USA > Iowa > Roster and record of Iowa soldiers in the War of the Rebellion : together with historical sketches of volunteer organizations, 1861-1866 > Part 46
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"War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 13, pages 188, 9.
War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 13, pages 212 to 216 in- . clusive.
6Iowa and the Rebellion, by L. D. Ingersoll, 1866, Second Edition. J. B. Lippin- cott & Co., Philadelphia.
6Lieutenant Colonel Henry H. Trimble resigned September 4, 1862, and Major H. C. Caldwell was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel September 5, 1562. Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 2, page 451.
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The official reports and correspondence in which Lieutenant Colonel Cald- well and his detached command are mentioned-always most favorably-are numerous, and the compiler regrets that his limitation of space will not permit him to make, further quotations from them."
On February 4, 1862, the eight companies composing the first and third battalions of the regiment, under command of Colonel Cyrus Bussey, were or- dered to proceed from Benton Barracks to Rolla, Mo., at which place they ar- rived on the 6th. A few days later orders were received from General Halleck to detail two companies to garrison the post at Salem, Mo., twenty-five miles southeast of Rolla. Companies I and K, under command of Major William C. Drake, were selected for this duty and, like the Second Battalion, were destined to a long separation from the rest of the regiment. On February 11, 1862, Colo- nel Bussey received an order from General Curtis, couched in the following language: "Come on by short route; make forced marches to overtake me." The commander of the post at Rolla telegraphed General Halleck, asking to have General Curtis' order countermanded, as he was apprehensive of an at- tack and needed all the troops then at the post to defend it. Other troops were forwarded to take the place of the cavalry companies and, on the morning of February 14th, Colonel Bussey left Rolla with the remaining six companies of his regiment. The weather was very cold, the roads were bad, forage was scarce, and this first long march was prosecuted under many difficulties. Knowing that General Curtis was pursuing the rebel army, that he needed re- inforcements and that a battle was impending, Colonel Bussey pushed forward, night and day, only making brief halts to enable the men to procure food for themselves and horses, and reached Springfield, only to find the army gone. Leaving Company L, as a garrison at Springfield, the march was continued with the remaining five companies until the night of the 18th, when, after a march of over two hundred miles in four days, Colonel Bussey joined the army of General Curtis at Sugar Creek, Ark., with Companies A, B, C, D and M, of the Third Iowa Cavalry. After a brief rest, the detachment accompanied an expedition to Fayetteville, Ark., which captured that town, drove out a force of the enemy, killed one man and captured fifty.
From the 22d of February to the 4th of March the detachment was kept upon the move, reconnoitering towards the Boston Mountains, where the enemy were concentrating a large force. On the night of the 5th of March, the enemy, 40,000 strong, were reported advancing. The army was ordered back to Sugar Creek, a distance of twelve miles. General Sigel's division, while falling back in obedience to orders, on the morning of March 6th was attacked by the ene- my, and the cavalry brigade, commanded by Colonel Bussey, (of which the five companies of the Third Iowa Cavalry formed a part,) was ordered to rein- force him. The brigade moved promptly and soon met the wounded which were being sent to the rear. This was the first experience of the detachment under fire. A running fight ensued and was kept up until the enemy abandoned the pursuit, within a few miles of the position occupied by the rest of the army at Sugar Creek. In this engagement the loss was considerable on both sides.
On the morning of March 7, 1862, the hard fought battle of Pea Ridge be- gan. The official report of Colonel Cyrus Bussey shows how gallantly the five companies of the Third Iowa Cavalry fought during the battle, and the impor- tant service they rendered in the subsequent pursuit of the enemy. Besides the five companies, A, B, C, D and M, of the Third Iowa Cavalry, consisting of two hundred and thirty-five men and officers, the Colonel, as the ranking officer of the brigade, had under his command during the battle the following forces:
"War of the Rebellion Official Records, Reports and Correspondence, Series 1, Vols. 1, 13, 22, 34 and 39. Series 2, Vols. 1 and 4.
