USA > Iowa > Delaware County > Manchester > Reunion of the 12th Iowa V.[eteran] V.[olunteer] infantry 1st-8th, 1880-1903 > Part 23
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TWELFTH JOWA V. V. INFANTRY.
U. S. Military Academy at West Point to take the place of U. S. Grant who would graduate the following June.
Ilis principal recommendations were from Hon. Alonzo Knowles, the leading Democratic politician at Felicita, Ohio, and Jesse R. Grant, Whig, then of Bethel. Ohio. There were several competitors for the appointment and Dr. Dans, member of Congress, declining to make a selection, sent the papers to the war department, where the appointment was given to Woods and he entered the academy in June, 1843. Seventy-five were appointed to this class; thirty-eight gradu- ated in 1817. Woods standing No. 3 in his class. During the last year at West Point he was assistant professor as well as student. July Ist, 1847, he received his appointment as 2d Lieutenant in first regiment, U. S. Artillery. The war with Mexico was at its height and he was ordered to New York barbor to drill and organize recruits for the war, where he remained until October 10th, when out of these recruits Companies L and M, Ist Artillery were organized and Lieutenant Woods was ordered to proceed with said company to Vera Cruz, Mexi- co, and there join his Company C, to which he had been assigned, in Northern Mexico.
The command sailed from New York, October 10th, on the ship "Empire." The weather was boisterous and after four days of invisi- ble sun the ship ran upon a coral reef entirely covered by water, break- ing a large hole in the vessel, when she settled down and broke in two. They were, by captain's reckoning fifty miles from shore, but upon its partially clearing off they perceived a small uninhabited island called Fowl Koy about one-half a mile distant, and daylight brought to view Abaco, the largest of the Bahama group, at a distance of about five miles. Wreckers came to the assistance of the ship, and about 10 o'clock a. m. they landed the soldiers on Fowl Key, where they ro- mained one week. Vessels were then procured to take a part of the command to Charleston, South Carolina; the balance with Lieutenant Woods was taken to Nassau, New Providence. since famous as the rendezvous for rebel cruisers. Remaining here eight days he then, in company with Lieut. Morris, sailed for Charleston, where they re- mained at Fort Moultrie until December 25th, 1817, when they again sailed for Vera Cruz in the ship "Republic," sent out from New York for that purpose.
On Ist of January, 1848, as they were entering port of Vera Cruz, a terrible norther struck the vessel, carrying them out to sea. They finally landed January 5th, and found that a majority of the regiment to which the command was assigned was on garrison duty in the city, but Co. C, to which Lieut. Woods had been assigned, was in Northern Mexico. Woods was therefore transferred to Co. M and assigned to duty with the regiment at Vera Cruz. In the month of May he had the yellow fever and was very sick. About August Ist, 1818, peace having been declared Vera Cruz was evacuated and our troops imme-
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diately imbarked for New York. Companies Land M took passage upon the screw-propeller "Massachusetts."
In October, 1818, Woods was promoted to Ist Lieutenant, and No- vember 10th, 1848, embarked on board "Massachusetts" with compa- nies L and M for Oregon to quell disturbances recently arisen there in. which Dr. Whitman and a number of other Missourians had been murdered. The expedition was under the command of Brevet Major Hatheway and Lient. Woods was his quarter master and commissary. These were the Arst U. S. troops over in Oregon. On the passage about Jannary Ist the ship put into port at Rio Janeiro, Brazil, and remained several days, giving the officers an opportunity of seeing the city. Imperial gardens, where all tropical fruits were growing, the ferneries, and other places of interest. Lieut. Woods was taken through the convent of the monks of St. Bernardine and was present at imperial chapel when the Emperor and Empress partook of mid- night mass, the going out of the year of ISIS.
Sailing from Rio Janeiro, they passed near Falkland Island and entered the Strait of Magellen with Patagonia on the right and Torre del Fuego on the left and were one week on the strait, sailing only by daylight and such distances as would insure good harbors by night. There were two convict settlements on the strait and some Indians. The officers enjoyed frequent rambles on the shore. At Valparaiso, Chili, they were shown specimens of gold recently taken from newly discovered gold mines of California. The next point made was Sand- wich Islands, where they arrived in fifty-two days and remained eight, days. They were constantly feted by the king as theirs was the first steamer ever seen by him. The officers gave the queen and king an excursion on board the steamer, accompanied by the royal retinne. The expedition reached the mouth of the Columbia river, May 9th, 1849, six months out of New York and having sailed 22,000 miles. They proceeded up the river ninety miles to Fort Vancouver, then headquarters of the Hudson Bay company, situated on the north bank of the Columbia river in what is now the state of Washington. Here Co. L, to which Woods now belonged, landed, and Co. M were ordered to Puget Sound.
