USA > Iowa > Roster and record of Iowa soldiers in the War of the Rebellion : together with historical sketches of volunteer organizations, 1861-1866 > Part 4
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12
HISTORICAL SKETCH
dangerous duty was gallantly performed. The command reached Clarendon, on White River, on the 9th of August, and there joined the army under command of General Steele. The movement of the combined Union forces against Little Rock now began.
On August 13th, Captains McQueen and Jones, with 170 picked men of the First Iowa Cavalry, were embarked on a gunboat and barges, with orders to proceed down White River, effect a landing on the west side and made a recon- naissance, in order to find where the main body of the enemy was encamped. A landing was effected at Aberdeen, in presence of a rebel picket post. Leaving the gunboat at anchor in White River, for a cover in case of retreat, the de- tachment dashed through the country to the westward, commenced to drive the rebel pickets within half a mile of the place of landing, and moved up the river, behind the line of rebel pickets stationed along the river, to Devall's Bluff, a distance of 55 miles, then moved west through Brownsville, eluding the superior forces of the enemy by shifting positions during the night, until ascertaining beyond a doubt that the rebel encampment was on Bayou Metoe. The detachment then countermarched, keeping under cover of the timber as much as possible, until a superior force was discovered marching on the prairie which had to be crossed. The detachment charged from the timber, taking the enemy unprepared; a running fight for five miles ensued, the rebels making a rapid retreat. The detachment then re-embarked and arrived at Clarendon the evening of the 15th. The whole army crossed White River on the 18th, and the cavalry division arrived at Brownsville on the 25th. where a brisk engagement ensued, in which the First Iowa Cavalry had the advance, driving the enemy into their encampment beyond Bayou Metoe. In the engagement which fol- lowed on the 27th, the First Iowa, under command of Colonel Anderson, charged the rebels, driving them across Bayou Metoe, and following them to the end of the bridge in face of a heavy fire of artillery and musketry from the enemy posted on the other side, with the hope of saving the bridge,-the only means of crossing the deep and sluggish bayou,-but were unable to do so, as the rebels had prepared combustible material, which was lighted quickly and the bridge destroyed. In this engagement the regiment had 37 men killed and wounded, the heaviest loss they had thus far sustained in any single encounter with the enemy. The officers and men behaved with the greatest gallantry. Colonel Anderson had his horse shot under him while leading his men in the charge.
The cavalry division now moved southward; a pontoon bridge was laid across the Arkansas River during the night of September 9th, and, on the morning of September 10th, the cavalry led the way across the bridge and brought on the engagement which resulted in the capture of Little Rock about sunset of that day. After crossing the river, the First Iowa was actively en- gaged throughout the day, and recaptured two howitzers which had been taken by the enemy during the early part of the engagement. The regiment now went into camp near Little Rock, where it remained during the following winter in comparative quiet. Scouting parties and guards to forage trains had occasional skirmishes with the enemy, in which the casualties were not heavy, but there was much sickness and many died from malarious diseases, while many others were months in a state of doubtful convalescence. Among the latter was Cap- tain A. G. McQueen, who, on account of a severe attack of typhoid fever, was for months prevented from participating in the operations of the regiment, and who twice tendered his resignation in order to give his position to some one who was in physical condition to discharge the duties of the office; but, as a just recognition of his value as an officer, his resignation was not accepted, and an order was issued detailing him as Senior Inspector General of Cavalry for
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FIRST CAVALRY
the Military Division west of the Mississippi, and assigning him to duty at New Orleans, La., until his health should have been sufficiently recovered to enable him to rejoin his regiment and resume active duty in the field. The regiment was thus able to retain the services of one of its most capable and efficient officers, who subsequently won well deserved promotion and became its Com- mander.
On the 8th of December, Captain Jenks, with a detachment of 250 men of the regiment, made an attack on a rebel encampment and captured 39 men and a considerable amount of camp equipage. Colonel Gower having resigned, Lieutenant Colonel Anderson was promoted to Colonel, Major Caldwell to Lieutenant Colonel, and Captain McQueen to Major.