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The Benton Hussars, under command of Colonel Nemett; four companies of the First Missouri Cavalry, under command of Colonel Ellis; two companies of the Fremont Hussars, under command of Lieutenant Howe, and three guns of Captain Elbert's battery. His report describes at length and with particularity of detail all the movements of his command during the battle and the pursuit which followed.8 The report covers the operations of all the troops under his command, the following extracts referring only to the most conspicuous portion of the service rendered by the companies of his own regiment.
After describing the preparatory movements and the taking of positions assigned to the different organizations of his command, Colonel Bussey thus de- scribes the opening of the battle in his front:
At this point we came within full view of the enemy's cavalry passing along about a half mile distant to the north. No other force being dis- covered, the three guns were immediately advanced by General Osterhaus, who was present and in command, about two hundred yards, and immediately opened fire on the cavalry of the enemy on the road to the northwest. One company of the First Missouri Cavalry was in line of battle on the left of the guns and one company of the same troops on the right. The companies of the Third Iowa Cavalry were formed in line of battle in rear of the guns, parallel with the road and facing to the north. While forming the Benton Hussars in line on the right of the Third Iowa Cavalry and facing the west, I was ordered by General Osterhaus to send two companies of the Third Iowa Cavalry down the road to the west, to charge the enemy's line at a point supposed to be about a half mile distant. This order was communicated by me to Lieutenant Colonel Trimble, who immediately advanced with columns of fours, which was necessary, the road leading along a fence on the south and thick brush and woods on the north. The Benton Hussars were now in line about one hundred yards to the right and rear of the battery of three guns, and the Fremont Hussars were yet in column of fours at the edge of the prairie, having just arrived on the ground. The Third Towa Cavalry galloped down the road, and going beyond the edge of the woods or timber on the west side of the prairie they unexpectedly found themselves in front of several lines of infantry heretofore unseen, and who were drawn up in line to the front and right of our men, at short musket range. The companies of the Third Iowa Cavalry were immediately wheeled into line facing the enemy, it being impossible for them to advance in column farther. when they at once received a deadly fire from the near and overwhelming nunibers of the foe, who were also partly con- cealed and protected by the woods and brush. A large number of my men and horses were here killed and wounded, and Lieutenant Colonel Trimble, at the head of the column, was severely wounded in the head. This fire was returned by the Third Iowa Cavalry from their revolvers with considerable effect. Just at this moment a large force of the enemy's cavalry charged from the north upon different portions of our cavalry line, and, passing through the lines, went into the fields in our rear. The Third Iowa Cavalry companies now charged this cavalry force, and an exciting running cavalry fight ensued between these forces, the enemy fleeing and being pursued by my men to the south. The enemy was followed in this direction by the Third Iowa Cavalry alone to the brush on the other side of the large open fields. The loss of the enemy in this running fight was very heavy, and estimated by me, from the most reliable information I have been able to obtain, at eighty-two.
After seeing the cavalry mentioned in line, I sent Adjutant Noble, who had remained with me on the field during the whole time, to bring up the companies of the Third Iowa Cavalry to our new position, they having pursued the enemy through the fields as above stated and not yet made their appearance. He soon returned with all the companies, having met them coming in perfect order to the place desired, the companies having returned towards the camping ground, Major Perry being in command (Lieutenant Colonel Trimble having been wounded early
SWar of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 8, pages 232 to 236 in- clusive.
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in the engagement, as heretofore mentioned). The enemy immediately advanced to the western edge of the field in which our new position was taken, when a gen- eral engagement ensued. A force of the enemy made their appearance evidently endeavoring to turn our left flank. I sent the Third lowa Cavalry to support Colonel Ellis. When our force appeared the enemy withdrew, were followed by Colonel Ellis about two miles, and did not again show themselves in this quartor. The Third Jowa Cavalry were then formed in line of battle im- mediately in rear of the artillery, and maintained this position until the close of the action, when they were ordered to conduct a battery to re-enforce General Carr, who was still engaged on the right. 1 went with them, leaving the remainder of the cavalry force under the command of General Osterhaus. This was at 5 o'clock P. M. The accompanying report of the killed, wounded and missing of the Third Iowa Cavalry is hereby refered to as part of this report.ยบ The loss of the other forces will be reported to you by their immediate commanders. . On reporting to General Carr, in pursuance of the order requiring me to do so, my companies took position on the right in rear of our batteries, where we remained until after the darkness of night closed the action of the 7th. On the morning of the Sth, pur- suant to order, I went with my command, now being the five companies of the Third Iowa Cavalry, into the field on the road leading to the Elkhorn Tavern, and was then ordered to take position on the right flank, where the enemy was ex- pected to attack. This position was held by my command, with other cavalry forces. until the retreat of the enemy after the middle of the day. . In pursuance of your direct order,10 my command, at 2 o'clock P. M., started in pursuit of the enemy to- . wards Keetsville, on the road leading east, and continued to be thus engaged until night. I took fifty-nine prisoners, with some horses and arms, on this expedition. .
