Fourth Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry

The Fourth Iowa Infantry was organized under the proclamation of the President, dated May 3, 1861. The companies composing the regiment were mustered into the service of the United States at Camp Kirkwood, near Council Bluffs, Iowa, and at Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, Mo., on different dates, ranging from August 8, 1861, to August 31, 1861. The discrepancy in the dates and places of muster in of the companies is accounted for by the official records in the office of the Adjutant General of Iowa, which show that Colonel Dodge was ordered to employ the companies which first reached the designated rendezvous at Council Bluffs, in an expedition to the southern border of Iowa, to repel a threatened rebel invasion of the State. In his official report, the Colonel states that the rebel force, that was being organized, disbanded and scattered upon the approach of the Iowa troops, and the object of the expedition was accomplished without a conflict. In the meantime the other companies, as they arrived at rendezvous, were ordered to proceed to St. Louis, in pursuance of orders from General Fremont, the exigencies of the service requiring the rapid concentration of troops at that place. By the 15th of August, all the companies, except I and K, had reached Benton Barracks. Colonel Dodge further reports that the eight companies which had reached the barracks left there on the 24th of August, for Rolla, Mo., where they joined the troops being concentrated there, and became a part of the Army of the Southwest under General Curtis. The remaining companies — I and K — were not mustered into the service until August 31st and did not leave Benton Barracks until September 13th, when they were sent forward to Rolla, where the full ten companies composing the Fourth Iowa Infantry were for the first time in camp together.

It will thus be seen that — as a full regiment — it had lacked even the brief opportunity for drill and instruction which the three regiments which were first organized in Iowa had been given while in their camps at Keokuk, and that it had to acquire such instruction after taking the field, and in the presence of the enemy. Detachments, consisting of one or more companies of the regiment, were sent out upon reconnoitering expeditions, from time to time, while encamped at Rolla, but no important movement against the enemy was undertaken until January 22, 1862, when the regiment started upon a winter campaign which was to put to the severest test its fortitude, courage and endurance of hardships.

General Curtis was in command of the Union troops, and by vigorous marching endeavored to overtake the rebel army under General Price. It was confidently expected that a battle would occur at Springfield, Mo., but the enemy continued to retreat towards the Ozark mountains, with the Union army following closely in his rear. At Sugar Creek, the advance of General Curtis came up with the rear guard of the enemy, and a brisk engagement ensued, in which the Fourth Iowa — with the brigade to which it belonged — supported the cavalry and artillery which led the advance, and drove the enemy from the field. After repeated maneuvers to gain advantage of position, the two armies at last confronted each other, and it became evident that a great battle was impending. The rebel army, having reached its chosen ground — a strong position at Cross Hollows, near the town of Fayetteville, Ark. — and being reinforced by fresh troops, and bands of savages from the Indian Territory, halted, and awaited the attack of the Union Army. But, instead of making a direct attack, General Curtis, by a skillful movement, succeeded in completely flanking the enemy's position, and making it untenable, and the rebel army was again compelled to retreat.

Subsequently General Curtis' troops were stationed, by divisions, at considerable distances apart, in order to obtain supplies from the surrounding country, and the enemy, taking advantage of this situation, was preparing to attack these separated forces and prevent them from being concentrated. They succeeded in passing the extreme right flank of the Union army during the night of March 6th, but General Curtis was apprised of the movement in time to change front and partially concentrate his forces, and, on the morning of March 7, 1862, the two armies again confronted each other, on the high ground of Pea Ridge, and, after some preliminary maneuvering on both sides, the battle began, and continued during that day and part of the next, ending in a complete victory for the Union army. The following extract from the official report of the part taken by the Fourth Iowa Infantry in the battle of Pea Ridge shows how well the regiment acquitted itself, and how nobly it maintained the honor of the State of Iowa on that field:

On the morning of the 7th of March, it was known that the enemy was advancing and attacking our army in the rear, when the regiment, in pursuance of orders from Colonel Dodge, marched about two miles from camp, and took position near the Elkhorn Tavern, on the right of the brigade, and to the right of the Springfield road going north, near the southern outlet of the Ozark Pass. Two companies were deployed as skirmishers to the front, and soon became desperately engaged with the enemy, who poured shot, shell and minie balls into their ranks incessantly, for two hours, but owing to the dense timber, our loss at this point was not very great. The left wing of the division, and also the left of Colonel Dodge's brigade, was now desperately engaged. Colonel Dodge ordered his lines to be closed, and awaited the attack, in the meantime keeping his skirmishers, and one section of the First Iowa Battery at work until about 2 o'clock, when the enemy ceased firing and drew back. Colonel Dodge changed front to the right, which left the regiment on the extreme right of the brigade, as well as of the whole army. The line being formed and our skirmishers drawn in and in their places in line of battle, the regiment in common with others awaited the concentrated attack of the enemy, whom we saw preparing for it. We did not wait long. The attack was made with apparently ten times our number, accompanied with the most terrific cannonading with grape, canister, solid shot and shell. For full three hours the regiment stood under this terrible fire, which dealt death to its ranks. The regiment being flanked on the right by a greatly superior force of the enemy, and their artillery being in a position to completely enfilade its lines, and the left wing of the division having fallen back to the open fields, leaving the left exposed, which was also flanked, it was compelled to fall back obliquely to the right, which it did in good order, fighting its way out, hard pressed by the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, to the open fields, where it was met by General Curtis who ordered it to fix bayonets, and charge back upon the enemy, which it did gallantly, eliciting from the General in his official report this highest meed of praise. "This regiment won immortal honors." It being now dark, and the enemy having ceased firing, the regiment, after having lost in killed and wounded almost one-half of those actually engaged, marched back to camp, partook of a scanty repast, and. immediately commenced preparations for the deadly conflict impending for the succeeding day, filling their cartridge boxes, and cleaning their guns, which had become very foul. This being done, the regiment was marched back, and bivouacked on the field until daylight, soon after which the fight was resumed by artillery. The regiment took its place again to the extreme right, marching forward in line of battle, pursuing the enemy, who commenced retreating early. It pursued the enemy until it had orders to halt. Soon after this orders were given to march back to the battle ground of the previous day and go into camp. The mention of individual acts of bravery could not be made without being invidious.


