The Seventh Iowa Infantry

The companies composing this regiment came from many countie throughout the state, and a majority of them were mustered into service soon after the disastrous battle of Bull Run, in July, 1861. It now became evident that the war must last several years. Missouri, on our southern border, was to be held into the union by military force, and General Fremont was raising a large army for that purpose. The Seventh regiment was sent to the front in great haste, before its arms, clothing or equipments had been furnished. It numbered 902 men, and its field officers were Jacob G. Lauman, colonel; Augustus Wentz, lieutenant-colonel; E. W. Rice, major. General Grant was in command of a district in southeastern Missouri, with headquarters at Cairo, in November, and the Seventh Iowa was sent to his army. But little was known of Grant at this time, but the country soon learned that his idea of the way to crush out the rebellion was to fight the enemy wherever found. There was a rebel camp at Belmont, in Missouri opposite Columbus, in Kentucky, protected by heavy guns of the latter place. On the 7th of November Grant embarked two brigades on four steamers, to strike the enemy at Belmont. The Seventh Iowa was in the second brigade, which landed two miles above Belmont. The confederates had been reinforced by General Pillow with three regiments. Grant's little army made a vigorous attack and after a severe fight drove the confederates and captured their camp. Generals Polk and Cheatham now hurried over from Columbus with five regiments and assailed Grant's little army on the flank and rear, hoping to capture it. But Grant's army cut their way through greatly superior numbers, captured two cannon, and after several hours' hard fighting reached the boats and embarked. The Seventh Iowa, in this, their first battle, fought like veterans. General Grant says, "it behaved with great gallantry and suffered more severely than any other of the troops." Colonel Lauman was severely wounded, Lieutenant-Colonel Wentz was killed, and Major Rice was wounded. The total loss of the regiment in killed, wounded and missing was 227. This was Grant's first battle as well as the first for the gallant Iowa Seventh. Captain Parrott was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in place of Wentz, killed, who had been a brave soldier in the First Iowa. The Seventh shared in the glory of Grant's great victory at Fort Donelson, where it bore a conspicuous part. At the battle of Shiloh the Seventh was in Tuttle's Iowa brigade and did excellent service and won fresh honors. Lauman commanded a brigade and Lieutenant-Colonel Parrott led the Seventh at Shiloh. At the two days' battle of Corinth on the 3d and 4th of October, the Seventh maintained its high reputation in the thickest of that desperate conflict, losing nearly one-third of its number. In January, 1864, three-fourths of the members of the regiment re-enlisted and were granted a month's furlough to visit their homes. Two hundred new recruits joined the regiment upon its return to duty to take part in the Atlanta campaign. It participated in many of the battles of that famous march to the sea, and was one of the best fighting regiments in Sherman's fine army. It was among those which went to Richmond and on to Washington, participating in the grand review at the national capital. At Louisville it was mustered out with as high honors as were won by any regiment in the war.

SOURCE, Benjamin F. Gue, Biographies And Portraits Of The Progressive Men Of Iowa, Volume 1, p. 94-5