Diary of John Beauchamp Jones: September 9, 1863

Troops were arriving all night and to-day (Hood's division), and are proceeding Southward, per railroad, it is said for Tennessee, via Georgia Road. It may be deemed impracticable to send troops by the western route, as the enemy possesses the Knoxville Road. The weather is excessively dry and dusty again.

Gen. Jos. E. Johnston, Morton, Miss., writes that such is the facility of giving information to the enemy, that it is impossible to keep up a ferry at any point on the Mississippi; but he will be able to keep up communications, by trusty messengers with small parcels, with Lieut.-Gen. E. Kirby Smith's trans-Mississippi Department. He says if he had another cavalry brigade, he could make the navigation too dangerous for merchant steamers between Grand Gulf and Natchez.

Two letters were received to-day from privates in North Carolina regiments, demanding to be transferred to artillery companies in the forts of North Carolina, or else they would serve no more. This is very reckless!

Ordnance officer J. Brice transmitted to the Secretary to-day, through the Ordnance Bureau, an Official account of the ammunition, etc. at Vicksburg during the siege and at the evacuation. He says all the ordnance stores at Jackson were hastily removed to Vicksburg, and of which he was unable, in the confusion, to get an accurate account, although he accompanied it. He detained and held 9000 arms destined for the trans-Mississippi Department, and issued 120 rounds to each man in the army, before the battle of Baker's Creek. Much ammunition was destroyed on the battlefield, by order of Gen. Pemberton, to keep it, as he alleged, from falling into the hands of the enemy. During the siege, he got 250,000 percussion caps from Gen. Johnston's scouts, and 150,000 from the enemy's pickets, for a consideration. There was abundance of powder. The ammunition and small arms turned over to the enemy, on the surrender, consisted as follows: 36,000 cartridges for Belgian rifles; 3600 Brunswick cartridges; 15,000 rounds British rifled muskets; 9000 shot-gun cartridges; 1300 Maynard cartridges; 5000 Hall's carbine cartridges; 1200 holster pistol cartridges; 35,000 percussion caps; 19,000 pounds of cannon powder.

All this was in the ordnance depots, and exclusive of that in the hands of the troops and in the ordnance wagons, doubtless a large amount. He says 8000 defective arms were destroyed by fires during the bombardment. The troops delivered to the enemy, on marching out, 27,000 arms.

The Governor demanded the State magazine to-day of the War Department, in whose custody it has been for a long time. What does this mean? The Governor says the State has urgent use for it.

Gen. Cooper visited the President twice to-day, the Secretary not once. The Enquirer, yesterday, attacked and ridiculed the Secretary of War on his passport system in Richmond.

The Northern papers contain the following letter from President Lincoln to Gen. Grant:

Executive Mansion,

washington, July 13th, 1863.

major-General Grant.

My Dear General: — I do not remember that you and I ever met personally. I write this now as a grateful acknowledgment for the almost inestimable service you have done the country. I wish to say a word further. When you first reached the vicinity of Yicksburg I thought you should do what you finally did — march the troops across the neck, run the batteries with the transports, and thus go below; and I never had any faith, except a general hope that you knew better than I, that the Yazoo Pass expedition and the like could succeed. When you got below and took Port Gibson, Grand Gulf, and vicinity, I thought you should go down the river and join Gen. Banks; and when you turned northward, east of the Big Black, I feared it was a mistake. I now wish to make the personal acknowledgment that you were right and I was wrong.

A. Lincoln.

If Pemberton had acted differently, if the movement northward had been followed by disaster, then what would Mr. Lincoln have written to Grant? Success is the only standard of merit in a general.

SOURCE: John Beauchamp Jones, A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital, Volume 2, p. 37-9

Diary of John Beauchamp Jones: April 7, 1863

Nothing definite has transpired at Charleston, or if so, we have not received information of it yet.

From the West, we have accounts, from Northern papers, of the failure of the Yankee Yazoo expedition. That must have its effect.

Judge Campbell, Assistant Secretary of War, has decided in one instance (page 125, E. B. Conscript Bureau), that a paroled political prisoner, returning to the South, is not subject to conscription. This is in violation of an act of Congress, and general orders. It appears that grave judges are not all inflexibly just, and immaculately legal in their decisions. Col. Lay ordered the commandant of conscripts (Col. Shields) to give the man a protection, without any reason therefor.

It is now said large depots of provisions are being formed on the Rappahannock. This does not look like an indication of a retrograde movement on the part of Gen. Lee. Perhaps he will advance.

This afternoon dispatches were received from Charleston. Notwithstanding all the rumors relative to the hostile fleet being elsewhere, it is now certain that all the monitors, iron-clads, and transports have succeeded in passing the bar, and at the last accounts were in readiness to begin the attack. And Beauregard was prepared to receive it. To-morrow we shall have exciting intelligence. If we are to believe what we hear from South Carolinians, recently from Charleston (I do believe it), Charleston will not be taken. If the ground be taken, it will not be Charleston. If the forts fall, and our two rams be taken or destroyed, the defenders will still resist. Rifle-pits have been dug in the streets; and if driven from these, there are batteries beyond to sweep the streets, thus involving the enemy and the city in one common ruin.

SOURCE: John Beauchamp Jones, A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital, Volume 1, p. 287-8

Diary of Gideon Welles: Wednesday, February 18, 1863

Have a long dispatch from Admiral Porter relative to operations on the Mississippi, a cut at the Delta between Helena and the Yazoo on the east, and at Lake Providence into Tensas on the west.

SOURCE: Gideon Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy Under Lincoln and Johnson, Vol. 1: 1861 – March 30, 1864, p. 238

President Abraham Lincoln to Major General Ulysses S. Grant, July 13, 1863

Executive Mansion,

Washington, July 13, 1863.

