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 19
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23
249
JOSEPH J. WOODS.
age to the Landing, who, after briskly returning our fire for a short time, fell back. A brisk fire from the enemy on our left was going on at the same time. Seeing the enemy in front falling back, we attempted, by a rapid movement, to cut our way through; but the enemy on our left advanced rapidly, coming in behind us, pouring into our ranks a most destructive fire. The enemy in front faced about, and opened on us at short range, the enemy in our rear stili elosing in on us rapidly. I received two wounds, disabling me from further duty. The command then devolved on Captain Edgington, acting as field officer. The enemy had, however, already so closely sur- rounded us that their balls, which missed our men, took effect in their ranks beyond us. To have held out longer would have been to suffer complete annihilation. The regiment was there- fore compelled to surrender as prisoners of war."
The regiment's list of casualties was great, though the exact number I am unable to give. The killed and wounded num- bered about one hundred and fifty. Of the conduct of his regiment, Colonel Woods says : - "Captains Earle, Warner, Stibbs, Haddock, Van Duzee and Townsley performed well their part, as did all the lieutenants in the action, in a prompt and willing manner. The non-commissioned officers and men stood bravely up to their work, and never did men behave better." Lieutenants Ferguson and Moir, two brave and wor- thy officers, were both killed. As already stated, Colonel Woods was twice wounded, and taken prisoner. He was shot through the left leg and right hand. The former wound dis- abled him, so that he could not march to the rear with the other prisoners, and the fortunes of the following day restored him to liberty ; for he was re-captured by our forees. Over four hundred of the 12th Iowa were captured, and, of these, eighty died in Southern prisons. That is the saddest page in the history of this noble regiment.
The 12th lowa was re-organized in the winter of 1862-3, that portion of it which had been captured having been previously exchanged. The regiment was again led to the front by its
-
250
IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS.
unassuming colonel, and assigned to the 3d Brigade, 3d Divis- ion, 15th Army Corps. The command of the brigade was given to Colonel Woods. A detailed account of the movements of the regiment need not be given here; for a full history of operations in the rear of Vicksburg will be found elsewhere.
The 12th marched with its corps from Milliken's Bend, ria Grand Gulf to Jackson, and thence to the rear of Vicksburg, where it participated in the long and arduous siege. On the fall of that city, it marched back with Sherman to Jackson, and, after the flight of Johnson, assisted in the almost total destruction of the place.
The regiment's next important services were rendered in Northern Mississippi, in the spring of 1864; though I should not omit to state that it marched with Sherman on his trip to Meridian.
It re-enlisted as a veteran regiment, in the winter of 1863-4, and came North on veteran furlough; after which, it was assigned to the command of General A. J. Smith, and, under that general, fought at the battle of Tupelo, July 14th, 1864. Its conduet in this engagement, and in saving Smith's train from capture and burning the day before, between Pontotoe and Tupelo, made it one of the star regiments of the expedi- tion.
The previous reverses, sustained by the army stationed at and near Memphis, under General Sturgis, are stated in the sketches of other officers. The expedition in question left La Grange, on the line of the Memphis and Charleston Rail- road, on the 5th of July, 1861; and, proceeding in a south- easterly direction, passed through Ripley and Pontotoc, and thence on to Tupelo. The heat and the dust rendered the march extremely painful and exhausting; but the brave men endured the hardships with great fortitude, for they were to retrieve our arms in that quarter from disgrace.
251
JOSEPH J. WOODS.
On the 13th instant, the 12th Iowa was assigned the duty of guarding the supply-train, a task which was not without its dangers, and which, on account of the hilly and timbered country through which the. march lay, required the greatest vigilance. The country, too, was full of scouting parties of the enemy. Early in the afternoon, Lieutenant-Colonel Stibbs, commanding the regiment, was informed by one of his flankers that, the enemy's cavalry, in large force, were advancing rapidly through the timber on his right. It proved to be Maley's Mississippi Brigade. Learning their intended point of attack, the colonel threw his regiment in their front, and, concealing his men in the dense brush, ordered them to hold their fire till they received the proper command. Soon, the enemy came dashing through the woods, firing their carbines, and shouting like demons. They were allowed to approach within less than twenty paces, when a well-directed volley from the regiment checked them, and a second one drove them baek in confusion, with the loss of their colors. They continued a scattering fire for fifteen or twenty minutes, and then retired.
