Diary of 4th Sergeant John S. Morgan: Friday, October 9, 1863

Return to duty today. Orders on parade that Gen Salomon should assume comand of 3d Div. Gen Rice of 2d brigade

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 7, January 1923, p. 498

Diary of 4th Sergeant John S. Morgan: Friday, August 14, 1863

Roll out at daybreak. March very hard. day very hot many give out. Col too sick to travel left at house join us at night. Pine timber plenty. Camp at Pinecreek.

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 7, January 1923, p. 494

Diary of 4th Sergeant John S. Morgan: Monday, August 17, 1863

Out foraging today. 2d Division get here. P. M. Skirmish over the river, troops crossing. Rebs reported at pine bluff. 12¼ miles this side Little Rock entrenching. Col Rice promoted to Brig Gen.

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 7, January 1923, p. 494

Diary of 4th Sergeant John S. Morgan: Thursday, August 13, 1863

Delayed by building bridge till 8. A. M. then started. Man shot in head — wond slight — by bush whacker. Col Rice Sick, hard march and hot day many give out. take in one bushwhacker Camp at sun down. Slough water.

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 7, January 1923, p. 494

Diary of 4th Sergeant John S. Morgan: Thursday, August 6, 1863

Order reed that 33d goes. Col Rice assigned command of the 13th Div. 16. army corps.

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 7, January 1923, p. 494

Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry

John S. Morgan, the writer of the following diary, was born at Crawfordsville, Indiana, March 4, 1841, and died at Pella, Iowa, June 15, 1874. He came with his parents in their removal to Pella, Iowa, in 1854. While a student at Central College, Pella, he enlisted as a fourth sergeant in Company G, Thirty-third Iowa Infantry, on September 4, 1862, was promoted to first sergeant July 21, 1864, to second lieutenant January 6, 1865, and was mustered out at New Orleans, Louisiana, July 17, 1865. He was graduated from Central College, and from the Iowa Law School, Des Moines, June 9, 1868, and practiced for a time in Adel, being a partner of D. W. Wooden.

The Thirty-third Iowa Infantry was organized in August, 1862, at Oskaloosa, the companies coming from Marion, Mahaska, and Keokuk counties. Samuel A. Rice of Oskaloosa, attorney-general of the state, was appointed its colonel. On October 4 it was mustered into the United States service, and on November 20 it marched to Eddyville and went by train to Keokuk where it took a steamer and arrived at St. Louis the night of the 21st. Here they were engaged principally in guard duty until December 21 when they went aboard a steamer and on the 24th they were landed at Columbus, Kentucky. There they did some fortifying and on January 1, 1863, proceeded to Union City, Tennessee, expecting an engagement with the enemy. On January 3 they returned to Columbus. Soon thereafter they embarked and reached Helena, Arkansas, on January 13. During the early part of February some of the regiment assisted in clearing out the Yazoo Pass, which was some seven miles below Helena and on the east side of the river. It was a narrow channel connecting the Mississippi River to the east with the Coldwater River. On February 23 they returned to their old camp at Helena, and at that date the diary begins. We have followed Lieutenant Morgan's spelling, capitalization, abbreviations, etc. as they appear in the original diary. — Editor.

SOURCE: “Diary of John S. Morgan, Company G, 33rd Iowa Infantry,” Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 13, No. 7, January 1923, p. 483-4

Brigadier-General Samuel Allen Rice

FIRST COLONEL, THIRTY-THIRD INFANTRY.

Samuel A. Rice, who received his death-wound at the battle of Jenkin's Ferry, is the most distinguished officer our gallant State has lost in the War of the Rebellion. Sprung from the great middle class, without name or wealth, he had, at the age of thirty-five, attained such distinction as to make his death a national calamity.

General Rice was a native of New York, and was born in Cattaraugus county of that State, the 27th of January, 1828. His boyhood was passed in Belmont county, Ohio, where his parents removed when he was young. There he gained a common school education. The father died soon after removing to Ohio, leaving his family in limited circumstances, and his son, Samuel, as their chief support. He, accordingly, engaged in the boating business on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, that promising the amplest remuneration. As a flat-boatman, he made one or more trips to New Orleans.