In spring of 1850 Lieut. Woods with Co. L was removed io Astoria, near the north of the river, and from this point Lient. Woods, with two white men and two Indians, attempted to find a practicable way. on road from Astoria to the plains across the coast range of mountains. They found the task more difficult than was anticipated, and the party came near starving to death, living for some time on such provisions as they could find in the woods upon the mountains.
At another time Lient. Woods went in a row boat with the collee- tor of the port of Astoria and a detail of nien in the evening, to sieze a ship for violating the revenue laws. They ran along side the ship as she lay at anchor near the mouth of the river. The collector tried to climb the ladders hanging over the side, but failed, when Lient.
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Woods and one man mounted the ladders and reached the deck when ropes were out by ships crew. The ladders fell into the collectors boat. and he pulled for shore, leaving the Lieutenant on board, but calling back to him that he would come for him in the morning. The ship hoisted anchor and immediately put to sea. The collector procured a pilot boat, armed with a canon, and gave chase, but after a few hours pursuit and firing a few shots the pilot boat gave up the chase. After a tedious run the ship put into a recently discovered bay in the north- ern part of California called Humbolt Bay, where several vessels were loading with timber for San Francisco. On one of these the Lieut. procured passage to San Francisco, and from there secured passage to Astoria, where he arrived after an invohitary absence of six weeks.
In April, 1851, Lient. Woods was ordered with a detachment of men to the Dalles of the Columbia, east of Cascade range, where, in the heart of the Indian country, he commanded a small post for eigh- teen months, the only military post at the time and he the only com- missioned officer between the Cascade mountains and Fort Laramie.
In September, 1852, he returned to Fort Vancouver, which had now become a large post and headquarters of the 4th U. S. Infantry, and at which place was then'st itioned several mon since famous in history, among them U. S. Grant.
In February, 1853, Lient. Woods received orders to report to the superintendent of recruiting service in New York City. He sailed on the 10th of February and reached his destination via San Francisco and Panama.
In June, 1853, he received leave of absence and visited Iowa and bought land in Clinton and Jackson counties. On October 15th, 1853, he resigned his commission in the army and removed to his lands in lowa.
In September he married Miss Kezia Hight in Jones county, Iowa. lle resided on a farm in Jackson county, Iowa, until the rebellion broke ont, when he tendered his services to the governor of lowa and was commissioned Colonel of the 12th Jowa Infantry, October 23d, 1861.
From the organization of the regiment to the siege of Vicksburg, ' the history of the 12th Iowa is Col. Wood's history;during that time he was never absent from his command while they were in the feld as an organization, except for a short time when he commanded the brigade to which the 12th belonged. He was always the same quiet self-possessed commanding officer, yet possessing so little of "show" usual in officers of the regular army, but he attracted attention only by true merit.
Hle was with the regiment in its first move from Dubuque to St. Louis, always present and carefully watching the interests of his men, seeing them thoughtfully provided for during the epidemic of measles and pneumonia at St. Louis. His persistent effort secured their equip-
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ment with the best arms then known in the service, the Entfeld rifle. Ile was with them in their first camp at Smithfield and rode calmly at their head during the effort to reach the rear of Fort Henry in time to capture the fleeing enemy. He shared the same hardships as bis men, at Donaldson lying in the snow and sleet without blanket or fre, and charged bravely at their head when the dual assault was made and received from Col. Cook, commander of the brigade, especial mention for his efficient and gallant services.