Major General Grant

My Dear General

I do not remember that you and I ever met personally. I write this now as a grateful acknowledgement for the almost inestimable service you have done the country. I wish to say a word further. When you first reached the vicinity of Vicksburg, I thought you should do what you finally did – march the troops across the neck, run the batteries with the transports and thus go below; and I never had any faith, except a general hope that you knew better than I, that the Yazoo-Pass expedition, and the like could succeed. When you got below, and took Port Gibson, Grand Gulf and vicinity, I thought you should go down the river and join Gen. Banks; and when you turned Northward, East of the Big Black, I feared it was a mistake. I now wish to make the personal acknowledgement that you were right and I was wrong.

Yours very truly

A. Lincoln

SOURCES: Roy P. Basler, editor, Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Volume 6, p. 326.  A draft of this letter can be found among The Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress; The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 52, Part 1 (Serial No. 109), p. 406; John Y. Simon, Editor, The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 9, p.197.

Major General Ulysses S. Grant to Congressman Elihu B. Washburne, March 10, 1863

Young’s Point, Mississippi,

March 10, 1863.

NOW that Congress has adjourned, I have thought possible you might want to make a visit to this part of the country. I need not assure you that I would be most glad to see you here, and have you stay during the contest which will take place in the next thirty days from this writing. You will have time to join me if mails are prompt. The canal through would have been a success by today but for the great rise of water. The river is now several feet above the whole country hereabout, and our canal was dependent for its success upon keeping the water out of it. The upper dam has broken and submerged things generally. To stop this off will take a number of days, but we will do it. In the meantime, so far as I now know and have official reports, the Yazoo Pass expedition is going to prove a perfect success. This is highly important if for no other purpose than to destroy the transportation and embyro gunboats the enemy had there. They have been working for one year on one boat of gigantic proportions up that stream.

Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, a young man of great merit, who has been put on General Hunter’s staff, but who was on mine as a lieutenant, and I objected to relieving until the present campaign is over, writes to Rawlins in a private letter that our success in getting into Yazoo Pass is due to the energy of C. C. Washburn. He felt an interest in the enterprise and took hold with a will, and with men worthy of the object to be accomplished. I have ordered the army corps of McPherson through that way with additional forces, making him effective men to the number of about twenty-eight thousand. McPherson is one of my best men, and is fully to be trusted. Sherman stands in the same category. In these two men I have a host. They are worth more than a full brigade each. McPherson will effect a lodgment on the high lands on the Yazoo River east bank, and will co-operate with the troops from here. The class of transports adapted to the pass being so limited, some delay will necessarily take place in getting them to their destination. I have sent up the river for all the small class of boats that can be got.

We are going through a campaign here such as has not been heard of on this continent before. The soldiers see the position of the enemy in front of them, but I presume do not see how they are to attack. Their camp ground is several feet below water, held in its place by the levees. Constant rains falling keep the roads almost impassable. With all this the men are in good spirits, and feel confident of ultimate success.

The health of this command is a subject that has been very much exaggerated by the press. I will venture the assertion that there is no army now in the field showing so large a proportion of those present with their commands being ready for duty. Really our troops are more healthy than could possibly have been expected, with all their trials. Although I have told you but little of plans here, it is more than I am in the habit of writing on this subject. You will excuse me, therefore, from saying how I expect to co-operate with McPherson, at least until you come down. General Washburn will have command of a very important cavalry expedition from the Yazoo River if all other plans succeed. . .

SOURCE: James Grant Wilson, Editor, General Grant’s Letters to a Friend 1861-1880, p. 23-6

Colonel Charles Woodman Kittredge

THIRTY-SIXTH INFANTRY.

Charles W. Kittredge is a New Englander, being born in Portland, Maine, on the 16th of January, 1826. His father, Joseph W. Kittredge, who was a merchant, closed up his business in Portland in 1828, and removed with his family to Sutton, Vermont. Sutton remained the residence of his family, till the year 1836. At nine years of age, young Kittredge entered the High School of Bradford, Massachusetts. A few years later, he became a member of the Lyndon Academy, Vermont, where he remained till 1839. That year he completed his schooling, and soon after joined his father's family in Adams county, Illinois, where it had removed in the fall of 1836. The father died in 1844, soon after which Charles returned with his mother to New England, where he remained till 1855, doing business in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and in Dexter and Portland, Maine. In 1855, he again came West, and, after a residence of three years in Chicago and Mt. Pleasant, settled in Ottumwa, Iowa, where he entered the grocery business.

Early in the summer of 1861, he enlisted a company (F) for the 7th Iowa Infantry, and was elected its captain. He accompanied his regiment in all its tiresome marches through Missouri, and was with it in the brilliant, though unfortunate affair at Belmont, where he distinguished himself. Just after the flank movement of the enemy had been learned, and when his regiment was falling back, Captain Kittredge was severely wounded, and, being necessarily left upon the field, fell into the hands of the enemy. He was soon paroled, however, and sent to Cairo, where he lay for many weeks in a very critical condition, in the St. Charles Hotel. He was shot twice; through the arm, and through the thigh, the ball in the latter case passing between the bone and the femoral artery. Having finally recovered he re-joined his regiment on the 30th of the following March; but his wounds had disabled him for duty as a line officer, and he was compelled to tender his resignation, which was accepted on the 11th of June, 1862.

Returning to Ottumwa, he resumed his former business, and was thus engaged when, in the following August, Governor Kirkwood tendered him the colonelcy of the 36th Iowa Infantry. He accepted the commission, and at once reported at Keokuk, where his regiment was in rendezvous.

