USA > Iowa > Iowa colonels and regiments: being a history of Iowa regiments in the war of the rebellion; and containing a description of the battles in which they have fought > Part 10
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When the war broke out he was serving as the captain of the "City Rifles," a military company in the city of Keokuk ; and it was the apiness which he discovered in military matters while in this position, that first brought his name into favora- ble notice with Governor Kirkwood.
While in Washington City, seeking a position in the regular army, (which he only failed in obtaining on account of all vacancies being filled) he was tendered the colonelcy of an Iowa volunteer regiment. This he accepted; and, returning to Iowa early in July, received his commission as colonel of the 5th Iowa Infantry, on the 15th of the same month.
The 5th Towa Infantry entered the service under peculiar and promising omens: its colonel was a descendant of our most
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illustrious revolutionary heroes, and its drummer-boy, Robert Bain, beat the same drum with which his father, in 1812, and his grand-father, in 1776, had stirred the hearts of the Revolu- tionists. For anght I know, this same drum beat defiance to Sir George Packenham, on the battle-field of New Orleans.
The history of the 5th lowa is a proud one. From the time it took the field in August, 1861, till it was consolidated with the 5th Iowa Cavalry, three years later, no blot or stain dis- figures its fair record. I have stated elsewhere that the regiment first served in Missouri. Leaving Jefferson Barracks the 11th of August, it proceeded to Jefferson City, where it remained till the first of September. From Jefferson City it marched to Columbia; from Columbia to Boonville; from Boonville to Glasgow; from Glasgow to Springfield; from Springfield to Syracuse; from Syracuse back to Boonville, and thence to Cairo, Illinois, where it arrived on the 20th of Febru- ary, 1862. Thus far, the regiment had failed to meet the enemy in a general engagement.
When the 5th Iowa, under Colonel Worthington, arrived at Cairo, it was one of the best drilled and disciplined regiments in the volunteer service. This, at first, was secured at the expense of the colonel's popularity. Indeed, in the carly his- tory of the war, the people of the North were so largely imbued with their peculiar ideas of Democracy, (doing as they pleased) that it was hard for them to learn the duties and sub- mit to the requirements of soldiers; and this, with the 5th Iowa as well as with other Iowa regiments, was the cause of mich discontent. The men were, at first, restive under Colonel Worthington's strict discipline. But the semi-official order of General Pope, of October, 1861, announcing : "Colonel : your regiment is the most soldierly-appearing one I have seen in Missouri, " secured, in the future, an unquestioning compli- ance with his orders; for the men were proud of their good
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name, and knew to whom belonged the credit. This, too, in connection with the fact of his having periled his own life in rescuing a private of his command from drowning in the Mis- souri River, secured him, from that day to the day of his death, the respect and esteem of his regiment.
After a three days' rest at Cairo, Colonel Worthington crossed the Mississippi with his regiment, and marched out to Benton, Missouri. From that point, he accompanied General Pope to New Madrid, where, during the ten days' siege, he was con- spicuous. In the meantime, he had assumed command of a brigade, and with that was assigned the important task of assaulting and capturing the ' Upper Fort, ' which, I may add, would have been successfully accomplished, had not the ruse 1 de guerre of General Stanley been divined by the enemy. This was on the morning of the 7th of March, 1862, and, on the morning of the 13th, the place was evacuated. But the gallan- try of companies A and B, of the 5th Iowa, and three compa- nies of the 39th Indiana, (these regiments were of Colonel Worthington's command) I should not omit to mention. On the afternoon of the 4th of March, these troops, under com- mand of Major Robertson of the 5th Iowa, made the first demonstration against New Madrid. After engaging the ene- my's pickets, and driving them through the large corn-field that lay to the north of the town, they suddenly found them- selves confronted by a force which, in numbers, was not only treble their own, but which was supported by artillery. Here, however, they maintained their position, in the face of a gall- ing fire, for upwards of two hours; nor did they retire till ordered to do so by Colonel, now General Granger.
During the operations around Island No. 10, which was sur- rendered to General Pope on the 7th of the following April, Colonel Worthington was again conspicnous; and the troops of his command were, by order of General Pope, permitted to
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inseribe on their flags, "Island No. 10." He now sailed to Ilamburg Landing, on the Tennessee, where, with the com- mand of General Pope, he took up his position before Corinth, on the left of our army. But his gallant career was soon to close : he was shot by a heedless and frightened sentinel, on the morning of the 22d of May ; and the story, a brief one, is thus sadly told:
"GENERAL ORDERS NO. 53. "HEAD-QUARTERS ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, NEAR FARMINGTON, May 22d, 1862.
