The ten companies composing the Twenty-third Regiment were ordered into quarters by Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood, on the 4th day of August, 1862. The rendezvous designated in the order was "Camp Burnside," Des Moines, Iowa. There, on the 19th of September, 1862, the companies were mustered into the service of the United States, by Lieutenant Charles J. Ball, of the Regular Army, and the organization of the regiment was completed. In the subjoined roster will be found the names of the original field and staff and company officers, together with all the non-commissioned officers and privates, including the name of every soldier who, at any time, belonged to the regiment, with the condensed record of his personal service, compiled from the records in the office of the Adjutant General of Iowa and of the War Department at Washington, D. C. These records are presumed to include all changes which occurred, by promotion or other cause, and all casualties; — in battle, from disease or whatever cause. Great care has been taken in transcribing the records and, where it was evident that errors existed, every effort has been made to correct them, when the necessary reliable information could be obtained. Notwithstanding these efforts, some misspelled names, incomplete personal records and other errors and omissions in making reports and returns to the Adjutant General may still be found, but it is believed that these have been reduced to the minimum and that, in the main, the revised roster will be found correct. The difficulties which Adjutant General Baker encountered in securing copies of official reports from the commanding officers of regiments in the field are described in the introductory article to this volume. The failure to comply with his request is conspicuous, as applied to the Twenty-third Iowa, Fortunately, the operations of the regiment were so intimately connected with that of other Iowa regiments, at least for the greater and most important period of its term of service, and the reports of the brigade commanders, under whom it served, make such frequent reference to its operations and its conduct in battle, that the compiler, while regretting the scarcity of official reports of the officers of the regiment, believes he will be able to give a fairly complete condensed history of the regiment in the following pages. Accurate dates as to the movements and operations of the regiment are often found to be lacking, but in nearly all cases the dates have been given as shown by the orders and reports of its brigade commanders. In some instances, however, only approximate dates can be given.
The aggregate strength of the regiment at the completion of its organization was 961 officers and men [see note 1]. This was about the average number of the infantry regiments of Iowa, at the time of their muster into the service. Two of its original field officers, as shown by the record, had seen service in the field, — Colonel William Dewey [see note 2], as Lieutenant Colonel of the Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, and Lieutenant Colonel William H. Kinsman, as Captain of Company B, Fourth Iowa Infantry [see note 3]. The regiment was, therefore, in charge of officers who had won distinction and honor in two of the great battles of the war: Colonel Dewey, who, while gallantly performing his duty at the battle of Shiloh, in the thickest of the fight, had had his horse shot under him and was commended for his bravery and efficiency in the official report of the regimental commander; Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman, who had fought bravely as Captain of his company at Pea Ridge, and had received special mention in the official report of Colonel Dodge, for the gallant and efficient manner in which he had discharged his duty as a company commander. Major Glasgow was yet to demonstrate his fitness and capacity for the discharge of the duties of his office, but the official records show that he did so at the first opportunity, proving himself a most courageous and efficient commander. The regiment was thus highly fortunate in the selection of its first field officers, and also in those who were subsequently promoted to fill the vacancies occasioned by the death of Colonels Dewey and Kinsman [see note 4].
Soon after the regiment was mustered into the service, it proceeded to St. Louis, where it remained on duty for a short time, when it moved to Rolla, Mo., and was on duty at Camp Patterson and, later, at West Plains, Mo., until February, 1863. The first operations of the regiment against the enemy are described in the official report of Colonel Dewey [see note 5]. This report reveals the fact that Colonel Dewey was selected for the command of a very important expedition, and that he fully complied with his instructions, accomplishing all that was possible, considering the difficulties he encountered and the failure of the cavalry force to act in conjunction with him at the point where he had hoped to cut off the retreat of the rebel force, against which he was operating. For 'the purpose of showing the energy and capacity for endurance %of the troops in this, their first, experience, (at least in so far as that portion of the Twenty-third Iowa engaged in the expedition was concerned,) the report of Colonel Dewey is here given:
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEERS,
CAMP PATTERSON, MO., Nov. 2, 1862.
COLONEL BOYD: In accordance with your order of the 24th ult., I left Camp Patterson at 6 o'clock on the morning of Saturday, the 25th of October, with three companies of my regiment, (Twenty-third Iowa Volunteers,) under command of Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman, five companies Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers, under Captain O. P. Newberry, two companies of First Missouri State Militia, a section of Strang's Battery, under Major Jeinsch, and eighteen men of the Twelfth Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, under Captain Leeper. At Morrison's, 12 miles from this place, I was joined by three companies of the Twenty-fourth Missouri Volunteers, under Captain Vaughn. My instructions were to march for Pitman's Ferry, on Currant River, which place I was to reach by 3 o'clock P. M. on Sunday the 26th, form a junction with Lieutenant Colonel Lazare, and attack any rebel force at that point. You informed me that Lieutenant Colonel Lazare had orders to meet me there at that time and co-operate with me. The first day I marched 26 miles, to Black River, which I reached at 4 o'clock P. M. I found the stream wide and deep, and the crossing difficult, but I was determined to get the infantry and baggage train over that night. I placed the transportation of the troops under charge of Captain O. P. Newberry, of the Twenty-sixth Missouri, with orders to cross at all hazards. After an immense amount of labor, the untiring energy of the captain was successful, and at 11 o'clock at night he reported all safely over except the artillery and one company of the First Missouri, left to guard it. The next morning at daylight Captain Newberry commenced crossing the artillery. The ammunition was shifted from the caissons and transported in wagons, and the whole train crossed in safety. I commenced the march from Black River at 8 o'clock A. M., Sunday, 26th, and reached Vandover's after a march of twenty miles. A mile this side of Vandover's my advanced guard of cavalry, under Captain Leeper, drove in the enemy's pickets, all of whom unfortunately escaped, and thus betrayed my advance.
I was now 17 miles from Pitman's Ferry, and it was important to make a rapid march and gain possession of the boat. I accordingly detailed Lieutenant Buzard, of the Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers, with 40 picked men, to move rapidly forward with the cavalry and gain possession of the ferry. They started at 1 o'clock on the morning of the 27th, and at two I followed with the reserve body. The men marched without breakfast. Ten miles this side of the ferry, the advance guard surprised a scouting party of the enemy and captured a captain and thirteen men. Leaving these prisoners under guard, they pushed rapidly forward and succeeded in surprising the guard at the ferry, which were dispersed by a volley from Lieutenant Buzard's men. Private Richard Lloyd, of Company F, Twenty-fifth Missouri, swam the river and brought the boat over to this side. When about two miles from the river, at 8 o'clock in the morning, I received information that the great object of my anxiety, the ferry boat, was safe in our possession. When a mile from the river, a messenger brought me word that the enemy was forming in line of battle on the other side. I immediately ordered the artillery forward at a gallop. The infantry, regardless of their long and fatiguing march, followed at a double quick. I halted the column about 100 yards from the river bank and formed line on each side of the road, the right wing consisting of the Twenty-third Iowa under Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman, the center consisting of the artillery and the two companies of the First Missouri State Militia, under Major Jeinsch, and the left consisting of the five companies of the Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers, under Captain Newberry. The two companies of the Twenty-fourth acted as a reserve and guard to the prisoners, under Captain Vaughn. Riding forward to the front, Lieutenant Poser, commanding the artillery, informed me that the enemy were planting a battery on the other side. I ordered him to open upon them immediately, which he promptly did, and after a few rounds the enemy scattered and dispersed. I then ordered Lieutenant Miller of the Twenty-fifth Missouri to cross the river with his company and deploy them as skirmishers, and follow the enemy as far as practicable; and, to guard his retreat, I ordered Captain Houston of Company A, Twenty-third Iowa, to form his company on the river bank near the ferry, leaving the rest of the command in line of battle. At 12 M, Lieutenant Miller returned and reported the enemy retreating.
I had been for several hours anxious to learn the whereabouts of Lieutenant Colonel Lazare and his command. Everything depended upon his co-operating with me. I knew that with my small force of infantry, exhausted by a long and fatiguing march, and without food since the previous night, it was folly for me to attempt a pursuit. Lazare's route to join me led directly across the road by which the enemy retreated, and I waited in deep suspense for some intelligence from him or for some evidence of his presence. At noon I sent Leeper over the river with his 18 cavalrymen to scour the country and try to gain intelligence of Lazare. After a fruitless search, he returned without any tidings and I reluctantly ordered the men to camp. They had performed a forced march of 65 miles and had been 20 hours without food, and without murmuring. They were still ready to go forward, if there was any prospect of overtaking the enemy; but without Lazare's cavalry, pursuit would be useless. I had hoped the sound of cannonading would reach him and convey to him the tidings of my presence, but it did not. The next morning, the 28th, I sent Captain Houston with his company up the river, and Captain Rosensteen with his company down, both on this side, to explore the country and ascertain the position and practicability of the various fords. I also sent Captain Leeper, with such infantry as I could mount, over the river, to explore the different roads leading to the ferry, with instructions to find Lazare if possible. About 11 o'clock, I received a dispatch from Colonel Lazare, directed to you, of which the following is a copy:
October 26th, 4 o'clock A. M.
COLONEL BOYD: Yours of 7 and 10 o'clock, 24th, reached me at ten last night. I cannot reach Pitman's Ferry and find out what is at Thomasville before the 29th. Will be there then. We scattered Boon's men in every direction yesterday, killing six or eight — 18 prisoners, 25 guns, 12 horses. They have all come up but Crow's Company, which has gone east of Currant River.
B. F. LAZARE, Colonel Commanding.
I immediately recalled the scouting parties and crossed my command, with the exception of the artillery and Captain Vaughn's men, over the river. Late in the evening I received another dispatch from Lazare, by Lieutenant Going, informing me verbally that he was marching from the direction of Thomasville, on the Pocahontas road, and would be ready to co-operate with me at any time after midnight. This road leads directly across the road to Yellville, by which the enemy retreated, and they had already passed the point of intersection at least 36 hours before. Of course pursuit was now useless, and I directed Lieutenant Going to rejoin Colonel Lazare, with orders to join me as soon as possible on the Pocahontas road. On the morning of the 29th I crossed the artillery over the river, and, leaving Captain Vaughn to guard the ferry and the prisoners, I marched towards Pocahontas, and formed a junction with Colonel Lazare at Bolinger's Mill, 15 miles from the ferry. I immediately ordered a detachment of 50 cavalry, under Major Lippard, to march to Pocahontas to search for horses and contraband goods. Major Jeinsch accompanied the detachment. They dispersed a small scouting party, capturing eight or ten horses, and found a number of rebels sick in a hospital, whom Major Jeinsch paroled, and a list of whom accompanies this report. The next morning, October 30th, I commenced my march back to Patterson, which point I reached at 6 o'clock P. M. November 2d. Too much praise cannot be awarded the officers and men under my command in this expedition. They performed a march of 65 miles to Pitman's Ferry, the first day through a severe storm, in less than two days and a half, crossing a wide and deep stream. The last 20 hours they were on the march or in line of battle without food. On their return they performed a march of 80 miles in four days, crossing two wide and deep streams. I have no hesitation in saying that, had the force under Colonel Lazare been able to co-operate with me, by reaching the road to Yellville, by which the enemy retreated, at the time I reached Pitman's Ferry on the morning of the 27th, we would have routed the entire rebel force and captured their baggage train and artillery. This force I estimate from reliable information at 100 cavalry, 500 infantry and four pieces of artillery, under command of Colonels Burdage, Green and Mitchell. It retreated toward Yellville, at which point I understand a large force of the enemy is being concentrated, and where they have a powder mill in operation. My thanks are especially due to the following officers detailed on special duty: Captain Newberry, Twenty-fifth Missouri, for efficiency in crossing the command over Black River; to Lieutenant Waterbury, Twenty-third Iowa, Acting Adjutant; to Lieutenant Brown, Twenty-third Iowa, Acting Quartermaster, and to Lieutenant Buzard, Twenty-fifth Missouri, commanding advance guard of infantry.