In this affair, the loss of the 12th Iowa was one man killed, and twelve wounded. Among the latter, was Captain C. L. Lumbardo. The battle of Tupelo opened the next morning.
On Thursday, the 14th instant, Smith's army was put under arms at three o'clock in the morning, and was soon after marched out and formed in line, on the right of the Pontotoc road. The position of the 3d Brigade, 1st Division, to which was attached the 12th Iowa, was as follows: "On the extreme right was stationed the 6th Indiana Battery, four guns; next in line, on the left, was the 33d Wisconsin, of the 4th Brigade; next, the 33d Missouri; next, the 24 lowa Battery, four guns, commanded by Lieutenant J. Reed; and on the left of the
252
IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS.
brigade, in the most advanced position of our front line of battle, was the 12th Iowa, the 7th Minnesota being in reserve."
Immediately after the line was formed, skirmishers were thrown out; and soon, the enemy, moving from their cover in the timber, appeared in force, and formed for the encounter. The battle opened with artillery, which was fired with great rapidity and precision. The range was short, and the sereach- ing of shells, and the whistling of grape and canister, was frightful. In the meantime, the enemy pushed their infantry forward, and engaged the whole Federal front. The 12th Iowa was protected by an old fence thrown down for a barricade, from behind which it did terrible execution, repelling every rebel assault. And thus the fighting continued for upward of two hours, when the regiment, having exhausted its ammuni- tion, was sent to the rear. In half an hour, it returned with replenished cartridge-boxes, and, taking up its former position, again engaged the enemy. As the battle progressed, the enemy made charge after charge, confident of victory. They would approach within fifty yards of the Federal line, when, met by terrible volleys of canister and musketry, they would stagger for a moment, and then retire precipitately. To whip Smith's forces, was to be a "fore-breakfast spell"; but they must have thought their breakfast a long way off. Finally, they were charged in turn by the 12th Iowa in the ran, the 35th Iowa, the 33d Missouri, the 33d Wisconsin and two con- panies of the 7th Minnesota. They could not face the valor of these veterans, and fled to the woods, leaving the bloody field in possession of the Federal forces. Nor did they return that day to renew the contest.
Of the second day's fight, and of the results of both days' battles, Lieutenant-Colonel Stibbs says:
"On the morning of the 15th instant my regiment was assigned a position to the left of the Pontotoc road, and formed
253
JOSEPH J. WOODS.
the left centre of the brigade line. We had a substantial breast- work of cotton-bales in our front, which served as an admirable protection against the enemy's sharp-shooters. We took full part in the fight and charge of the day, losing one man killed and three wounded. Our loss during the three days' fighting was one officer and eight men killed, one officer and fifty-four men wounded, and one man missing."
Lieutenant A. A. Burdick, acting regimental quarter-master, was killed by a shell, while assisting to bring forward ammu- nition. He was a gallant young officer, and held in the highest esteem by his regiment. Sergeant Robert Fowler and Corporal G. R. Holden were also killed.
Being without supplies, General Smith could not continue the pursuit; and he therefore moved back in the direction of Memphis. Indeed, I am informed that the object of the expe- dition was accomplished on the battle-field of Tupelo-Forest and his command had been routed. The enemy's cavalry followed on the return as far as Oldtown Creek, giving the rear guard much trouble; but so skillfully and successfully was the march conducted, that not a single wagon of the long train was lost. The expedition arrived at La Grange on the 20th instant ; and from that point all the wounded were sent forward to Memphis.
The entire Federal loss in the fighting at Tupelo was about six hundred, while the enemy's was estimated at not less than two thousand.
After General Smith's operations against Price in Missouri, in which the 12th Iowa took part, we next find the regiment with that general before Nashville. In the battles fought south of the last named city, it figured conspicuously; and its gallantry became the more noted, from the fact that it went into the fight without a single line officer : cach company was commanded by a sergeant. Lieutenant-Colonel J. Il. Stibbs commanded the regiment, and Captain, now Major Knce was
254
IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS.
acting major-both brave and true men. The regiment's con- duct at Nashville is deserving of the greatest praise; for its colors were among the first to be placed upon the enemy's strong redoubts. It accomplished much, with but small loss -two killed and eighteen wounded. The 12th Iowa last operated with General Smith, in the reduction of Mobile, or rather the strong forts, by which that city was defended.
