The body of Mr. August Sharp, of Co. E, 2d cavalry, who died at St. Louis Last Monday, will be interred in Oakdale cemetery this (Sunday) afternoon. The funeral will take place from the residence of Mr. J. G. Spraker, on Jersey Ridge. A detachment of soldiers from Camp McClellan will from the escort.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, February 10, 1862, p. 1
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Funeral Of A Soldier
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Twenty-fourth Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry
The ten companies assigned to the Twenty-fourth Infantry were ordered into quarters by Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood on dates ranging from the 16th to the 28th day of August, 1862. The rendezvous designated in the order was "Camp Strong," Muscatine, Iowa, where the companies were mustered into the service of the United States on the 18th day of September, 1862, by Captain H. B. Hendershott of the Regular Army. The aggregate number of the regiment at the completion of its organization was 979 [see note 1]. The revised roster, which follows this historical sketch, shows the names of the field and staff and company officers at the completion of the organization of the regiment; it also shows the changes which subsequently occurred, the additional enlistments and the name of every officer and enlisted man who at any time belonged to the regiment, together with the condensed record of their personal service, compiled from the official records. Great care has been taken in making the transcripts and, where it was possible to obtain evidence to complete records that were found to be incomplete, it has been done. No doubt there are errors and omissions in the original records that have been perpetuated in the revised rosters, but it is hoped that the number has been reduced to the minimum and that, in the main, the records will be found correct. Many of the official reports — so necessary to enable a complete history of the operations of the regiment to be compiled — are lacking, but in making up this condensed history the compiler has availed himself of such sources of information, not found in the official records, as could be considered reliable, and has been careful to avoid making any statement not strictly in accord with the facts
The regiment remained at Camp Strong until the 19th of October, 1862, on which date it marched to the levee at Muscatine and, embarking on transports, proceeded to St: Louis, where orders were received to proceed at once to Helena, Ark. "there it arrived and disembarked on the 28th of October, going into camp just south of the city and joining the brigade Commanded by Colonel McGinnis of the Eleventh Indiana. Many of the men had been attacked by sickness while upon the boat, and the unhealthy locality in which the regiment was now encamped added largely to the number upon the sick list. The privations and hardships endured by the Twenty-fourth Iowa, while at Helena and when engaged in the several expeditions in which it participated during the winter of l862-3, were the most severe in its history. On the 17th of November the regiment formed part of the force tinder General Hovey which proceeded to the mouth of White River; upon its return it engaged in another expedition to Goldwater, Miss., to co-operate with the movement of General Grant against Vicksburg and, on the 11th of January, 1863, it again formed part of a force engaged in another expedition up the White River, this time under General Gorman. While no considerable body of the enemy was encountered upon any of these expeditions, and no practical results were [accomplished] by them, the troops suffered almost unendurable hardships from exposure to storms of rain and snow, and the fatalities which resulted were as great as those sustained in many of the hard-fought battles in which the regiment subsequently participated. The survivors of the regiment always remembered that winter campaign as the most discouraging of the many through which they passed in their long period of service. Upon its return from the last expedition the regiment found its camp ground flooded, compelling removal to higher ground, and the change in location resulted in a decrease of the sick list, but many had died and a still larger number had been incapacitated for further service and were discharged. A considerable number of those who were thus discharged for disability never fully recovered.
On the 15th of February, 1863, the Twenty-fourth Iowa left Helena with its brigade, which formed part of the force under General Wasburn engaged in clearing out the obstructions in Yazoo Pass and opening the same to navigation. This duty, while arduous, gave the men active employment and relieved them from the depressing effects of witnessing the daily depletion of their ranks from disease, while lying idle in camp. Upon the return of the regiment to Helena, in the early spring, the troops with which it was associated were transferred to the Thirteenth Army Corps and ordered to join General Grant's army in its operations against Vicksburg, and were conveyed on transports to Milliken's Bend, where they disembarked and marched, over difficult and sometimes almost impassable roads, to Perkins’ Landing. Here, on the 28th of April, they again embarked on transports and barges and moved down the river to a point about four miles above Grand Gulf, where, without disembarking, they witnessed the tremendous artillery combat between the gunboats and the rebel batteries at Grand Gulf, which lasted for several hours. The troops had, in the meantime, been awaiting orders to land and co-operate with the gunboats in their attack upon the enemy's works, but, after prolonged bombardment, without apparent effect, the gunboats withdrew, and the attack by land was also abandoned. The troops disembarked and marched down the levee to a point three miles below Grand Gulf, where they bivouacked until morning. During the night the gunboats and a number of transports succeeded in passing the rebel batteries. The Twenty-fourth Iowa, with the other troops of the Thirteenth Corps, now embarked on transports and gunboats and were conveyed down the river to Bruinsburg, sixteen miles below Grand Gulf, where they landed and took up the line of march toward Port Gibson.
The Twenty-fourth Iowa had been assigned to the Second Brigade of the Twelfth Division, Thirteenth Army Corps. The brigade was composed of the Forty-seventh Indiana, Fifty-sixth Ohio, and the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa, and was under the command of Colonel James R. Slack of the Forty-seventh Indiana, from whose official report — in the absence of the report of the commander of the regiment — the following extracts are made, showing the part taken by the Twenty-fourth Iowa in the battle of Port Gibson, May 1, 1863. After describing the formation and position of his brigade prior to the commencement of the engagement, Colonel Slack says:
During the formation of our lines, the battle opened a short distance to our left and front, and continued with great stubbornness for an hour, when General Hovey directed me to put my column in motion and support General Benton, whose forces were being hard pressed by overwhelming numbers. The whole column was immediately formed, and moved most gallantly to the point indicated, with the Forty-seventh Indiana and Fifty-sixth Ohio on the left and the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa on the right. These positions were respectively taken under a severe fire of the enemy's infantry, and shell and canister from a whole battery at a distance of about two hundred yards, yet the several commands took their position in line without flinching, and advanced to within eighty yards of the enemy's battery, immediately after which General Hovey ordered Colonel Cameron, of the Thirty-fourth Indiana, to charge and take the battery, and ordered me to support the charge with the Fifty-sixth Ohio, which was immediately to the left of the Thirty-fourth Indiana.
While the fierce fighting which resulted in the capture of the battery and 220 prisoners from the rebel troops supporting it was in progress, the Twenty-fourth Iowa was held in reserve, but was ready to advance the moment the order was received. It was the regiment's first battle, and its officers and men chafed under being placed in reserve and not having their share of the fighting in this early period of the battle. Later in the day, however, the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa were sent to the support of General Logan's division, on the extreme left. They promptly moved to the new position assigned them, as further shown by the report of Colonel Slack, in referring to the order, as follows:
In the afternoon the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa were ordered to the rear and extreme left of the line, to suport Major General Logan's division, which was hotly engaged, and there continued fighting like veterans, as the men of that gallant state always have done, until the enemy was driven from the field and utterly routed at every point, and the curtain of night closed the scene.
At the close of his report Colonel Slack says:
To the cool and gallant conduct of all the field and line officers, and the persevering determination of each and every one in my command, I cannot express too much gratitude and admiration. To them belongs the glory of the triumph, every officer and every man having done his whole duty. . . . The whole number of casualties are: Killed 16; wounded, 62; missing, 11; total, 89 [see note 2].
It will thus be seen that in its first experience in battle the Twenty-fourth Iowa had acquitted itself with honor, and had shown that, whenever the opportunity came, it could meet the enemy with that same steady courage and determined bravery that it had exhibited while enduring the hardships and suffering of the campaign in Arkansas, during which it did not come into contact with the enemy in battle, but faced the grim messenger of death, in the form of disease, with the same if not greater fortitude than was requisite to face the death-dealing guns of its rebel foes.
The official report of General A. P. Hovey describes with great particularity all the movements of the troops of his division between the dates of May 2d and 16th, upon which latter date the battle of Champion's Hill was fought [see note 3]. During these movements more or less skirmishing with the enemy occurred, in which the Twenty-fourth Iowa had its share; and, in the battle which ensued, the regiment took the most conspicuous part and suffered the greatest loss of any of the gallant regiments of its brigade. Failing to find the official report of the regimental commander, the compiler again has recourse to the reports of the brigade and division commanders, Colonel Slack [see note 4] and General Hovey [see note 5]. The following extracts are from the report of Colonel Slack:
On the night of the 15th, we encamped on the Jackson and Vicksburg Railroad near Bolton Station. In the morning we left camp about six o'clock, and moved east about 7 miles, when we approached very nearly to the enemy, drawn up in line of battle. In pursuance of orders of Brigadier General Hovey, I formed the Second Brigade in two lines to the left of the road, in the field of one Champion [see note 6], with the artillery in advance. Soon thereafter I placed my lines of battle in advance of the artillery, and ordered two companies of the Forty-seventh Indiana, two companies, of the Fifty-sixth Ohio, and two companies of the Twenty-fourth Iowa, as skirmishers, who covered the whole front of the line and advanced toward the enemy. Skirmishing soon began, and continued for about one hour, when I advanced the whole line, with the Forty-seventh Indiana on the right, and the Twenty-eighth Iowa on the left. The thick growth of underbrush and vines, ravines and hills, made it very difficult to advance, but it was accomplished with little disorder, until we reached the crest of the hill, where we found the enemy in very heavy force, about 200 yards in front of us, and under cover of a wood beyond a field. Then the battle began with great fury, our troops advancing for the purpose of driving the enemy from the cover of the woods, which was done at double-quick and in a most gallant manner, the men loading and firing as they advanced, and unfalteringly receiving a most deadly fire from the enemy; yet they pressed forward, as men only can do who are prompted by intelligent motives of patriotic devotion to a common country, until the rebel force was driven from the covering and forced to fall back a distance of 200 yards, with terrible loss, the ground being literally covered with dead and wounded rebels. In this daring and determined charge all the regiments lost most severely. The Twenty-fourth Iowa most gallantly charged upon a rebel battery of five guns, and took it at the point of the bayonet, killing many of the cannoneers and driving the remainder from their guns and some fifty yards to the rear, when a new rebel line, which had not been in action, appeared in treble our force, and opened a most murderous fire upon our lines, which the unflinching and determined braves of the Twenty-fourth Iowa resisted for fifteen minutes, but, because of the overwhelming force brought to bear upon them, reluctantly retired from the battery, but kept the rebel re-enforcements at bay by their incessant fire and stubborn resistance. This battery was subsequently retaken, and is now in our possession. During this terrific charge, Major Edward Wright, of the Twenty-fourth Iowa, was severely wounded, immediately after which he captured a stalwart rebel prisoner and made him carry him off the field. . . . Our ranks being badly depleted, I directed the whole command to retire gradually from the field and take position near the crest of the hill where the rebel lines were first formed, which was done in good order, at which time a re-enforcement of one brigade came to our support, and after a few well directed volleys, with the aid of the batteries, which General Hovey had massed on the extreme right, the enemy was routed and fled in great confusion and disorder from the field. . . . Thus ended this unequal, terrible and most sanguinary conflict. . . . For two long hours my brigade held in check fully three times their number, and I hesitate not in saying that, had they not so gallantly and determinedly resisted, the fortunes of the day might have been greatly damaged, if not our glorious triumph turned into a defeat. During the progress of the battle, my command took a large number of prisoners, which were handed over to the Provost-marshal without any account being taken of them. Major L. H. Goodwin of the Forty-seventh Indiana and Major Edward Wright of the Twenty-fourth Iowa were. seriously wounded while gallantly leading their men, but I am more than grateful to know that they are both rapidly recovering and will soon be able to resume their respective positions. To those brave officers and men who fell in that sanguinary conflict and who resolved to do or die in defense of and for the perpetuation of the best Government ever known to civilization, we cannot do more than assure their friends at home that they fell with their faces to the foe, in defense of the constitution of a common country. . . . The whole number of casualties (detailed lists of which I herewith inclose) is as follows: Forty-seventh Indiana, killed 32, wounded 91, missing 17, total 140. Fifty-sixth Ohio, killed 20, wounded 90, missing 28, total 138. Twenty-fourth Iowa, killed 35, wounded 120, missing 34, total 189. Twenty-eighth Iowa, killed 21, wounded 62, missing 14, total 97. First Missouri Battery, wounded 2.
