Showing posts with label 10th IL CAV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 10th IL CAV. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Diary of 4th Sergeant John S. Morgan: Tuesday, July 28, 1863

10. Ill cav. up. 2 co. of 1st Iowa from Davidsons comd who is 80 miles out in this A. M. Troop reported up White river in transport

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 7, January 1923, p. 493

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

10th Illinois Cavalry

Organized at Camp Butler, Ill., and mustered in November 25, 1861. Moved to Quincy, Ill., December 20, thence to Benton Barracks, Mo., March 13, 1862. Moved to Springfield, Mo., April 4. Attached to District of Southwest Missouri, Dept. of Missouri, to October, 1862. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Frontier, Dept. of Missouri, to December, 1862. Unattached, Army of the Frontier, to February, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of the Frontier, to May, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, District of Southeast Missouri, to August, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Arkansas Expedition, to December, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Army of Arkansas, to January, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 7th Army Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to May, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 7th Army Corps, to September, 1864. 3rd Brigade, Cavalry Division, 7th Army Corps, to February, 1865. 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division, 7th Army Corps, to April, 1865. 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Military Division West Mississippi, to May, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Military Division West Mississippi, to July, 1865. Dept. of Texas to November, 1865.

SERVICE.--Near Waynesville, Mo., May 31, 1862 (Co. "K"). Neosho May 31. Expedition to Keittsville, Mo., July 8-20. Near Fayetteville, Ark., July 15. Moved to Vera Cruz August 10, to Marshfield August 16, and duty there, operating from Springfield to Cane Hill, Ark., till November 13. Marsh field, Mo., October 20 (Detachment). Clark's Mills, Douglass County, November 7 (Co. "C"). Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark., December 7. 3rd Battalion (Cos. "C," "F," "I" and "M") moved to Fayetteville, Ark., December 8, and duty there till March, 1863, rejoining Regiment in Missouri. Expedition over Boston Mountains to Van Buren December 27-29, 1862 (Cos. "B," "E," "H" and "L"). 2nd Battalion (Cos. "B," "E," "H" and "L") moved to Huntsville January, 1863, and joined Totten. Moved to Flat Creek February, 1863, thence to Rolla, Mo. Scout from Fayetteville to Van Buren January 23-27, 1863 (3rd Battalion). Mulberry Springs January 27. Scout from Fayetteville to Arkansas River February 5-12 (3rd Battalion). Thelkelds' Ferry February 6. Near Van Buren February 10. Operations against Marmaduke April 17-May 2. Jackson April 26. At Pilot Knob till July. Steele's Campaign against Little Rock July 1-September 10. Bayou Metoe, or Reed's Bridge, August 27. Bayou LaFourche and capture of Little Rock September 10. Pursuit of Price September 11-13. Near Little Rock September 11. Duty at Little Rock till March, 1864. Steele's Expedition to Camden March 23-May 3. Elkins' Ferry April 3-4. Prairie D'Ann April 9-13. Jenkins' Ferry, Camden, April 15. Near Camden April 20. Jenkins' Ferry, Saline River, April 30. Operations against Shelby north of the Arkansas River May 13-31. Scouts from Huntersville and Clinton June 4-17. Operations in Arkansas July 1-31. Near Huntersville July 8 (Detachment). Near Little Rock July 10 (Detachment). Bayou des Arc July 14. Duty at Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Brownsville and in the Dept. of Arkansas to November, 1865. Expedition from Little Rock to Little Red River August 6-16, 1864. Expedition from Little Rock to Searcy, Fairview and Augusta in pursuit of Shelby August 27-September 6, 1864. Expedition from Pine Bluff September 9-12. Near Monticello September 10 (Detachment). Brewer's House September 11 (Detachment). Expedition from Brownsville to Cotton Plant October 26-November 2 (Detachment). Expedition from Brownsville to Fairview November 28-December 8. Duty in Arkansas till June 6, 1865. Moved to Shreveport, La., June 6-17, thence marched to San Antonio, Texas, July 8-August 1; duty there till November, 1865.

1st Battalion (Cos. "A," "D," "G" and "K") detached and ordered to Join Gen. Curtis June 15, 1862. Reported at Jacksonport, Ark., July 4, 1862. Attached to Army of Southwest Missouri and District of Eastern Arkansas to December, 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. of the Tennessee, to May, 1863. Detached Brigade, District of Northeast Louisiana to June, 1863. Unattached, 13th Army Corps, to July, 1863.

SERVICE.--March to Helena, Ark., July 4-12, 1862. Action at Cotton Plant, Ark., July 7. Moved to Oldtown Landing August 6, and duty there till October. Moved to Helena October 6. Expedition to mouth of White River November 16-20. Washburn's Expedition to Oakland, Miss., November 27-December 7. Oakland December 3. Arkansas Post, Ark., January 11, 1863. Yazoo Pass Expedition February 24-April 8, 1863. Siege operations against Vicksburg, Miss., April to July. Near Richmond, La., June 6. Milliken's Bend and Young's Point, La., June 6-7. Expedition from Young's Point to Richmond June 14-16. Richmond June 16. Moved to Helena, Ark., July, and rejoined Regiment near Wittsburg, Ark., August 1, 1863. Regiment mustered out November 22, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 1 Officer and 24 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 262 Enlisted men by disease. Total 290.

SOURCE: Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, Part 3, p. 1028-9

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Twentieth Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry

The ten companies which were assigned to the Twentieth Regiment were ordered into quarters by the Governor on dates ranging from July, 15 to August 15, 1862. The designated rendezvous was Camp Kirkwood, near Clinton, Iowa, and there the companies were mustered into the service of the United States on the 22d, 25th and 27th days of August, 1862, by Captain H. B. Hendershott, of the United States Army. The aggregate strength of the regiment at muster in was 904, rank and file [see note 1]. Like most of the regiments which had preceded it, the Twentieth had but a brief opportunity for instruction before leaving the State. It was armed with Enfield rifles, (at that time considered one of the most effective weapons,) was furnished with the usual equipment for active service, and, on the 5th of September, was conveyed down the river by steamboat to St. Louis, and upon its arrival there went into quarters at Benton Barracks, where it remained but a short time, and proceeded thence to Rolla, Mo., arriving there September 14th, and, two days later, started upon the march for Springfield, Mo., where it arrived September 24th, having covered a distance of 122 miles. In this, their first experience in marching, the men . suffered much hardship, because of the fact that they had not yet become inured to the exposure and fatigue of an active campaign. It was their first lesson in the hard school of the soldier in time of war. Fortunately for the regiment, Colonel Dye had been a Captain in the Regular Army and was a thoroughly trained soldier, and a few others among the officers and men had seen service as volunteers in other Iowa organizations. Having a leader with a military education and with the help of those who had had some actual experience in warfare, the officers and men made rapid progress in learning their duties as soldiers.

