Colonel Henry Clay Caldwell

SECOND COLONEL, THIRD CAVALRY.

H. C. Caldwell, now judge of the District Courts for the District of Arkansas, is a son of the late Van Caldwell, who, in the early history of the State, was extensively known through South Eastern Iowa for his uncompromising whigism and his generous hospitality. Van Caldwell was one of the first settlers of that county, and deserves a passing notice. He was, at one time, a wealthy Virginia planter, but, meeting reverses in fortune, and losing the greater part of his estate, sold his ancient homestead and came to Iowa, which was then a Territory. His first claim was laid in what is now the town of Bentonsport, Van Buren county. After a four-years' residence here, he removed to Davis county, where he died. He was an old-style, Virginia gentleman.

Colonel Caldwell, the subject of this sketch, is a native of Virginia, and was born in Marshall county of that State, on the 4th day of September, 1832. Accompanying his father in his western migration, he remained with him till the fall of 1847, when he was received into the law office of Wright & Knapp, at Keosauqua, as chore-boy.

Colonel Caldwell is essentially an Iowa man — more so than any other officer whose sketch is here given; and for this reason the details of his early history may not be uninteresting. Before starting in life for himself, he did not have even the advantages of a common school education. He had attended school a few weeks at the old Indian Agency Station, now Agency City, where he might have learned to read, but nothing more. He was, however, a student at home; and it was here, by the fire-side of his father's rustic log cabin, where Judge Knapp first found him and learned his habits. The result was as has been stated.

In the fall of 1847, he left his home for a permanent residence in Keosauqua, having his entire worldly effects tied in a red cotton handkerchief. One year's schooling in Keosauqua completed his education; and this was only afforded by hard labor and the most rigid economy. In 1851, he was admitted to the Keosauqua bar, since which time his history is better known.

He first entered the practice as a partner of Judge Wright, (Judge Knapp being then on the bench) and later was a member of the firm of Wright, Knapp & Caldwell. Still later, on the election of Judge Wright to the Supreme Bench of Iowa, the firm was known as that of Knapp & Caldwell. He was the junior member of this firm at the time of entering the service, in the summer of 1861. The connection of Colonel Caldwell with this able firm was, for him, no ordinary good fortune. He would have succeeded by himself, poor as he was. Agreeable in manners, able, energetic and ambitious, he possessed every requisite of success; but his advancement was much more rapid from being associated with two such masterly minds.

In March, 1853, Colonel Caldwell married Miss Hattie Benton, an estimable lady and a niece of Judge Wright, and a sister of Mrs. Judge Knapp.

"Colonel Caldwell was always the pet of Van Buren county;" so many of her citizens have told me. With his appearance at the bar began his popularity. In the fall of 1856 he was elected prosecuting attorney for Van Buren county, by a majority of 180. He ran upon the Republican ticket, and was the only candidate in the county, of that shade of politics, who was elected. In 1860, he was elected to the State Legislature, and here again was the only successful candidate on his ticket in the county, the democrats electing the senator and the other members of the House. While a member of the legislature, he served as chairman of the Judiciary Committee; and by his counsels in the committee-room, and his nervous, off-hand speeches in the House, established the reputation of being an able lawyer and practical legislator. His geniality, moreover, secured the love and respect of every member of the House.

Mr. Caldwell entered the service in the summer of 1861, being in August of that year commissioned major of the 3d Iowa Cavalry. Subsequently to that time and till the 20th of June, 1864, when he was appointed judge of the district courts for the District of Arkansas, he followed the profession of arms. As a soldier, he met with his usual success. His military record is not as brilliant as are those of some others, and for the reason that the department in which he served did not chance to be the theatre of many hard-fought battles. The service which he saw comprised all the hardships and nearly all the dangers, but lacked the glory incident to the sanguinary campaigns in other departments. During his first year's service, Major Caldwell had a separate command, consisting of companies E, F, G and H—the 2d Battalion of the 3d Iowa Cavalry. On the 12th of December, 1861, he was ordered from Benton Barracks to Jefferson City, Missouri, and thence to Fulton, where he made his head-quarters, and from whence he led various scouting expeditions, during the Winter.

In the following Summer, in connection with a detachment of the Missouri State Militia and Merrill's cavalry command, he took part in the engagement at Moore's Mills, in Galloway county. This battle, though short, was fiercely contested, and, of all that were fought during that Spring and Summer, ranks highest in importance.

On the 5th of September, 1862, Major Caldwell was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 3d Iowa Cavalry, vice lieutenant-Colonel Trimble, resigned. In the winter of 1862-3, he served in the Army of the Frontier, and then joined General Davidson, at that time in command of the Army of South East Missouri. For several months, although only a lieutenant-colonel, he commanded a brigade. Subsequently, he was made chief of cavalry on General Davidson's staff, and served in that capacity till after the capture of Little Rock.

Colonel Caldwell most distinguished himself, I believe, in the Little Rock Campaign. At the head of his command, he was the first to enter the Arkansas Capital.