It will thus be seen that the entire loss of the brigade was 556, out of the four regiments and one battery of which it was composed, of which number the loss of the Twenty-fourth Iowa constituted; one-third. Near the close of his very full and complete report of the part taken by the two brigades of his division in the battle of Champion's Hill, General Hovey says:
I cannot think of this bloody hill without sadness and pride. Sadness for the great loss of my true and gallant men; pride for the heroic bravery they displayed. No prouder division ever met as vastly superior foe and fought with more unflinching firmness and stubborn valor. It was, after the conflict, literally the hill of death; men, horses, cannon, and the debris of an army lay scattered in wild confusion. Hundreds of the gallant Twelfth Division were cold in death or writhing in pain, and, with large numbers of Quinby's gallant boys, lay dead, dying or wounded, intermixed with our fallen foe. Thus ended the battle of Champion's Hill, and our heroes slept upon the field with the dead and dying around them. I never saw fighting like this. The loss of my division on this field alone was nearly one-third of my forces engaged. Of the Twenty-ninth Wisconsin, Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa, in what words of praise shall I speak? Not more than six months in the service, their records will compare with the oldest and best tried regiments in the field. All honor is due to their gallant officers and men; and Colonels Gill, Byam and Connell have my thanks for the skill with which they handled their respective commands, and for the fortitude, endurance and bravery displayed by their gallant men. . . . Among the dead of the Second Brigade are the honored names of Captains Silas D. Johnson, William Carbee and First Lieutenant Chauncey Lawrence of the Twenty-fourth Iowa.
The total loss in both brigades of General Hovey's division in the battle of Champion's Hill was 1,202, of the 4,180 engaged [see note 7]. General Hovey places the loss of the Twenty-fourth Indiana at 40 per cent of its number engaged, and gives that as the maximum loss of any one regiment. Reference to the tabulated statement shows this to be an error. The Twenty-fourth Iowa had 417 enlisted men and officers engaged in the battle, and its loss was 189, over 45 per cent of the number engaged, and this was the heaviest percentage of loss of any regiment of the brigade or division. There were but nine companies of the Twenty-fourth Iowa engaged at Champion's Hill; Company B, being at that time on detached duty at General McClernand's headquarters, was not engaged. The regiment had now been in the service less than eight months, yet it had taken its place by the side of regiments from other states which had participated in numerous battles and had won the designation of Veteran, had fought with equal distinction, had won the highest commendation of its brigade and division commanders and, at the very beginning of its experience under the fire of the enemy, had established a record for bravery and efficiency second to none of the gallant regiments from Iowa which had preceded it to the field.
The Twenty-fourth Iowa marched with its brigade from the battlefield of Champion's Hill to Black River Bridge, but did not arrive there in time to participate in the battle in which the Twenty-first and Twenty-third Iowa regiments won such distinguished honor. Remaining at Black River for a few days, the regiment continued its march to Vicksburg, where it arrived on the 24th of May and at once took its position on the line of investment in the center of General Hovey's division, where for the succeeding forty days it endured the hardships, dangers and privations incident to the siege of the rebel stronghold which surrendered to General Grant on the 4th of July, 1863. On the morning of July 5th, the regiment marched with its brigade and division, as a part of the army under General Sherman, in the expedition against Jackson, Miss., and participated in the operations which ensued, culminating in the evacuation of Jackson by the enemy on July 16, 1863, and the end of the great Vicksburg campaign. The total loss of the two brigades of General Hovey's division, from the commencement of the siege of Vicksburg to the evacuation of Jackson, was 155 killed and wounded, while that of the Twenty-fourth Iowa, during the same period, was 1 killed and 12 wounded. As there were twelve organizations in the division, the loss of the Twenty-fourth Iowa was about the same average as that -of the other regiments of the division. During the entire campaign the aggregate losses of the Twenty-fourth Iowa in battle were 208.
Upon its return to Vicksburg the regiment was allowed a brief period of rest in camp. Colonel Byam had resigned on the 30th of June, and Lieutenant Colonel Wilds had succeeded to the command of the regiment. About the middle of August, 1863, the regiment was transferred to a new field of operations. Embarking on transports, it was conveyed to New Orleans, and from there proceeded to Algiers. From the date of its arrival at Algiers, the compiler finds a carefully written record of its subsequent operations, during the year 1864, prepared by Major (later Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General [see note 8]) Ed Wright for the Adjutant General of Iowa [see note 9]. Only brief quotations can be made from this record and the copies of official reports which accompany it, on account of limitation of space, but the compiler will endeavor to include all the most important events which transpired during this period of the service of the regiment. Reference to the record will show that the events which transpired during each month of the year are carefully noted and the details given with great particularity, a large part of which are necessarily omitted in this historical sketch.
During the greater part of the month of January, 1863, the regiment was in camp at Algiers, La., being at that time a part of the Second Brigade of the Third Division, Thirteenth Army Corps. The location of the camp was such that the men suffered much hardship from the wet weather which prevailed. On January 21st, the division was moved to Madisonville, La., on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, and there the regiment found the most beautiful and attractive camping ground it had occupied since leaving the State of Iowa. There the regiment remained until February 26th, when it returned to its former camp at Algiers, and there, on the 3d of March, with its brigade and division, marched in review before General McClernand and was especially complimented by the General for its fine appearance and perfection in drill.
On March 5th, the regiment was conveyed by rail to Berwick Bay, La. From there all camp equipage that could possibly be dispensed with and all extra baggage was sent back to New Orleans, and the troops prepared for rapid marching as reinforcements to the army under General Banks, then engaged in his unfortunate Red River Expedition. The troops consisted of the Third Division of the Thirteenth Army Corps, which included the brigade to which the Twenty-fourth Iowa belonged. The division marched rapidly to Washington, La., where it overtook the Nineteenth Army Corps, under General Franklin. The march was continued, with occasional halts for rest, when, on the 31st of March, the troops arrived at Natchitoches, La., having marched 290 miles. The march was resumed on the 6th of April and, on the evening of the 7th, the troops arrived at Pleasant Hill, La., and found the cavalry engaged in a skirmish with the enemy at the front. The brigade was ordered to move forward and support the cavalry, but, after marching about one mile, found that the enemy had retired. At daylight the next morning the march was renewed, with the Fourth Division in advance. Five companies of the Twenty-fourth Iowa were detailed as escort for the train in the rear. About 8 o'clock A. M. the advance encountered the enemy, who, after a short skirmish, retreated. The Third Division halted to await the arrival of the Nineteenth Corps, as the enemy was reported in strong force. At 2 P. M., the next day, the march was resumed. The troops marched very rapidly for five miles, when the enemy was discovered in force, the column was halted, and the First Brigade formed line of battle on the right of the road, with the Second Brigade in line on the left. The engagement which ensued was generally known as the battle of Sabine Cross Roads, but has sometimes been called the battle of Mansfield. Major Wright, who was in command of the Twenty-fourth Iowa, and who wrote the official report of the part taken by that portion of his regiment which was engaged in the battle, after describing the movements of his regiment and brigade prior to the opening of the engagement, says:
The Twenty-fourth, about 130 strong, Companies A, D, I, C and H having been detailed as train guard and left in the rear, under command of Capt Martin, was ordered to form in the rear as a reserve to the Second Brigade. The lines being formed, the advance was ordered. The lines moved forward near a fourth of a mile, when, coming to the edge of the field beyond the timber, a halt was ordered, and the line immediately engaged the enemy. The Twenty-fourth, about three hundred paces in the rear, was ordered to lie down. While in this position, my command received a severe raking artillery fire from the enemy's guns, posted in front of the right of the brigade. Having remained in this position about half an hour, during which time the front line was firing rapidly, I was ordered to move my command to the front, which I did by a left oblique movement, and came in on the left of the brigade, and took position in a ravine, at the edge of the timber. From the position there occupied, I could see with my field glass at least 8,000 of the enemy forming in the distance, but not within range of our muskets. The enemy's skirmishers had advanced to the edge of the hill in our front, and were protected by a battery immediately on their left, which had taken position behind some large buildings, from which place it was impossible for our weak line to dislodge it. The Fourth Division I could not learn anything of, and the only force to-oppose these heavy columns of the enemy was the Third Division, about 1,200 strong, and some straggling cavalry. This position was held for near an hour, when, the enemy advancing in heavy force — at least ten to one — and most of the command being out of ammunition, we were overwhelmed by numbers and compelled to retire from the field. This, however, was no easy task, as the enemy's cavalry was already far in our rear, both on the right and left, and we were assailed at all points. I ordered my command to confine their movements to the thick brush, as much as possible, and, by keeping in the woods between the road and an open field on our left, which was occupied by the enemy's cavalry, I succeeded in bringing the most of the command off the field, and forming in the rear of the Nineteenth Army Corps, about three miles from the battlefield, after which I procured ammunition for my men and joined with the One Hundred and Sixty-First New York Volunteers, and remained until after dark. The fight being over, I reported with my command to General Cameron, and marched back to Pleasant Hill, arriving there at sunrise on the morning of the 9th. Casualties during the day were 34, a list of which is hereto appended. The officers and men of my command all behaved well and stood at their posts until ordered to fall back, delivering their fire with a precision not to be surpassed. I cannot close this report without making some comments about the manner in which this battle was managed. It was understood when the army arrived at St. Patrick's Bayou that we had found the enemy in force, and why we should have been sent forward in detachments, only to be demolished by superior numbers, is a mystery to me. First the cavalry moved up and were repulsed; next the Fourth Division was moved forward, and shared the same fate. Then the Third Division moved forward on double quick for five miles, along a road blocked by trains, only to come in contact with an overwhelming force, before which it was compelled to retire. Who is responsible? I leave the question for the historian to answer, believing it will be answered correctly.
