USA > Iowa > Clinton County > Wolfe's history of Clinton County, Iowa, Volume 1 > Part 9
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This company, the first of the many sent from Clinton county to defend the Union, was enlisted for three months; but, upon their arrival at Keokuk, it was announced that no more three months' enlistments were being accepted, and the term must be for three years unless sooner discharged. An eye-wit- ness thus described the scene when this announcement was made: "Tuesday, at nine A. M., we were suddenly called into line, and our lieutenant read to us the articles of war and explained to us that we were to be sworn in for three years, unless sooner discharged. An opportunity was then given to leave the ranks to any one who did not wish to take the oath under those conditions. No one left the ranks. We then broke ranks, and on being called together at eleven o'clock A. M., one of the number did not wish to go, stating that he could not be away from his family for so long. We had pretty fairly dis- cussed the three-year question before, and, although some seemed to think that some fair ones would be looking for them before that time, all came to the conclusion that they must wait. Country first, and then home and those who make it, recognizing 'without a country, there is no home.'" At twelve
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o'clock they took their stand in line, the oath was administered, and Clinton county had given its first company of brave men into the service of the United States. Out of this company the first soldier fell, Corporal Albert E. Winchell, who was killed by the accidental discharge of a comrade's musket while the company were on scouting service in Missouri, June 27, 1861. After arduous service for the term of their enlistment, many of the members who survived returned home in the summer of 1864, and those who re-enlisted were consolidated into six companies, known as the Second Iowa Veteran Infantry, under Lieut .- Col. N. B. Howard, and in November following the veterans of the Third Iowa were merged with them, with Colonel Howard in command.
Meanwhile, W. E. Leffingwell and others were engaged in raising a com- pany of cavalry, which was then known as the "Hawkeye Rangers." This company furnished their own horses and accouterments." Many of the horses were sold by the farmers to the young men who had more courage than cur- rency, upon securities that would give a bank discount clerk "awful pause." The ranks of this company were soon filled to one hundred strong, and on the 25th of July left for the rendezvous at Burlington. As indicated above, the company was raised and equipped without state or government aid, and was the first fully equipped company of cavalry raised in Iowa. It became Com- pany B, First Iowa Cavalry, and was officered as follows: Captain, W. E. Leffingwell; first lieutenant, S. S. Burdette; second lieutenant, William H. DeFreest.
July 24, 1861, the company was presented with a beautiful flag of blue silk, and bordered with golden stars, the name of the company being displayed upon the one side, while the reverse bore the name emblematically represented by a hawk and an eye. In the talons of the bird was the motto, "We will meet you on the border." Their departure is described as follows: "At an early hour on Thursday morning, the bugle sounded the assembly, and in a very short time the barracks were astir with the preparations for departure. There was but one attempt at cheering that we heard, the feelings of the people being entirely too much wrought up to indulge in a hearty cheer. With the disastrous results of the last few days in full recollection, all felt that going forth to war was no trifling matter." This was on July 25th, only four days after the disastrous battle of Bull Run. The company marched overland to Burlington, and there became Company B, First Iowa Cavalry.
At or about the same time, a company of cavalry with the nom de guerre of "Black Plume Rangers" was being recruited at Clinton. This com- pany was filled, and, on September Ist, they departed for the rendezvous,
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joining the First Cavalry as Company M, with the following officers: Cap- tain, W. H. Ankeny; first lieutenant, James Crissey ; second lieutenant, J. P. Crosby.
The next organization from this county was Company A, Eighth In- fantry. This company was raised in Camanche, Eden, De Witt, Orange and Center principally, and was mustered in September 5, 1861. The command- ing officers were: Captain, Charles Stearns, De Witt; first lieutenant, Henry Muhs, Camanche; second lieutenant, Hezekiah Browning, De Witt.
In a little more than a month later, October 22, 1861, still another com- pany took the field. A portion of this organization, however, was composed of men from Linn county. The officers who went out with this command were: Captain, John C. Marvin, Clinton; first lieutenant, William T. Bagley, Mount Vernon; second lieutenant, Robert L. Wilson, Cedar Rapids, and was mustered in as Company K, Tenth Infantry.