Upon its arrival at Springfield, the regiment was assigned to a brigade consisting of the Twentieth Iowa, First Iowa Cavalry, Thirty-seventh Illinois Infantry, and one section of the First Missouri Light Artillery. This was the Second Brigade of the Second Division of the Army of the Southwest, commanded by General J. M. Schofield. The division was commanded by General Totten, and the brigade by Colonel Dye, of the Twentieth Iowa, leaving Lieutenant Colonel Leake in command of the regiment. The Twentieth Iowa was now about to enter upon a campaign which was to put to the severest test the bravery, fortitude and discipline of its officers and men. The hardships to which they had thus far been subjected were slight in comparison with those they encountered while marching and counter-marching in pursuit of their elusive enemy. From the 30th of September to the 7th of December, on which latter date the battle of Prairie Grove was fought, the regiment passed through an experience, the details of which are described with great particularity in the history of the regiment written by Colonel Dye, and in the prefix to the official report of Lieutenant Colonel Leake, describing the conduct of his regiment in the battle of Prairie Grove [see note 2]. The following extracts taken from Lieutenant Colonel Leake's report will serve to show some of the great hardships endured by the regiment during this period of its service:

. . . On the 15th day of October, at Cassville, Mo., the army was reorganized and called the "Army of the Frontier," the First Division under command of General Blunt, the Second Division under command of General Totten, and the Third Division under the command of General Herron. . . . The First Iowa Cavalry was taken from Colonel Dye's Brigade and transferred to the Third Division, and in its place a battalion of the Sixth Missouri Cavalry, under command of Major Montgomery, was assigned to the Second Brigade, Second Division. General Schofield still commanded the whole. Thus organized as an army, on the 28th of October, we had penetrated as far south as Fayetteville, Washington County, Arkansas, having driven the enemy before us. Beyond and south of that place, on the 30th of the same month, General Schofield retired from Fayetteville, and placed the army in position on the line of the road leading from Huntsville to Bentonsville, the First Division on Prairie Creek, six or seven miles west of Bentonsville, the Second division at Osage Springs, and the Third at Cross Hollows, to await the future movements of the enemy. The army remained in this position until the 2d of November, when, in pursuance of orders from Major General Curtis commanding the Department, the Second and Third Divisions commenced their return march to Missouri. The First Division under General Blunt retained its position west of Bentonsville. ... A few days afterwards intelligence was received that the post at Clark Mills, on the road from Springfield to Forsyth, garrisoned by five companies, three of State Militia, and two of the Tenth Illinois Cavalry, had been surrendered, and that the enemy were marching in large force on Springfield, to protect which the Second Division was moved on the 10th to Ozark, making the march of thirty-five miles in twelve hours. . . . The Second Division moved on the 17th, the night of the 17th, and the 18th, through a drenching storm westerly thirty-six miles to Camp Lyon. . . . Up to this time the regiment had marched since leaving Rolla the distance of 520 miles. We rested at Camp Lyon from all our fatigues and exposure until the morning of December 4th. During the stay at Camp Lyon, the men were provided with everything needed for comfort except shoes and stockings. Only one hundred pairs of shoes, one hundred and eighty pairs of infantry boots, and one hundred and eight pairs of socks could be obtained. These were distributed through the regiment to those who were most in need of them. No shoes had been provided since the first pair obtained before leaving Iowa, and they were almost entirely worn out by the continuous marching over hundreds of weary miles of stony road, and through numerous creeks and rivers.


On the evening of December 3d, a courier arrived at Camp Lyon with a message from General Blunt, asking for reinforcements, his division being threatened with attack by a greatly superior force of the enemy. General Blunt was a skillful officer and, as his troops consisted mostly of cavalry and mounted infantry, he had been able to elude the enemy and avoid a general engagement, but the rebel forces had cut off his retreat and he was in a very critical position. The Second Division promptly responded to his call for assistance and made a most wonderful record of forced marches, which are thus described by Lieutenant Colonel Leake, in continuation of his report from which the previous extracts were made:

On the morning of the 4th of December, reveille was beaten at one o'clock, and at four o'clock the regiment commenced its march. Between four and five o'clock P. M. it encamped on Flat Creek, having marched 25 miles. The next day we moved at 5 o'clock A. M., passed through Cassville and Keitsville, and encamped one and a half miles beyond the latter place, having marched twenty-one and a half miles. On the morning of the 6th, we left camp at 5 o'clock, passed through Pea Ridge and Sugar Creek, and reached Cross Hollows, Ark., at about 5 o'clock P. M., twenty-six and a half miles. Here we halted for rest and supper. At eleven o'clock P. M. we moved on, marching all night, passed through Fayetteville after daylight, and halted one mile beyond, on the road to Cane Hill, for rest and breakfast. After the lapse of about an hour and a half, having learned of the capture of a portion of the train of the First Arkansas Cavalry, a few miles beyond, I was ordered to detail a company under the command of a reliable officer, to protect our train (in addition to the regular division, and brigade guards, already large,) to which duty I assigned company B, under command of Captain Coulter; so that company B was deprived of the privilege of being in the engagement. We then marched on rapidly, until we arrived at the battlefield between eleven and twelve o'clock on the morning of the 7th, a distance of nine miles. The regiment thus marched the distance of one hundred miles in eighty consecutive hours, the last fifty-three and one-half of which we accomplished in thirty-one hours. Very many of the command marched with shoes so much worn that their feet were upon the ground, and were badly bruised and cut up by the stony road. Many of the boots furnished at Camp Lyon fitted the feet of the men so illy that they became inflamed and blistered by the continuous marching, and a few carried their boots in their hands and marched to the field in their bare feet, whilst many fell out by the way, unable to march farther. Under these circumstances, we went into the engagement with only two hundred and seventy enlisted men, and twenty-three commissioned officers.