General Rice was liberally educated; but the expenses of his education he had to defray himself. He pursued his preparatory course at the Athens Academy, Ohio, and in 1844 or 1845, entered Union College, New York. After graduating there, he entered the law department of that University, where he studied for one year, and then left for the wild West — for so Iowa was regarded, at that day, in the Eastern and Middle States.

The history of General Rice is widely known in our commonwealth; for he was one of our most prominent public men. He first settled in Fairfield, Jefferson county, where he practiced his profession, and occasionally assisted in the editorial department of the whig newspaper of that place. But in the fall of 1851, he removed to Oskaloosa, at which place his family still reside. His first public office was that of prosecuting attorney of his county. Naturally excelling as a criminal lawyer, he attracted general attention by the able manner in which he discharged the duties of his office; and it was this which secured him the nomination in 1856, to the office of attorney-general of the State. In 1856, and again in 1858, he was elected to the last named office; and at the close of his last term, he had established a reputation that placed his name among the foremost lawyers of the State, and, I might add, among the foremost of our public men. I do not speak of him in extravagant terms. The attention and deference that were paid to his arguments before the Supreme Court, would have flattered an attorney of the greatest experience, and the most extensive practice; and the influence which he wielded, as a leading member of the Republican Party, was recognized by all of our most prominent men.

General Rice entered the United States service in the summer of 1862. He would have entered the army sooner; but he could not leave his large business without pecuniary sacrifice; and, besides, he did not believe at first that the war would be of long duration. He was commissioned colonel of the 33d Iowa Infantry, on the 10th day of August, 1862; and late in November left with his regiment for St. Louis. Early in February, 1863, he arrived with his command at Helena, Arkansas, the point where was organized the Yazoo Pass Expedition; and the first important services of the 33d Iowa were in clearing this Pass of obstructions, and opening it for the passage of our transports. For nearly three weeks prior to the starting of the expedition, the regiment was engaged in this fatiguing and dangerous work. The history of this expedition is given elsewhere.

In the long list of battles that were fought in the South West from the 27th of December, 1862, to the 4th of July following, that of Helena, Arkansas, ranks high in point of importance, not simply because Helena with all its government property was saved from capture; but because the spirit of our troops caused the rebels, on the west side of the Mississippi, to despair of ever re-possessing their lost country. Colonel Rice had met the enemy before in skirmishes, but the engagement at Helena was his first battle. Here his brigade saved the place from capture, and his gallantry and soldierly skill made him a brigadier-general. The names of his troops deserve special mention: the 33d Iowa and 33d Missouri, who most distinguished themselves and suffered most severely, engaged the enemy at batteries C and D, near the Little Rock Road: the 29th and 36th Iowa regiments would have done as well and suffered as severely, but they were stationed on the hills to the right, near batteries A and B, and were not so severely engaged. The main attack of the enemy was made on the Little Rock road, where they staked every thing on forcing an entrance. They captured battery C, and so far succeeded; but the raking fire they received from the other batteries, and from the infantry and Fort Curtis, soon forced them to abandon their dearly-won prize. Our pickets were driven in at half past three in the morning, and the fight lasted till nearly 11 A. M., when the enemy retired precipitately. I have said his command saved Helena from capture; and I may add that his casualties amounted to more than half the entire Union loss. It should be stated that two regiments of his command — the 33d Iowa and 33d Missouri — were, during the engagement, under the more immediate command of General Solomon.

In August, 1863, Colonel Rice was appointed a brigadier-general. He had saved General Prentiss and his command from defeat as a colonel; as a brigadier-general, he saved General Steele's army and train from capture at Jenkin's Ferry, on the Saline River; and, had he survived the injury he received in that engagement, he would, doubtless, have been made a major-general.

In General Steele's march against Little Rock, which left Helena on the 10th of August, 1863, General Rice commanded a division, and it was on this march that he received his appointment as brigadier-general. No great battles were fought on this expedition, and no opportunities [sic] offered for special distinction. With others he is entitled to equal credit for the success of our arms.

General Rice's coolness and bravery, and his ability as an officer were best illustrated in General Steele's Campaign into South Western Arkansas, which resulted disastrously to our arms, and gave new hope to the rebels. Here he held only a brigade command. Had he commanded the expedition, some have thought the result would have been different; but this is unjust to General Steele. The loss of a brigade and wagon-train at Mark's Mills might have been avoided; but, considering the difficulties under which General Steele labored, no one could have hoped for entire success. That the chief credit which attaches to this movement or rather to the battle at Jenkins' Ferry, belonged to General Rice, no one will dispute.