Colonel Woods has a slender, stooping form, brown hair, a light complexion, and mild, blue eyes. He is, in appearance and in fact, the most unassuming of the Iowa colonels. IIe speaks slowly and kindly, and was accustomed to give his commands with great coolness and deliberation. The officers and men of his regiment at first thought he lacked style and energy; but they soon learned he possessed great worth as a commanding officer. He is the farthest removed from every thing that distinguishes regular army officers.
,
1
BRIGADIER-GENERAL M. M. CROCKER.
FIRST COLONEL, THIRTEENTH INFANTRY.
MARCELLUS M. CROCKER is a native of Johnson county, Indiana, where he was born on the 6th day of February, 1830. At the age of ten years, he accompanied his father's family to Illinois, whence, after a residence of four or five years, he removed to Jefferson county, Iowa. The extent of his early education I have failed to learn ; but, at the age of sixteen, he was appointed, through the recommendation of General A. C. Dodge, a cadet in the military academy at West Point. He is not however a graduate of that Institution. After an attend- ance of some two years and a half, his health failed him, and he was compelled to leave the Academy. Late in 1849, he returned to Iowa, and began the study of law in the office of Judge Olney, at Fairfield. He commenced the practice of his profession in 1851, in the town of Lancaster, Keokuk county, where he remained till the spring of 1855, and then removed to Des Moines, his present home.
General Crocker entered the service as captain of Company D, 2d Iowa Infantry. He had recruited his company in April, 1861, for the three month's service, (as was the case with nearly every captain of the 2d Iowa) but, the State's quota for that term of service having been already filled, he was assigned to the 2d Iowa, and, at the rendezvous of the regiment in Keokuk, was elected its major. With that rank he entered the field. Four months later, he was commissioned lieuten- ant-colonel, rice Tuttle, promoted, and on the 30th of October following, was transferred from his regiment, and made colonel of the 18th Iowa Infantry. In the winter of 1862-3, he was
255
256
IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS.
appointed and confirmed a brigadier-general. His promotions were rapid and richly merited; for, with her splendid galaxy of military heroes, Iowa can not boast a better nor truer soldier than General Crocker.
During his coloneley of the 13th lowa, General Crocker took part in two engagements -Shiloh and Corinth. In the for- mer, he commanded his regiment, and in the latter the Iowa Brigade-the oldest and not the least distinguished brigade command in the Army of the Tennessee. In the former, his conduct was gallant in the extreme; and how he escaped with- out injury is really wonderful. I have spoken elsewhere of the confusion that reigned on the field in the afternoon of the first day's battle. At about four and a half o'clock it was at its hight, and was so wild and terrible as to beggar description. At that hour, Colonel Crocker was conspicuous. I am told that his splendid example of courage contributed not a little toward the establishment of the new line, which successfully resisted the enemy's further advance that night. The progress of the battle on the left, I have given in the sketch of Colonel W. G. Williams. To show its opening and progress on the right, I quote from the official report of Colonel Crocker ; for that gives the clearest and most intelligible account of any that I have seen :
"Early on the morning of the sixth, the alarm was given, and heavy firing in the distance indicated that our camp was attacked. The regimeut was formed in front of its color-line, its full force consisting of seven hundred and seventeen men, rank and file. It was at once ordered to form on the left of the 2d Brigade, and proceeded to that position at a double-quick, and was then formed in line of battle in a skirt of woods, bordering on an open field, to the left of a battery. Here it remained for some time inactive, while the enemy's guns were playing on our battery. In the meantime, a large force of the chemy's infantry were filing around the open field in front of our line, protected by the woods, and in the direction of our
257
MARCELLUS M. CROCKER.
battery, opening a heavy fire of musketry on the infantry sta- tioned on our right, and charging upon the battery. The infantry and battery to the right having given way, and the enemy advancing at double-quick, we gave them one round of musketry, and also gave way. At this time we, as indeed all of our troops in the immediate vicinity of the battery, were thrown into great confusion, and retired in disorder. Having retreated to the distance of one or two hundred yards, we sue- creded in rallying and forming a good line, the 8th and 18th Illinois volunteers on our left, and, having fronted to the enemy, held our position there under a continual fire of cannon and musketry, until after twelve o'clock, when we were ordered to retire and take up a new position. This we did in good order, and without confusion.