"The general commanding announces to the army with deep regret the death of Colonel W. H. Worthington, Fifth Iowa Volunteers. He was killed by an unfortunate accident this morning, at two o'clock, while in discharge of his duties as general officer of the day. * * * *
"SPEED BUTLER, Assistant Adjutant General."
"By order of General POPE."
The report of the gun was heard by Captain Wever and myself, who, at the time, were on picket-duty, on the extreme left. It came to us across an open field to our right and rear, and from the edge of the timber, which was some quarter of a mile away. On our return to camp in the morning, we learned the sad story. The night was dark, and the sentinel, having left his post, was walking carelessly to the rear, when the officer of the day approached. Forgetting that he was within the line, and alarmed at what he supposed the approach of the enemy, he fired, without even challenging the approaching party. The ball took effect near the left eye, and the colonel, falling from his horse, died almost instantly.
Of the many gallant Iowa officers who have fallen in the service of their country, few were more deeply and sincerely mourned than Colonel Worthington. Many were the tributes that were offered to his memory. The army in which he served, his regiment, the District Court of his county, his old
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company, the "City Rifles," -- all spoke his praise and joined in one common wail : all, as was expressed by Judge Francis Springer, "mourned the loss, and cherished the memory of the noble-hearted, brave and heroic Worthington."
At the time of his death, the future of no officer in our ariny was more promising than his. He loved the service, and was a model soldier. Already he had been recommended for promotion; and, had he survived the siege of Corinth, he would have been made a brigadier-general. I do not speak without authority. "In Colonel Worthington" (I quote from the above order of General Pope) "this army has sustained a serious loss. Prompt, gallant and patriotic, a brilliant career in the military profession was before him."
I remember well the first time I saw him. We had just arrived at the front, and he had called on Colonel Rankin to enquire and talk of friends at home. His manly form, and frank, open countenance impressed me; and, though I did not then know his name, I knew he was no ordinary man.
Colonel Worthington was a Southern man, with a Southern education and Southern prejudices; and, during the Presiden- tial canvass of 1860, advocated the cause of Bell and Everett. Even at the outbreak of the war, he was a conservative. But he was also loyal; and no sooner was Abraham Lincoln declared elected, than he recognized and respected him as the legal Executive of the Nation. Indeed, when it was rumored that the rebels were threatening the Capital, he declared to his father: "If they enter Washington they shall march over my dead body!" Before leaving Missouri, he wrote to his father : "You know my conservative views heretofore; I am now a radical; and so he died. To his wife he wrote: "If I fall, teach my son to do likewise, if his country needs his life." ITis love for his country he sealed with his blood, and died a true patriot.
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BRIGADIER-GENERAL C. L. MATTHIES.
SECOND COLONEL, FIFTH INFANTRY.
CHARLES LEOPOLD MATTHIES was the first man in the State of Iowa, and in the United States, to tender a military company to the Government, to aid in crushing the rebellion. The tender was made by letter through Governor Kirkwood, on the 9th day of January, 1861. The general can not be proud- er of the distinction which this act has secured him, than is the State of Iowa.
General Matthies is a Prussian by birth, and was born in Bromberg, on the 31st day of May, 1824. When sixteen years of age, his father, an affluent farmer, sent him to the Univer- sity at Halle, where he received a thorough military education. On leaving that University, he returned home; and, from that time till he reached his twentieth year, he labored on his father's farm. At the age of twenty, he entered the Prussian army; and, in 1847, served in the campaign against the Insur- rectionists, (the Poles) under General Miroslawski. In 1848, he resigned the commission which he had won by his good conduct, and a few months later emigrated to America, arriv- ing in New York in the spring of 1849. In the latter part of the same year, he came to lowa, and settled in Burlington, where, engaging in mercantile pursuits, he has made his home ever since.
General Matthies entered the volunteer service, as captain of Company D, 1st Jowa Infantry - that noble regiment which, by its heroism at Wilson's Creek, established the military prowess of the State. He was not present in that engagement; for, in the latter part of July, he received notice of his
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promotion to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 5th Iowa, and at once left to report to that regiment. After the death of Colonel Worthington, he was promoted to the colonelcy. He sharei with his regiment the fatigues and hardships of the Missouri campaigns; was with it at Island No. 10, and during the siege of Corinth ; and yet, prior to the battle of Iuka, his name was hardly known outside of his own brigade. It was his courage and gallantry in that sanguinary battle that made him distin- guished in his army corps, and earned for him the commission of a brigadier-general.