The expedition in question left Little Rock on the 23d of March, 1864. Between that point and Camden, the enemy were met at Terra Noir Creek, Elkin's Ford, Prairie de Anne, and six miles north-west of Camden. The sharpest of these engagements was that at Elkin's Ford, on the Little Missouri River. Colonel Rice, though not in command of the forces engaged, received a scalp-wound, while riding to the front. But the great battle of the campaign was fought at Jenkins' Ferry, on the morning of the 30th of April, 1864.

On the evening of the 29th of April, the expedition had reached the Saline River, on its return to Little Rock. That same evening, General Steele's rear-guard had been attacked by the enemy, under Price and Kirby Smith; and it was probable that on the following morning he would have to give them battle; for a pontoon-bridge must be constructed on which to "cross, and the difficulties to be overcome were well-nigh insurmountable: these, however, have been spoken of elsewhere.

That night was stormy and dismal, and will be long remembered by Steele's old command. The floods of falling rain had swollen the Saline to the top of its banks, and covered the low bottom-lands bordering the river with water. But few slept that night: in front was a swollen river; in the rear a confident enemy, and under foot mud and water half-leg deep. Some collected piles of brush to rest on, and others passed the night on stumps and old logs. Day-light was longed for; and yet it promised little, for all believed it would be ushered in by an attack of the enemy. Some were cheerful, and cracked their jokes; but the great majority pulled their ponchos or blankets tightly about them, and remained quiet: they were thinking of their homes and friends, and of the comforts they had exchanged for these hardships.

But morning came at last, and with it the opening battle. Already General Rice's command was in line to engage the enemy, should he advance, and to defend the crossing: they were engaged promptly. The troops of his command, who met the first shock of battle, were the 29th Iowa on the right, the 50th Indiana in the centre, and the 33d Iowa on the left. Of the position of the other two infantry regiments of his command (the 9th and the 28th Wisconsin) at the opening of the fight, I am unadvised. His battery (Captain Voglies') had been sent over the river. The enemy — four to one in the first onset — advanced fairly and squarely, confident of easy victory; but they were repulsed. And not only in this, but in each renewed assault were they repulsed; till finally, near noon, they withdrew and left our forces in possession of the field. At about two o'clock, the last of our infantry forces crossed the river; and after destroying the pontoon-bridge, resumed, unmolested, their march to Little Rock. We lost in this engagement about eight hundred men. The enemy lost, according to his own estimate, nine hundred and fifty; but it is known that his loss was greater.

That was a most gloomy hour for the Federal cause in Arkansas, and the enemy were every where jubilant over the "prospects of peace and independence." They boasted that Steele's army was defeated and disheartened, and that, if it escaped at all, it would do so as a disorganized rabble. They never seemed to doubt that Steele would be compelled to abandon Little Rock, and that the entire State of Arkansas would pass again under Confederate rule. They moved north and blockaded the Arkansas River, and threatened seriously the Little Rock Railroad. The Government became alarmed, and sent nearly two divisions from New Orleans to Steele's assistance. Indeed, for many months the post of Little Rock was little better than in a state of siege; and it was only after Price's reverses in Missouri that the hopes of the Federal cause in Arkansas again rose in the ascendant. But to return.

In the enemy's last charge, and as General Rice was riding down his left wing, he received the wound which resulted in his death. He was shot by a musket-ball "through the right foot, the ball passing under the instep, just in front of the ankle, and driving the buckle of the spur before it."

He left Little Rock for his home in Iowa, on the 18th day of May. For a considerable time after reaching his home, it was supposed he was convalescing; but, (I quote from the Oskaloosa "Herald") " the virus of his wound had permeated his whole system, poisoning the vital fluids, and putting his case beyond the reach of human aid." He died on the 6th day of August, 1864.

The night before the general's death, Judge Loughridge, of Oskaloosa, his warm and tried friend, watched by his bed-side to assist in answering his wants, and to offer consolation to the grief-stricken family. His pain seemed to be intense, making the night drag heavily, and, as he turned restlessly in his bed, the judge inquired: "General, how do you feel now? Are you willing to die?" Looking up, and his eyes brightening, he replied: "I am ready. 'Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He is with me. His rod and His staff, they comfort me.'"