"Here having formed a new line, we maintained it under an incessant fire, until four and a half o'clock, P. M., the men conducting themselves with great gallantry and coolness, and doing great execution on the enemy, repelling charge after charge, and driving them back with great loss. At four and a half o'clock, we were again ordered to fall back. In obeying this order, we became mixed up with a great many other regi- ments, falling back in confusion, so that our line was broken, and the regiment separated, rendering it very difficult to collect it."
This was the last order to retire that was given that after- noon, and the last ground yielded to the enemy; for the new line, when formed, was held successfully. It should, however, be stated that, it was now near night, and there was little inore fighting that evening. It was in this new position that Colonel Hare, of the 11th Iowa, was wounded and retired from the field. During the day, he had commanded the 1st Brigade of MeClernand's Division. After he was wounded and left the field, the command of the brigade was then turned over to Colonel Crocker-"his able and gallant succes- sor."
In elo-ing his report of the battle of Shiloh, Colonel Crocker says:
"During the day, we were under fire of the enemy for ten
17
25S
IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS.
hours, and sustained a loss of twenty-three killed, and one hundred and thirty wounded.
"On the morning of the 7th, we were ordered to continue with Colonel Tuttle's Division, and to follow up and support our forces that were attacking, and driving back the enemy. We followed them up closely, moving to support the batteries, until the enemy was routed, after which, we were ordered to return to the encampment that we had left on Sunday morn- ing, where we arrived at eight o'clock, P. M. Our total lo-s in the action of the 6th and 7th is killed, twenty-four; wounded, one hundred and thirty-nine; missing, nine: total, one hundred and seventy-two. The men, for the most part, behaved with great gallantry. All the officers exhibited the greatest bravery and coolness; and I call especial attention to the gallant conduct of my field officers, Lieutenant-Colonel Price and Major Shane, who were both wounded in the action of the 6th, and acknowledge my great obligations to my adju- tant, Lieutenant Wilson, who, during the entire action, exhibited the highest qualities of a soldier."
The last gun was fired at Shiloh, before two o'clock in the afternoon of the 7th, and that same evening, the main portion of Grant's army marched back to their former encampments, where, having buried the dead and cared for the wounded. they rested.
Immediately after this engagement, the Towa Brigade was organized, and placed under the command of Colonel Crocker. It was composed of the 11th, 13th, 15th and 16th Jowa regi- ments, and afterward, as I have already said, became one of the most distinguished brigade commands in the Army of the Tennessee. Under its first commander, it acquired that disci- pline and efficiency, for which it was noted under each of the general's successors-Chambers, Hall and Belknap. It has distinguished itself on half a score of battle-fields, and once saved the Army of the Tennessee from calamitous defeat. It has a most brilliant record. With this brigade, Colone! Crocker fought at the battle of Corinth; but an account of that engagement will be found in the sketches of other officers.
259
MARCELLUS M. CROCKER.
In the winter of 1862-3, the colonel was made a brigadier- general. His sterling qualities as a soldier, and his continued gallant deportment earned the promotion. After receiving his commission, he continued with his brigade till the latter part of April, 1863, when, by order of General McPherson, he succeeded General Quiniby in the command of the 7th Divi- sion, 17th Army Corps-the division which fought so gallantly, and lost so heavily at Jackson and Champion's Hill. He joined his division at Bruinsburg, just after it had crossed the Missis- sippi, and commanded it in the two above engagements.
On the evening of the 13th of May, the 7th Division bivou- acked, with its army corps at Clinton, ten miles west of Jackson. The following night it was to camp in Jackson. The character of the country between Clinton and Jackson, the condition of the roads, and the state of the weather on the morning of the 14th instant, I have given elsewhere. Crocker's Division led the advance. This post of honor was granted by McPherson, at the general's own request, which barely antici- pated a similar one from Logan. The march was made, and the enemy encountered about two and a half miles west of the city. Their line of battle was along a high ridge, and extended from north to south, as far as the eye could reach. The rain was falling in torrents, and, until it partially ceased, the two armies stood and watched each other. In half an hour it broke away, when General Crocker, pushing forward the 12th Wis- consin Battery, saluted General Johnson. Tuttle's Division of Sherman's Corps, which had in the meantime come up on the south side of the city, opened on the enemy at nearly the same instant. The 2d Towa Battery, Lieutenant Reed, fired the first gun on the south side of Jackson. The enemy's force was about ten thousand, and the principal portion of it was in ('rocker's front; but he pushed his leading brigade, which was drawn up in a continuous line, to the farthest point that
5
260
IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS.
afforded cover, and then ordered a charge. It was a magnifi- cent sight, for the conduct of the brigade was magnificent. The battle was bloody, but not protracted: in ten minutes after the order to charge was given, the enemy were fleeing in total rout; nor did they stop until they had crossed Pearl River.