How Steele, having completed his reconnoissance, marched via Shallow Ford and Ashley's Mills to the Arkansas, and crossed the river some eight miles below the city, has been given elsewhere. The passage of Davidson's cavalry command across the Arkansas, and the march on Little Rock is thus given by General Steele:

"Two regiments of infantry passed over the river to drive the enemy's skirmishers out of the woods, and the cavalry division passed on without serious interruption until they reached Bayou Fourche, where the enemy were drawn up in line to receive them. The rebels held their position obstinately until our artillery on the opposite side of the river was opened upon their rear and flank, when they gave way and were steadily pushed back by Davidson, the artillery constantly playing upon them from the other side of the river. Our two columns marched nearly abreast on either side of the Arkansas."

Long before reaching the city, General Steele knew that the enemy were evacuating; for dense clouds of dust and smoke were seen rising in the distance, in the direction of the town, and soon small bodies of troops were seen hurrying hither and thither, like so many frightened sheep.

On approaching the city, Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, who had been given the advance, disposed his troops and charged through the streets; but the enemy, with the exception of some few stragglers, had fled. Soon after the cavalry took possession of the place, the infantry came up and marched through its deserted streets, after the music of the "Star Spangled Banner " and " Yankee Doodle." It was an inspiring scene, and will be recalled as a day of proud recollections by Steele's old command.

Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell was commissioned colonel of his regiment, on the 4th of May, 1864, and, on the 20th of the following June, was promoted to his present office. In the spring of 1864, and before he was promoted to the colonelcy of his regiment, he had been recommended by both Steele and Davidson for promotion to a general officer; and, had he not been tendered his present position, he would have been made a brigadier-general, and in that case would have been the second officer from the State to receive like honor. I am told that, by the advice of his friends and through the solicitations of Governor Murphy, Senator Baxter, Doctor Kirkwood, and other prominent Union men of Arkansas, Colonel Caldwell waived a brigadier's commission, and accepted his present office. The position he now holds is both honorable and lucrative, and he deserves his good fortune.

Colonel Caldwell is tall and slender in person, and gentlemanly and pleasing in his address. His constitution is not very vigorous; that, at least, would be the judgment of a stranger ; for he has a thin, pale face, and is nervous and restless in his movements. The hardships of the service and his constant mental labors have conspired to make him an older looking man than he is. He is himself careless in dress, and never measures other men by their broad-cloth. In conversation, he is earnest and emphatic, and has a habit of constantly winking.

Though the colonel has first-rate ability, it is not of that voluntary kind that accomplishes wonders spontaneously. Through his whole life, he has been an untiring student. As a public speaker, he is off-hand, impressive and laborious, and. at the close of a long argument, seems nearly exhausted. While in the practice of his profession, he rarely took the time to make a short speech, in consequence of which his arguments were desultory. But he always had this excellent trait: he never talked because he wished to say something, but because he had something to say.

Colonel Caldwell's character as a soldier may be inferred from the following extract from General Davidson's official report of the capture of Little Rock.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, whose untiring devotion and energy never flags during the night nor day, deserves, for his gallantry and varied accomplishments as a cavalry officer, promotion to the rank of a general officer."

Is it to be wondered that Iowa is proud of this distinguished young citizen and soldier?

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 591-6

Colonel Daniel Anderson

THIRD COLONEL, FIRST CAVALRY.

Daniel Anderson was born in the year 1821, in the State of Indiana. His history, prior to coming to Iowa, I am unacquainted with. He settled in Albia, Monroe county, of this State, in about the year 1843, and established himself in the practice of the law, which he continued to follow till the time of entering the service. In July and August, 1861, he enlisted Company H, 1st Iowa Cavalry, was elected its captain, and held this rank till the 10th of July, 1862, when he was promoted to the majority of the 3d Battalion of his regiment. In the following August, he was made lieutenant-colonel, which rank he held till the 21st of August, 1863, when he was promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment. On the expiration of his three-years' term, of service he resigned his commission, and returned to his home in Albia.

During the colonelcy of Mr. Anderson the 1st Iowa Cavalry, as a regiment, met the enemy for the first time in a regular engagement. On the 11th day of June, 1863, nearly a month after the regiment had returned from its scout in South Eastern Missouri, the 1st Iowa Cavalry in company with the 8th Missouri Cavalry left Lake Springs for Pilot Knob, where it reported to Colonel J. M. Glover commanding the 2d Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division. Plans for the Arkansas Expedition and the capture of Little Rock which were matured after the fall of Vicksburg had been conceived in the month of June preceding; and in anticipation of this movement the 1st Cavalry Division was ordered south from Missouri. On the 1st of July the 1st Iowa Cavalry with its brigade and division left its camp at Arcadia, Missouri, and passing through Fredericktown and Bloomfield, crossed the St. Francis River in the vicinity of Chalk Bluff, Arkansas. From this point the command moved due south through Gainsville, and Jonesboro, Arkansas, and on the 28th instant arrived within some three miles of Wittsburg, where it went into camp. Here the division remained several days, and until dispatches could be forwarded to Helena, which was one hundred miles distant. The party which carried these dispatches, and which consisted of only fifty men, was under the command of Captain Jenks and Lieutenant Hursh of the 1st Iowa Cavalry; and the success which attended the movement did these officers great credit; for the rout which was unknown to them, and which lay all the way through the enemy's country, was passed without accident or the loss of a single man.