Four years before, he had said, while pronouncing an eulogy upon our lamented Judge Stockton:

"We can but feel and realize that, like the deceased, we too must undergo that great change, allotted to all living. When that change shall come; when the shadows of the last night shall gather around us, may we meet it like one that draws the drapery of his couch about him, and lies down to pleasant dreams."

His prayer was realized. He died in the full possession of his mental faculties, and with the hopes of a Christian.

My admiration of the character of this noble man, I am unable to express. Few as able and deserving as he have been sacrificed to the Moloch of Slavery. One who served long with him in the army writes thus of him:

"But above all, and overall stands the name of one, whom Iowa will be proud to own — General Samuel A. Rice. I have never yet seen his equal, either on the field, or in the camp. * * All admit that his brigade saved the army from defeat and consequent destruction, at the battle of Jenkins' Ferry."

Testimonials of his worth meet me on every hand, to which, I regret, I am unable to give place. His old division has contributed funds for the erection of a monument to his memory; but his "good name will live, when monuments of brass and stone shall have crumbled to dust."

The proceedings of the Supreme Court at Des Moines, on learning of his death, I must briefly allude to. Hon. C. C. Nourse, the general's successor, as Attorney-General of Iowa, Hon. Thomas F. Withrow, and Hon. Chief Justice Wright offered touching eulogies to his memory. In the course of his remarks, our honored Chief Justice said:

"I parted with him in May, as he was nearing his home, with his family and friends around him: he was reclining on what proved to be his death-bed. I shall ever remember his face, and the sparkling expression of his flashing eyes, as, taking me by the hand, he said: 'I shall not die: I know that I shall live — I shall live to return to the field, and assist in crushing this most accursed rebellion.' These hopes — these high resolves were doomed to disappointment."

After the addresses were closed, the following preamble and resolutions were entered of record:

"WHEREAS, General Samuel A. Rice, formerly a member of the bar of this Court, and for four years Attorney-General of the State, died at his home in Oskaloosa on the 6th day of July, 1864, from a wound received in battle at Saline River on the 30th day of April, 1864, and whereas, the high standing of the deceased as a member of the profession, as well as his exalted patriotism and many personal virtues, demand a special notice of his memory upon our part; Therefore, be it

"Resolved, By the members of the bar now in attendance upon the Supreme Court:

1. "That we deeply deplore this dispensation of Divine Providence, in thus removing from our midst one who adorned his profession, and endeared himself to us by his uniform courtesy and upright conduct.

2. "That by his death a brave and true soldier and officer has fallen in defense of his Government, a kind father and true husband has been lost to his family, a valued citizen has been lost to the State, and an honored and able advocate has been lost to the profession.

3. "That we will cherish in affectionate remembrance his many virtues, and request the members of the bar to wear the usual badge of mourning during the term.

4. "That we tender to the bereaved family our sincere testimony of the worth of the deceased, and assure them of our sympathy and condolence in their affliction.

5. "That the court be requested to have these proceedings and resolutions spread upon the records of the court, and to furnish a certified copy of the same to the family of the deceased.

" Committee. — Jefferson F. Polk, H. S. Winslow, William H. Seevers, C. C. Nourse."

I first met General Rice in the spring of 1857, at the Oskaloosa bar. Then, he had just been elected Attorney-General of the State; and I scanned him closely. He was, at the time, arguing a case with Judge Seevers; and Governor Stone was sitting upon the bench. He was dressed poorly; was unshaven, and looked to me to be below the medium in size. I thought we never elected such men to like positions in New England. Three years later, I saw him again; when he looked more like himself — an able and polished gentleman. The portrait here published is not a perfect likeness, though the mild, intelligent expression of the eye is correct.

General Rice was not a man of brilliant parts. He had a large brain and a sound judgment; and hard study did the rest. He was an able reasoner. His cast of mind was more practical than theoretical; for instance: on one occasion, two applicants for admission to the bar presented themselves in the Oskaloosa Court. It was Governor Stone's first term upon the bench. Judges Loughridge and Seevers and General Rice, having been appointed by the court the examining committee, the latter approached the young men, and, taking one of them by the hand, said: "Gentlemen, you look as though you could practice law; if you can not, you will get no business, and if you can, all right. I will vouch for you."