I have the honor to be, most respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
Ed Wright,
Major Twenty-fourth Regiment Iowa Infantry Volunteers.
N. B. Baker, Adjutant General State of Iowa.
The correct answer to Major Wright's question is readily given. His was only one of a number of brave Iowa regiments which lost heavily in that ill-fated expedition, through the utter incapacity of the Commanding General, Nathaniel P. Banks. The verdict of all military historians is unanimous with reference to the Red River Expedition and its commander. Both were stupendous failures. Major Wright displayed great skill and ability in being able to extricate his command from its perilous situation, with a loss of little less than one-third of the number engaged. While the loss was heavy, it is marvelous that, under the circumstances, it was not much greater. Had the other five companies of the regiment been engaged, the loss would have been proportionately greater. It was therefore fortunate that they were on detached duty.
Upon the return of the regiment to Pleasant Hill, Major Wright was placed in command of the brigade and Captain Martin assumed command of the regiment. The Third and Fourth Divisions of the Thirteenth Corps, under command of General Cameron, (General Ransom having been severely wounded,) were ordered to take charge of the train and proceed to Grand Ecore, on Red River. Here the command arrived, on the evening of the 11th, and began the construction of fortifications; Lieutenant Colonel Wilson, of the Twenty-eighth Iowa, succeeding Major Wright as brigade commander. The two divisions left Grand Ecore on the morning of the 22d and reached Cane River at 2 A. M. on the 23d, where the enemy was found strongly posted on the opposite side of the river, for the purpose of contesting the crossing of the Union troops. General Cameron did not attempt to force his way across the river under the fire of the enemy, but, moving his troops up the river, effected a crossing by wading, and thus outflanked the enemy and drove him from his position. A bridge was then put down, over which the army of General Banks had passed by 10 A. M. the next day, when the line of march was again taken up and the army arrived at Alexandria on the 25th. The retreat had been conducted by forced marches and the troops, marching day and night, were completely exhausted upon reaching Alexandria. Company A, of the Twenty-fourth Iowa, had been detailed to guard the steamer "Hetty Gilmore" from Grand Ecore down the river. During the trip a detachment of the enemy attempted to capture the boat but was driven off. Two men of the company, Sergeant Charles Wager and Private Rudolph McKinley, were severely wounded, the company returned to the regiment at Alexandria. Lieutenant Colonel Wilds, who had been absent since December 6th on recruiting service in Iowa, rejoined the regiment at Alexandria and resumed command. Between the 25th of April and the 13th of May the regiment had several sharp skirmishes with the enemy, in which a number of its men were wounded. General Banks commenced his retreat from Alexandria on May 13th, and on the 22d the army reached Morganza Bend. The Twenty-fourth Iowa had a skirmish with the enemy while engaged in a reconnoitering expedition from Morganza, in which Captain B. G. Paul, of Company K, was killed, and four enlisted men were wounded. The losses of the regiment while connected with the troops commanded by General Banks had reached the aggregate number of 48, and the results accomplished, during that period of its service, were not only not commensurate with the loss, but the officers and men of the regiment were fully justified in the opinion that the sacrifice had been in vain, and they were rejoiced to know that a change for the better was in prospect.
The regiment left Morganza on June 13th, proceeded to Carrollton, La., and went into camp near Greenville Station, on the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad. Leaving there on the 21st, it was subsequently stationed at Kennerville and Thibodeaux, La., until July 6th, upon which date it proceeded by rail to Algiers, where it received — in exchange for the old Enfield rifles with which it had been supplied since taking the field — new Springfield rifles and accouterments. On the morning of July 22d the regiment embarked on the transport "Star of the South" and, soon after, put to sea, with orders to report to the commanding officer at Fortress Monroe, where, after enduring the usual discomforts of a sea voyage, it arrived on the 29th, and at once proceeded to Washington, D. C, arriving there at midnight and, the next morning, proceeding by rail to Monocacy, Md., reached that place on August 1st, where it joined a detachment of the Nineteenth Army Corps under command of General Emory. Colonel Wilds was placed in command of the brigade to which his regiment was attached.
The Twenty-fourth Iowa was now about to enter upon an entirely new field of warfare, in which but few of the regiments from its own State had been called to serve. On the 4th of August it was conveyed by rail to Harper's Ferry, where it arrived at midnight and moved out on the Winchester Pike and went into bivouac. On July 6th the regiment commenced a series of movements in connection with the army; first marching to Halltown, to intercept the army of 30,000 rebels, under the command of General Early, which was moving towards Maryland and Pennsylvania; but the rebel general was not yet ready for a general engagement, and, handling his force with consummate skill, managed to avoid a conflict. The Union force arrived at Cedar Creek, near Strasburg, Va., on August 12th, where it encamped and remained until the 15th, when it fell back to Charleston, where General Grover had just arrived with reinforcements from Washington, and a re-organization of the army took place. The Twenty-fourth Iowa was assigned to the Fourth Brigade, Second Division, Nineteenth Army Corps, with Colonel Shunk, of the Eighth Indiana Veteran Infantry, commanding the brigade, General Grover commanding the division, and General Emory commanding the detachment of the Nineteenth Corps. The Army of the Shenandoah consisted of two divisions of the Nineteenth Corps, the Sixth Corps commanded by Major General Wright, the Army of Western Virginia commanded by General Crook and about 10,000 cavalry commanded by General Torbet, making in all an army of about 40,000, under command of Major General Sheridan.
On the 3d of September, General Sheridan began the series of movements which led up to the battle of Winchester, September 19, 1864. The part taken by the Twenty-fourth Iowa in that battle is described in the official report of Lieutenant Colonel Wright, as follows [see note 10]:
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-FOURTH IOWA INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS,
CAMP RUSSELL, VA., Nov. 19, 1864.
COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by the Twenty-fourth Regiment of Iowa Infantry Volunteers in the battle of Opequon, or Winchester, Va., Sept. 19, 1864.
The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel J. Q. Wilds, but circumstances beyond his control prevented him from making an official report, prior to the batttle of Cedar Creek, at which place he was severely wounded, and has since died; for this reason I take the responsibility of making it myself. On the 18th of September, orders were issued from army headquarters, requiring all transportation to be sent to the rear, also all extra baggage, retaining only such articles as could not be dispensed with; these to be carried by the men, and officers' horses. Thus, stripped of everything that would encumber its movements, the Army of the Shenandoah retired to rest in camp near Berryville, Va., on the evening of the 18th, with orders to be in line of battle ready to move at 2 o'clock next morning. The Twenty-fourth Iowa belonged to the Fourth Brigade, Second Division, Detachment Nineteenth Army Corps. The brigade, consisting of the Eighth and Eighteenth Indiana Veteran Volunteers and the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa, was commanded by Colonel D. Shunk of the Eighth Indiana, the division by Brigadier General C. Grover, the corps by Brevet Major General Emory. At 3 o'clock the advance sounded, and the Nineteenth Corps moved out on the Winchester Pike, halting about three miles west of Berryville, for the Sixth Corps, commanded by Major General Wright, to pass, as it was to have the advance. The Army of Western Virginia, under command of General Crook, moved by another road to the right. Shortly after sunrise, the Sixth Corps having passed, the Nineteenth Corps was put in motion. The Second Division, having the advance, arrived at Opequon Creek about 9 o'clock A. M., when heavy skirmishing and some cannonading was heard in the front, near Winchester. Here we received orders to push forward rapidly, as the cavalry and Sixth Corps were already engaged. When we had reached a point about three miles from Winchester, we turned to the right and moved in the direction of the Winchester and Martinsburg Pike about one mile, and formed line of battle on the right of the Sixth Corps. The Second Division was formed in two lines. The First and Third Brigades formed the first line, and the Second and Fourth Brigades the second. The Twenty-fourth Iowa was on the left center, the Twenty-eighth Iowa on the left, Eighth Indiana on the right, Eighteenth Indiana on the right center, the Fourth Brigade being on the extreme right. Soon after, the First Division, Nineteenth Corps, commanded by General Dwight, came up and formed in the rear as a reserve. In this position we remained until about 12 M., when the advance sounded and the whole line moved forward steadily. The front of the whole division was covered by a strip of woodland, near a third of a mile wide. Beyond this woodland was an open field about one-fourth of a mile wide, beyond which was woodland again. When the second line emerged into the open field, the first line was just entering the wood on the opposite side, having driven the enemy's skirmishers across the open field, and were driving the enemy. The enemy, discovering that our right flank was unprotected, threw a heavy column of infantry, with one battery of artillery, around on our right, nearly at right angles with our lines, and kept them concealed in a deep hollow. In consequence of a flank fire from this column, the first line gave back and passed through the second, when about half way across the field. This created some confusion, but the line was soon in good shape again, and moving forward steadily.