From the foregoing description of the energetic manner in which the Twentieth Iowa, with its brigade and division, pressed forward by day and night marches to the relief of General Blunt's command, it will be seen that they were the first troops to engage the enemy. Continuing his report, Lieutenant Colonel Leake describes minutely the positions of the opposing forces at the commencement of the battle. The enemy was posted upon a heavily wooded hill, the approach to which was across a prairie about 1000 yards wide. General Blunt states in his official report that he had been skirmishing with the advance of the enemy, holding them in check until his reinforcements should arrive, but the enemy got between him and the troops coming to his assistance, and the battle had been raging for several hours before his division came up and attacked the enemy in the rear. He, therefore, furnished the reinforcement, instead of receiving it. The compiler again quotes from the report of Lieutenant Colonel Leake, as follows:

. . . These dispositions having been made at one o'clock P. M. the engagement was opened by the firing of a gun from the battery under the command of Lieutenant Marr. At about two o'clock the order was given to advance the battery, and I received orders to advance the regiment forward in support. We advanced in this order across the open field, to within about two hundred yards of the foot of the hill, and in front of the house of H. Roger, when the battery was ordered back, and the regiment left in that position. I presently received orders from Colonel Dye, in pursuance of which the regiment moved to the right into the adjoining field and in front of the orchard on the left of the house of Wm. Rogers, to check a movement of the enemy to outflank us on the right. At this time the Twentieth was on the extreme right of the Second and Third Divisions. This movement was executed under a galling fire which we returned, advancing to within a few paces of the edge of the orchard. At this time a force appeared on our right advancing up the valley. Fearing that we were being outflanked by the enemy, I was ordered to fall back across the field and take position behind a fence in our rear, which was executed in good order under fire. I then threw out companies A and F, under command of Captains Bates and Hubbard, from the right wing as skirmishers. Shortly after, a cavalry force appeared upon our right and rear, whereupon the skirmishers were recalled and a change of front made toward the approaching force, to the rear behind a fence running at right angles to the one from which we moved. Colonel Dye having sent forward and ascertained that the cavalry were from General Blunt's command, the Twentieth at once changed front and resumed its former position behind the fence fronting towards the orchard. We had scarcely taken this position when an aide from General Blunt reported to me that the forces which had come up the valley, and were taking position in the field on our right, was the command of General Blunt. I at once directed him to Colonel Dye, who was about 200 yards to the rear and left of me, who immediately sent word to General Herron of the arrival of reinforcements under General Blunt. This took place at about three and a half o'clock, as nearly as I can fix the time. Before this time the Nineteenth Iowa and Twentieth Wisconsin had charged up the hill on the extreme left, and had been driven back; after which the Twenty-sixth Indiana and Thirty-seventh Illinois had been ordered up in nearly the same place, and with a like result, so that when General Blunt arrived no infantry was engaged on our left. General Blunt at once sent forward a part of the First Indiana regiment as skirmishers. Colonel Dye reported to General Blunt and ordered me to make a charge with the Twentieth up the hill and on the left of, and operating with the forces of General Blunt. I moved the regiment rapidly forward in line of battle across the field, obliquing to the left; crossed the orchard fence, drove the enemy through the orchard, and advanced beyond the upper orchard fence and through the woods a short distance. . . . Fearing that the troops on our left wing had ascended the hill and advanced to our front, I saw directly in front of us a mass of troops moving down upon us. At almost the same instant they fired a volley under which the left wing recoiled nearly to the orchard fence, where they promptly rallied at my command and renewed the firing with great rapidity and, I think, effect. I received orders to retire behind the fence at the foot of the hill, and hold if, which movement was promptly executed by the regiment in good order, climbing the fence under a galling fire, lying down behind it, and continuing the firing between the fence rails. The moment we crossed the fence the orchard was shelled by the batteries of General Blunt's forces on the right in the field, and by that under command of Captain Murphy in position at the point from which we entered the action, from the combined effects of which, and our own firing, the enemy were driven back. . . . As soon as the enemy was driven from the orchard I was ordered to retire in good order from the fence and form in the middle of the field. As we commenced to retire, Major Thompson having been wounded and the left wing, not receiving the order to halt, promptly retired nearly to the fence from which we had advanced, I rode down, and at the command they returned and formed at the place designated. . . . This ended our active participation in the contest. About the time we had retaken our old position, the rest of General Blunt's Division had become heavily engaged with the enemy on our extreme right and remained so engaged until darkness closed the contest. . . The next morning before daylight, I formed the line of battle, and awaited the renewal of the action.


Soon after daylight it was discovered that the enemy had fled during the night, thus acknowledging defeat. The Union troops were so worn and exhausted from forced marches and the hard fighting of the previous day that they were in no condition to pursue the enemy. Lieutenant Colonel Leake in closing his report speaks in the highest terms of praise of the conduct of the Twentieth Iowa during the battle. He makes special mention of Major Thompson, who was wounded late in the action and, though suffering great pain, did not leave the field until the regiment retired. He also mentions the gallant conduct of Acting Adjutant, Lieutenant J. C. McClelland and Sergeant Major George A. Gray. Of the gallant Brigade Commander he says, "It will not, I trust, be improper for me to remark of my superior officer, Colonel William McE. Dye, commanding the Second Brigade, that by the entire self possession, the calm bravery, and the military ability he displayed on the field, he won the entire confidence of the regiment. Its affection he had gained before."

