Major-General John A. McClernand to Lieutenant-Colonel John A. Rawlins, June 8, 1863

[June 8, 1863]

The one hundred & Eighth 108 Ill Infy & twenty third 23 Iowa are still at youngs point & have not reported to their Commands.

SOURCE: John Y. Simon, Editor, The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 8, p. 322

Lieutenant-Colonel John A. Rawlins to Major-General John A. McClernand, June 8, 1863

[June 8, 1863]

You will direct Col Whitney to send over and ascertain, if there would be any danger in the Negroes marching across to Youngs Point, and if there would be none, send them there without delay, and if they cannot be sent by that route, let them go round by Chickasaw Bayou, travelling at night They cannot be kept at Warrenton. The 108th Ills, and 23d Iowa were to join their Divisions as soon as they could be releived by the 63d Illinois, which went to Youngs-Point yesterday. The disturbed state of that place may delay them there, but they will obey the order as soon as they can be spared from there. No Official report has been received from Gen'l [Dennis], one is expected momentarily. Admiral Porter reports the enemy were repulsed yesterday with a loss of 80 left dead on the field[.]

SOURCE: John Y. Simon, Editor, The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 8, p. 322

Diary of Lieutenant-Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes: Friday, August 1, 1862

A good little drill. Mr. Landcraft, one of the three slaveholders of Monroe County who were true to the Union, and a Mrs. Roberts were arrested and brought into my camp in obedience to orders from headquarters. Mrs. Roberts is a ladylike woman; her husband, a Secesh, is a prisoner at Raleigh. Mrs. Roberts and her uncle, Mr. Landcraft, came over New River and passed into our lines, the pickets admitting them, without proper passes. If this is the whole offense, the arrest is on most insufficient and frivolous grounds. In the case of Mrs. Roberts, who has a nursing child at home, it is as cruel as it is unnecessary. I shall do my best to get them out of the trouble. These needless persecutions of old men and of women, I am ashamed of.

SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 2, p. 314-5

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant John S. Morgan: Thursday, March 2, 1865

A. M. to Ft. Morgan, at 12 M. Steamer Tamanlapas crosses, to Ft Gaines, I succeed in being mustered to date from Feb 21st 1865. Judge Ft Gaines not so good a fort as Ft. Morgan. Return to camp at 5 P. M. Regt just from Parade listening to speech from Agent of Orphan Asylum, Regt Subscribed about $5000. a brig loaded with lumber & hay was wrecked on sand island yesterday during the fog. Meet an old friend Joel Deweese of 23d Iowa

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 8, April 1923, p. 576

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant John S. Morgan: Sunday, March 5, 1865

Morning with major Boydston to Ft Morgan to go to Ft Gaines No boat. All through fort. Near the pier & within 400 yds. of Ft. a pole which is fixed to the turret of the Gunboat Tecumseh sunk by the explosion of a torpedo, shows the watery grave of 100 brave boys, who are yet in the great iron coffin 30 ft below the surface, I mile out a smokestack sticks out of the water, a little this side the pier is the wreck of the Reb Gunboat Gaines, crippled & beached during the action P. M. in camp. Service at 3. P. M. News — 35 men of our Regt lately exchanged are at New Orleans — Col Benton of 29th Iowa, & Col Glasgow of 23d Iowa appointed Brevet Brig. Genl's by the President, Detailed tonight to take charge of fatigue party tomorrow. All experienced Rail, Road, men called for, to report to Capt Jackson. It is the purpose to make a permanent Rail Road from Ft Morgan to Navy Com & extend around the Bay to Mobile as the Army advances.

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 8, April 1923, p. 576

The Twenty-Ninth Iowa Infantry

The companies making up this regiment were recruited on the Missouri slope, from the counties of Pottawattamie, Mills, Harrison, Adams, Fremont, Taylor, Ringgold, Union and Guthrie. The regiment numbered 900 men and was mustered into the service in December, 1862, with the following field officers: Colonel, Thomas H. Benton; lieutenant-colonel, R. F. Patterson; major, C. B. Shoemaker. It was sent to join General Curtis' army in Missouri, in December, and from there was transferred to Helena, Ark., and went with General Gorman's fruitless expedition up the White river. Upon its return it was attacked by measles and there were over 400 men on the sick list In August the regiment was in General Steele's campaign against Little Rock, and fought bravely in the battle which preceded the capture of that city, losing thirty-one men.

In March, 1864, Steele's army moved southwest with a wagon train of 400 teams which strung out four miles long, guarded by the Twenty-ninth Iowa. On the 2d of April General Shelby's rebel brigade of cavalry made a dash upon it. A lively fight ensued and the result was doubtful when General Rice came up with reinforcements. For miles the fight continued as the long train moved on, but finally the rebels made a fierce charge which was repelled with heavy loss and the train came into camp without the loss of a wagon. The Twenty-ninth lost twenty-seven men during the day. At Jenkin's Ferry the regiment fought for six hours and made a brilliant bayonet charge, losing altogether fifty-nine men. The army returned to Little Rock, where General Steele was soon after relieved of the command. Early in 1865 preparations were made for the Mobile campaign in which the Twenty-ninth took part, fighting with its usual vigor. The regiment was sent to Brazos Santiago, Texas, in June and in July returned to New Orleans where it was discharged from the service in August. It returned to Iowa, landing at Davenport on the 19th of August, 1865, numbering 765 men, including parts of the Nineteenth, Twentieth and Twenty-third which had been attached to it.

SOURCE, Benjamin F. Gue, Biographies And Portraits Of The Progressive Men Of Iowa, Volume 1, p. 111

The Twenty-Third Iowa Infantry

This regiment was raised chiefly in the counties of Polk, Dallas, Story, Wayne, Pottawattamie, Montgomery, Page, Jasper, Madison, Marshall, and Cass counties. It contained 960 men, and was organized with the following field officers: Colonel, William Dewey: lieutenant-colonel, William H. Kinsman; major, Samuel L. Glasgow. It went into camp at Des Moines, and was mustered into service on the 19th of September, 1862. Its first campaign was in Missouri, where it did guard and garrison duty for several months, making some long and toilsome marches. Colonel Dewey died at Patterson on the 30th of November, and was succeeded by Kinsman, who was promoted to colonel; Major Glasgow was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and Capt. Charles J. Clark, of Company B, was made major. Early in 1863 the regiment was sent down the Mississippi and became a part of Grant's army in the Vicksburg campaign. Its first battle was at Port Gibson, where, under Lieutenant-Colonel Glasgow, it did excellent service, losing thirty-three men. In the battle of Black River Bridge, May 17th, in the brigade commanded by General Lawler, the Twenty-third, led by Colonel Kinsman, made a brilliant charge on the enemy's works, which were captured with a heavy loss. Among the slain was the gallant Colonel Kinsman, who fell at the head of his regiment, pierced through with two musket balls. General Grant pronounced the charge a brilliant and daring one.

On the 6th and 7th of June the Twenty-third, with some negro regiments, had a severe battle with a superior force of the enemy at Milliken's Bend, and, after a fierce contest, defeated the rebels with heavy loss. It was the first battle in which the colored troops had taken a prominent part, and they proved good soldiers. The regiment, now under the command of Colonel Glasgow, who had been again promoted after the death of Colonel Kinsman, lost twenty-three killed, and thirty-four wounded out of 110 men engaged in the battle of Milliken's Bend. About the middle of August, the regiment was transferred to the department of the Gulf, and for nearly a year was on duty in Louisiana and Texas. In the spring of 1864, it was sent to New Orleans to reinforce General Banks' army after his disastrous Red river campaign. For some time it was employed in Arkansas. Early in 1865, it was sent to take part in the Mobile expedition, now being under command of Lieut.-Col. Charles J. Clark, as Colonel Glasgow was commanding a brigade. It fought bravely in the assault on the Spanish Fort, where it again met its old antagonist, the Twenty-third Alabama, which it had first encountered at Port Gibson. In June, the regiment was again sent to Texas. On the 23d of July, 1865, it was mustered out of service with 417 men.

SOURCE, Benjamin F. Gue, Biographies And Portraits Of The Progressive Men Of Iowa, Volume 1, p. 107

The Twenty-First Iowa Infantry.

This regiment was organized in August, 1862, and numbered 976 men. The companies were recruited chiefly in the counties of Dubuque, Black Hawk, Worth, Clayton and Delaware. Its field officers were Samuel Merrill, colonel; C. W. Dunlap, lieutenant-colonel; and S. G. Van Anda, major. The regiment was mustered into service at Clinton, and in September was sent to Rolla, Mo., and in October was placed in a brigade with the Thirty-third Missouri and the Ninety-ninth Illinois, with some cavalry and artillery, under command of Gen. Fitz Henry Warren, of Iowa. In January, 1863, a force of 1,000 men with artillery was sent to reinforce the garrison at Springfield, under command of Colonel Merrill. On the morning of the 11th it encountered General Marmaduke's army near Hartsville, retreating from Springfield. A sharp engagement took place, lasting several hours, when Merrill retreated, having exhausted his ammunition, with a loss of but seventy-eight men. The enemy had not less than 2,500 men in this battle and gained no advantage, and lost several good officers. The Twenty-first regiment was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Dunlap and fought bravely, losing twenty-one men. Among the wounded was Colonel Dunlap. In February the regiment made a very hard march from Houston to Iron Mountain, in which it suffered greatly from cold, hunger and insufficient clothing, many of the men being without shoes. In Maroh the regiment was sent down the river to Milliken's Bend, and soon after joined McClernand's corps for the Vicksburg campaign. At the battle of Port Gibson, April 30, 1863, the Twenty- first Iowa was in the advance, four companies supporting the First Iowa battery, Captain Griffith, and had a lively fight with the enemy on that day. In the severe battle which came on the next day the Twenty-first fought well in Colonel Stone's brigade with the Twenty-second and Twenty-third and lost quite a number of men, Lieutenant-Colonel Dunlap being again wounded. At the battle of Black River Bridge on the 17th, the Twenty-first made a fine charge and fought with great courage. Colonel Merrill in command, was severely wounded. Its loss was about eighty in killed and wounded. In the assault on Vicksburg, May 22d, the Twenty-first was prominently engaged and Lieutenant-Colonel Dunlap was among the slain and Major Van Anda was wounded; the total loss of the regiment was 113. After the surrender of Vicksburg it was sent with the army that pursued Johnston and lost fifteen men at Jackson. In August the regiment was sent to Texas, now under command of Captain Crooke, who had been promoted to major. After many changes of place the regiment was finally sent to join the expedition against Mobile and took an active part in the campaign, after which it was mustered out of the service.

SOURCE, Benjamin F. Gue, Biographies And Portraits Of The Progressive Men Of Iowa, Volume 1, p. 104 & 106

The Eighth Iowa Infantry

This regiment was made up of companies raised in the counties of Clinton, Scott, Linn, Benton, Washington, Marion, Keokuk, Iowa, Mahaska, Monroe, and Louisa. It was organized at Davenport in September, 1861, and its first field officers were Frederick Steele, of the regular army, colonel; James L. Geddes, lieutenant-colonel, and John C. Ferguson, major. It numbered about 900 when it embarked for St. Louis and joined General Fremont's army. In its march through southwestern Missouri it lost many men from exhaustion and sickness. In February, 1862, Colonel Steele was promoted to brigadier-general, Geddes to colonel of the Eighth, Ferguson to lieutenant-colonel, and Capt. Joseph Andrews, major. On the 12th of March the regiment was sent to reinforce Grant's army at Pittsburg Landing. In the battle of Shiloh the Eighth regiment was in Sweeney's brigade, and when the battle began it was on the extreme left of General Smith's division, joining the right of Prentiss. Here it fought desperately for ten hours on that terrible Sunday, repelling charge after charge in supporting a battery. When finally assailed on three sides it slowly retreated, but was soon after surrounded by the advancing confederates and forced to surrender. It was one of the last to leave the field and left nearly 200 of its brave men among the killed and wounded. The regiment was reorganized at St. Louis early in 1863, and was in Grant's Vicksburg campaign, was in the assault of the 22d, and fought at Jackson. Lieutenant-Colonel Ferguson died of sickness during the siege of Vicksburg. It was at Memphis in August, 1864, and helped to defend that city against the attack by General Forrest. In March, 1865, the Eighth was in the campaign against Mobile. On the 8th of April Colonel Geddes led the assault on the Spanish Fort, in which he commanded a brigade. The rebels were driven from their works, leaving many guns and prisoners in our hands. The Eighth Iowa alone captured several hundred of the enemy. This was the last important battle of the war, and in that campaign Iowa furnished the following regiments: The Eighth, Twelfth, Nineteenth, Twentieth, Twenty-first, Twenty-third, Twenty-seventh, Twenty-ninth, Thirty-second, Thirty-third, Thirty-fourth, and Thirty-fifth.

SOURCE, Benjamin F. Gue, Biographies And Portraits Of The Progressive Men Of Iowa, Volume 1, p. 95

David Hunnel

Fifer, Co. G, 23^rd Iowa Infantry

Keokuk National Cemetery

Keokuk, Iowa

William Dewey

WILLIAM DEWEY was born on the 26th of March, 1811, in the town of Sheffield, Massachusetts, was educated at West Point Military Academy and later studied law with his father and was admitted to the bar of Indiana in 1836. After practicing law a few years he studied medicine at the St. Louis Medical College, then came to Iowa, becoming a resident of Wapello County in 1842. In 1850 he was one of the commissioners appointed to settle the disputed boundary line between Iowa and Missouri. After completing that work he removed to Sidney, Fremont County, where he was engaged in the practice of medicine when the Rebellion began. Early in 1861 he assisted Colonel Hugh T. Reid to raise the Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, was commissioned lieutenant-colonel and was with it in the Battle of Shiloh and the siege of Corinth. In August, 1862, he was promoted to colonel of the Twenty-third Iowa Infantry. While in command of that regiment at Patterson, Missouri, he died of erysipelas on the 30th of November, 1862.