The report from which the above extract is made was written by Col. J. A. Williamson who succeeded Lieutenant Colonel Galligan, who commanded the regiment, and was wounded in the battle. Colonel Dodge, in his official report as commander of the First Brigade, says:

The list of killed and wounded in the brigade shows that it fought against fearful odds, and disputed the field with great stubbornness. Every field officer in the brigade was disabled, and had to leave the field, and only two Lieutenants were left in the battery.*

Lieutenant Colonel Galligan rendered efficient service in holding the Fourth Iowa firm, no part of which gave an inch, until the whole was compelled to fall back. I wish to mention especially the bravery and valor of Capt. H. H. Griffith (acting Major) and of Lieut. J. A. Williamson, Brigade Adjutant; also of private, J. W. Bell, Adjutant's clerk, Fourth Iowa, who fell mortally wounded while nobly doing his duty. The conduct of the above named officers came under my personal observation. All did well and fought nobly, in winning a great battle. Capt. W. H. Kinsman with Company B, Fourth Iowa, and two companies of the Twenty-Fourth Missouri, were detached from the brigade and deployed as skirmishers on the extreme left of the division, holding the high ridge on our left flank, which he did efficiently, and with great good judgment, against a greatly superior force of the enemy.


After the battle of Pea Ridge, the regiment remained in camp for several weeks. Col. G. M. Dodge was promoted to Brigadier General shortly after the battle, and Adjutant J. A. Williamson succeeded him as Colonel of the regiment, and Captain Burton succeeded Lieutenant Colonel Galligan, who had resigned. The regiment marched with the army to Helena, and participated in all the hardship and suffering of the succeeding campaign. It remained at Helena during the greater part of the summer and autumn of 1862. It subsequently joined General Sherman's army in the movement down the Mississippi River, against Vicksburg, in which it bore a most conspicuous part. On December 28 and 29, 1862, it participated in the desperate fighting at Chickasaw Bayou, suffering severe loss, and duplicating its record of gallantry at Pea Ridge. On the 10th and 11th of January, 1863, it again engaged in battle at Arkansas Post, after which it returned to Young's Point, landing there January 22, 1863, remaining there and below there at Gregg's Plantation until April 2, 1863, when it went 150 miles up the Mississippi River to Greenville, and from there engaged in the Deer Creek Valley Expedition. Returning to Milliken's Bend, it started on the active campaign against Vicksburg by way of Richmond, La., and Grand Gulf, Miss., to Jackson, Miss., and thence moved to Vicksburg, and became part of the investing force on May 18, 1863.

It engaged actively in the siege operations until the surrender July 4th, when it marched to Jackson and participated in the siege operations there, until the evacuation by the enemy July 16, 1863. After the fall of Jackson, the regiment went into camp on Black River, fourteen miles in rear of Vicksburg, where it remained from July 29, 1863, until September 22, 1863, when it embarked on steamer and proceeded to Memphis, Tenn., from which place it began the march ending at Chattanooga, Tenn., where it arrived November 23, 1863. The regiment participated in the battle of Lookout Mountain, November 24, 1863, in the battle of Missionary Ridge, November 25th, and in the battle of Ringgold on the 27th. On the 3d day of December, 1863, it went into camp at Bridgeport, Ala., and later moved from there to Woodville, where it remained in camp until the 26th of February, 1864, when it was ordered to proceed to Des Moines, Iowa, and report through the Governor of the State to the superintendent of recruiting service, for furlough and reorganization, and at the expiration of the thirty days' furlough — to begin after the regiment reached Des Moines — the regimental commander was ordered to report to Brigadier General Osterhaus, commanding First Division, Fifteenth Army Corps, in the field. In compliance with this order, the veteran soldiers of the Fourth Iowa returned to their State, and enjoyed to the fullest extent the brief respite from the toils and dangers of war, at their own homes, and with their families, and the loyal friends of the cause for which they had suffered and endured so much, and for which they would continue to suffer and endure, until the enemies of the Union should be completely conquered, and a lasting peace secured. At the expiration of its furlough, the regiment returned to the field, and rejoined its brigade and division at Nashville, Tenn., from which place It moved forward and participated actively in the great campaign which led up to the siege and culminated in the fall of Atlanta.

From Atlanta began the remarkable campaigns in Georgia and the Carolinas, and the march with Sherman to the sea, in which the Fourth Iowa Infantry had its full share. The regiment participated in the battles of Columbia, S. C, and Bentonville, N. C, and continued on the march to Richmond and thence to Washington, where it marched, with many other Iowa regiments, in the grand review of the battle scarred and war worn soldiers of the armies of the West.

After remaining for some time in camp near Washington, the regiment proceeded to Louisville, Ky., where it was mustered out of the service July 24, 1865, having served nearly four years. The compiler of this brief historical sketch of the service of this splendid Iowa regiment has made diligent search among the official records, and has found a mass of reports, and correspondence connected directly with the history of its service, which — but for the limitations under which he is working — would enable him to increase this sketch to the proportions of a good sized volume. In response to the request of the Adjutant General of Iowa, near the close of the war, Col. J. A. Williamson wrote a condensed report of the operations of the regiment, which extended over a very wide field, in many southern states, but could not give a list of "posts" occupied. He says, "I can hardly realize the meaning of the term as connected with this regiment. We have stopped from time to time to rest, after an active campaign, but never had charge of any post, or fixed camp, from the time the regiment was really equipped for the field at Rolla, Mo., in the fall of 1861." Only those who have had the same experience can realize the feeling, which old soldiers had in common, that it was useless to make definite calculation upon remaining even a single day in one locality. While troops did remain in the same camp, sometimes for weeks, or months, they never knew how quickly a change would be made, and therefore, in time of war, the soldier's life is very much the same as that of the Nomads, ready to break camp and to move upon the shortest notice. Such was, in a most pronounced degree, the experience of the Fourth Iowa Infantry during its long period of service from 1861 to 1865.

