The Twenty-Fifth Iowa Infantry

The companies composing this regiment were made up as follows: Four in Henry, three in Des Moines, two in Washington and one in Louisa. It was organized in September, 1862, with field officers, George A. Stone, colonel; Fabian Brydolph, lieutenant-colonel, and Calvin Taylor, major. It numbered 995 men, and was mustered into the service on the 27th of September, at Mount Pleasant. It was thoroughly drilled before entering the field, and its first service was at Helena, Ark. It was in General Sherman's expedition against Vicksburg in December, and in January, 1863, it was in the battle of Arkansas Post, where it lost sixty men. It was in Grant's campaign against Vicksburg, but did not participate in many of the battles which preceded the siege of that stronghold. It was in the movements against Jackson, and later was sent to reinforce the army at Chattanooga. It took part in this campaign, and at the battle of Ringgold lost twenty-nine men. Colonel Stone was soon after placed in command of a brigade, and Lieutenant-Colonel Palmer succeeded to the command of the regiment. In General Sherman's march to the sea the Twenty-fifth was placed in the Iowa brigade of the Fifteenth corps. This brigade was made up of the Fourth, Ninth, Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first regiments of Iowa infantry, under command of Col. James A. Williamson, of Iowa. This brigade fought at Resaca, Lovejoy Station, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Ezra Church, Jonesboro, and all through that great campaign, with distinguished bravery, the Twenty-fifth losing sixty-seven men in battle. It reached Savannah on the 21st of December, 1864. Here Colonel Stone took command of the Iowa brigade again, and Lieutenant-Colonel Palmer of the regiment. Colonel Stone's command on the morning of the 17th of February forced a passage over the river after a sharp fight, and entered Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, and planted the stars and stripes on the dome of the state house. The city surrendered through its mayor, and forty pieces of artillery were among the arms captured. On the 20th of March the Twenty-fifth had a hard fight at the battle of Bentonville, and lost twenty-seven men. This was its last battle, and it marched with the army to Goldsboro, Raleigh, and after the surrender of Johnston, it went by way of Richmond to Washington. In June the regiment returned to Iowa, and was disbanded at Davenport.

SOURCE, Benjamin F. Gue, Biographies And Portraits Of The Progressive Men Of Iowa, Volume 1, p. 108