Very respectfully, etc.,
WM. DEWEY, Colonel Commanding.
The roster of the Twenty-third Iowa shows that Colonel Dewey was 51 years of age when he joined the regiment. No doubt the hardships and exposure, to which he and the troops he commanded were subjected upon the expedition described in his report, brought on the illness which soon after culminated in his death. The regiment suffered much from the ravages of disease during this early period of its service. This was the common experience of all the new regiments, and particularly of those whose first service was performed on the borders of Missouri and Arkansas during those arduous campaigns in the late autumn of 1862 and winter of 1863. The troops were exposed to the inclemency of the weather on their marches in pursuit of their elusive enemy. While the fatalities from disease were numerous, a much larger number were incapacitated for further military service, many of whom never fully recovered from the effects of the diseases with which they were stricken. Upon the arrival of the regiment at West Plains, it was assigned to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Army of Southeast Missouri, consisting of the Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Twenty-third Regiments of Iowa Infantry, under the command of Colonel William M. Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa.
On the 9th of February, 1863, the regiment, with the other troops, commenced the march which ended at Iron Mountain on February 26th. This long march through the mountainous regions of the State, over difficult and, at times, almost impassable roads, exposed to severe cold and heavy storms against which there was no adequate protection, much of the time with insufficient rations, put to the severest test the courage and fortitude of the officers and men of the regiment, and subjected it to greater ultimate loss than it subsequently sustained in some of the severe battles in which it took part. Only men imbued with the highest degree of patriotism could have endured such suffering without murmuring or complaint, as did these brave and hardy sons of Iowa.
The army remained encamped at Iron Mountain until the 9th of March, when orders were received to join the army of General Grant, then operating against Vicksburg, Miss. The march was then resumed and, on March 12th, the troops arrived at St. Genevieve, Mo., on the Mississippi River, and there encamped to await the arrival of the fleet of transports which was to convey them down the river. On the 22d of March, the transports upon which the Twenty-third Iowa and the other regiments of the Second Brigade had embarked proceeded to Milliken's Bend, La., where they arrived and disembarked on March 27th. A large number of troops were being concentrated at Milliken's Bend, preparatory to the opening of General Grant's campaign against Vicksburg. By April 1st, the remainder of the troops of the Army of Southeast Missouri had arrived and, in the reorganization which followed, that army lost its identity, the troops composing it being assigned to the Thirteenth Army Corps, commanded by Major General John A. McClernand. In this reorganization the Twenty-third Iowa became a part of the Second Brigade of the Fourteenth Division of the Thirteenth Corps, commanded by Brigadier General Eugene A. Carr. The other regiments composing the brigade were the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Iowa and Eleventh Wisconsin, Colonel C. L. Harris of the latter regiment being the senior officer in command. The brigade received orders to march on the 12th of April and proceeded to Richmond, La., and thence to Perkins’ Landing, where it went into camp to await the arrival of the remainder of the corps.
On the evening of April 27th, and on the morning of the 28th, the embarkation of the troops of the Thirteenth Army Corps had been completed, and the fleet of transports proceeded down the river, landing opposite the mouth of Black River, near Grand Gulf, where the enemy had erected heavy fortifications. On the morning of April 29th, the fleet of gunboats commenced a bombardment of the enemy's fortifications, which lasted for several hours but without success. The troops had been held in readiness to supplement the attack of the gunboats; the position being deemed too strong to be carried by assault, the gunboats were withdrawn, but during the night ran past the rebel batteries. In the meantime the troops of the Thirteenth Corps had received orders to march, and moved down the levee three miles below Grand Gulf, where they bivouacked until morning. On the morning of the 30th, the troops of the Thirteenth Corps again embarked on transports and gunboats and proceeded down the river to Bruinsburg, sixteen miles below Grand Gulf, near the mouth of Bayou Pierre, where they landed, and at 4 P. M. took up the line of march towards Port Gibson, Miss. The Second Brigade of General Carr’s Division, to which the Twenty-third Iowa belonged, led the advance of the army and marched in the following order: Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Twenty-third Iowa, and Eleventh Wisconsin. Colonel Harris was taken sick and, being unable to continue in command of the brigade, was relieved by Colonel Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa. The march was continued without interruption until one o'clock A. M. on May 1st, when the advance guard was fired upon by the enemy's pickets, about three miles from Port Gibson. The enemy's batteries, which had been posted so as to enfilade the road, then opened upon the advancing troops, but, owing to the darkness, did little execution. It was evident that the enemy had taken position in strong force and that a battle was impending. Skirmishing and exchange of shots between the Union and Rebel batteries continued for two hours, during which the relative positions of the contending forces were developed, when the firing ceased on both sides until daylight, at which time the batteries of the enemy resumed their fire with great vigor and their infantry moved forward to the attack. The following extracts from the official report of Colonel Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa, who was in command of the brigade, will serve to show how well the Twenty-third Iowa acquitted itself in the battle which ensued [see note 6]. After giving the details of the engagement of the previous night, Colonel Stone proceeds to describe with particularity of detail the operations and conduct of his brigade in the battle of Port Gibson, May 1st, 1863. He describes the opening of the engagement as follows [see note 7]:
. . . Soon after sunrise the battle was renewed by the enemy, who held their position during the night. Their batteries opened upon us with great vigor, and their infantry moved forward to the attack. My command was promptly in line, and Captain Griffith's vigorously returned their fire with his admirable battery. Other brigades and batteries were soon engaged on our right and left. . . . Our position being in the center of our line, I was ordered by General Carr to hold my infantry in readiness to charge the enemy's lines when the decisive moment should arrive. . . . About 10 o'clock it became evident that the enemy were massing their forces upon our immediate front, as their musketry was increasing in volume and rapidly advancing toward us. At this juncture I moved my brigade forward in double lines of battalions, for the purpose of charging upon the advancing columns of the enemy. We were compelled to cross a deep hollow, thickly covered on both sides with underbrush and cane, but my men moved forward with the spirit and steadiness of veteran troops. . . . When the thicket was passed, and as we advanced into the open field close to the enemy's lines, we opened fire upon them with such rapidity and precision that, unable to resist it, they soon broke and retreated in utter confusion. This ended the battle of the morning. Our victory was complete. The dead and wounded of the enemy lay thickly scattered over the ground, while their prisoners and small arms that fell into our hands were counted by the hundreds. We remained but a few minutes on the victorious field. I moved at once in pursuit of the retreating foe, and, when about one mile from the late field, my advance regiment, the Eleventh Wisconsin, covered by two companies of skirmishers from the Twenty-third Iowa, was fired upon from the timber. I saw at once that the enemy had been strongly re-enforced and were determined to make another stand. Their position was well chosen, on a high hill covered with timber, and commanding the entire ground over which we were compelled to approach. My regiments were soon in line, with Captain Griffith's battery in position, which opened with its usual spirit upon the enemy. Simultaneously with this the rebel batteries also opened with accurate range, and for about half an hour we sustained alone the concentrated fire of their infantry and artillery. Finally other brigades and batteries became engaged, and the battle raged with terrific fury along our lines. My command, however, remained in front during the entire engagement, and all the time under the enemy's fire. They retired only after the battle had ceased and the enemy had again retreated from the field. During these five hours' hard fighting, I am proud to say that the officers and men of this brigade acted with the utmost coolness, and with a determined courage that would have done honor to veteran troops. They promptly obeyed every command, and displayed a degree of exalted heroism which nothing but the influence of exalted patriotism could have produced. To Colonel Merrill of the Twenty-first Iowa, Lieutenant Colonel Glasgow of the Twenty-third Iowa, Lieutenant Colonel Wood of the Eleventh Wisconsin, and Major Atherton of the Twenty-second Iowa, I am under great obligations for the coolness and promptitude with which they obeyed my orders in the various movements on the field. Their associate officers, too, are entitled to great credit, as all of them, so far as I have been able to learn, performed their duties nobly. To the dauntless and heroic men of the ranks and the line officers all honor is due. . . . When the history of this war is fully written, they will be numbered among the bravest defenders of the Republic. Lieutenants Jackson, of the Eleventh Wisconsin, and Waterbury, of the Twenty-third Iowa, acting Aides, rendered me essential service, and they both displayed great coolness and bravery in conveying orders under the hottest fire. . . .
The total losses of the two brigades of General Carr's Division in the battle of Port Gibson were 263 killed and wounded; the total losses of the Second Brigade were 101 killed and wounded; the loss of the Twenty-third Iowa was 9 killed and 26 wounded, — the heaviest loss sustained by any regiment in the brigade. Among the wounded were Captain William R. Henry and Lieutenant D. P. Ballard.