The 36th Iowa, like all her sister regiments, has a good record. It has an unfortunate chapter in its history: it is one of the seven Iowa regiments that, during the war, has been captured.

The regiment, by order of General Curtis, commanding at St. Louis, reported at Helena, Arkansas, on the first of January, 1863, and remained at that post on garrison-duty till the 24th of February following, when it left on the celebrated Yazoo Pass Expedition. It sailed with the advance, under Brigadier-General Ross of Illinois, and arrived at Shell Mound on the Tallahatchie, about two miles above Fort Pemberton, on the 11th of March. It was at once disembarked, and sent out to support a portion of General Solomon's Brigade, then skirmishing with the enemy; but, though under fire, it did not engage the enemy, and suffered no loss. It left on the return to Helena the 4th of April, having in the meantime only met the enemy in skirmishes.

The dangers and hardships of the Yazoo Pass Expedition have been given elsewhere, and I need only add here that, in the perilous return up the Tallahatchie and Cold Water Rivers, the 36th Iowa lost only four men wounded. But many of both officers and men contracted diseases on this expedition, which rendered them unfit for service. Among others was Major T. C. Woodward, a most excellent officer, and deservedly popular with the regiment.

The 4th of July vindication, at Helena, Arkansas, in the summer of 1863, was the first severe engagement of the 36th Iowa. Here, three thousand five hundred men successfully resisted the repeated and determined assaults of six times their number. It was a terrible disaster to the rebels, and made the hearts of those on the west side of the Mississippi disconsolate. From the 8th of April to the 10th of August, 1863, the 36th Iowa was stationed at Helena; but on the last named date started out with Major-General Steele on the Arkansas Expedition, which ended with the capture of Little Rock, September 10th 1863. During this march, Colonel Kittredge commanded the 1st Brigade of the 2d Division.

Having passed the fall of 1863, and the following Winter at Little Rock, the 36th Iowa, on the 23d of March, 1864, joined the expedition under Major-General Steele, which, being organized in conjunction with one under Major-General Banks, had for its object the capture of Shreveport, and the defeat and dispersion of the enemy in the Red River country. The battles of Elkin's Ford and Mark's Mills, Arkansas, will ever have a place in the military annals of Iowa, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio, the States whose troops were there represented.

The 43d Indiana, 36th Iowa, 77th Ohio, and two sections of Battery E, 2d Missouri Light Artillery constituted the 2d Brigade, 3d Division, 7th Army Corps, and, with the exception of two companies of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, were the only troops on our side engaged at Elkin's Ford. Indeed, if I am correctly informed, the 77th Ohio was not engaged, having been previously detached to support the cavalry in another quarter.

The battle of Elkin's Ford was opened early on the morning of the 4th of April, 1864, by the enemy driving in our cavalry-pickets, and by advancing rapidly against the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake, composed of portions of the 43d Indiana and the 36th Iowa, and one section of Battery E, 2d Missouri Light Artillery, which was being held as the picket-reserve. The fighting was very severe, and the gallantry of the troops unrivaled; but the force of the enemy was so great as to render all opposition of no avail. Lieutenant-Colonel Drake was being gradually forced back, when Colonel Kittredge, coming up on his left with the balance of his regiment, charged the enemy and drove him back in confusion. The repulse was so complete that the enemy declined to renew the fight, and beat a hasty retreat.

The battle of Elkin's Ford was fought near the Little Missouri River, and during General Steele's march southward. That of Mark's Mills was fought, while the 2d Brigade was en route to Pine Bluff for supplies for Steele's army at Camden.

How General Steele, learning at Prairie de Anne of the defeat of Banks, turned eastward to Camden; how he lost much of his train sent out on a foraging expedition to Poisoned Springs; how, after that, Colonel Mackey of the 33d Iowa came through with supplies from Pine Bluff; and how Steele, resolving to maintain himself at Camden, sent back to Pine Bluff for other supplies, has already been stated in the sketches of other officers and regiments. The 2d Brigade, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake, constituted the command above alluded to; and, in addition to those troops, were two hundred and forty men of the First Indiana and 7th Missouri Cavalry, under Major McCaully. The wagon-train consisted of two hundred and forty wagons.

Lieutenant-Colonel Drake left Camden on the morning of the 23d of April, and proceeding on the Pine Bluff road, reached Moro Bottom in the evening of the 24th instant. Up to that time, Major McCaully, in command of the cavalry, had discovered no enemy; and Lieutenant-Colonel Drake, thinking that he was not threatened, went into camp. Had he marched all that night, as did the enemy, he would have escaped capture, and saved his train. On the 25th instant, the march was resumed at day-light, and proceeded unmolested till near the junction of the Warren and Pine Bluff roads, when Major Morris, in advance, came on the enemy's skirmishers. The engagement opened at once. At this time the 36th Iowa, under Major Hamilton, a brave and worthy officer, was marching by the side of the train, to guard against a flank-surprise; but, on receiving notice of the attack, hurried to the front. Orders were also sent to the 77th Ohio, in the extreme rear, to double-quick to the front; but before the movement was executed, the regiment was surrounded and captured. The 36th Iowa, 43d Indiana, Lieutenant Peetz's Battery, and the cavalry, had, therefore, to continue the engagement without reinforcements. As was afterward learned, the rebel troops on the ground numbered little less than eight thousand. Fagan was in command, and he had seven brigades — Shelby's, Dockery's, Cabell's, Cooper's, Crawford's, Wright's, and Greene's. But, notwithstanding these overwhelming numbers, the remnant of the 2d Brigade maintained its position, repelling the enemy's charges, for nearly five hours. Finally, being completely surrounded, its ammunition expended, and having no hope of relief, the command surrendered. It was at this time that the rebel General Fagan boasted that the capture of Steele's whole army was certain.