When within one hundred yards of the woods, the column that had been thrown around on our right opened out with musketry and canister shot, showering the iron hail along and almost parallel with our ranks, and mowing down our men by the score. As soon as the flank movement was discovered, the whole line was ordered to fall back to the woods, which was done in as good order as could be expected under the circumstances. The line was reformed and advanced about one-fourth of the way across the field and halted, holding the enemy at bay until some troops could be thrown around to our right, as the enemy's lines extended nearly half a mile to the right of ours. Up to this time the Twenty-fourth had had two officers mortally wounded, and two more severely; six enlisted men killed, and about thirty wounded. This line was held under a most destructive artillery fire from both the front and right flank for about two hours, when General Crook came up with the Army of Western Virginia and formed on the right, relieving the most of the Fourth Brigade. Captains Rigby, Smith and Martin, with Lieutenant Lucas, had been posted with their commands in a point of timber nearest the enemy, with orders to hold it at all hazards, and were not relieved. I had supplied them with ammunition, and when the fresh troops in making the final charge came up even with them, they moved forward with the line, which drove the enemy from every position taken until it became a perfect rout. In this last charge the Twenty-fourth lost a number of brave soldiers wounded, and one killed. After the Fourth Brigade was relieved (except as above mentioned) boxes were filled with ammunition, and it was moved to the extreme right in order to prevent any more flank movements of the enemy, but General Averill, coming in with his cavalry, rendered the movement entirely unnecessary. After the enemy was entirely routed and driven pell-mell from the field, the regiment was got together, and marched about two miles, and went into camp near Winchester, on the Front Royal Pike. Casualties during the day: Officers mortally wounded 2, severely, 4. Enlisted men killed, 9; wounded, 56; captured, 3. Total 74; a list of which is hereto appended. I cannot close this report without referring to Captain J. R. Gould, of Company D, and Lieutenant S. S. Dillman, of Company E, both having been mortally wounded while leading their men on in the hottest of the battle. Both were brave almost to rashness. In them the Twenty-fourth Iowa lost two valuable officers and society two valuable men.
I have the honor to be, most respectfully,
Your Obedient Servant,
ED WRIGHT,
Lieutenant Colonel Twenty-fourth Regiment Iowa Infantry Volunteers.
COL. N. B. BAKER, Adjutant General of Iowa.
It will be seen from the foregoing report that the Twenty-fourth Iowa had, in its first battle in the east, gloriously maintained its previous proud record, and had upheld the honor of its State while fighting beside the trained veterans of the Army of the Potomac.
On the night of the 19th of September the regiment went into camp near Winchester. The next morning it marched towards Cedar Creek, and in the evening found the enemy strongly intrenched at Fisher's Hill. The Twenty-fourth Iowa actively participated in the movements which followed and which culminated in the battle of Fisher's Hill, in which, and in the pursuit which followed, the regiment participated, but fortunately — owing to the positions to which its brigade was assigned — it had but one officer and four men wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Wright, in his official report [see note 11], describes minutely the part taken by his regiment in the battle of Fisher's Hill, and highly commends the officers and men for their prompt obedience to orders and the gallant manner in which they conducted themselves during the battle and the subsequent pursuit of the enemy. The rebel General Early and his army had again been defeated and compelled to retreat up the Shenandoah valley.
In all the operations of its brigade and division; from the 23d of September until the 19th of October, upon which latter date the Twenty-fourth Iowa fought its last battle, the regiment performed its full share of duty and always acquitted itself with honor. Although it remained in the service for nearly six months after the battle of Cedar Creek, the remainder of its history, while characterized by the same faithful devotion to duty, was not marked by further severe conflict with the enemy. The compiler deems it most fitting, therefore, that the conduct of the regiment in the memorable battle of Cedar Creek, as portrayed in the official report of its gallant commander, should occupy the greater portion of the space left at his disposal for this historical sketch. In this, one of the most remarkable battles of the great War of the Rebellion, the Twenty-fourth Iowa suffered heavy loss, and ended its battle history by as splendid and heroic fighting as was ever exhibited upon any battlefield. The official report is here given in full [see note 12]:
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-FOURTH IOWA INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS,
CAMP RUSSELL, VA., Nov. 19, 1864.
COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by the Twenty-fourth Regiment Iowa Infantry Volunteers in the battle of Cedar Creek, Va., on the 19th of October, 1864. The regiment belonged to the Fourth Brigade, Second Division, Nineteenth Army Corps; Brevet Major General Emory commanding corps, Brigadier General Grover commanding division, and Colonel Shunk. Eighth Indiana Veteran Volunteers, commanding brigade. The brigade occupied the left of the second line, which was about two hundred paces in rear of the line of works occupied by the first line. The left of the brigade rested about two hundred yards to the right of the pike leading from Winchester to Stanton. The works in our front were occupied by the Third Brigade, Second Division Nineteenth Army Corps, with Battery D, First Rhode Island Artillery, near the pike on the left The regiment occupied the right center of the brigade, with the Twenty-eighth Iowa on the left. The Eighth Corps, under command of Major General Crook, was posted on the left of the pike, and about three hundred paces to the front. The Sixth Corps was on the right of the Nineteenth, with its right thrown back toward Middletown, about one mile. Our teams parked about one mile in the, rear. The enemy was in camp at Fisher's Hill, some four miles to the front. In this position we rested on the evening of the 18th, not even suspecting our danger, or the Yankee trick that Early was going to play on us the next morning.
Soon after retiring to bed, Colonel Wilds, then in command of the regiment, received orders to have the men under arms at precisely 5 o'clock next morning, as the first line was to make a reconnaissance to the front, and the Fourth Brigade was to move up to the works as soon as vacated. In obedience to this order, at 5 o'clock the regiment was in line of battle, and ready to move to the works. Having reason to believe that the reconnaissance would not last more than one or two hours, as the order was not to bring on an engagement, everything except arms and accouterments were left in tents. At ten minutes past 5 o'clock, firing commenced on the picket line of the Eighth Corps. Supposing it to be only a reconnaissance by the enemy, it created but little alarm. In a few minutes heavy firing commenced on the left and front of the Eighth Corps. It was not yet daylight, and a dense fog, which had settled to the ground, rendered it almost impossible to distinguish objects at any distance. Soon after the firing commenced on the left, the brigade was ordered to move by the left flank, until the left of the Twenty-fourth Iowa rested on the pike. Colonel Wilds ordered me to ride to the left of the regiment, and to lead it to the place indicated, but, before reaching the pike, I was ordered to halt and take position, as we were already receiving the enemy's fire. The regiment was halted, and the right thrown forward so as to form a line across the crest of the hill, at an angle of forty-five degrees with the pike, the right of the brigade, Eighteenth Indiana Veteran Volunteers, supporting the battery on the left of the first line. The fog was so dense that it was impossible to tell what was in front of us, and, as the Eighth Corps was falling back at the time, our fire was reserved until the enemy had pressed his columns close up to and charged the battery on the right, one piece of which was captured. We held the position, however, until Colonel Shunk, discovering that the enemy had thrown a column across the pike on our left, ordered the brigade to fall back about five hundred yards, and take position parallel to and facing the pike. This was done in good order, and the position taken and held, until it became necessary, in the opinion of General Grover, to fall back, in order to prevent being cut off entirely. (Up to this time the regiment had lost six men killed and about forty wounded.) The order was given to fall back as rapidly as possible in the direction of the camp of the Sixth Corps. The enemy came in heavy force on our left and captured four officers and about forty men. The brigade fell back about one mile and formed between the First Brigade, General Birge, and the Sixth Corps, which was on the left.
Previous to this time, Colonel Wilds had been wounded and carried from the field. I had also received a bruise on my hip from a piece of shell, and a wound from a musket ball in the left arm near the elbow, which sickened me so that I could not ride for near an hour, and the regiment was commanded by Captain L. Clark, during my absence. Soon after I returned to the regiment, which was then in the position above mentioned, the enemy made a flank movement to the left of the Sixth Corps, rendering it necessary for it to fall back, and we were ordered to retire by the right of regiments to the rear. We moved in this manner nearly three miles, halted, took position, procured ammunition and prepared to renew the battle. After we had rested about half an hour, Major General Sheridan came on the field, having been absent since the morning of the 18th. He ordered the Eighth Corps to take position on the left of the pike between Middletown and Newtown, the Sixth Corps the center, and the Nineteenth Corps the right. Sent two divisions of cavalry to the right, and one to the left. The Fourth Brigade was formed on the extreme left of the Nineteenth Corps, connecting with the right of the Sixth Corps, in this position the troops were ordered to rest, and throw up some temporary works.
About 12 o'clock I was ordered to move the Twenty-fourth Iowa to the extreme right of the Nineteenth Corps, and protect the flank. I immediately moved to the place indicated, took position and threw out a skirmish line. In this position I remained until 3 o'clock P. M., when I received orders to call in my skirmishers and take my place in the line, as it was going to advance. My skirmishers had just reported when the advance was sounded. In order to get my position in the line, I had to double quick about one mile, and, during the greater part of this distance, we had to pass through the fire of the enemy's guns, which overshot our advancing columns, the shells exploding in the rear. About 3 ½ o'clock, I got my place in the line, which steadily advanced, driving the enemy from every position taken until we reached the camp we left in the morning. Here we halted and made some coffee, (those of us who were fortunate enough to have any,) the first we had tasted since the evening of the 18th. We found one wounded officer there, who had hidden among the rocks during the day, and quite a number of our wounded men. Everything was taken from our camp, leaving the men and most of the officers without haversacks, blankets or shelter tents. At 8 o'clock P. M., the regiment moved forward, with the brigade, to a point near Strasburg, to protect the parties that were sent out to collect the property abandoned by the enemy in his hasty retreat. There we bivouacked for the night, without fires, the men suffering severely for want of blankets and proper clothing to protect them from the excessive cold. On the following morning (20th) the remainder of the Second Division came up, and we went into camp about one mile from Strasburg.