With the return of this party, the division broke camp and continued the march to White River, which it struck on the evening of the 8th of July, near Clarendon. The organization of General Steele's command being now completed, he marched out from Helena to form a junction with the cavalry of General Davidson, at Clarendon. White River was crossed successfully, and now the expedition to Little Rock was well under way. By order of General Steele, General Davidson, on the morning of the 22d of July, led the advance in the direction of Deadman's Lake and Brownsville; while the infantry, under General Steele, moved up the river to Duvall's Bluff, and proceeded from that direction. No opposition was made to General Davidson's advance until the 25th, when General Marmaduke made his appearance with his rebel cavalry. All that day skirmishing was carried on with the enemy, who, driven back to and through Brownsville, were on the following day forced into their works on Bayou Metoe; and at Bayou Metoe, the 1st Iowa Cavalry, as a regiment, first met the enemy in battle. Bayou Metoe, a miry, sluggish stream, is crossed by the Brownsville and Little Rock road, at a point about fourteen miles east of the last named place. At the time in question, it was spanned by a wooden bridge; and the object of the charge of the 1st Iowa Cavalry was to save this bridge from burning; for the enemy, after falling back to the west side of the stream, had fired it, to prevent pursuit. On the east side of Bayou Metoe, and nearly three-quarters of a mile distant from it, is a sharp, narrow ridge of land, which is covered with brush, and runs nearly parallel with the stream. Along this the enemy had constructed earth-works, which, after being driven from Brownsville, they had occupied.

On the afternoon of the 26th of August, General Davidson's van-guard, which consisted of a detachment of the 3d Missouri Cavalry, was moving along the road and had come within about a mile of the above named rebel works, when they were greeted with a six-pound solid shot. It struck the ground in their front, and ricochetting killed one man and two horses. Word was sent back to General Davidson, who was at Brownsville, and the next morning he came to the front. The expedient which he adopted to dislodge the enemy was a novel one. He directed a bass drum to be beaten that the enemy might infer the approach of infantry; and the ruse succeeded admirably, for they left without offering further resistance. Retiring to the west side of the bayou, they fired the bridge, seeing which, General Davidson called for the 1st Iowa Cavalry to charge and save it. Colonel Anderson led his regiment and had arrived within some three hundred yards of the bridge when the enemy, secreted in thick brush to the right, delivered a deadly volley of musketry. The colonel's horse was wounded and frightened, and took the colonel to the rear. The regiment dashed on with Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell at its head; but on reaching the bayou the enemy were found in strong works just beyond the opposite bank. It was impossible to save the bridge, and after exchanging shots with the enemy for upward of an hour the regiment retired.

Further pursuit of the enemy in this direction was therefore rendered impossible, since at this point the bayou was deep and miry; and, stationing pickets near the crossing, General Davidson returned to Brownsville. From this time till the 8th of August the 1st Iowa Cavalry remained in Camp at Brownsville, and during this time the character of the country and the position of the enemy were thoroughly reconnoitered. General Steele in the meantime having determined to move against Little Rock by way of the river-road the cavalry, on the morning of the last named date, led the advance in that direction; and in the evening of that same day General Davidson bivouacked only one mile north of the Arkansas River, and ten miles east of the doomed city.

The next day the 1st Iowa, having crossed the Arkansas, took a distinguished part in leading Steele's army into Little Rock.

On the 26th of November, Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, with two hundred and fifty men of his regiment, left camp at Little Rock, and moved down the Arkansas River to Pine Bluff. The enemy were reported advancing on that place, and he was sent forward to reinforce the garrison. Lieutenant-Colonel H. C. Caldwell, of the 3d Iowa Cavalry, in command of a brigade, also joined in this movement; but before the arrival of any of these troops, Colonel Clayton, of the 5th Kansas Cavalry, with his gallant little garrison numbering not over four hundred men, had engaged and beaten off the rebel force. For the number of troops engaged, this is one of the most brilliant battles ever fought in Arkansas; and, for his success in defending Pine Bluff, Colonel Clayton received the highest commendations of General Steele. Immediately after arriving at Pine Bluff, the commands of both Lieutenant-Colonels H. C. and J. W. Caldwell started in pursuit of the enemy, and proceeded as far west as Arkadelphia; but in all that distance no enemy was encountered. The detachment from the 1st Iowa Cavalry returned to Little Rock on the 1st of December, and during the scout had traveled not less than two hundred and fifty miles. From the 1st to the 31st of December, 1863, the 1st Iowa Cavalry, in detachments, was constantly on the scout. In November, I have mentioned only that expedition in which LieutenantColonel J. W. Caldwell took part; for that was the most important; but other detachments of the regiment were also on the scout; and to show the amount of labor performed by the entire regiment, it need only be stated that the aggregate number of miles marched by the different companies and detachments in the month of November was three thousand and seventy-nine miles. In December, the aggregate of miles marched was two thousand eight hundred and eighty-two. It has been supposed the cavalry was a lazy arm of the service; but these figures should correct this idea.

