Diary of 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin F. Pearson, Sunday, February 1, 1863

10 Oc I went down to the 3 Iowa Cavelry in hopes of hearing their Chaplain, Brother Ingalls preach but he had no meeting 2½ Oc Our services was opened with prayer by Capt J B Casebeer of the 24 Iowa the sermon one of power Preached by John T Simmons Chaplain of the 28th Iowa, text 1st Psalm then our Chaplain MH Hare read the order above referred to & commented some & then invited our Brig Genl Clinton B Fisk to close he sung Come thou fount in the old methodis[t] stile then gave us a feast of fat things in his exortation in which he remarked he would rather go into battle with 10 devoted unflinching Christians than 100 wicked profligate, demoralized men. he closed by an able prayer, we ware all enabled to say it was good for us to be here Evening I attended worship in Co F & spoke from these words, Work out your salvation with fear & trembling &c. after which we had several warm prayers & then had a good speaking meeting.

SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, pp. 107-8

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin F. Pearson, Sunday, February 8, 1863

Our Chaplain M H Hair took dinner with us in our cabbin 2 Oc Brig Genl Clinton B Fisk had an appointment to preach to us in the fort, there was a large congregation & Brother Ingalls Chaplain of the 3rd Iowa Cavelry commen the discource after Our Chaplain had prayed. Ingalls nor the Genl took no text but pitched in with great earnestness & deep feeling, & we had a good time the Genl, scored the officers that would stoop so low as to swear & they must have felt mean under his scathing remarks. 4 Oc we ware on Dress perade I am better today & have some appetite Evening I went down town to the Baptist Ministers house, whare Mrs. A Wittenmyer¹¹ stops at this time & spent an hour pleasantly, took tea & got some information about the Iowa soldiers, as her mission is seeing after the sick.

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¹¹ Mrs. Annie Wittenmyer of Keokuk was a noted Civil War nurse and a writer of note. See Vol. IV, p. 277, ANNALS OF IOWA. A large collection of her correspondence is on deposit in the Historical, Memorial and Art Department of lowa.

SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, pp. 108-9

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin F. Pearson, February 13, 1863

At 10 Oc one of our company was marched out between two of our soldiers with Bayonets fixed & in the center of our regment formed in a hollow square he was reprimanded as the centance of a Cort martial held yesterday directed, he was tryed & found guilty of stealing one pare of shoes from the Qr master, I drilled the Co & was on dres perade at 4 Oc PM I had the pleasure of a short interview afternoon with Genls Prentiss, Ross, Fisk & Washburn.

SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 109

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin F. Pearson, February 14, 1863

4 Oc we ware on Dress perade Genl Fisk was out to se I wrote a letter to my good Brother C E Yeager Keosauqua Iowa. eight full pages of foolscap

SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 109

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin F. Pearson, February 18, 1863

4 Oc we ware on dress perade there ware some Resolutions gotten up by the field Officers of the Iowa Reg at this place read & a vote taken on them, every commissioned officer voted for them & all the men of Our Reg except about ten & over half of them was in our Co Seargt A I Boston Corp's Lowery & Willis Higgenbothan Privates John R & William C Hodge, they are brothers. Phillips the Iowa Regts are all to vote on them & they are to be sent to Iowa papers to be published.¹³ Also an order by Genl Gorman against gambling by Officers or men & also an order by Genl Fisk for us to hold ourselves in rediness to march aboard the packets in short notice

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¹³ For text of these resolutions, see Burlington Hawkeye, March 2, 1863, p. 2, col. 5. (In the newspaper collection of the Historical, Memorial and Art Department of Iowa.)

SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 110

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin F. Pearson, February 20, 1863

Coz Albert Aflick & his Lieut Col came up & spent an hour with us, forenoon and insisted on Capt Fee & I going down & dining with them & to be Sociable at noon we went down on board the steamer Emma & partook heartily of their good things, Afternoon Albert came up & spent a social hour with us, after which I went to Genl Washburns head Quarters, next to Genl Rosses head quarters & then to Genl Fisks, head Quarters at 4 Oc we ware on Dress perade & Genl Fisk & Lady ware out to see us

SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 111

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin F. Pearson, Sunday, February 22, 1863

