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 23
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So far as I can learn, the killed and wounded of the 16th Iowa at Juka numbered about sixty-five. Colonel Chambers was wounded and obliged to turn his command over to Lieu- tenant-Colonel Sanders. Lieutenant and Adjutant George Lawrence, a gallant young officer, was killed. Captain A. Palmer and Lieutenant J. H. Lucas of Company C, were both
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wounded, as they had also been at Shiloh. Lieutenants Aleorn and Williams were also wounded, both severely. Iuka was the 16th Iowa's second engagement, and their courage and intrepidity, on that field, was a triumphant answer to all insinuations of former ungallant conduct. They were the heroes of their brigade, and when they marched back to re-join it they were looked on with admiration, and received the eager gratulations of their sister regiments.
Next in the history of the regiment is the battle of Corinth, a full account of which has been given elsewhere. It lost its commanding officer at Iuka, and suffered the same misfortime at Corinth. Lieutenant-Colonel Sanders was severely wounded in the thigh, in the afternoon of the first day's fight. Of this gallant officer's conduct, Colonel, afterward General Crocker says:
"Lieutenant-Colonel Add. H. Sanders, who commanded the 16th, is entitled to great praise. He rode along the line of his regiment, amid the storm of bullets, encouraging his brave boys, who had so lately suffered at Iuka, to remember their duty, and, although severely wounded, remained with his regi- ment until it marched off the field."
Major William Purcell succeeded Colonel Sanders in the com- mand of the regiment. Its loss in the engagement I have been unable to learn, but, next to the 15th Iowa, it suffered more severely than any other regiment of its brigade. Major Purcell was slightly wounded, but not so severely as to compel him to leave the field. Captain C. W. Williams was taken prisoner. Color-Sergeant Samuel Duffin, and Color-Corporals McElhaney, Eighmey and Karn are mentioned for their gallant conduct on the field.
The pursuit of the defeated and dispirited rebel army to the Hatchie, and the return to Corinth ; the march to the Yoekona late that same Fall ; the trip down the Mississippi to Young's Point, and the operations around Vicksburg; the march to
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Mechanicsville, up the Yazoo; the expedition to Jackson, and the escape of Johnson; the raid to Monroe, Louisiana, and, later, that to Meridian, Mississippi; the long and tedious march from Clifton on the Tennessee, to Northi-western Georgia, in the Spring of 1864, and the operations of the Iowa Brigade on the memorable Atlanta Campaign, will be found in the sketches of those officers and regiments, whose histories they help to make up. The 16th Iowa Infantry took part in all these operations.
It has already been stated that Colonel Chambers resigned his commission in the winter of 1863-4. Subsequently to that date, the 16th Iowa has been commanded by that excellent officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sanders. Indeed, for many months prior to the resignation of the former officer, Colonel Sanders commanded his regiment; for, on the departure of General Crocker to assume cominand of the 7th Division, of his corps, Colonel Chambers succeeded him in the command of the Iowa Brigade.
I pass now to the most interesting and exciting chapter in the history of the 16th Iowa-a chapter which, could I write it as it was made, would equal any passage in war-literature. Certainly no regiment in all Sherman's grand army of "ninety- eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven men" can fur- nish an instance of greater and more distinguishing valor, than that of which I write.
How Sherman, having crossed the Chattahoochie, threw his army by a grand right-wheel around Atlanta, with the Army of the Tennessee-Blair, Logan and Dodge-on the left, I have written elsewhere. In the sketch of General Belknap, I have also given an account of the enemy's opening attack, which, for suddenness and desperation, would have done credit to the best mar-hals of France. The 22d of July, and the assault on Sherman's left, are the day and the battle of which
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I speak. The 16th Iowa " was posted upon the left of the 11th Iowa, and in the immediate front of the 13th Iowa, the 15th Iowa being upon the left and upon a prolongation of the line of the 13th, the brigade being the left of the 4th Division, which held the left wing of the Army of the Tennessee." The 16th Iowa, therefore, held the extreme left and front of Sher- man's victorious legions-a post of honor deserving double honor, on account of its gallant defense. "Companies Band G, under the respective commands of Captain Henry Lefeldt and Lieutenant Timm, were deployed as skirmishers in front, connecting on the right with the skirmishers of the 11th Iowa, and on the left with those of the 15th." This position had been taken up, and these dispositions had been made, (earth- works in front of each regiment having been in the meantime constructed) on the previous afternoon. And it is proper to state in this connection that the left of the Army of the Ten- nessee had not joined in the general advance made by Sher- man's army on the morning of the 22d.