It would appear invidious to mention individual cases of gallantry during the day, when all, both men and officers, did their whole duty. I cannot close, however, without referring to the bravery of our lamented Colonel Wilds, who was wounded soon after daylight and died November 18th. In him we lost a noble, brave and efficient officer. Captain Knott and Lieutenant Kurtz were wounded and captured, but both were retaken in the evening. Captain Smith and Lieutenant Davis were captured in the morning about daylight. The loss of the regiment was: Killed; enlisted men 7. Wounded; officers 6, enlisted men 39. Captured; officers 2, enlisted men 39. Total casualties 93; a list of which is hereto annexed.
I have the honor to be, most respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
Ed Wright,
Lieutenant Colonel Twenty-fourth Regiment Iowa Infantry Volunteers.
N. B. Baker, Adjutant General State of Iowa.
During the remainder of the month of October the regiment participated in the various movements of its brigade and division in the Shenandoah Valley, but did not again come into contact with any considerable force of the enemy. In the early part of November the regiment was engaged in the duty of escorting supply trains for the army. On the 8th of November, 1864, the officers and men of the regiment recorded their choice for President of the United States, with the following result: Whole number of votes cast, 303, of which Abraham Lincoln received 285 and George B. McClellan 18. On November 10th the regiment arrived at Camp Russell, where the army of the Shenandoah was encamped, and during the remainder of the month was engaged in the erection of fortifications and building cabins for winter quarters. In December the winter quarters were completed, and the regiment was engaged in the performance of picket and escort duty until the close of the month. On December 30th the regiment was assigned to the post at Winchester, Va. On the 6th of January, 1865, the Twenty-fourth Iowa left Winchester and proceeded by rail to Baltimore, thence by steamship to Savannah, Ga., where it went into camp and remained for two months. It then moved to Morehead City, N. C, and, from that point, to Goldsboro and Raleigh, escorting transportation trains. After the surrender of the rebel General Johnston's army, it returned to Savannah, moved thence to Augusta, Ga., with the Twenty-second and Twenty-eighth Iowa, crossed the river at Augusta and went into camp near the town of Hamburg, S. C, where it remained until the 6th of June, when, with the other Iowa regiments, it was ordered to return to Savannah. Its last long march was completed on June 20th. The regiment then went into camp at Savannah, where it remained until the 17th day of July, 1865, on which date it was mustered out of the service of the United States. A few days later it was provided with transportation to Davenport, Iowa, and, upon its arrival there, was disbanded, and the survivors returned to their homes, there to resume and discharge the duties of citizens, with the same fidelity they had shown as soldiers, while engaged in the defense of their country against armed treason and rebellion. No Iowa regiment has a more distinguished record than the Twenty-fourth, and there were only a few others whose operations covered such a wide extent of territory. Everywhere, in camp or garrison, upon the march, in battle, and under all the vicissitudes of its long and arduous service, it maintained in the highest degree the honor of the flag and its State. The archives of the State of Iowa and of the War Department at Washington contain no more glorious record of valor and patriotic service than that of the Twenty-fourth Regiment of Iowa Infantry Volunteers.
SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES
Total Enrollment 1,204
Killed 71
Wounded 260
Died of wounds 55
Died of disease 201
Discharged for disease, wounds or other causes 235
Buried in National Cemeteries 117
Captured 76
Transferred 55
[Note 1.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 1, pages 8 and 11. Report of Adjutant General or Iowa, 1863, Vol. 1, pages 850 to 883; Original Roster of the Regiment.
[Note 2.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 1, Vol. 24, page 610. War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 1, Vol. 24, page 583. The tabulated statement shows the losses by regiments, as follows: Forty-seventh Indiana, killed 5, wounded 20, missing 1; Twenty-fourth Iowa, killed 1, wounded 5; Twenty-eighth Iowa, killed 3, wounded 14, missing 3; Fifty-sixth Ohio, killed 6, wounded 23, missing 7; Second Illinois Light Artillery, Battery A, killed 1. Total, 89.
[Note 3.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, pages 40 to 47 inclusive.
[Note 4.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, page 54.
[Note 5.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, page 40.
[Note 6.] Which gave the name to the battlefield.
[Note 7.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, page 8. Tabulated returns of casualties in battle of Champion's Hill.
[Note 8.] See Revised Roster of the Regiment, following this sketch.
[Note 9.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1144 to 1162 inclusive.
[Note 10.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1153, 4, 5.
[Note 11.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1156, 7.
[Note 12.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1157, 8, 9.
SOURCE: Roster & Record of Iowa Soldiers During the War of the Rebellion, Volume 3, p. 781-94
The regiment remained at Camp Strong until the 19th of October, 1862, on which date it marched to the levee at Muscatine and, embarking on transports, proceeded to St: Louis, where orders were received to proceed at once to Helena, Ark. "there it arrived and disembarked on the 28th of October, going into camp just south of the city and joining the brigade Commanded by Colonel McGinnis of the Eleventh Indiana. Many of the men had been attacked by sickness while upon the boat, and the unhealthy locality in which the regiment was now encamped added largely to the number upon the sick list. The privations and hardships endured by the Twenty-fourth Iowa, while at Helena and when engaged in the several expeditions in which it participated during the winter of l862-3, were the most severe in its history. On the 17th of November the regiment formed part of the force tinder General Hovey which proceeded to the mouth of White River; upon its return it engaged in another expedition to Goldwater, Miss., to co-operate with the movement of General Grant against Vicksburg and, on the 11th of January, 1863, it again formed part of a force engaged in another expedition up the White River, this time under General Gorman. While no considerable body of the enemy was encountered upon any of these expeditions, and no practical results were [accomplished] by them, the troops suffered almost unendurable hardships from exposure to storms of rain and snow, and the fatalities which resulted were as great as those sustained in many of the hard-fought battles in which the regiment subsequently participated. The survivors of the regiment always remembered that winter campaign as the most discouraging of the many through which they passed in their long period of service. Upon its return from the last expedition the regiment found its camp ground flooded, compelling removal to higher ground, and the change in location resulted in a decrease of the sick list, but many had died and a still larger number had been incapacitated for further service and were discharged. A considerable number of those who were thus discharged for disability never fully recovered.
On the 15th of February, 1863, the Twenty-fourth Iowa left Helena with its brigade, which formed part of the force under General Wasburn engaged in clearing out the obstructions in Yazoo Pass and opening the same to navigation. This duty, while arduous, gave the men active employment and relieved them from the depressing effects of witnessing the daily depletion of their ranks from disease, while lying idle in camp. Upon the return of the regiment to Helena, in the early spring, the troops with which it was associated were transferred to the Thirteenth Army Corps and ordered to join General Grant's army in its operations against Vicksburg, and were conveyed on transports to Milliken's Bend, where they disembarked and marched, over difficult and sometimes almost impassable roads, to Perkins’ Landing. Here, on the 28th of April, they again embarked on transports and barges and moved down the river to a point about four miles above Grand Gulf, where, without disembarking, they witnessed the tremendous artillery combat between the gunboats and the rebel batteries at Grand Gulf, which lasted for several hours. The troops had, in the meantime, been awaiting orders to land and co-operate with the gunboats in their attack upon the enemy's works, but, after prolonged bombardment, without apparent effect, the gunboats withdrew, and the attack by land was also abandoned. The troops disembarked and marched down the levee to a point three miles below Grand Gulf, where they bivouacked until morning. During the night the gunboats and a number of transports succeeded in passing the rebel batteries. The Twenty-fourth Iowa, with the other troops of the Thirteenth Corps, now embarked on transports and gunboats and were conveyed down the river to Bruinsburg, sixteen miles below Grand Gulf, where they landed and took up the line of march toward Port Gibson.
The Twenty-fourth Iowa had been assigned to the Second Brigade of the Twelfth Division, Thirteenth Army Corps. The brigade was composed of the Forty-seventh Indiana, Fifty-sixth Ohio, and the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa, and was under the command of Colonel James R. Slack of the Forty-seventh Indiana, from whose official report — in the absence of the report of the commander of the regiment — the following extracts are made, showing the part taken by the Twenty-fourth Iowa in the battle of Port Gibson, May 1, 1863. After describing the formation and position of his brigade prior to the commencement of the engagement, Colonel Slack says:
During the formation of our lines, the battle opened a short distance to our left and front, and continued with great stubbornness for an hour, when General Hovey directed me to put my column in motion and support General Benton, whose forces were being hard pressed by overwhelming numbers. The whole column was immediately formed, and moved most gallantly to the point indicated, with the Forty-seventh Indiana and Fifty-sixth Ohio on the left and the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa on the right. These positions were respectively taken under a severe fire of the enemy's infantry, and shell and canister from a whole battery at a distance of about two hundred yards, yet the several commands took their position in line without flinching, and advanced to within eighty yards of the enemy's battery, immediately after which General Hovey ordered Colonel Cameron, of the Thirty-fourth Indiana, to charge and take the battery, and ordered me to support the charge with the Fifty-sixth Ohio, which was immediately to the left of the Thirty-fourth Indiana.
While the fierce fighting which resulted in the capture of the battery and 220 prisoners from the rebel troops supporting it was in progress, the Twenty-fourth Iowa was held in reserve, but was ready to advance the moment the order was received. It was the regiment's first battle, and its officers and men chafed under being placed in reserve and not having their share of the fighting in this early period of the battle. Later in the day, however, the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa were sent to the support of General Logan's division, on the extreme left. They promptly moved to the new position assigned them, as further shown by the report of Colonel Slack, in referring to the order, as follows:
In the afternoon the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa were ordered to the rear and extreme left of the line, to suport Major General Logan's division, which was hotly engaged, and there continued fighting like veterans, as the men of that gallant state always have done, until the enemy was driven from the field and utterly routed at every point, and the curtain of night closed the scene.
At the close of his report Colonel Slack says:
To the cool and gallant conduct of all the field and line officers, and the persevering determination of each and every one in my command, I cannot express too much gratitude and admiration. To them belongs the glory of the triumph, every officer and every man having done his whole duty. . . . The whole number of casualties are: Killed 16; wounded, 62; missing, 11; total, 89 [see note 2].
It will thus be seen that in its first experience in battle the Twenty-fourth Iowa had acquitted itself with honor, and had shown that, whenever the opportunity came, it could meet the enemy with that same steady courage and determined bravery that it had exhibited while enduring the hardships and suffering of the campaign in Arkansas, during which it did not come into contact with the enemy in battle, but faced the grim messenger of death, in the form of disease, with the same if not greater fortitude than was requisite to face the death-dealing guns of its rebel foes.