After the evacuation of Corinth, the 5th Iowa, under Colonel Matthies, joined in the pursuit of Beauregard to Boonville, and returned thence to Clear Springs, near Corinth. Late in June, it marched to Ripley with its division; returned imme- diately to Rienzi, and, on the 10th of July, marched back to Clear Springs. From Clear Springs it changed camp to Jacinto, and, from that point, marched against Price at Iuka, in the evening of the 18th of September, 1862. With the exception of the last, the regiment met the enemy in none of these movements.
General Rosecrans, by incautiously pushing his advance too far, precipitated the battle of Iuka on the afternoon of the 19th of September, when, in accordance with pre-arranged plans, it should have been fought on the morning of the 20th. General Grant first arranged to fight the battle as early as the morning of the 19th instant; and, with that understanding, the forces of Ord moved out from Corinth in the afternoon of the 17th, and the evening of the next day came up with, and drove in the enerny's pickets. But at that hour the chief part of Rosecrans' command was still at Jacinto, and the time for making the attack was changed. General Price, divining Grant's plan of concentration, hurried out from Iuka in the afternoon of the 19th, and threw his entire army against Rosecrans, hoping to
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overwhelm him before Ord could come up; and thus it hap- pened that Rosecrans fought alone the heedless battle of Iuka. There is another version of this affair, which, judging by the authority from which I receive it, is doubtless the correct one : that Rosecrans, ambitious, and desirous of superseding General Grant, moved up against Price for the express purpose of bringing on a battle and winning glory, well knowing at the time that he was disobeying orders. Any other general, except the magnanimous Grant, would have at once relieved him and put him in arrest.
The 5th Iowa under Matthies, together with the 10th, 16th and 17th Jowa, the 10th Missouri and 80th Ohio, were among the troops in the van of Rosecrans' forces, and were the first to encounter the enemy. The struggle which ensued was pro- tracted and desperate in the extreme; indeed, for courage and endurance it has few parallels. No pen can do more than credit to the 5th Iowa Infantry for its heroism in this terrible engagement. During the fore part of the day, while en route from Jacinto to Iuka, this regiment led the advance of the 3d Division, and, for more than six miles, continued to drive back the enemy, who, in small force, made repeated stands. When the enemy were finally met in force some three miles south- west of Inka, the 5th Iowa was one of the first regiments in line of battle; and, from that time until it fired its last cart- ridge, it maintained its position. Its list of casualties is proof of its gallantry. It lost in killed, wounded and missing, from an aggregate of four hundred and eighty-two that went into the fight, two hundred and seventeen men. Fifteen commissioned officers were killed and wounded; and, of the enlisted men, thirty-four were killed, and one hundred and sixty-eight wounded. Lieutenants Lafayette Shawl and E. M. Holcomb were killed, and Captains John Albaugh and Joel Brown, and Lieutenants R. F. Patterson, J. W. Casad, A. L. Matcer, A.
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Ellis, J. E. Page, Benjamin Jarvis, A. B. Lewis, S. S. Sample, J. E. Pangborn, W. C. IIuber and W. II. Colton were wounded. Lieutenant Mateer died of his wounds soon after the battle. Among those mentioned for special gallantry were Lieutenant- Colonel Sampson, and Lieutenant and Acting-Major Patterson, and Lieutenant Marshall. Nearly all were equally deserving of mention.
The 5th was General S. Hamilton's pet regiment; and, after the battle, Colonel Matthies enclosed to him his official report, to which he received the following reply:
"NEW YORK, October 27th, 1862. "COLONEL C. I. MATTHIES, 5th Jowa Infantry :
" My Dear Colonel: In sending to me the report of the brilliant conduct of the 5th Iowa at Iuka, September 19th, 1862, you have given me a very great pleasure, as well as paid me a great compliment. When I read the newspaper accounts of battles in the vieinity of Corinth, though still sick, my heart thrilled with pride and satisfaction at the splendid conduct of the regiments composing my old division, espe- cially that of the 5th Iowa and 26th Missouri.