As elsewhere stated, the ground occupied by tho Jowa Brigade was open, with the exception of being covered with under-brush; but, immediately after taking up the position, the 11th, 15th, and 16th Iowa had " polieed " in their front, from thirty to fifty yards. No enemy could pass that line under cover, and to come within it was almost certain death. The skirmish line was posted in the thicket beyond.
Just before noon of the day in question, General Giles A. Smith, in person, had directed Colonel Sanders to have his regiment ready to fall in at a minute's notice, adding, "you must hold your works to the last, as the safety of the division may depend on the delay occasioned the enemy at this point." This was the last order received by Colonel Sanders from his superior that day. Already the reign of ominous silence, which commonly precedes great battles, portended the ap-
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proaching conflict, and, hardly had General Smith rode back to his head-quarters, when the roar of musketry along the skirmish line signaled the advance of the enemy. It was sharp and spiteful, and told the brave boys, who sprung for their guns and the trenches, that a desperate struggle was at hand. Instantly the skirmishers, with anxious faces, made their appearance, and came running back to the works. They were sent back by Colonel Sanders, but had scarcely entered the thicket, when they were fired on and again driven back. The enemy were coming in heavy line of battle, and closely on the heels of their own skirmishers, while the 16th Iowa, crouched in their trenches and, with their muskets pointed toward the threatened point, awaited their approach. " When you fire, fire low, but don't fire a gun till you receive my command, no matter how near they come," were the orders of Colonel Sanders, and they were strictly obeyed. Then fol- lowed a moment of anxious, protracted suspense and then the opening battle.
The enemy advanced their line boldly into the clearing in front of the Sixteenth's works, and, with bayonets fixed and their pieces at a charge, began raising their accustomed shout, when Colonel Sanders gave the order to fire-first to the rear rank, and then to the front. "The response was a terrific and deadly volley from one rank, followed immediately by another, and then a continuous, rapid firing, as fast as eager, experi- enced soldiers could load and discharge their guns. The result of our fire was terrible. The enemy's line seemed to crumble to the earth; for even those not killed or wounded fell to the ground for protection. Another heavy line of the enemy advanced, and was repulsed in the same terrible manner. Officers and men worked enthusiastically, and guns became so heated that they could not be handled, the powder flashing from them as the cartridges were dropped in. The officers
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prepared the cartridges for the men, and helped them load their guns. More splendid firing, or more effectual in its results, was never before witnessed in the army." I have taken the above from Colonel Sander's report; for, should I make the same statement myself, it would pass for fiction.
Simultaneously with the attack on the 16th, the 11th and 15th Iowa were charged in their works. The left of the 15th had no protection, and, as the enemy came swinging round to its rear, it had no alternative but to draw out of its works and retire. The 11th Iowa was dislodged in like manner. But just before this occurred, the enemy in front of the 16th (the 2dl and Sth Arkansas and two companies of Texan troops) put up the white flag and surrendered as prisoners of war. When they arrived in Colonel Sanders' rear, he found that he had two prisoners for every man in his ranks. But there were other prisoners to the left, or men whom Captain Smith claimed as prisoners, but who refused to throw down their arms. Learning this, Colonel Sanders hurried down to the left, and began disarming them himself, but he had taken the guns of only two, when he was surrounded by a rebel squad, who demanded: "Surrender, Sir, and we won't hurt you." Startled by such a demand, he turned and looked about him. For the first time he now saw that the works of the 13th and 15th Iowa in his rear were in the possession of the enemy. Believing that he had held his works " to the last," and hoping that he might break away and escape with his regiment to the rear of the 11th Iowa, he sprung away, and, with the exclamation - "I am not talking of surrender now," hurried back to his command. The rebels stared in wonder and none fired at him except a rebel captain, who instantly after was shot dead by Captain Lucas of the 16th Iowa.
On reaching the right of his regiment, the last hope fled; for the works of the 11th Iowa were already in possession of
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the enemy. The regiment was thus surrounded, and had no choice but to surrender or be butchered. The 16th Iowa was the sixth lowa regiment to be captured nearly entire. "The regiment numbered, on the morning of the twenty-second, four hundred and twenty-five effective men : of these, a fatigue detail of three officers and eighty men was made in the morning, most of whom were captured afterward, while fighting in front of field-works near by."