The subjoined roster, summary of casualties, list of those buried in National Cemeteries, and of those who were captured by the enemy and confined in rebel prisons, have been carefully compiled from the official records.

The paragraph after each name in the roster gives briefly the history of the service he rendered, and the descendants of the soldiers of this gallant regiment may here learn how well and faithfully they served their country in her hour of greatest need, and know that a great and grateful commonwealth has herein discharged a high duty to the memory of her brave sons.

Inseparably connected with the history of this regiment is that of the man who first commanded it, and under whom it won its first glorious victory. Subsequently he won high honor as a General and enjoyed the personal friendship and confidence of President Lincoln and General Grant. Since the close of the war, he has achieved fame and distinction in civil life. Through all his career he has cherished the memory of the men of his old regiment, and has — from time to time — given evidence of his abiding friendship for them. This is therefore an appropriate place to record the official military history of Iowa's most distinguished soldier. The record is compiled from the files of the War Department in Washington and of the Adjutant General's office of the State of Iowa, and is therefore officially correct.


MILITARY RECORD OF MAJOR GENERAL GRENVILLE M. DODGE.

Captain Council Bluffs Guards July 15, 1856.

Appointed Colonel Fourth Iowa Infantry June 17, 1861, and ordered into camp at Council Bluffs.

Commissioned Colonel Fourth Iowa Infantry July 6, 1861.

During July marched with part of his regiment to Missouri State line against Poindexter, who, with 1,200 Confederates, was threatening Southwestern Iowa. Poindexter retreated when Dodge approached.

Reported at St. Louis with Fourth Iowa Infantry August 13, 1861.

Proceeded to Rolla, Mo., August 24, 1861.

Assigned to command of post at Rolla, October 9, 1861.

Commanded expeditions to Houston and Salem, November 1, 1861. Enemy defeated in both engagements.

Wounded in left leg, December 15, 1861.

Assigned to command of First Brigade, Fourth Division, Army of Southwest, January 21, 1862. Advanced to Springfield. That place occupied February 13, 1862.

In engagements at Sugar Creek, February 17, 1862, and Cane Creek, February 20, 1862.

Defeated Gates' command at Blackburn's Mills, February 27, 1862.

Battle of Pea Ridge, March 6, 7 and 8, 1862. Wounded in right side.

Commissioned Brigadier General of Volunteers, March 31, 1862.

Reported to Major General Halleck at Corinth, June 6, 1862, and ordered by him to report to Brig. Gen. W. F. Quimby, commanding District of Columbus, to rebuild Mobile & Ohio Railroad.

June 28, 1862, assigned to command of Central Division, Army of Tennessee, with headquarters at Trenton, Tenn.

Finished rebuilding Mobile & Ohio Railroad in August and built stockades and earthworks at all its important bridges and stations.

During the time in command at Trenton the captures of Dyersburg, Huntington and O'Brien were made, and Villipigue was defeated on the Hatchie River.

September 29, 1862, by order of Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant, was assigned to the command of the District of Columbus, Ky.

Captured Colonel Faulkner and his command at Island No. 10. Also captured the State troops and conscripts, some 1,400 in number, twenty-three miles west of New Madrid.

October 30, 1862, assigned by order of Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant to command Second Division Army of Tennessee, at Corinth, Miss.

November 15, 1862, assigned to command of the District of Corinth, by order of Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant.

Extensive fortifications and important works in and around Corinth finished while holding that command.

December 1, 1862, a combined movement was made from Holly Springs and Corinth in which his troops captured Tupelo and Okolona, Miss., defeating the enemy and capturing the stores at those places.

December, 1862, by order of Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant, moved to Lexington and Spring Creek, Tenn., driving Forrest across the Tennessee River.

February, 1863, attacked Van Dorn's column at Tuscumbia, Ala. Place was captured with its stores, artillery, etc.

April, 1863, in command of Second Division, part of Fifth Division and portion of Cavalry Division of the Sixteenth Army Corps. Made expedition in Northern Alabama, defeating the forces of the enemy in the Tuscumbia Valley. During the movement the fights at Bear Creek, Cherokee, Burton Station, Leighton and Town Creek occurred. Immense quantities of stores for Bragg's army were captured and destroyed.

April, 1863, Chalmers and Ruggles were attacked and defeated at Tupelo.

June, 1863, crossed the Tennessee River at Savannah. Moved into Van Dorn's rear. Captured the town of Florence, defeating its garrison.

June 19, 1863, attacked Furgeson's command on Big Muddy, and stopped raid on Memphis & Charleston Railroad. Fighting was severe and loss considerable.

July 8, 1863, assigned to command of left wing Sixteenth Army Corps with headquarters at Corinth.

July 14, 1863, defeated a portion of Roddy's command at Jackson, Tenn., and captured a large number of prisoners.

August 15, 1863, made raid on Granada, Miss., capturing a large number of locomotives, cars, railroad stocks, stores, etc., and defeated the enemy at Water Valley and Granada.

While in command at Corinth organized and mustered into the service First West Tennessee Cavalry, First Alabama Cavalry, First Alabama Colored Infantry, and several companies of colored troops for siege artillery.

October 30, 1863, command was attached to command of Major General Sherman then moving into Middle Tennessee.

During months of November and December, 1863, rebuilt Nashville & Decatur Railroad, also pontoon bridges across Tennessee River at Decatur, Ala., and the Duck and Elk rivers, and constructed good and substantial earthworks and stockades at all the important bridges and points. During this time the command had several engagements with the enemy, and captured and fortified Decatur, Ala.

January, 1864, organized and mustered into service Second and Third Regiments Alabama Colored Infantry.

May 5, 1864, in command Sixteenth Army Corps in the field at Atlanta campaign. Took part in the battles and engagements at Ships Gap May 6th, Snake Creek Gap May 9th, Resaca May 11th, Estounula River May 12th, Kenesaw Mountain, Roswell, Decatur July 21st, Atlanta July 22d, Ezra Church July 28th.

Commissioned Major General June 7, 1864.