The official report of General A. P. Hovey describes with great particularity all the movements of the troops of his division between the dates of May 2d and 16th, upon which latter date the battle of Champion's Hill was fought [see note 3]. During these movements more or less skirmishing with the enemy occurred, in which the Twenty-fourth Iowa had its share; and, in the battle which ensued, the regiment took the most conspicuous part and suffered the greatest loss of any of the gallant regiments of its brigade. Failing to find the official report of the regimental commander, the compiler again has recourse to the reports of the brigade and division commanders, Colonel Slack [see note 4] and General Hovey [see note 5]. The following extracts are from the report of Colonel Slack:
On the night of the 15th, we encamped on the Jackson and Vicksburg Railroad near Bolton Station. In the morning we left camp about six o'clock, and moved east about 7 miles, when we approached very nearly to the enemy, drawn up in line of battle. In pursuance of orders of Brigadier General Hovey, I formed the Second Brigade in two lines to the left of the road, in the field of one Champion [see note 6], with the artillery in advance. Soon thereafter I placed my lines of battle in advance of the artillery, and ordered two companies of the Forty-seventh Indiana, two companies, of the Fifty-sixth Ohio, and two companies of the Twenty-fourth Iowa, as skirmishers, who covered the whole front of the line and advanced toward the enemy. Skirmishing soon began, and continued for about one hour, when I advanced the whole line, with the Forty-seventh Indiana on the right, and the Twenty-eighth Iowa on the left. The thick growth of underbrush and vines, ravines and hills, made it very difficult to advance, but it was accomplished with little disorder, until we reached the crest of the hill, where we found the enemy in very heavy force, about 200 yards in front of us, and under cover of a wood beyond a field. Then the battle began with great fury, our troops advancing for the purpose of driving the enemy from the cover of the woods, which was done at double-quick and in a most gallant manner, the men loading and firing as they advanced, and unfalteringly receiving a most deadly fire from the enemy; yet they pressed forward, as men only can do who are prompted by intelligent motives of patriotic devotion to a common country, until the rebel force was driven from the covering and forced to fall back a distance of 200 yards, with terrible loss, the ground being literally covered with dead and wounded rebels. In this daring and determined charge all the regiments lost most severely. The Twenty-fourth Iowa most gallantly charged upon a rebel battery of five guns, and took it at the point of the bayonet, killing many of the cannoneers and driving the remainder from their guns and some fifty yards to the rear, when a new rebel line, which had not been in action, appeared in treble our force, and opened a most murderous fire upon our lines, which the unflinching and determined braves of the Twenty-fourth Iowa resisted for fifteen minutes, but, because of the overwhelming force brought to bear upon them, reluctantly retired from the battery, but kept the rebel re-enforcements at bay by their incessant fire and stubborn resistance. This battery was subsequently retaken, and is now in our possession. During this terrific charge, Major Edward Wright, of the Twenty-fourth Iowa, was severely wounded, immediately after which he captured a stalwart rebel prisoner and made him carry him off the field. . . . Our ranks being badly depleted, I directed the whole command to retire gradually from the field and take position near the crest of the hill where the rebel lines were first formed, which was done in good order, at which time a re-enforcement of one brigade came to our support, and after a few well directed volleys, with the aid of the batteries, which General Hovey had massed on the extreme right, the enemy was routed and fled in great confusion and disorder from the field. . . . Thus ended this unequal, terrible and most sanguinary conflict. . . . For two long hours my brigade held in check fully three times their number, and I hesitate not in saying that, had they not so gallantly and determinedly resisted, the fortunes of the day might have been greatly damaged, if not our glorious triumph turned into a defeat. During the progress of the battle, my command took a large number of prisoners, which were handed over to the Provost-marshal without any account being taken of them. Major L. H. Goodwin of the Forty-seventh Indiana and Major Edward Wright of the Twenty-fourth Iowa were. seriously wounded while gallantly leading their men, but I am more than grateful to know that they are both rapidly recovering and will soon be able to resume their respective positions. To those brave officers and men who fell in that sanguinary conflict and who resolved to do or die in defense of and for the perpetuation of the best Government ever known to civilization, we cannot do more than assure their friends at home that they fell with their faces to the foe, in defense of the constitution of a common country. . . . The whole number of casualties (detailed lists of which I herewith inclose) is as follows: Forty-seventh Indiana, killed 32, wounded 91, missing 17, total 140. Fifty-sixth Ohio, killed 20, wounded 90, missing 28, total 138. Twenty-fourth Iowa, killed 35, wounded 120, missing 34, total 189. Twenty-eighth Iowa, killed 21, wounded 62, missing 14, total 97. First Missouri Battery, wounded 2.
It will thus be seen that the entire loss of the brigade was 556, out of the four regiments and one battery of which it was composed, of which number the loss of the Twenty-fourth Iowa constituted; one-third. Near the close of his very full and complete report of the part taken by the two brigades of his division in the battle of Champion's Hill, General Hovey says:
I cannot think of this bloody hill without sadness and pride. Sadness for the great loss of my true and gallant men; pride for the heroic bravery they displayed. No prouder division ever met as vastly superior foe and fought with more unflinching firmness and stubborn valor. It was, after the conflict, literally the hill of death; men, horses, cannon, and the debris of an army lay scattered in wild confusion. Hundreds of the gallant Twelfth Division were cold in death or writhing in pain, and, with large numbers of Quinby's gallant boys, lay dead, dying or wounded, intermixed with our fallen foe. Thus ended the battle of Champion's Hill, and our heroes slept upon the field with the dead and dying around them. I never saw fighting like this. The loss of my division on this field alone was nearly one-third of my forces engaged. Of the Twenty-ninth Wisconsin, Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa, in what words of praise shall I speak? Not more than six months in the service, their records will compare with the oldest and best tried regiments in the field. All honor is due to their gallant officers and men; and Colonels Gill, Byam and Connell have my thanks for the skill with which they handled their respective commands, and for the fortitude, endurance and bravery displayed by their gallant men. . . . Among the dead of the Second Brigade are the honored names of Captains Silas D. Johnson, William Carbee and First Lieutenant Chauncey Lawrence of the Twenty-fourth Iowa.
The total loss in both brigades of General Hovey's division in the battle of Champion's Hill was 1,202, of the 4,180 engaged [see note 7]. General Hovey places the loss of the Twenty-fourth Indiana at 40 per cent of its number engaged, and gives that as the maximum loss of any one regiment. Reference to the tabulated statement shows this to be an error. The Twenty-fourth Iowa had 417 enlisted men and officers engaged in the battle, and its loss was 189, over 45 per cent of the number engaged, and this was the heaviest percentage of loss of any regiment of the brigade or division. There were but nine companies of the Twenty-fourth Iowa engaged at Champion's Hill; Company B, being at that time on detached duty at General McClernand's headquarters, was not engaged. The regiment had now been in the service less than eight months, yet it had taken its place by the side of regiments from other states which had participated in numerous battles and had won the designation of Veteran, had fought with equal distinction, had won the highest commendation of its brigade and division commanders and, at the very beginning of its experience under the fire of the enemy, had established a record for bravery and efficiency second to none of the gallant regiments from Iowa which had preceded it to the field.
The Twenty-fourth Iowa marched with its brigade from the battlefield of Champion's Hill to Black River Bridge, but did not arrive there in time to participate in the battle in which the Twenty-first and Twenty-third Iowa regiments won such distinguished honor. Remaining at Black River for a few days, the regiment continued its march to Vicksburg, where it arrived on the 24th of May and at once took its position on the line of investment in the center of General Hovey's division, where for the succeeding forty days it endured the hardships, dangers and privations incident to the siege of the rebel stronghold which surrendered to General Grant on the 4th of July, 1863. On the morning of July 5th, the regiment marched with its brigade and division, as a part of the army under General Sherman, in the expedition against Jackson, Miss., and participated in the operations which ensued, culminating in the evacuation of Jackson by the enemy on July 16, 1863, and the end of the great Vicksburg campaign. The total loss of the two brigades of General Hovey's division, from the commencement of the siege of Vicksburg to the evacuation of Jackson, was 155 killed and wounded, while that of the Twenty-fourth Iowa, during the same period, was 1 killed and 12 wounded. As there were twelve organizations in the division, the loss of the Twenty-fourth Iowa was about the same average as that -of the other regiments of the division. During the entire campaign the aggregate losses of the Twenty-fourth Iowa in battle were 208.
Upon its return to Vicksburg the regiment was allowed a brief period of rest in camp. Colonel Byam had resigned on the 30th of June, and Lieutenant Colonel Wilds had succeeded to the command of the regiment. About the middle of August, 1863, the regiment was transferred to a new field of operations. Embarking on transports, it was conveyed to New Orleans, and from there proceeded to Algiers. From the date of its arrival at Algiers, the compiler finds a carefully written record of its subsequent operations, during the year 1864, prepared by Major (later Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General [see note 8]) Ed Wright for the Adjutant General of Iowa [see note 9]. Only brief quotations can be made from this record and the copies of official reports which accompany it, on account of limitation of space, but the compiler will endeavor to include all the most important events which transpired during this period of the service of the regiment. Reference to the record will show that the events which transpired during each month of the year are carefully noted and the details given with great particularity, a large part of which are necessarily omitted in this historical sketch.
During the greater part of the month of January, 1863, the regiment was in camp at Algiers, La., being at that time a part of the Second Brigade of the Third Division, Thirteenth Army Corps. The location of the camp was such that the men suffered much hardship from the wet weather which prevailed. On January 21st, the division was moved to Madisonville, La., on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, and there the regiment found the most beautiful and attractive camping ground it had occupied since leaving the State of Iowa. There the regiment remained until February 26th, when it returned to its former camp at Algiers, and there, on the 3d of March, with its brigade and division, marched in review before General McClernand and was especially complimented by the General for its fine appearance and perfection in drill.