During the early part of 1864 a sufficient number re-enlisted to entitle the regiment to assume the title of a veteran organization. According to the terms of their re-enlistment, the men were entitled to a thirty days' furlough in the State of Iowa, but the conditions then existing imperatively demanded their presence in the field, and it was more than a month later when those who sur- vived were permitted to enjoy the brief visit to their homes. The regiment started on the march to Camden on the 22d of March, 1864. Owing to the great scarcity of forage, many horses had died during the winter, and about 400 men were without mounts and compelled to march on foot. The regiment was much of the time in advance of the army, and, on March 30th, had a brisk engagement with the enemy, and again on April 2d, when it engaged in a running fight for five miles, driving the enemy before it. and again, on April 4th, when the enemy made a stubborn resistance, inflicting a loss upon the regiment of 39 men, killed and wounded. The regiment was the first to enter the rebel works at Prairie d'Ane. On April 15th the mounted men were again ordered to the front and skirmished with the enemy for six hours, when, by order of General Rice, the dismounted men were brought to the front and de- ployed as skirmishers, and the enemy was driven back through the city of Camden. It will thus be seen that, upon this important expedition, the First Iowa Cavalry had done its full share of the fighting and had fully sustained its reputation for bravery and efficiency. The object of the expedition having been accomplished, the veterans of the regiment, 520 in number, were ordered to proceed to the State of Iowa on furlough. The following extract from the order of the division commander will serve to show the high estimation in which the regiment and its gallant Lieutenant Colonel was held:
"V. The Brigadier General commanding the division has been highly gratified with the cheerfulness and alacrity shown by the regiment under the particular hardships of this campaign, as well as its handsomely sustaining the reputation for bravery which belongs to Iowa troops.
VI. To Lieutenant Colonel Caldwell, the division commander is under obligations for the skill and bravery he has shown as commander of the Third Brigade, and especially for his untiring energy and hearty, cordial, and ef- fectual co-operation in the plans of the campaign.
By order Brigadier General E. A. Carr,
C. H. DYER, A. A. G."
The veterans, having sold their horses to the Government, started from Camden on foot, on the 24th of April, on their way to Little Rock, from which point they were to be furnished with transportation to Davenport, Iowa. On the march to that place, however, they twice encountered the enemy,-first at Mono River, near Mark's Mills, on April 24th, and last in the battle at Jenkins' Ferry, on Saline River, on April 30th, arriving at Little Rock on the 2d day of May, 1864. There the non-veterans (those who had not re-enlisted) remained,
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HISTORICAL SKETCH
while the veterans (those who had re-enlisted) were given a thirty days' fur- lough and departed for their homes in Iowa. Here let it be said that, while the distinctive title of "Veterans" was bestowed upon the men who were willing to continue in the service of their country until the close of the war, and was an honorable distinction well deserved by them, their comrades who had faithfully complied with the terms of their enlistment, and who preferred to return to their homes when their three years' term of service should expire, were not subjecting themselves to criticism by declining to re-enlist. They, too, were veterans, in fact if not in name, and, having been true to the obli- gations they had voluntarily assumed, could return to their homes and receive the full meed of thanks and honor which was freely accorded them by their State and Nation.
The veterans arrived at Davenport on May 17th, where they received a royal welcome. They were given furloughs for thirty days, and, at the expira- tion of that time, re-assembled at Davenport, and were soon on their way south to rejoin their comrades at Little Rock; but, upon their arrival at Cairo, Ill., were ordered to return to St. Louis, where they were supplied with horses and camp equipage and were sent into North Missouri, where they were again di- vided into detachments and stationed at different points along the railroad, for the purpose of guarding the road against incursions of rebel bands, who were constantly making raids to capture trains and both army supplies and other freight passing over the road. While upon this duty the veterans lost seven men killed and several wounded. It was a repetition of their past experience in Missouri, and they found the conditions that existed during the summer of 1861 but little changed. In their ignorance and desperation the rebels refused to recognize the hopelessness of their cause and were most bitter and unrelenting in their hatred and cruelty toward Union citizens and their families, and it was their custom to give no quarter to the Union soldiers who fell into their hands.
On the 1st of October, 1864, the veterans were relieved by other troops, and, marching to Jefferson City, were there assigned to General Sanborn's Brigade and at once moved against their old enemy, General Sterling Price, who, with his rebel army, had again invaded Missouri. After the battle of Boonville, in which the veterans of the First Iowa Cavalry participated, they were retained on duty at Major General Rosecrans' headquarters, as escort, scouts and couriers, until the end of the campaign. They then returned with General Rosecrans to St. Louis, remaining there for a few weeks and receiving a complete outfit of everything necessary for another extended campaign. They were then conveyed to Cairo, by rail, and thence, by steamer, to Little Rock, arriving there on the 29th of December, 1864, and rejoining the non-veteran portion of the regiment, from which they had been so long separated. The non-veterans had, in the meantime, been under the command of Major J. D. Jenks, and had performed active and efficient service in the country surrounding Little Rock; had been engaged in numerous skirmishes, and had received the commendation of the General commanding for their faithful performance of duty. Their term of service having expired, the non-veterans were mustered out of the service at Little Rock and returned to Iowa, while the recruits were assigned to the companies of the veteran organization.