"To show you how well understood it is, the 5th Iowa has become a household word with us, and my youngest boy, a prettler of four years of age, when asked what company he belongs to, says, (and he breakfasts in his knapsack) 'Com- pany A, Fifth Iowa-papa's pet regiment.'
"I am under orders from Washington, and though I may not again have the honor to number the 5th Iowa among those under my command, I shall always point to its conduct, as an evidence of the character of the troops from that State, and how kindly they respond to, and confer honor upon those who have diligently endeavored to look after their welfare, discipline, and instruction, which I honestly think I may claim a share in having done. Feeling, Colonel, that their honor is my honor, I shall watch their future career with the same interest I watched over them when a part of my command. Write my compliments and kind remembrances to all. Believe me, very truly your friend,
"SCHUYLER HAMILTON,
" Major-General Volunteers, U. S. A."
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The 5th Iowa Infantry next engaged the enemy at Corinth- October 3d and 4th, 1862; and, from that date until the 24th of April, 1863, the time of Colonel Matthies' promotion to brigadier-general, its history is the same as that of the 10th and, I might add, that of the 17th Iowa; for these three regiments served in the same division.
After receiving, in April, 1863, a brigadier's commission, General Matthies was ordered to report to General Mcl'herson, who assigned him to the command of the 7th Division, 17th Army Corps; but this order being soon after recalled, he was given command of the 3d Brigade, 3d Division, 15th Army Corps, which he commanded, under General Sherman, from Grand Gulf to Jackson and thence to the rear of Vicksburg. He continued in command of this brigade until the death of Colonel Boomer, of the 26th Missouri, when he was sent back to his old army corps, and given command of the 3d Brigade, of the 7th Division. On leaving the command of General Sherman, that officer honored him with an autograph letter, in which he complimented him highly for his efficient services. His new command was composed of the following troops: the 5th and 10th Iowa, the 26th Missouri and 93d Illinois-four as gallant regiments as ever met the enemy in battle. In the latter part of January, 1864, he was given command of a temporary division, made up of different regiments of the 15th Army Corps, with which he marched to East Tennessee, to aid in driving back Longstreet, who was then threatening Knoxville. Returning from this expedition, he was assigned to an important command, with head-quarters at Decatur, Alabama. He had charge of the Nashville and Decatur Railroad as far north as Linnville, and of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad as far east as Huntsville. He removed his head-quarters to Decatur, on the Ist of May, 1864, and at once began fortifying that place. The works
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which he erected were of the most imposing character ;- so formidable that General Hood, in his flanking tour north, did not essay their capture. In the latter part of May, 1864, the general tendered his resignation, which was reluctantly accepted.
I should not close this sketch withont stating briefly the distinguished part General Matthies sustained in the operations around Chattanooga, in November, 1863. General Bragg was defeated in the evening of the 24th, and his only hope, on the morning of the 25th, was to save his baggage, stores and artillery. The point on Mission Ridge that commanded the road over which these must pass was on Grant's extreme left, and, during the entire day of the 25th, the divisions of Ewing, John E. Smith, Morgan L. Smith and Jefferson C. Davis had sharp and sanguinary fighting for its possession; but it had been so strongly fortified, and Bragg had massed his troops there to such an extent that, all efforts on the part of General Sherman were fruitless. There was no harder fighting done on any portion of Mission Ridge or Lookout Mountain, than was done on this point; and acts of individual gallantry, on the part of the Union troops, were numerous. Colonel Holden Putnam of the 93d Illinois, although not an Iowa man, deserves special mention ; and nothing can give the Iowa troops, who fought with him on Mission Ridge and at Champion's Hill, more pleasure than to meet his name on these pages. His was the first regiment of General Matthies' Brigade to scale the hill from the White House and assault the enemy in their strong works. His command was instantly repulsed; but, undaunted, he rallied his men, and, seizing the colors, dashed on to the top of the hill in spite of all remonstrances. He was shot dead instantly, through the head. The 20th Missouri soon followed the 93d Illinois, and then the 5th and 10th Iowa, with General Matthies in person ; and still the enemy, rejoicing in
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the strength of their numbers and position, maintained their ground. The 2d Brigade of the same division now came up; but in a few moments after the enemy, emerging in strong force from the railroad tunnel near by, and with their move- ments concealed by dense brush, suddenly made their appear- ance in rear of the right flank, when a retreat was ordered. The command was, "For God's sake, get out of this!" It was on that hill-top that General Matthies was wounded; and it was that wound, together with the exposures and hardships of the previous campaign, that broke down his health, in conse- quence of which he tendered his resignation. He was an excellent officer, and had a reputation for promptness and trustworthiness that but few enjoyed in his division. 1
General Matthies is a little above the medium in size, with a full breast and heavy shoulders. He has mild, gray eyes, and a round, full, good-natured face. To look at him, you would not take him for a foreigner; but he no sooner speaks than he betrays his nativity. He has never been able to master the accent of our language. He is one of those men whom to know is to like. His sanguine temperament, and carnest, open- hearted disposition enables him, in his happy moods, to talk and laugh with extreme good nature, and, in his less happy ones, to hate and berate his enemies most intensely. He was always on kind and familiar terms with every soldier of his command, and his familiarity in no way interfered with his discipline. The soldiers loved "old Dutchie," he was so good and brave.
