November 22, 1906
_____
9:00 A. M.
Music: Fifty-fifth
Iowa Regimental Band
“Nearer, My God, To
Thee”
Invocation:
Rev. Dr. A. L. Frisbie
of Des Moines, Iowa
“We give unto thee, O God, our thanks that we are permitted
to gather in the beautiful sunshine of today, to dedicate to good men and brave
men and true men and patriotic men, these monuments. In the name of the Lord
God of Hosts, Iowa here dedicates them to the memory of these men. May it be
that from this day and from these exercises and from all that shall be carried
back to our state from the influence and the ceremonies of these days, there
may be awakened a deeper spirit of patriotism, a deeper consecration to the
great ends for which governments are established among men. We rejoice that the
efforts of these men, who here surrendered their lives, were not in vain. We rejoice
that if they know now anything of the result of their sacrifices, they are
permitted to rejoice that they did not die in vain.
“We pray that thy blessing may be upon our state, upon her
families, her youth, her soldiers, and may we so learn the duties of citizens
and be so inspired by the spirit of patriotism, so appreciative of the higher
virtues of citizenship, that we shall be truly a greater people than we have
yet been, learning lessons of the past, and made rich in the wisdom which is
from above.
“Lord, accept our thanks and our petitions, and give us the
help that we need, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
Address:
Lieutenant John Hayes,
Sixteenth Iowa Regiment
Comrades, Ladies and
Gentlemen:
Upon a Sabbath morning in the long ago, a body of newly made
soldiers disembarked at Pittsburg Landing, marched by companies to the brow of
the hill, for the first time received ammunition, were told how to load the new
Springfield muskets which had been given them at St. Louis but a few days
before, and then formed as a regiment under the banner of the Sixteenth Iowa
Volunteers.
This, the last Iowa regiment enrolled under the call of '61,
had been a long time “filling up,” as the phrase was. Fall and winter had
passed since the first companies went into camp and the regimental organization
had been completed only thirteen days before this eventful morning, so that a
common prophecy, “the war will end before the men reach the field,” which had
been derisively hurled at the “Sixteenth” for months, seemed in a fair way to
be fulfilled.
But all such delusions were now swept away by the warlike
surroundings, the roar of artillery and the order to march which quickly
followed — for the battle of Shiloh had begun.
About ten o’clock the regiment emerged from the timber at
the northeastern part of this open field — now known as Jones’ Field. It moved
westerly about half across the field, then took a southerly course, descended
into the draw, and after briefly halting there again moved forward. Preceded by
the Fifteenth regiment, it was marching by the flank, or, as known in present
tactics, in column, and the band was playing, “The Girl I Left Behind Me.” The
officers supposed that they were being conducted to join McClernand's division,
but soon after passing the draw, the regiment was opened upon by the enemy's
artillery and musketry from the timber toward which it was marching. It
advanced further, then formed line of battle, and after some confusion of
orders took a position here. At times lying down and at times standing, the men
fought as best they were able, some seeking the protection of a fence which
then bordered the field. No support at right of them, no support at left of
them, other than the Fifteenth regiment, while a Confederate battery and
infantry in the timber at their front dealt destruction to the command. In an
hour or more a retreat was ordered, and the regiment retired with a loss of 131
men.
Of these, some found here a soldier’s sepulchre; some
stricken unto death were removed from this locality and in hospital passed
away; some incapable of further service sought their homes, there to nurse
their wounds till life’s sad end, while others, restored, rejoined their
command and with it moved onward through death-dealing camps to further
conflicts, to wearisome marches and long campaigns.
To Corinth, to Iuka, to Vicksburg, to Kenesaw, to Nickajack,
to Atlanta — names that in memory stand for agonies endured, for battles,
sieges, prison pens which typified the hell of war. Then onward in the historic
march to Savannah, to Columbia, to Bentonville, to Raleigh, and with the
conquering hosts to share in the Grand Review at the National Capital.
Only a fraction of the Union army, its organization 926, its
subsequent enlistments 521, in all 1,447 men, followed the Sixteenth flag.
Among them, during the years of their service, there were 859 casualties
classified as “killed, wounded, died of wounds, died of disease, and discharged
for disability,” and there were 257 captures, making total casualties 1,116.
What sorrows at home and in the field these numbers speak. They tell of days of
pain and nights of anguish, of broken hearts and grief which knew no end.
And death and suffering like this, a thousand times
multiplied, befell the great Union army, — 360,000 dead at the close of the
war, of which Iowa gave 13,000 young lives.
“Spreading the board, but tasting
not its cheer,
Sowing, but never reaping;
Building, but never sitting in the
shade
Of the strong mansion they have
made.”
A grateful commonwealth has erected this monument thus to
honor her sons, who, for love of country, fought and suffered here. So long as
it endures, it will stand a witness to the patriotic fervor which inspired the
high resolve to maintain the American Union; a witness to lofty purpose
faithfully executed; to sacrifices unto death.
For all the kindness a dear state has shown to those who
followed the colors of her Sixteenth regiment, and for this testimonial to their
fidelity, they who remain of that command, for themselves, and for voiceless
comrades, extend a loving acknowledgment.
SOURCE: Alonzo Abernathy, Editor, Dedication
of Monuments Erected By The State Of Iowa, p. 203-6
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