The most important of the expeditions joined in by the 1st Iowa Cavalry in the month of December, was that which, leaving Little Rock on the 15th instant, marched south through Arkadelphia, and to within fifteen miles of Camden on the Washita River. The detachment from the 1st Iowa, which consisted of some two hundred and sixty men, under Captain Jenks, engaged the enemy, dismounted, a few miles south of Princeton, and drove them from the works, killing and wounding some, and capturing several prisoners. The history of this affair seems incredible. The enemy were eight hundred, and holding a strong position; but they were routed by less than three hundred men, losing many of their arms, their wagons and camp-equipage.

After the occupation of Little Rock, Colonel Glover was taken sick and was succeeded in the command of his brigade by Colonel Anderson of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, who retained the command for several weeks. And it was during this time that he was placed under arrest for writing a sharp letter to Lieutenant-Colonel Chandler, General Steele's Provost-Marshal General. He was, however, after the lapse of several weeks, released without trial, and returned to the command of his brigade. On account of sickness, which prostrated him just before the expedition started, Colonel Anderson did not accompany General Steele on his Camden march; but soon recovering, he assumed command of the Post of Little Rock, which he held till the expedition returned. During the absence of his regiment on veteran furlough, he was placed in command of the non-veterans; but before the regiment returned, he resigned his commission and returned to his home in Albia. In person, Colonel Anderson is tall and erect. He can not be less than six feet and three inches in hight. He has regular features, brown hair, and grey eyes. He is dignified in his manners; he has large self-esteem, and an arbitrary disposition. It was this, with his quick temper, which gave him trouble in the service. He is a man of good judgment; and though he never met with great success in the practice of his profession, he is regarded as a sound lawyer. He is a fair public speaker; but too prolix to be entertaining.

SOURCE: Addison A Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 553-8

Brevet Brigadier-General T. H. Benton

COLONEL, TWENTY-NINTH INFANTRY.

Thomas Hart Benton, Jr., is a nephew of the celebrated American statesman and author, whose name, at his uncle's own request, he bears. He is a native of Tennessee, and was born in Williamson county of that State, on the 5th day of September, 1816. His father, Samuel Benton, was quite a noted man. In 1817, the year after his son Thomas' birth, he left Tennessee for Missouri; and settled in St. Louis. In 1822, he returned to Tennessee, and settled in Shelby county, near the present city of Memphis, which was then a mere village. In 1835, he left the States, and emigrated to Texas, which was at that time an independent Republic. During his residence there, he served one term in the Texan Congress. He died in 1846. Young Benton accompanied his father in all his migrations.

Colonel Benton's education is academic, and was acquired at the Huntington Academy, Tennessee. His collegiate course was brief: he passed only a portion of the year 1835 at Marion College, Missouri. In 1839, he came to Iowa, and located in Dubuque, where he lived till 1854. During his residence in Dubuque, he was first teacher, and then merchant. In 1846, he went to the State Senate from the Dubuque District, and served in Iowa's first General Assembly. He was elected, in 1848, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and, at the close of his three-years' term, was re-elected for a like term. The nomination for the same position was again tendered him; but he declined it, and the same year removed to Council Bluffs, his present home.

It would seem that Iowa had but one scholar; for, in 1858, Colonel Benton was elected Secretary of the Board of Education, under the new State Constitution. This office he held for the two subsequent terms, and was its incumbent at the time of entering the service. On the 10th of August, 1862, he was commissioned colonel of the 29th Iowa Infantry; and, on the 1st of the following December, mustered into the United States service. For gallant conduct in the different campaigns in which he joined in Arkansas, Colonel Benton, in the spring of 1865, was made brevet brigadier-general.

The history of the 29th is nearly the same as are those of the 33d and 36th Iowa regiments. In the latter part of December, when the enemy were threatening Columbus and other points on the Mississippi, Colonel Benton was ordered with his regiment from Benton Barracks to Columbus. No attack was made, and in a few days he sailed down the river to Helena, Arkansas. In January, 1863, he accompanied General Gorman on the White River Expedition—one in which the troops were subjected to great fatigue and exposures, but which, it is said, was fruitless, on account of the non-co-operation of the fleet. After his return from this expedition, he remained at Helena till the latter part of February, when he joined the Yazoo Pass Expedition, under General Ross. In the early part of April, General Ross, under orders from General Grant, returned with his command to Helena, where Colonel Benton remained with his regiment during the following Summer, and took part in the brilliant engagement of the 4th of July. This was a contest for the great gala day of the nation, and will ever have a prominent place in the history of our civil war. The following extract I take from Colonel Benton's official report:

"My men were under a severe fire for more than five hours, and it affords me the greatest pleasure to speak of both officers and men in terms of the highest commendation, for their coolness and courage during the entire action. I saw no flinching or wavering during the day. It is proper to add that several of my officers and men, who were excused from duty in consequence of physical disability, left their quarters and joined their respective companies, when the signal gun was fired.