I can not take leave of General Matthies without relating the following: When the division of John E. Smith was in camp back of Memphis, late in February, 1863, the general chanced one day to be general officer of the day. At about seven o'clock in the morning of the day in question, a captain, whose 2d lieutenant had deserted to the enemy the night before, and
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whose Ist lieutenant was enjoying himself in the city, arrived on the picket-line to relieve the old picket-guard. The captain left his reserve in charge of a sergeant, while he went to dis- tribute the first relief at the different posts, and give proper instructions. In his absence, the officer of the day made his appearance. Having at some point stole his way through the lines, he came riding down the road at full speed, and was on the reserve before the sergeant could get his men in line to receive him. The general, who was dressed in a common soldier's overcoat, and without any scarf or other insignia of his office, began administering a rebuke for negligence; but was quickly cut short by the sergeant, who replied, "How did I know who you was? you haven't got any scarf on; I thought it was a soldier just coming in from foraging." "Well, well," said the general, "I know; but-you must be on the watch for guerrillas."
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COLONEL JABEZ BANBURY.
THIRD COLONEL, FIFTH INFANTRY.
JABEZ BANBURY is a native of England, and was born in the year 1831 ; but, removing to this country when quite young, he became, long since, thoroughly Americanized. He is a man of limited education, and by trade a mechanic.
At the time of entering the service, he had some experience in military matters ; for he had been a member of an independ- ent military company in Marshalltown. At that time I am informed, he gave proof of military taste and talent. He enlisted in the United States volunteer service in June, 1861, and assisted in raising a company for the war, which was afterwards assigned to the 5th Iowa Infantry, and designated Company D. Of this company, he was elected 1st lieutenant, and, with this rank, entered the field. He was promoted to the captaincy of his company in February, 1862; was made major of his regiment, on the 14th of the following July, and, on the promotion of Colonel Matthies to brigadier-general, was commissioned colonel. At the time his regiment was trans- ferred to the 5th Iowa Cavalry in August, 1964, he was mustered out of the service, and returned to his home in Marshalltown.
General Matthies left his regiment at Milliken's Bend, Louisiana, just before it started on its march to the rear of Vicksburg. From that time till the fall of that city, the 5th Iowa was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel E. S. Sampson. From the fall of Vicksburg, up to the time Colonel Banbury was mustered out of the service, the regiment was under his command, if we except a few months when he was in
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command of a brigade. The 5th Iowa is proud of its record, and it may also be proud of its commanding officers; for they were all most excellent men.
The march to the Yockona, and thence back to Memphis; the trip down the Mississippi to Grand Lake, and thence back to Helena; and the wild expedition down the Yazoo Pass, all belong to the history of the 5th Iowa Infantry. An account of these I have given in the sketches of other officers and regi- ments, as I also have of the march from Milliken's Bend round to the rear of Vicksburg. Of the battles fought during the last named march, the 5th lowa was engaged in two-Jackson and Champion's Hill. The regiment also engaged the enemy in two skirmishes -- the first on the hills north of Bayou Pierre, and the second in the rugged country north of Big Black River. In the last, the regiment constituted a portion of the force under Colonel Boomer of the 26th Missouri, who was sent out on a reconnoissance some five miles in the direction of Vicksburg. The 5th lowa led the advance of its corps from Raymond to Clinton, and marched with its division, which led the advance, from Clinton to Jackson. In the battle of Jack- son, the regiment did not suffer severely. Its position was to the left of the 17th Jowa, and so far to the north that it over- lapped the right of the enemy's line. Its loss was four men wounded.
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