Lieutenant-Colonel Drake was severely wounded in this engagement, and was soon after paroled with others, and sent within our lines; but the 36th Iowa was marched to Tyler, Texas, where it passed a long and wretched prison-life. To show the hardships endured on this cruel march, I quote, briefly, from a statement made by Chaplain M. H. Hare, of the 36th Iowa:

"We were marched off rapidly after the close of the battle. We were all driven on foot fifty-two miles, without rations, rest, or respite, to Moro, or, as we termed it, 'Raw Corn.' There we crossed the Ouchita. We had eaten our breakfast on the morning of the 25th before day; and now it was after dark in the evening of the 26th. The rebels had robbed us of our haversacks, beside other valuables; and, when we reached the river, we seized upon some mule-corn, which we found, and ate it with avidity, raw. It was a sad sight to go among the boys, as I did that night, and see them — some gnawing away, and others, wearied and exhausted, lying asleep, still holding their half-eaten ear."

Captain T. B. Hale, unable to endure these hardships, died. This noble young officer was buried in a handsome grove, on the banks of the Ouchita, about sixty miles below Camden.

The killed and wounded of the 2d Brigade, in the battle of Mark's Mills, numbered about two hundred and fifty. The loss of the enemy is not known. Surgeon J. M. B. Cochrane, of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, Major Hamilton, of the 36th Iowa, and many others were highly complimented for their gallantry during the action.

The 36th Iowa was exchanged in the spring of 1865. Since that time, it has been stationed on garrison-duty at St. Charles, on White River.

Colonel Kittredge was not present in the engagement at Mark's Mills. At the time it was ordered out, he was sick and was left behind with some forty men of his regiment. On the return of General Steele to Little Rock, he accompanied the command of Brigadier-General Samuel A. Rice; and, under that officer, took part in the engagement at Jenkin's Ferry. During General Steele's absence from Little Rock, Colonel Anderson of the First Iowa Cavalry, who was left behind, assumed command of the post; but, soon after the return of the army, that officer resigned his commission, when Colonel Kittredge was made Post Commandant. Colonel Kittredge continued at Little Rock till the spring of 1865, when on the suggestion of General Reynolds he was dismissed the service. I will state briefly what I know of this unfortunate affair.

In the winter of 1864-5, Lieutenant-Colonel Drake of the 36th Iowa preferred charges against Colonel Kittredge, which I have never seen, and which, if I had, and could state them, would afford to the reader little interest. Early in March, 1865, Colonel Kittredge went before a general court-martial convened at Little Rock, for trial. Brigadier-General Cyrus Bussey was President of the Court, and Colonels Benton, Mackey and Thompson were among its members. The case was tried, and resulted, I am told, in a finding of "not guilty," as regarded every charge and specification. The record was then made up, and sent by the Judge Advocate to General Reynolds, for approval; but that general, instead, forwarded the papers to the President, with the recommendation that Colonel Kittredge be dismissed the service. General Reynolds' recommendation was of course complied with; for he had been recently sent to Little Rock to relieve General Steele, for the express purpose of renovating the Department of Arkansas, and all his recommendations were promptly endorsed. I should state further that, one of General Steele's staff-officers, who remained behind after the departure of that general for New Orleans, and who was a bitter friend of Colonel Kittredge, was acting on the staff of General Reynolds at the time the colonel's papers were sent up.

After receiving his dismissal the colonel returned to his home and proceeded thence to Washington to make inquiry into the proceedings in his case. He was gone only a few days when news came that the order for his dismissal was revoked and he reinstated. He left Washington immediately for St. Charles, Arkansas, where his regiment is now stationed in garrison.

From the portrait of Colonel Kittredge here published which is a good one, can be read the character of the man. He is independent and outspoken and has no policy. The following is illustrative of his character. While stationed at Helena he was requested to sign a paper recommending a brigadier-general for promotion. He refused to give his name, saying he did not believe the officer entitled to promotion. The officer was at the time his division commander. He is abrupt in his manners, quick in his movements, and treats his friends with generosity and his enemies with vindictiveness.

From what I can learn he was popular with his regiment. I talked with several of his men who were just out of prison and home on leave of absence, and they all said he was considered a good officer. In the first year of the regiment's service I understand he made enemies by recommending a lieutenant over several captains for a field officer, though all but the parties interested admitted that the lieutenant was the best man for the place.

It is proper to state in this connection that, soon after resigning his commission as captain in the 7th Infantry, Colonel Kittredge was married to Miss Charlotte Mahon of Ottumwa, a sister of Major Mahon, and an intelligent and accomplished lady.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 513-20

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

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

COLONEL DAVID BURKE HILLIS

SECOND COLONEL, SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY.

David B. Hillis is a native of Jefferson county, Indiana; and was born on the 25th day of July, 1825. He is a son of the late David Hillis, who was quite a distinguished politician, and at one time Lieutenant-Governor of Indiana. Colonel Hillis was educated at the University of South Hanover, Indiana; studied medicine at Madison, Indiana, and, at the age of twenty-one, commenced the practice of his profession in Jackson county, of the same State. For eleven years, he gave to his profession his undivided attention; and, at the end of that time, had attained a good standing among the members of his fraternity. In 1858, he abandoned his profession to engage in mercantile pursuits. Moving West, he located in Bloomfield, Davis county, Iowa, where he continued in business till the summer of 1860, when he removed to Keokuk, Iowa, and there, in partnership with his brother-in-law, Oscar Kiser, established himself in the dry-goods business. In August, 1861, he was appointed an aid de camp to Governor Kirkwood. This position he held till the 14th of March, 1862, when he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 17th Iowa Infantry. In August, 1862, Colonel Rankin tendered his resignation, and on its acceptance Lieutenant-Colonel Hillis was promoted to the colonelcy of his regiment. During the siege of Vicksburg, he resigned his commission, and returned to civil life. He left the service with much credit.