The beginning of the year 1865 found the veteran regiment united, well mounted and equipped, ready and willing to perform its full share in crushing out the great Rebellion, which was everywhere on the wane, and which it was rov evident could not continue throughout the year. The very desperation of their cause, however, seemed to inspire the enemy with a fixed purpose to fight to the last, and fight they did until their resources were entirely exhausted.
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FIRST CAVALRY
Lieutenant Colonel McQueen was now in command of the regiment. On January 14, 1865, a detachment of the First Iowa, together with detachments from other regiments of the division, all under the command of Major James D. Jenks, of the First Iowa, was ordered to proceed to Dardanelle, about 100 miles up the Arkansas River. The troops were conveyed by boats. After ef- fecting a landing, Major Jenks at once led his command against a force of the enemy 1,600 strong, and, after a brisk engagement, defeated them. For his suc- cessful management of the expedition Major Jenks was given the brevet rank of Lieutenant Colonel. On January 22d the regiment, together with other troops, moved against a rebel force encamped near Camden, and, after a brief engage- ment, defeated them, capturing a number of their men and horses. Lieutenant C. W. W. Dow was particularly commended for his gallantry and efficiency in leading the advance guard on this expedition. The names of the killed and wounded in these and subsequent engagements will all be found noted in the subjoined Roster.
On February 12, 1865, the regiment received orders to proceed to Memphis, Tenn., and, conveyed by transports, reached that city on the 20th, remaining there until March 4th, when it became part of a cavalry force which went in pursuit of the rebel General Forrest. During this expedition Lieutenant Col- onel McQueen, with a detachment of the First Iowa, met and defeated a por- tion of Forrest's command on the Tallahatchie River. The regiment returned to Memphis on February 22d. It then moved to Collierville, Tenn., and, from its camp at that place, sent out detachments in pursuit of the roving bands of the enemy who still infested the country, killing many and finally dispersing them.
The rebellion was now practically suppressed, and it seemed that the Government might soon be able to dispense with the service of the regiment, and the men were looking forward with fond anticipation for the order for their discharge. This hope was rudely dispelled, however, when orders were received for the First Iowa, Fifth and Twelfth Illinois, Second Wisconsin and Seventh Indiana Cavalry Regiments to embark on transports, proceed to Alex- andria. La., and there report to Major General G. A. Custer for further orders. The command arrived at Alexandria June 22d, 1865, and on the following day General Custer issued an order, the strict enforcement of which brought great hardship and humiliation upon the splendid regiments composing his command. The full details of the terrible experience through which the regiment passed while under command of this Martinet of the Regular Army are given in the report of Lieutenant Colonel A. G. McQueen to the Adjutant General of Iowa, including copies of official orders, affidavits and correspondence upon the sub- ject, in which the honor of the regiment is most completely vindicated.ยบ
General Custer was a brave and dashing cavalry officer who had won dis- tinction in the eastern army for his efficient services in many battles, but he had been trained in a severe school of discipline and was utterly unfit for the command of volunteers, under the conditions that existed at the close of hostilities. He lacked the essential qualifications-kindness of heart, tact and good judgment of human nature-which would have enabled him to enforce a proper degree of discipline, and, at the same time. have secured the respect and attachment instead of the cordial hatred of the men under his command. His reckless bravery later cost him his life, and that of every man under his command, when he made an attack with an inferior force upon an overwhelm- ing force of Indians, under the command of the famous chief, "Sitting Bull," on the northwestern frontier. It is altogether to the credit of the men and officers
'Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1867, Vol. 2, pages 514-538, inclusive.
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HISTORICAL SKETCH
of the First Iowa Cavalry that they were able to submit to the cruel indigni- ties to which they were subjected while under the command of General Custer, instead of being driven to open insubordination and revolt. Every true soldier understands the necessity for discipline in an army, and yields willing obedi- ence, even when the discipline is more severe than necessary, and enforced in the most unpleasant manner by a tyrannical officer. It was a new and hard experience for these brave men, and the official records show that they submitted to it rather than have the history of their service tarnished by a single act of insubordination.