The loss of the regiment in the battle of Prairie Grove was 1 officer and 7 enlisted men killed; 5 officers and 34 enlisted men wounded. The Brigade Commander—Colonel Dye—warmly commended Lieutenant Colonel Leake for the excellent manner in which he handled his regiment during the battle, and also made special mention of Adjutant Lake of the Twentieth Iowa, who acted as Assistant Adjutant General upon his staff, and carried his orders to different points on the field under the fire of the enemy. While the subsequent record of the regiment is altogether an honorable one and deserves full description, the limitations prescribed for this historical sketch will not permit of the occupancy of much greater space in describing its future movements than has been devoted to its operations up to and including the battle just described. The compiler believes, however, that the events embraced in this period of the history of the regiment constitute a record not excelled for bravery and fortitude, and that it would have entitled the officers and men of the Twentieth Iowa to the lasting gratitude of the State and Nation had the record ended with Prairie Grove. The day after the battle the dead were buried with military honors. The wounded had received such care and attention as could be given in field hospitals, and they were subsequently removed to Fayetteville, where better facilities for their care were provided. The regiment remained in camp at Prairie Grove, enjoying a much needed rest, until the morning of December 27, 1862, when it again took up the line of march for Van Buren on the Arkansas river. The march was over the Boston Mountains, the cavalry leading the advance and skirmishing with the enemy, but, upon the approach of the Union troops, the enemy retreated across the Arkansas, and the town of Van Buren, a large quantity of supplies and several steamboats were captured. The boats and such portion of the supplies as could not be removed were destroyed, and the troops returned to their camp at Prairie Grove.

On Jan. 2, 1863, the regiment again took up the line of march, with its brigade and division. General Schofield had again assumed command of the Army of the Frontier. In the campaign which ensued, and which extended through the winter and into the spring, there was much hard marching, and the troops were exposed to alternate storms of snow and rain, marching over muddy and sometimes almost impassable roads, but everywhere the movements of the army as a whole, and in detachments, were directed against the rebel forces with the one purpose in view — that of driving the invaders from the State and placing the loyal citizens of Missouri in position to defend themselves from further invasion, and enabling the troops composing the Army of the Frontier to be withdrawn for the purpose of co-operating in the great expedition against Vicksburg. General Schofield's plans were successfully carried out, the rebel troops in his front being mostly withdrawn during the winter for the purpose of reinforcing their army in Mississippi, then preparing to resist the advance of the Union army under General Grant.

Towards the latter part of March, the regiment with its brigade and division was being gradually withdrawn from the Missouri frontier and moved towards the point where these troops had entered upon their first campaign. At length, on the 23d of April, 1863, the division marched into Rolla. The Twentieth Iowa had now been in active service about seven months. It had been engaged in many skirmishes and one hard fought battle. Its losses in killed and wounded, and from disease, had been heavy. April 24th the regiment was transported by rail to St. Louis. The following extracts from Colonel Dye's history of the regiment (heretofore alluded to in this sketch) describe its principal movements for a considerable portion of its subsequent service, beginning with its arrival in St. Louis:

Here we remained guarding the arsenal, and doing other important duties until May 15th. During a part of this time, First Lieutenant C. L. Drake, with company A, and a part of company F, embarked for Cape Girardeau, Mo., where he arrived in time to participate in the successful defense of that place against the assaults of the enemy. Companies D and G, Captains Torrey and Altmann, were also detached to quell mutinies at Benton Barracks. On the 1st of May the regiment arrived by rail at Pilot Knob, and remained there until June 3d. On the 5th, by hot marching arrived at St. Genevieve, and embarked with what remained of the regiment. ... A part of the Infantry and Artillery of the Second and Third Divisions, having now been organized into a division (detached from the Army of the Frontier) of two brigades, the Twentieth Iowa being a part of the First Brigade, proceeded on the 6th to reinforce the investing army at Vicksburg. We arrived at Chickasaw Bluff, on the Yazoo river, on the 11th. Returned and landed at Young's Point, crossed the peninsula to a point below Vicksburg, and took position on the 14th, on the extreme left of the investing forces, the First Brigade on the left, and the Twentieth Iowa, the second regiment from the right, where they remained until July 4th — the day of the surrender — participating in all the exposures and fatigues of that successful siege, being on duty in detachments almost continuously, either in the trenches or rifle pits; the troops not thus on duty standing to arms every day and night. Men were on duty as long as five successive days and nights, without other sleep than was stolen or involuntarily obtained under the guns of the enemy, while another relief was on duty. The regiment was very fortunate in losing during the siege by wounds only six enlisted men, three of whom died from their wounds.