Within less than a month, November 15, 1861, Company A, Fifteenth Infantry, was mustered into the service. This company was recruited by Captain Josiah Kittle; first lieutenant, William Swansen; second lieutenant, Jesse Penniman, all of Lyons, and who went out in command of the company, and Sergeant (afterward Lieutenant) John F. Evans and Sergeant Alonzo Hatfield, both of De Witt. All these gentlemen had been detailed on this service. This company was raised in Lyons and about De Witt, though there were men in its ranks from various townships in the county, and they made a brilliant record during their service.
The next organization to take the field was one recruited by John H. Smith and M. D. Madden, and was commanded as follows : Captain, J. Henry Smith, Camanche; first lieutenant, W. H. Hoyt, Camanche; second lieutenant, M. D. Madden, Lyons. This company has been called the "Lion Company of Clinton county," and this without disparagement of any of the other com- panies, none of whom made other than a proud record. This regiment gained notice for its terrific fighting, and at Atlanta nearly the whole regiment was captured. Captain Smith, with some of his comrades, escaped from the rebel prison hell and, after the most terrible hardships, reached the sea-coast and found refuge on a Union war vessel. The whole command re-enlisted and served until the close of the war. This company was mustered in, December 10, 1861, as Company A, Sixteenth Infantry. It was recruited in Camanche and Lyons, although of course the surrounding townships contributed largely to the ranks.
On the 28th of February, 1862, another company was mustered in. This was known as Company F, Sixteenth Infantry, and the following officers went
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to the field with it: Captain, Edward S. Fraser, Davenport; first lieutenant, Josiah Heavner, Wheatland; second lieutenant, Peter Miller, Lyons. This company was raised in Wheatland and vicinity and Lyons and vicinity, with a portion of the command from Scott county.
On the 25th of August, 1862, the Twentieth Infantry was mustered into the service. There was not strictly a Clinton county organization in it, al- though many men from the county enlisted in its ranks, the regiment being raised in Scott and Linn counties. Among the officers were Surgeon A. O. Blanding, Lyons; First Lieut. B. J. Jordan, Wapsie, Company F; Sec- ond Lieut. Frederick E. Starck, Clinton, in Company G.
A number of men from this county were also in Company A, Twenty- fourth Infantry, which was raised in Linn, Scott, Cedar, Jackson and Jones counties. The officers of Company A were: Captain, S. H. Henderson, Sabula ; first lieutenant, Charles Davis, Deep Creek; second lieutenant, George W. Davis, Deep Creek. This company was mustered in September 18, 1862.
From this brief record we find that ten companies, wholly or in part composed of Clinton county men, had taken the field within about eighteen months from the first call for troops. The returns made by the enrolling officers September 13, 1862, give the total number of men between the mili- tary ages in the county as four thousand seven hundred and forty-one, with seven hundred and twenty exempt for cause, leaving the total military list lia- ble to service in the county, four thousand and twenty-one; and the report further shows that already one thousand four hundred and fifty-nine volunteers had taken the field, or nearly one-third of the able bodied men who were in the county when the enlistment begun. Every township, city and hamlet had contributed to this army of patriotic defenders of their country.
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Still the cry came for more men, and, though prolonged and dishearten- ing campaigns had decimated and thrice decimated the ranks of those who had early rushed into the struggle, and the conflict grew vaster and the peril more deadly, the hearts of the people did not falter, and hundreds of brave men stood ready to fill the shattered ranks and take the places of their fallen friends and townsmen.
In 1862 it was determined to raise a full regiment in the county, to be known as the Clinton County Regiment. With already depleted numbers, it seemed that this was a sacrifice beyond the ability of the people to bear. To do this was to call for the service of every third able bodied man within the limits of the county. However, recruiting began at once, and, on the 30th of September, 1862, the Twenty-Sixth Iowa Infantry was mustered into the service with full ranks. The roster of the field and staff officers was as fol-
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lows : Colonel, Milo Smith, Clinton; lieutenant-colonel, Samuel G. Magill, Lyons; major, Samuel Clark, De Witt; surgeon, A. F. Hudson, Lyons; assist- ant surgeon, William MacQuigg, Lyons; additional assistant surgeon, George F. Wetherell, Lyons; chaplain, Rev. John McLeish, Clinton; quartermaster, Joseph H. Flint, Lyons.