In continuing a record of the services of the 17th Iowa Infantry, I shall try to be honest and impartial. Several Iowa regiments have done as well; but I believe none have done better. Close on the heels of the battle of Iuka, was the battle of Corinth. In the former the regiment was disgraced, but in the latter it "atoned for its misfortune:" so said its commanding general.

"General Orders No. 145.

Head-quarters Army Of The Mississippi,
Third Division, District West Tennessee,
Corinth, Mississippi, October 23d, 1862.

"The General Commanding cannot forbear to give pleasure to many, besides the brave men immediately concerned, of announcing in advance of the regular orders that the 17th Iowa Infantry, by its gallantry in the battle of Corinth on the fourth of October, charging the enemy, and capturing the flag of the 40th Mississippi, has amply atoned for its misfortune at Iuka; and stands among the honored regiments of his command. Long may it wear, with unceasing brightness, the honors it has won.

"By order of Major-General W. S. Rosecrans."

And long has the noble regiment worn its honors with unceasing brightness, baptizing them in eight hard-fought battles; but, not so much did those brave men atone for their conduct at Iuka, as did General Order No. 145 atone for that of No. 130, of the same commanding general. That "the conduct of the 17th Iowa at Iuka formed a melancholy exception to the general good courage of the troops" must stand a lie in history. Colonel Hillis was present at neither Iuka nor Corinth.

In the pursuit of the enemy after the battle of Corinth, the hardships endured by the troops were great. They suffered on the march from heat and thirst, and at night, from the cold. They had few rations, too, and suffered no little from hunger; but not so much on this march, as they did in the pursuit of the enemy after the battle of Iuka; for then a large sum was offered for a small ear of corn. The 17th Iowa returned to Corinth after a nine days' march, and went into camp.

The history of General Grant's campaign against Vicksburg through Central Mississippi, which was organized in November, 1862, is well known. The 17th accompanied the forces of General Grant on that march, moving first by way of Davis' Mills, and arriving at Moscow, on the 18th of November. On the 30th instant, the march was resumed in the direction of Grenada, Mississippi, and continued southward until about the middle of December. On the 21st of that month, the 17th Iowa started on the return, arriving at Holly Springs on the 24th instant, and going into camp at Lumpkin's Mills.

If this campaign failed in its object, it was not void of interesting and amusing incidents. Here the 17th first became expert in the art of foraging; and it was said by some officers of the regiment that their men could "fall out," butcher, dress and quarter a hog, and resume their places in the ranks, without losing "the step." With these shrewd, hungry boys, orders of "no foraging on private account will be allowed" were totally disregarded, no matter from how high authority they emanated. Even before the eyes of general officers, hogs would be turned loose from their pens, and bayoneted and butchered. Fresh pork and sweet potatoes were great luxuries, for the indulgence of which the men willingly periled their personal liberties. On one occasion, General Sullivan endeavored to oppose force against force; but he was soon knocked over by the accidental blow of a clubbed musket, and the hog borne off in triumph. The camp-making of the troops, when they halted for the night, too, was amusing. Camps were usually made in spacious fields, surrounded by strong Virginia fences; but, in ten minutes after the command "stack arms" was given, not one rail would be left upon another for half a mile round. The work was done with system, and on the principle of squatter-sovereignty; for, after the rails were thrown in piles, one would squat on them, while the other members of the mess would remove them on their shoulders to the proper quarters.

After the last named march, and that one to Memphis for supplies, the 17th Iowa was ordered into camp at Bray's Station, on the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. Here it remained for about six weeks; and this was the only real rest the regiment enjoyed up to January, 1864. On the 8th of February, 1863, the regiment marched to Memphis, and, on the 2d of the following March, left with its division for the vicinity of Vicksburg. In the next four months, it saw its most arduous service.

Moving down the Mississippi, the division stopped for two days near Grand Lake, Louisiana, some thirty miles above Lake Providence, and then, re-embarking, sailed up the river to the Sand Bar, just below Helena. On the night of the 6th of March, while encamped near Grand Lake, that place was visited by a most frightful thunder-storm. The wind blew with the violence of a hurricane, and swept nearly all the tents from their fastenings. The strong hawsers, too, which held the transports to the shore, were snapped, and the boats forced out into the stream. Without any means of controlling them, (for the fires were all out) they came very near wrecking; and not a few fine-skinned officers, who preferred quartering in a state-room to remaining with their commands, were frightened well-nigh to death. "They did not mind going into battle," they said, "but deliver them from another such a ride as that." Some thought they could boast of having been, for once, in peril.

The 17th Iowa next joined in the Yazoo Pass Expedition, an account of which will be found elsewhere. In this movement the regiment did not suffer a single casualty, though one of the boats, on which a portion of it was embarked, came near sinking in fifty feet of water. It had struck a snag, and the hold was half filled with water, before the accident was discovered. The confusion which followed was alarming. The boat at once made for the shore, and no sooner reached it than men, knapsacks, boxes and barrels, and guns with fixed bayonets, all left the hurricane-deck together. The distance was some twenty feet; and how it happened that no one was killed is surprising.

The transit by steamer from the Sand Bar to Milliken's Bend, and the march across the country from that point to Bruinsburg and round to the rear of Vicksburg, follow next in the history of the 17th Iowa. On that march it bore a proud and note-worthy part in two bloody battles.

