What One of their Number Says About Them.
CAMP NEAR PITTSBURG, TENN.,
April 19, 1862.
Editors Missouri Democrat:
Although newspapers are not quite so abundant in our camp as they ought to and might be, yet during the past week some of us have had an opportunity of seeing many papers, and reading different accounts by telegraph and correspondence of the battle in this vicinity on the [6th] and 7th insts. In these accounts one thing must have struck every Iowa man, and most disagreeably affected every Iowa soldier who as noticed it – that all the glory has been given to the troops of Ohio and Illinois, excepting a little to Indiana regiments, while the Iowa soldiers have scarcely been more noticed than if not a regiment from that State had been in the battle. This is by no means the first time similar injustice has been done Iowa troops in the first accounts of great battles, generally sent by newspaper correspondents who seem to regard it as their especial duty to depuff [sic] the troops of their own State, giving them the glory which may have been the common property of all, and perhaps least theirs. It was so at Springfield, Belmont and Fort Donelson. What Iowa troops did on these battle fields is now a matter of history, and a part of that young State’s glory. What Iowa soldiers did at this Pittsburg battle is at least worthy of respectable notice, and has in no manner lessened the reputation of the Iowa troops.
The Second, Third, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Sixteenth Iowa regiments were engaged in this battle. The Seventh had made itself glorious at Belmont and the Second at Fort Donelson, the Seventh being at both battles. Here every Iowa regiment did its duty, and their list of killed and wounded proves it. The Eighth, Twelfth, and Fourteenth were nearly all taken prisoners, and it was because they fought and held their ground to the last in obedience to orders, instead of “retiring,” as some of the Ohio and Illinois regiments did, and thus saved themselves. Gen. Prentiss was taken prisoner with a portion of them. Many of our Iowa field and company officers have been killed and wounded, and the record shows, or will show when an official report is made, that our Iowa troops as freely shed their blood as those from any other State. Yet a jealousy of the fame they had achieved before, or else a selfish desire to make fame for the soldiers of their own State, has induced Ohio and Illinois correspondents to entirely omit any mention of the participation of Iowa regiments, in this battle, or, indeed, of Missouri regiments.
But there has been a notice of Iowa soldiers, which may excuse a few lines noticed in return. A correspondent of the Cincinnati Times gave nearly a full page account of the battle. It was about as accurate in generality and speciality, as it might have been if written by the London Times Russell in his hotel room at Washington.
This correspondent alluded to the regiment as having behaved cowardly – an exception to all others – and the intimation was plain that it was an Iowa regiment, “a new regiment which arrived the day before.” The Fifteenth Iowa arrived at Pittsburg the “day before,” and the Sixteen two days before. A Michigan regiment which arrived the “day before” made itself amenable somewhat to this correspondent’s charge, but the charge was against and Iowa regiment, and is only important, the course considered, from the fact that every Iowa visitor to our camp, has had it retailed into his ears before arriving, and comes here expecting to find the Fifteenth or Sixteenth in disgrace, instead of enjoying the full confidence of the Generals in command.
These two Iowa regiments were led into the battle field before their baggage had left the river. Arms were placed in their hands only a few days before – for the first time – and they had never been drilled in loading and firing. Probably three-fourths of them had never before seen a ball cartridge. Yet two regiments of better man material never left the State of Iowa nor any other, had State, nor men more eager for a fight or placing that fight more distinctly on principle. The 15th were lead almost directly to the battlefield, and afterwards were intermingled with the Sixteenth. The latter was led across an open field exposed to a rebel battery fire., and when formed in line on the opposite side were ordered back again by a “General” commanding. Arms and legs were cut off, and several men killed while crossing this field and retiring, yet the regiment behaved nobly, certainly better than could have been expected of raw recruits under their first fire. The regiment was afterwards formed with the fifteenth in another exposed field, a rebel battery and musketry in front in the woods. Here our regiments fought for over an hour against an almost concealed foe. In the meantime and old Ohio regiment came up and took position, and was the first to retire from the field. The Iowa regiments retired only when an advance and flank movement were simultaneously made by an over whelming force of the enemy. A delay of five minutes would have resulted in the surrounding and capture of our small force. The result was, in the Fifteenth, the Col. wounded in the neck, Major in the shoulder about twenty killed, and some eighty wounded; in the Sixteenth, the Col. wounded in the arm, Lieut. Colonel had his horse shot, twenty-six killed, ninety-three wounded, the color Sergeant killed, and six of the eight color guard wounded. I would thank you to compare this with the reports of many old regiments reported by correspondents as having fought all day long most desperately, and killed their hundreds, &c., &c. I think you will find the average not up to ours in killed, &c. That afternoon, the Sixteenth, or a large portion of the regiment, was again in the battle, supporting a battery, under heavy rebel artillery fire. At night they were in the advance under Generals Hurlbut and Lauman, lying out in a drenching rain, and expecting a conflict every moment. Next day they were marched out to join in the Monday’s battle, but were held back to protect a reserve battery. That night and the following they lay out in the cold rain and mud, without overcoats or blankets, on duty. When regiments thus do their duty, it is hard for their officers and soldiers to hear reports that some Iowa regiments acted cowardly, and have the finger of scorn pointed to them as one of the suspected, simply because some “Damphool” correspondent has thus directed the finger.