The regiment took part in the various movements of its brigade and division, which led up to the battle of Champion's Hill on the 16th of May, 1863. In that hard fought battle, General Carr's Fourteenth Division was held in reserve, until very near its close, when it was ordered forward in pursuit of the retreating enemy and succeeded in capturing a considerable number of prisoners and a large quantity of army stores, but the order was not given in time to enable General Carr to cut off the retreat of the rebel army, which fell back to its strongly fortified position on Big Black River, closely followed by the Fourteenth Division, which led the advance. The march was conducted with great vigor and, at 10 A. M., on May 17th, the pickets of the enemy were driven in. The Second Brigade was now under the command of General M. K. Lawler, from whose extended official report of the battle which ensued the following brief extracts are taken [see note 8]:
. . . I was instructed by the Brigadier General commanding the division to move forward slowly and cautiously with my command, and develop and press back, if possible, the enemy's left. Accordingly I ordered Colonel C. L. Harris, Eleventh Wisconsin, who held the left of our new position, to move his regiment forward through the woods in his front, his skirmishers covering his advance, and the Twenty-third Iowa, Colonel Kinsman, to follow him at a distance of 100 yards as a support. At the same time I advanced the Twenty-first Iowa, Colonel Samuel Merrill, into the cleared field skirting Big Black River, with instructions to move forward on a line with the Eleventh Wisconsin. The Peoria Battery was left in position on the rising ground in the edge of the field, and the Twenty-second Iowa in rear as a reserve and support. Meanwhile there had commenced a spirited artillery engagement between the battery of Benton's Brigade and the enemy's cannon in position behind their works. The skirmishers of the First Brigade were actively engaged, and those of the Eleventh Wisconsin, which regiment advanced steadily forward through the timber to the field in front of the enemy's works, and distant from them about 400 yards. Here I ordered it to halt, and move down to the right through the field skirting the river, and take position in the woods and brush lining this stream. This movement Colonel Harris promptly executed, reaching the position designated without serious loss, though exposed to a heavy fire from the enemy's sharpshooters. The Twenty-third Iowa, Colonel Kinsman, having come up after the Eleventh Wisconsin, was ordered to make a similar movement to the right, and to move up under cover of the river bank and take position on the right of the Eleventh Wisconsin and as close as possible to the enemy's works, and the Twenty-first Iowa, Colonel Merrill, to take position on the bank between these two regiments. I also directed the Peoria Battery to take position in the open field in front of the left of the enemy and to open an enfilading fire on their center batteries, with which the battery of Benton's Brigade was engaged. At the same time the Twenty-second Iowa, Colonel Stone, was ordered to move forward on the left of the field to within supporting distance. These orders were quickly responded to, and the position thus occupied by the brigade continued to be held without material variation. During the greater part of the forenoon heavy but ineffectual musketry firing was kept up by the enemy upon my men, briskly responded to by our sharpshooters. Late in the forenoon, finding it impossible to press farther forward along the river bank toward the enemy, as I had intended, Colonel Kinsman, Twenty-third Iowa, proposed to charge at once the enemy's works and drive them out at the point of the bayonet, and asked my consent to the same. Foreseeing that a charge by a single regiment, unsustained by the whole line, against fortifications as formidable as those in his front, could hardly be successful, at the same time I gave my consent to his daring proposition, I determined that there should be a simultaneous movement on the part of my whole command. Accordingly, the Twenty-first Iowa, Colonel Merrill, was ordered to charge with the Twenty-third, the Eleventh Wisconsin following close upon them as a support, and the Twenty-second Iowa, Colonel Stone, — which had in the meantime crossed the field and taken position on the river bank on the right of the Eleventh Wisconsin, — were ordered to move out into the field and act as a. reserve force. . . . Orders were further given that the men should reserve their fire until upon the rebel works. Finally the regiments that were to lead the charge were formed, with bayonets fixed, in the edge of the woods on the river bank. All things being in readiness, the command "Forward" was given by Colonel Kinsman, and at once his noble regiment sprang forward to the works. The Twenty-first Iowa, led by Colonel Merrill, moved at the same instant, the Eleventh Wisconsin, Colonel Harris, closely following. Through a terrible fire of musketry from the enemy in front, and a galling fire from his sharpshooters on the right, these brave men dashed bravely on. Kinsman fell, dangerously wounded, before half the distance was accomplished. Struggling to his feet, he staggered a few paces to the front, cheered forward his men, and fell again, this time to rise no more, pierced through by a second ball. Colonel Merrill, the brave commander of the Twenty-first Iowa, fell, wounded early in the charge. . . . Immediately Lieutenant Colonel Glasgow placed himself at the head of the Twenty-third Iowa, and Major Van Anda led on the Twenty-first. Undismayed by the loss of their Colonels, and by the perfect storm of bullets poured into them with destructive effect, the men of the Twenty-third and Twenty-first Iowa and Eleventh Wisconsin pressed onward, nearer and nearer to the rebel works, over the open field and up to the edge of the bayou. Halting here only long enough to pour into the enemy a deadly volley, they dashed forward through the bayou, filled with water, fallen timber and brush, on to the rebel works, with the Shout of victors, driving the enemy from their breastworks and entering in triumph the rebel stronghold. . . . Those of the rebels who were not captured hastened to make good their retreat over the bridge. ... It is, perhaps, worthy of remark that more men were captured by my brigade than I had men in the charge. . . . Lieutenant Colonel S. L. Glasgow, of the Twenty-third Iowa, and Major S. G. Van Anda, of the Twenty-first Iowa, who assumed command of their respective regiments after the fall of their Colonels, deserve the highest praise. . . . They had the honor of leading their regiments into the enemy's works. . . . Captain Houston, Company A, Captain Brown, Company I, and Lieutenant Rawlings, Company F, of the Twenty-third Iowa, with their commands, broke the enemy's line in a swamp at the edge of .the timber, and poured an enfilading fire into the ditches that routed the rebels in confusion. Lieutenant Rawlings captured the colors of the Sixty-first Tennessee, wresting them from the rebel color bearer. Captain Houston captured the colors of the Twenty-first Arkansas. Corporal John W. Boone, color bearer of the Twenty-third Iowa, fell, severely wounded; Corporal J. T. Shipman then grasped the colors and bore them gallantly to the front and through the whole charge. ... Special and honorable mention should be made of A. M. Lyon, Esq., Sutler of the Twenty-third Iowa, a brave old man, who took a gun at the commencement of the battle, went into the ranks, fought nobly, and fell mortally wounded. The death of Colonel Kinsman of the Twenty-third Iowa, whose brave and gallant conduct is the theme of universal praise, fills the hearts of all who knew him with poignant sorrow. A splendid soldier, a perfect gentleman, and a finished scholar, endowed in the highest degree with the noblest qualities of true manhood, his loss cannot prove less to his State and country than a public calamity. The officers and soldiers of his command had learned to love and respect him with an earnestness and devotion rarely equaled. His loss is irreparable, but he fell as the true soldier wishes to fall, in the moment of victory, when his country's flag waved in triumph over the stronghold of treason and rebellion, and died as the true soldier wishes to die, with Christian resignation and fortitude. . . . Finally, I cannot close this report without expressing my admiration for the brave men in the ranks, to whose steadiness and determined courage is in a great measure due the glory of the brilliant and decisive victory of Big Black Bridge. To them I return my warmest thanks. A grateful country will see that their services are appropriately rewarded.
The total loss of the Thirteenth Army Corps at the battle of the Big Black River Bridge was 279, while the loss in General M. K: Lawler's brigade alone was 221, and of this number the Twenty-third Iowa lost 2 officers and 11 enlisted men killed, and 3 officers and 85 enlisted men wounded. Total loss of the regiment 101 [see note 9]. The two officers killed were Colonel Kinsman and Captain R. L. McCray and the four wounded were: Captain John A. T. Hull, Lieutenant S. G. Beckwith, J. D. Ewing and Washington Rawlings. Lieutenants Beckwith and Ewing subsequently died from the effect of their wounds. The casualties of the Twenty-third in this battle were exactly the same as those of the entire brigade at Port Gibson. Had the military career of the Twenty-third Iowa ended with this battle, its record would have been established as one of the best and bravest regiments in the army of the United States.
The remainder of the 17th and all the next day after the battle were spent in caring for the wounded, burying the dead, and collecting the trophies of war, — the immense number of arms and accoutrements left on the battlefield and captured with the prisoners, 3,000 in number. To the Twenty-third Iowa was assigned the duty of guarding the prisoners. General Lawler, at the conclusion of his report, says: "The Twenty-third Iowa Volunteers, which had borne so distinguished a part and suffered so severely in the charge, was placed as a guard over the captured prisoners, and, by order of Major General U. S. Grant, has since gone north with them, thus losing to me for the time being the services of this command."
The regiment now marched to the Yazoo River, as guard to the rebel prisoners. As soon as transportation could be procured, it proceeded with the prisoners to Memphis. Upon arriving at that place, the prisoners were turned over to the Commandant of the Post and the regiment returned to Young's Point, La., where it arrived a few days before the attack was made upon Milliken's Bend, where the garrison, consisting of untrained negro troops, about 800 strong, was threatened with attack by a full brigade of rebel troops, under command of the rebel General McCulloch. General Elias S. Dennis was in command of the Post, and from his official report of the engagement the following extracts are made, to show the part taken by the Twenty-third Iowa [see note 10]. After describing the preliminary movements and skirmishes of the negro troops with the enemy, which occurred on June 6th, outside of his works, General Dennis proceeds to describe the terrible contest which ensued in the morning and forenoon of June 7, 1863 [see note 11].
. . . I immediately started the Twenty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry to their assistance, and Admiral Porter ordered the gunboat Choctaw to that point. At 3 o'clock the following morning the enemy made their appearance in strong force on the main Richmond road, driving the pickets before them. The enemy advanced upon the left of our line, throwing out no skirmishers, marching in close column by division, with a strong cavalry force on his right flank. Our forces, consisting of the Twenty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry and the African Brigade, (in all 1,061 men,) opened upon the enemy when within musket shot range, which made them waver and recoil, a number running in confusion to the rear; the balance, pushing on with intrepedity, soon reached the levee, when they were ordered to charge, with cries of "No quarter!" The African regiments being inexperienced in the use of arms, some of them having been drilled but a few days, and the guns being very inferior, the enemy succeeded in getting upon our works before more than one or two volleys were fired at them. Here ensued a most terrible hand to hand conflict of several minutes' duration, our men using their bayonets freely and clubbing their guns with fierce obstinacy, contesting every inch of ground, until the enemy succeeded in flanking them, and poured a murderous enfilading fire along our lines, directing their fire chiefly to the officers, who fell in numbers. Not till they were overpowered and forced by superior numbers did our men fall back behind the bank of the river, at the same time pouring volley after volley into the ranks of the advancing enemy. The gunboat now got into position and fired a broadside into the enemy, who immediately disappeared behind the levee, but all the time keeping up a fire upon our men. ... In this position the fight continued until near noon, when the enemy suddenly withdrew. Our men, seeing this movement, advanced upon the retreating column, firing volley after volley at them while they remained within gunshot. . . . The officers and men deserve the highest praise for their gallant conduct, and especially Colonel Glasgow, of the Twenty-third Iowa, and his brave men. . . . The enemy consisted of one brigade, numbering about 2,500, in command of General H. E. McCulloch and 200 cavalry. The enemy's loss is estimated at about 150 killed and 300 wounded. . . . Inclosed please find tabular statement of killed, wounded and missing; in all 652. Nearly all the missing blacks will probably return, as they were badly scattered . . .
The Twenty-third Iowa had been so greatly reduced in numbers by its heavy losses in battle and from disease that, at the time it went into the battle at Milliken's Bend, it had less than 200 officers and men able for duty. It was the only regiment of white troops engaged in that battle. The statement of casualties referred to in the official report of General Dennis is as follows: 11 officers and 90 men killed, 17 officers and 268 men wounded; total killed and wounded 386; captured or missing 2 officers and 264 men. Total loss 652 of the 1,061 engaged. The Twenty-third Iowa had none captured or missing, and its loss was as follows: 2 officers and 21 enlisted men killed, and 41 enlisted men wounded; total 64. Among the killed were Captain John C. Brown and Lieutenant William H. Downs, of the Twenty-third Iowa. The loss was probably greater, in proportion to the number engaged, than that sustained by the regiment in any of the battles in which it had previously been engaged [see note 12]. It had fully maintained its glorious record at Port Gibson and Black River Bridge, and placed itself high on the roll of fame. The battle of Milliken's Bend is memorable in the annals of the War of the Rebellion, not only on account of the desperate character of the conflict, but because of the avowed purpose of the rebel commander to take no prisoners, in the event of the capture of the garrison. When the rebels advanced to the attack with the cry of "No quarter!" it meant the death of every Union soldier — white or black — who might be so unfortunate as to fall into their hands. The adoption of such a savage and inhuman method of warfare was for the purpose of terrorizing the negro soldiers and discouraging them from entering or remaining in the service of the United States, and to serve as a warning to the white officers in command of the negro troops, as well as the white troops who fought by their side. It need not be said that such inhuman methods were not successful, and, being in contravention of the rules of civilized warfare, were soon abandoned.
The Twenty-third Iowa had now been in the service less than nine months, and its remaining service extended over a period more than two years longer. A considerable portion of its subsequent history, as will appear, is not marked with as arduous service as that which has been described in the preceding pages, and may therefore be condensed into the briefer space which the limitation to which the compiler is subjected renders necessary.