One incident which occurred while en route for Milliken's Bend, I should not omit to mention; for by the accident the whole regiment came near sinking in the Mississippi. When nearly opposite the mouth of White River, the fleet bearing the 7th Division was hailed by a Federal gun-boat. While the Rose Hambleton, on which the 17th was embarked, was turning to answer the challenge of the gun-boat, she was struck by the boat following her, near the after gang-way, and her guards and a large hole in her hull stove in. Had any other than soldiers been on board, the boat must have gone down; for the hole knocked in her hull was large enough to drag a horse through. The men were aroused from sleep and hastily moved to the opposite side of the boat, and in this way the lower edge of the hole was raised above the water. This all happened at mid-night. The Mississippi was swollen out of her banks and the nearest land was miles away.

The regiment crossed to the east bank of the Mississippi on the morning of the 1st of May, 1863, the day on which General McClernand routed the enemy at Thompson's Hill, or Port Gibson, and with its division pushed on with all dispatch to the front; for it was then supposed that the enemy had sufficient strength to give much trouble. The battle-ground was passed over during the forenoon of the next day, and that night the enemy was brought to bay on the hills across the north fork of Bayou Pierre, and about eight miles north of Port Gibson. But he was dislodged next morning with only slight skirmishing, and the pursuit was continued to Hawkinson's Ferry, on the Big Black River. Here the 17th Iowa rested a few days, and then, with its division and corps, resumed the march in the direction of Raymond. Near Raymond on the 12th of May, where General Logan's Division so handsomely and signally defeated the enemy, the regiment was double-quicked to the front, and thrown into line of battle; but the enemy yielding his position it was not brought into action. Two days later it was one of the three regiments that did the chief fighting at the first battle of Jackson.

On the evening of the 13th of May, 1863, the 17th Army Corps under Major-General McPherson, bivouacked at Clinton, and, at day-light of the following morning, marched for Jackson, with the 2d Brigade of the old 7th Division in the van. For many hours, a drenching rain had been falling, and for nearly two days scarcely an ounce of food had been tasted. The roads were heavy, and by a Potomac general would have been pronounced impassable; but the Union army was to camp in Jackson that night. The column moved on slowly, a strong line of skirmishers feeling the way before it. Finally, descending a wooded hill, it came to an open country, and within plain view of General Johnson's army, drawn up in line of battle. On the right of the road, the country was open and, from a low bottom, gradually ascending; but, on the left and not far in advance, it was undulating and covered with a young growth of oak timber. It fell to the lot of the 17th Iowa to fight here. On the right was the 10th Missouri, in the centre the 80th Ohio, and on the left the 17th Iowa. The balance of the division was drawn up in line by brigades to the rear, and within easy supporting distance.

The guns of General Sherman were already thundering on the south side of the city, and were being answered by those of General McPherson; and down the road, which separated the right of the 17th Iowa from the left of the 80th Ohio, the shell and solid shot of the enemy flew in rapid succession. Near one o'clock, the entire line of the 2d Brigade began to advance slowly, while its skirmishers drove in those of the enemy. No guns were fired, except those of the skirmishers and the artillery, till we were within three hundred yards of the enemy's line. Here a halt was ordered and bayonets fixed. The 17th was lying under the crest of a small hill; beyond was a ravine, and a little further on, the chivalry — one Georgia and two South Carolina regiments. In an instant the artillery ceased firing, when the order was given, and the charge made. Colonel Hillis simply said: — "Boys, when I tell you to go down there, I expect you will go."

The enemy stood for a moment, and then fled in confusion; but not till he had strewed the hill-slope with eighty of our dead and wounded. The regiment went into the fight with only three hundred and fifty men, and the contest was of not more than ten minutes' duration.

The 17th stood panting on the spot but just now wrested from the enemy, when General Crocker, with hat in hand, came riding up. "God bless you, colonel," and then turning to the regiment, he added: "don't let any one tell me the 17th wont fight." This was Colonel Hillis' first hard-fought battle; and his gallant conduct secured the love and admiration of his regiment. Among the dead were Lieutenant John Inskeep and fifteen others; and I regret that want of space prevents me giving their names. Captains L. W. Huston and C. P. Johnson, and Lieutenant John F. Skelton were among the wounded. Captain Johnson and Lieutenant Skelton, with the other severely wounded, were left in hospital in the enemy's lines.

As General Crocker predicted, the Union army camped in Jackson on the night of the 14th of May. On the following morning, the 17th Army Corps marched back in the direction of Vicksburg; and, on the day succeeding that, was fought the stubborn battle of Champion's Hill. The 2d Brigade camped at Clinton, ten miles west of Jackson, in the evening of the 15th instant; and it was rumored that, for its gallantry at Jackson, it had been detailed as a sort of body-guard to General Grant, who, during that night, had his head-quarters established at Clinton. But day-light, on the morning following, was ushered in by the booming of cannon away off in the direction of Vicksburg; and as the brave boys of the 17th looked at each other, they seemed to read in their faces mutual concern and anxiety; for, I care not how reckless men may be, the first thought of entering battle is chilling and repulsive; and he who is constantly boasting of his valor is the one of all others to be watched in action. It proved as all expected, for orders to move immediately and rapidly came instantly; and the regiment, foot-sore and weary, was off again for the scene of action.