Let me here say that when these regiments marched to the battle field Sunday morning, they met scores and hundreds of soldiers belonging to other regiments (not one man from an Iowa regiment) going back to the river. In answer to inquiries, they all said their regiments had been “cut to pieces,” and the rebels were whipping us, &c., &c. They could not be turned back, although the effort was repeatedly made, and warned our regiments not to advance. But the Iowa boys pushed straight ahead and nobly did their duty. That afternoon thousands of these men were on the river bank, and General’s Aids not being able to rally them, Generals themselves came down and literally drove them with their swords to their duty. No Iowa soldiers, or but very few, were found in that cowardly crowd; but Iowa officers helped rally recreants, and marched them off to the battlefield, and led Ohio and Illinois soldiers that afternoon and night.
I apologize for occupying your space with these details, but Iowa troops have already secured a reputation for hard fighting which should not be dimmed by either the ignoring of the prominent part they took in this great battle, or by burning slanders on particular regiments from Iowa. What Iowa troops have done before, is now a part of the country’s history. What they did in the Pittsburg battle will disgrace no portion of that history, but, on the contrary, help adorn it.
IOWA.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Wednesday Morning, April 30, 1862, p. 2
CAMP NEAR PITTSBURG, TENN.,
April 19, 1862.
Editors Missouri Democrat:
Although newspapers are not quite so abundant in our camp as they ought to and might be, yet during the past week some of us have had an opportunity of seeing many papers, and reading different accounts by telegraph and correspondence of the battle in this vicinity on the [6th] and 7th insts. In these accounts one thing must have struck every Iowa man, and most disagreeably affected every Iowa soldier who as noticed it – that all the glory has been given to the troops of Ohio and Illinois, excepting a little to Indiana regiments, while the Iowa soldiers have scarcely been more noticed than if not a regiment from that State had been in the battle. This is by no means the first time similar injustice has been done Iowa troops in the first accounts of great battles, generally sent by newspaper correspondents who seem to regard it as their especial duty to depuff [sic] the troops of their own State, giving them the glory which may have been the common property of all, and perhaps least theirs. It was so at Springfield, Belmont and Fort Donelson. What Iowa troops did on these battle fields is now a matter of history, and a part of that young State’s glory. What Iowa soldiers did at this Pittsburg battle is at least worthy of respectable notice, and has in no manner lessened the reputation of the Iowa troops.
The Second, Third, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Sixteenth Iowa regiments were engaged in this battle. The Seventh had made itself glorious at Belmont and the Second at Fort Donelson, the Seventh being at both battles. Here every Iowa regiment did its duty, and their list of killed and wounded proves it. The Eighth, Twelfth, and Fourteenth were nearly all taken prisoners, and it was because they fought and held their ground to the last in obedience to orders, instead of “retiring,” as some of the Ohio and Illinois regiments did, and thus saved themselves. Gen. Prentiss was taken prisoner with a portion of them. Many of our Iowa field and company officers have been killed and wounded, and the record shows, or will show when an official report is made, that our Iowa troops as freely shed their blood as those from any other State. Yet a jealousy of the fame they had achieved before, or else a selfish desire to make fame for the soldiers of their own State, has induced Ohio and Illinois correspondents to entirely omit any mention of the participation of Iowa regiments, in this battle, or, indeed, of Missouri regiments.