Company A was composed largely of men from the northeastern town- ships of the county and the adjoining vicinity in Jackson county, and was recruited by and mustered into service under command of the following offi- cers : Captain, Sherman R. Williams, Lyons; first lieutenant, Asa Franklin, Lyons; second lieutenant, A. D. Gaston, Lyons.
Company B was nearly all of it from Jackson county, having been recruit- ed and mustered in by the following officers: Captain, James W. Eckles, Maquoketa; first lieutenant, Alva Wilson, Maquoketa; second lieutenant, Thomas B. Harrison, Maquoketa.
Company C was largely from the city of Clinton. Its officers were: Captain, George W. Johnson, Clinton; first lieutenant, Peter L. Hyde, Clin- ton; second lieutenant, James McDill.
Company D was raised in De Witt, Washington and Waterford, and in its ranks were many Irish patriots who took arms in defense of their adopted country. Its officers were : Captain, Nathaniel A. Merrill, De Witt; first lieutenant, James H. Runyon, De Witt; second lieutenant, James F. Gilmore, De Witt.
Company E was a German company, largely made up of citizens of Lyons, Elk River and Deep Creek. It was mustered in under command of Captain John Lubbers, Lyons; first lieutenant, Edward Svendsen, Elk River ; second lieutenant, Preban Hansen, Deep Creek.
Company F was raised in De Witt, Olive and Orange townships prin- cipally. Its officers were: Captain, Joel B. Bishop, De Witt; first lieutenant, William R. Ward, De Witt; second lieutenant, Silas Freeman, De Witt.
Company G was an Irish company and was recruited in and about Lyons and from around the mouth of the Maquoketa. Its officers were: Captain, James A. Heavey, Lyons; first lieutenant, John Quinn, Lyons; second lieu- tenant, Phillip MacCahill, Lyons.
Company H was recruited in the vicinity of De Witt. Its officers were : Captain C. M. Nye, De Witt; first lieutenant, James S. Patterson, De Witt; second lieutenant, John Barrett, De Witt.
Company I was raised from Wheatland and the townships of Spring Rock, Liberty, Berlin and a few men from the border of Cedar county. Its officers were: Captain, Edwin A. Wemple, Wheatland; first lieutenant,
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John L. Steele, Wheatland; second lieutenant, Edward W. Bennett, Wheat- land.
Company K was raised in Lyons, Deep Creek, Elk River, Washington, and Waterford townships principally. Its officers were: Captain, Nelson C. Roe, Lyons; first lieutenant, Nathan D. Hubbard, Deep Creek; second lieutenant, Lucian Pomeroy, Lyons. The Twenty-sixth Regiment was mus- tered June 6, 1865.
The last company to be raised in the county was Company A, Sixth Iowa Cavalry, which was mustered on January 31, 1863. Its officers were : Captain, John Galligan, Clinton ; first lieutenant, John M. Gates, De Witt; second lieutenant, Simon J. Toll, Lyons.
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Taking into account the fact that many scattering men had enlisted in other organizations and in batteries and in the naval service, it may be pre- sumed that Clinton county had furnished over 2,500 volunteers. But not- withstanding this great number of men who had voluntarily gone into the service, the requirements of the general government were not satisfied, and in September, 1864, the draft, which the people had made so great sacrifices to avoid, was made, and about two hundred men were drawn for service from Clinton county.
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Meanwhile the women were equally as earnest and enthusiastic as their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers. Soldiers' Aid and Relief Societies were organized in the towns and townships of the county, and systematic work inaugurated and carried forward for providing the volunteers in field and in hospital with the necessaries and luxuries they so much wanted. Clothing, bed-clothing, cots, slippers, books, papers, delicacies were forward- ed in unlimited quantities. It will never be possible to fully estimate the mighty impulse given to the cause, of the encouragement afforded to the soldiers enduring the hardships of the campaign, or the privations and dis- piriting surrounding and sufferings in the hospitals, by the women of the north, by their indefatigable labors.