At 9 a. m. on the 4th, part of the division, the Twentieth Iowa leading, marched into the works of Vicksburg, planting the first Union flag which floated over the extreme fort on the right of the enemy's works. As bad as the water used by our men was, the sickness was not so severe before the surrender, as when, by a relaxation of the system from the stimulant of excitement, intermittent and congestive fevers at once prostrated about one-third of the regiment. We remained in the works, collecting the surrendered material, until the 11th, when the division embarked with orders to reinforce the investing force of Port Hudson. When aboard, and about leaving, intelligence arrived of its surrender. The destination of the division was then changed to Yazoo City, where it arrived on the 13th, and by co-operation with the gunboats, (the De Kalb of which was destroyed by torpedoes,) captured the place, with a half dozen pieces of artillery, and a number of prisoners, after an ineffectual resistance of half an hour. On the 16th, we left to open communication with General Sherman, at Canton, Miss. This accomplished, we arrived on the 19th, on our return, at Yazoo City, and re-embarked. . . . By the 22d, we were again in camp within the works of Vicksburg, the regiment having lost by sickness about 280 men. Leaving the serious cases of sickness at Vicksburg, we embarked on the 24th of July, and arrived at Port Hudson on the 26th. During the siege of Vicksburg, the division had been attached to the Thirteenth Army Corps; it now became, and yet is, the Second Division of this corps. The troops remained on the boats until the 31st, when they were put into camp just in rear of Port Hudson. . . . We remained here until the 16th of August. During our stay, although about two-thirds of the men continued on the report for duty, probably three-fourths of the regiment were under medical treatment. On the 17th, arrived at Carrollton, La., losing, during our stay here, many of the men, from the protracted diseases of the summer. The regiment embarked here, without tents or knapsacks, and bivouacked, Sept. 7th, near Morganza, below the mouth of Red river. On the 8th, we marched to the Atchafalaya, driving the enemy to the opposite bank, a part of the division having a skirmish. We were absent but two days on this duty, yet the men suffered greatly from the heat (many being sun struck) and the want of good water. We remained at or near Morganza, almost constantly bivouacked, until October 10th. The knapsacks of the regiment did not arrive until about September 28th. Lieutenant Colonel Leake and two men (the former slightly wounded) were unfortunately captured, at Sterling Farm, Sept. 29th, While on duty, detached from the regiment [see note 3]. While at Morganza the men suffered alternately with heat and cold rains, being without shelter or change of clothing. On the 11th of October, encamped at Carrollton, La., where the regiment remained until October 23d, health much improved. . . . October 24th the division steamed out with sealed orders, and was overhauled by a severe gale, which was weathered by most of the vessels of the fleet November 1st, arrived in sight of Brazos de Santiago, (coast of Texas) and landed on the 4th, after making, with the Twentieth Wisconsin, an unsuccessful effort to land through the surf, at the mouth of the Rio Grande, in which seven out of ten surf boats, loaded with men, were either swamped or upset, losing, miraculously, however, only four men by drowning. A portion of the division, including company G, (provost guard of the division) proceeded to Brownsville, and a detachment of the regiment, under Lieutenant Carver, remained at the mouth of the river, whilst the regiment (with these exceptions) on the 6th crossed the Lagoon del Madre, to Point Isabel, where it remained, suffering from great scarcity of water, and want of cooking utensils and baggage, until the 13th. November 15th, the regiment re-embarked and landed, with a portion of the division, on the south end of Mustang Island, in the evening; At 9 a. m. on the 17th, it arrived at the north end of the island, (about 25 miles distant,) after a very fatiguing march, the men drawing by hand two pieces of artillery, carrying their knapsacks and sixty rounds of ammunition, this after about two weeks' confinement aboard ship. About one hundred of the enemy, with three pieces of heavy artillery, were at this end of the island, guarding the Aransas inlet. The enemy surrendered as soon as our forces appeared.


The regiment remained on Mustang Island about seven months. Out of wrecked lumber, procured on and near the island, they erected barracks. The monotony of garrison duty was varied somewhat by expeditions of detachments from the regiment to the main land. Some prisoners and a couple of schooners were captured, but no organized body of the enemy was encountered on these expeditions. It was the most restful period in the history of the regiment. On June 24, 1864, the regiment embarked at Mustang Island and was conveyed to Brazos Santiago, and from there it marched to Brownsville, Texas, where it remained, doing garrison duty until July 29th, when it started on its return to Brazos Santiago, and from there returned by sea to New Orleans, arriving there and going into its old camp at Carrollton, August 6th. Here it remained but a short time when it was conveyed by steamer to Fort Gaines, Ala., which, however, had surrendered before the arrival of the regiment. It disembarked at Mobile Point, and participated in the siege of Fort Morgan, which surrendered August 23, 1864. During all these movements Colonel Dye was detached from the regiment and in command of a brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Leake was still a prisoner of war, Major Thompson had resigned, and the regiment had alternately been under the command of Captains M. L. Thompson and Edward Coulter.

On September 7th the regiment proceeded by steamer to New Orleans and thence up the river to Morganza, La. During the voyage an accident occurred to the machinery of the vessel, and five men of the Twentieth Iowa were badly scalded by escaping steam; three of them jumped overboard and were drowned. At Morganza Lieutenant Colonel Leake rejoined the regiment, having regained his liberty by an exchange of prisoners. He received a glad welcome from the officers and men, who had become greatly attached to him and had complete confidence in his courage and ability. With full appreciation of this feeling towards him, he again assumed the command of the regiment

On the 12th of October orders were received to embark the command and move up the Mississippi to the mouth of White River, thence to Devall's Bluff, and disembark. There, and at Brownsville, the regiment was encamped until January, 1865. During this period of its service the Twentieth Iowa was part of the time engaged in scouting in the surrounding country, but was most of the time performing garrison duty and erecting fortifications. Many of its men were on the sick list, the prevailing disease being scurvy. A quantity of sanitary stores were sent to the regiment from Iowa, and were used with excellent effect, and when the regiment left Arkansas, on the 8th of January, the health of the men had greatly improved. Its next place of encampment was near Kennerville, La., where it remained until February 16th, on which date it embarked for Pensacola Bay, Florida, and, after a voyage without incident, went into camp at Florida Point, remaining there until the commencement of the Mobile campaign, in which it was an active participant. On the march to Mobile, which was very toilsome, the regiment attracted the attention of the Division Commander to such a marked extent as to cause him to make special mention of its conduct in a general order thanking all the troops under his command. The order is here quoted as follows:


General Orders No. 8.

Headquarters Second Division Thirteenth Army Corps.
In the Field Mar. 28, 1865.

I. The General commanding appreciates the ready and generous efforts of the troops in promoting this difficult march. These labors assure future success, and every patriot will feel grateful to the soldiers who have endured them. The General particularly thanks Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Leake, commanding the Twentieth Iowa Volunteers, for the valuable and rapid service of his regiment this morning, showing, by the amount done, how much can be accomplished by officers giving their personal interest and attention to their duty.

By order of Brigadier General C. C. Andrews,

GEORGE MONROE,
Assistant Adjutant General.


The regiment participated in the siege of Fort Blakely, performing all the duties assigned to it, but fortunately sustained only the single casualty of one man wounded. On April 14th, the regiment was conveyed across the bay to the city of Mobile, where it was engaged in the performance of provost guard duty until July 8, 1865, on which date it was mustered out of the service of the United States. The regiment was then conveyed to Clinton, Iowa, where it was disbanded July 27, 1865.