Wounded in head August 19, 1864.

October 14, 1864, ordered to City Point, Va., to visit General Grant.

November 3, 1864, assigned to command of District of Vicksburg and to command of left wing Sixteenth Army Corps.

December 2,1864, assigned to the command of Department and Army of Missouri.

December 9, 1864, commissioned Major General Missouri State Militia.

January 30, 1865, Department of Kansas added to Department of Missouri.

Gen. Jeff C. Thompson surrendered Confederate forces in Arkansas.

During January, February and March, 1865, made Indian campaigns on the plains, opening up the stage lines and rebuilding telegraph lines which had been destroyed by the Indians.

1865-66, made Indian campaigns extending from Arkansas River on south to Yellowstone on north. In these campaigns several severe battles were fought by forces under Generals Sanborn, Ford, Conner, and Colonels Cole, Walker and others. Treaties of peace were made with the Comanches, Apaches, Southern Cheyennes, and other Southern Tribes, and a council was held with the Northern Cheyennes, Arapahoes and Sioux at Fort Laramie, and basis for treaty agreed upon. For services in this campaign received the thanks of the Legislature of Iowa.

Resigned March 1, 1866.

Accepted May 30, 1866.


SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.

Total Enrollment 1557
Killed 61
Wounded 338
Died of wounds 54
Died of disease 239
Discharged for wounds, disease and other causes 333
Captured 49
Buried in National Cemeteries 136
Transferred 37


*Colonel Dodge was himself wounded in the right side.


SOURCE: Roster & Record of Iowa Soldiers During the War of the Rebellion, Vol. 1, p. 527-33

BRIGADIER-GENERAL J. A. WILLIAMSON

SECOND COLONEL, FOURTH INFANTRY.

James Alexander Williamson, the successor of Major-General Dodge to the colonelcy of the 4th Iowa Infantry, is a Southerner by birth, and a good representative of the old-style chivalry. He is a native of Columbia, Adair county, Kentucky; where he was born on the 8th day of February, 1829. All that I know of his early history is, that he was educated at Knox College, Illinois, where he was known as a hard student and accurate scholar. In 1845, he removed to Iowa, and, ten years later, located in Des Moines, the present home of his family. His profession is the law, in the practice of which he was engaged just before entering the army.

Soon after the second call of the President for troops, in the summer of 1861, General Williamson enlisted in the volunteer service for "during the war." He was commissioned 1st lieutenant and adjutant of the 4th Iowa Infantry, on the 8th of August, 1861; since which time his history has been almost identical with the history of that regiment; and, as much as we admire the general's military career, we could not, if we would, pay him a higher compliment; for to no Iowa regiment is the State more largely indebted for its military renown than to the noble 4th Iowa. At Pea Ridge, its conduct was most gallant, challenging alike the admiration of friend and foe. General Curtis said: — "This regiment won immortal honors;" and General Van Dorn: — "I never saw troops stand up and fight so before."

During the thirty months subsequent to the 23d of January, 1862, the time when the 4th Iowa left Rolla, Missouri — in its march under General Curtis against General Price to Springfield and to the Ozark Mountains; from that point to Batesville and across the State of Arkansas to Helena; thence to Chickasaw Bayou and up the Arkansas River to Arkansas Post; from Milliken's Bend round through Grand Gulf and Jackson to the rear of Vicksburg, and then, after the fall of that city, back to Jackson; from Vicksburg to Memphis, and thence across the country to Chattanooga; and finally, in its march with General Sherman against Atlanta — its record is one continued series of achievements, unsurpassed for success and brilliancy.

That I do not speak of this regiment in too high terms of praise, the following order of General Grant is proof:

“HEAD-QUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, February 2d, 1864.


"The Board of officers of the 15th Army Corps, appointed to determine the battles each regiment and battery of that command are entitled to inscribe on their colors and guidons, have made the following award, in the case of the 4th Iowa Infantry : — Pea Ridge; First at Chickasaw Bayou; Arkansas Post; Vicksburg — siege and assaults on the 19th and 22d of May; Jackson; Chattanooga."

But this order is imperfect in details. The following are the skirmishes and engagements in which the 4th Iowa took part, previous to joining the campaign of General Sherman against Atlanta: —Pea Ridge; Chickasaw Bayou; Arkansas Post; Jackson (May 14th, 1863); siege and assaults at Vicksburg; Jackson (July 12th, 1863); Cherokee Station; Caney Creek; Tuscumbia; Lookout Mountain; and Ringgold. This too, including the battles that the 4th Iowa was engaged in on the Atlanta campaign, is the battle-record of General Williamson.

When Colonel, now Major-General Dodge, was assigned to the command of a brigade under General Curtis, he retained Adjutant J. A. Williamson upon his staff, and made him his acting assistant adjutant-general. At the battle of Pea Ridge, Lieutenant Williamson acted as aid-de-camp to Colonel Dodge, and, by his coolness and promptness, rendered important service. I might add, it was his good conduct in that engagement that made him lieutenant-colonel of his regiment; for Lieutenant-Colonel Galligan had resigned, for reasons which I will not mention. On the confirmation of Colonel Dodge as brigadier-general, Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson was promoted to the colonelcy of the 4th Iowa Infantry.

On the third day's fight at Chickasaw Bayou, Colonel Williamson, in command of his regiment, distinguished himself.