From the 22d day of June to the 8th of August the regiment remained at Alexandria, when it started on the march to Texas. It was halted at various points in that State until November 4th, on which date it arrived at Austin, the Capital of the State, where the headquarters of the regiment were maintained during the remainder of its service. Detachments were stationed for a few weeks at a time at different county seats, from the borders of the Indian Nation to the southern portion of the State, for the purpose of preserving order and assisting the civil authorities in the discharge of their functions, and the en- forcement of the laws in the trial of offenders by the courts, which could only be done by the presence of soldiers. The turbulent character of a large part of the population, and the demoralization resulting from a long continued war, rendered the presence of soldiers necessary for the protection of the lives and property of the better class of citizens who were endeavoring to secure the res- toration of the functions of civil government. The First Iowa Cavalry con- tributed its best efforts to accomplish this desirable result.
On the 15th day of February, 1866, the regiment was mustered out of the service of the United States at Austin, Texas, and, four days later, started for Davenport, Iowa, where it arrived on the 13th of March. On the 16th day of March, the officers and men received final payment, the regiment was disbanded and all returned to their respective homes, to resume the peaceful avocations they had abandoned when they responded to the call of their country. Lieuten- ant Colonel McQueen, who was in command of the regiment at the time it was mustered out, says, in closing its official history :
"Lieutenant Henry L. Morrill, Regimental Adjutant, is particularly de- serving of honorable mention for his long and efficient services as an officer and soldier, and especially for the valuable aid rendered in superintending the making out of the final muster out papers of the regiment."
The final paragraph in the history has deeply impressed the compiler of this sketch. It reads as follows:
"On account of not having the regimental records at hand many deeds of individual heroism, which might with propriety be mentioned, are omitted in this history. The number and names of those belonging to the regiment, who died and were killed in battle, have already been reported to your office, and I will trust to the pen of the future historian to speak, so their immolation will not be forgotten."
The compiler deeply regrets his inability to fulfill the trust thus imposed. While he had much of the experience which pertained to the common lot of the soldier who served from the commencement to the close of that great war, the infantry organization to which he belonged was never in close proximity to the First Iowa Cavalry, and he has no personal knowledge of the deeds of individual heroism of its members; but, if he had such knowledge, or had been able to obtain it from others, the limitations under which this sketch has been compiled would preclude the reference to such cases, beyond the very limited number found in the official reports. The brief paragraphs opposite the names contained in the subjoined Roster must therefore suffice. The official records
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FIRST CAVALRY
from which the Roster is compiled give only a brief summary of the facts connected with the service of each member of the regiment, but they are the only source of information to which the compiler has had access. While some errors and omissions will no doubt be found, it is believed that, in the main, the records have been correctly kept, and that this compilation will preserve to posterity the record of these brave men of Iowa, who, nearly half a cen- tury ago, went forth to fight the battles of their country. In conclusion, it may be justly claimed for the First Iowa Cavalry-as an organization-that it made a record second to none in the long list of splendid Iowa regiments which won glory and honor for State and Nation in one of the greatest wars in history.
SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.
Total Enrollment
.2,115
Killed
49
Wounded
88
Died of wounds.
21
Died of disease.
189
Discharged for wounds, disease and other causes.
241
Buried in National Cemeteries 143
Captured
22
Transferred
39
FIRST REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER CAVALRY
Term of service three years.
Mustered into the service of the United States at Burlington and Davenport, Iowa, on dates ranging from July 30 to September 12, 1861, by Captain Alexander Chambers, United States Army. Mustered out of service Feb. 15, 1866, Austin, Texas.
Roster of Field, Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Staff Officers at muster in of organization, together with subsequent appointments from civil life.
FIELD AND STAFF.
Fitz Henry Warren. Residence Burlington, nativity Massachusetts. Ap- pointed Colonel June 13, 1861. Promoted Brigadier General United States Volunteers July 16, 1862.
Charles E. Moss. Residence Keokuk, nativity Connecticut. Appointed Lieutenant Colonel June 13, 1861. Resigned June 28, 1862.
Edwin W. Chamberlain. Residence Burlington. Appointed Major June 13, 1861. Resigned April 4, 1863.