On the 18th of June, 1863, the Twenty-third Iowa rejoined its brigade, then engaged in the siege of Vicksburg. The regiment had been fearfully reduced in numbers by its heavy losses in battle and from disease, but the survivors who were able for duty went cheerfully into the trenches and performed their full share of the arduous and hazardous work, which continued until July 4, 1863, on which date the rebel stronghold was surrendered to General Grant and his victorious army. On the morning of July 5th, the Twenty-third Iowa, with its brigade and division, took up the line of march towards Jackson, with the army under command of General Sherman moving against the rebel army under command of General Johnston. A few days later the rebel army had taken refuge behind the strong works at Jackson. Another siege of but short duration ensued, in which the Twenty-third Iowa performed its full share of duty, and after the evacuation of Jackson, (which took place on the night of July 16th,) the regiment was engaged, with the other troops, in the extensive destruction of the railroad for a number of days, after which it returned to Vicksburg, arriving there on the 24th of July and going into camp with its brigade, which had now become a part of the First Division of the Thirteenth Army Corps [see note 13].
On the 13th of August the regiment embarked on transports and moved down the river to Carrollton, eight miles above New Orleans, and went into camp at that place. It was soon after moved to New Orleans and there embarked with its brigade on transports and proceeded to Algiers. Landing there September 4th, the troops were conveyed by rail to Bayou Beoff, where they arrived September 5th. From that place they marched to Brashear City, on Berwick Bay, remaining there until September 25th, when they were conveyed across the bay and went into camp near what had been the town of Berwick, but which was then in ruins. From that point the troops again marched, on the 2d of October, and, passing through Iberia, Franklin and St. Martinsville, arrived at Vermillionville on October 10th. On this march a considerable force of the enemy was encountered near Iberia but, after some skirmishing, the rebel force rapidly retreated and the Union troops continued the pursuit to Opelousas, at which point the pursuit was abandoned and the troops returned to Berwick. The Twenty-third Iowa had participated in all the movements of this expedition, but there is no record of its having met with any loss in the skirmishes which occurred.
The First Division — now under command of General Washburn — was .ordered to proceed to Texas and, on November 16th, the Twenty-third Iowa, with its brigade, crossed Berwick Bay and arrived at Algiers the next day. On the 20th the transports moved down the river and crossed the bar into the Gulf of Mexico. After a stormy voyage the transports arrived at the mouth of the Rio Grande, off Brazos de Santiago, Texas. Here five companies of the Eleventh Wisconsin succeeded in landing in small boats, but, during this hazardous undertaking, a storm arose and the ships were compelled to put to sea again. On the evening of the 27th they arrived off Mustang Island, 70 miles from Matagorda Bay, and, the storm having abated, succeeded in landing the troops in safety. On November 29th the regiment proceeded with the expedition against Fort Esperanza, which commanded the entrance to Matagorda Bay, crossed St. Joseph's and Matagorda Islands, and arrived in front of the fort on December 1st. The enemy had blown up their magazines and abandoned the fort the night before, thus saving a contest for its possession. The troops went into camp at Port Saluria, and on the next day crossed Pass Cavallo, at the entrance of the bay, and went into camp on the peninsula at De Crou's Point, where they remained until January 3, 1864, on which date the Twenty-third Iowa, with the other troops, embarked on transports and proceeded to Indianola. That town was occupied by a force of rebels but, upon the approach of the vessels conveying the Union troops, they abandoned the town and retreated to the interior. The troops were quartered in houses in Indianola for about three weeks, when the Second Brigade, to which the Twenty-third Iowa belonged, moved to the town of Old Indianola and went into winter quarters at that place, under the command of General Fitz Henry Warren, the former Colonel of the First Iowa Cavalry. The regiment was here comfortably situated. The only notable events were occasional skirmishes with small bodies of the enemy, by a detachment of 25 men who had been provided with horses for the purpose of scouting in the surrounding country. This detachment was made up of details from the different regiments, and sustained quite a number of casualties, but the records do not reveal the proportion of loss, if any, sustained by the Twenty-third Iowa, during this period of its service. In the absence of official reports of the movements of the regiment during the remaining period of its service, other than those relating to the operations of the troops with which it was known to be connected, and which are revealed through the reports of its brigade commanders, the compiler is only able to give a summary of its history during the period which intervened between the 21st of April, 1864, and the. date of its muster out of the service, July 26, 1865.
During the greater part of the winter of 1864, Major Houston of the Twenty-third Iowa was assigned to the command of the Twenty-second Iowa, on account of the absence of the field officers of that regiment. On the 13th of March the regiment with the other troops left the winter quarters at Old Indianola and returned to Matagorda Island, where they were assigned to the defense of the coast at that point. On the 21st of April, the regiment, with other troops, under the command of General Warren, participated in an expedition to Port Lavacca, 30 miles above Indianola. Upon the approach of the steamers, the rebel troops stationed at Port Lavacca abandoned the town and, before the troops could be disembarked, had made good their retreat into the interior. The enemy was pursued until it became evident that they could not be overtaken, when the pursuit was abandoned and the troops returned to Matagorda Island.
On the 27th of April, the Thirteenth Army Corps was ordered to report to General Banks, then engaged in the ill-fated Red River Expedition. As rapidly as transportation could be furnished, the troops got under way. The Twenty-third Iowa arrived at New Orleans on the 1st of May, and, with one-half of the Twenty-second Iowa, together with General Warren and his Staff, embarked on a river steamer and proceeded to Fort De Russy, arriving at that place on May 6th. The enemy having obstructed navigation of the river below Alexandria, the boats could go no farther. They then returned to the mouth of Red River, where the troops landed and went into camp. On the 15th of May the troops again embarked and proceeded to Simsport on the Atchafalaya, where General Banks' army had crossed on a bridge of transports. The regiment arrived at Morganza, La., on May 22d, and went into camp. In the reorganization of the army which soon followed, the Twenty-third Iowa was assigned to a brigade to which the Twentieth Iowa was attached and of which Lieutenant Colonel Leake, of that regiment, was the commander. After a period of rest at Morganza, the regiment with its brigade moved into the State of Arkansas, and was stationed at Devall’s Bluff and Brownsville, its service consisting mainly of garrison duty and labor upon fortifications at those points. There is no record of its having met any considerable force of the enemy during this period of its service.
Early in 1865, the regiment, with its brigade, moved to the vicinity of New Orleans and there awaited preparations for the closing campaign of the war in which it was to perform its full share of arduous and effective service. On this campaign, Lieutenant Colonel Charles J. Clark was much of the time in command of the regiment, — Colonel Glasgow having succeeded to the command of the brigade, — but no copies of their official reports were received by the Adjutant General of Iowa. It is well known, however, that the regiment was prominently identified with the operations of its brigade and division in all the movements that led up to the siege and capture of Spanish Fort, and that in the charge, which resulted in the capture of the fort, it sustained the high reputation for gallantry and heroism it had gained at Port Gibson, Black River Bridge and Milliken's Bend. The remainder of its service is well condensed, at the conclusion of its history, written soon after the close of the war, by L. D. Ingersoll, in his work entitled "Iowa and the Rebellion," [see note 14] as follows:.
"The brilliant and memorable operations of the regiment in the campaign against Mobile ended its operations in the face of the enemy. It is a remarkable coincidence that at Spanish Fort it met and whipped the Twenty-third Alabama regiment, which it had met and whipped on the occasion of its first going under fire, at the battle of Port Gibson. But the regiment did not here end its campaigning. Remaining near the scene of its latest renown a little more than two months, it embarked again for Texas, arriving at Galveston on the 22d of June. Thence it moved by Houston to Columbus, and went into encampment. Colonel Glasgow and Lieutenant Colonel Clark being necessarily absent in New Orleans, and Major Houston in command of the post, Captain J. J. Van Houten was in command of the regiment. After about a month spent rather agreeably in Texas, the regiment was honorably discharged the service on the 26th of July, 1865."
The official records show that the regiment was mustered out of the service of the United States at Harrisburg, Texas, July 26, 1865, and that it was then conveyed to Davenport, Iowa, and was there disbanded. The regiment numbered 417 officers and enlisted men at the date of its muster out of service. The Twenty-third Iowa stands conspicuous among the long line of splendid Iowa regiments, with its record of heroic achievements. Its survivors may well feel proud of its history. Its Roster contains the names of men who not only distinguished themselves as soldiers but who have since won fame and honor in the public service. Its survivors have proved themselves good and worthy citizens of the State and Nation they fought so bravely to defend and save. The State has done well in providing for the preservation of the history of the regiment and of the personal record of its members.
SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.
Total Enrollment 1,070
Killed 54
Wounded 135
Died of wounds 40
Died of disease 200
Discharged for disease, wounds or other causes 198
Buried in National Cemeteries 82
Captured , 3
Transferred 42
[Note 1.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 1, pages 817 to 849 inclusive.
[Note 2.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 2, page 788.
[Note 3.] Colonel Dewey died at Patterson, Mo., Nov. 30, 1862. Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1867, Vol. 1, page 151.
[Note 4.] See subjoined Roster, where subsequent changes are noted.
[Note 5.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 2, page 824.
[Note 6.] After the death of Colonel Dewey, Nov.30, 1862, Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman was promoted to Colonel of the regiment and Major Glasgow was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Colonel Kinsman being temporarily absent at the time the battle of Port Gibson was fought, Lieutenant Colonel Glasgow was in command of the regiment. His official report must have been lost, as the compiler is unable to find it, either in the files of the Adjutant General of Iowa or the Official Records of the War Department.
[Note 7.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 1, Vol. 24, pages 628-31.
[Note 8.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, pages 135 to 139 inclusive.
[Note 9.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, page 130. Returns of Casualties in battle of Big Black River Bridge.
[Note 10.] The compiler has made diligent search of the Official Records for the report of Colonel Glasgow, but without success.
[Note 11.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, pages 447-8. Loss statement in foot-note to Report.
[Note 12.] The casualties of the Twenty-third Iowa at Milliken's Bend are obtained from the muster out rolls of the regiment, where all casualties are noted, and are, therefore, officially correct, but the number of officers and men engaged is not officially stated. In Byers' "Iowa in War Times," page 245, the number of the regiment engaged at Milliken's Bend is estimated at from 110 to 160, while in Ingersoll's "Iowa and the Rebellion," page 496, the statement is made that the regiment had less than 200 men fit for duty at the time the battle was fought. Both authors state that the official report of Colonel. Glasgow could not be found, and neither of them gives the source of his information. The compiler places the number at about 128, based upon the most reliable unofficial information he has been able to obtain.
[Note 13.] The compiler finds (War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, page 615) the official report of Major L. B. Houston, covering the period embraced in the expedition against Johnston's army and the Return to Vicksburg, as follows:
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-THIRD IOWA INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS,
July 24, 1863.
Left Vicksburg on the morning of July 5, 1863, with 82 enlisted men, and 7 Field, Staff and Commissioned officers. Encamped on Big Black River, 14 miles distant, where one man died from disease, and 5 enlisted men and one commissioned officer returned to Vicksburg on account of sickness.
July 6 — Proceeded to Edwards Station, having frequent skirmishes with the enemy, and encamped for the night.
July 7 — Proceeded, with frequent skirmishing, to Clinton, 8 miles distant.
July 8 — Took up line of march, driving the enemy before us, with frequent skirmishes, to their intrenchments at Jackson, before which place we camped in front of the enemy.