SOURCE: Benjamin F. Gue, History of Iowa, Volume IV: Iowa Biography, p. 72

Major Samuel D. Brodtbeck

Major Samuel D. Brodtbeck, was born in the city of Liestol, Switzerland, June 26, 1818. When only 12 years old he joined a company of sharpshooters, as trumpter, and served in a number of conflicts between his home district and Bale. In 1839 he entered the regular army of Switzerland and in 1842 distinguished himself in several engagements and was commissioned Captain. He came to the United States in 1851 and two years later settled in Dubuque, Iowa, where he was for several years deputy County Recorder. In 1856 he organized a Militia Company of which he was Captain. He was commissioned Major of Iowa Militia in summer of 1861, and placed in command of Camp Franklin, where the 9th Iowa was organized. When the 12th Iowa was being organized he was in command of Camp Union, and when the regiment was mustered in received his commission as Major of the regiment. He was present with his regiment at Benton Barracks, Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. At Shiloh he was suffering from diarrhea and rheumatism contracted at Donelson and was unable for duty. He had tendered his resignation before the battle of Shiloh and it was accepted April 7, 1862. He returned to Dubuque and as soon as health was partially recovered, was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel on the Governor's Staff, and again placed in command of Camp Franklin, and organized and drilled the 21st, 27th, 23d, 38th, and 43d Iowa regiments. Failing health compelled him to abandon active labor in the spring of 1863. In 1867 he made an extended visit to his mother in Switzerland in the hope of regaining his health. He returned to this country and attended regimental reunion in 1884, and soon after removed to California where he died January 21, [1897].

SOURCE: David W. Reed, Campaigns and battles of the Twelfth Regiment Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry, p. 248

Robert W. Cross

Robert W. Cross was the First Commissary Sergeant, and he was promoted First Lieutenant 23d Iowa August 11, 1862, and Quarter-Master of the same Regiment.

Elisha W. Elliott was Second Commissary Sergeant. His history is given above.

SOURCE: William W. Belknap, History of the Fifteenth Regiment Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry, p. 46-7

William Dewey

William Dewey, of Fremont county, Iowa, was the first Lieutenant-Colonel of the Regiment. He was with the Regiment at the battle of Shiloh, and having been appointed Colonel of the 23d Iowa, resigned to accept the new commission. He died in Missouri during the war.

William W. Belknap was the second and John M. Hedrick the third Lieutenant Colonels. Their history is given above.

SOURCE: William W. Belknap, History of the Fifteenth Regiment, Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry, p. 37

Twenty-Third Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry

The ten companies composing the Twenty-third Regiment were ordered into quarters by Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood, on the 4th day of August, 1862. The rendezvous designated in the order was "Camp Burnside," Des Moines, Iowa. There, on the 19th of September, 1862, the companies were mustered into the service of the United States, by Lieutenant Charles J. Ball, of the Regular Army, and the organization of the regiment was completed. In the subjoined roster will be found the names of the original field and staff and company officers, together with all the non-commissioned officers and privates, including the name of every soldier who, at any time, belonged to the regiment, with the condensed record of his personal service, compiled from the records in the office of the Adjutant General of Iowa and of the War Department at Washington, D. C. These records are presumed to include all changes which occurred, by promotion or other cause, and all casualties; — in battle, from disease or whatever cause. Great care has been taken in transcribing the records and, where it was evident that errors existed, every effort has been made to correct them, when the necessary reliable information could be obtained. Notwithstanding these efforts, some misspelled names, incomplete personal records and other errors and omissions in making reports and returns to the Adjutant General may still be found, but it is believed that these have been reduced to the minimum and that, in the main, the revised roster will be found correct. The difficulties which Adjutant General Baker encountered in securing copies of official reports from the commanding officers of regiments in the field are described in the introductory article to this volume. The failure to comply with his request is conspicuous, as applied to the Twenty-third Iowa, Fortunately, the operations of the regiment were so intimately connected with that of other Iowa regiments, at least for the greater and most important period of its term of service, and the reports of the brigade commanders, under whom it served, make such frequent reference to its operations and its conduct in battle, that the compiler, while regretting the scarcity of official reports of the officers of the regiment, believes he will be able to give a fairly complete condensed history of the regiment in the following pages. Accurate dates as to the movements and operations of the regiment are often found to be lacking, but in nearly all cases the dates have been given as shown by the orders and reports of its brigade commanders. In some instances, however, only approximate dates can be given.

The aggregate strength of the regiment at the completion of its organization was 961 officers and men [see note 1]. This was about the average number of the infantry regiments of Iowa, at the time of their muster into the service. Two of its original field officers, as shown by the record, had seen service in the field, — Colonel William Dewey [see note 2], as Lieutenant Colonel of the Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, and Lieutenant Colonel William H. Kinsman, as Captain of Company B, Fourth Iowa Infantry [see note 3]. The regiment was, therefore, in charge of officers who had won distinction and honor in two of the great battles of the war: Colonel Dewey, who, while gallantly performing his duty at the battle of Shiloh, in the thickest of the fight, had had his horse shot under him and was commended for his bravery and efficiency in the official report of the regimental commander; Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman, who had fought bravely as Captain of his company at Pea Ridge, and had received special mention in the official report of Colonel Dodge, for the gallant and efficient manner in which he had discharged his duty as a company commander. Major Glasgow was yet to demonstrate his fitness and capacity for the discharge of the duties of his office, but the official records show that he did so at the first opportunity, proving himself a most courageous and efficient commander. The regiment was thus highly fortunate in the selection of its first field officers, and also in those who were subsequently promoted to fill the vacancies occasioned by the death of Colonels Dewey and Kinsman [see note 4].

Soon after the regiment was mustered into the service, it proceeded to St. Louis, where it remained on duty for a short time, when it moved to Rolla, Mo., and was on duty at Camp Patterson and, later, at West Plains, Mo., until February, 1863. The first operations of the regiment against the enemy are described in the official report of Colonel Dewey [see note 5]. This report reveals the fact that Colonel Dewey was selected for the command of a very important expedition, and that he fully complied with his instructions, accomplishing all that was possible, considering the difficulties he encountered and the failure of the cavalry force to act in conjunction with him at the point where he had hoped to cut off the retreat of the rebel force, against which he was operating. For 'the purpose of showing the energy and capacity for endurance %of the troops in this, their first, experience, (at least in so far as that portion of the Twenty-third Iowa engaged in the expedition was concerned,) the report of Colonel Dewey is here given:


HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEERS,
CAMP PATTERSON, MO., Nov. 2, 1862.

COLONEL BOYD: In accordance with your order of the 24th ult., I left Camp Patterson at 6 o'clock on the morning of Saturday, the 25th of October, with three companies of my regiment, (Twenty-third Iowa Volunteers,) under command of Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman, five companies Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers, under Captain O. P. Newberry, two companies of First Missouri State Militia, a section of Strang's Battery, under Major Jeinsch, and eighteen men of the Twelfth Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, under Captain Leeper. At Morrison's, 12 miles from this place, I was joined by three companies of the Twenty-fourth Missouri Volunteers, under Captain Vaughn. My instructions were to march for Pitman's Ferry, on Currant River, which place I was to reach by 3 o'clock P. M. on Sunday the 26th, form a junction with Lieutenant Colonel Lazare, and attack any rebel force at that point. You informed me that Lieutenant Colonel Lazare had orders to meet me there at that time and co-operate with me. The first day I marched 26 miles, to Black River, which I reached at 4 o'clock P. M. I found the stream wide and deep, and the crossing difficult, but I was determined to get the infantry and baggage train over that night. I placed the transportation of the troops under charge of Captain O. P. Newberry, of the Twenty-sixth Missouri, with orders to cross at all hazards. After an immense amount of labor, the untiring energy of the captain was successful, and at 11 o'clock at night he reported all safely over except the artillery and one company of the First Missouri, left to guard it. The next morning at daylight Captain Newberry commenced crossing the artillery. The ammunition was shifted from the caissons and transported in wagons, and the whole train crossed in safety. I commenced the march from Black River at 8 o'clock A. M., Sunday, 26th, and reached Vandover's after a march of twenty miles. A mile this side of Vandover's my advanced guard of cavalry, under Captain Leeper, drove in the enemy's pickets, all of whom unfortunately escaped, and thus betrayed my advance.

I was now 17 miles from Pitman's Ferry, and it was important to make a rapid march and gain possession of the boat. I accordingly detailed Lieutenant Buzard, of the Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers, with 40 picked men, to move rapidly forward with the cavalry and gain possession of the ferry. They started at 1 o'clock on the morning of the 27th, and at two I followed with the reserve body. The men marched without breakfast. Ten miles this side of the ferry, the advance guard surprised a scouting party of the enemy and captured a captain and thirteen men. Leaving these prisoners under guard, they pushed rapidly forward and succeeded in surprising the guard at the ferry, which were dispersed by a volley from Lieutenant Buzard's men. Private Richard Lloyd, of Company F, Twenty-fifth Missouri, swam the river and brought the boat over to this side. When about two miles from the river, at 8 o'clock in the morning, I received information that the great object of my anxiety, the ferry boat, was safe in our possession. When a mile from the river, a messenger brought me word that the enemy was forming in line of battle on the other side. I immediately ordered the artillery forward at a gallop. The infantry, regardless of their long and fatiguing march, followed at a double quick. I halted the column about 100 yards from the river bank and formed line on each side of the road, the right wing consisting of the Twenty-third Iowa under Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman, the center consisting of the artillery and the two companies of the First Missouri State Militia, under Major Jeinsch, and the left consisting of the five companies of the Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers, under Captain Newberry. The two companies of the Twenty-fourth acted as a reserve and guard to the prisoners, under Captain Vaughn. Riding forward to the front, Lieutenant Poser, commanding the artillery, informed me that the enemy were planting a battery on the other side. I ordered him to open upon them immediately, which he promptly did, and after a few rounds the enemy scattered and dispersed. I then ordered Lieutenant Miller of the Twenty-fifth Missouri to cross the river with his company and deploy them as skirmishers, and follow the enemy as far as practicable; and, to guard his retreat, I ordered Captain Houston of Company A, Twenty-third Iowa, to form his company on the river bank near the ferry, leaving the rest of the command in line of battle. At 12 M, Lieutenant Miller returned and reported the enemy retreating.

I had been for several hours anxious to learn the whereabouts of Lieutenant Colonel Lazare and his command. Everything depended upon his co-operating with me. I knew that with my small force of infantry, exhausted by a long and fatiguing march, and without food since the previous night, it was folly for me to attempt a pursuit. Lazare's route to join me led directly across the road by which the enemy retreated, and I waited in deep suspense for some intelligence from him or for some evidence of his presence. At noon I sent Leeper over the river with his 18 cavalrymen to scour the country and try to gain intelligence of Lazare. After a fruitless search, he returned without any tidings and I reluctantly ordered the men to camp. They had performed a forced march of 65 miles and had been 20 hours without food, and without murmuring. They were still ready to go forward, if there was any prospect of overtaking the enemy; but without Lazare's cavalry, pursuit would be useless. I had hoped the sound of cannonading would reach him and convey to him the tidings of my presence, but it did not. The next morning, the 28th, I sent Captain Houston with his company up the river, and Captain Rosensteen with his company down, both on this side, to explore the country and ascertain the position and practicability of the various fords. I also sent Captain Leeper, with such infantry as I could mount, over the river, to explore the different roads leading to the ferry, with instructions to find Lazare if possible. About 11 o'clock, I received a dispatch from Colonel Lazare, directed to you, of which the following is a copy:

October 26th, 4 o'clock A. M.

COLONEL BOYD: Yours of 7 and 10 o'clock, 24th, reached me at ten last night. I cannot reach Pitman's Ferry and find out what is at Thomasville before the 29th. Will be there then. We scattered Boon's men in every direction yesterday, killing six or eight — 18 prisoners, 25 guns, 12 horses. They have all come up but Crow's Company, which has gone east of Currant River.

B. F. LAZARE, Colonel Commanding.

I immediately recalled the scouting parties and crossed my command, with the exception of the artillery and Captain Vaughn's men, over the river. Late in the evening I received another dispatch from Lazare, by Lieutenant Going, informing me verbally that he was marching from the direction of Thomasville, on the Pocahontas road, and would be ready to co-operate with me at any time after midnight. This road leads directly across the road to Yellville, by which the enemy retreated, and they had already passed the point of intersection at least 36 hours before. Of course pursuit was now useless, and I directed Lieutenant Going to rejoin Colonel Lazare, with orders to join me as soon as possible on the Pocahontas road. On the morning of the 29th I crossed the artillery over the river, and, leaving Captain Vaughn to guard the ferry and the prisoners, I marched towards Pocahontas, and formed a junction with Colonel Lazare at Bolinger's Mill, 15 miles from the ferry. I immediately ordered a detachment of 50 cavalry, under Major Lippard, to march to Pocahontas to search for horses and contraband goods. Major Jeinsch accompanied the detachment. They dispersed a small scouting party, capturing eight or ten horses, and found a number of rebels sick in a hospital, whom Major Jeinsch paroled, and a list of whom accompanies this report. The next morning, October 30th, I commenced my march back to Patterson, which point I reached at 6 o'clock P. M. November 2d. Too much praise cannot be awarded the officers and men under my command in this expedition. They performed a march of 65 miles to Pitman's Ferry, the first day through a severe storm, in less than two days and a half, crossing a wide and deep stream. The last 20 hours they were on the march or in line of battle without food. On their return they performed a march of 80 miles in four days, crossing two wide and deep streams. I have no hesitation in saying that, had the force under Colonel Lazare been able to co-operate with me, by reaching the road to Yellville, by which the enemy retreated, at the time I reached Pitman's Ferry on the morning of the 27th, we would have routed the entire rebel force and captured their baggage train and artillery. This force I estimate from reliable information at 100 cavalry, 500 infantry and four pieces of artillery, under command of Colonels Burdage, Green and Mitchell. It retreated toward Yellville, at which point I understand a large force of the enemy is being concentrated, and where they have a powder mill in operation. My thanks are especially due to the following officers detailed on special duty: Captain Newberry, Twenty-fifth Missouri, for efficiency in crossing the command over Black River; to Lieutenant Waterbury, Twenty-third Iowa, Acting Adjutant; to Lieutenant Brown, Twenty-third Iowa, Acting Quartermaster, and to Lieutenant Buzard, Twenty-fifth Missouri, commanding advance guard of infantry.