The record of the Twentieth Iowa is an honorable one. While the regiment was engaged in but one hard fought battle in the open field, it was no fault of its gallant officers and men that it did not participate in more of the great battles of the war. They went where they were ordered to go, and performed every duty required of them. They endured as much suffering upon the march, in bivouac, in camp and siege, as any regiment which the State of Iowa sent into the field. They are therefore entitled to the gratitude of every patriotic citizen of the State and Nation for the service they have rendered to both. Their names and the record of their service, contained in these pages, will be handed down to their posterity; and those who can trace their lineage to the brave and faithful men of the Twentieth Iowa may justly claim as proud a heritage as was ever bestowed upon the descendants of those who fought and suffered and died in a righteous cause.


SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.

Total Enrollment 1026
Killed and drowned 20
Wounded 52
Died of wounds 7
Died of disease 130
Discharged for disease, wounds or other causes 183
Buried in National Cemeteries 66
Captured . 13
Transferred 39


[Note 1.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, Vol. 1, 1863, pages 718 to 750, Original Roster of the Regiment.

[Note 2.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, Vol. 2, 1863, pages 826 to 830. Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, Vol. 2, 1865, pages 1113 to 1120.

[Note 3.] Lieutenant Colonel Leake was in command of the Nineteenth Iowa and Twenty-sixth Indiana at the time he was wounded and captured.


SOURCE: Roster & Record of Iowa Soldiers During the War of the Rebellion, Volume 3, p. 341-8

Friday, January 15, 2010

Colonel William Thompson

FOURTH COLONEL, FIRST CAVALRY.

William Thompson was born in the State of Pennsylvania, in about the year 1814. He came to Iowa while it was yet a Territory, and settled in Burlington, where he was at one time the editor of a democratic paper. He became, soon after coming to the country, quite a distinguished politician, and, in 1848, was elected to Congress. At the time of entering the service, he was a resident of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and a practicing lawyer; for that was his profession. Colonel Thompson entered the service as captain of Company E, 1st Iowa Cavalry, the company which he had recruited in Henry county, in the months of June and July, 1861. Holding this rank until the 5th of April, 1863, he was at that time promoted to a majority of the regiment, and in August, 1864, was made colonel.

In the sketch of Colonel Thompson, I shall include a portion of the history of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, which was made during the colonelcy of Mr. Anderson; for I can do so with propriety, since during this time the regiment was not commanded by Colonel Anderson.

Having passed the previous Fall and Winter in scouting in the vicinity of Little Rock, the 1st Iowa Cavalry in the opening of Spring joined the command of General Steele in the march to Camden. The regiment was brigaded with the 3d Missouri and the 10th Illinois Cavalry, these troops being the same that had been organized into a brigade command nearly a year before at Pilot Knob, Missouri. The brigade commander was not the same. Colonel Glover, a brave and good man, had been compelled to leave the service from disability, and Colonel Anderson, as the ranking officer, became his successor. But, as has already been stated, Colonel Anderson was, on the eve of General Steele's departure, seized with sudden illness, and Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, succeeded to the command of the brigade. There had also been a change in the division commander. After the possession of Little Rock, the radicalism of General Davidson had so conflicted with the conservatism of General Steele, as to produce repeated misunderstandings; and the report was that, by the mutual efforts of these officers, General Davidson was relieved and given a command elsewhere. General Davidson's successor was General E. A. Carr, of Pea Ridge notoriety. Major, now Colonel Thompson, commanded the 1st Iowa Cavalry, and thus commanded, and thus associated, the regiment marched on its most eventful campaign.

The leading events of the Camden Expedition are related elsewhere. It was one of great dangers and hardships, and the cavalry portion of the command, which led the advance, was hardly ever out of peril. From Prairie de Anne, (than which there is not a prettier little district of country in the Old or New World) to Camden, the enemy were never out of view. Wherever the character of the country was favorable, they were sure to be found in position, and during the whole of this distance, their skirmishers were constantly in the front, to harass the cavalry-advance. A detachment of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, and one of the 3d Missouri Cavalry were the first troops to enter Camden. Two and a half miles west of Camden, (and General Steele marching down the south-west side of the Washita River, entered the city from the west) the road forks. The left-hand road enters the city from the west, and the right-hand one from the south-west. Starting from these forks, two hundred and fifty men from the 1st Iowa Cavalry, and two hundred and fifty from the 3d Missouri Cavalry, dashed into Camden. The Iowa troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, taking the right-hand road, entered the city just before sun-down, and almost simultaneous with those of the 3d Missouri Cavalry. The enemy offered no resistance, for they had fled to avoid capture.

On entering Camden on the evening of the 15th of April, General Steele was unwilling to believe he had reached the terminus of his march southward. Nor when the Old Flag was raised on the Court-House did he think that it must soon be hauled down, and he be compelled to march back hurriedly to Little Rock.

But the 1st Iowa Cavalry was to go no further. Indeed, its leaving Little Rock was a matter of its own choosing; for the regiment had re-enlisted as veterans, and the first of March had been fixed as the time for its departure North. But General Steele had said "You had better go along, for we shall need you;" and where is the Iowa regiment that would not have done likewise? The horses of the 1st Iowa Cavalry were the individual property of the regiment, and by a general order these had to be sold and transferred to the Government, before the regiment could start back to Little Rock. It was a matter of irksome delay, but it saved the regiment from capture; for it was to accompany the brigade and train that were surrounded and captured at Mark's Mills, Arkansas on the 25th instant.

The 2d Brigade, 3d Division, 7th Army Corps, Lieutenant-Colonel F. M. Drake commanding, left Camden for Pine Bluff for supplies, at five o'clock on the morning of the 23d of April, 1864. Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Caldwell, in command of his regiment, was not able to leave until twenty-four hours later. The regiment had disposed of their horses and, with the exception of the officers, were to travel on foot. The order directing the regiment to sell and transfer their horses, also required them to turn over their arms; but against this Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell protested, and they were allowed to retain them. This was most fortunate; for their trusty arms proved their salvation. Early in the morning of the 24th instant, the 1st Iowa Cavalry crossed the Washita, and started in rapid pursuit of the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake. The country was full of the enemy's scouts. The citizens were sullen, and to all questions gave ominous answers. At the same time rumors were repeated of the defeat of Banks; all of which justly made Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell apprehensive of pending danger. He therefore called on General Carr for a cavalry-escort, which was reluctantly granted; but it turned back on the morning of the second day's march, and proved of no service. Camp was pitched on the evening of the 24th instant, about twenty-five miles from Camden.