The board of supervisors took action at a special session held July 5, 1861, and voted $5,000 to equip and uniform the "Hawkeye Rangers," which vote had only two dissenting voices. This money was expended by a special committee of their number, viz: James Van Deventer, George Griswold and John F. Homer, who so faithfully executed their trust as to receive a vote of thanks from their associate members. On September 30, 1861, the following resolution was unanimously passed :
"That each supervisor be and is hereby appointed a committee to provide
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relief in his township to the destitute family of any volunteer who is now or may be engaged in the military service of the state or the United States."
This was continued throughout the war, being broadened in its scope at the September session, 1862, to include the needy families of those who had died in the service as well as those serving.
On the 11th of August, 1862, the supervisors, or a majority of them, informally pledged a bounty of seventy-five dollars to each volunteer who had entered the service prior to that time; and, at the September session, the mat- ter being brought up for official action, it was found that this could not be legally done. The board immediately prepared a memorial to the Legisla- ture, then in session at Des Moines, praying for proper legislation to permit the granting of such bounty and dispatched one of their number to urge its immediate passage, and at the October term the provisions of the resolutions were extended to include the soldiers of the Twenty-sixth Regiment, which had just taken the field, and passed. About seventy-five thousand dollars were disbursed under this resolution.
In January, 1864, a new stand of colors was voted to the Twenty-sixth Regiment by the board with appropriate resolutions.
It does not come within the province of this work to write of the his- tory of the companies or of the Clinton County Regiment during their service. Suffice it is to say that on many a well-fought field the brave soldiers who went from Clinton county honored their state and their county, and made a glorious record for organized and individual bravery, while hundreds laid down their lives in defense of their country's flag.
Fourteen years have passed since the last foe laid down his arms; the great armies disappeared like the morning dew, and today we meet all about us engaged in the quiet avocations of merchant, professional man, husband- man and mechanic, men who have passed unflinchingly through more terrific scenes than veterans of historic time and received more terrible baptisms of shot and shell than Napoleon's "Old Guard." The weeds of the widow, mother and daughter have well-nigh disappeared, yet thousands of hearts still hold enshrined the memory of those of their household who sleep in soldiers' graves in cemetery or unmarked trenches on Southern batlefields.
"On Fame's eternal camping ground Their snowy tents are spread, And glory guards with solemn round The bivouac of the dead."
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CLINTON COUNTY SOLDIERS.
From out the less than nineteen thousand population that Clinton county had in 1860, the year before the war commenced, she sent about two thousand of her brave sons to the front to defend the Union. The county then con- tained but little over five thousand voters. Indeed this is a military record worthy of being proud of by veterans and sons of veterans who are still hon- ored citizens among us today. The roster of names is never an interesting subject for the average reader of a local history, hence the fairly correct list of all soldiers from Clinton county in the Civil war will be omitted here. The state is now re-compiling an authentic work on this line, in which those inter- ested may find any special information needed. The state, having appropri- ated a sufficient sum of money to compile such reports, roster and history of every county in Iowa, will doubtless supply each county, through its officers and public libraries, with a set of the records, when issued; hence in this work only the crystalized facts about these many commands will be touched upon.
It must be stated, though, as a matter of local history, that there were soldiers, more or less, in the following regiments, companies and divisions from Clinton county :
. Second Infantry, represented by men in five companies. Eighth Infantry, represented in three companies.
Eleventh Infantry, represented in two companies.
Fifteenth Infantry, represented by men in two companies. Sixteenth Infantry, represented by men in six companies.
Eighteenth Infantry, represented by five companies.
Twenty-fourth Infantry, represented by men in three companies.
Twenty-sixth Infantry, represented by men in ten companies; this was Col. Milo Smith's famous Clinton County Regiment. Forty-first Infantry, represented by men in three companies.
Forty-fourth Infantry, represented by men in three companies.
First Cavalry, represented by six companies. Second Cavalry, represented by four companies.
Sixth Cavalry, represented by men in two companies.
Seventh Cavalry, represented by men in four companies.
MISCELLANEOUS COMPANIES.