Very respectfully, etc.,
WM. DEWEY, Colonel Commanding.


The roster of the Twenty-third Iowa shows that Colonel Dewey was 51 years of age when he joined the regiment. No doubt the hardships and exposure, to which he and the troops he commanded were subjected upon the expedition described in his report, brought on the illness which soon after culminated in his death. The regiment suffered much from the ravages of disease during this early period of its service. This was the common experience of all the new regiments, and particularly of those whose first service was performed on the borders of Missouri and Arkansas during those arduous campaigns in the late autumn of 1862 and winter of 1863. The troops were exposed to the inclemency of the weather on their marches in pursuit of their elusive enemy. While the fatalities from disease were numerous, a much larger number were incapacitated for further military service, many of whom never fully recovered from the effects of the diseases with which they were stricken. Upon the arrival of the regiment at West Plains, it was assigned to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Army of Southeast Missouri, consisting of the Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Twenty-third Regiments of Iowa Infantry, under the command of Colonel William M. Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa.

On the 9th of February, 1863, the regiment, with the other troops, commenced the march which ended at Iron Mountain on February 26th. This long march through the mountainous regions of the State, over difficult and, at times, almost impassable roads, exposed to severe cold and heavy storms against which there was no adequate protection, much of the time with insufficient rations, put to the severest test the courage and fortitude of the officers and men of the regiment, and subjected it to greater ultimate loss than it subsequently sustained in some of the severe battles in which it took part. Only men imbued with the highest degree of patriotism could have endured such suffering without murmuring or complaint, as did these brave and hardy sons of Iowa.

The army remained encamped at Iron Mountain until the 9th of March, when orders were received to join the army of General Grant, then operating against Vicksburg, Miss. The march was then resumed and, on March 12th, the troops arrived at St. Genevieve, Mo., on the Mississippi River, and there encamped to await the arrival of the fleet of transports which was to convey them down the river. On the 22d of March, the transports upon which the Twenty-third Iowa and the other regiments of the Second Brigade had embarked proceeded to Milliken's Bend, La., where they arrived and disembarked on March 27th. A large number of troops were being concentrated at Milliken's Bend, preparatory to the opening of General Grant's campaign against Vicksburg. By April 1st, the remainder of the troops of the Army of Southeast Missouri had arrived and, in the reorganization which followed, that army lost its identity, the troops composing it being assigned to the Thirteenth Army Corps, commanded by Major General John A. McClernand. In this reorganization the Twenty-third Iowa became a part of the Second Brigade of the Fourteenth Division of the Thirteenth Corps, commanded by Brigadier General Eugene A. Carr. The other regiments composing the brigade were the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Iowa and Eleventh Wisconsin, Colonel C. L. Harris of the latter regiment being the senior officer in command. The brigade received orders to march on the 12th of April and proceeded to Richmond, La., and thence to Perkins’ Landing, where it went into camp to await the arrival of the remainder of the corps.

On the evening of April 27th, and on the morning of the 28th, the embarkation of the troops of the Thirteenth Army Corps had been completed, and the fleet of transports proceeded down the river, landing opposite the mouth of Black River, near Grand Gulf, where the enemy had erected heavy fortifications. On the morning of April 29th, the fleet of gunboats commenced a bombardment of the enemy's fortifications, which lasted for several hours but without success. The troops had been held in readiness to supplement the attack of the gunboats; the position being deemed too strong to be carried by assault, the gunboats were withdrawn, but during the night ran past the rebel batteries. In the meantime the troops of the Thirteenth Corps had received orders to march, and moved down the levee three miles below Grand Gulf, where they bivouacked until morning. On the morning of the 30th, the troops of the Thirteenth Corps again embarked on transports and gunboats and proceeded down the river to Bruinsburg, sixteen miles below Grand Gulf, near the mouth of Bayou Pierre, where they landed, and at 4 P. M. took up the line of march towards Port Gibson, Miss. The Second Brigade of General Carr’s Division, to which the Twenty-third Iowa belonged, led the advance of the army and marched in the following order: Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Twenty-third Iowa, and Eleventh Wisconsin. Colonel Harris was taken sick and, being unable to continue in command of the brigade, was relieved by Colonel Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa. The march was continued without interruption until one o'clock A. M. on May 1st, when the advance guard was fired upon by the enemy's pickets, about three miles from Port Gibson. The enemy's batteries, which had been posted so as to enfilade the road, then opened upon the advancing troops, but, owing to the darkness, did little execution. It was evident that the enemy had taken position in strong force and that a battle was impending. Skirmishing and exchange of shots between the Union and Rebel batteries continued for two hours, during which the relative positions of the contending forces were developed, when the firing ceased on both sides until daylight, at which time the batteries of the enemy resumed their fire with great vigor and their infantry moved forward to the attack. The following extracts from the official report of Colonel Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa, who was in command of the brigade, will serve to show how well the Twenty-third Iowa acquitted itself in the battle which ensued [see note 6]. After giving the details of the engagement of the previous night, Colonel Stone proceeds to describe with particularity of detail the operations and conduct of his brigade in the battle of Port Gibson, May 1st, 1863. He describes the opening of the engagement as follows [see note 7]:

. . . Soon after sunrise the battle was renewed by the enemy, who held their position during the night. Their batteries opened upon us with great vigor, and their infantry moved forward to the attack. My command was promptly in line, and Captain Griffith's vigorously returned their fire with his admirable battery. Other brigades and batteries were soon engaged on our right and left. . . . Our position being in the center of our line, I was ordered by General Carr to hold my infantry in readiness to charge the enemy's lines when the decisive moment should arrive. . . . About 10 o'clock it became evident that the enemy were massing their forces upon our immediate front, as their musketry was increasing in volume and rapidly advancing toward us. At this juncture I moved my brigade forward in double lines of battalions, for the purpose of charging upon the advancing columns of the enemy. We were compelled to cross a deep hollow, thickly covered on both sides with underbrush and cane, but my men moved forward with the spirit and steadiness of veteran troops. . . . When the thicket was passed, and as we advanced into the open field close to the enemy's lines, we opened fire upon them with such rapidity and precision that, unable to resist it, they soon broke and retreated in utter confusion. This ended the battle of the morning. Our victory was complete. The dead and wounded of the enemy lay thickly scattered over the ground, while their prisoners and small arms that fell into our hands were counted by the hundreds. We remained but a few minutes on the victorious field. I moved at once in pursuit of the retreating foe, and, when about one mile from the late field, my advance regiment, the Eleventh Wisconsin, covered by two companies of skirmishers from the Twenty-third Iowa, was fired upon from the timber. I saw at once that the enemy had been strongly re-enforced and were determined to make another stand. Their position was well chosen, on a high hill covered with timber, and commanding the entire ground over which we were compelled to approach. My regiments were soon in line, with Captain Griffith's battery in position, which opened with its usual spirit upon the enemy. Simultaneously with this the rebel batteries also opened with accurate range, and for about half an hour we sustained alone the concentrated fire of their infantry and artillery. Finally other brigades and batteries became engaged, and the battle raged with terrific fury along our lines. My command, however, remained in front during the entire engagement, and all the time under the enemy's fire. They retired only after the battle had ceased and the enemy had again retreated from the field. During these five hours' hard fighting, I am proud to say that the officers and men of this brigade acted with the utmost coolness, and with a determined courage that would have done honor to veteran troops. They promptly obeyed every command, and displayed a degree of exalted heroism which nothing but the influence of exalted patriotism could have produced. To Colonel Merrill of the Twenty-first Iowa, Lieutenant Colonel Glasgow of the Twenty-third Iowa, Lieutenant Colonel Wood of the Eleventh Wisconsin, and Major Atherton of the Twenty-second Iowa, I am under great obligations for the coolness and promptitude with which they obeyed my orders in the various movements on the field. Their associate officers, too, are entitled to great credit, as all of them, so far as I have been able to learn, performed their duties nobly. To the dauntless and heroic men of the ranks and the line officers all honor is due. . . . When the history of this war is fully written, they will be numbered among the bravest defenders of the Republic. Lieutenants Jackson, of the Eleventh Wisconsin, and Waterbury, of the Twenty-third Iowa, acting Aides, rendered me essential service, and they both displayed great coolness and bravery in conveying orders under the hottest fire. . . .


The total losses of the two brigades of General Carr's Division in the battle of Port Gibson were 263 killed and wounded; the total losses of the Second Brigade were 101 killed and wounded; the loss of the Twenty-third Iowa was 9 killed and 26 wounded, — the heaviest loss sustained by any regiment in the brigade. Among the wounded were Captain William R. Henry and Lieutenant D. P. Ballard.

The regiment took part in the various movements of its brigade and division, which led up to the battle of Champion's Hill on the 16th of May, 1863. In that hard fought battle, General Carr's Fourteenth Division was held in reserve, until very near its close, when it was ordered forward in pursuit of the retreating enemy and succeeded in capturing a considerable number of prisoners and a large quantity of army stores, but the order was not given in time to enable General Carr to cut off the retreat of the rebel army, which fell back to its strongly fortified position on Big Black River, closely followed by the Fourteenth Division, which led the advance. The march was conducted with great vigor and, at 10 A. M., on May 17th, the pickets of the enemy were driven in. The Second Brigade was now under the command of General M. K. Lawler, from whose extended official report of the battle which ensued the following brief extracts are taken [see note 8]:

. . . I was instructed by the Brigadier General commanding the division to move forward slowly and cautiously with my command, and develop and press back, if possible, the enemy's left. Accordingly I ordered Colonel C. L. Harris, Eleventh Wisconsin, who held the left of our new position, to move his regiment forward through the woods in his front, his skirmishers covering his advance, and the Twenty-third Iowa, Colonel Kinsman, to follow him at a distance of 100 yards as a support. At the same time I advanced the Twenty-first Iowa, Colonel Samuel Merrill, into the cleared field skirting Big Black River, with instructions to move forward on a line with the Eleventh Wisconsin. The Peoria Battery was left in position on the rising ground in the edge of the field, and the Twenty-second Iowa in rear as a reserve and support. Meanwhile there had commenced a spirited artillery engagement between the battery of Benton's Brigade and the enemy's cannon in position behind their works. The skirmishers of the First Brigade were actively engaged, and those of the Eleventh Wisconsin, which regiment advanced steadily forward through the timber to the field in front of the enemy's works, and distant from them about 400 yards. Here I ordered it to halt, and move down to the right through the field skirting the river, and take position in the woods and brush lining this stream. This movement Colonel Harris promptly executed, reaching the position designated without serious loss, though exposed to a heavy fire from the enemy's sharpshooters. The Twenty-third Iowa, Colonel Kinsman, having come up after the Eleventh Wisconsin, was ordered to make a similar movement to the right, and to move up under cover of the river bank and take position on the right of the Eleventh Wisconsin and as close as possible to the enemy's works, and the Twenty-first Iowa, Colonel Merrill, to take position on the bank between these two regiments. I also directed the Peoria Battery to take position in the open field in front of the left of the enemy and to open an enfilading fire on their center batteries, with which the battery of Benton's Brigade was engaged. At the same time the Twenty-second Iowa, Colonel Stone, was ordered to move forward on the left of the field to within supporting distance. These orders were quickly responded to, and the position thus occupied by the brigade continued to be held without material variation. During the greater part of the forenoon heavy but ineffectual musketry firing was kept up by the enemy upon my men, briskly responded to by our sharpshooters. Late in the forenoon, finding it impossible to press farther forward along the river bank toward the enemy, as I had intended, Colonel Kinsman, Twenty-third Iowa, proposed to charge at once the enemy's works and drive them out at the point of the bayonet, and asked my consent to the same. Foreseeing that a charge by a single regiment, unsustained by the whole line, against fortifications as formidable as those in his front, could hardly be successful, at the same time I gave my consent to his daring proposition, I determined that there should be a simultaneous movement on the part of my whole command. Accordingly, the Twenty-first Iowa, Colonel Merrill, was ordered to charge with the Twenty-third, the Eleventh Wisconsin following close upon them as a support, and the Twenty-second Iowa, Colonel Stone, — which had in the meantime crossed the field and taken position on the river bank on the right of the Eleventh Wisconsin, — were ordered to move out into the field and act as a. reserve force. . . . Orders were further given that the men should reserve their fire until upon the rebel works. Finally the regiments that were to lead the charge were formed, with bayonets fixed, in the edge of the woods on the river bank. All things being in readiness, the command "Forward" was given by Colonel Kinsman, and at once his noble regiment sprang forward to the works. The Twenty-first Iowa, led by Colonel Merrill, moved at the same instant, the Eleventh Wisconsin, Colonel Harris, closely following. Through a terrible fire of musketry from the enemy in front, and a galling fire from his sharpshooters on the right, these brave men dashed bravely on. Kinsman fell, dangerously wounded, before half the distance was accomplished. Struggling to his feet, he staggered a few paces to the front, cheered forward his men, and fell again, this time to rise no more, pierced through by a second ball. Colonel Merrill, the brave commander of the Twenty-first Iowa, fell, wounded early in the charge. . . . Immediately Lieutenant Colonel Glasgow placed himself at the head of the Twenty-third Iowa, and Major Van Anda led on the Twenty-first. Undismayed by the loss of their Colonels, and by the perfect storm of bullets poured into them with destructive effect, the men of the Twenty-third and Twenty-first Iowa and Eleventh Wisconsin pressed onward, nearer and nearer to the rebel works, over the open field and up to the edge of the bayou. Halting here only long enough to pour into the enemy a deadly volley, they dashed forward through the bayou, filled with water, fallen timber and brush, on to the rebel works, with the Shout of victors, driving the enemy from their breastworks and entering in triumph the rebel stronghold. . . . Those of the rebels who were not captured hastened to make good their retreat over the bridge. ... It is, perhaps, worthy of remark that more men were captured by my brigade than I had men in the charge. . . . Lieutenant Colonel S. L. Glasgow, of the Twenty-third Iowa, and Major S. G. Van Anda, of the Twenty-first Iowa, who assumed command of their respective regiments after the fall of their Colonels, deserve the highest praise. . . . They had the honor of leading their regiments into the enemy's works. . . . Captain Houston, Company A, Captain Brown, Company I, and Lieutenant Rawlings, Company F, of the Twenty-third Iowa, with their commands, broke the enemy's line in a swamp at the edge of .the timber, and poured an enfilading fire into the ditches that routed the rebels in confusion. Lieutenant Rawlings captured the colors of the Sixty-first Tennessee, wresting them from the rebel color bearer. Captain Houston captured the colors of the Twenty-first Arkansas. Corporal John W. Boone, color bearer of the Twenty-third Iowa, fell, severely wounded; Corporal J. T. Shipman then grasped the colors and bore them gallantly to the front and through the whole charge. ... Special and honorable mention should be made of A. M. Lyon, Esq., Sutler of the Twenty-third Iowa, a brave old man, who took a gun at the commencement of the battle, went into the ranks, fought nobly, and fell mortally wounded. The death of Colonel Kinsman of the Twenty-third Iowa, whose brave and gallant conduct is the theme of universal praise, fills the hearts of all who knew him with poignant sorrow. A splendid soldier, a perfect gentleman, and a finished scholar, endowed in the highest degree with the noblest qualities of true manhood, his loss cannot prove less to his State and country than a public calamity. The officers and soldiers of his command had learned to love and respect him with an earnestness and devotion rarely equaled. His loss is irreparable, but he fell as the true soldier wishes to fall, in the moment of victory, when his country's flag waved in triumph over the stronghold of treason and rebellion, and died as the true soldier wishes to die, with Christian resignation and fortitude. . . . Finally, I cannot close this report without expressing my admiration for the brave men in the ranks, to whose steadiness and determined courage is in a great measure due the glory of the brilliant and decisive victory of Big Black Bridge. To them I return my warmest thanks. A grateful country will see that their services are appropriately rewarded.