July 9 — Skirmishing all day with the enemy, with the loss of one man wounded. July 10 — Skirmishing as before. July 11 — Advanced near the works of the enemy, and threw up breastworks. Heavy skirmishing.
July 12 — Constant skirmishing from this date until the evening of the 16th, when the enemy evacuated Jackson.
July 17 — We entered Jackson and took possession of the works.
July 18—Started out to tear up the track and destroy bridges on the Jackson and New Orleans Railroad, which we continued until the morning of the 20th, when we commenced our return to Vicksburg, where we arrived and went into camp July 24th.
Respectfully submitted,
L. B. HOUSTON, Major,
Commanding Twenty-third Iowa Infantry Volunteers.
FIRST LIEUTENANT W. E. HOUSTON, Acting Adjutant.
[Note 14.] "Iowa and the Rebellion," By L. D. Ingersoll; Second Edition, 1866, pages 499, 500.
SOURCE: Roster & Record of Iowa Soldiers During the War of the Rebellion, Volume 3, p. 671-84
The aggregate strength of the regiment at the completion of its organization was 961 officers and men [see note 1]. This was about the average number of the infantry regiments of Iowa, at the time of their muster into the service. Two of its original field officers, as shown by the record, had seen service in the field, — Colonel William Dewey [see note 2], as Lieutenant Colonel of the Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, and Lieutenant Colonel William H. Kinsman, as Captain of Company B, Fourth Iowa Infantry [see note 3]. The regiment was, therefore, in charge of officers who had won distinction and honor in two of the great battles of the war: Colonel Dewey, who, while gallantly performing his duty at the battle of Shiloh, in the thickest of the fight, had had his horse shot under him and was commended for his bravery and efficiency in the official report of the regimental commander; Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman, who had fought bravely as Captain of his company at Pea Ridge, and had received special mention in the official report of Colonel Dodge, for the gallant and efficient manner in which he had discharged his duty as a company commander. Major Glasgow was yet to demonstrate his fitness and capacity for the discharge of the duties of his office, but the official records show that he did so at the first opportunity, proving himself a most courageous and efficient commander. The regiment was thus highly fortunate in the selection of its first field officers, and also in those who were subsequently promoted to fill the vacancies occasioned by the death of Colonels Dewey and Kinsman [see note 4].
Soon after the regiment was mustered into the service, it proceeded to St. Louis, where it remained on duty for a short time, when it moved to Rolla, Mo., and was on duty at Camp Patterson and, later, at West Plains, Mo., until February, 1863. The first operations of the regiment against the enemy are described in the official report of Colonel Dewey [see note 5]. This report reveals the fact that Colonel Dewey was selected for the command of a very important expedition, and that he fully complied with his instructions, accomplishing all that was possible, considering the difficulties he encountered and the failure of the cavalry force to act in conjunction with him at the point where he had hoped to cut off the retreat of the rebel force, against which he was operating. For 'the purpose of showing the energy and capacity for endurance %of the troops in this, their first, experience, (at least in so far as that portion of the Twenty-third Iowa engaged in the expedition was concerned,) the report of Colonel Dewey is here given:
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEERS,
CAMP PATTERSON, MO., Nov. 2, 1862.
COLONEL BOYD: In accordance with your order of the 24th ult., I left Camp Patterson at 6 o'clock on the morning of Saturday, the 25th of October, with three companies of my regiment, (Twenty-third Iowa Volunteers,) under command of Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman, five companies Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers, under Captain O. P. Newberry, two companies of First Missouri State Militia, a section of Strang's Battery, under Major Jeinsch, and eighteen men of the Twelfth Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, under Captain Leeper. At Morrison's, 12 miles from this place, I was joined by three companies of the Twenty-fourth Missouri Volunteers, under Captain Vaughn. My instructions were to march for Pitman's Ferry, on Currant River, which place I was to reach by 3 o'clock P. M. on Sunday the 26th, form a junction with Lieutenant Colonel Lazare, and attack any rebel force at that point. You informed me that Lieutenant Colonel Lazare had orders to meet me there at that time and co-operate with me. The first day I marched 26 miles, to Black River, which I reached at 4 o'clock P. M. I found the stream wide and deep, and the crossing difficult, but I was determined to get the infantry and baggage train over that night. I placed the transportation of the troops under charge of Captain O. P. Newberry, of the Twenty-sixth Missouri, with orders to cross at all hazards. After an immense amount of labor, the untiring energy of the captain was successful, and at 11 o'clock at night he reported all safely over except the artillery and one company of the First Missouri, left to guard it. The next morning at daylight Captain Newberry commenced crossing the artillery. The ammunition was shifted from the caissons and transported in wagons, and the whole train crossed in safety. I commenced the march from Black River at 8 o'clock A. M., Sunday, 26th, and reached Vandover's after a march of twenty miles. A mile this side of Vandover's my advanced guard of cavalry, under Captain Leeper, drove in the enemy's pickets, all of whom unfortunately escaped, and thus betrayed my advance.
I was now 17 miles from Pitman's Ferry, and it was important to make a rapid march and gain possession of the boat. I accordingly detailed Lieutenant Buzard, of the Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers, with 40 picked men, to move rapidly forward with the cavalry and gain possession of the ferry. They started at 1 o'clock on the morning of the 27th, and at two I followed with the reserve body. The men marched without breakfast. Ten miles this side of the ferry, the advance guard surprised a scouting party of the enemy and captured a captain and thirteen men. Leaving these prisoners under guard, they pushed rapidly forward and succeeded in surprising the guard at the ferry, which were dispersed by a volley from Lieutenant Buzard's men. Private Richard Lloyd, of Company F, Twenty-fifth Missouri, swam the river and brought the boat over to this side. When about two miles from the river, at 8 o'clock in the morning, I received information that the great object of my anxiety, the ferry boat, was safe in our possession. When a mile from the river, a messenger brought me word that the enemy was forming in line of battle on the other side. I immediately ordered the artillery forward at a gallop. The infantry, regardless of their long and fatiguing march, followed at a double quick. I halted the column about 100 yards from the river bank and formed line on each side of the road, the right wing consisting of the Twenty-third Iowa under Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman, the center consisting of the artillery and the two companies of the First Missouri State Militia, under Major Jeinsch, and the left consisting of the five companies of the Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers, under Captain Newberry. The two companies of the Twenty-fourth acted as a reserve and guard to the prisoners, under Captain Vaughn. Riding forward to the front, Lieutenant Poser, commanding the artillery, informed me that the enemy were planting a battery on the other side. I ordered him to open upon them immediately, which he promptly did, and after a few rounds the enemy scattered and dispersed. I then ordered Lieutenant Miller of the Twenty-fifth Missouri to cross the river with his company and deploy them as skirmishers, and follow the enemy as far as practicable; and, to guard his retreat, I ordered Captain Houston of Company A, Twenty-third Iowa, to form his company on the river bank near the ferry, leaving the rest of the command in line of battle. At 12 M, Lieutenant Miller returned and reported the enemy retreating.
I had been for several hours anxious to learn the whereabouts of Lieutenant Colonel Lazare and his command. Everything depended upon his co-operating with me. I knew that with my small force of infantry, exhausted by a long and fatiguing march, and without food since the previous night, it was folly for me to attempt a pursuit. Lazare's route to join me led directly across the road by which the enemy retreated, and I waited in deep suspense for some intelligence from him or for some evidence of his presence. At noon I sent Leeper over the river with his 18 cavalrymen to scour the country and try to gain intelligence of Lazare. After a fruitless search, he returned without any tidings and I reluctantly ordered the men to camp. They had performed a forced march of 65 miles and had been 20 hours without food, and without murmuring. They were still ready to go forward, if there was any prospect of overtaking the enemy; but without Lazare's cavalry, pursuit would be useless. I had hoped the sound of cannonading would reach him and convey to him the tidings of my presence, but it did not. The next morning, the 28th, I sent Captain Houston with his company up the river, and Captain Rosensteen with his company down, both on this side, to explore the country and ascertain the position and practicability of the various fords. I also sent Captain Leeper, with such infantry as I could mount, over the river, to explore the different roads leading to the ferry, with instructions to find Lazare if possible. About 11 o'clock, I received a dispatch from Colonel Lazare, directed to you, of which the following is a copy:
October 26th, 4 o'clock A. M.
COLONEL BOYD: Yours of 7 and 10 o'clock, 24th, reached me at ten last night. I cannot reach Pitman's Ferry and find out what is at Thomasville before the 29th. Will be there then. We scattered Boon's men in every direction yesterday, killing six or eight — 18 prisoners, 25 guns, 12 horses. They have all come up but Crow's Company, which has gone east of Currant River.
B. F. LAZARE, Colonel Commanding.
I immediately recalled the scouting parties and crossed my command, with the exception of the artillery and Captain Vaughn's men, over the river. Late in the evening I received another dispatch from Lazare, by Lieutenant Going, informing me verbally that he was marching from the direction of Thomasville, on the Pocahontas road, and would be ready to co-operate with me at any time after midnight. This road leads directly across the road to Yellville, by which the enemy retreated, and they had already passed the point of intersection at least 36 hours before. Of course pursuit was now useless, and I directed Lieutenant Going to rejoin Colonel Lazare, with orders to join me as soon as possible on the Pocahontas road. On the morning of the 29th I crossed the artillery over the river, and, leaving Captain Vaughn to guard the ferry and the prisoners, I marched towards Pocahontas, and formed a junction with Colonel Lazare at Bolinger's Mill, 15 miles from the ferry. I immediately ordered a detachment of 50 cavalry, under Major Lippard, to march to Pocahontas to search for horses and contraband goods. Major Jeinsch accompanied the detachment. They dispersed a small scouting party, capturing eight or ten horses, and found a number of rebels sick in a hospital, whom Major Jeinsch paroled, and a list of whom accompanies this report. The next morning, October 30th, I commenced my march back to Patterson, which point I reached at 6 o'clock P. M. November 2d. Too much praise cannot be awarded the officers and men under my command in this expedition. They performed a march of 65 miles to Pitman's Ferry, the first day through a severe storm, in less than two days and a half, crossing a wide and deep stream. The last 20 hours they were on the march or in line of battle without food. On their return they performed a march of 80 miles in four days, crossing two wide and deep streams. I have no hesitation in saying that, had the force under Colonel Lazare been able to co-operate with me, by reaching the road to Yellville, by which the enemy retreated, at the time I reached Pitman's Ferry on the morning of the 27th, we would have routed the entire rebel force and captured their baggage train and artillery. This force I estimate from reliable information at 100 cavalry, 500 infantry and four pieces of artillery, under command of Colonels Burdage, Green and Mitchell. It retreated toward Yellville, at which point I understand a large force of the enemy is being concentrated, and where they have a powder mill in operation. My thanks are especially due to the following officers detailed on special duty: Captain Newberry, Twenty-fifth Missouri, for efficiency in crossing the command over Black River; to Lieutenant Waterbury, Twenty-third Iowa, Acting Adjutant; to Lieutenant Brown, Twenty-third Iowa, Acting Quartermaster, and to Lieutenant Buzard, Twenty-fifth Missouri, commanding advance guard of infantry.
Very respectfully, etc.,
WM. DEWEY, Colonel Commanding.