James O. Gower. Age 27. Residence Iowa City, nativity Maine. Promoted Major from Captain of Company F, Sept. 1, 1861. Promoted Colonel Aug. 26, 1862. Resigned Aug. 20, 1863.
William M. G. Torrence. Age 37. Residence Keokuk, nativity Pennsylvania. Promoted Major from Captain of Company A, Oct. 26, 1861. Resigned May 3, 1862.
Joseph C. Stone. Age 33. Residence Iowa City, nativity New York. Pro- moted Adjutant from Hospital Steward Oct. 7, 1861. Mustered out April 10, 1862.
Martin L. Morris. Age 45. Residence Iowa City, nativity Pennsylvania. Promoted Quartermaster from Company F, Aug. 14, 1861. Mustered out April 10, 1862.
Henry L. Dashiell. Age 26. Residence Albia, nativity Kentucky. Pro- moted Commissary from Company H, Aug. 26, 1862. Mustered Oct 29, 1862. Resigned Dec. 5, 1864.
(18)
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FIRST CAVALRY
David A. Kerr. Age 22. Residence Keokuk, nativity Illinois. Promoted First Battalion Adjutant from First Sergeant of Company A, Oct. 7, 1861. Mustered out Sept. 16, 1862. Re-entered the service as Ad- jutant Oct. 1, 1862. Resigned Feb. 6, 1863.
James M. Bryan. Age 25. Residence Indianola, nativity Ohio. Promoted Second Battalion Adjutant from First Sergeant of Company D, Oct. 7, 1861. Mustered out Sept. 16, 1862.
Henry K. Robinson. Age 18. Residence Lyons, nativity Illinois. Promoted Third Battalion Adjutant from Company M, Oct. 7, 1861. Resigned May 1, 1862.
John A. Landis. Age 26. Residence Martinsburg, nativity Ohio. Promoted First Battalion Quartermaster from Company I, Oct. 7, 1861. Mus- tered out April 10, 1862. See Company D, Eighteenth Infantry.
Charles A. Case. Age 36. Residence Lyons, nativity Connecticut. Pro- moted Second Battalion Quartermaster from First Sergeant of Company M, Oct. 7, 1861. Mustered out April 10, 1862.
William H. Muzzy. Age 25. Residence Clayton County, nativity New York. Promoted Third Battalion Quartermaster from Quartermaster Sergeant of Company K, Oct. 7, 1861. Mustered out April 10, 1862.
Milton B. Cochran. Age 35. Residence Iowa City, nativity Vermont. Ap- pointed Surgeon July 29, 1861. Mustered Aug. 5, 1861. Resigned for promotion as Assistant Surgeon United States Volunteers, Aug. 1, 1864.
David B. Allen. Age 37. Residence Indianola, nativity Ohio. Appointed Assistant Surgeon Aug. 3, 1861. Resigned for promotion as Surgeon of Thirtieth Infantry, April 21, 1863.
John A. Ladd. Age 29. Residence Wheatland, nativity New York. Ap- pointed Assistant Surgeon from Hospital Steward of Twenty-sixth In- fantry, April 17, 1863. Mustered May 22, 1863. Resigned Sept. 27, 1863.
Abram B. Hershe. Age. 29. Residence Muscatine, nativity Pennsylvania. Appointed Assistant Surgeon Oct. 3, 1863. Appointment declined and commission cancelled Feb. 10, 1864.
John I. Sanders. Age 33. Residence Iowa City, nativity Indiana. Ap- pointed Assistant Surgeon Jan. 20, 1864. Mustered Feb. 26, 1864. Dismissed Nov. 10, 1864.
Charles R. Bosbyshell. Residence Glenwood. Appointed Additional Assist- ant Surgeon April 21, 1862. Appointment declined April 28, 1862.
Charles H. Lothrop. Age 31. Residence Lyons, nativity Massachusetts. Appointed Additional Assistant Surgeon May 14, 1862. Promoted As- sistant Surgeon Feb. 1, 1863; Surgeon July 2, 1864. Mustered out Feb. 15, 1866, Austin, Texas.
Asa Morgan. Age 38. Residence DeWitt, nativity Ohio. Appointed Assist- ant Surgeon Dec. 17, 1864. Mustered Jan. 6, 1865. Discharged for promotion as Surgeon of Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, May 6, 1865. See Field and Staff, Seventh Infantry.
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