The total loss of the Thirteenth Army Corps at the battle of the Big Black River Bridge was 279, while the loss in General M. K: Lawler's brigade alone was 221, and of this number the Twenty-third Iowa lost 2 officers and 11 enlisted men killed, and 3 officers and 85 enlisted men wounded. Total loss of the regiment 101 [see note 9]. The two officers killed were Colonel Kinsman and Captain R. L. McCray and the four wounded were: Captain John A. T. Hull, Lieutenant S. G. Beckwith, J. D. Ewing and Washington Rawlings. Lieutenants Beckwith and Ewing subsequently died from the effect of their wounds. The casualties of the Twenty-third in this battle were exactly the same as those of the entire brigade at Port Gibson. Had the military career of the Twenty-third Iowa ended with this battle, its record would have been established as one of the best and bravest regiments in the army of the United States.

The remainder of the 17th and all the next day after the battle were spent in caring for the wounded, burying the dead, and collecting the trophies of war, — the immense number of arms and accoutrements left on the battlefield and captured with the prisoners, 3,000 in number. To the Twenty-third Iowa was assigned the duty of guarding the prisoners. General Lawler, at the conclusion of his report, says: "The Twenty-third Iowa Volunteers, which had borne so distinguished a part and suffered so severely in the charge, was placed as a guard over the captured prisoners, and, by order of Major General U. S. Grant, has since gone north with them, thus losing to me for the time being the services of this command."

The regiment now marched to the Yazoo River, as guard to the rebel prisoners. As soon as transportation could be procured, it proceeded with the prisoners to Memphis. Upon arriving at that place, the prisoners were turned over to the Commandant of the Post and the regiment returned to Young's Point, La., where it arrived a few days before the attack was made upon Milliken's Bend, where the garrison, consisting of untrained negro troops, about 800 strong, was threatened with attack by a full brigade of rebel troops, under command of the rebel General McCulloch. General Elias S. Dennis was in command of the Post, and from his official report of the engagement the following extracts are made, to show the part taken by the Twenty-third Iowa [see note 10]. After describing the preliminary movements and skirmishes of the negro troops with the enemy, which occurred on June 6th, outside of his works, General Dennis proceeds to describe the terrible contest which ensued in the morning and forenoon of June 7, 1863 [see note 11].


. . . I immediately started the Twenty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry to their assistance, and Admiral Porter ordered the gunboat Choctaw to that point. At 3 o'clock the following morning the enemy made their appearance in strong force on the main Richmond road, driving the pickets before them. The enemy advanced upon the left of our line, throwing out no skirmishers, marching in close column by division, with a strong cavalry force on his right flank. Our forces, consisting of the Twenty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry and the African Brigade, (in all 1,061 men,) opened upon the enemy when within musket shot range, which made them waver and recoil, a number running in confusion to the rear; the balance, pushing on with intrepedity, soon reached the levee, when they were ordered to charge, with cries of "No quarter!" The African regiments being inexperienced in the use of arms, some of them having been drilled but a few days, and the guns being very inferior, the enemy succeeded in getting upon our works before more than one or two volleys were fired at them. Here ensued a most terrible hand to hand conflict of several minutes' duration, our men using their bayonets freely and clubbing their guns with fierce obstinacy, contesting every inch of ground, until the enemy succeeded in flanking them, and poured a murderous enfilading fire along our lines, directing their fire chiefly to the officers, who fell in numbers. Not till they were overpowered and forced by superior numbers did our men fall back behind the bank of the river, at the same time pouring volley after volley into the ranks of the advancing enemy. The gunboat now got into position and fired a broadside into the enemy, who immediately disappeared behind the levee, but all the time keeping up a fire upon our men. ... In this position the fight continued until near noon, when the enemy suddenly withdrew. Our men, seeing this movement, advanced upon the retreating column, firing volley after volley at them while they remained within gunshot. . . . The officers and men deserve the highest praise for their gallant conduct, and especially Colonel Glasgow, of the Twenty-third Iowa, and his brave men. . . . The enemy consisted of one brigade, numbering about 2,500, in command of General H. E. McCulloch and 200 cavalry. The enemy's loss is estimated at about 150 killed and 300 wounded. . . . Inclosed please find tabular statement of killed, wounded and missing; in all 652. Nearly all the missing blacks will probably return, as they were badly scattered . . .


The Twenty-third Iowa had been so greatly reduced in numbers by its heavy losses in battle and from disease that, at the time it went into the battle at Milliken's Bend, it had less than 200 officers and men able for duty. It was the only regiment of white troops engaged in that battle. The statement of casualties referred to in the official report of General Dennis is as follows: 11 officers and 90 men killed, 17 officers and 268 men wounded; total killed and wounded 386; captured or missing 2 officers and 264 men. Total loss 652 of the 1,061 engaged. The Twenty-third Iowa had none captured or missing, and its loss was as follows: 2 officers and 21 enlisted men killed, and 41 enlisted men wounded; total 64. Among the killed were Captain John C. Brown and Lieutenant William H. Downs, of the Twenty-third Iowa. The loss was probably greater, in proportion to the number engaged, than that sustained by the regiment in any of the battles in which it had previously been engaged [see note 12]. It had fully maintained its glorious record at Port Gibson and Black River Bridge, and placed itself high on the roll of fame. The battle of Milliken's Bend is memorable in the annals of the War of the Rebellion, not only on account of the desperate character of the conflict, but because of the avowed purpose of the rebel commander to take no prisoners, in the event of the capture of the garrison. When the rebels advanced to the attack with the cry of "No quarter!" it meant the death of every Union soldier — white or black — who might be so unfortunate as to fall into their hands. The adoption of such a savage and inhuman method of warfare was for the purpose of terrorizing the negro soldiers and discouraging them from entering or remaining in the service of the United States, and to serve as a warning to the white officers in command of the negro troops, as well as the white troops who fought by their side. It need not be said that such inhuman methods were not successful, and, being in contravention of the rules of civilized warfare, were soon abandoned.

The Twenty-third Iowa had now been in the service less than nine months, and its remaining service extended over a period more than two years longer. A considerable portion of its subsequent history, as will appear, is not marked with as arduous service as that which has been described in the preceding pages, and may therefore be condensed into the briefer space which the limitation to which the compiler is subjected renders necessary.

On the 18th of June, 1863, the Twenty-third Iowa rejoined its brigade, then engaged in the siege of Vicksburg. The regiment had been fearfully reduced in numbers by its heavy losses in battle and from disease, but the survivors who were able for duty went cheerfully into the trenches and performed their full share of the arduous and hazardous work, which continued until July 4, 1863, on which date the rebel stronghold was surrendered to General Grant and his victorious army. On the morning of July 5th, the Twenty-third Iowa, with its brigade and division, took up the line of march towards Jackson, with the army under command of General Sherman moving against the rebel army under command of General Johnston. A few days later the rebel army had taken refuge behind the strong works at Jackson. Another siege of but short duration ensued, in which the Twenty-third Iowa performed its full share of duty, and after the evacuation of Jackson, (which took place on the night of July 16th,) the regiment was engaged, with the other troops, in the extensive destruction of the railroad for a number of days, after which it returned to Vicksburg, arriving there on the 24th of July and going into camp with its brigade, which had now become a part of the First Division of the Thirteenth Army Corps [see note 13].

On the 13th of August the regiment embarked on transports and moved down the river to Carrollton, eight miles above New Orleans, and went into camp at that place. It was soon after moved to New Orleans and there embarked with its brigade on transports and proceeded to Algiers. Landing there September 4th, the troops were conveyed by rail to Bayou Beoff, where they arrived September 5th. From that place they marched to Brashear City, on Berwick Bay, remaining there until September 25th, when they were conveyed across the bay and went into camp near what had been the town of Berwick, but which was then in ruins. From that point the troops again marched, on the 2d of October, and, passing through Iberia, Franklin and St. Martinsville, arrived at Vermillionville on October 10th. On this march a considerable force of the enemy was encountered near Iberia but, after some skirmishing, the rebel force rapidly retreated and the Union troops continued the pursuit to Opelousas, at which point the pursuit was abandoned and the troops returned to Berwick. The Twenty-third Iowa had participated in all the movements of this expedition, but there is no record of its having met with any loss in the skirmishes which occurred.

The First Division — now under command of General Washburn — was .ordered to proceed to Texas and, on November 16th, the Twenty-third Iowa, with its brigade, crossed Berwick Bay and arrived at Algiers the next day. On the 20th the transports moved down the river and crossed the bar into the Gulf of Mexico. After a stormy voyage the transports arrived at the mouth of the Rio Grande, off Brazos de Santiago, Texas. Here five companies of the Eleventh Wisconsin succeeded in landing in small boats, but, during this hazardous undertaking, a storm arose and the ships were compelled to put to sea again. On the evening of the 27th they arrived off Mustang Island, 70 miles from Matagorda Bay, and, the storm having abated, succeeded in landing the troops in safety. On November 29th the regiment proceeded with the expedition against Fort Esperanza, which commanded the entrance to Matagorda Bay, crossed St. Joseph's and Matagorda Islands, and arrived in front of the fort on December 1st. The enemy had blown up their magazines and abandoned the fort the night before, thus saving a contest for its possession. The troops went into camp at Port Saluria, and on the next day crossed Pass Cavallo, at the entrance of the bay, and went into camp on the peninsula at De Crou's Point, where they remained until January 3, 1864, on which date the Twenty-third Iowa, with the other troops, embarked on transports and proceeded to Indianola. That town was occupied by a force of rebels but, upon the approach of the vessels conveying the Union troops, they abandoned the town and retreated to the interior. The troops were quartered in houses in Indianola for about three weeks, when the Second Brigade, to which the Twenty-third Iowa belonged, moved to the town of Old Indianola and went into winter quarters at that place, under the command of General Fitz Henry Warren, the former Colonel of the First Iowa Cavalry. The regiment was here comfortably situated. The only notable events were occasional skirmishes with small bodies of the enemy, by a detachment of 25 men who had been provided with horses for the purpose of scouting in the surrounding country. This detachment was made up of details from the different regiments, and sustained quite a number of casualties, but the records do not reveal the proportion of loss, if any, sustained by the Twenty-third Iowa, during this period of its service. In the absence of official reports of the movements of the regiment during the remaining period of its service, other than those relating to the operations of the troops with which it was known to be connected, and which are revealed through the reports of its brigade commanders, the compiler is only able to give a summary of its history during the period which intervened between the 21st of April, 1864, and the. date of its muster out of the service, July 26, 1865.

During the greater part of the winter of 1864, Major Houston of the Twenty-third Iowa was assigned to the command of the Twenty-second Iowa, on account of the absence of the field officers of that regiment. On the 13th of March the regiment with the other troops left the winter quarters at Old Indianola and returned to Matagorda Island, where they were assigned to the defense of the coast at that point. On the 21st of April, the regiment, with other troops, under the command of General Warren, participated in an expedition to Port Lavacca, 30 miles above Indianola. Upon the approach of the steamers, the rebel troops stationed at Port Lavacca abandoned the town and, before the troops could be disembarked, had made good their retreat into the interior. The enemy was pursued until it became evident that they could not be overtaken, when the pursuit was abandoned and the troops returned to Matagorda Island.

