This regiment had but seven companies with it during the first year of service, as the first three companies raised were sent to Fort Randall, on the western frontier, and never joined the regiment. The members of the Fourteenth were largely enlisted in the counties of Henry, Des Moines, Lee, Van Buren, Jasper, Tama, Jones, Linn, Dubuque and Johnson. Its field officers were William T. Shaw, colonel; E. W. Lucas, lieutenant-colonel; and Hiram Leonard, major; and it numbered 600 men when organized on the 6th of November, 1861. Its first active service was at the battle of Fort Donelson. It was in Lauman's brigade, which forced its way into the enemy's works, and shared in the highest honors of that great victory. Its loss was twenty-one men. It was sent to Pittsburg Landing in March, and fought at Shiloh in the brigade commanded by Colonel Tuttle. At the end of ten hours' hard fighting it was surrounded and compelled to surrender. The men were held prisoners until the 19th of November, when they were released on exchange, and during the winter the regiment was reorganized, two new companies and many recruits being added to it. Capt. J. H. Newbold was commissioned lieutenant-colonel, and Edgar A. Warner, major, with Colonel Shaw again in command. On the 10th of April, 1863, it left St. Louis for Cairo, where another company was added to it. In January, 1864, it was sent to Vicksburg and assigned to the second brigade of the third division of the Sixteenth army corps, with Colonel Shaw in command of the brigade and Lieutenant-Colonel Newbold at the head of the regiment. It was in Sherman's Meridian campaign, after which it was with General Banks on the disastrous Red River expedition. On the 13th of March the brigade, led by Colonel Shaw, was with Gen. A. J. Smith in the attack upon Fort De Russey, which was stormed and taken with ten cannon and a large quantity of small arms and stores.
The details of General Banks' blunders and disasters on this expedition need not be repeated, but after his defeat at Mansfield, Colonel Shaw's brigade fought bravely at Pleasant Hill and helped to save the army from destruction. The Fourteenth fought with great bravery, losing its colonel, the gallant Newbold, who was killed on the field. Several other brave officers and many men were among the losses of the regiment in this battle. Banks continued his retreat, followed by the confederate army, which harassed it at every step. At the various battles, as the retreat continued, the Fourteenth was frequently engaged and lost thirty-five men. In September the regiment was with General Ewing in a battle at Pilot Knob, in which it lost eighteen men. The regiment was mustered out at Davenport on the 16th of November, 1864. Colonel Shaw, who was a superior officer and had commanded with marked ability on many battlefields, was dismissed from the service on the 8th of October, 1864, for having written a letter to a friend at home, severely criticizing the incompetency and drunkenness of some of the generals in the Red river campaign, which led to its disgraceful failure. This letter was published in a newspaper, and General Banks at once proceeded to have the able and fearless commander of the Iron brigade dismissed from the service. This petty act of revenge did not injure the gallant officer, who helped to save Bank's army from destruction at Pleasant Hill, in Iowa where his brave deeds were known so well.
SOURCE, Benjamin F. Gue, Biographies And Portraits Of The Progressive Men Of Iowa, Volume 1, p. 99-100
No comments:
Post a Comment