At Champion's Hill (for I cannot drag out the story longer) five hundred men snatched victory from a self-confident enemy. The Union lines, on either side of the Jackson and Vicksburg road, had been overpowered, and the troops were fast yielding their last position, when the 17th Iowa and 10th Missouri coming up succeeded, after five successive charges, in turning the scale of battle. Before the 17th was fairly in line, it raised a shout, which, being taken up along the entire line, led the enemy to believe that the Federal reinforcements did not number less than fifteen thousand men. This seems improbable; but a Confederate quarter-master, who was taken prisoner, afterward declared that the Union reinforcements could not have been less than that number. At that point, General Grant came near being defeated; but he had ample reinforcements near at hand, and had the enemy been successful there and followed up the attack, their defeat in another position would have been even more disastrous than it was. Though General Grant in his official report declares: "Expecting McClernand momentarily with four divisions, including Blair's, I never felt a doubt of the result," yet, when he was seen coming down from the hill from which his forces were being slowly but surely pressed, his countenance wore an expression of sadness and doubt, such as the 17th never saw it before. It was just at this instant that the 17th Iowa and the 10th Missouri, passing their general, went under fire; and I believe that I do no injustice in claiming that these troops acted the chief part in turning the scale of battle at Champion's Hill.

Though the 17th Iowa was not engaged more than thirty minutes before the enemy fled, yet its loss, in killed and wounded, was fifty-nine. Corporal J. R. Holt and privates James Kain, John Kirkland, Ezra Stoker and William Turner were among the killed. Corporal H. W. Mulford, a young man of exemplary habits and promise, was one of the mortally wounded.

Among the regiment's spoils in this victory, were the colors of the 31st Alabama, and four guns of Waddell's Alabama Battery. The regiment also captured more than three hundred prisoners. That night it encamped on the battle-ground, and the next day, with the 10th Missouri, buried the dead, and cared for the wounded. It arrived in rear of Vicksburg in the morning of the 20th instant; and, from that day till the surrender of the city, did its full share of duty on the skirmish line and in the trenches.

In personal appearance, Colonel Hillis is attractive. He is not a large man, but is strongly and compactly built; and steps promptly and firmly. His complexion, hair and eyes are dark, the last being full and lustrous. On first acquaintance, one would think him a little haughty and aristocratic; but his sociableness and congeniality soon remove this impression. As an officer, he ranked high, and, had he remained in the service, would have been promoted in a few weeks to a brigadier-general.

Colonel Hillis has good business talent, and a fine education. He is also somewhat of a politician, and makes a pretty and forcible extempore speech.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 321-30

COLONEL WILLIAM E. SMALL

SECOND COLONEL, TENTH INFANTRY.

William E. Small, the successor of Nicholas Perczel to the colonelcy of the 10th Iowa Infantry, is a native of the State of Maine. At the time of entering the service, in September, 1861, he was a resident of Iowa City, and a practicing lawyer. He was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 10th Iowa Infantry, the 10th of September, 1861; and with this rank served till the second of November, 1862, when, Colonel Perczel resigning, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment.

During his colonelcy, as also from the time of its organization, the 10th Iowa Infantry has a proud and interesting history. From the second of November, 1862, till after the fall of Vicksburg, the time of Colonel Small's discharge, this regiment was always at the front; and, if there was any fighting to be done, like the other Iowa regiments of the 7th Division, 17th Army Corps, the 10th was sure to have part in it.

Late in November, 1862, the 10th Iowa joined its division in the march of General Grant down the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. Passing through Abbeville and Oxford, it had reached a point as far south as the Yockona River, when, the line of communications being cut, it was ordered to return. On the 26th of December, it marched with its division from near Lumpkin's Mills, Mississippi, to Memphis, having in charge a provision-train of six hundred and twenty-five wagons; and this was one of the most vexing and fatiguing marches the regiment ever made. It was the coldest part of the Southern Winter, and the trip was made without baggage, or only such as the men could carry on their persons. A cold, sleety rain was falling almost constantly, and the red, clayey mud, the dirtiest and daubiest in the world, was half-knee deep. Hanging on their flanks and rear was a band of guerrillas, ready to pick up the stragglers, and to fire into the train whenever occasion offered. Usually, men are merry on the march; but, without rest by day or sleep at night, there was little merriment here. For so short a one, this is regarded the hardest march the old 7th Division ever made.

After this march was completed, the balance of the winter of 1862-3 the 10th Iowa passed on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad; but, in the opening Spring, moved down the Mississippi to Helena. Prior to the 22d of March following, the operations of the division are detailed elsewhere; and the history of the division is the same as that of this regiment. On the evening of the last named date, the 10th Iowa sailed into the mouth of the Yazoo Pass, which opens into the Mississippi on its east side, and eight miles below Helena, This was a most wonderful expedition, and, had it not been a military movement, would have been romantic. For the labor and skill employed in opening this pass, and in clearing it of obstructions, General Grant was chiefly indebted to Iowa troops under General Washburn. For more than a week, the 24th, 28th, and 33d Iowa regiments were kept half-leg deep in mud and water, hauling out the timber, which the enemy had felled for purposes of obstruction.

The object of the Yazoo Pass Expedition was a flank movement on Vicksburg, but it ended, as it begun, in strategy. This was one of the forty-three plans, which General Grant had pocketed for the reduction of Vicksburg. The story Is as follows, but I do not vouch for its truth: A Federal soldier was captured on the Deer Creek raid, and taken before a rebel officer, when the following colloquy occurred: "What in the devil is Grant in here for? what does he expect to do?" "To take Vicksburg," was the soldier's reply. "Well, hasn't the old fool tried this ditching and flanking five times already?" "Yes," said the soldier, "but he has got thirty-seven more plans in his pocket."