On the 27th of April, the Thirteenth Army Corps was ordered to report to General Banks, then engaged in the ill-fated Red River Expedition. As rapidly as transportation could be furnished, the troops got under way. The Twenty-third Iowa arrived at New Orleans on the 1st of May, and, with one-half of the Twenty-second Iowa, together with General Warren and his Staff, embarked on a river steamer and proceeded to Fort De Russy, arriving at that place on May 6th. The enemy having obstructed navigation of the river below Alexandria, the boats could go no farther. They then returned to the mouth of Red River, where the troops landed and went into camp. On the 15th of May the troops again embarked and proceeded to Simsport on the Atchafalaya, where General Banks' army had crossed on a bridge of transports. The regiment arrived at Morganza, La., on May 22d, and went into camp. In the reorganization of the army which soon followed, the Twenty-third Iowa was assigned to a brigade to which the Twentieth Iowa was attached and of which Lieutenant Colonel Leake, of that regiment, was the commander. After a period of rest at Morganza, the regiment with its brigade moved into the State of Arkansas, and was stationed at Devall’s Bluff and Brownsville, its service consisting mainly of garrison duty and labor upon fortifications at those points. There is no record of its having met any considerable force of the enemy during this period of its service.

Early in 1865, the regiment, with its brigade, moved to the vicinity of New Orleans and there awaited preparations for the closing campaign of the war in which it was to perform its full share of arduous and effective service. On this campaign, Lieutenant Colonel Charles J. Clark was much of the time in command of the regiment, — Colonel Glasgow having succeeded to the command of the brigade, — but no copies of their official reports were received by the Adjutant General of Iowa. It is well known, however, that the regiment was prominently identified with the operations of its brigade and division in all the movements that led up to the siege and capture of Spanish Fort, and that in the charge, which resulted in the capture of the fort, it sustained the high reputation for gallantry and heroism it had gained at Port Gibson, Black River Bridge and Milliken's Bend. The remainder of its service is well condensed, at the conclusion of its history, written soon after the close of the war, by L. D. Ingersoll, in his work entitled "Iowa and the Rebellion," [see note 14] as follows:.

"The brilliant and memorable operations of the regiment in the campaign against Mobile ended its operations in the face of the enemy. It is a remarkable coincidence that at Spanish Fort it met and whipped the Twenty-third Alabama regiment, which it had met and whipped on the occasion of its first going under fire, at the battle of Port Gibson. But the regiment did not here end its campaigning. Remaining near the scene of its latest renown a little more than two months, it embarked again for Texas, arriving at Galveston on the 22d of June. Thence it moved by Houston to Columbus, and went into encampment. Colonel Glasgow and Lieutenant Colonel Clark being necessarily absent in New Orleans, and Major Houston in command of the post, Captain J. J. Van Houten was in command of the regiment. After about a month spent rather agreeably in Texas, the regiment was honorably discharged the service on the 26th of July, 1865."


The official records show that the regiment was mustered out of the service of the United States at Harrisburg, Texas, July 26, 1865, and that it was then conveyed to Davenport, Iowa, and was there disbanded. The regiment numbered 417 officers and enlisted men at the date of its muster out of service. The Twenty-third Iowa stands conspicuous among the long line of splendid Iowa regiments, with its record of heroic achievements. Its survivors may well feel proud of its history. Its Roster contains the names of men who not only distinguished themselves as soldiers but who have since won fame and honor in the public service. Its survivors have proved themselves good and worthy citizens of the State and Nation they fought so bravely to defend and save. The State has done well in providing for the preservation of the history of the regiment and of the personal record of its members.


SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.

Total Enrollment 1,070
Killed 54
Wounded 135
Died of wounds 40
Died of disease 200
Discharged for disease, wounds or other causes 198
Buried in National Cemeteries 82
Captured , 3
Transferred 42


[Note 1.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 1, pages 817 to 849 inclusive.

[Note 2.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 2, page 788.

[Note 3.] Colonel Dewey died at Patterson, Mo., Nov. 30, 1862. Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1867, Vol. 1, page 151.

[Note 4.] See subjoined Roster, where subsequent changes are noted.

[Note 5.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 2, page 824.

[Note 6.] After the death of Colonel Dewey, Nov.30, 1862, Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman was promoted to Colonel of the regiment and Major Glasgow was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Colonel Kinsman being temporarily absent at the time the battle of Port Gibson was fought, Lieutenant Colonel Glasgow was in command of the regiment. His official report must have been lost, as the compiler is unable to find it, either in the files of the Adjutant General of Iowa or the Official Records of the War Department.

[Note 7.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 1, Vol. 24, pages 628-31.

[Note 8.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, pages 135 to 139 inclusive.

[Note 9.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, page 130. Returns of Casualties in battle of Big Black River Bridge.

[Note 10.] The compiler has made diligent search of the Official Records for the report of Colonel Glasgow, but without success.

[Note 11.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, pages 447-8. Loss statement in foot-note to Report.

[Note 12.] The casualties of the Twenty-third Iowa at Milliken's Bend are obtained from the muster out rolls of the regiment, where all casualties are noted, and are, therefore, officially correct, but the number of officers and men engaged is not officially stated. In Byers' "Iowa in War Times," page 245, the number of the regiment engaged at Milliken's Bend is estimated at from 110 to 160, while in Ingersoll's "Iowa and the Rebellion," page 496, the statement is made that the regiment had less than 200 men fit for duty at the time the battle was fought. Both authors state that the official report of Colonel. Glasgow could not be found, and neither of them gives the source of his information. The compiler places the number at about 128, based upon the most reliable unofficial information he has been able to obtain.

[Note 13.] The compiler finds (War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, page 615) the official report of Major L. B. Houston, covering the period embraced in the expedition against Johnston's army and the Return to Vicksburg, as follows:

HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-THIRD IOWA INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS,
July 24, 1863.

Left Vicksburg on the morning of July 5, 1863, with 82 enlisted men, and 7 Field, Staff and Commissioned officers. Encamped on Big Black River, 14 miles distant, where one man died from disease, and 5 enlisted men and one commissioned officer returned to Vicksburg on account of sickness.

July 6 — Proceeded to Edwards Station, having frequent skirmishes with the enemy, and encamped for the night.

July 7 — Proceeded, with frequent skirmishing, to Clinton, 8 miles distant.

July 8 — Took up line of march, driving the enemy before us, with frequent skirmishes, to their intrenchments at Jackson, before which place we camped in front of the enemy.

July 9 — Skirmishing all day with the enemy, with the loss of one man wounded. July 10 — Skirmishing as before. July 11 — Advanced near the works of the enemy, and threw up breastworks. Heavy skirmishing.

July 12 — Constant skirmishing from this date until the evening of the 16th, when the enemy evacuated Jackson.

July 17 — We entered Jackson and took possession of the works.

July 18—Started out to tear up the track and destroy bridges on the Jackson and New Orleans Railroad, which we continued until the morning of the 20th, when we commenced our return to Vicksburg, where we arrived and went into camp July 24th.

Respectfully submitted,

L. B. HOUSTON, Major,
Commanding Twenty-third Iowa Infantry Volunteers.

FIRST LIEUTENANT W. E. HOUSTON, Acting Adjutant.


[Note 14.] "Iowa and the Rebellion," By L. D. Ingersoll; Second Edition, 1866, pages 499, 500.


SOURCE: Roster & Record of Iowa Soldiers During the War of the Rebellion, Volume 3, p. 671-84

Twenty-Second Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry

The Twenty-second Regiment of Iowa Infantry Volunteers was composed of ten companies, seven of which were organized in Johnson County, and one each in the counties of Jasper, Monroe and Wapello. The records in the office of the Adjutant General of Iowa show that the companies were ordered into quarters by the Governor, on dates ranging from June 16 to August 30, 1862. The rendezvous designated in the order was Camp Pope, near Iowa City, and there, on the 7th, 9th and 10th days of September, 1862, they were mustered into the service of the United States, by Captain H. B. Hendershott, of the Regular Army [see note 1]. Major William M. Stone, of the Third Regiment Iowa Infantry, who had served with that regiment from the commencement of the war, and was wounded in the first general engagement in which it participated, and who had commanded the regiment at the battle of Shiloh, an officer in every way well qualified to assume the duties of regimental commander, was commissioned Colonel of the Twenty-second Regiment, on the 21st of May, 1862, by Governor Kirkwood, and, with his characteristic energy, proceeded to organize the regiment, when the companies which had been assigned to it had reported at the rendezvous. The regiment was fortunate in securing the services of this able and experienced soldier as its first commander [see note 2]. Upon the completion of the muster rolls, the regiment showed an aggregate strength of 952 enlisted men and officers, but early additional enlistments brought the number up to 1,008, about the maximum strength of an infantry regiment, including Field and Staff officers. There was but a short interval between the date of the muster in of the last company and the completion of the organization of his regiment until Colonel Stone received orders to take the field.

On the evening of September 14, 1862, the regiment left its camp at Iowa City and was conveyed by rail to Davenport, where it embarked on steamer and proceeded to St. Louis, where it arrived on the 18th, marched to Benton Barracks, was assigned to quarters, and was there thoroughly equipped for active service. On the 22d of September the regiment was ordered to Rolla, Mo., to which place it was conveyed by rail, and, arriving there on the 23d, went into camp about two miles from the town. It was subsequently assigned to duty at the post of Rolla, and was engaged in guarding commissary stores and the railroad and in escorting supply trains to the Army of Southeast Missouri, until the 27th of January, 1863, on which date it received orders to join the army under General Davidson, at West Plains, Mo. After a march of five days it reached its destination, and was assigned to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Army of Southeast Missouri. The brigade consisted of the Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Twenty-third Regiments of Iowa Infantry, and was under command of Colonel Stone of the Twenty-second.

On the 9th of February, 1863, the regiment with its brigade took up the line of march towards Iron Mountain, arriving there on February 26th. This long march through a mountainous region, at an inclement season of the year, with insufficient rations, was a severe test of the fortitude of the men, but they endured the hardships and privations to which they were subjected without complaint, and demonstrated their capacity to withstand such exposure and suffering to the fullest extent. The army remained encamped at Iron Mountain until March 9th, upon which date orders were received to join the army under command of General Grant, in the great Vicksburg campaign. In compliance with orders, the troops took up the line of march for St. Genevieve, Mo., on the Mississippi River, which place was reached on the 12th of March. Transportation was not secured until March 22d, upon which date the regiment embarked on the transport "Black Hawk," and was conveyed down the river to Milliken's Bend, where it arrived and disembarked on the 27th, and went into camp. The other troops of the Army of Southeast Missouri reached Milliken's Bend by the 1st of April. In the reorganization of the troops, which then took place, the Twenty-second Iowa was assigned to the Second Brigade, of the Fourteenth Division, Thirteenth Army Corps. The other regiments assigned to the brigade were the Twenty-first and Twenty-third Iowa, and the Eleventh Wisconsin Infantry. Colonel C. L. Harris of the latter regiment, being the senior officer, was assigned to the command of the brigade; Brigadier General Eugene A. Carr was in command of the division and Major General John A. McClernand was the corps commander. The Army of Southeast Missouri had thus been merged into the Army of the Tennessee.

On the morning of April 12th, the Twenty-second Iowa, with its brigade, received orders to march to Richmond, La., and, having driven a small body of the enemy's cavalry from that place, marched to Carthage, thence to Perkins’ Landing, and there went into camp to await the arrival of the rest of the division and corps. On the evening of April 27th, the Thirteenth Army Corps embarked on transports, and, on the morning of the 28th, proceeded down the river to Hard Times Landing, opposite the mouth of Black River and near Grand Gulf, where the enemy had erected fortifications and powerful water batteries on a bluff commanding the entrance to the river. On the morning of the 29th, the fleet, headed by the gunboat "Benton," moved down and engaged the rebel batteries. After a terrible bombardment, lasting several hours, during which several of the rebel guns were dismounted, the plan was abandoned. Having failed in the movement which seemed to have been intended for a combined attack by the land and naval forces upon this impregnable position of the enemy, the Thirteenth Army Corps was ordered to move from Hard Times Landing to a point on the river three miles below Grand Gulf, and there go into bivouac until morning. During the night the fleet of transports and gunboats, which had successfully run the blockade at Vicksburg, passed the rebel batteries.

On the morning of April 30th, the Thirteenth Army Corps embarked on transports and gunboats and proceeded down the river, landing, about 3 P. M., sixteen miles below Grand Gulf, at the village of Bruinsburg. At 4 P. M. the army marched in the direction of Port Gibson. The Twenty-second Iowa, with its brigade, formed the extreme advance of the army. Colonel Harris not being able to proceed with the troops on account of illness, the command of the brigade devolved upon Colonel Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa. At 1 o'clock A. M„ May 1st, the advanced guard, composed of one company of the Twenty-first Iowa, was suddenly fired upon by the enemy's pickets, about three miles from Port Gibson. The official report of Major Atherton, who was in command of the Twenty-second Iowa, describes the movements and conduct of the regiment in the preliminary engagement on the night of April 30th, and in the battle of Port Gibson on May 1, 1863, and is here quoted, as follows [see note 3]:


CAMP NEAR ROCKY SPRINGS, MISS., May 7, 1863.