"I would not do justice to an accomplished officer, should I fail to acknowledge the efficient services of Lieutenant-Colonel R. F. Patterson, during the action; and the special obligations I am under for the thorough instruction previously given by him to both officers and men, in the responsible duties and obligations of the soldier."

The loss of the 29th Iowa at Helena was seven killed and twenty-four wounded. Two of the latter were hurt mortally, and died soon after.

Early in August, 1863, the 29th Iowa joined the Arkansas or Little Rock Expedition, under General Steele, and was present at the capture of Little Rock. On the Little Rock march, Colonel Benton was in command of a brigade, composed of the 29th and 33d Iowa and the 28th Wisconsin regiments.

After passing the fall of 1863 and the following Winter, at Little Rock, the 29th Iowa, under its colonel, joined General Steele on the Camden march, and on this campaign saw its hardest service, and made the most interesting portion of its history. The object of the campaign has been already given. Had it been successful, it would have relieved the entire State of Arkansas from Confederate rule. In the expedition, the 29th Iowa marched two hundred and fifty miles, and lost in action one hundred and forty-two officers and men.

General Steele left Little Rock on this celebrated march on the 23d of March, 1864. General Banks in his course up the Red River was already approaching Natchitoches. The destination of both armies was Shreveport. Passing through Benton, Rockport, and Arkadelphia on the Washita River, and thence south-west across the Little Missouri, Steele arrived on the 10th of the following April, at Prairie de Anne — one of the prettiest little spots in wild Arkansas, or the whole "Sunny South." At Prairie de Anne, as already stated, he learned the probable fate of his expedition. There he learned of Banks' defeat; and, with Banks defeated and driven back, he, with his small army, could not hope for success, against the combined rebel forces. General Steele then pushed for Camden, which he reached on the 15th instant.

In this expedition, the enemy was first met on the tenth day's march, and near Terra Noir Creek, some four miles south of where General Steele had camped the night before. On the morning of the 2d of April, the day in question, Colonel Benton, with his regiment and two pieces of artillery, was assigned the perilous position of rear-guard to the supply- and transportation-train, consisting of about four hundred and fifty wagons. The day before the enemy's scouts had been frequently seen; and it was known that the rebel General Shelby, with ten thousand cavalry, was in the neighborhood. Steele's main force, and a large portion of the train had already crossed the creek, when Shelby first made his appearance. Colonel Benton, having himself disposed his forces, was barely in time to anticipate the dash of the gallant rascal, who, believing the entire train at his mercy, came on with the greatest celerity. Finding himself foiled, Shelby, after a spirited little contest, retired, and Colonel Benton, resuming the march, hurried up to the train. But after crossing the creek, he was again attacked by the enemy's skirmishers, who, from this point to three miles south of the creek, continued to harass his rear. Having now reached a commanding ridge, Colonel Benton halted his command in line of battle, and engaged the enemy for over an hour, and until he was reinforced by the 50th Indiana, brought back by General S. A. Rice.

The history of that entire day's march is but a repetition of the above, with the exception that the forces engaged on both sides were being constantly reinforced. Late in the afternoon and near where General Steele had left the Washington road, Shelby was joined by Cabell, and Colonel Benton by the 9th Wisconsin Infantry. Here another engagement followed, when the enemy, being again repulsed, retired for the night. On the morning of the 4th of April, the battle of Elkin's Ford, on the Little Missouri River, was fought. Colonel Benton, although under fire with his regiment, was not engaged. The march through Prairie de Anne was attended by a series of skirmishes and engagements; though none of them were bitterly contested. Jenkin's Ferry on the Saline River was the great battle of the campaign, and there Colonel Benton and his regiment most distinguished themselves.

Steele occupied Camden from the evening of the 15th to the night of the 26th of April, and then left on the return to Little Rock. During all this time, the enemy had been devising plans for his capture. Before he left they had sufficient forces to attack and defeat him at Camden, but this they did not do; for their object was the capture of his army; and so confident were they of the success of their plans that, a rebel officer offered to wager large sums of money that General Steele would not see Little Rock, except as a prisoner of war. Had the rebel General Maxey, with his five thousand men, been purposely less vigilant in watching Steele at Camden, their schemes might have ripened into success; for Steele might have maintained himself by foraging several days longer, but this Maxey would not allow: he would pounce on every foraging party sent out, thus compelling Steele to rely on his supply-trains from Pine Bluff. When the last train sent back was captured with its escort, he, of course, could do nothing but retire. The last Federal troops left Camden just before mid-night of the 26th of April, taking the road via Princeton and Jenkin's Ferry.

On the evening of the 28th of April, the retreating army encamped at Princeton, sixteen miles south of the ferry. The march was resumed early on the following morning, and proceeded unmolested till some ten miles out from camp, when, in the midst of a most terrific thunder-storm, the rear-guard was opened on by the enemy's artillery. Price and Kirby Smith had come up by forced marches, having crossed the Washita some twenty-five miles below Camden; and from this point, till Steele's advance reached the ferry, they continued to harass his rear. A pontoon-bridge had to be constructed, which, with the swollen waters of the river and the black darkness of the night, was well-nigh impracticable. There were also other difficulties to overcome, but these will be mentioned elsewhere.

