The Twenty-Sixth Iowa Infantry

This was largely a Clinton county regiment, and was organized at Clinton in September, 1862. It had about 900 men, and its field officers were Milo Smith, colonel; Samuel G. Magell, lieutenant-colonel; Samuel Clark, major. In October, it was sent to Helena, Ark., and from there to the vicinity of Vicksburg. It was at the battle of Chickasaw Bayou, but met with no loss. In January, 1863, it was in the expedition sent to capture Arkansas Post. The fleet under Admiral Porter co-operated with the army in this battle, which began on the 10th. Fort Hindman was a strong position, and made a vigorous defense. General McClernand ordered an assault, and, after a desperate fight, the fort was captured, with 5,000 prisoners and seventeen pieces of artillery. The Twenty-sixth here made a splendid fight, and suffered as severely as any regiment engaged in the battle. Colonel Smith was among the wounded, while the loss of the regiment was 120. It was soon after moved down the river near Vicksburg, where the men worked on the canal that was designed to change the channel of the river. In May, the Twenty-sixth was sent with the army to capture Jackson, and afterwards took part in the siege of Vicksburg, and was engaged in the assault of the 22d, where it lost many men. After the close of the Vicksburg campaign, the Twenty-sixth, after considerable service at various places, was sent to take part in the expedition operating about Chattanooga, and was in the battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. The loss was not heavy, but included some good officers wounded. After service in parts of Alabama, the regiment joined Sherman's army in its campaign against Johnston, where it belonged to the Fifteenth corps. From this time on the history of the Twenty-sixth is intimately associated with the hard marches and successful battles of that brilliant campaign. At Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw and the siege of Atlanta, at Jonesboro and Lovejoy the Clinton county regiment did valiant service, and its dead lie buried all along the line of the great march to the sea. In December; 1864, it was in camp at Savannah, and in January it marched with the army through the Carolinas. It was at the capture of Columbia, and at the battle of Bentonville its last fight was made. It marched to Goldsboro, Raleigh, and on to the national capital, and was mustered out at the close of the war, covered with honors.

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