COLONEL WILLIAM M. STONE,

SIR: I herewith report to you the action of the Twenty-second Iowa in the battle before Port Gibson, Miss., on the 1st inst. You having been called upon to command the Second Brigade, to which we were attached, the command of the regiment devolved upon me. On the evening of the 30th ultimo, on our march toward Port Gibson, Miss., after our advanced guard became engaged with the enemy, I received an order from you to hurry my regiment forward and form it in line on the left of our artillery, then hotly engaged with the rebel batteries. This order was promptly obeyed, and the men came up quickly and in good order, forming at the point designated. We were then under the enemy's fire, yet my men manifested great coolness and self-possession. We remained in line for two hours in support of the batteries, until the battle ceased for the night, and we lay down upon our arms, but not to sleep, as we were in momentary expectation of a renewal of the combat. Soon after sunrise we were again in line and under the enemy's fire, in support of our batteries, until near 10 o'clock, when we were led forward to charge on the rebel lines. This movement was executed with alacrity by my regiment. Not a man faltered or fell back. Our fire was delivered upon the enemy with great deliberation and accuracy, and when their lines were broken and they driven in rout from the field, we were among the first to occupy their field. In the long and hotly contested fight of the afternoon, my regiment was all the time in the face of the enemy and under his severest fire. Three times we were ordered against the rebel infantry and under the range of his batteries. Each time we drove them from the field. Late in the afternoon, by your order, we charged up the hill in conjunction with the Twenty-first Iowa, and on the left of General Burbridge's brigade, against the enemy's lines, there strongly posted in almost impenetrable timber and underbrush. Though unable, from the character of the ground and the raking fire of the enemy's batteries, to reach the extreme summit of the hill, we reached the point to which I was ordered, and remained there, receiving and returning the enemy's fire, until about sundown, when, by your order, we returned to our former position, and remained on the field until the firing had entirely ceased and quiet reigned along our whole line.

Throughout this series of engagements the officers and men of my regiment behaved with great coolness and gallantry. I found them always ready and eager to obey the order to move on the enemy. So well did the entire command acquit themselves. I cannot, without seeming invidiousness, enter into particulars. It is sufficient to say that they acted nobly, and well sustained the honors already earned by Iowa soldiers. Great care was taken to shelter our men from the enemy's fire, which the unevenness of the ground enabled us to do with comparative success, yet the loss in this regiment being greater, with but one exception, than any other regiment in the brigade, shows clearly where we were during this long and hotly contested engagement, and that my men did not shrink from their duty. Too much praise cannot be awarded to our surgeons, White and Peabody. Their department was conducted with skill and ability. Their attention to the wounded was truly commendable and will doubtless long be remembered by these unfortunates. The following is a list of the killed and wounded [see note 4]. Several not enumerated were very slightly wounded, but continued on the field until the close of the fight.

Very respectfully,

J. B. ATHERTON,
Major Commanding Regiment.


The official report of the commander of the brigade, Colonel W. M. Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa, describes with minute particularity the movements and conduct of his command. He especially commends the conduct of Colonel Merrill of the Twenty-first Iowa, Major Atherton of the Twenty-second Iowa, Lieutenant Colonel Glasgow of the Twenty-third Iowa, Lieutenant Colonel Wood of the Eleventh Wisconsin, and Captain Griffiths of the First Iowa Battery, and adds this further commendation: "Their associate officers, too, are entitled to great credit, as all of them, so far as I have been able to learn, performed their duties nobly. To the dauntless and heroic men of the ranks, and the line officers, all honor is due. Never did brave men endure more with less murmuring than they, during these thirty consecutive hours of hard marching and severe fighting, and, when the history of the war is fully written, they will be remembered among the bravest defenders of the Republic." [See note 5.]

The official report of General Carr, the division commander, speaks in the highest terms of the conduct of Colonel Stone and the officers and men of his brigade, and gives the following summary of losses: "The loss of the First Brigade was: Killed, 28; wounded, 134; that of the Second Brigade was: Killed, 13; wounded, 88. Total in the division, 263." [See note 6.]

Early on the morning of the second day of May, the army marched in pursuit of the enemy. At Bayou Pierre, the Second Brigade was ordered to halt for the purpose of rebuilding a bridge, which had been destroyed by the enemy the night previous. The bridge was completed and the march resumed on the evening of May 4th. Colonel Stone had been relieved of the command of the brigade by General M. K. Lawler, and had resumed command of his regiment. On May 13th, the Second Brigade arrived at Mississippi Springs, where it was ordered to remain as guard for the transportation train of the division until the 16th, on which date it returned to Raymond and rejoined the division and corps, which then marched towards Edwards' Station, and arrived in the vicinity of Champion's Hill while the battle which was fought there was in progress. General Carr's Division was held in reserve until just at the close of the battle, when it was ordered forward to pursue the retreating enemy and endeavor to cut off the retreat. The pursuit was continued to Edwards' Station, which was reached at 10 P. M., and a train of commissary and ordnance stores and other supplies of the rebel army was captured, together with over 200 prisoners. It was no fault of the Twenty-second Iowa and the other troops of their brigade and division that they did not have a larger share of the fighting at Champion's Hill. They stood waiting for the order to go into action during the progress of the battle, but the order was not given until the enemy was in full retreat and it was too late to successfully execute the flanking movement by which it was hoped to intercept the retreat and prevent the escape of the enemy. Had the order been given sooner, that result might have been accomplished, and the Twenty-second Iowa and the troops with which it was associated would have had a more conspicuous record in the battle of Champion's Hill, and a greater loss would have been inflicted upon the rebel army.

At daylight, on the morning of May 17th, the regiment with its brigade resumed the pursuit of the enemy. General Carr's Division now led the advance. The march was conducted with great vigor and, at 10 A. M., the enemy's pickets were encountered about two miles from their fortifications on Black River. Space will not permit a detailed description of the battle which ensued or the conditions which confronted the troops making the attack. Suffice it to say that, when the pickets of the enemy had been driven in and their position developed, it became evident that their defeat could only be accomplished after a desperate struggle. Having reconnoitered the position and determined upon the most accessible point of attack, the Thirteenth Corps moved forward, with General Carr's Division in advance. Skirmishing was renewed and continued for several hours. General Lawler, whose brigade occupied the extreme right, discovered that by moving his brigade under cover of the river bank a charge on the enemy's works from that point might be successfully made. He therefore ordered his brigade to charge and, if possible, carry the works. The Twenty-third Iowa, led by the gallant Colonel Kinsman, was in the van, followed by the Twenty-first Iowa and the Eleventh Wisconsin; while the Twenty-second Iowa, on the extreme right of the brigade, was ordered to move down the river bank against the enemy's left, which rested on the river. The order was most gallantly executed. In less than twenty minutes after the order to charge was given, the main line of the enemy's works had been captured. In his official report General Lawler gives a carefully detailed account of the movements and conduct of the different regiments composing his brigade. In its position upon the extreme right, the Twenty-second Iowa, while rendering most important service, did not come under the direct fire of the enemy and, therefore, escaped with the least loss of any of the regiments of the brigade. It implicitly obeyed the orders it received, however, and acquitted itself with perfect honor in the battle of Big Black River Bridge. The following brief extracts from General Lawler's report will serve to show his appreciation of the conduct of the regiment during the battle [see note 7]:

. . . The Twenty-second Iowa — which had in the meantime crossed the field and taken position on the river bank, on the right of the Eleventh Wisconsin — were ordered to move out into the field and act as a reserve force. . . . The rebels broke and fled before the Twenty-second Iowa, and fell an easy prey into the hands of the Eleventh Wisconsin. Those of the rebels who were not captured hastened to make good their retreat over the bridge. As the result of this successful charge, we may with justice claim that it gave our army entire possession of the enemy's extended lines of works, and with them their field artillery (18 pieces in all), a large quantity of ammunition, thousands of small arms, and 3,000 prisoners. . . Colonel William M. Stone, Twenty-second Iowa Volunteers, though suffering severely from disease, was present on the field, sharing its dangers, and has my thanks for the promptness with which he moved his command against the left of the enemy's works.


General Lawler gives the number of killed and wounded in his brigade as follows: Killed, 27; wounded, 194; total, 221; while the total loss of the division was 246 and that of the Thirteenth Army Corps 279, thus showing that Lawler's Brigade sustained the heaviest loss and did most of the fighting in that battle [see note 8]. The Twenty-first and Twenty-third Iowa lost 184 of the 221 killed and wounded in the Second Brigade, those two regiments leading the charge, while the Twenty-second Iowa and Eleventh Wisconsin, being held in reserve, did not participate in the severest part of the battle.

The Thirteenth Corps went into camp on the battlefield until a floating bridge could be constructed to replace the bridge destroyed by the enemy. On the evening of the 18th, the bridge having been completed, the corps crossed the river and took up the line of march towards Vicksburg, the enemy having retreated to that place, where, behind heavy fortifications, they awaited the attack of General Grant's army. The march was continued all night and the following day until noon, when the advanced line of the enemy's works was reached and the troops came under the fire of their heavy guns. Firing was kept up by the contending batteries and, at 2 P. M., the infantry was ordered to move forward. After several hours’ skirmishing, the Thirteenth Corps succeeded in gaining an advanced position within 500 yards of the enemy's works, covered from their fire by a range of hills. The Twenty-second Iowa had one man severely wounded during this advance. The position taken by General Carr's Division was on the range of hills in the vicinity of the Jackson Railroad. Lawler’s Brigade occupied the left, with the right of the Twenty-second Iowa resting on the railroad. During the whole of the night of May 20th, the regiment was engaged in throwing up fortifications and, on the morning of the 21st, two twenty-pound Napoleon guns of the Sixteenth Ohio Battery were placed in position on the brow of the hill and opened a vigorous fire on the enemy's works. Their fire dismounted one of the enemy's heavy guns, but the rebel artillery remained silent, probably for the purpose of saving its ammunition for the anticipated assault. Throughout the day the regiment occupied the works, constructed during the previous night, and kept up a brisk fire in response to that of the enemy's sharpshooters, but, owing to the inaccuracy of the enemy's aim and the great distance, the total casualties in the regiment, resulting from this first day's practice in the rifle pits, were two men severely wounded.

On the evening of May 21st, Colonel Stone received General Grant's order for a general assault on the enemy's lines at 10 A. M. on the 22d, and the officers were notified to have their men in readiness for the movement, which it became necessary to make under cover of the night in order to reach the position midway between the two lines, from which the assault was to be made. In the stillness of midnight the Twenty-second Iowa led the advance of the brigade, moved over the brow of the hill and passed quietly down the deep ravine, into which the enemy had felled trees which formed an obstruction difficult to overcome. With great caution the regiment made its way over this obstruction and, after several hours, succeeded in reaching the desired position, without having attracted the attention of the enemy's pickets, posted but twenty yards distant. The day was dawning when the position was gained, and the men were ordered to lie down and rest upon the hillside until the appointed hour should arrive. At 9:30 A. M. the brigade was formed in lines of battalions, the Twenty-second Iowa in advance, followed by the Twenty-first Iowa and Eleventh Wisconsin. At 10 A. M. Captain Bluford Wilson, of General Lawler's Staff, arrived and directed Colonel Stone to advance. In a moment more, with the battle-cry "Remember Kinsman!" (Colonel of the Twenty-third Iowa, killed at Black River), and the command "Forward!" given by Colonel Stone, the regiment leaped over the hill to the charge. The enemy were on the alert and, as our colors rose above the crest of the hill, a thousand bayonets glistened in the sunlight above the parapet at Fort Beauregard.

The strong work against which the main attack was directed covered about half an acre of ground, the walls being about fifteen feet high, surrounded by a ditch ten feet wide. A line of rifle pits connected it with others of the same kind, each of which was so arranged as to enfilade the approach to the other. The regiment succeeded in reaching — under a concentrated fire of grape and musketry — an almost impenetrable abatis, forty yards from the works, where it became necessary to reform the line, the men having become separated in crossing the obstructions. They promptly rallied to the flag and were again led to the charge. Colonel Stone was here wounded, while gallantly directing the charge, and was compelled to leave the field. Lieutenant Colonel Graham then assumed command and, with a few officers and about fifty men, succeeded in reaching the ditch surrounding the fort, but, having no scaling ladders, they were unable to enter the works. Sergeant Joseph E. Griffith, with some fifteen or twenty men, succeeded — by raising one another up the wall — in gaining an entrance and capturing a number of prisoners, but the fire from the enemy's rifle pits in rear of the fort, and the lack of reinforcements coming to their aid, rendered the place untenable. Sergeant Griffith and David Trine, of Company I, were the only survivors of this daring exploit [see note 9]. The assault had proved a failure. The troops did not leave the field, however. Believing that reinforcements would be sent to their aid, the gallant officers and men of the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Iowa and the Eleventh Wisconsin remained on the field, receiving and returning the fire of the enemy until, their ammunition becoming exhausted, they were compelled to withdraw. The regiment had suffered very heavy loss. Captain James Robertson of Company I, and Lieutenant Matthew A. Robb of Company D, were killed at the head of their companies. Lieutenant Colonel Harvey Graham and several others were taken prisoners in the ditch at the fort, while gallantly endeavoring to aid the brave men who had gained an entrance. Captain John H. Gearkee and Lieutenant John Remic, of Company B, and Lieutenant L. F. Mullins of Company C, fell severely wounded at the post of honor at the head of their companies. Every officer and man of the regiment might justly have had special mention for the brave manner in which he performed his duty in that desperate and hopeless struggle. They obeyed orders — the highest duty of soldiers — without questioning the wisdom or unwisdom of the officers high in command, who had sent them against this strong position of the enemy and failed to reinforce them at the critical moment when they had gained a lodgment upon the works of the enemy and, with a sufficient force sent to their assistance, might have carried and held them. It was the last attempt to capture Vicksburg by direct assault, and, from that day to the time of surrender, the safer and wiser plan of a regular siege was adopted. The loss of the Twenty-second Iowa in this charge was 27 killed, 118 wounded and 19 captured. Total loss 164 [see note 10]. This was the heaviest loss sustained by any regiment of the Thirteenth Army Corps in the disastrous assault, as shown by the official returns. The total loss of the corps was 1,275, while that of Carr's Division was 710, and of Lawler's Brigade 368 [see note 11].