The fleet bearing the command of General Sherman entered the mouth of the Yazoo River, on the morning of the 26th of December, 1862, and proceeded up that stream until opposite Johnson's plantation, which lies on the south bank of the river, and some five miles below Maine's Bluff. At this point General Frederick Steele, in command of the 4th Division, 13th Army Corps, debarked his command, and, under instructions from General Sherman, sent out Blair's Brigade on the Johnson road, which leads to the Walnut Hills, in the direction of Vicksburg. That day reconnoissances were made, and that night a new point of attack was determined on. Accordingly, on the following morning, General Steele re-embarked with the brigades of Hovey and Thayer, (in the last of which were the 4th, 9th, 26th and 30th Iowa) and, moving further up the river, effected a landing just above the mouth of Chickasaw Bayou. From near this point to the Walnut Hills, a distance of four miles or more, extends a narrow, winding causeway, or levee, and over this was the only accessible way to the point of attack; for, on either side of the levee, the country is covered with brush and timber, and is so low that, at that time, much of it was under water. Along this highway, which had been obstructed by the enemy with brush and fallen trees, the brigades of Hovey and Thayer moved, till they had arrived in the vicinity of the bluffs—General Steele says, "within about eight hundred yards;" but it could hardly have been so near. "At this point the levee turned to the left, and continued in a curve for about eight hundred yards;" and, on its farther side, were the enemy's skirmishers and sharp-shooters. General Hovey's Brigade, which was in the advance, endeavored to remove the obstructions in its front, and dislodge the enemy's sharp-shooters; but the position was covered by the enemy's artillery on the bluff, which made it impossible. But this point gained, and still General Steele had little assurance of success; for the steep sides of the bluff were lined with rifle-pits, in which the enemy were lodged in force. The enemy's artillery, too, frowned down upon him from four different points. He believed it impossible to make a successful assault, and, falling back to the river, returned to Johnson's plantation. On the morning of the 29th instant, General Thayer's Brigade, being the first off the boats, was hurried rapidly forward. It was to be held in reserve, but the zeal of its commander led it directly to the front. "The 26th Iowa was detached to cut a road," and the 30th was met by General Steele, and turned to the right; but the 4th, under the lead of its gallant colonel, moved forward at double-quick, and was the first to enter the enemy's second tier of rifle-pits. It was for its gallant conduct at this point that the 4th Iowa was permitted to inscribe on its colors, "First at Chickasaw Bayou." But the regiment's bravery was of no avail, and that assault was mere butchery; for the whole of Pemberton's Vicksburg army was in possession of the bluffs.

The fact that General Sherman ordered, or permitted, that assault, was, with many, new evidence of his insanity; but it is now, I believe, well settled that the orders under which he acted were unconditional and imperative.

The engagement at Pea Ridge was more protracted and exhausting, but, for fierceness, it is in no way to be compared with that at Chickasaw Bayou. In each of these battles, the 4th Iowa was in the hardest of the conflict; but, considering the time it was engaged in each, its loss was fifty per cent. greater in the latter than in the former. Its loss at Chickasaw Bayou was one hundred and twelve, out of an aggregate of three hundred and fifty taken into the engagement. Lieutenants L. Pitzer, E. C. Miller, and J. H. Miller were among the killed and Colonel Williamson and Captain R. A. Stitt of Company F, among the wounded.

In the re-organization of the army before the final Vicksburg campaign, the 4th Iowa Infantry was assigned to the 15th Army Corps; and, with that command, it has served ever since. Its losses in the assaults on the enemy's works in rear of Vicksburg were heavy; and at Chattanooga, where, under General Osterhaus, it joined General Hooker in scaling Lookout Mountain, the loss in killed was especially heavy. In the march of General Sherman on Atlanta, it engaged the enemy at Resaca, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, and in the battles of the 22d and 28th of July, and at Jonesboro. Its conduct before Atlanta, on the 22d of July, was gallant in the extreme, as was also that of the 9th Iowa. An account of the part it acted, during that day, will be found in the sketch of the last named regiment.

In the march from Atlanta to Savannah, the 4th Iowa was brigaded with the 9th, 25th, 26th, 30th, and 31st Iowa regiments—the same troops who afterwards captured the city of Columbia, South Carolina. While in rear of Savannah, these troops had a compliment paid them, to which I should in justice allude. The brigade, General Williamson commanding, arrived in rear of Savannah, on the 11th of December, and, on the 20th instant, was one of the commands selected to carry the enemy's works, and force an entrance into the city. The assault was to come off on the morning of the 21st; but the night previous General Hardee fled. To appreciate the value of this compliment, it is necessary to understand the position of the brigade, and the character of obstacles to be overcome. Its position was in the low lands south-west of Savannah, and on the right of the road leading to the city. Five hundred yards in its front was the Little Ogechee, whose north-east bank was fortified, and held by the enemy: between its line and the river was the Grave Yard Battery. The bridge over the Ogechee was destroyed, and the waters of the stream, much swollen. The brigade was to cross on rafts, planks, and poles, placed by a storming party. It was a hazardous undertaking ; but, had not General Hardee fled, it would doubtless have been successfully accomplished.

The 4th Iowa Infantry has met the enemy in eight different rebel States—Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and has never been repulsed; only once has it been compelled to yield the ground it had wrested from the enemy.

In closing an official statement of the services of his regiment called for by the Adjutant-General of Iowa, General Williamson says: It "stayed at Nashville a few days to get an outfit, and then started on the campaign against Atlanta, and has only halted in line of battle since, until its arrival at this place, on the 7th instant. This is not a regiment which has ordinarily been at 'posts.' I can hardly realize the meaning of the term. We have stopped a few weeks to rest after a campaign, but never had charge of any post since the regiment was really equipped for the field at Rolla, in the fall of 1861.

"Our records, reports, and returns are made from the place where we happened to be when they fell due, and one camp has been almost as much a 'post' with us as another."

Subsequently to the spring of 1863, General Williamson has been in command of the brigade to which his regiment has been attached; and during all this time has enjoyed, in an uncommon degree, the confidence of his superior officers. In proof of this I give the following instance: While Governor Stone was on a visit to the army before Atlanta, in the summer of 1864, he met General Sherman at his head-quarters. In the course of conversation, the names of different Iowa officers were introduced, when Governor Stone enquired: "Where, general, is Colonel Williamson?" "With his command and doing his duty, as he always is," was the reply; and only those who know General Sherman can appreciate the worth of this compliment.

General Williamson was not promoted to his present rank until the winter of 1864-5. Why such merit was so long unrewarded, has been a question much canvassed, and has produced not a little indignation, both in and out of the army. I give the following on the authority of a distinguished citizen of General Williamson's city: — On one occasion, the family of General Williamson being sick, that officer, knowing the long delay that would follow in obtaining a leave of absence through the regular channel, applied directly to the War Department. He obtained his leave and left for his home, after presenting his papers at corps head-quarters. The corps commander, who was, and still is jealous of his authority, was indignant; and from that time until the fall of 1864, although conceding the merit and claims of the general, declined to urge his promotion.

