry.
William W. Belknap was first Major, John M. Hedrick the third, and George Pomutz the fourth. Their history is given above.
WILLIAM T. CUNNINGHAM.
WILLIAM T. CUNNINGHAM was the second Major. He was Captain of Company G, and was appointed Major on the promo- tion of Major Belknap to the lieutenant-colonelcy on August 1, 1862. He was wounded in the left arm in the battle of Corinth on October 3, 1862, where he behaved with gallantry. He resigned on January 16, 1863, and died on May 28, 1884, at Pittsburgh, Kansas.
JAMES S. PORTER.
JAMES S. PORTER, of Ottumwa, Iowa, was the fifth Major, and was appointed on March 23, 1865, being promoted from Captain of Company D, to which position he had arisen from that of Private in that Company. He was a conscientious, faithful and brave officer, and a thoroughly loveable man. As a company commander he was what is represented by the words "level headed." He shirked no duty and always did it well. And his commanding officer never left his society without feeling that he had learned something in patience, good manners and solid sense. He was a man who knew what his duty was, and did it without questioning. And though no words ever passed his lips which could be called profane, he seemed to rise to the occasion when there was work to do, and other men did the swearing. He was a true soldier and was always ready. He lives at Ewing, Nebraska, and now, as when in service, is beloved by all who know him.
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