In conclusion, I beg leave to express my satisfaction with the conduct of my own men, who, in their first action, having been the first and most directly of the cavalry forces engaged with the enemy, and suffered a severe loss from an unex- pected fire, yet evinced great coolness and courage in their attack upon the foe; and although the loss of my command is greater in proportion to my force than perhaps any other engaged, being twenty-four killed, seventeen wounded, and nine missing, out of two hundred thirty-five men and officers, yet it was retaliated upon the rebels by a loss to them of double that number.11 You will perceive that eight of my men were scalped. That their brave comrades fighting in support of our national banner, the emblem of all that is good and great in the present civilization of the world, should thus be butchered and mangled by rebel savages has excited among my men an indignation that will, I assure you, exhibit itself on every field where they may in future be allowed to engage the enemy, in a relentless determination to put down the flag that calls to its support bands of rapacious and murdering Indian mercenaries. I have to acknowledge valuable assistance rendered me on the 7th by Adjutant John W. Noble, who acted that day as my Aide.
Appended to this report is the following supplementary report of the Ad- jutant:
The killed were buried on Saturday after the battle was over and the pursuit ended. Hearing it reported by my men that several of the killed had been found scalped, I had the dead exhumed, and on personal examination I found that it was a fact beyond dispute that eight of the killed of my command had been scalped. The bodies of many of them showed unmistakable evidence that the men had been
"War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. S, page 206. Tabulated Returns of Casualties in the Army of the Southwest.
10The five companies of the Third Iowa Cavalry and the other organizations under the command of Colonel Bussey, on March 7th, had not been assigned prior to the battle, and were therefore formed into a temporary brigade, of which he was placed in command. Not belonging to a brigade or division organization, he there- fore made his report direct to Major General Samuel R. Curtis, the Commander in Chief of the Army of the Southwest, from whom he received the order referred to on the morning of March 8, 1862.
11The total loss of the brigade was eighty-two, while that of the Third Iowa Cavalry was fifty. See War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. S, page 206.
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murdered after they were wounded; that first having fallen in the charge from bullet wounds, they were afterwards pierced through the heart and neck with knives by a savage and relentless foe. I then had the bodies re-interred, each in a separate grave, properly marked.
By order of
COLONEL CYRUS BUSSEY. JOHN W. NOBLE, Adjutant.
There were numerous other official statements and affidavits corroborating those of Colonel Bussey and Adjutant Noble, as to the commission of these atrocities by Indians who were regularly enrolled in the rebel army. The five companies of the regiment had acquitted themselves with credit in this great battle. They had demonstrated their ability to endure hardships and their willingness to perform their whole duty under the most adverse conditions. On the 12th of March, 1862, Companies D and M were ordered to proceed to Rolla as guards to prisoners sent to that place. They performed the march of three hundred miles and returned to Springfield, arriving there on the 1st of April. On April 20th, Company D returned to the detachment with General Curtis' army. Companies L and M were subsequently ordered to Lebanon, Mo., under command of Major C. H. Perry, who was assigned to the command of that post. These companies were employed constantly during the summer guarding trains from Rolla to Springfield and had several encounters with the enemy, in all of which they were victorious. In the meantime, Companies I and K, had been stationed at Salem, Mo., from which place they performed important service, which may be summarized as follows: Scout of detachment of twenty- five men, under command of Adjutant Cutler, to the head of the Marvamec, a distance of fifty miles; encountered a force of the enemy and captured eighteen rebels, including a captain and lieutenant.