Colonel Stone having been wounded and Lieutenant Colonel Graham captured during the assault, the command of the regiment devolved upon Major Atherton, who wrote the official report of the engagement [see note 12]. His report differs in some respects from those of other officers, notably that of Captain C. N. Lee [see note 13], also that of General Lawler [see note 14], the Brigade Commander, and that of Adjutant Pryce, in his history of the regiment [see note 15]. ♦ The compiler has heretofore referred to these conflicting reports and cannot attempt to reconcile them. In the main they are in accord as to the essential fact, that the conduct of the officers and men of the regiment in that desperate charge was worthy of as high praise as was ever accorded to soldiers upon any battlefield of the war, in either of the contending armies. Had the history of the Twenty-second Iowa ended upon that day, that regiment would still stand high upon the roll of fame, as among the bravest and best that the State of Iowa sent into the field.

The regiment had now become fearfully reduced in numbers, but the brave officers and men who survived, and were able for duty, performed their full share of service in the trenches until the surrender of the rebel stronghold on the 4th of July, 1863. They suffered all the hardships and exposure incident to that protracted siege, but, during the remainder of its progress, the casualties of the regiment were light, as compared with its heavy loss on the 22d of May. The losses of the regiment in battle, on the skirmish line and in the siege had, up to July 4, 1863, aggregated 189, while less than ten months had expired since it took the field.

On the morning of July 5th, the regiment took up the line of march with the troops under General Sherman, moving against the rebel army under General Johnston. The regiment started on this march with less than 150 officers and men fit for duty, but, during all the operations of its brigade and division, while the rebel army was being driven towards Jackson and during the siege of that place — which ended with the evacuation of the enemy on July 16th — it performed its full share of duty, always acquitting itself with credit. Colonel Stone, having partially recovered from his wounds, rejoined his regiment while the siege of Jackson was in progress, and was placed in command of the Second Brigade. After the army had taken possession of the city, the Second Brigade was ordered to destroy a portion of the Mississippi Central Railroad. Having accomplished that duty, it returned to Vicksburg, arriving there on the 24th of July, and going into camp in the city. Here Colonel Stone (having been nominated for Governor of Iowa) tendered his resignation and took final leave of the army, carrying with him the love and respect of his comrades in arms. The officers and men of the regiment regretted the loss of their noble commander, under whom they had won renown, but they rejoiced to know that he was to become the Governor of their State, in recognition of his splendid service as a soldier and of his ability to render equally good service as the Chief Executive of the Commonwealth of Iowa.

On the 31st of July, General Carr, who had successfully commanded the division, relinquished the command, on account of impaired health, and General Benton was appointed his successor, while Colonel Harris, of the Eleventh Wisconsin, again assumed command of the brigade as the successor of Colonel Stone. The brigade became a part of the First Division of the Thirteenth Army Corps, commanded by Major General Ord, as the successor of Major General McClernand. On the 13th of August the regiment embarked on the transport "Baltic," and moved down the river to Carrollton, eight miles above New Orleans, and went into camp there. Preparations were being made for another campaign. The troops were soon ordered to New Orleans, where all surplus baggage was stored in order that the troops might be relieved of everything that would prevent celerity in marching, and, after being reviewed by Generals Grant and Banks, the whole command embarked on transports and proceeded to Algiers. Landing there, the troops were conveyed by rail to Bayou Beoff, where they arrived on September 5th, and remained until the 11th, when they marched to Brashear City, on Berwick Bay. On September 25th the troops crossed the bay and went into camp near the ruins of the town of Berwick. On the 2d of October the army took up its line of march, passing through Iberia, Franklin and St. Martinsville, and arriving at Vermillionville on October 10th. The enemy, consisting of a heavy force under General Dick Taylor, was first encountered near Iberia. They rapidly retreated and were pursued to Opelousas, at which point it was expected they would make a determined stand and that a general engagement would take place; but, the enemy continuing to retreat, the expedition was abandoned, with no more important result than temporarily driving the enemy out of that part of the country south of Bayou Teche and extending from Berwick to Opelousas. During this campaign the Twenty-second Iowa participated in several skirmishes, but sustained only slight losses. On the 10th of November the regiment, with the other troops, had returned to Berwick.

The First Division, now under command of General Washburn, was ordered to proceed to Texas, and, on November 17th, the Twenty-second Iowa crossed Berwick Bay, reaching Algiers the next day. Five companies, under command of Colonel Graham, embarked on the steamer "T. A. Scott," while the balance of the regiment, under command of Major White, remained at Algiers, awaiting transportation. On the 20th, the steamer, conveying the five companies, proceeded down the river and crossed the bar into the Gulf of Mexico and, after a stormy and perilous voyage, arrived at the mouth of the Rio Grande, off Brazos Santiago, Texas. Here an attempt was made to land a portion of the troops at Point Isabel. The ship drawing too much water to cross the bar, five companies of the Eleventh Wisconsin were landed in small boats, but, during the undertaking — a somewhat hazardous one — a storm arose and the ship was compelled to put to sea again, leaving that portion of the troops landed at Point Isabel. On the evening of November 27th the ship arrived off Mustang Island, seventy miles from Matagorda Bay, and, the storm having somewhat abated, succeeded in landing the troops safely. On the 29th the regiment proceeded with the expedition against Fort Esperanza, commanding the entrance to Matagorda Bay, crossed St. Joseph's and Matagorda Islands, and arrived at the fort December 1st. The enemy had blown up their magazines and abandoned the fort the night previous. The troops went into camp near the Port of Saluria, and on the next day crossed Pass Cavallo, at the entrance of the bay, and went into camp on the peninsula, at De Crou's Point. The regiment was there joined by Major White, with the left wing. The regiment remained at that place until January 3, 1864, when, with the other troops of the brigade and division, they embarked on transports and proceeded to Indianola. The town was occupied by a force of the enemy, which fled upon the approach of the Union troops. The troops were quartered in houses at Indianola about three weeks, when the Second Brigade was ordered to Old Indianola, where it went into winter quarters. While at the latter place the First and Second Brigades were consolidated and formed the First Brigade of the First Division, the former commanded by General Fitz Henry Warren, and the latter successively by Generals Washburn, Dana and Benton.

During the winter the officers and men were comfortably situated, enjoyed excellent health, and the regiment rapidly improved in discipline and military efficiency. The enemy appeared several times near the town, but only in small reconnoitering parties, which were generally easily driven off by a detachment of mounted infantry of twenty-five men organized for that purpose from the different regiments of the brigade. On one occasion they encountered a full company of rebel cavalry, supposed to belong to "Wall's Legion," and formerly known as "Texan Rangers." A desperate fight took place about fifteen miles in the interior. The enemy numbered about one hundred men, but the little band of Union soldiers fought bravely. They were finally compelled to surrender. The following members of the Twenty-second Iowa belonging to the detachment were captured: John Fleming and Wm. Bechtel, Company A; Philip Huzer, Company D; Gabriel Hoffman, Company H; Karl Bedner, Company K; and William Franklin, Company F. On the 13th of March the troops evacuated the town and returned to Matagorda Island. All other troops of the Thirteenth Army Corps having left the island, the First Division, under General Dana, was assigned to the defenses of the coast at this point. Colonel Graham was ordered to proceed to Iowa on recruiting service at this time and, Major White having been granted leave of absence, Major Houston of the Twenty-third Iowa was temporarily assigned to the command of the Twenty-second Iowa.

On the 21st of April the regiment embarked on steamers "Planter" and "Matamoras" and proceeded on an expedition, under command of General Warren in person, to Port Lavacca, a distance of seventy miles from the mouth of the bay and thirty miles above Indianola; the object of the expedition being to obtain lumber for the completion of the forts and other works on the island. Upon the approach of the steamers, the rebel troops stationed at Port Lavacca — consisting of one company of cavalry — fled to the interior. The regiment disembarked and Lieutenant Jones, with Company A, as advance guard, took possession of the place. The steamers were loaded with lumber and the main object of the expedition was accomplished. General Warren, having been advised that the rebel cavalry company had returned to the vicinity of the town, ordered Major Houston to proceed with a detachment of the Twenty-second Iowa and, if possible, surround and capture the rebel force. The Major succeeded in getting into the rear of the enemy, and in the skirmish which ensued one rebel was killed and several were wounded, but, being mounted, the rest of the company escaped. The regiment then embarked and returned to the island.

On the 27th of April the Thirteenth Army Corps was ordered to report to General Banks, as reinforcements to the army under that officer, then engaged in the famous and ill-fated Red River Expedition. The left wing of the Twenty-second Iowa, commanded by Captain Gearkee, embarked on the 27th, and the right wing, commanded by Major White, followed on the 29th, arriving at New Orleans on May 1st. On the evening of May 4th, the left wing of the regiment, Captain Cree commanding, embarked with the Twenty-third Iowa, and, accompanied by General Fitz Henry Warren and his staff, proceeded up Red River, arriving at Fort De Russy on May 6th, but the enemy having obstructed the navigation of the river below Alexandria, the boats could proceed no further. They then returned to the mouth of Red River, where the troops landed and went into camp. On the 15th of May, a fleet of transports arrived and the troops again embarked and proceeded to Simsport on the Atchafalaya River, to join the troops of General Banks' expedition, who were marching from Alexandria to that point. On May 16th, the Thirteenth, Seventeenth and Nineteenth Corps arrived at Simsport and crossed the river on transports. All the troops then took up the line of march for Morganza, where they arrived on the 22d of May, and where the detachment of the Twenty-second Iowa, under command of Captain Cree, remained in camp until the 9th of June, when the captain received orders to report, with his detachment, to Colonel Graham at Baton Rouge, La., where the regiment was reunited on June 10, 1864.

The Thirteenth Army Corps having been temporarily discontinued by the War Department, the Twenty-second Iowa was ordered to report to General Reynolds at New Orleans, was conveyed to that place on July 6th and went into camp at Algiers. The regiment was there assigned to the Second Brigade of the Second Division, Nineteenth Army Corps, composed of the One-hundred-thirty-first and One-hundred-fifty-ninth New York, Thirteenth Connecticut, Third Massachusetts Cavalry, Twenty-second Iowa and Eleventh Indiana. The brigade was commanded by Colonel E. L, Molineaux, of the One-hundred-fifty-ninth New York. The Nineteenth Corps, as reorganized, comprised three divisions. The first, General Dwight's, was composed of eastern troops exclusively; the second, General Grover's, had five western regiments and the remainder were eastern troops; the third, General Lawler's, was composed entirely of western troops. The first and second divisions having been ordered to report to Washington, D. C, the Twenty-second Iowa, with the One-hundred-thirty-first and One-hundred-fifty-ninth New York, embarked, on the 17th of July, on the steamer "Cahawba," and arrived at Fortress Monroe on the 24th, after a voyage void of incident. On the 25th the ship proceeded up the James River to Bermuda Hundreds Landing, where the troops disembarked and, after marching seven miles, joined the forces under General Butler. These three regiments were separated from the division to which they had been assigned, the other portion of it having gone direct to Washington. They were temporarily attached to General Terry's division of General Birny's corps and placed on duty in the trenches, extending across the peninsula from the James River to Appomattox, occupying a portion of the line in General Butler's front until July 31st, when orders were received to report at Washington. The troops marched to Bermuda Hundreds Landing, where they embarked on transports, proceeded down the river to Fortress Monroe and from there up the Potomac to Washington, where they arrived on August 1st and disembarked.

On August 2d the three regiments marched to Tennallytown, D. C, at the outer defenses of the city, and went into camp on the heights of Georgetown, overlooking the city. There they were joined by a portion of their division, and on August 14th again took up the line of march to join the troops under command of General Sheridan, then operating in the vicinity of Cedar Creek and Strasburg in the Shenandoah Valley. The march was continued through Dranesville, Leesburg and Hamilton, over the Kitoctan Mountains, through Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge, and, wading the Shenandoah River at the foot of the mountain at midnight, the troops arrived at Berryville, ten miles from Winchester, Va., at daylight on the morning of August 18th. Here they met the forces of General Sheridan on their retreat down the valley, pursued by the rebel General Early's army. The Twenty-second Iowa and the other troops of its brigade and division were ordered to join the retreat on the Berryville and Harper's Ferry road. Summit Point, four miles from Charlestown, was reached at midnight. Here the troops remained for two days. The enemy threatening a flank movement, the army again fell back to Halltown, the Twenty-second Iowa forming the rear guard. On the morning of August 21st, the army took a position on a range of hills, its left resting on the Potomac and its right extending to near the foot of the Blue Ridge. The Twenty-second Iowa occupied a position near the center of the line, about one mile south of Halltown. From the date last mentioned, both armies continued to maneuver for position, the Twenty-second Iowa and the troops with which it was associated performing their full share in the different movements, in which there was more or less skirmishing, until the 18th of September, when the army received orders to be ready to march at a moment's notice. All surplus baggage was loaded and sent to the rear and the troops were left with nothing that would in the least encumber them, either upon the march or in battle.