Aside from the above regular commands, there were Clinton county men who served in the following: Fifth Infantry, Seventh Infantry, Ninth In- fantry, Twelfth Infantry, Thirteenth Infantry, Sixteenth Infantry, Twentieth
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Infantry, Twenty-first Infantry, Twenty-second Infantry, Twenty-third In- fantry, Twenty-seventh Infantry, Forty-sixth Infantry, Forty-eighth Infantry, Fourth Cavalry, Eighth Cavalry, Ninth Cavalry, Fourth Battery, and also in the following Illinois regiments; Forty-third, Forty-sixth, Forty-seventh, Forty-eighth, Fifty-eighth and Sixty-sixth Infantry.
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.
The sinking in Havana harbor of the war vessel "Maine," and the Span- ish misrule over her subjects in Cuba, were the direct causes for the declara- tion of a war against the Spanish government, in the spring of 1898. The fol- lowing is the proclamation issued by President William Mckinley :
"Whereas, a joint resolution of Congress was approved on the twentieth day of April, 1898, entitled 'Joint resolution for the recognition of the inde- pendence of the people of Cuba, demanding that the government of Spain relinquish its authority and government in the island of Cuba, and to with- draw its naval forces from Cuban waters, and directing the President of the United States to use the land and naval forces of the United States to carry these resolutions into effect; and
"Whereas, by an act of Congress entitled 'An act to provide for tempor- arily increasing the military establishment of the United States in time of war and for other purposes,' approved April 22, 1898, the President is author- ized, in order to raise a volunteer army, to issue his proclamation, calling for volunteers to serve in the army of the United States :
"Now, therefore, I, William Mckinley, President of the United States, by virtue of the power vested in me by the constitution and the laws, and deeming sufficient occasion to exist, have thought fit to call forth volunteers to the aggregate number of one hundred and twenty-five thousand, in order to carry into effect the purpose of the said resolution; the same to be ap- portioned, as far as practicable, among the several states and territories and the District of Columbia, according to population, and to serve for two years, unless sooner discharged. The details of this object will be immediately communicated to the proper authorities through the war department.
"In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
"Done at the city of Washington, this twenty-third day of April, A. D. 1898, and of the independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-second. WILLIAM MCKINLEY.
(Seal. )
"By the President :
"JOHN SHERMAN, Secretary of State."
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Anticipating a call for troops by the President, General Order No. 15, dated April 21, 1898, was issued, to prepare the National Guard for speedy mobilization. All members who had family ties which would be detrimental to their volunteering in the United States service were ordered discharged at once, as were the men under the age of twenty-one years, who could not pro- cure the written consent of their parents or legally appointed guardians, and all who could not pass the rigid examination required by the General Order No. 14, series 1898. Company commanders were ordered to enlist their com- panies up to not less than forty-five men, who, if ordered into the field, would go, enlistments being confined to ex-members of the Guard and men who had received military training.
The state fair grounds at Des Moines were secured for the mobilization or camp of the troops. Gen. J. R. Lincoln, inspector-general, had been selected as commander of the camp, and Maj. J. T. Davidson, assistant in- spector-general. The barns and grounds were cleaned up and made ready for the reception of the troops. This was all preliminary.
On April 23, 1898, the President of the United States made a call for one hundred and twenty-five thousand volunteers, yet Iowa had not been called upon. April 25th, 1898, the companies of the National Guards had been as- sembled in the armories awaiting orders to move, each company provided with two days' rations. Train service had been arranged for over the rail- roads of Iowa and cars were in waiting. Not until six o'clock P. M. did we receive the telegram (says the report) from the war department.
Then followed the order, wired, and followed up by mail, from General Alger, secretary of war.
On the evening of April 25, 1898, telegrams were sent to all the forty- eight companies composing the four regiments of Iowa National Guards, and to the regimental officers, to report without delay at Camp Mckinley, Des Moines, state fair grounds. All the regiments reported April 26, 1898, and the work of organization began. Capt. J. A. Olmstead, Ninth United States Cavalry, was appointed by the war department mustering officer for the state. At first only three regiments were called for from Iowa, but all four were on hand at Camp Mckinley, and it took some days before the department changed the orders and allowed all four to enter the service.
In designating these regiments of National Guards when they became real United States soldiers, it was decided to make their numbers a continua- tion of the series of the Civil war regiments from Iowa. The First Regiment, therefore, became the Forty-ninth Iowa Infantry Volunteers; the Second be- came the Fiftieth Regiment; the Third became the Fifty-first Regiment ; the
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