General Williamson is of medium hight [sic], and has a fine, symmetrical form. His full, gray eyes, which in his ordinary moods have a sort of absent and care-worn expression, tingle with intelligence and animation as soon as he becomes interested in conversation. In manners he is modest and reserved. He never begs favors. In New England he would be appreciated ; but, for a Western man, he lacks impudence.

The editor of the Cass County "Gazette," an intimate acquaintance of the general, speaks thus of him:

" Colonel Williamson is a refined, chivalrous gentleman, whom one must know to appreciate. To those who win his confidence, he is lavishly sociable; but, for those who treat him coolly, he has no smile or word of gladness. He rarely alters a deliberate opinion, and we know of but one exception; once of the best Democratic blood of the North, he is now a warm friend of Lincoln. He is a brave man. In battle his fine form moves near the van. He rides slowly, speaks with much calmness, and never becomes excited in action. Williamson is still a young man; but he is to-day a favorite of the people—especially in Middle and Western Iowa."

SOURCE: Stuart, A. A., Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 117-24

Reports of Lieut. Col. George Burton, Fourth Iowa Infantry.

HEADQUARTERS FOURTH IOWA INFANTRY,
Lookout Mountain, November 25, 1863.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report that, agreeably to your order, about 7 a.m. of yesterday the Fourth Iowa Infantry moved forward and took a position on a hill immediately in front of Lookout Mountain, and near the Tennessee River, supporting the First Ohio Battery (Battery K, First Ohio Artillery) there planted.

About 11 o'clock, when the engagement became spirited on the right by the personal order of Brigadier-General Osterhaus, I sent forward 50 of my regiment as skirmishers, under command of Major Nichols, to the bank of the creek skirting the base of the mountain near the river, and engaged the attention of the enemy at that point. I also shortly afterward, by further direction of General Osterhaus, moved the regiment down the hill in advance of the battery, sustaining and relieving.

About 4 p.m. I received an order from Colonel -------, on the staff of Major-General Hooker, to report forthwith with the regiment to Brigadier-General Geary, commanding (Second) Division, (Twelfth) Army Corps.

I thereupon crossed the creek, and under the direction of General Geary, arrived and ascended the mountain, reaching a position assigned us near the cliffs about dark, and awaited orders. Soon afterward I relieved the Twenty-fourth (?) Ohio Infantry., who represented themselves as out of ammunition. Here our right rested on the base of the cliffs connecting onto the left of the Thirty-sixth Indiana, on line extending directly down the mountain, our left joining at right angles the right of the Thirty-first Iowa. While here the regiment assisted materially by its enfilading fire in repulsing two charges of the enemy, and must certainly have inflicted upon them a severe loss.

About 1 a.m. of to-day we were relieved by the Seventh Ohio. Too much praise cannot be awarded both officers and men for the coolness, promptness, and firmness with which they advanced to and held the various positions assigned them, in nearly every case under a heavy fire. Our loss in the day's engagement was 1 killed and 6 wounded, a list(*) in detail of which is hereby appended.

I have the honor to subscribe myself, sir, your most obedient servant,

GEO. BURTON,
Lieutenant-Colonel, Comdg. Fourth Iowa Infantry.

Capt. GEORGE E. FORD,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

–––

HEADQUARTERS FOURTH IOWA INFANTRY,
Camp near Ringgold, Ga., November 28, 1863.

LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to report that, about 10 a.m. of yesterday, we arrived at Ringgold, and were immediately ordered by Col. J. A. Williamson to follow the Seventy-sixth Ohio Infantry, and move by the right flank in rear of the center of that regiment for the purpose of supporting it. The Seventy-sixth Ohio at this time was in advance of us, moving to a point at the base of Taylor's Ridge, a short distance to the east of the town. On arriving at the base of the hill, I obeyed the order strictly until the regiment was half way up the ascent, when, at the request of the major commanding the Seventy-sixth Ohio, I brought my regiment into line immediately in his rear, still moving steadily forward. When near the crest of the hill, the men of both regiments, from the steepness and ruggedness of the ground and the heaviness of the enemy's fire, being somewhat deployed, the regiment was ordered to fix bayonets, and charge in line with the Seventy-sixth. The order was gallantly obeyed; the crest of the hill was taken and held for about ten minutes, when the enemy, being in heavy force, rallied in our front and charged upon our right and left flanks simultaneously, at the same time pouring upon us a heavy direct and enfilading fire. Under these circumstances, having no support, we were compelled to fall back about 30 yards down the hill, where we succeeded in holding our position until re-enforcements arrived. About 2 o'clock we again advanced and scaled the hill. The enemy, however, had by this time evacuated his position. Under the order of Col. J. A. Williamson, who was present, we now moved a short distance along the ridge toward the gap near the town, when we advanced down the hill and drove the enemy from the railroad bridge, which they were endeavoring to destroy. While the regiment was putting out the fire on the bridge nearest the gap, by further order of Colonel Williamson, I sent Major Nichols, with 40 men, to save the railroad bridge in advance on the road by which the enemy had retreated, which was also in flames.

Both officers and men merit the highest praise for their coolness and bravery during the day's engagement.

Our casualties were 7 killed, 24 wounded, and 1 missing. A list(*) in detail is hereto appended.

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,

GEO. BURTON,
Lieutenant-Colonel, Comdg. Fourth Iowa Infantry.

Lieut. LEMUEL SHIELDS,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

*Omitted.

SOURCE: The Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies During the War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 31, part 2: NOVEMBER 23-27, 1863. – The Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign, p. 618-9

Report of Col. James A. Williamson, Fourth Iowa Infantry commanding Second Brigade.