At 2 A. M., September 19, 1864, the army took up its line of march on the road leading to Winchester. Arriving at the Opequon soon after daylight, and the road passing through a narrow defile, the Nineteenth Corps was obliged to halt until the Sixth Corps passed. In the meantime the advance, composed entirely of cavalry, had become engaged with the enemy and had succeeded in driving in their pickets. At 9 A. M. the Tenth Corps arrived upon the ground and formed in line of battle about one mile from the Opequon, on a range of hills facing the enemy. During the time that the formation of the line was in progress, the enemy opened vigorously with artillery, but were soon silenced and quiet was restored along the lines, as if to prepare for the terrible contest which was soon to follow. The enemy was found to be strongly posted in a belt of heavy timber, with their line extending across the Winchester road. During a short reconnaissance to ascertain the enemy's position, the troops were allowed to rest. In a few moments the command "Forward!" rang along the line, and the army moved forward to the attack. The Twenty-second Iowa occupied the left of the brigade, which formed the extreme left of the Nineteenth Corps. The ground over which the regiment had to pass was an open field, extending to the enemy's works, a distance of about one mile. The enemy, being in open view, observed our movements and opened a concentrated fire from their artillery on our advancing column until it had reached to within six hundred yards, when they opened with grape and canister. The regiment then moved forward on the double quick, meeting a heavy fire of musketry, and reached a point within one hundred yards of their line, posted behind a stone fence in the woods. Under the destructive fire the line began to waver, but the men were rallied and fought for nearly an hour in the open field against the enemy protected by their works. The troops of the Sixth Corps — which joined immediately on the left of the Twenty-second Iowa — gave way, and General Grover, finding that his troops would be flanked on the left, gave orders to fall back, which was done in good order. The enemy, inspired by their partial success, raised a yell and charged in pursuit. The line was again rallied and, in turn, charged the enemy, driving them back over the field and through the timber. The enemy retreated in confusion until they reached the range of hills near Winchester, when they rallied and attempted to make a stand; but the rebel troops had become demoralized and could not be held in line. They again broke and fell back in confusion, leaving the Union Army in undisputed possession of the field at sundown. In this desperate battle the Twenty-Second Iowa had fought in the open in the most exposed and dangerous position, while the greater part of the Union troops advanced under cover of the woods. When the line fell back, the regiment promptly obeyed the order to halt and, in turn, charged the advancing and exultant rebels and turned apparent defeat into victory. The official report states that the regiment never fought better [see note 16]. Not a man faltered or fell back, although it required the highest degree of courage to charge over that open space, for a long distance, and all the time under a heavy fire; and, again, when ordered to fall back, to promptly obey the order to turn and charge the enemy, and thus achieve a splendid victory.

The Twenty-second Iowa had nobly maintained the honor of its State and had won the, high regard of the Eastern troops, by whose side they fought at the battle of Winchester. Colonel Graham commanded the regiment, and directed its movements with the same bravery and ability he had exhibited upon the battlefields where his regiment had fought with the western armies. He was ably assisted by the gallant Lieutenant Colonel White and Major Gearkee. Those especially mentioned in the official reports were: “Captain D. J. Davis of Company A, and Captain B. D. Parks of Company E; who were instantly killed at the head of their companies. Their conduct was heroic, and they died at the post of honor. Sergeant Major George A. Remley, as noble as he was brave, was pierced with three balls and fell dead. Lieutenant Colonel E. G. White was slightly wounded in the face by the explosion of a shell. Lieutenant James A. Boarts was severely wounded in the head by a minie ball, and has since died. Lieutenants Jones of Company A, and Hull of Company K, were both captured. Lieutenant Colonel White, Major Gearkee, Captains Mullins, Humphrey, Cree, Clark, Shockey, Hartly and Morsman, and Lieutenants Turnbull, Davis, Needham, Messenger and Chandler, are all entitled to great praise for their gallantry throughout the battle in encouraging and rallying the men to the colors. Surgeon Shrader was on the field during the engagement and was indefatigable in his exertions to care for the wounded. Hospital Steward Ealy, Quartermaster Sterling and Commissary Sergeant Brown rendered efficient service in carrying off the wounded and conducting the ambulances to different parts of the field, and can not be too highly commended. The total loss of the regiment in this battle was 109 killed, wounded and missing. A list of the casualties is annexed to the report." [See note 17.]

On the night of the 19th of September, the regiment, with the rest of the army, bivouacked on the battlefield near Winchester. On the morning of the 20th, the army again took up its line of march in pursuit of the enemy. On the 22d, the rebel army made a stand at the strong position of Fisher's Hill, and General. Sheridan at once made preparations for an attack. At 12 o'clock the Twenty-second and Twenty-eighth Iowa were ordered to advance and carry a line of rifle pits on the heights, occupied by the skirmishers of the enemy. The charge was executed in fine style, and the skirmishers were compelled to abandon the rifle pits and retire into their main works. At 4 o'clock P.M. orders were received to assault the fortified position of the enemy. The Twenty-second and Twenty-eighth Iowa and the One-hundred-twenty-eighth New York, occupying the advance line as skirmishers on the extreme left of the army, charged up the rocky and precipitous ground and drove the enemy in their front from the works. Owing to the irregularity of the ground, the loss of the regiment in this charge was but four men wounded. In the pursuit, which was kept up until the following morning at 4 o'clock, the Twenty-second Iowa, with the Eleventh Indiana, occupied the extreme advance of the army and marched, deployed as skirmishers, for a distance of fifteen miles from Fisher's Hill, capturing hundreds of prisoners. During this night march, while engaged in a skirmish with the rear guard of the enemy, Paul Miller, of the non-commissioned staff of the regiment, was severely wounded. The pursuit was continued through Harrisonburg to Mount Crawford, when it was abandoned and the army returned to Harrisonburg and went into camp, remaining there until the 6th of October, on which date it returned to Cedar Creek and began the construction of a line of fortifications in a semi-circle on a range of hills north of the creek.

The movements of the enemy, from the 13th to the 18th of October, indicated that the rebel generals were again contemplating an attack upon General Sheridan's fortified position. Skirmishing with reconnoitering parties of the rebel army frequently occurred and, on the night of October 18th, General Mollineaux, in command of the brigade to which the Twenty-second Iowa was attached, received orders to make a reconnaissance in force to ascertain the strength and develop the lines of the enemy; but, at 5 o'clock on the morning of the 19th, when the brigade was just starting upon its march, the enemy suddenly attacked the extreme left flank, taking the Eighth Army Corps completely by surprise, driving it from its works and, in a short time, succeeding in getting into the rear of the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps. This bold and brilliant movement of the rebel commander threatened the complete defeat of General Sheridan's army. At the commencement of the attack, the Twenty-second Iowa was detached from its brigade and proceeded on the double-quick to the support of a battery which was threatened with capture. Before the regiment could reach the guns, they were captured by the enemy, and it was compelled to fall back before the advancing force, but, in doing so, retained its organization and rallied four times alone, each time checking the advance of the enemy.

The army retreated gradually for three miles in the direction of Winchester, when, General Sheridan arriving upon the field in person, the troops were reformed, and hurried preparations were made to retrieve the disaster of the morning. The presence of General Sheridan proved an inspiration to the officers and men of his army; "And the wave of retreat checked its course there, because the sight of the Master compelled it to pause." General Sheridan rode along the lines and ordered the troops to halt, reform and attack the enemy, still advancing and flushed with victory. The western troops were formed together in one line, and the intrepid courage with which they fought was an important factor in retrieving the fortune of the day and converting what had seemed certain defeat into an overwhelming victory. The enemy made a gallant and stubborn resistance, but were gradually forced back to the line of breast-works which they had thrown up in the morning to provide against a reverse, but they were soon driven from that line and continued their retreat, followed closely by the forces of General Sheridan. Thousands of prisoners and a great portion of the trains and artillery of the rebel army were captured. The rebel army had met with a crushing defeat.

The loss of the Twenty-second Iowa in the battle of Cedar Creek was heavier than that which it sustained at Winchester, in proportion to the number engaged. Its loss was 77 in killed, wounded and missing [see note 18]. From the commencement to the close of the battle the regiment was constantly engaged. In this, its last battle, as in the first and all those in which it was engaged during its long period of service, the regiment maintained its high record. It remained on duty with its brigade and division until early in January, 1865. The carefully kept record of Captain Samuel D. Pryce shows that, from the time the regiment was organized to the close of the Shenandoah campaign, it had traveled by land and water over 8,000 miles, participated in eight general engagements, two sieges and numerous skirmishes, and five great campaigns, in the states of Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Virginia.

Early in January, 1865, the Nineteenth Army Corps — of which the Twenty-second Iowa was still a part — was ordered to proceed to Baltimore, Md. Here the troops were quartered in barracks until January 11th, upon which date they embarked on transports and were conveyed to Savannah, Ga., where they arrived on January 20th and went into camp near that city, where they remained until March 13, 1865, on which date the Twenty-second Iowa — with other troop s— was sent to Morehead City, N. C. There the regiment was assigned to a brigade consisting of the Twenty-second, Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa, the One-hundred-thirty-first, and One-hundred-fifty-ninth New York and Thirteenth Connecticut. This was the First Brigade, First Division of the Nineteenth Army Corps. There had been a number of different assignments of these troops from the time they were first brought together at New Orleans and sailed for Fortress Monroe, but, in the main, they had served together in the concluding campaigns of the war, and Colonel Mollineaux, the first commander of the brigade, was still in command but was now a Brigadier General.

On the 10th of May, 1865, the brigade began the march to Augusta, Ga., where it arrived on the 19th, and the three eastern regiments went into camp there, while the three western regiments crossed the Savannah River and encamped near the town of Hamburg, S. C, where they remained until the 6th of June, when they were ordered to return to Savannah. They began the return march (the last long march they would be required to make) on June 20th, and reached Savannah on the 25th, where they again went into camp. The records in the office of the Adjutant General of Iowa show that the Twenty-second Regiment was mustered out of the service at Savannah, Georgia, July 25, 1865, and that the regiment was subsequently disbanded at Davenport, Iowa [see note 19].

At the conclusion of his supplement to the history of the regiment, Adjutant Pryce states that the muster rolls and final discharge papers were completed on July 20th, and that the troops were mustered out of the service by Captain George E. Moulton of the Thirtieth Maine Volunteer Infantry, and gives the date as July 20th. He also states that, on the morning of July 22d, the Iowa troops marched through the city and embarked, and that they reached Baltimore, via Fortress Monroe, on the 25th, where they were quartered at the "Soldiers' Home," and the next morning departed for Davenport, Iowa, where they arrived on the 27th, remaining there until August 3, 1865, on which date they received their final pay and discharge from the service.

In conclusion, the compiler submits this condensed history of the regiment, together with the roster and personal record of its officers and enlisted men, all of which have been gleaned from official sources, in the hope and belief that, in the years to come, those who can trace their lineage to the soldiers who marched and fought under the colors of the Twenty-second Regiment of Iowa Infantry Volunteers will proudly point to the glorious record of their ancestors, who went forth to battle in the days which tried men's souls, and left to their posterity the precious legacy of their patriotic service to their country.


SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.

Total Enrollment 1084
Killed 60
Wounded 267
Died of wounds 55
Died of disease 128
Discharged for wounds, disease and other causes 187
Buried in National Cemeteries 78
Captured 79
Transferred 42


[Note 1.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 1, pages 782 to 816 inclusive; Original Roster of the Regiment.

[Note 2.] Colonel Stone was commissioned Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers September 17, 1862. He subsequently served two terms (four years) as Governor of Iowa, 1864-1868.

[Note 3.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1864, pages 470, 1.

[Note 4.] See subjoined Roster, in which the names of all killed and wounded appear, together with all casualties, opposite the names recorded there.

[Note 5.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1864, page 543.

[Note 6.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1864, page 545.

[Note 7.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, pages 137, 8.

[Note 8.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, page 130.

[Note 9.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, page 1130. Also, Supplemental Statement of Adjutant Pryce.

[Note 10.] Tabulated Returns of Casualties, War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, page 161.

[Note 11.] The report of the Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1124 to 1141, inclusive, contains the history of the Twenty-second Iowa Infantry, written by the Adjutant of the regiment, Samuel D. Pryce. The compiler has quoted and will continue to quote freely from that history, in this condensed historical sketch, and here wishes to acknowledge his obligations to the author. There are some discrepancies between the statements made by the Adjutant and the official reports of the commanders of the regiment, with reference to losses, and, in a few instances, to other matters; but, as the keeper of the regimental records, the statements of the Adjutant may justly be regarded as officially correct. A supplementary statement, including a reference to the heroic act of Sergeant Griffith and those other brave men who entered the fort with him, has been made by Adjutant Pryce, and is now on file as a part of the official record of the Twenty-second Iowa, in the office of the Adjutant General. The compiler has, therefore, felt authorized to quote from this supplementary statement that portion which gives the names of the men who were engaged in the heroic exploit referred to, in order that they may have the credit to which they are entitled: ". . . . Among those who entered the fort were, Sergeants Joseph E. Griffith and N. C. Messenger, David Trine, W. H. Needham, Munson L. Clemmons, Alvin Drummond, Ezra S. Anderson, Hugh Sinclair, Lieutenant Mathew A. Robb, John A. Robb, Samuel Lloyd, William Griffin, William P. Marvin, Hezekiah Drummond, John Hale, David Jordon, Allen Cloud, Abner Bernard, and Richard Arthur. One officer and eleven enlisted men were killed inside the Confederate works or on the parapet, to-wit: Lieutenant M. A. Robb, William Griffin, John Hale, David Jordon, Ezra S. Anderson, Abner Bernard, Richard Arthur, Alvin Drummond, Hezekiah Drummond, John A. Robb, William P. Marvin and Samuel Lloyd. Lieutenant Robb was killed on the parapet, and fell back into the ditch. David Jordon was shot on the top of the parapet in the act of planting the colors. He fell with one hand upon the flagstaff. Two officers and ten enlisted men were wounded upon the parapet and fell back into the ditch. . . .”

Adjutant Pryce, in the supplemental statement referred to, gives the average loss in killed and wounded of the regiment at 85 per cent of the number engaged. The official reports put the average loss at a little over 80 per cent. The Adjutant further states that at the time the official report was made, the losses had not been accurately obtained, which would account for the discrepancy.

[Note 12.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1864, page 472.

[Note 13.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, page 243.

[Note 14.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1- Part 2, Vol. 24, pages 140 to 142 inclusive.

[Note 15.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, page 1180.

[Note 16.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, page 1137.

[Note 17.] See subjoined Roster, in which all casualties are noted.

[Note 18.] See subjoined Roster.

[Note 19.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1867, Vol. 1, page 151. Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1866, page XVI.


SOURCE: Roster & Record of Iowa Soldiers During the War of the Rebellion, Volume 3, p. 559-73