During the Atlanta Campaign, or rather up to the 23d of July, the 16th Iowa lost in killed, wounded and captured, three hundred and sixty-eight men. Of these, twenty were killed, and one hundred and six wounded. Private Charles M. Stark was the first man of the regiment killed. He was shot through the head on the 14th of June, and while on picket near Big Shanty, Georgia. From the 11th of June to the 22d of July following, hardly a day passed without adding one or more to the regiment's list of casualties; and to show the character of warfare in which the regiment engaged, it may be stated that, of the twenty killed, nine at least were shot through the neck or head. Quarter-master-Sergeant John W. Drury was the only man killed by a shell, and Corporal James Huntington, the only one killed by a solid shot. Lieutenant George H. Holcomb was one of the killed, and among the wounded were Captains Hugh Skillings and Peter Miller, and Lieutenants Thomas A. Burke and Samuel Duffin : the latter afterward died of his wounds.
The greater part of the enlisted men of the 16th Iowa, who were captured on the 22d of July, were exchanged in Septem- ber, 1864; but the officers were held until the following Winter and Spring. The regiment has closed the interesting portion of its history in the siege of Atlanta, and in the Savannah and Carolina Campaigns, all of which operations have been fully detailed.
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I am told Colonel Chambers is a trim, black-haired, black- eyed gentleman, with the airs and deportment of a regular army officer. He was a severe disciplinarian, and, by reputa- tion, ranked well with the Iowa Colonels. After the fall of Vicksburg, he was appointed by the President a brigadier- general; but the appointment failed confirmation in the Senate. His status defeated him; he was neither an Iowa nor a Minne- sota man. Iowa would indorse his appointment, provided he was credited to Minnesota, and Minnesota, vice versa. He is the only Iowa officer who was killed by having too many friends.
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COLONEL JOIIN WALKER RANKIN.
FIRST COLONEL, SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY.
JOHN W. RANKIN was born on the 11th day of June, 1823. He is of Scotch Irish descent, his mother being a relation of Burns, the poet. He was educated at Washington College, Pennsylvania, where, graduating at the age of sixteen, he was complimented with the Latin Oration. After leaving college, he taught school for a few years, and then studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1844. Before coming West, he practiced his profession in Wooster, and in Ashland county, being, at the latter place, a partner of Judge Sloan. ITe settled in Keokuk, Iowa, in 1848. Since living in Iowa, he has been district judge, State senator, United States assistant quarter- master, and colonel. He was appointed Assistant Quarter- Marter of United States Volunteers in the summer of 1861, and discharged the duties of the office with credit. In the winter of 1861-2, he was granted authority by the Secretary of War to raise a regiment of volunteers. He entered with energy upon the business of recruiting, and, in a little more than thirty days from the time he began active operations, the 17th Iowa Infan- try was mustered into the United States service. Colonel Rankin received his commission on the 17th of April, 1862, and two days later, under orders from Halleck, left Keokuk with his regiment for St. Louis.
In what I have to say of the 17th Iowa, I desire to be impar- tial. That it was composed of as fine a body of men as ever went out from the State, is true, in proof of which I may state that, at the time it was enlisted, it was supposed, by both the State Executive and the Secretary of War, that it would be
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the last regiment furnished by the State for the war. Lieuten- ant C. J. Ball, mustering officer, and Surgeon S. B. Thrall, examining officer, both able and efficient in their respective departments, will bear me witness that no man was passed if he had the slightest physical blemish, and no man mustered unless, in size, he more than filled the letter of the regulations.
It was supposed at the time the 17th Iowa entered the service that the war was near its close. This was the opinion of the chief military men of the day ; though nearly all of these men are fossils now. The resplendent victory at Fort Donelson threw the North into ecstasies of joy. That one was soon fol- lowed by the bloody triumph at Shiloh; and then it was declared that no more troops were wanted. It might have been so, had first reports been true; for the news of the battle of Shiloh, which was read to the 17th Iowa on dress-parade, declared that twenty thousand Union troops had been placed hors du combat, and that the enemy had lost more than double that number.