On March 5th, the regiment was conveyed by rail to Berwick Bay, La. From there all camp equipage that could possibly be dispensed with and all extra baggage was sent back to New Orleans, and the troops prepared for rapid marching as reinforcements to the army under General Banks, then engaged in his unfortunate Red River Expedition. The troops consisted of the Third Division of the Thirteenth Army Corps, which included the brigade to which the Twenty-fourth Iowa belonged. The division marched rapidly to Washington, La., where it overtook the Nineteenth Army Corps, under General Franklin. The march was continued, with occasional halts for rest, when, on the 31st of March, the troops arrived at Natchitoches, La., having marched 290 miles. The march was resumed on the 6th of April and, on the evening of the 7th, the troops arrived at Pleasant Hill, La., and found the cavalry engaged in a skirmish with the enemy at the front. The brigade was ordered to move forward and support the cavalry, but, after marching about one mile, found that the enemy had retired. At daylight the next morning the march was renewed, with the Fourth Division in advance. Five companies of the Twenty-fourth Iowa were detailed as escort for the train in the rear. About 8 o'clock A. M. the advance encountered the enemy, who, after a short skirmish, retreated. The Third Division halted to await the arrival of the Nineteenth Corps, as the enemy was reported in strong force. At 2 P. M., the next day, the march was resumed. The troops marched very rapidly for five miles, when the enemy was discovered in force, the column was halted, and the First Brigade formed line of battle on the right of the road, with the Second Brigade in line on the left. The engagement which ensued was generally known as the battle of Sabine Cross Roads, but has sometimes been called the battle of Mansfield. Major Wright, who was in command of the Twenty-fourth Iowa, and who wrote the official report of the part taken by that portion of his regiment which was engaged in the battle, after describing the movements of his regiment and brigade prior to the opening of the engagement, says:
The Twenty-fourth, about 130 strong, Companies A, D, I, C and H having been detailed as train guard and left in the rear, under command of Capt Martin, was ordered to form in the rear as a reserve to the Second Brigade. The lines being formed, the advance was ordered. The lines moved forward near a fourth of a mile, when, coming to the edge of the field beyond the timber, a halt was ordered, and the line immediately engaged the enemy. The Twenty-fourth, about three hundred paces in the rear, was ordered to lie down. While in this position, my command received a severe raking artillery fire from the enemy's guns, posted in front of the right of the brigade. Having remained in this position about half an hour, during which time the front line was firing rapidly, I was ordered to move my command to the front, which I did by a left oblique movement, and came in on the left of the brigade, and took position in a ravine, at the edge of the timber. From the position there occupied, I could see with my field glass at least 8,000 of the enemy forming in the distance, but not within range of our muskets. The enemy's skirmishers had advanced to the edge of the hill in our front, and were protected by a battery immediately on their left, which had taken position behind some large buildings, from which place it was impossible for our weak line to dislodge it. The Fourth Division I could not learn anything of, and the only force to-oppose these heavy columns of the enemy was the Third Division, about 1,200 strong, and some straggling cavalry. This position was held for near an hour, when, the enemy advancing in heavy force — at least ten to one — and most of the command being out of ammunition, we were overwhelmed by numbers and compelled to retire from the field. This, however, was no easy task, as the enemy's cavalry was already far in our rear, both on the right and left, and we were assailed at all points. I ordered my command to confine their movements to the thick brush, as much as possible, and, by keeping in the woods between the road and an open field on our left, which was occupied by the enemy's cavalry, I succeeded in bringing the most of the command off the field, and forming in the rear of the Nineteenth Army Corps, about three miles from the battlefield, after which I procured ammunition for my men and joined with the One Hundred and Sixty-First New York Volunteers, and remained until after dark. The fight being over, I reported with my command to General Cameron, and marched back to Pleasant Hill, arriving there at sunrise on the morning of the 9th. Casualties during the day were 34, a list of which is hereto appended. The officers and men of my command all behaved well and stood at their posts until ordered to fall back, delivering their fire with a precision not to be surpassed. I cannot close this report without making some comments about the manner in which this battle was managed. It was understood when the army arrived at St. Patrick's Bayou that we had found the enemy in force, and why we should have been sent forward in detachments, only to be demolished by superior numbers, is a mystery to me. First the cavalry moved up and were repulsed; next the Fourth Division was moved forward, and shared the same fate. Then the Third Division moved forward on double quick for five miles, along a road blocked by trains, only to come in contact with an overwhelming force, before which it was compelled to retire. Who is responsible? I leave the question for the historian to answer, believing it will be answered correctly.
I have the honor to be, most respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
Ed Wright,
Major Twenty-fourth Regiment Iowa Infantry Volunteers.
N. B. Baker, Adjutant General State of Iowa.
The correct answer to Major Wright's question is readily given. His was only one of a number of brave Iowa regiments which lost heavily in that ill-fated expedition, through the utter incapacity of the Commanding General, Nathaniel P. Banks. The verdict of all military historians is unanimous with reference to the Red River Expedition and its commander. Both were stupendous failures. Major Wright displayed great skill and ability in being able to extricate his command from its perilous situation, with a loss of little less than one-third of the number engaged. While the loss was heavy, it is marvelous that, under the circumstances, it was not much greater. Had the other five companies of the regiment been engaged, the loss would have been proportionately greater. It was therefore fortunate that they were on detached duty.
Upon the return of the regiment to Pleasant Hill, Major Wright was placed in command of the brigade and Captain Martin assumed command of the regiment. The Third and Fourth Divisions of the Thirteenth Corps, under command of General Cameron, (General Ransom having been severely wounded,) were ordered to take charge of the train and proceed to Grand Ecore, on Red River. Here the command arrived, on the evening of the 11th, and began the construction of fortifications; Lieutenant Colonel Wilson, of the Twenty-eighth Iowa, succeeding Major Wright as brigade commander. The two divisions left Grand Ecore on the morning of the 22d and reached Cane River at 2 A. M. on the 23d, where the enemy was found strongly posted on the opposite side of the river, for the purpose of contesting the crossing of the Union troops. General Cameron did not attempt to force his way across the river under the fire of the enemy, but, moving his troops up the river, effected a crossing by wading, and thus outflanked the enemy and drove him from his position. A bridge was then put down, over which the army of General Banks had passed by 10 A. M. the next day, when the line of march was again taken up and the army arrived at Alexandria on the 25th. The retreat had been conducted by forced marches and the troops, marching day and night, were completely exhausted upon reaching Alexandria. Company A, of the Twenty-fourth Iowa, had been detailed to guard the steamer "Hetty Gilmore" from Grand Ecore down the river. During the trip a detachment of the enemy attempted to capture the boat but was driven off. Two men of the company, Sergeant Charles Wager and Private Rudolph McKinley, were severely wounded, the company returned to the regiment at Alexandria. Lieutenant Colonel Wilds, who had been absent since December 6th on recruiting service in Iowa, rejoined the regiment at Alexandria and resumed command. Between the 25th of April and the 13th of May the regiment had several sharp skirmishes with the enemy, in which a number of its men were wounded. General Banks commenced his retreat from Alexandria on May 13th, and on the 22d the army reached Morganza Bend. The Twenty-fourth Iowa had a skirmish with the enemy while engaged in a reconnoitering expedition from Morganza, in which Captain B. G. Paul, of Company K, was killed, and four enlisted men were wounded. The losses of the regiment while connected with the troops commanded by General Banks had reached the aggregate number of 48, and the results accomplished, during that period of its service, were not only not commensurate with the loss, but the officers and men of the regiment were fully justified in the opinion that the sacrifice had been in vain, and they were rejoiced to know that a change for the better was in prospect.
The regiment left Morganza on June 13th, proceeded to Carrollton, La., and went into camp near Greenville Station, on the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad. Leaving there on the 21st, it was subsequently stationed at Kennerville and Thibodeaux, La., until July 6th, upon which date it proceeded by rail to Algiers, where it received — in exchange for the old Enfield rifles with which it had been supplied since taking the field — new Springfield rifles and accouterments. On the morning of July 22d the regiment embarked on the transport "Star of the South" and, soon after, put to sea, with orders to report to the commanding officer at Fortress Monroe, where, after enduring the usual discomforts of a sea voyage, it arrived on the 29th, and at once proceeded to Washington, D. C, arriving there at midnight and, the next morning, proceeding by rail to Monocacy, Md., reached that place on August 1st, where it joined a detachment of the Nineteenth Army Corps under command of General Emory. Colonel Wilds was placed in command of the brigade to which his regiment was attached.
The Twenty-fourth Iowa was now about to enter upon an entirely new field of warfare, in which but few of the regiments from its own State had been called to serve. On the 4th of August it was conveyed by rail to Harper's Ferry, where it arrived at midnight and moved out on the Winchester Pike and went into bivouac. On July 6th the regiment commenced a series of movements in connection with the army; first marching to Halltown, to intercept the army of 30,000 rebels, under the command of General Early, which was moving towards Maryland and Pennsylvania; but the rebel general was not yet ready for a general engagement, and, handling his force with consummate skill, managed to avoid a conflict. The Union force arrived at Cedar Creek, near Strasburg, Va., on August 12th, where it encamped and remained until the 15th, when it fell back to Charleston, where General Grover had just arrived with reinforcements from Washington, and a re-organization of the army took place. The Twenty-fourth Iowa was assigned to the Fourth Brigade, Second Division, Nineteenth Army Corps, with Colonel Shunk, of the Eighth Indiana Veteran Infantry, commanding the brigade, General Grover commanding the division, and General Emory commanding the detachment of the Nineteenth Corps. The Army of the Shenandoah consisted of two divisions of the Nineteenth Corps, the Sixth Corps commanded by Major General Wright, the Army of Western Virginia commanded by General Crook and about 10,000 cavalry commanded by General Torbet, making in all an army of about 40,000, under command of Major General Sheridan.
On the 3d of September, General Sheridan began the series of movements which led up to the battle of Winchester, September 19, 1864. The part taken by the Twenty-fourth Iowa in that battle is described in the official report of Lieutenant Colonel Wright, as follows [see note 10]:
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-FOURTH IOWA INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS,
CAMP RUSSELL, VA., Nov. 19, 1864.
COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by the Twenty-fourth Regiment of Iowa Infantry Volunteers in the battle of Opequon, or Winchester, Va., Sept. 19, 1864.