The next morning, the march was resumed at day-light, and by great exertion, the edge of Moro Bottom was reached at ten o'clock. Here had been the encampment of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake's command only the night before, and, by hard marching, Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell hoped to overtake that command that night. The men of his regiment now ceased to be apprehensive for their safety, and began to indulge in dreams of home-greetings, and to devise plans by which they could most surprise their friends. But they had not quite reached the stream from which Moro Bottom derives its name, before a cry of alarm was heard in the front; and in the next instant all was confusion.

That morning the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake had been attacked by a superior force of the enemy—not less I think than seven thousand, and after a brief but most spirited fight, the greater portion of it captured. The camp-followers and teamsters, cutting loose the mules from the train, mounted them, and at full speed rode back in the direction of Camden; and from one of these Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell learned of that morning's disaster. To conceive the terror with which these poor fellows were overwhelmed is impossible. Stripped of all but their boots, pants and shirts, hatless, coatless and covered with mud, their eyes protruding, and their hair standing on end, they came at full run and shouting from their already hoarse throats: "We are all lost! they are all lost! we are all lost! they are all lost:" To the repeated calls of Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, "Stop, stop!" they paid no attention, and the only way he could learn what had happened was, by laying his strong hand on the shoulder of one as he was passing, and holding him fast till he had told the story. But he was not half done, when the report of musketry was heard at the front. Some four hundred of the enemy's cavalry were in pursuit of the fugitives, their object being the capture of the mules on which they were escaping. Reinforcements were at once sent forward to the advance-guard, which had arrived at the bridge over the Moro in time to prevent the enemy from crossing. Quite a sharp engagement followed, during which Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell burned his small train with its contents. This was the cause of much regret to his men; for in their saddle-bags were many cherished souvenirs which they had for a long time preserved as gifts for their friends; but it was impossible in the deep mud to turn the wagons and drive them to the rear. The enemy finally ceased their attack and riding down the creek, disappeared and gave no further trouble.

The 1st Iowa Cavalry now returned to near Camden, and accompanied General Steele to Little Rock. The departure North of this gallant regiment on veteran furlough, was made the occasion by General Carr, of a very complimentary order to not only that regiment, but to the Iowa troops generally. The same order alluded in flattering terms to the gallant conduct of Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Caldwell on the Camden Expedition.

About the middle of July, 1864, its leave of absence having expired, the 1st Iowa Cavalry left Davenport for the front, via Cairo, Illinois; but, on arriving at that place, was ordered by General Halleck to Benton Barracks, Missouri, where it remained until the 12th of the following August. At the last named date it was ordered to Mexico, Missouri; and later was ordered on duty on the line of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad.

At the time of General Price's invasion of Missouri in the fall of 1864, the regiment was ordered to Jefferson City, and at that point joined the forces of General Rosecrans, and marched on the campaign that resulted in the expulsion of the rebel forces from the State. Returning to Warrensburg, Missouri, the regiment was there made the cavalry-escort of General Rosecrans, which conducted him back to St. Louis. After its arrival in that city, it was ordered into quarters at Benton Barracks, and in January, 1865, sent back to Little Rock, where Colonel Thompson joined it, and in the vicinity of which place it has since served.

Colonel Thompson is a large man, weighing about one hundred and ninety pounds, and having black hair and eyes, and a dark complexion. He is reputed an able, intelligent man.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 559-64

Friday, October 9, 2009

MAJOR-GENERAL FRANCIS J. HERRON


LIEUTENANT-COLONEL, NINTH INFANTRY.

Francis J. Herron is Iowa's youngest major-general, and the second one of that rank appointed from the State. His ancestry are ancient and honorable, and, on the paternal side, are familiarly known as "Herron's Branch," who, settling in Eastern Pennsylvania in the early history of that State, were ever classed among her most intelligent and well-to-do yeomanry. On the maternal side of the house, he is descended from one of the oldest families of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, who settled in that city when it was a mere village, and who have maintained an honorable position in the community to the present day. The general's uncle, the late James Anderson, ranked with the most benevolent and wealthy citizens of Pittsburg.

The subject of our sketch is a son of the late Colonel John Herron, and a native of Pittsburg, where he was born on the 17th day of February, 1837. He was educated at the Western University, in Pittsburg, which was then, and is still, under the superintendence of Professor J. M. Smith, a brother-in-law of the general. Leaving this University at sixteen, he was soon after appointed to a clerkship in a Pittsburg banking-house, and, in 1854, became a partner in the banking firm of "Herron & Brothers." In 1855, he removed to Iowa, and, in connection with one of his brothers, opened a banking-house in the city of Dubuque. Dubuque is his present home.

General Herron began his brilliant military career as captain of Company I, 1st Iowa Infantry. He served with his regiment in Missouri till the expiration of its term of service, and with it took part in the memorable battle of Wilson's Creek. Returning home in the latter part of August, he was, on the tenth of the following September, commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 9th Iowa Infantry. For gallantry at the battle of Pea Ridge, (March 6th, 7th and 8th, 1862, where he was wounded and taken prisoner) he was made a brigadier-general, and, for his courage and superior military skill at the battle of Prairie Grove, December 7th, 1862, was promoted to his present rank. The battle of Prairie Grove is one of the most brilliant of the war—perhaps the most brilliant, when we consider the disparity in numbers of the forces engaged; and it was by no means barren in results; for a well-organized and confident army was overwhelmed in defeat, from the effects of which it never recovered.

In the organization of the Army of the Frontier, under General Schofield, of date the 15th of October, 1862, General Herron was put in command of the 3d Division. The 1st and 2d Divisions were commanded by Generals Blunt and Totten respectively. For three weeks previous to the 1st of December, 1862 and longer, the Army of the Frontier had been watching the enemy, who had below, and in the vicinity of the old Pea Ridge battle-field, a large and well-organized army, under command of the rebel Major-General Thomas C. Hindman.