With all these obstacles to overcome, only the artillery and Carr's Division of Cavalry were able to reach the north bank of the Saline before day-light broke. It would have been impossible, had there been more time, to cross the train; for the wagons were all sunk to their axles in miry quick-sands. The whole bottom was a vast mud-bed, and nearly the entire train and stores had to be burned. How the artillery was crossed I can not understand. In the meantime the enemy had made their dispositions, and were advancing to the attack. Carr was at once dispatched with his cavalry to Little Rock, while the infantry halted to fight the battle of Saline River. I should state that a portion of the infantry was sent over the river to guard the artillery. Only about five thousand were left on the south bank.

The battle opened at day-light and on the part of the enemy with artillery. His force was not less than ten thousand — two rebels to one Federal, and the Federals had no artillery. Further particulars of this engagement will be found in the sketch of the late gallant General Rice, who was in command of our forces, and who received a wound, from the effects of which he died not long after.

The 29th Iowa held the right of the line of battle, and half-knee deep in mud and water fought with the most determined bravery from the beginning to the end of the engagement. The gallant charge, which captured the enemy's artillery (the only artillery on the ground) was made by this regiment in connection with the 2d Kansas (colored). One hundred and eight in killed and wounded was the list of casualties of this noble regiment. The colonel escaped uninjured, though his horse was shot dead under him.

Returning to Little Rock with the balance of the forces, the 29th Iowa went into camp where it remained for nearly a year. In February, 1865, it was ordered to New Orleans, where it was attached to the forces of General Canby. Its last services were, in aiding to reduce the strong forts that defended Mobile. The particular part that it acted, I have been unable to learn.

Colonel Benton received his commission as brevet brigadier-general, while stationed with his command at Mobile Point, Alabama, and just before the forces marched from that place, against Spanish Fort. The rank is only complimentary: in justice, his commission should have made him a full brigadier.

General Benton is six feet in hight, and has a well-formed person. He has dark brown hair, a light complexion, and mild, blue eyes. He lacks the dignity and majesty that characterized his late distinguished uncle. Like his uncle, however, he has large self-esteem, and full confidence in his ability. If he wants any thing, he asks for it directly, and not through another; and, if he has done any thing, he does not affect modesty and refuse to let it be known.

In religion, General Benton is a Methodist, and in politics, an ardent Republican. He was formerly a Democrat, but left that party in 1860.

His military record is not a glaring one: indeed, there have been few brilliant ones made in the department where he has chiefly served. But no officer in the army has a more honorable record than he. Great confidence has always been placed in him by his superior officers. After General Steele had lost a great portion of his train near Camden, his chief hope of relief was in the safe escort of a provision-train of one hundred and ninety wagons, forty miles out on the Pine Bluff road, and in charge of a few convalescents, under Colonel Mackey, of the 33d Iowa. The responsible and dangerous duty of bringing this train through in safety was assigned to Colonel Benton, with a force consisting of only two regiments of infantry, four pieces of artillery, and a small squadron of cavalry.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 445-52

Brigadier General J. I. Gilbert

COLONEL TWENTY-SEVENTH INFANTBY.

James I. Gilbert is one of Iowa's best officers. He is a native of Kentucky, and was born about the year 1824. At the time of entering the service, in the summer of 1862, he was a resident of Lansing, Iowa, where he had lived for about ten years. In Lansing, he has been commission merchant, dealer in general merchandise, produce dealer, and lumber merchant. At the time, or just before entering the service, he was the proprietor of a livery stable, and a dealer in real estate. He was commissioned colonel of the 27th Iowa on the 10th day of August, 1862, and served without special distinction till he joined General A. J. Smith on the Red River Campaign, in the spring of 1864. His gallant conduct at Fort De Russy, and through the whole campaign, and also before Nashville nearly a year later, secured his promotion to a general officer.

The 27th Iowa, which was rendezvoused in the city of Dubuque in the months of August and September, 1862, was made up of "the overplus of companies over the 21st regiment in the northern part of the State." In the early part of October, Colonel Gilbert, with six companies of his regiment, was assigned as an escort to guard a pay-master and train from Fort Snelling to Mille Lacs. The balance of the regiment, under Major Howard, remained at the fort. Early in November, Colonel Gilbert returned to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, and soon proceeded to Memphis, via Cairo, Illinois. Major George W. Howard with the balance of the regiment had already proceeded to that point. He reached Memphis on the 20th of November, and one week later joined Sherman in his march from that place to the Tallahatchie, below Waterford. It will be remembered that this movement was made in conjunction with that of General Grant through Central Mississippi, against Vicksburg. The 27th Iowa marched only as far south as College Hill, near Oxford. "The regiment was then ordered to Waterford, Mississippi, and thence to the Tallahatchie River, where it first commenced its work as railroad guards."