The general was kind-hearted and unassuming. I never saw him without a smile upon his face, and no one could be embarrassed in his presence. Few promised him the success he met in the service. He was as successful with the sword, as he had been in his civil profession. He was a noble exemplar of our Free State Chivalry.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 487-96

BRIGADIER-GENERAL ELLIOTT W. RICE

SECOND COLONEL, SEVENTH INFANTRY.

Elliott W. Rice, a younger brother of the late General Samuel A. Rice, who died in the summer of 1864, of a wound received at the battle of Jenkins' Ferry, is a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he was born on the 16th of November, 1835. In 1837, he removed with his father's family to Belmont county, Ohio, where he made his home till the year 1855. He was regularly graduated at Franklin College, Ohio, in 1854; and immediately after entered the Law University at Albany, New York. In 1855, he came West, and became a law-partner of his late brother at Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Early in the spring of 1861, General Rice enlisted as a private in the 7th Iowa Infantry; but was, on the 30th of the following August, promoted to the majority of the regiment. He served with his regiment with that rank till after the battle of Fort Donelson, when he was commissioned colonel, vice Colonel Lauman promoted to brigadier-general. This promotion was endorsed by the almost unanimous voice of the officers of his regiment, and was a high compliment to his military talent and worth. One of the brightest pages in General Rice's military history was made prior to the date of his colonel's commission, on the battle-field of Belmont. The enemy had been forced through the low, timbered bottoms that skirt the west side of the Mississippi above Columbus; they had been driven back to their encampment, and beyond, to the banks of the Mississippi below Columbus; their camp had been burned, and their flag—Harp of Erin —captured, when word came, "we are flanked." Colonel Lauman had already been wounded and taken to the rear. At the very moment that orders were received to fall back, the enemy rallied in front, and Lieutenant-Colonel Wentz fell, mortally wounded. Under these circumstances, Major Rice took command of his regiment to conduct the retreat. He had already been severely wounded, though he said he was not hurt. Placing himself at the head of his regiment, which he had hastily re-formed, (for all just then was confusion) he dashed through the lines of the enemy that had been interposed between the Federal forces and the landing, disregarding all calls of "surrender!" In the terrific enfilading fire through which he passed, his horse was pierced with twenty bullets; his sword-scabbard was shot in two; his sword-belt shot away, and his clothes riddled; but he saved a remnant of his regiment, and brought it safely back to the transports. His gallant conduct in this engagement made him the idol of his regiment.

The history of the 7th Iowa Infantry, subsequently to the battle of Fort Donelson, when Major Rice was promoted to colonel, is briefly as follows: — For three weeks after the battle, the regiment rested in rebel barracks, constructed by the enemy for winter quarters. Then, marching back to the Tennessee, it took the steamer White Cloud at Metal Landing for Pittsburg.

As already stated, the 7th Iowa fought at Shiloh with the 2d, 12th, and 14th Iowa regiments. It was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. Parrott, and lost in the engagement thirty-four in killed, wounded and missing. Lieutenant John Dillin, a resident of Iowa City, was killed, and no other commissioned officer of the regiment was struck. After the fall of Corinth, and the pursuit of the enemy to Boonville, the 7th returned and established, with its brigade, what was known as Camp Montgomery. Here the regiment passed the chief portion of its time till the battles of Iuka and Corinth.

At the battle of Corinth, the 7th Iowa suffered severely, the list of casualties amounting to one hundred and twenty-three. In speaking of the conduct of his officers and men in the engagement, Colonel Rice said:

"I must make special mention of Lieutenant-Colonel Parrott, who, with great bravery and coolness, cheered and encouraged the men to renewed vigor. * * * It is with pleasure that I make favorable mention of almost all my officers who were engaged in the two day's battle. Major McMullen did efficient service until he was wounded and disabled, on the evening of the 3d. Captain Conn, although wounded, remained with his command through both day's battle. Captains Hedges and Mahon, left in camp sick, left their beds and came on the battle-field on Saturday, and did efficient service. Their companies were well commanded Friday by Lieutenants Dillon and Sergeant. Lieutenant Gale displayed great gallantry, and was severely wounded in the battle of the 4th, after which the company was bravely led by Lieutenant Morrison.