On the first of December, General Blunt, who had been holding his division on Prairie Creek, near Bentonville, moved against a detachment of the enemy, and, driving it from Cane Hill, held the position. This was no sooner done, however, than the enemy threatened him in heavy force, and compelled him to send to General Schofield for reinforcements. General Blunt's messenger, arriving at head-quarters near Wilson's Creek on the evening of the 3d of December, found General Schofield absent, and General Herron in command. "General Blunt must have reinforcements or lose his entire command;" and there was no other alternative; but General Herron, under instructions, could afford no relief. The expedient which he adopted was worthy of him, and will redound to his infinite credit. Dispatching a messenger to General Schofield, but without awaiting or expecting a reply, he broke camp and marched to the rescue.

At day-light on Sunday morning, the seventh of December, his command passed through Fayetteville, Arkansas, and halted for breakfast one mile beyond; but before the meal was completed, members of the 1st Arkansas Cavalry, which composed a portion of the advance-guard, came hurrying back with word that Hindman's cavalry was upon them. The merest incident often controls momentous issues, and so it happened here. Major Hubbard, a gallant, positive fellow, and an officer of General Herron's staff, being in command of the advance-guard, was captured and taken before the rebel general. "How much of a force has General Herron?" demanded Hindman. "Enough," replied the major, "to annihilate you;" and this answer, with Herron's determined fighting and superior generalship, saved to our arms the battle of Prairie Grove; for Hindman, with his twenty thousand, dared not move out against the handful of men in his front, (not four thousand all told) for fear of being annihilated by an overwhelming reserve, marshaled, in his imagination, in the heavy timber to our rear. Nor did he learn his mistake till late in the afternoon, and just before the guns of General Blunt began thundering on his left and rear.

Having completed their hasty meal, Herron's troops resumed the march and pushed vigorously on, till arriving at Illinois Creek, about ten miles distant from Fayetteville. There the enemy were met in force. They were on the south-west side of the creek, and strongly posted on the high ground, which, on either side, looks down into the valley through which the road to Cane Hill passes. The situation was no sooner learned than Herron had formed his decision. He must bluff his adversary, or lose his command; and this was the plan on which the engagement was fought, which, to General Hindman, was a confirmation of Major Hubbard's report. General Herron first endeavored to push Battery E, 4th Missouri Light Artillery, and the 9th Illinois Infantry across the ford in his front; but that was so accurately covered with the guns of the enemy as to make it impossible. The detachment was driven back in some confusion. Next, he ordered Colonel Houston to cut a road through the timber to the right, and, having gained the opposite side with Captain Murphy's Battery, to open on the enemy and divert their attention, while he, with the balance of his command, pushed across the ford and gained a position in front of the enemy. The movement was successful. A further account of this battle will be found in the sketch of Colonel W. McE. Dye, of the 20th Iowa. I will only add here, that Hindman was defeated, and Herron made a major-general.

It will be interesting to know the names of the troops who earned General Herron this promotion. They were the 9th, 37th, and 94th Illinois, the 19th and 20th Iowa, the 26th Indiana, and the 20th Wisconsin Infantry regiments, together with four Missouri batteries, commanded by Captains Murphy, Faust and Hack of, and Lieutenant Borries. The 6th, 7th, and 8th Missouri Cavalry, the 1st Iowa and 10th Illinois, and the 1st Battalion of the 2d Wisconsin Cavalry, were all sent forward to General Blunt from Elkhorn, and remained with his command till the close of the engagement.

General Herron remained with his command, operating in Missouri and Arkansas, till late in the following May, when he was summoned to Vicksburg to take part in the reduction of that place. Immediately after the fall of the city, he made his expedition up the Yazoo River, after which, he embarked his command on transports, and sailed for Port Hudson and thence for Carrollton, Louisiana; where he arrived on the 13$h of August. Subsequently to that date, the general has served principally in the Gulf Department; but the operations in which he took part will appear in the sketches of other officers.

General Herron's Division was attached to Ord's Corps. By that general he was held in the highest esteem, as is shown by General Order Number 39, dated, "Head-quarters 13th Army Corps, Carrollton, Louisiana, September, 25th, 1863."

During the winter of 1863-4 and for some time after, General Herron, while serving in Texas, made his head-quarters at Brownsville. It will be remembered that it was during this time the forces of M. Ruiz, Governor of Tamaulipas, and those of Colonel Cortinas, came in collision in Matamoras. L. Pierce, U. S. Consul stationed in that city, became alarmed, and sent to General Herron for protection. Colonel Bertram of the 20th Wisconsin was at once sent across the river with a portion of his regiment, with which he conducted the Consul and his property and papers within the Federal lines. Had I the space, a further history of this affair would be interesting.

General Herron's ventilation of the Department of Arkansas has more recently made his name quite distinguished. This was a most thankless mission, and he was charged by some with being partial; but that is not strange. Indeed, we are not to suppose the exposer would be more popular with the guilty parties than the expose. The result of his investigations was published in nearly all the leading papers of the country, and convinced all honest men that, the Department of Arkansas had been the theatre of most outrageous abuses.

General Herron has a neat, well-formed person, and dresses with much taste. In appearance he is intelligent, and in manners agreeable. He has, I am told, some vanity. His marked traits of character are three. He is always calm and composed, no matter how great the danger, or how wild the excitement. At Prairie Grove he led the advance over the ford of Illinois Creek, and, under the rapid and accurate fire of the enemy, was in imminent peril; but he was perfectly calm, and apparently insensible of danger.

Another marked trait of his character is his taciturnity; and yet, if he talks but little, there is nothing about him sullen or morose. His voice, which is clear and kind, has a sort of charm about it that evidences a warm heart and generous nature. He was always popular with the soldiers of his command.

His third and most distinguishing trait — that which more than all others has contributed to make him what he is — is a self-reliant spirit. This, from his early youth, was always noticeable, and was the cause of his leaving the Western University before mastering the full course of study. It was a matter of no consequence to him that his lather and his friends were opposed to this course. He believed he knew enough to make his way in the world, and, because he thought so, all remonstrances were unavailing.

Frank J. Herron was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general from that of lieutenant-colonel. He is the only officer from the State who has been thus complimented by the War Department.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 201-6