This has been a day of thrilling interest to the soldiers here in Helena Arkansas, & I think to all the soldiers of the union this the birthday of Washington, How can traitors hold up their gilty heads this day. At 2 Oc a large asemblage of soldiers met in fort Curtis to have a patriotic religious time. Mrs Genl Fisk the only female that grased the meeting, took part in the singing. A J Kynett of Iowa opened the exersizes with an able prayer, M. H Hare read the 24th Psalm Genl Fisk then read som extracts from Washingtons Farewell address & his speeches & made some warm & apropriate remarks, then the Post Chaplain ——— Freeman gave us a warm exortation Genl Fisk then introduced Genl Prentiss to the audience & he gave us a spirited Patriotic speech & was often interupted by the roar of clapping hands, he promised to soon lead us to victory when a shout rent the air, next Col Bussey of the 3rd Iowa Cavelry made a telling speech & in keeping with those that proceded gave the northern toreys or copperheads some scatheing rebukes. the exersizes were closed with the Benediction by A J Kynett Secretary of the sanatary committy of Iowa ½ past 4 Oc we ware paid by Guverment pay masters for 27 days Oct 4th to 31st evening we had a patriotic love feast M H Hare opened Genl Fisk was with us & we had a good time of it.

SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 111

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin F. Pearson, Sunday, January 25, 1863

The place is in a buisey mood Genl Fisks Bregade is buisey preparing to go on board the fleet tomorrow for some place south of this we think Vicksburg I expressed a box of cotton seed some cloths books &c to Keosauqua Iowa

SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 106

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin F. Pearson, January 31, 1863

I was on drill in bayonet exersize but I feel feeble with great indifference about moving around I recd a letter from my Daughter dated 19th & 22nd It greatly relieves my mind, my son is better, but was not able to turn or help himself & had been verry low for nine weeks, & while I know the Lord will do wright & I feel like trusting him, having dedicated my children to him by baptism in infancy, & trust I now have everything upon the alter, but my mind is some way so ocupied about my children that I cannot rest, & fear unless I can in some way more fully trust the Lord with the care & protection of them my body will sink & I become prostrated. Oh that the precious Saviour would help me. I was at Genl Clinton B Fisks head Quarters & had a pleasant time with him he sent one of his orders to our Chaplain by me & promised to be with us tomorrow for preaching¹

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¹Clinton B. Fisk of St. Louis, became colonel of the Thirty-third Missouri Infantry September, 1862; brigadier-general in November, 1862; and was breveted major-general in March, 1865. He was soldier, business man, educator, reformer, and philanthropist. Fisk University was named in his honor. In 1888 he was the candidate of the Prohibition party for president of the United States. He died in 1890.

SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 107

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin F. Pearson, December 3, 1862

In the morning I visited the sick in the hospital & at 9 Oc took the street cars and went into the citty to procure some things for the mess. I had an interview with Genls Curtis & Fisk. Called at Genl Fremonts residence he is absent. I saw the 118th Illinois Reg on their way to Memphis. evening I spoke in the Barracks of Co F text Matthew 11th 28th K. P. Morrison & our Chaplain followed me we had a good time I visited the 33 Reg Iowa Vol in their barracks to day.

SOURCE: Edgar R. Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 1925, p. 97

Diary of 4th Sergeant John S. Morgan: Friday June 12, 1863

Gen Fiske ordered up to St. Louis. Col Rice Act. Brig Gen in his abcense 13 boats soldiers pass down today.

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 7, January 1923, p. 491

Diary of 4th Sergeant John S. Morgan: Saturday June 13, 1863

208 prisoners pass up. Gen Fiske. departs. Weather very warm

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 7, January 1923, p. 491

Diary of 4th Sergeant John S. Morgan: Saturday, April 4, 1863

At 10. A. M. orders to prepare for embarking for up the river. At 12. M. Fisks brigade struck tents and moved on boats. 33d reg. on Lebanon no. 2 and Charly Bower. At 1. P. M. started up, Burned houses of two plantations where we stoped at night.

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 7, January 1923, p. 487

United States Presidential Candidates who were Veterans of the Civil War

Major General George B. McClellan	1864	Democratic Party
Major General Winfield Scott Hancock	1880	Democratic Party
Brigadier General John W. Phelps	1880	Anti-Masonic Party
Brigadier General Neal Dow	1880	Prohibition Party
Brevet Brigadier General James B. Weaver	1880	Greenback-Labor Party
Major General Benjamin F. Butler	1884	Greenback Party
Brigadier General Clinton B. Fisk	1888	Prohibition Party
Brevet Brigadier General James B. Weaver	1892	People’s Party
Major General John McAuley Palmer1	1896	National Democratic Party

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¹Confederate Lieutenant General Simon B. Buckner was his running mate for Vice President.