At Shiloh he carefully formed his regiment along the old road, and behind the old fence, and having, as he says, received personal in- struction from General Grant to "Hold that position at all hazards," he held it until the enemy had driven baek the troops of Sherman on the right and Hurlburt on the left, thus leaving the 12th lowa entire- ly surrounded. Yet undismayed and perfectly cool, we heard his com- mand as if on parade, "12th lowa, about face! Commerce firing!" and turning found a line of the enemy drawn up in our rear but they were soon broken by our fire, then his command, "By the left flank, double quick, march!" and the first line of the enemy was passed, only to en- counter the second. At this point Col. Woods received two wounds in quick succession, one in the leg, the other in the wrist, s> being dis- mounted he fell into the enemy's hands and was assaulted by some Texas troups with the design of taking his life, but being at that mo- ment recognized by Gen. Hardee with whom he had been acquainted at West Point and m the regular army, he was given a special guard, and his orderly permitted to remain with him. The Col. spent the night on the ground where he fell, exposed to the fire of our gua boats and the drizzting rain. Gen. Prentiss, present at the time of the sur- render and taken prisoner with the rest, speaks in highest terms of the conduct of Col. Woods, and says: " To the persistent fighting of these four regiments, 8th, 12th and 14th lowa, and 58th Ilmois, hold- ing the ground against such .earful odds is due the failure of Beaure- gard to drive our forces into the river." Gen. Tuttle, in his official re- port says: "Col. Woods, of the 12th lowa, partienlarly distinguished himself; he was twice wounded and captured and when the enemy was driven baek on Monday he was re-captured."
When our forces advanced on Monday morning Col. Woods was re- captured and his wour.ds dressed.
Ile was soon after sent North and was immediately detailed on re- cruiting service, remaining on such daty until his regiment was ex- changed, January, 1863, when he immediately took the field again and was soon ordered with his regiment to join Gen. Grant in the field in front of Vicksburg.
Reporting with his regiment at Duekport, La., April 14th, 1863, he was assigned to the command of the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division of the 15th Army Corps. His Brigade consisted of the 8th, 12th and 35th lowa Regiments.
About May 5th he was relieved of the command of the Brigade by
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TWELFTH IOWA V. V. INFANTRY.
Col. Mathias, of the 5th lowa, and returned to the command of his regiment, which he retained during the campaign in the rear of Vieks- burg including the battle of Jackson.
On June ist be again assumed command of the Brigade, and re- tained the command of the Brigade or Division during the remainder of the time of service; his service as commander of the 12th lowa ceas- ing June Ist, 1863.
While in command of the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 15th Army Corps, he served in the siege of Vicksburg, his Brigade, after June 22nd, being stationed along Black river, where very heavy guard and patrol duty was kept until July 4th, when he crossed Black river, and on the 10th formed his Brigade on the left of the main road, and with- in range of Jackson, Miss.
On the 15th of July Gen. Tuttle reported sick, and Col. Woods was assigned to the command of the 3d Division of the 15th Army Corps. On the 16th he moved his Division to the right and relieved Gen. Os- torhaus from a position on the front. On the 17th the rebels evacu- ated Jackson and a few days after the Division returned to Black river, when it went into camp July 25th, Col. Woods remaining in command of the division until relieved by Gen. Asboth some time in October, 1863.
Col. Woods returned to the command of the 3rd Brigade, and No- vember 7th, 1863, was ordered to Memphis, Tenn., and his Brigade as- signed to posts along the railroad from La Grange to Corinth, where they had frequent skirmishes with the enemy.
January 29th, 1864, he was ordered with his Brigade to Black river, Miss., where they were on duty during Sherman's Meridian Expedi- tion.
May 2nd the 3rd Division having been transferred and been desig- nated as the Ist Division of the 16th Corps, was re-organized, the 3rd Brigade composed of the 12th and 35th lowa, 7th Minnesota, and 23rd Missouri, commanded by Col. Woods; Ist Division, commanded by Gen. Mower, left wing of 16th Army Corps commanded by Gen. A. J. Smith.
During the summer they made two expeditions from Memphis to the interior and on July 13th, 14th and 15th, 1861, fought the battle of Tupelo, Col. Woods brigade doing most of the fighting and receiving great credit for efficient services.
Col. Woods commanded his Brigade through Arkansas and Mis- souri in what was known as the Price Raid. At St. Louis, Missouri, Gen. Mower was transferred to Sherman's army at Atlanta, and Col. Woods was assigned to command of Division about October 13th, 1864, and commanded the Division from Jefferson City, during the march to Kansas City and Harrisonville and returning to Sedalia when Gen. McArthur assumed command and Col. Woods returned to command of Brigade.
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Ile commanded the Brigade again during that march through the storms of snow and rain, fording rivers floating with ice, returning to St. Louis, where he arrived Nov. 15th, his Brigade bad marched with- in thirty days 543 miles and within sixty days, 879 miles, and since June 16th, 1409 miles.