For so great results, the Federal loss was small -only two hundred and eighty-six; but all, except six or eight of the casualties, were from the 2d Brigade of Crocker's Division. The press of Illinois gave Logan the credit of fighting the battle of Jackson. It was all wrong. His command was not under fire; nor did it lose a man, even by a stray shot. The general himself was at the front, where he always was, when there was any fighting to be done; but he was only a spectator. He sat quietly on his horse, caressing his huge mustache, till word came of the flight of the enemy across the river, when he rode into the city. In his official report, General MePherson says: - "Colonel Sanborn was directed to send the flag of one of his regiments, which had borne itself most gallantly in the battle, and place it on the Capitol of the State of Mississippi, and shortly before four o'clock the flag of the 59th Indiana was proudly waving from the dome." The 59th Indiana "bore itself gallantly," but it did not fire a gun at Jackson. The 10th Missouri, 17th Iowa and 80th Ohio made the charge, and captured the city; and why the flag of the 59th first waved from the dome was, the regiments entitled to the honor had been left on the field, and could not be reached. Had General Crocker delayed five minutes longer, the colors of the 95th Ohio of Tuttle's Division, would have flaunted from the rebel Capitol.
As soon as the fighting was done, General Crocker rode down his line to the 17th lowa, and to the other regiments of the brigade, and thanked them for their gallantry; and as he
261
MARCELLUS M. CROCKER.
looked back on the hill-slope, where were lying the dead and wounded, his eyes filled with tears, and his voice choked with emotion. "Noble fellows," he said, "I am sorry, but we can not help it."
Two days after the battle at Jackson, General Crocker con- manded his division at Champion's Hill. His own, with Hovey's and Logan's Divisions, fought that battle-the bitterest of the whole campaign, if we except the charge on the 22d of May; but an account of this engagement has been already given.
In June, 1863, General Crocker came North on sick leave. His health, always bad, had been rendered much worse by the hardships and exposures of the recent campaign, and he accepted his leave, at the urgent request of General Grant. There is a story connected with this sick leave, which illus- trates the kind-heartedness of General Grant, and which affords me pleasure to relate. On the return of General Quimby in the latter part of May, he resumed command of his old division, when General Crocker was placed temporarily upon the staff of General Grant. Crocker's tent being near that of Grant, the attention of the latter was attracted by the severe and almost incessant coughing of the former during the night ; and, on meeting him the morning after, General Grant said: "General Crocker, was that you whom I heard coughing so last night?" "Yes," replied the general. "Well, then, my dear fellow, you must go straight home, for you will die here."
The general was at his home in Des Moines, at the time the Union Gubernatorial Convention was held in that city. Dur- ing its session, he visited the hall of the Convention, and the evlat with which he was received, was a flattering testimonial of the esteem in which he was held by his State. He was the choice of the Convention for Governor of Iowa, and was
:
-
-
- -------
----....
262
IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS.
earnestly solicited to accept the nomination; but his answer was: "If a soldier is worth any thing, he can not be spared from the field; and, if he is worthless, he will not make a good Governor." The argument was unanswerable, and his name was reluctantly dropped.
Early in July, 1863, General Crocker returned to the field, and was given a division command, and made Commandant of the District of Natchez. While commanding at Natchez, he made his expedition to Harrisonburg, Louisiana. "The expe- dition consisted of the following troops: the 2d Brigade, 4th Division, Colonel C. Hall, 14th Illinois, commanding; the 3d Brigade, 4th Division, General W. Q. Gresham commanding; Company F, 3d Illinois Battery, and the 15th Ohio Battery, with the 17th Wisconsin Infantry, mounted, commanded by Colonel Mallory." At Harrisonburg, the enemy were reported in considerable force, and intrenched in strong works. The object of the expedition was to destroy these works and ord- nance property, and capture or disperse the rebel garrison. It resulted in the capture and burning of one small steamer on Black River at Trinity, the capture and destruction of Fort Beauregard at Harrisonburg, the destruction of all ammunition and six pieces of artillery; and the capture of about twenty prisoners and two six-pound brass cannon. There was no battle-only trifling skirmishing.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.