The regiment stared in amazement, and thought there were none left to kill. It was well for the enemy that the news was false; for, had it been true, he would have marched back to Corinth with hardly a corporal's guard. The war would have been near its close. "I can crush the rebellion in the South West with what men I have," a certain general in the West declared to the Secretary of War; and an order was even issued for disbanding the 17th Iowa, and was only recalled, after the utmost exertion on the part of Colonel Rankin. Many honestly believed that the 17th would never fire a gun : never- theless, the regiment has fired more guns, and slain more rebels, than almost any other equal number of men in the field.
The first march of the 17th Jowa was from the St. Louis wharf to Benton Barracks: the debarkation and march was
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made in the mud and rain; and the regiment experienced a foretaste of soldier-life. Embarking on the steamer Conti- nental, Colonel Rankin left St. Louis with his command for the front, on Sunday morning, the 4th day of May, 1862, and arrived at Hamburg Landing, on the evening of the 6th instant. Under orders from General Halleck, he reported to General Pope, and was assigned a position at the extreme left and front of the besieging army at Corinth. Here began the brilliant record of the 17th Iowa; for, though it was once disgraced on paper, and over the signature of a major-general, it was never disgraced in the eyes of its sister regiments. The regiment arrived at the front, on the evening of the 9th of May, the day of the battle near Farmington, where the 2d Iowa cavalry, and the troops of Colonel Loomis' Brigade deported themselves so handsomely. On the afternoon of that day, the 17th beheld for the first time terror-stricken cowards fleeing from the scene of action. Never present in battle, they are always the first to herald disaster. "Turn back! turn back !! " they said; "the whole army is killed and captured !" but on arriving at the front all was found quiet.
On the 28th of May, 1862, Colonel Rankin received orders to advance his regiment as skirmishers, and, having ascertaincd the character and strength of the enemy's works, to fall back. Accompanying the order were the compliments of General S. Hamilton in the following language : - " For gentlemanly and soldier-like conduct, your regiment has been assigned this post of honor." The reconnaissance was made in connection with the 10th Missouri, and resulted in a sharp fight. More than one hundred rebels were killed and wounded; and that same night Corinth was evaenated. Next followed the march to Boonville, Mississippi, in pursuit of General Beauregard, and on which General Pope captured thirty thousand stand of arms, and ten thousand prisoners. (?) These were splendid
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successes ; but, though the 17th Iowa had marched near the van, it first learned the glad news while encamped in the woods near Boonville. Beauregard made good his escape, and Pope returned to Corinth. To new troops, this march was one of great hardships. It was made in the early days of Summer, when, in that climate, the days are hot and the nights cool. Uninured to the hardships, and ignorant of the customs of soldier-life, the 17th Iowa suffered severely; for they parted with nothing, and struggled along with burdens that would have broken down even veterans. They would not throw away even a cartridge.
Ordered into camp at Clear Springs, Mississippi, the 17th remained there until the latter part of June, and then joined the forces which marched out beyond Ripley. One incident on this march will be remembered by every member of the regiment who joined in it. It happened on the evening of the second day of the return to Camp Clear Springs. In the event- ing of that day, which had been cold and rainy, camp was made in a low bottom, and soon after the camp-fires were lighted, a dense fog arose, which was almost blinding. This proved the cause of the fright which followed. At about eight o'clock, sudden cries of alarm were given from the hill above- "For God's sake get out of there, or you will be all dead in half an hour." The regiment was filled with fright, and in ten-minutes' time every camp-fire was deserted. That night the poor fellows slept between corn-rows on the hill-side. Dr. MeG- was a wag as well as a good surgeon, and, whether he perpetrated the above in sport or in earnest, I never learned. After returning from the Ripley march, the 17th Iowa remained at Camp Clear Springs until the middle of the following August, and then marched with its division to Jacinto, about twenty- five miles south of Corinth, where it remained till just before the battle of Iuka.
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In August, 1562, Hon. Samuel F. Miller, Colonel Rankin's law-partner, was appointed to a judgeship of the United States Supreme Court. The business of the firm was large and com- plicated, embracing many cases of great importance, which required the personal attention of one of the original members of the firm. Indeed, I am informed that it was the under- standing, when Colonel Rankin entered the service, that, in case Judge Miller should leave the firm, the colonel was to resign his commission. At all events, he tendered his resigna- tion, which was accepted on the 3d of September, 1862. On the 19th of September, 1862, was fought the rough-and-tumble battle of Iuka; and Colonel Rankin had not yet left for his home.