At St. Louis Col. Woods was mustered out of service. having served more than the whole term of enlistment, and having illed with credit many important positions, always with acceptability and with honor. He richly deserves, for his services, the recognition which has often been accredited to less merit and more persistent effort for self.
Ilis muster out was deeply regretted by all his old comrades and especially by the men whom he had so often led and who had learned to appreciate the unassuming and quiet, but brave and generous Col. Woods. In the book entitled, "lowa Colonels," has the following: "Col. Woods has a slender stooping form, brown hair, a light complex- ion and mild blue eyes. He is in appearance and in fact the most un- assuming of lowa Colonels. He speaks slowly and kindly, and was ac- customed to give commands with great coolness and deliberation and was never known, even under the hottest fire, to vary in the least the deliberation or the modulation of his orders. He had none of the style or austore manners of the regular army officer, and while very familiar and easy of approach by his subordinates, yet he was a good disciplin- arian, and the men soon learned that he possessed great worth as a commanding officer; and while the bravest and willing to lead his reg- iment to the severest contest yet he was devoid of all rashness that would sacriflee his men without good reason. His services merited recognition at Washington which he never received; but with him, modesty blocked the wheels of ambition. I doubt not that it would be impossible to find any of his superior officers who will say that Col. Woods ever sought promotion or recognition at their hands in any way but by a faithful and earnest discharge of his doties on whatever com- mand he was placed."
After his muster out be removed from the farin, where he had lived when he enlisted, to Maquoketa, where he, in company with W. F. McCarrow, purchased the "Maquoketa Excelsior," and Woods became the editor of that paper and McCarrow the local editor.
In the fall of 1867 Woods sold his interest and moved upon his farm in Clinton county, lowa, but in 1868 he returned to Maqnokela and MeCarrow having failed to make bis payments on the paper and Woods, having to pay the loss, he took the whole paper and published it until May, 1869, when he removed to Montana, Kansas. He bought a farm adjoining the town and entered, with all bis usual thorough- ness, into the business of farming and stock raising.
In 1871 he was on the Board of Visitors at West Point, appointed by U. S. Grant.
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In the fall of 1871 he was one of the three Commissioners, appoint- ed by the Secretary of the Interior, to appraise the Cherokee neutral lands in the Indian Territory, west of the 96th meridian.
Ile was appointed by the president as Receiver of the Humbolt Land District, but declined the appointment. The same fall he was elected to the Kansas Legislature which convened in January, 1872. In March, 1872, he was appointed by the Governor one of the Regents of the State University.
Ile was a member of the Legislature in 1875, and chairman of the committee on Ways and Means.
Hle was an earnest Republican in politics and, although known to his comrades as a man of few words, he became quite a prominent polit- ical speaker, and took a very prominent part in the campaigns of the state, including that of 1888.
During his service he had contracted chronic diarrhea, from which he never recovered, and from which he suffered severely, and continually grew worse until September 27th, 1889, when he died at his home in Montana, Kansas, of hemorrhage of the bladder and blood poisoning. He was buried in Oakwood cemetery, in Parsons, Kansas, the Grand Army of the Republic conducting the services at his burial.
His wife and five children survive bim.
The following letters were received at different times and by dif- ferent persons and will, without doubt. be read with pleasure by you all, breathing as they do the spirit of love and kindly feeling that exists so strongly between old comrades;
CHICAGO, May 25th, 1892.
My Dear Simpson:
Yours informing me that fifty of the comrades of the regiment succeeded in reaching Sioux City, is received. I am glad to know that even that number were present, and that you had such an enjoyable time together.
The reports from so many others who were on the road, and the complete arrangement for our reception by the good people of Sioux City assures us that, but for the floods, the fourth reunion would have been a grand success.
I regret the disappointment which so many of the boys have expe- rienced, and realize very keenly how severe these disappointments have been to them because I felt them myself and all the more keenly, perhaps, because it had been my good fortune to be with the boys in all their marches and engagements from 1861 to 1866, and at all former reunions. If my telegrams were received you know of my va- rious delays by wrecks and washouts and that I finally reached Ma- nilla Junction, only to find further progress utterly impossible.
You know so well the great pleasure I had anticipated in meeting the contrades again that you can in some measure appreciate the feel- ing with which I was compelled to turn back, knowing that the long looked for pleasure of this reunion must be indefinitely postponed.