HDQRS. SECOND BRIG., FIRST DIV., 15TH ARMY CORPS,
Camp at Ringgold, Ga., November 28, 1863.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report the action of this brigade in the battles of Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, and Ringgold, including all its movements from the 24th until the evening of the 27th instant.

The brigade is composed of the Fourth Iowa Infantry, commanded by Lieut. Col. George Burton; the Ninth Iowa Infantry, commanded by Col. David Carskaddon; the Twenty-fifth Iowa Infantry, commanded by Col. George A. Stone; the Twenty-sixth Iowa Infantry, commanded by Col. Milo Smith; the Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, commanded by Lieut. Col. A. Roberts, and the Thirty-first Iowa Infantry, commanded by Lieut. Col. J. W. Jenkins. At the hour named in the order of the night previous the brigade moved, following the First Brigade, to a point in front of Lookout Mountain, near where the attack was to be commenced, and formed line of battle by battalions en masse at deploying intervals. Very soon after my line was formed I received an order from you to send a regiment to support a battery on the hill immediately in front of Lookout Mountain, and commanding that portion of it when our troops were making the attack.

I detached my right regiment, the Fourth, and sent it to the place designated. Soon after this I received another order to send one more regiment, to report to yourself, for some purpose unknown to me. In obedience to the order, I sent you the Twenty-fifth.

The four remaining regiments I held in line until about 11 o'clock, when I received an order from General Osterhaus to send another regiment to support a battery of Parrott guns immediately in our front. In obedience to this order, I sent the Thirtieth.

I was then ordered to follow in the direction the First Brigade had taken with my three remaining regiments, which I did, until I arrived at the crossing of Lookout Creek, at which place General Osterhaus ordered my rear regiment (the Ninth) to remain and receive all the prisoners then there and those to be sent back. I crossed the creek with my two remaining regiments, when General Hooker in person sent another regiment (the Twenty-sixth) down the railroad to support some troops at a point or gap somewhere toward our left.

I then proceeded up the mountain side with my one remaining regiment (the Thirty-first), accompanied by General Osterhaus in person, with a part of his staff, and came up with the First Brigade at a point where troops not belonging to the First Division were in line, engaging the enemy. At this point I had some doubt as to where I should place my regiment on account of a dense fog which had settled down on the mountain side and prevented me from seeing the location of our troops, but soon found the line formed by a part of the First Brigade, and placed the regiment on the left of it. I was very soon joined by the Ninth and Twenty-sixth, which had been relieved and sent up to me, and placed them in line. At this place I learned from General Osterhaus that the Fourth Iowa had been sent forward early in the day, and that they were at that time somewhere up the mountain side; also that it had behaved well in the morning in driving the enemy from their breastworks. About 2 p.m. an aide-de-camp from General Hooker ordered me to relieve a regiment of General Geary's command, which was in the extreme front, under heavy fire and out of ammunition. I immediately sent my adjutant-general, Capt. George E. Ford, with the Thirty-first Regiment, to relieve the regiment, which was the -------.

While my adjutant was there he found the Fifty-fourth Ohio [?]--also of General Geary's command--was out of ammunition, and relieved it with the Fourth Iowa, which he found up at the front.

After these regiments had been eight hours under fire, they sent me word that their ammunition was nearly exhausted. I immediately informed General Osterhaus of the fact, and was informed by him that the Twenty-fifth and Thirtieth Regiments of my brigade, which had been left behind, must relieve them.

Captain Ford then started on foot in search of these regiments, but they had been ordered to different points, and could not be found, the captain returning after several hours' walk, nearly worn out by his unceasing exertion in the discharge of his duty.

In the meantime, before Captain Ford returned, I applied to General Geary, asking him to relieve my regiment, inasmuch as they had relieved his in the first instance. He refused to do it. I then took some ammunition from the remaining regiments with me to the regiments under fire, and afterward, at about 1 a.m. went to General Geary and procured 8,000 rounds of ammunition to replace what had been taken from my regiments.

Soon after 2 a.m., the enemy having previously ceased firing and retreated, General Geary relieved the Fourth and Thirty-first regiments, and they fell back to their places in line of battle.

Early in the morning of the 25th, the Thirtieth and Twenty-fifth Regiments, having been relieved by General Butterfield, of General Hooker's staff, reported to me, and took their positions in line, thus bringing my brigade together for the first time since the morning previous.

About 9 o'clock on the morning of the 25th, my brigade was ordered to march toward Missionary Ridge. When we arrived near the pass where the enemy made the first stand, I received an order to take two regiments and ascend the hill in the left of the gap or pass.

I accordingly took the Fourth and Thirty-first and pushed rapidly to the top, meeting with but little opposition. I pushed my skirmishers forward into the valley, where I expected to find the enemy, but they had gone. I remained on the top of the ridge for a short time, until the Ninth and Thirtieth Regiments came up (the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth having been ordered by General Osterhaus to take a position on the western slope of the ridge to keep back any flanking force of the enemy which might come from our left), when I went forward to the valley, and then moved out by the flank, through the gap, down the pass to the open ground, when I was ordered to make a short halt. While at the halt, 2 men of the Ninth Iowa captured Lieutenant Breckinridge, a son of Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge, of the Confederate Army. In obedience to orders, I again proceeded up the main road by the right flank, still leaving the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth in the position which had been assigned them. The road on which I marched was up on a ridge east of and parallel with Missionary Ridge. I had not proceeded far before I heard heavy firing toward the front, on the left flank.

I immediately ordered the Fourth Regiment detached, and deployed it as skirmishers on my left flank, and soon discovered that the enemy occupied that part of Missionary Ridge where I had been but a short time before, and then moved my brigade forward, in line of battle, obliquely to the right, closing up on the First Brigade, at the same time bringing my left forward, in line with General Cruft's division on my left. I then received orders from General Osterhaus to go rapidly forward in line.

This movement was executed gallantly by the four regiments of the brigade present going down the side of the ridge we were then on and up the steep ascent of Missionary Ridge, all the time under a heavy fire from the enemy, but driving them before us.

As I ascended the hill, I was in much doubt and perplexity as to whether I might not be inflicting severe injury on my own skirmishers, and also on the right of the division on my left.