The roster of the Twenty-third Iowa shows that Colonel Dewey was 51 years of age when he joined the regiment. No doubt the hardships and exposure, to which he and the troops he commanded were subjected upon the expedition described in his report, brought on the illness which soon after culminated in his death. The regiment suffered much from the ravages of disease during this early period of its service. This was the common experience of all the new regiments, and particularly of those whose first service was performed on the borders of Missouri and Arkansas during those arduous campaigns in the late autumn of 1862 and winter of 1863. The troops were exposed to the inclemency of the weather on their marches in pursuit of their elusive enemy. While the fatalities from disease were numerous, a much larger number were incapacitated for further military service, many of whom never fully recovered from the effects of the diseases with which they were stricken. Upon the arrival of the regiment at West Plains, it was assigned to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Army of Southeast Missouri, consisting of the Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Twenty-third Regiments of Iowa Infantry, under the command of Colonel William M. Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa.
On the 9th of February, 1863, the regiment, with the other troops, commenced the march which ended at Iron Mountain on February 26th. This long march through the mountainous regions of the State, over difficult and, at times, almost impassable roads, exposed to severe cold and heavy storms against which there was no adequate protection, much of the time with insufficient rations, put to the severest test the courage and fortitude of the officers and men of the regiment, and subjected it to greater ultimate loss than it subsequently sustained in some of the severe battles in which it took part. Only men imbued with the highest degree of patriotism could have endured such suffering without murmuring or complaint, as did these brave and hardy sons of Iowa.
The army remained encamped at Iron Mountain until the 9th of March, when orders were received to join the army of General Grant, then operating against Vicksburg, Miss. The march was then resumed and, on March 12th, the troops arrived at St. Genevieve, Mo., on the Mississippi River, and there encamped to await the arrival of the fleet of transports which was to convey them down the river. On the 22d of March, the transports upon which the Twenty-third Iowa and the other regiments of the Second Brigade had embarked proceeded to Milliken's Bend, La., where they arrived and disembarked on March 27th. A large number of troops were being concentrated at Milliken's Bend, preparatory to the opening of General Grant's campaign against Vicksburg. By April 1st, the remainder of the troops of the Army of Southeast Missouri had arrived and, in the reorganization which followed, that army lost its identity, the troops composing it being assigned to the Thirteenth Army Corps, commanded by Major General John A. McClernand. In this reorganization the Twenty-third Iowa became a part of the Second Brigade of the Fourteenth Division of the Thirteenth Corps, commanded by Brigadier General Eugene A. Carr. The other regiments composing the brigade were the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Iowa and Eleventh Wisconsin, Colonel C. L. Harris of the latter regiment being the senior officer in command. The brigade received orders to march on the 12th of April and proceeded to Richmond, La., and thence to Perkins’ Landing, where it went into camp to await the arrival of the remainder of the corps.
On the evening of April 27th, and on the morning of the 28th, the embarkation of the troops of the Thirteenth Army Corps had been completed, and the fleet of transports proceeded down the river, landing opposite the mouth of Black River, near Grand Gulf, where the enemy had erected heavy fortifications. On the morning of April 29th, the fleet of gunboats commenced a bombardment of the enemy's fortifications, which lasted for several hours but without success. The troops had been held in readiness to supplement the attack of the gunboats; the position being deemed too strong to be carried by assault, the gunboats were withdrawn, but during the night ran past the rebel batteries. In the meantime the troops of the Thirteenth Corps had received orders to march, and moved down the levee three miles below Grand Gulf, where they bivouacked until morning. On the morning of the 30th, the troops of the Thirteenth Corps again embarked on transports and gunboats and proceeded down the river to Bruinsburg, sixteen miles below Grand Gulf, near the mouth of Bayou Pierre, where they landed, and at 4 P. M. took up the line of march towards Port Gibson, Miss. The Second Brigade of General Carr’s Division, to which the Twenty-third Iowa belonged, led the advance of the army and marched in the following order: Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Twenty-third Iowa, and Eleventh Wisconsin. Colonel Harris was taken sick and, being unable to continue in command of the brigade, was relieved by Colonel Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa. The march was continued without interruption until one o'clock A. M. on May 1st, when the advance guard was fired upon by the enemy's pickets, about three miles from Port Gibson. The enemy's batteries, which had been posted so as to enfilade the road, then opened upon the advancing troops, but, owing to the darkness, did little execution. It was evident that the enemy had taken position in strong force and that a battle was impending. Skirmishing and exchange of shots between the Union and Rebel batteries continued for two hours, during which the relative positions of the contending forces were developed, when the firing ceased on both sides until daylight, at which time the batteries of the enemy resumed their fire with great vigor and their infantry moved forward to the attack. The following extracts from the official report of Colonel Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa, who was in command of the brigade, will serve to show how well the Twenty-third Iowa acquitted itself in the battle which ensued [see note 6]. After giving the details of the engagement of the previous night, Colonel Stone proceeds to describe with particularity of detail the operations and conduct of his brigade in the battle of Port Gibson, May 1st, 1863. He describes the opening of the engagement as follows [see note 7]:
. . . Soon after sunrise the battle was renewed by the enemy, who held their position during the night. Their batteries opened upon us with great vigor, and their infantry moved forward to the attack. My command was promptly in line, and Captain Griffith's vigorously returned their fire with his admirable battery. Other brigades and batteries were soon engaged on our right and left. . . . Our position being in the center of our line, I was ordered by General Carr to hold my infantry in readiness to charge the enemy's lines when the decisive moment should arrive. . . . About 10 o'clock it became evident that the enemy were massing their forces upon our immediate front, as their musketry was increasing in volume and rapidly advancing toward us. At this juncture I moved my brigade forward in double lines of battalions, for the purpose of charging upon the advancing columns of the enemy. We were compelled to cross a deep hollow, thickly covered on both sides with underbrush and cane, but my men moved forward with the spirit and steadiness of veteran troops. . . . When the thicket was passed, and as we advanced into the open field close to the enemy's lines, we opened fire upon them with such rapidity and precision that, unable to resist it, they soon broke and retreated in utter confusion. This ended the battle of the morning. Our victory was complete. The dead and wounded of the enemy lay thickly scattered over the ground, while their prisoners and small arms that fell into our hands were counted by the hundreds. We remained but a few minutes on the victorious field. I moved at once in pursuit of the retreating foe, and, when about one mile from the late field, my advance regiment, the Eleventh Wisconsin, covered by two companies of skirmishers from the Twenty-third Iowa, was fired upon from the timber. I saw at once that the enemy had been strongly re-enforced and were determined to make another stand. Their position was well chosen, on a high hill covered with timber, and commanding the entire ground over which we were compelled to approach. My regiments were soon in line, with Captain Griffith's battery in position, which opened with its usual spirit upon the enemy. Simultaneously with this the rebel batteries also opened with accurate range, and for about half an hour we sustained alone the concentrated fire of their infantry and artillery. Finally other brigades and batteries became engaged, and the battle raged with terrific fury along our lines. My command, however, remained in front during the entire engagement, and all the time under the enemy's fire. They retired only after the battle had ceased and the enemy had again retreated from the field. During these five hours' hard fighting, I am proud to say that the officers and men of this brigade acted with the utmost coolness, and with a determined courage that would have done honor to veteran troops. They promptly obeyed every command, and displayed a degree of exalted heroism which nothing but the influence of exalted patriotism could have produced. To Colonel Merrill of the Twenty-first Iowa, Lieutenant Colonel Glasgow of the Twenty-third Iowa, Lieutenant Colonel Wood of the Eleventh Wisconsin, and Major Atherton of the Twenty-second Iowa, I am under great obligations for the coolness and promptitude with which they obeyed my orders in the various movements on the field. Their associate officers, too, are entitled to great credit, as all of them, so far as I have been able to learn, performed their duties nobly. To the dauntless and heroic men of the ranks and the line officers all honor is due. . . . When the history of this war is fully written, they will be numbered among the bravest defenders of the Republic. Lieutenants Jackson, of the Eleventh Wisconsin, and Waterbury, of the Twenty-third Iowa, acting Aides, rendered me essential service, and they both displayed great coolness and bravery in conveying orders under the hottest fire. . . .
The total losses of the two brigades of General Carr's Division in the battle of Port Gibson were 263 killed and wounded; the total losses of the Second Brigade were 101 killed and wounded; the loss of the Twenty-third Iowa was 9 killed and 26 wounded, — the heaviest loss sustained by any regiment in the brigade. Among the wounded were Captain William R. Henry and Lieutenant D. P. Ballard.