I heartily approve of your suggestion to publish proceedings and
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hand you herewith the letters of regret received by me. I will, how- ever, be impossible for me to furnish "a synopsis of what I would have said to the boys." If I could have looked into their well-known faces and grasped their strong right bands, in that hearty fraternal greet- ing known nowhere outside the comradeship of the army, the inspira- tion might have given me fitting words of greeting which cannot be produced under the depressing influences of the failure to meet them. You may tell the boys, however, that nothing less than the total des- truction of all the railroad bridges in the country will prevent my presence with them at our next reunion where I hope to meet every one of those who tried to get there in 1892. as well as all other men- bers of the regimeut.
The only report I could have made of "deaths in Co. C since last reunion" would have been to mention reported death of Sergt. Emery Clark and to have stated that the only information I have concerning said death is contained in a letter to me from Bergt. Coates of Co. "I" who was very severely wounded and, like Sergt. Clark, left on the field at Tupelo. His letter contains such a beautiful and touching tribute to Comrade Clark that I submit it as my report, endorsing its senti- ment most heartily, regretting that I am muable, after earnest effort by letters to members of his family and others, 'o give a more com- plete report of the facts concerning the death of this worthy soldier who was left for dead on the field of Tupelo, but survived his wounds and a long imprisonment at Andersonville, to die under the folds of the tag he so loyally defended and within a quiet home provided for the care of wort hy soldiers.
As a report on "Regimental History" I respectfully refer to report. published in proceedings of 3rd reunion on pages 12 and 13. The whole matter is exactly as then reported except that companies "(" and "It" have furnished very complete and acceptable histories of those compa- nies. I earnestly desire that the other companies who have not com- pleted their histories, upon the plan suggested in said report, should do so at once.
With the exception of these Company Histories from a few compa- nies, and some personal sketches which were desired, the material for the history is all arranged, and it only remains for the association to say what shall be done with it. I have the matter in shape so that it, could have been submitted and a chapter or two read if desired in or- der that the members might be able to judge of the accuracy of the detail, and be the better able to determine what they desired to do.
The whole matter will of necessity lay over until next reunion. In the meantime I shall be glad to receive the other contributions promised for the work, all of which will be put away in a safe place, where it may be bad when the association desires to use it, or for ref- erence by future generations, should any of our children desire to know what the Twelfth lowa did actually do towards suppressing the re- bellion. Very truly and fraternally yours,
D. W. REED.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES U. S., WASHINGTON, May 8, 1892. 's Col. James E. Simpson, Norfolk, Nebraska.
MY DEAR COMRADE: Your kind letter of the 13th of March, ask- ing me if I could not be at our reunion on the 18th and 19th to write something for the old comrades of the 12th, was received. I have been too busy to give this request earlier attention. In letters to Comrades Barr and Reed I have said some things which they may feel like reading to the boys.
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TWELFTH IOWA V. V. INFANTRY.
What can I say to them through you? Don't they all know how I feel, and how intensely sorry I am that I can not be with them? To go to Sioux City and return would consume more than a week, and We are right in the midst of the preparation of our appropriation bills, a work that I can not desert, for, as you know, I am the senior of the minority. therefore a duty rests with me that I cannot shirk. 1 some- times feel as though I would break and run, anyhow, to get out there with you.
Four years ago I was kept away from the same cause, and I am get- ting heart-hungry to see the old faces. Do you know, Mr. Simpson, that the older we grow the more we are to each other. The rising generation ean only catch a faint impression of the great period of 61-'5; they do not, they can not, however good of heart and keen of principles, realize and appreciate what the 12th lowa and their com- rades of the Grand Army of the Republic went through. This we must have patience with. Sometimes things are said and done to- wards the old soldier that "hurt me to the quick, " and stir up anger that I would wish to have sleep: things more than cruel are said and done, but I thank my God that all this comes from but a very few. The great body of the American people, old and young, appreciate the mighty deeds of the soldiers of the Union, sympathize with them, and are ready by every kindness to do them justice. The statute books of our country attest the appreciation and generosity of the Nation. Let us not be unmindful of these things. Sometimes, perhaps, we ask too much, and exhibit too much our self-appreciation of what we did. The little button on the lapels of our coats is a modest thing, but it tells of a mighty history; fet us imitate its modesty. We will thus impress ourselves and our deeds upon the memories of the people.
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