On the 20th of February, 1862, Major Drake with his command attacked a force under the rebel Colonel Coleman, at West Plains, Mo., killing and wound- ing twenty-five men and capturing sixty prisoners and a large number of horses and arms. Between the 20th and 28th, these companies were scouting the country and almost every day had encounters with the enemy. On the 8th of March, 1862, Major Drake's detachment joined the battalion of the Sixth Mis- souri Cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Wood and, a few days later, these two detachments started in pursuit of a rebel force, which they overtook near Spring River Mills, just across the border in Arkansas. After a severe en- gagement the rebel force was defeated with a loss on the Union side of three killed and twenty-one wounded and a loss to the rebels estimated at one hun- dred. In his official report of this engagement, Lieutenant Colonel Wood makes special mention of the gallant conduct of Major Drake, Adjutant Cutler and others of the Third Iowa Cavalry detachment.12 Major Drake rejoined the regi- ment with his detachment about the 1st of April, near Forsyth, Mo. The com- panies of the regiment now attached to General Curtis' army were kept actively employed in scouting, from the 6th of April to the 1st of May, while that army was on the march by way of Cassville, Forsyth, Osage, and West Plains and Sa- lem, to Batesville. a distance of nearly three hundred miles, over mountains and rivers, and through a country almost destitute of supplies. The regiment made numerous expeditions, watching the movements of the enemy, but not coming into contact with any considerable force until May 30th, on which date it had a severe skirmish with a rebel force at Sylamore, fifty miles above Batesville, on White River. The enemy was defeated with considerable loss, including
12 Adjutant General's Report, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 943-949. Reports of this and other engagements of the Third Iowa Cavalry.
.
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twenty-five prisoners, fifty horses, arms and other property. The loss of the Third Iowa Cavalry was as follows: Sergeant S. B. Millan, killed; Captain Israel Anderson and Private Joseph T. French, severely wounded.
On the 1st of June, the Third Iowa Cavalry was assigned to the First Division, commanded by General Steele, and ordered to Sulphur Rock, where it remained until June 22d, when it was ordered to Jacksonport, from which place on June 27th, Lieutenant Alvin H. Griswold, with twenty men of Company K, was detailed to guard a forage train and, while engaged on this duty, was at- tacked by a party of the enemy concealed in ambush near the road over which the train was passing. Lieutenant Griswold and his small force made a gallant resistance and saved the train from capture, but nearly one-half of the detachment were killed and wounded. Those killed were Lieutenant Alvin H. Griswold, Corporal Thomas Wasson and Private Richard Leike; the wounded were James M. Beacom, Edwin Beckwith, Wesley Pringle, James Marsh and Marcus Packard. In officially reporting this loss, Colonel Bussey says: "Lieu- tenant Griswold was a most faithful and efficient officer, and a gentleman, whose loss will be deeply felt by a large circle of friends in the regiment and in Iowa, where he leaves a wife and two children."
On the 1st of July the army again advanced. The Third Iowa Cavalry was kept well to the front and had its full share of duty in scouting and skirmish- ing. On the 7th, Matthew D. Williams, of Company C, was killed. On the 8th, the army arrived at Clarendon. The weather was intensely hot, the supply of rations nearly exhausted, the water was bad, and the soldiers suffered greatly from sickness and the heat. Colonel Bussey was now in command of the Third Brigade, First Division, and Major Drake was in command of the regiment. The army left Clarendon July 11th and, in three days, reached Helena. During the remainder of the summer the regiment was engaged in scouting the country from White River to the St. Francis, having frequent skirmishes, but meeting no considerable force of the enemy. On the 10th of September the regiment was transferred to First Brigade of the Division and, on October 1, was trans- ferred to the Third Brigade of the Fourth Division. During the months of September, October and November, the regiment was very actively en- gaged, marched several hundred miles, and captured many prisoners and a large number of horses and other valuable property.