Iuka was the 17th Iowa's first engagement, and by the for- tunes of war the regiment was temporarily put in disgrace. It was gross injustice, and the fact that the commanding general who issued the order of censure was afterwards retired in shame from an important command affords us no satisfaction. And now I regret for the first time that I was a member of the 17th Iowa, for in stating the truth some may think me partial.
How the battle of Juka was brought on is explained in the sketch of General Matthies. Rosecrans either blundered or dis- obeyed orders, and it matters not which; for, in either case, he is equally eensurable. The battle was fought on the afternoon of the 19th of September, and that morning the 17th Iowa, with its brigade, marched from Jacinto some twenty-five miles south- west of Iuka. Immediately after arriving at the front the regiment was hurried into the action. Its position was at the cross-roads and along an open ridge; and just across a narrow ravine, filled with dense brush, were the enemy. Hardly had the regiment come into line, when it was met with a terrible volley of grape, canister and musketry, and General Sullivan ordered it to a less exposed position. While Colonel Rankin
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was giving the proper command for the movement, that happened which was the cause of the regiment being censured. A portion of Rosecrans' body-guard, in reconnoitering at the front, came on the enemy's line. Surprised and alarmed by the terrible fire which met them, they rode hurriedly back, and finding the 17th lowa drawn up across the road dashed through its ranks, knocking down and injuring several men. At about the same time, Colonel Rankin's horse was shot, and, becoming unmanageable, ran and threw him, his head strik- ing the roots of a tree, which rendered him insensible. Captain Anderson of the 80th Ohio, supposing him dead, laid him by the side of a tree, where he remained till late that night. For months afterward, I am told, the colonel did not recover from the effects of this stroke.
Standing for the first time under a galling fire; overrun and its ranks broken by stampeding cavalry; its commanding officer disabled, and all happening in the same instant, is it matter of wonder that the 17th lowa was thrown into temporary confusion, and partially disorganized? A portion of the left wing got separated from the right; but the greater part of the regiment was present throughout the engagement. Indeed, it may be said that, in all its hard-fought battles, the 17th Iowa never did better, all things considered, than it did in its luck- less fight at Inka. Go read the inscriptions on its battle-flags ! go count its gallant dead, whose bleaching bones give addi- tional saeredness to a dozen battle-fields! or, what you may more easily do, go ask those who know its history, if the regiment has not a gallant record. And it was not ingloriously begun at Iuka.
The losses of the 17th Iowa at Iuka, numbered about forty. Among the killed was Lieutenant Oliver H. P. Smith, a good man and a brave officer. He was shot in the midst of confu- sion, and doubtless by our own men; for the ball entered the
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back of his head, and he never turned his back to the enemy. Captain, now Lieutenant-Colonel S. M. Archer was among the severely wounded. He had just before assumed command of the regiment.
It was reported that Colonel Rankin was under the influence of liquor in the action at Iuka. If he was, and if the injury he received was attributable to that fact, I do not know it. I have been told by officers of the regiment (for I was not present in the engagement) that all the liquor was destroyed before the troops were marched out from their camps. In addition to this, I was told by Assistant Surgeon McGorrisk, afterward surgeon of the 9th Iowa Infantry, and still later, surgeon-in- chief of the 1st Division, 15th Army Corps, that, while the command of Rosecrans was en route for Iuka, General Stanly rode up to Colonel Rankin and asked him for a drink. The colonel, pulling his fiask from his pocket, replied, "I am sorry, general; but you see I hav'nt got any." Lieutenant Delahoyd, brigade adjutant-general, was present, and confirms the above statement. I am no particular friend of Colonel Rankin, for he is the only officer who ever threatened to put me in arrest, and, as I think, unjustly. But then, it is my duty to give facts as they are. The truth is, the conduct of the 17th Iowa would never have been censured, had it not been for the malice of a certain brigadier, and the disappointment of a certain aspiring captain, who dared in no other way to strike at the reputation of Colonel Rankin.
Colonel Rankin is a small man, with light complexion, and a nervous-sanguine temperament. Before entering the service, he was unused to hardship and exposure, and, for many weeks after entering the field, suffered much from sickness. He is warm-hearted, generous and unassuming; and no man of his influence and standing, in the State, has fewer enemies than he. In politics, he is an ultra-Republican, though with both
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parties in his county he has always been popular. With an average democratic majority of five hundred, he was, in 1858, elected to the State Senate from Lee county. All were sur- prised, but only a few disappointed. The colonel is quick to invent, quick to execute, and has one of the best legal minds in Iowa.
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