The regiment took part in the various movements of its brigade and division, which led up to the battle of Champion's Hill on the 16th of May, 1863. In that hard fought battle, General Carr's Fourteenth Division was held in reserve, until very near its close, when it was ordered forward in pursuit of the retreating enemy and succeeded in capturing a considerable number of prisoners and a large quantity of army stores, but the order was not given in time to enable General Carr to cut off the retreat of the rebel army, which fell back to its strongly fortified position on Big Black River, closely followed by the Fourteenth Division, which led the advance. The march was conducted with great vigor and, at 10 A. M., on May 17th, the pickets of the enemy were driven in. The Second Brigade was now under the command of General M. K. Lawler, from whose extended official report of the battle which ensued the following brief extracts are taken [see note 8]:
. . . I was instructed by the Brigadier General commanding the division to move forward slowly and cautiously with my command, and develop and press back, if possible, the enemy's left. Accordingly I ordered Colonel C. L. Harris, Eleventh Wisconsin, who held the left of our new position, to move his regiment forward through the woods in his front, his skirmishers covering his advance, and the Twenty-third Iowa, Colonel Kinsman, to follow him at a distance of 100 yards as a support. At the same time I advanced the Twenty-first Iowa, Colonel Samuel Merrill, into the cleared field skirting Big Black River, with instructions to move forward on a line with the Eleventh Wisconsin. The Peoria Battery was left in position on the rising ground in the edge of the field, and the Twenty-second Iowa in rear as a reserve and support. Meanwhile there had commenced a spirited artillery engagement between the battery of Benton's Brigade and the enemy's cannon in position behind their works. The skirmishers of the First Brigade were actively engaged, and those of the Eleventh Wisconsin, which regiment advanced steadily forward through the timber to the field in front of the enemy's works, and distant from them about 400 yards. Here I ordered it to halt, and move down to the right through the field skirting the river, and take position in the woods and brush lining this stream. This movement Colonel Harris promptly executed, reaching the position designated without serious loss, though exposed to a heavy fire from the enemy's sharpshooters. The Twenty-third Iowa, Colonel Kinsman, having come up after the Eleventh Wisconsin, was ordered to make a similar movement to the right, and to move up under cover of the river bank and take position on the right of the Eleventh Wisconsin and as close as possible to the enemy's works, and the Twenty-first Iowa, Colonel Merrill, to take position on the bank between these two regiments. I also directed the Peoria Battery to take position in the open field in front of the left of the enemy and to open an enfilading fire on their center batteries, with which the battery of Benton's Brigade was engaged. At the same time the Twenty-second Iowa, Colonel Stone, was ordered to move forward on the left of the field to within supporting distance. These orders were quickly responded to, and the position thus occupied by the brigade continued to be held without material variation. During the greater part of the forenoon heavy but ineffectual musketry firing was kept up by the enemy upon my men, briskly responded to by our sharpshooters. Late in the forenoon, finding it impossible to press farther forward along the river bank toward the enemy, as I had intended, Colonel Kinsman, Twenty-third Iowa, proposed to charge at once the enemy's works and drive them out at the point of the bayonet, and asked my consent to the same. Foreseeing that a charge by a single regiment, unsustained by the whole line, against fortifications as formidable as those in his front, could hardly be successful, at the same time I gave my consent to his daring proposition, I determined that there should be a simultaneous movement on the part of my whole command. Accordingly, the Twenty-first Iowa, Colonel Merrill, was ordered to charge with the Twenty-third, the Eleventh Wisconsin following close upon them as a support, and the Twenty-second Iowa, Colonel Stone, — which had in the meantime crossed the field and taken position on the river bank on the right of the Eleventh Wisconsin, — were ordered to move out into the field and act as a. reserve force. . . . Orders were further given that the men should reserve their fire until upon the rebel works. Finally the regiments that were to lead the charge were formed, with bayonets fixed, in the edge of the woods on the river bank. All things being in readiness, the command "Forward" was given by Colonel Kinsman, and at once his noble regiment sprang forward to the works. The Twenty-first Iowa, led by Colonel Merrill, moved at the same instant, the Eleventh Wisconsin, Colonel Harris, closely following. Through a terrible fire of musketry from the enemy in front, and a galling fire from his sharpshooters on the right, these brave men dashed bravely on. Kinsman fell, dangerously wounded, before half the distance was accomplished. Struggling to his feet, he staggered a few paces to the front, cheered forward his men, and fell again, this time to rise no more, pierced through by a second ball. Colonel Merrill, the brave commander of the Twenty-first Iowa, fell, wounded early in the charge. . . . Immediately Lieutenant Colonel Glasgow placed himself at the head of the Twenty-third Iowa, and Major Van Anda led on the Twenty-first. Undismayed by the loss of their Colonels, and by the perfect storm of bullets poured into them with destructive effect, the men of the Twenty-third and Twenty-first Iowa and Eleventh Wisconsin pressed onward, nearer and nearer to the rebel works, over the open field and up to the edge of the bayou. Halting here only long enough to pour into the enemy a deadly volley, they dashed forward through the bayou, filled with water, fallen timber and brush, on to the rebel works, with the Shout of victors, driving the enemy from their breastworks and entering in triumph the rebel stronghold. . . . Those of the rebels who were not captured hastened to make good their retreat over the bridge. ... It is, perhaps, worthy of remark that more men were captured by my brigade than I had men in the charge. . . . Lieutenant Colonel S. L. Glasgow, of the Twenty-third Iowa, and Major S. G. Van Anda, of the Twenty-first Iowa, who assumed command of their respective regiments after the fall of their Colonels, deserve the highest praise. . . . They had the honor of leading their regiments into the enemy's works. . . . Captain Houston, Company A, Captain Brown, Company I, and Lieutenant Rawlings, Company F, of the Twenty-third Iowa, with their commands, broke the enemy's line in a swamp at the edge of .the timber, and poured an enfilading fire into the ditches that routed the rebels in confusion. Lieutenant Rawlings captured the colors of the Sixty-first Tennessee, wresting them from the rebel color bearer. Captain Houston captured the colors of the Twenty-first Arkansas. Corporal John W. Boone, color bearer of the Twenty-third Iowa, fell, severely wounded; Corporal J. T. Shipman then grasped the colors and bore them gallantly to the front and through the whole charge. ... Special and honorable mention should be made of A. M. Lyon, Esq., Sutler of the Twenty-third Iowa, a brave old man, who took a gun at the commencement of the battle, went into the ranks, fought nobly, and fell mortally wounded. The death of Colonel Kinsman of the Twenty-third Iowa, whose brave and gallant conduct is the theme of universal praise, fills the hearts of all who knew him with poignant sorrow. A splendid soldier, a perfect gentleman, and a finished scholar, endowed in the highest degree with the noblest qualities of true manhood, his loss cannot prove less to his State and country than a public calamity. The officers and soldiers of his command had learned to love and respect him with an earnestness and devotion rarely equaled. His loss is irreparable, but he fell as the true soldier wishes to fall, in the moment of victory, when his country's flag waved in triumph over the stronghold of treason and rebellion, and died as the true soldier wishes to die, with Christian resignation and fortitude. . . . Finally, I cannot close this report without expressing my admiration for the brave men in the ranks, to whose steadiness and determined courage is in a great measure due the glory of the brilliant and decisive victory of Big Black Bridge. To them I return my warmest thanks. A grateful country will see that their services are appropriately rewarded.
The total loss of the Thirteenth Army Corps at the battle of the Big Black River Bridge was 279, while the loss in General M. K: Lawler's brigade alone was 221, and of this number the Twenty-third Iowa lost 2 officers and 11 enlisted men killed, and 3 officers and 85 enlisted men wounded. Total loss of the regiment 101 [see note 9]. The two officers killed were Colonel Kinsman and Captain R. L. McCray and the four wounded were: Captain John A. T. Hull, Lieutenant S. G. Beckwith, J. D. Ewing and Washington Rawlings. Lieutenants Beckwith and Ewing subsequently died from the effect of their wounds. The casualties of the Twenty-third in this battle were exactly the same as those of the entire brigade at Port Gibson. Had the military career of the Twenty-third Iowa ended with this battle, its record would have been established as one of the best and bravest regiments in the army of the United States.
The remainder of the 17th and all the next day after the battle were spent in caring for the wounded, burying the dead, and collecting the trophies of war, — the immense number of arms and accoutrements left on the battlefield and captured with the prisoners, 3,000 in number. To the Twenty-third Iowa was assigned the duty of guarding the prisoners. General Lawler, at the conclusion of his report, says: "The Twenty-third Iowa Volunteers, which had borne so distinguished a part and suffered so severely in the charge, was placed as a guard over the captured prisoners, and, by order of Major General U. S. Grant, has since gone north with them, thus losing to me for the time being the services of this command."
The regiment now marched to the Yazoo River, as guard to the rebel prisoners. As soon as transportation could be procured, it proceeded with the prisoners to Memphis. Upon arriving at that place, the prisoners were turned over to the Commandant of the Post and the regiment returned to Young's Point, La., where it arrived a few days before the attack was made upon Milliken's Bend, where the garrison, consisting of untrained negro troops, about 800 strong, was threatened with attack by a full brigade of rebel troops, under command of the rebel General McCulloch. General Elias S. Dennis was in command of the Post, and from his official report of the engagement the following extracts are made, to show the part taken by the Twenty-third Iowa [see note 10]. After describing the preliminary movements and skirmishes of the negro troops with the enemy, which occurred on June 6th, outside of his works, General Dennis proceeds to describe the terrible contest which ensued in the morning and forenoon of June 7, 1863 [see note 11].
. . . I immediately started the Twenty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry to their assistance, and Admiral Porter ordered the gunboat Choctaw to that point. At 3 o'clock the following morning the enemy made their appearance in strong force on the main Richmond road, driving the pickets before them. The enemy advanced upon the left of our line, throwing out no skirmishers, marching in close column by division, with a strong cavalry force on his right flank. Our forces, consisting of the Twenty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry and the African Brigade, (in all 1,061 men,) opened upon the enemy when within musket shot range, which made them waver and recoil, a number running in confusion to the rear; the balance, pushing on with intrepedity, soon reached the levee, when they were ordered to charge, with cries of "No quarter!" The African regiments being inexperienced in the use of arms, some of them having been drilled but a few days, and the guns being very inferior, the enemy succeeded in getting upon our works before more than one or two volleys were fired at them. Here ensued a most terrible hand to hand conflict of several minutes' duration, our men using their bayonets freely and clubbing their guns with fierce obstinacy, contesting every inch of ground, until the enemy succeeded in flanking them, and poured a murderous enfilading fire along our lines, directing their fire chiefly to the officers, who fell in numbers. Not till they were overpowered and forced by superior numbers did our men fall back behind the bank of the river, at the same time pouring volley after volley into the ranks of the advancing enemy. The gunboat now got into position and fired a broadside into the enemy, who immediately disappeared behind the levee, but all the time keeping up a fire upon our men. ... In this position the fight continued until near noon, when the enemy suddenly withdrew. Our men, seeing this movement, advanced upon the retreating column, firing volley after volley at them while they remained within gunshot. . . . The officers and men deserve the highest praise for their gallant conduct, and especially Colonel Glasgow, of the Twenty-third Iowa, and his brave men. . . . The enemy consisted of one brigade, numbering about 2,500, in command of General H. E. McCulloch and 200 cavalry. The enemy's loss is estimated at about 150 killed and 300 wounded. . . . Inclosed please find tabular statement of killed, wounded and missing; in all 652. Nearly all the missing blacks will probably return, as they were badly scattered . . .
The Twenty-third Iowa had been so greatly reduced in numbers by its heavy losses in battle and from disease that, at the time it went into the battle at Milliken's Bend, it had less than 200 officers and men able for duty. It was the only regiment of white troops engaged in that battle. The statement of casualties referred to in the official report of General Dennis is as follows: 11 officers and 90 men killed, 17 officers and 268 men wounded; total killed and wounded 386; captured or missing 2 officers and 264 men. Total loss 652 of the 1,061 engaged. The Twenty-third Iowa had none captured or missing, and its loss was as follows: 2 officers and 21 enlisted men killed, and 41 enlisted men wounded; total 64. Among the killed were Captain John C. Brown and Lieutenant William H. Downs, of the Twenty-third Iowa. The loss was probably greater, in proportion to the number engaged, than that sustained by the regiment in any of the battles in which it had previously been engaged [see note 12]. It had fully maintained its glorious record at Port Gibson and Black River Bridge, and placed itself high on the roll of fame. The battle of Milliken's Bend is memorable in the annals of the War of the Rebellion, not only on account of the desperate character of the conflict, but because of the avowed purpose of the rebel commander to take no prisoners, in the event of the capture of the garrison. When the rebels advanced to the attack with the cry of "No quarter!" it meant the death of every Union soldier — white or black — who might be so unfortunate as to fall into their hands. The adoption of such a savage and inhuman method of warfare was for the purpose of terrorizing the negro soldiers and discouraging them from entering or remaining in the service of the United States, and to serve as a warning to the white officers in command of the negro troops, as well as the white troops who fought by their side. It need not be said that such inhuman methods were not successful, and, being in contravention of the rules of civilized warfare, were soon abandoned.
The Twenty-third Iowa had now been in the service less than nine months, and its remaining service extended over a period more than two years longer. A considerable portion of its subsequent history, as will appear, is not marked with as arduous service as that which has been described in the preceding pages, and may therefore be condensed into the briefer space which the limitation to which the compiler is subjected renders necessary.
On the 18th of June, 1863, the Twenty-third Iowa rejoined its brigade, then engaged in the siege of Vicksburg. The regiment had been fearfully reduced in numbers by its heavy losses in battle and from disease, but the survivors who were able for duty went cheerfully into the trenches and performed their full share of the arduous and hazardous work, which continued until July 4, 1863, on which date the rebel stronghold was surrendered to General Grant and his victorious army. On the morning of July 5th, the Twenty-third Iowa, with its brigade and division, took up the line of march towards Jackson, with the army under command of General Sherman moving against the rebel army under command of General Johnston. A few days later the rebel army had taken refuge behind the strong works at Jackson. Another siege of but short duration ensued, in which the Twenty-third Iowa performed its full share of duty, and after the evacuation of Jackson, (which took place on the night of July 16th,) the regiment was engaged, with the other troops, in the extensive destruction of the railroad for a number of days, after which it returned to Vicksburg, arriving there on the 24th of July and going into camp with its brigade, which had now become a part of the First Division of the Thirteenth Army Corps [see note 13].