When Van Dorn attacked and captured Holly Springs, the 27th Iowa, with other troops, was hurried to that vicinity; but the wily rebel having destroyed the immense Federal supplies, made his escape. The march was then continued northward, for the purpose of meeting and, if possible, of capturing Forest, who was at the same time making his raid on the Jackson and Columbus Railroad. The 27th arrived at Jackson on the 30th of December, and the next day or night, Forest's defeat at Parker's Cross Roads and subsequent flight having been, learned, was marched by a circuitous rout to Clifton. The raiders however escaped. It was this raid of Forest, it will be remembered, that so frightened General Davies at Columbus, and caused him to order the destruction of government property at Island No. 10. The march from Jackson to Clifton was the first fatiguing one the 27th Iowa had yet made. More than one man of the regiment wished that night that he had never entered the army.

From December, 1862, until the following August, the regiment served in Southern Tennessee. It was stationed a principal portion of the time on the Jackson and Columbus Railroad, with head-quarters at Jackson.

On the abandonment of Jackson and the railroad through to Columbus, in the fore part of June, 1863, Colonel Gilbert was ordered down to Moscow, where he remained with his regiment till the 20th of the following August, guarding the railroad. But after the fall of Vicksburg, and the defeat of General Johnson's army at Jackson, Mississippi, the 27th with its brigade was ordered to report to General Steele, who was then about starting on the Little Rock Campaign. The brigade, composed of the 49th and 62d Illinois, the 27th Iowa and 50th Indiana, and commanded by Colonel J. M. True, of the 62d Illinois, arrived at Helena, after the forces of General Steele had left; but immediately starting in pursuit, Colonel True succeeded in uniting with Steele in time to enter Little Rock with the main army. With the routine of camp-life and picket duty, the months of September and October were passed at Little Bock, when, under orders from General Steele, Colonel Gilbert reported back to Memphis in command of his own regiment and the 49th Illinois. At Memphis a portion of the 27th was assigned to duty at the Navy Yard, and the balance put on picket-duty in rear of the city.

Up to this time, the 27th Iowa, as a regiment, had never met the enemy in battle; but the time was now near at hand when it would afford new proof of the intrepidity of Iowa soldiers. The regiment left Memphis for Vicksburg on the 28th of July, 1864, whence, a week later, it left with General Sherman on the celebrated march to Meridian.

At Memphis and just before leaving for Vicksburg, the 27th Iowa was brigaded with the 14th and 32d Iowa, and the 24th Missouri. These troops constituted the 2d Brigade of the 3d Division, 16th Army Corps, which afterward, under command of Colonel William T. Shaw of the 14th, so distinguished itself in the Red River Expedition of General Banks. In the Meridian march, it should be stated that the 27th Iowa went some six miles further east than any other troops of Sherman's command, and in this advanced position captured several prisoners.

The plan for the Red River Campaign had already been matured, on the return of General Sherman to Vicksburg; and on the evening of the 10th of April, 1864, General A. J. Smith left with his expeditionary army for the mouth of Red River, where he arrived on the evening following. The fleet of Admiral Porter arriving that same evening, the expedition, on the morning of the 12th instant, sailed up the river, and in the afternoon arrived at Simmsport, where the infantry forces disembarked. From this point, General Smith marched with his command across the country to the rear of Fort De Russey, while Porter, with his gun-boat fleet, proceeded up the river. Near Simmsport a small body of the enemy's cavalry made their appearance; but they offered no resistance to the advance; and on the evening of the second day the fort was invested. Porter in the meantime had come up with his fleet, but for some reason took no part in the engagement which followed. I have been told that it was the crookedness of the river at this point, together with certain obstructions, that prevented him from operating with the land forces.

Fort De Russey, a formidable earth-work of the enemy on the south-west side of Red River, and some four miles above the town of Marksville, was built on a high point of land, about one hundred paces back from the river, but connected with it by rifle-pits. On the south-west bank of the river, was a six-gun water-battery. The Fort proper mounted but four guns: two six-pounders commanded the open country south-west of the Fort; and two thirty-two pounders covered the Marksville road and the approaches to the south-east. On the north-west side of the fort was dense timber and impassable swamps.

On the 14th day of March, the day of the capture of Fort De Russey, the 27th Iowa led the advance. Marksville, which is some thirty miles distant from Simmsport, was reached at four o'clock in the afternoon; and at this point Colonel Gilbert was ordered to halt his regiment to prevent straggling in the town. He was kept in this position till all the troops had passed, and until the dispositions for the attack had been nearly completed. The 27th as a regiment had not yet been under fire, and, jealous of his own reputation and that of his command, Colonel Gilbert dispatched his adjutant to Colonel Shaw, with this request: "If there is to be any fighting we want to have a hand in it." An order was finally returned for him to bring his regiment forward; and he moved up and took position on the extreme right of the assaulting forces. Two entire brigades charged on the fort, and Colonel Shaw's held the right. The line of battle was semi-circular, and, on the right, was formed in the edge of timber and some two hundred and fifty yards distant from the fort.