"Captains Irvin and Reiniger performed their duties nobly. I must also mention Lieutenants Hope, Loughridge, Irvin, McCormick, Bennett and Bess. Captain Smith, who was killed in the last hour of the battle of the 4th, was one of the most promising young officers of the service. He was brave, cool and deliberate in battle, and very efficient in all his duty. Color-Sergeant Aleck Field was wounded in the battle of the 3d: afterwards the colors were borne by William Akers of Company G, who was also wounded, when they were carried by George Craig, of Company B. All of the color-guard, with the exception of one, were either killed or wounded. Sergeant-Major Cameron, severely wounded, must not escape favorable mention for his brave and valuable services on the field.

"While it is a pleasure to report the noble and heroic conduct of so many of my officers and men, we mourn the loss of the gallant dead, and sympathize deeply with the unfortunate wounded. More than one-third of those taken into action are wounded, or lie dead beneath the battle-field. With this sad record, we can send to Iowa the gratifying word that her unfortunate sons fell with faces to the enemy. * * * * * "

For nearly a year and a half prior to the month of October, 1863, the 7th Iowa Infantry remained at and near Corinth, Mississippi; but, at the above named date, marched with General Dodge from Corinth to Pulaski. In the winter of 1863-4, the regiment re-enlisted and came North on veteran furlough, and, on its return to the field, marched to the front with the 2d Iowa, via Prospect, Elkton and Huntsville.

In Sherman's celebrated Atlanta campaign, Colonel Rice commanded his brigade, composed of the 2d and 7th Iowa, the 52d Illinois and 66th Indiana, (the same that he had commanded for nearly a year before) and, at the battles of Resaca, Lay's Ferry, Rome Cross Roads, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, and Nick-a-jack Creek, distinguished himself. For his gallantry and promptness to duty, he was recommended by General Sherman for promotion to a brigadier-general, and was appointed and confirmed to that rank, his commission dating the 20th of June, 1864.

The engagement on Oostanaula River is worthy of special mention. Crossing his brigade in the face of the rebel General Walker's entire Division, he drove it in disgrace from the south bank of the stream, and secured a position which was generally believed to have necessitated the evacuation of Resaca.

Of the different regiments in his command, the 7th Iowa Infantry suffered the most severely in this engagement. The regiment was moving through heavy timber, when it was suddenly charged by a whole brigade of rebel infantry. The charge was gallantly sustained, and a counter-charge made, which resulted in driving the enemy from the field. The loss of the regiment here was between sixty and seventy.

The preliminaries to the battle of Dallas are briefly as follows: Having arrived at Kingston, a small railroad station about eighty miles south of Chattanooga, the enemy were found posted across the Etowah River, in the Allatoona Mountains. Their position, which was one of great natural strength, was to be carried by a flank movement; and General McPherson, moving south-west, reached and crossed the Etowah River, and marched directly for Atlanta. The enemy, when advised of the movement, abandoned their position on the Allatoona Mountains, and pushed for Dallas, some thirty-five miles south of Kingston. Hardee's rebel Corps, leading the advance, reached Dallas and strongly fortified itself before McPherson's arrival. What followed is well given by an officer of General Rice's command:

"At early dawn, on the 28th of May, the two contending armies were on the qui vive. All looked forward for the deeds the day might bring forth. Heavy skirmishing was kept up, which, at times, almost swelled into volleys; and, at short intervals, stretcher-men, with their precious burdens going to the rear, attested the accuracy with which the 'Johnny rebs' handled their long Enfields. At four o'clock P. M., the threatening storm burst out in all the fury of battle, just on the extreme right of Logan's Corps, where it sounded like the wind roaring through a pine forest. The breeze wafted it dismally toward us. On came the wall of fire, nearing us at every instant, until it broke in all its violence on our front. Here was the rebel right. Their assaulting column reached along the whole line of Logan's Corps, and over on to Dodge's front far enough to engage Rice's Brigade, which was posted hi the front line. The rebel forces consisted of Hardee's Corps—three divisions. Their men were told that we were one-hundred-day men; and their charge was a desperate one. In front of Rice's Brigade (two regiments being in line, the 2d Iowa and 66th Indiana) there was a brigade of the enemy, known as the Kentucky Brigade, consisting of the 2d, 3d, 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th Kentucky Infantry. They charged in columns six lines deep, and, as they neared our works, yelled in that unearthly style peculiar to themselves. They were met by men who were equal to the emergency. Not a man left the works, unless he was wounded. They stood there like a wall of iron, their comrades from the reserve carrying ammunition to replenish their exhausted supplies. Yet still the rebel hosts poured up to the works, those behind being cursed by their officers and rushed up so as to prevent those in front from falling back. Thus they continued, hoping against hope, and all the time being mowed down like grass by the fire of our brave veterans, and the grape and canister of Welker's Battery. Pushing forward till they were almost hand-to-hand, they continued the deadly struggle for one hour and a half; when, completely exhausted, they broke and fled, amid the loud huzzas of our splendid fellows. I never wish to know a prouder day than that.