From the mouth of this pass to Moon Lake, (so named from its crescent shape) the distance is five miles, and was passed over without much trouble; but, for forty miles after leaving Moon Lake, it was literally a boat-ride in the forest; for the stream was so winding that its course could rarely be seen more than forty yards in advance. It seemed to have no outlet; and gigantic trees, on every hand, challenged an advance. Small stern-wheel boats could only be used, and even these were found to be unwieldy. The force of the current which put in from the swollen waters of the Mississippi was prodigious; and the danger was in going too fast. Until the boats reached the Cold Water, their engines had to be kept reversed; and so it happened that this was called by the soldiers " the back-water expedition." Even with all the care that was used, the boats were stripped of every thing that was fancy, and of much that was substantial. Not a smokestack in the whole fleet was able to weather the storm; and whole state-rooms were raked off by projecting limbs, into whose ugly embrace the boats would rush, in spite of the pilots and engineers; and, I may add, in spite of from twenty to fifty soldiers, aligned on the decks and armed with long poles.

But in spite of all these dangers, the expedition did not lack amusement; for instance: a tall, awkward fellow, (he did not belong to the 10th) while standing on the hurricane deck of the Lady Pike, was watching a large sycamore limb, which a spar of the boat was pushing aside. He was wondering if it would not break; when just then it slipped by the spar, and, taking him across the face, knocked him several feet, and came near dropping him into the stream. He carried a "stiff upper-lip," if not a brave heart, till the expedition returned. History may, if it will, omit to mention this expedition; for it has furnished itself a record that will be read many years hence. On the trees, at nearly every bend in this stream, the name of some soldier is literally " recorded on high," and nearly every regiment in Quimby's and Ross' Divisions is thus represented. For nearly every boat of the fleet was caught at some one of these bends, and before it could be released the enterprising soldiers would carve their names on pieces of broken cracker-boxes, and nail these to the limbs. When the expedition returned, the water in the pass had fallen many feet, leaving these inscriptions high in the air; and there they still hang.

There was one feature of this expedition, which, though interesting, lacked amusement; though it was experienced only on the Tallahatchie River and the lower waters of the Cold Water. The banks of these streams are covered, mostly, with timber and thick under-brush, forming fine places of concealment for guerrillas. We were in the enemy's country and, acquainted with their chivalric mode of warfare, were looking for it to be put in practice; yet, when the first guerrilla gun was fired, it was all unexpected. Standing on the hurricane-deck, you would see in the brush near a fallen log, or the trunk of a standing tree, a blue circling puff of smoke, and then hear the pat or sharp whistle of a bullet. The report of the gun would follow, when all hands would dodge. In spite of the anticipation of seeing the thing repeated, the men would laugh at their folly, and remark, "that shows what a little noise will do."

On the 6th of April, the last of the fleet arrived above Fort Pemberton, at the junction of the Tallahatchie and Yallabusha Rivers; and a fight was expected the day after; but either General Grant had accomplished all he expected to in this direction, or had learned he could accomplish nothing, and the entire fleet was ordered to return. The last boat, in a damaged condition, arrived at the Sand Bar below Helena, at noon on the 12th of April; and, should one return from Hades, he could be little more surprised at his safe arrival on terra firma, than were many who sailed on the celebrated Yazoo Pass Expedition.

In this connection, I desire to speak of a good man, who rendered important services on this expedition, and who afterwards died at Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Captain Robert Lusby of the 10th Iowa, and, at the time of his death, adjutant-general to General Crocker, was a noble man and officer.

Next in the history of the 10th Iowa, is the final Vicksburg Campaign. During this celebrated march, the details of which are given elsewhere, the regiment met the enemy at the battles of Jackson, and Champion's Hill. In the last of these engagements, it greatly distinguished itself, and suffered severely, as also did the regiments of the 3d Brigade, commanded by the gallant little Boomer. The 5th and 10th Iowa, the 26th Missouri and 93d Illinois, deserve a proud place in the history of our civil war. On the 19th of May, the 10th Iowa arrived before the rebel works, in rear of Vicksburg; and, from that day till the 4th of July following, the day of General Grant's triumphal entry into the city, did its full share of duty. With its brigade, it joined in the memorable charge of the 22d of May; and, under General McClernand, to whom the brigade had been ordered to report, was preparing to assault the right of the enemy's works, when Colonel Boomer fell, shot through the head. He was killed at sun-down, and near the crest of a hill within two hundred yards of the enemy's line. Colonel Boomer was a native of Massachusetts, and a brave and gallant officer. The confusion, incident to the loss of the brigade commander, created some delay, and, before an advance was made, orders were received to withdraw to a position behind the second line of hills. On the 24th of May, the 3d Brigade reported back to its division, whose position in the line was to the left of the centre, and about half a mile south of the rebel Fort Hill; and here the 10th Iowa remained till the surrender of Vicksburg.

Immediately after the fall of Vicksburg, the brigade of General Matthies, to which the 10th Iowa was attached, (for after the death of Boomer he had been transferred to this command) joined the command of General Sherman, in the pursuit of the rebel forces under General Johnson. The brigade arrived before Jackson on the evening of the 14th of July, having marched from Clinton; but had hardly stacked arms, when orders were received to march back to Clinton, to anticipate the rebel General Jackson in his cavalry-raid upon Sherman's train. General Matthies arrived in Clinton late that night, and just in time to meet and repulse one brigade of Jackson's cavalry, the only rebel troops sent to that point. For this gallant affair, the 10th Iowa, with the balance of the troops of the brigade, was handsomely complimented by General Sherman.

The principal portion of the time covered by these operations, Colonel Small was absent from his regiment: indeed, he was never with it much, and, if I am rightly informed, was never present in an engagement. His military record is not in keeping with that of his gallant regiment. He was a fine drillmaster, which was his chief merit as a soldier.

In person, Colonel Small is below the medium. He has a nervous temperament, a pale, sickly countenance, and a feeble constitution. In his manners, I am told, he is dignified and sedate.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 221-6