In front of the 2d Brigade (Colonel Shaw's) was a ravine, running nearly parallel with the enemy's defenses; but, before this could be reached, the entire line must pass under a severe musketry-fire from the fort and the adjacent rifle-pits. After the reconnoissance had been completed, during which time the fire from the fort had been responded to by the 3d Indiana Battery, a general charge was ordered, when Colonel Gilbert, drawing his sword and stepping to the front of his regiment, said: "Boys, come on." "From that moment," said a member of his regiment to me, "we knew he had the true grit." He was one of the first officers, if not the very first, to enter the enemy's works. If this was not a sanguinary affair, it was a brilliant one, and augured well for the success of the future expedition. The number of casualties of the 27th Iowa, in this engagement, I have failed to learn.

It should be borne in mind that General Banks had not yet come up from Franklin, Louisiana; nor did he come up till a week after the capture of Alexandria; so that the credit incident to the capture of Fort De Russey belongs solely to General Smith and the troops of his command. On the morning of the 15th instant, the 3d Division, having re-embarked on the fleet, moved up to Alexandria, and that same evening the place was entered without opposition. Here General Smith remained till the arrival of General Banks with his command, consisting of portions of the 13th and 19th Army Corps.

From this point, General Banks marched through the country via Natchitoches to Grand Ecore; but Smith, moving up to the head of the rapids, above Alexandria, re-embarked and sailed up the river, arriving at Grand Ecore at about the same time as did General Banks. On the 5th of April, General Banks marched for Shreveport by way of the Mansfield road, and two days later was followed by the command of General Smith; but the advance was soon to be turned into a retreat; and neither the forces of Banks nor Smith were destined to see even Mansfield. No considerable resistance was made to the advance till near Natchitoches, and, to beat this back, no troops were required but the cavalry; but beyond Pleasant Hill, and about thirty miles distant from Natchitoches, the enemy showed so much resistance that it became necessary to send forward a brigade of infantry.

The battle of Mansfield, or Sabine Cross Roads was fought on the afternoon of the 8th of April, 1864, and that of Pleasant Hill on the morning and evening of the 9th. The last was the one in which the 14th, 27th and 32d Iowa regiments so distinguished themselves. These troops, together with the 24th Missouri, I believe impartial history will say, saved the army of General Banks from disorganization and capture; for they were the only troops that maintained their position throughout that terrible day — I mean, of course, of those whose position was in the front. If this be not so, how was it that their losses, in killed, wounded and missing, numbered nearly, if not quite two-thirds of the casualties in Banks' entire army? The position held by the 27th in this engagement was the left centre of its brigade. On its right was the 14th Iowa, and on its left the 32d. Its right rested near the Pleasant Hill and Mansfield road.

The conduct of Colonel Gilbert in this engagement, as at Fort De Russey, was gallant in the extreme. Through the anxious hours that intervened between the first attack in the morning and the final fierce assaults of the enemy in the afternoon, he was never idle, but talked with and cheered his men. Skirmishing all this time was going on; and every moment closed with the assurance that the next would open the fierce encounter. When the conflict finally did open, he stood firm and confident, using, when occasion offered and his duties would permit, a musket against the advancing enemy. Indeed, the colonel was wounded in this engagement, while in the act of shooting a rebel officer. Many brave officers and men of the 27th Iowa were left among the killed and wounded: their names I have failed to learn. One I know — Sergeant George W. Griswold, a brave and faithful soldier. He was wounded severely in the face, and left in hospital within the enemy's lines.

A history of Banks' Expedition after his unplucked victory at Pleasant Hill will be found elsewhere. In the fatiguing and harassing retreat to Simmsport, Smith's Division covered the rear of Banks' army.

Subsequently to the Red River Campaign, there has been little rest for the 27th Iowa Infantry. It joined its division in driving Price from Missouri; was with A. J. Smith at Nashville, and fought in those terrible battles that closed only with the destruction of General Hood's army; and, lastly, was with Its old white-headed general before Blakely, where it led a portion of the charging column that carried so brilliantly the strong-hold. Now it has marched with its division into the interior of Alabama; but it will probably see no more fighting.

After the battle of Nashville, Colonel Gilbert was made a brigadier-general. Since that time, he has been in command of a brigade. He is one of the most popular officers in his division.

Colonel Gilbert is six feet and one inch in hight, and has a broad chest, and an erect and tapering form. His hair, eyes and complexion are dark. He has a heavy voice, and is an energetic talker. At home and among his acquaintances, he is "noted for his love of a fine horse and riding out-fit. He thinks much of style in appearance."

He is quick and active in his motions, and, in civil life, was accustomed to decide the most important business transactions in a moment. His opinions, of which he is very positive, he is always ready to back with a bet; and his losses, of which he rarely has any, he pays promptly. As a business man, he was not considered very fortunate, though he was never placed in a position which prevented him from paying all legal demands against him. Like several other Iowa officers, he is better adapted to the profession of arms than to any other calling. I should not omit to state that, of the Iowa generals, General Gilbert is the finest equestrian the State can boast, not even excepting General Frederick Steele.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 421-8