This uncertainty kept me from reaching the summit as soon as I otherwise might have done; but, notwithstanding this, I think I may justly claim that one of my regiments (the Fourth) was the first to reach the top, and that the brigade was there as soon as any other troops.

I took a great number of prisoners, but could not state accurately how many, as I ordered them to be left behind under a very small guard, while the command pushed forward, and before I could ascertain the number they were turned over to the officer who seemed to be taking charge of all prisoners. The brigade captured as large a number as did any other command.

Many instances of personal bravery might be mentioned, but it must be sufficient to say that all of the regiments did well.

Lieut. W. M. Stimpson, of my staff (of the Thirtieth Iowa Regiment), received a wound in the head in the beginning of the engagement, but continued to discharge his duty until the end.

The brigade encamped on the field (here the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth came up, having been relieved) and took care of our wounded, and buried our dead during the night. On the following morning, after picking up a large number of arms, delivering them to ordnance officer, I moved forward, following First Brigade, and encamped for the night 4 miles east of Chickamauga Creek.

On the morning of the 27th, the brigade marched at 5 o'clock toward Ringgold, where it arrived about 10 o'clock and found the enemy strongly posted on a range of hills, known as Taylor's Ridge, a short distance to the east of the town. General Osterhaus ordered me to send one regiment to support the Seventy-sixth Ohio, of the First Brigade, which had been sent with a view to taking the hill. I immediately ordered the Fourth Regiment forward, instructing its commander to push forward and render all the assistance possible to the regiment in front, and then, in obedience to an order from General Osterhaus, I brought forward another regiment (the Thirty-first), and placed it along the railroad to act as sharpshooters, to cover the advance of the two regiments sent forward.

Finding that the two regiments sent up were meeting with stubborn resistance, I took two other regiments (the Ninth and Twenty-sixth) and went forward with them in person, advancing up the side of the hill (which might be more properly called a mountain) until I came in line with the Fourth Iowa and Seventy-sixth Ohio on their left.

In the meantime, before I could get the two regiments (the Ninth and Twenty-sixth) up, the Fourth Iowa and Seventy-sixth Ohio had advanced to the top of the hill, but for the want of support, after suffering severe loss, had been compelled to fall back a short distance (not more than 50 or 60 paces from the summit), where they were when I came up.

While I was gaining this position my two remaining regiments, the Twenty-fifth and Thirtieth, had in obedience to my order gone up to my left and were fast approaching the top, their skirmishers being not more than 75 paces from the summit, when three regiments (as I am informed of the Twelfth Army Corps) came up, one on the left of the Twenty-fifth-and one between the Twenty-fifth and Thirtieth, the other passing through the Twenty-fifth by the flank.

Colonel Stone ordered and begged them to go up on his left, but the officers in command said they had orders for doing as they did, and persisted in their course.

At this time the fire of the enemy had almost ceased, but they could be plainly seen making dispositions of their forces to repel the advance of these regiments. Colonel Stone cautioned them that the enemy would open a destructive fire on them if they went up in the manner they were going. They replied they would teach "Western troops a lesson," and advanced a short distance farther, when the enemy opened a terrific fire on them. They stood manfully for a minute or two, when they gave way, and came down like an avalanche, carrying everything before them, and to some extent propagating the panic among my regiments.

The fault of these regiments seemed to be more in the way in which they attempted to go up the hill than in anything else. While Colonel Stone preferred the method of taking it by skirmishing and cautiously advancing, the regiments above named tried to go up as if on parade where the men could barely have gone up by clinging to the rocks and bushes. Colonels Stone and Roberts did all they could to hold their men together, and soon succeeded in restoring order and confidence, and again went up the hill.

Having no support on the right, and those regiments on the left having given way in confusion, I found it would be folly to try to carry the hill until I should be re-enforced, and accordingly made the best disposition of my force to hold the ground already gained, and sent a messenger to inform General Osterhaus of the fact, and received from him an order to hold my position and await re-enforcements.

I held my position for a short time. No re-enforcements or support coming to my aid, and finding that the fire from the enemy had slackened, I again went forward and gained the top of the ridge and found the enemy retreating, and a strong force farther on burning the railroad bridge across East Chickamauga Creek.

I immediately went forward, keeping up a heavy fire, and drove them away before they accomplished their work.

I had the fire put out on the first bridge, and sent Major Nichols, of the Fourth Iowa, and a small party of men, who volunteered for the service, to put out the fire on the bridge farther on. This he accomplished, after driving a much larger force than his own away.

I cannot speak too highly of the conduct of Major Nichols throughout all the campaign, and especially in every action. First Lieut. Charles W. Baker, of Company C, and Second Lieut. Thomas H. Cramer, of Company K, Fourth Iowa, both distinguished themselves in the front of the fight, capturing prisoners from the very midst of the enemy. Lieutenant Cramer was instantly killed, after making a capture of a lieutenant and several men, and Lieutenant Baker mortally wounded (since dead) while heroically cheering the men on. Maj. Willard Warner, Seventy-sixth Ohio, and his officers and men won my unqualified admiration.

Many instances of heroic daring and bravery came under my observation, and would be reported specially if regimental commanders had furnished me the names of the parties.

Capt. George E. Ford, my assistant adjutant-general, was severely wounded in the leg while trying to prevent the troops on my left from giving way, during the engagement at Ringgold.

Lieut. L. Shields, aide-de-camp, also received a slight wound in the hip at the same time.

I am much indebted to my staff officers--Captain Ford, Captain Darling, and Lieutenants Shields and Stimpson -- for their efficient services.

Accompanying this report you will find list(*) of killed and wounded of the several regiments in the different engagements.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. A. WILLIAMSON,
Colonel 4th Iowa, Comdg. 2d Brig., 1st Div., 15th A. C.

Capt. W. A. GORDON,
Asst. Adjt. Gen., 1st Division, 15th Army Corps.

* Embodied in revised statement, p. 86.

SOURCE: The Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies During the War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 31, part 2: NOVEMBER 23-27, 1863. – The Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign, p. 613-7