But there has been a notice of Iowa soldiers, which may excuse a few lines noticed in return. A correspondent of the Cincinnati Times gave nearly a full page account of the battle. It was about as accurate in generality and speciality, as it might have been if written by the London Times Russell in his hotel room at Washington.
This correspondent alluded to the regiment as having behaved cowardly – an exception to all others – and the intimation was plain that it was an Iowa regiment, “a new regiment which arrived the day before.” The Fifteenth Iowa arrived at Pittsburg the “day before,” and the Sixteen two days before. A Michigan regiment which arrived the “day before” made itself amenable somewhat to this correspondent’s charge, but the charge was against and Iowa regiment, and is only important, the course considered, from the fact that every Iowa visitor to our camp, has had it retailed into his ears before arriving, and comes here expecting to find the Fifteenth or Sixteenth in disgrace, instead of enjoying the full confidence of the Generals in command.
These two Iowa regiments were led into the battle field before their baggage had left the river. Arms were placed in their hands only a few days before – for the first time – and they had never been drilled in loading and firing. Probably three-fourths of them had never before seen a ball cartridge. Yet two regiments of better man material never left the State of Iowa nor any other, had State, nor men more eager for a fight or placing that fight more distinctly on principle. The 15th were lead almost directly to the battlefield, and afterwards were intermingled with the Sixteenth. The latter was led across an open field exposed to a rebel battery fire., and when formed in line on the opposite side were ordered back again by a “General” commanding. Arms and legs were cut off, and several men killed while crossing this field and retiring, yet the regiment behaved nobly, certainly better than could have been expected of raw recruits under their first fire. The regiment was afterwards formed with the fifteenth in another exposed field, a rebel battery and musketry in front in the woods. Here our regiments fought for over an hour against an almost concealed foe. In the meantime and old Ohio regiment came up and took position, and was the first to retire from the field. The Iowa regiments retired only when an advance and flank movement were simultaneously made by an over whelming force of the enemy. A delay of five minutes would have resulted in the surrounding and capture of our small force. The result was, in the Fifteenth, the Col. wounded in the neck, Major in the shoulder about twenty killed, and some eighty wounded; in the Sixteenth, the Col. wounded in the arm, Lieut. Colonel had his horse shot, twenty-six killed, ninety-three wounded, the color Sergeant killed, and six of the eight color guard wounded. I would thank you to compare this with the reports of many old regiments reported by correspondents as having fought all day long most desperately, and killed their hundreds, &c., &c. I think you will find the average not up to ours in killed, &c. That afternoon, the Sixteenth, or a large portion of the regiment, was again in the battle, supporting a battery, under heavy rebel artillery fire. At night they were in the advance under Generals Hurlbut and Lauman, lying out in a drenching rain, and expecting a conflict every moment. Next day they were marched out to join in the Monday’s battle, but were held back to protect a reserve battery. That night and the following they lay out in the cold rain and mud, without overcoats or blankets, on duty. When regiments thus do their duty, it is hard for their officers and soldiers to hear reports that some Iowa regiments acted cowardly, and have the finger of scorn pointed to them as one of the suspected, simply because some “Damphool” correspondent has thus directed the finger.
Let me here say that when these regiments marched to the battle field Sunday morning, they met scores and hundreds of soldiers belonging to other regiments (not one man from an Iowa regiment) going back to the river. In answer to inquiries, they all said their regiments had been “cut to pieces,” and the rebels were whipping us, &c., &c. They could not be turned back, although the effort was repeatedly made, and warned our regiments not to advance. But the Iowa boys pushed straight ahead and nobly did their duty. That afternoon thousands of these men were on the river bank, and General’s Aids not being able to rally them, Generals themselves came down and literally drove them with their swords to their duty. No Iowa soldiers, or but very few, were found in that cowardly crowd; but Iowa officers helped rally recreants, and marched them off to the battlefield, and led Ohio and Illinois soldiers that afternoon and night.
I apologize for occupying your space with these details, but Iowa troops have already secured a reputation for hard fighting which should not be dimmed by either the ignoring of the prominent part they took in this great battle, or by burning slanders on particular regiments from Iowa. What Iowa troops have done before, is now a part of the country’s history. What they did in the Pittsburg battle will disgrace no portion of that history, but, on the contrary, help adorn it.
IOWA.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Wednesday Morning, April 30, 1862, p. 2
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