On the 13th of August the regiment embarked on transports and moved down the river to Carrollton, eight miles above New Orleans, and went into camp at that place. It was soon after moved to New Orleans and there embarked with its brigade on transports and proceeded to Algiers. Landing there September 4th, the troops were conveyed by rail to Bayou Beoff, where they arrived September 5th. From that place they marched to Brashear City, on Berwick Bay, remaining there until September 25th, when they were conveyed across the bay and went into camp near what had been the town of Berwick, but which was then in ruins. From that point the troops again marched, on the 2d of October, and, passing through Iberia, Franklin and St. Martinsville, arrived at Vermillionville on October 10th. On this march a considerable force of the enemy was encountered near Iberia but, after some skirmishing, the rebel force rapidly retreated and the Union troops continued the pursuit to Opelousas, at which point the pursuit was abandoned and the troops returned to Berwick. The Twenty-third Iowa had participated in all the movements of this expedition, but there is no record of its having met with any loss in the skirmishes which occurred.
The First Division — now under command of General Washburn — was .ordered to proceed to Texas and, on November 16th, the Twenty-third Iowa, with its brigade, crossed Berwick Bay and arrived at Algiers the next day. On the 20th the transports moved down the river and crossed the bar into the Gulf of Mexico. After a stormy voyage the transports arrived at the mouth of the Rio Grande, off Brazos de Santiago, Texas. Here five companies of the Eleventh Wisconsin succeeded in landing in small boats, but, during this hazardous undertaking, a storm arose and the ships were compelled to put to sea again. On the evening of the 27th they arrived off Mustang Island, 70 miles from Matagorda Bay, and, the storm having abated, succeeded in landing the troops in safety. On November 29th the regiment proceeded with the expedition against Fort Esperanza, which commanded the entrance to Matagorda Bay, crossed St. Joseph's and Matagorda Islands, and arrived in front of the fort on December 1st. The enemy had blown up their magazines and abandoned the fort the night before, thus saving a contest for its possession. The troops went into camp at Port Saluria, and on the next day crossed Pass Cavallo, at the entrance of the bay, and went into camp on the peninsula at De Crou's Point, where they remained until January 3, 1864, on which date the Twenty-third Iowa, with the other troops, embarked on transports and proceeded to Indianola. That town was occupied by a force of rebels but, upon the approach of the vessels conveying the Union troops, they abandoned the town and retreated to the interior. The troops were quartered in houses in Indianola for about three weeks, when the Second Brigade, to which the Twenty-third Iowa belonged, moved to the town of Old Indianola and went into winter quarters at that place, under the command of General Fitz Henry Warren, the former Colonel of the First Iowa Cavalry. The regiment was here comfortably situated. The only notable events were occasional skirmishes with small bodies of the enemy, by a detachment of 25 men who had been provided with horses for the purpose of scouting in the surrounding country. This detachment was made up of details from the different regiments, and sustained quite a number of casualties, but the records do not reveal the proportion of loss, if any, sustained by the Twenty-third Iowa, during this period of its service. In the absence of official reports of the movements of the regiment during the remaining period of its service, other than those relating to the operations of the troops with which it was known to be connected, and which are revealed through the reports of its brigade commanders, the compiler is only able to give a summary of its history during the period which intervened between the 21st of April, 1864, and the. date of its muster out of the service, July 26, 1865.
During the greater part of the winter of 1864, Major Houston of the Twenty-third Iowa was assigned to the command of the Twenty-second Iowa, on account of the absence of the field officers of that regiment. On the 13th of March the regiment with the other troops left the winter quarters at Old Indianola and returned to Matagorda Island, where they were assigned to the defense of the coast at that point. On the 21st of April, the regiment, with other troops, under the command of General Warren, participated in an expedition to Port Lavacca, 30 miles above Indianola. Upon the approach of the steamers, the rebel troops stationed at Port Lavacca abandoned the town and, before the troops could be disembarked, had made good their retreat into the interior. The enemy was pursued until it became evident that they could not be overtaken, when the pursuit was abandoned and the troops returned to Matagorda Island.
On the 27th of April, the Thirteenth Army Corps was ordered to report to General Banks, then engaged in the ill-fated Red River Expedition. As rapidly as transportation could be furnished, the troops got under way. The Twenty-third Iowa arrived at New Orleans on the 1st of May, and, with one-half of the Twenty-second Iowa, together with General Warren and his Staff, embarked on a river steamer and proceeded to Fort De Russy, arriving at that place on May 6th. The enemy having obstructed navigation of the river below Alexandria, the boats could go no farther. They then returned to the mouth of Red River, where the troops landed and went into camp. On the 15th of May the troops again embarked and proceeded to Simsport on the Atchafalaya, where General Banks' army had crossed on a bridge of transports. The regiment arrived at Morganza, La., on May 22d, and went into camp. In the reorganization of the army which soon followed, the Twenty-third Iowa was assigned to a brigade to which the Twentieth Iowa was attached and of which Lieutenant Colonel Leake, of that regiment, was the commander. After a period of rest at Morganza, the regiment with its brigade moved into the State of Arkansas, and was stationed at Devall’s Bluff and Brownsville, its service consisting mainly of garrison duty and labor upon fortifications at those points. There is no record of its having met any considerable force of the enemy during this period of its service.
Early in 1865, the regiment, with its brigade, moved to the vicinity of New Orleans and there awaited preparations for the closing campaign of the war in which it was to perform its full share of arduous and effective service. On this campaign, Lieutenant Colonel Charles J. Clark was much of the time in command of the regiment, — Colonel Glasgow having succeeded to the command of the brigade, — but no copies of their official reports were received by the Adjutant General of Iowa. It is well known, however, that the regiment was prominently identified with the operations of its brigade and division in all the movements that led up to the siege and capture of Spanish Fort, and that in the charge, which resulted in the capture of the fort, it sustained the high reputation for gallantry and heroism it had gained at Port Gibson, Black River Bridge and Milliken's Bend. The remainder of its service is well condensed, at the conclusion of its history, written soon after the close of the war, by L. D. Ingersoll, in his work entitled "Iowa and the Rebellion," [see note 14] as follows:.
"The brilliant and memorable operations of the regiment in the campaign against Mobile ended its operations in the face of the enemy. It is a remarkable coincidence that at Spanish Fort it met and whipped the Twenty-third Alabama regiment, which it had met and whipped on the occasion of its first going under fire, at the battle of Port Gibson. But the regiment did not here end its campaigning. Remaining near the scene of its latest renown a little more than two months, it embarked again for Texas, arriving at Galveston on the 22d of June. Thence it moved by Houston to Columbus, and went into encampment. Colonel Glasgow and Lieutenant Colonel Clark being necessarily absent in New Orleans, and Major Houston in command of the post, Captain J. J. Van Houten was in command of the regiment. After about a month spent rather agreeably in Texas, the regiment was honorably discharged the service on the 26th of July, 1865."
The official records show that the regiment was mustered out of the service of the United States at Harrisburg, Texas, July 26, 1865, and that it was then conveyed to Davenport, Iowa, and was there disbanded. The regiment numbered 417 officers and enlisted men at the date of its muster out of service. The Twenty-third Iowa stands conspicuous among the long line of splendid Iowa regiments, with its record of heroic achievements. Its survivors may well feel proud of its history. Its Roster contains the names of men who not only distinguished themselves as soldiers but who have since won fame and honor in the public service. Its survivors have proved themselves good and worthy citizens of the State and Nation they fought so bravely to defend and save. The State has done well in providing for the preservation of the history of the regiment and of the personal record of its members.
SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.
Total Enrollment 1,070
Killed 54
Wounded 135
Died of wounds 40
Died of disease 200
Discharged for disease, wounds or other causes 198
Buried in National Cemeteries 82
Captured , 3
Transferred 42
[Note 1.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 1, pages 817 to 849 inclusive.
[Note 2.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 2, page 788.
[Note 3.] Colonel Dewey died at Patterson, Mo., Nov. 30, 1862. Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1867, Vol. 1, page 151.
[Note 4.] See subjoined Roster, where subsequent changes are noted.
[Note 5.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 2, page 824.
[Note 6.] After the death of Colonel Dewey, Nov.30, 1862, Lieutenant Colonel Kinsman was promoted to Colonel of the regiment and Major Glasgow was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Colonel Kinsman being temporarily absent at the time the battle of Port Gibson was fought, Lieutenant Colonel Glasgow was in command of the regiment. His official report must have been lost, as the compiler is unable to find it, either in the files of the Adjutant General of Iowa or the Official Records of the War Department.
[Note 7.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 1, Vol. 24, pages 628-31.
[Note 8.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, pages 135 to 139 inclusive.
[Note 9.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, page 130. Returns of Casualties in battle of Big Black River Bridge.
[Note 10.] The compiler has made diligent search of the Official Records for the report of Colonel Glasgow, but without success.
[Note 11.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, pages 447-8. Loss statement in foot-note to Report.
[Note 12.] The casualties of the Twenty-third Iowa at Milliken's Bend are obtained from the muster out rolls of the regiment, where all casualties are noted, and are, therefore, officially correct, but the number of officers and men engaged is not officially stated. In Byers' "Iowa in War Times," page 245, the number of the regiment engaged at Milliken's Bend is estimated at from 110 to 160, while in Ingersoll's "Iowa and the Rebellion," page 496, the statement is made that the regiment had less than 200 men fit for duty at the time the battle was fought. Both authors state that the official report of Colonel. Glasgow could not be found, and neither of them gives the source of his information. The compiler places the number at about 128, based upon the most reliable unofficial information he has been able to obtain.
[Note 13.] The compiler finds (War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 2, Vol. 24, page 615) the official report of Major L. B. Houston, covering the period embraced in the expedition against Johnston's army and the Return to Vicksburg, as follows:
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-THIRD IOWA INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS,
July 24, 1863.
Left Vicksburg on the morning of July 5, 1863, with 82 enlisted men, and 7 Field, Staff and Commissioned officers. Encamped on Big Black River, 14 miles distant, where one man died from disease, and 5 enlisted men and one commissioned officer returned to Vicksburg on account of sickness.
July 6 — Proceeded to Edwards Station, having frequent skirmishes with the enemy, and encamped for the night.
July 7 — Proceeded, with frequent skirmishing, to Clinton, 8 miles distant.
July 8 — Took up line of march, driving the enemy before us, with frequent skirmishes, to their intrenchments at Jackson, before which place we camped in front of the enemy.
July 9 — Skirmishing all day with the enemy, with the loss of one man wounded. July 10 — Skirmishing as before. July 11 — Advanced near the works of the enemy, and threw up breastworks. Heavy skirmishing.
July 12 — Constant skirmishing from this date until the evening of the 16th, when the enemy evacuated Jackson.
July 17 — We entered Jackson and took possession of the works.
July 18—Started out to tear up the track and destroy bridges on the Jackson and New Orleans Railroad, which we continued until the morning of the 20th, when we commenced our return to Vicksburg, where we arrived and went into camp July 24th.
Respectfully submitted,
L. B. HOUSTON, Major,
Commanding Twenty-third Iowa Infantry Volunteers.
FIRST LIEUTENANT W. E. HOUSTON, Acting Adjutant.
[Note 14.] "Iowa and the Rebellion," By L. D. Ingersoll; Second Edition, 1866, pages 499, 500.
SOURCE: Roster & Record of Iowa Soldiers During the War of the Rebellion, Volume 3, p. 671-84