On the 20th of September the Third Iowa Cavalry formed a part of a force of two thousand cavalry under command of Colonel Bussey. This force was attached to the troops under General Hovey in his expedition against Ar- kansas Post. The expedition involved great hardship, Colonel Bussey's force marching through almost impassable cypress swamps to Prairie Landing, on White River, where he expected to meet the troops of General Hovey, which were being conveyed on transports; though, owing to low water, the latter could not get up the river, and the original plan of the expedition was abandoned. Colonel Bussey's force marched back through the swamps to Montgomery's Point and from thence to Helena, where he joined the army under General Steele. He then crossed the Mississippi River at Friars' Point and advanced by way of Coldwater to Grenada, where he burned the railroad bridge and destroyed a portion of the track, thus inflicting great damage to the enemy's line of transportation. On his return he was attacked by a force of the enemy near Panola and, after a severe skirmish, defeated him. In this skirmish Company D, of the Third Iowa Cavalry, lost four men, captured by the enemy. The command was again attacked near Coldwater, but drove off the enemy and arrived at Helena after an absence of two weeks. A large number of horses were captured on this expedition.
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The army was reorganized on the 16th of December, by General Gorman, who had assumed command at Helena. The Third Iowa Cavalry was trans- ferred to the Second Cavalry Division of the Army of the Tennessee, commanded by Major General C. C. Washburne, and, with five others, formed the Second Brigade of that division. On the 10th of January, 1863, the army was ordered to proceed against Little Rock, Ark., but, just as the division was ready to march, the order was countermanded, so far as Colonel Bussey's command was concerned, he having been assigned to the command of the District of Eastern Arkansas. Major William C. Drake died of disease on the 24th of November. By his death the regiment lost a faithful, brave and accomplished officer. The command of the regiment then devolved upon Major O. H. P. Scott. During the winter the regiment performed its usual work of scouting and watching the movements of the enemy, but it was not until the 5th of March that any considerable force was encountered. Upon that date the regiment routed a considerable force near Madison, Ark., and captured a number of prisoners. On the 4th of April, Lieutenant Niblack, Company D, with twenty-five men charged a rebel force at Madison, killed and wounded a number and captured fifty-six prisoners. The remainder of the rebel force, over one hundred, was driven off. In the charge Lieutenant Niblack was severely wounded. With the prisoners, horses, arms and other property were captured.
Major General Prentiss was now in command of the army at Helena. On the 6th of April, 1863, Colonel Bussey, who had commanded all the brigades with which his regiment had served, was assigned to the command of the Second Cavalry Division, Army of the Tennesee, relieving General Washburne, who was ordered to Memphis. The rebels were concentrating in force on White River and their scouting parties were frequently seen in the vicinity of Helena. When not on scouting duty, the regiment, under the direction of Major Scott, was engaged in strengthening the defenses of Helena. On the 21st and 27th of April, detachments of the regiment had skirmishes with scouting parties of the enemy. On May 1st. Captain J. Q. A. De Huff, of Com- pany B, with one hundred and sixty men of the Third Iowa Cavalry, was sent on an expedition to the town of La Grange, for the purpose of observing the movements of the enemy. When within a mile of the town, Captain De Huff's detachment encountered a force of the enemy posted in the woods on either side of the road. A brisk engagement ensued and, just as the enemy in front were beginning to give way, another force of the enemy's cavalry charged the rear of the detachment, thus putting them between two fires of an over- whelming force. In this desperate situation Captain De Huff realized the danger of the capture of his entire command. The following extract from his official report will show how the engagement terminated : 13
My force had expended their revolver and most of their carbine fire, and it became evident I must retire or be completely overwhelmed. I got my men into column and directed them to the left, falling back through the timber a distance of some three miles. The enemy pursued with vigor. but were kept in fear of too near approach by the firing of the reloaded carbines of my rear guard. Some of my men were also able to reload their revolvers and discharge them at the enemy. Making a circuit I again came to the La Grange road, to the rear of the place of attack about four miles. My men had become somewhat scattered, and, on coming into the La Grange road, I retired toward Helena, until reinforced by the remainder of the regiment and the Fifth Kansas Cavalry. We then advanced to the place of conflict, and found the enemy had fled, taking with them their dead and wounded. The loss on our side was three killed, eight wounded, thirty missing,-probably taken prisoners, -- total forty-one. Among the wounded are Regimental Adjutant Glenn Lowe and
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