"Our brigade that day fought for the first time behind breast-works. Although they had built miles of them, this was the first chance to use them. Too much praise can not be given to Colonel Rice, who was ever where the danger was the thickest, mounted on his magnificent gray. He looked the personification of the brave soldier. His example appeared to inspire the men: they fought as only the best and bravest of soldiers can fight, and never left the works.

"After the action, I noticed him riding to the different regiments to ascertain, I suppose, the extent of our casualties. He was everywhere met with loud and prolonged cheers; but he modestly attributed it all to them, and kindly thanked them for their great bravery. Such men as he are not made of the ordinary stuff. Though young in years, he is already a veteran-hero of nearly a score of battles; and has, since this campaign, made a reputation for himself and the brigade he so gallantly commands, unequalled by any in this army."

No one has been a warmer admirer of the gallantry of General Rice than myself, whenever it has fallen to his lot to meet the enemy; but still I think it hardly just to say that the reputation of himself or of his brigade was "unequalled by any" in that magnificent Army of the Tennessee. The general himself would not claim this; nor would the author, from whom I have quoted, on sober reflection. He wrote under the inspiration of recent victory.

General Rice, I believe, most distinguished himself on the memorable 22d of July before Atlanta. In that engagement, though assaulted by an entire division of Hardee's Corps, he held his ground firmly, and inflicted most bitter punishment upon the enemy. Besides capturing one hundred prisoners of war, and six hundred stand of arms, he buried in his front, on the morning of the 23d, one hundred and twenty of the enemy's dead, which is evidence that his brigade placed nearly one thousand rebels out of battle.

After General Dodge was wounded before Atlanta, the division to which General Rice's brigade was attached was assigned to the 15th Army Corps: since that time, the services of the general and, I may add, of the 7th Iowa, are the same as those of General Logan's command. Marching first in pursuit of General Hood back nearly to Dalton, and round through Snake Creek Gap, they then returned, and, with the other troops, pushed through to Savannah, and thence north, through South Carolina and North Carolina to Raleigh.

The operations of the 7th Iowa in rear of Savannah, are thus given by Lieutenant-Colonel Parrott:

"December 11, moved to the rear, and encamped on Anderson's plantation, where we remained in camp until the 21st, keeping up all the time a lively skirmish on the picket line. On the night of the 19th, my regiment was ordered to effect a crossing of the Little Ogechee. The regiment marched to the vicinity of the river, Company A, being detailed to carry boards for the purpose of crossing sloughs, and Company B to carry a boat for the purpose of crossing a detachment to reconnoitre the opposite bank. Major Mahon, with four picked men, crossed the river, and from his reconnoissance it was found impossible to cross the regiment on account of swamps and morasses on the opposite bank. At 12 midnight, the regiment was ordered back to camp.

"December 20th was quiet all day. December 21st, reports were in circulation, at an early hour, that the enemy had abandoned his stronghold on the Little Ogechee. The brigade was ordered to move to the front, and at 2 P. M. entered the city of Savannah without firing a gun, the enemy having made a hasty retreat."

The only time I ever saw General Rice was in the summer of 1862, and not long after he had received his colonel's commission. He was in company with Captain, now Major, Mahon, and on a visit to some Mends at Camp Clear Springs, Mississippi. He was dressed in a brand-new uniform, and I thought him a gallant and handsome looking officer.

He is a man of middle size, and has a fine form. His complexion, and the color of his hair and eyes, are much like those of his late distinguished brother. He Is reputed a more brilliant man than was his brother, but not so able. His neighbors say he has one of those minds that learn from observation, rather than from hard study. When he entered the service, he was so young that he had had little opportunity to gain distinction. He has made a brilliant record in the army; and his friends expect that his course in civil life will be equally brilliant.

Source: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 171-8

Brigadier General Samuel A. Rice