The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel J. Q. Wilds, but circumstances beyond his control prevented him from making an official report, prior to the batttle of Cedar Creek, at which place he was severely wounded, and has since died; for this reason I take the responsibility of making it myself. On the 18th of September, orders were issued from army headquarters, requiring all transportation to be sent to the rear, also all extra baggage, retaining only such articles as could not be dispensed with; these to be carried by the men, and officers' horses. Thus, stripped of everything that would encumber its movements, the Army of the Shenandoah retired to rest in camp near Berryville, Va., on the evening of the 18th, with orders to be in line of battle ready to move at 2 o'clock next morning. The Twenty-fourth Iowa belonged to the Fourth Brigade, Second Division, Detachment Nineteenth Army Corps. The brigade, consisting of the Eighth and Eighteenth Indiana Veteran Volunteers and the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa, was commanded by Colonel D. Shunk of the Eighth Indiana, the division by Brigadier General C. Grover, the corps by Brevet Major General Emory. At 3 o'clock the advance sounded, and the Nineteenth Corps moved out on the Winchester Pike, halting about three miles west of Berryville, for the Sixth Corps, commanded by Major General Wright, to pass, as it was to have the advance. The Army of Western Virginia, under command of General Crook, moved by another road to the right. Shortly after sunrise, the Sixth Corps having passed, the Nineteenth Corps was put in motion. The Second Division, having the advance, arrived at Opequon Creek about 9 o'clock A. M., when heavy skirmishing and some cannonading was heard in the front, near Winchester. Here we received orders to push forward rapidly, as the cavalry and Sixth Corps were already engaged. When we had reached a point about three miles from Winchester, we turned to the right and moved in the direction of the Winchester and Martinsburg Pike about one mile, and formed line of battle on the right of the Sixth Corps. The Second Division was formed in two lines. The First and Third Brigades formed the first line, and the Second and Fourth Brigades the second. The Twenty-fourth Iowa was on the left center, the Twenty-eighth Iowa on the left, Eighth Indiana on the right, Eighteenth Indiana on the right center, the Fourth Brigade being on the extreme right. Soon after, the First Division, Nineteenth Corps, commanded by General Dwight, came up and formed in the rear as a reserve. In this position we remained until about 12 M., when the advance sounded and the whole line moved forward steadily. The front of the whole division was covered by a strip of woodland, near a third of a mile wide. Beyond this woodland was an open field about one-fourth of a mile wide, beyond which was woodland again. When the second line emerged into the open field, the first line was just entering the wood on the opposite side, having driven the enemy's skirmishers across the open field, and were driving the enemy. The enemy, discovering that our right flank was unprotected, threw a heavy column of infantry, with one battery of artillery, around on our right, nearly at right angles with our lines, and kept them concealed in a deep hollow. In consequence of a flank fire from this column, the first line gave back and passed through the second, when about half way across the field. This created some confusion, but the line was soon in good shape again, and moving forward steadily.
When within one hundred yards of the woods, the column that had been thrown around on our right opened out with musketry and canister shot, showering the iron hail along and almost parallel with our ranks, and mowing down our men by the score. As soon as the flank movement was discovered, the whole line was ordered to fall back to the woods, which was done in as good order as could be expected under the circumstances. The line was reformed and advanced about one-fourth of the way across the field and halted, holding the enemy at bay until some troops could be thrown around to our right, as the enemy's lines extended nearly half a mile to the right of ours. Up to this time the Twenty-fourth had had two officers mortally wounded, and two more severely; six enlisted men killed, and about thirty wounded. This line was held under a most destructive artillery fire from both the front and right flank for about two hours, when General Crook came up with the Army of Western Virginia and formed on the right, relieving the most of the Fourth Brigade. Captains Rigby, Smith and Martin, with Lieutenant Lucas, had been posted with their commands in a point of timber nearest the enemy, with orders to hold it at all hazards, and were not relieved. I had supplied them with ammunition, and when the fresh troops in making the final charge came up even with them, they moved forward with the line, which drove the enemy from every position taken until it became a perfect rout. In this last charge the Twenty-fourth lost a number of brave soldiers wounded, and one killed. After the Fourth Brigade was relieved (except as above mentioned) boxes were filled with ammunition, and it was moved to the extreme right in order to prevent any more flank movements of the enemy, but General Averill, coming in with his cavalry, rendered the movement entirely unnecessary. After the enemy was entirely routed and driven pell-mell from the field, the regiment was got together, and marched about two miles, and went into camp near Winchester, on the Front Royal Pike. Casualties during the day: Officers mortally wounded 2, severely, 4. Enlisted men killed, 9; wounded, 56; captured, 3. Total 74; a list of which is hereto appended. I cannot close this report without referring to Captain J. R. Gould, of Company D, and Lieutenant S. S. Dillman, of Company E, both having been mortally wounded while leading their men on in the hottest of the battle. Both were brave almost to rashness. In them the Twenty-fourth Iowa lost two valuable officers and society two valuable men.
I have the honor to be, most respectfully,
Your Obedient Servant,
ED WRIGHT,
Lieutenant Colonel Twenty-fourth Regiment Iowa Infantry Volunteers.
COL. N. B. BAKER, Adjutant General of Iowa.
It will be seen from the foregoing report that the Twenty-fourth Iowa had, in its first battle in the east, gloriously maintained its previous proud record, and had upheld the honor of its State while fighting beside the trained veterans of the Army of the Potomac.
On the night of the 19th of September the regiment went into camp near Winchester. The next morning it marched towards Cedar Creek, and in the evening found the enemy strongly intrenched at Fisher's Hill. The Twenty-fourth Iowa actively participated in the movements which followed and which culminated in the battle of Fisher's Hill, in which, and in the pursuit which followed, the regiment participated, but fortunately — owing to the positions to which its brigade was assigned — it had but one officer and four men wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Wright, in his official report [see note 11], describes minutely the part taken by his regiment in the battle of Fisher's Hill, and highly commends the officers and men for their prompt obedience to orders and the gallant manner in which they conducted themselves during the battle and the subsequent pursuit of the enemy. The rebel General Early and his army had again been defeated and compelled to retreat up the Shenandoah valley.
In all the operations of its brigade and division; from the 23d of September until the 19th of October, upon which latter date the Twenty-fourth Iowa fought its last battle, the regiment performed its full share of duty and always acquitted itself with honor. Although it remained in the service for nearly six months after the battle of Cedar Creek, the remainder of its history, while characterized by the same faithful devotion to duty, was not marked by further severe conflict with the enemy. The compiler deems it most fitting, therefore, that the conduct of the regiment in the memorable battle of Cedar Creek, as portrayed in the official report of its gallant commander, should occupy the greater portion of the space left at his disposal for this historical sketch. In this, one of the most remarkable battles of the great War of the Rebellion, the Twenty-fourth Iowa suffered heavy loss, and ended its battle history by as splendid and heroic fighting as was ever exhibited upon any battlefield. The official report is here given in full [see note 12]:
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-FOURTH IOWA INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS,
CAMP RUSSELL, VA., Nov. 19, 1864.
COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by the Twenty-fourth Regiment Iowa Infantry Volunteers in the battle of Cedar Creek, Va., on the 19th of October, 1864. The regiment belonged to the Fourth Brigade, Second Division, Nineteenth Army Corps; Brevet Major General Emory commanding corps, Brigadier General Grover commanding division, and Colonel Shunk. Eighth Indiana Veteran Volunteers, commanding brigade. The brigade occupied the left of the second line, which was about two hundred paces in rear of the line of works occupied by the first line. The left of the brigade rested about two hundred yards to the right of the pike leading from Winchester to Stanton. The works in our front were occupied by the Third Brigade, Second Division Nineteenth Army Corps, with Battery D, First Rhode Island Artillery, near the pike on the left The regiment occupied the right center of the brigade, with the Twenty-eighth Iowa on the left. The Eighth Corps, under command of Major General Crook, was posted on the left of the pike, and about three hundred paces to the front. The Sixth Corps was on the right of the Nineteenth, with its right thrown back toward Middletown, about one mile. Our teams parked about one mile in the, rear. The enemy was in camp at Fisher's Hill, some four miles to the front. In this position we rested on the evening of the 18th, not even suspecting our danger, or the Yankee trick that Early was going to play on us the next morning.
Soon after retiring to bed, Colonel Wilds, then in command of the regiment, received orders to have the men under arms at precisely 5 o'clock next morning, as the first line was to make a reconnaissance to the front, and the Fourth Brigade was to move up to the works as soon as vacated. In obedience to this order, at 5 o'clock the regiment was in line of battle, and ready to move to the works. Having reason to believe that the reconnaissance would not last more than one or two hours, as the order was not to bring on an engagement, everything except arms and accouterments were left in tents. At ten minutes past 5 o'clock, firing commenced on the picket line of the Eighth Corps. Supposing it to be only a reconnaissance by the enemy, it created but little alarm. In a few minutes heavy firing commenced on the left and front of the Eighth Corps. It was not yet daylight, and a dense fog, which had settled to the ground, rendered it almost impossible to distinguish objects at any distance. Soon after the firing commenced on the left, the brigade was ordered to move by the left flank, until the left of the Twenty-fourth Iowa rested on the pike. Colonel Wilds ordered me to ride to the left of the regiment, and to lead it to the place indicated, but, before reaching the pike, I was ordered to halt and take position, as we were already receiving the enemy's fire. The regiment was halted, and the right thrown forward so as to form a line across the crest of the hill, at an angle of forty-five degrees with the pike, the right of the brigade, Eighteenth Indiana Veteran Volunteers, supporting the battery on the left of the first line. The fog was so dense that it was impossible to tell what was in front of us, and, as the Eighth Corps was falling back at the time, our fire was reserved until the enemy had pressed his columns close up to and charged the battery on the right, one piece of which was captured. We held the position, however, until Colonel Shunk, discovering that the enemy had thrown a column across the pike on our left, ordered the brigade to fall back about five hundred yards, and take position parallel to and facing the pike. This was done in good order, and the position taken and held, until it became necessary, in the opinion of General Grover, to fall back, in order to prevent being cut off entirely. (Up to this time the regiment had lost six men killed and about forty wounded.) The order was given to fall back as rapidly as possible in the direction of the camp of the Sixth Corps. The enemy came in heavy force on our left and captured four officers and about forty men. The brigade fell back about one mile and formed between the First Brigade, General Birge, and the Sixth Corps, which was on the left.
Previous to this time, Colonel Wilds had been wounded and carried from the field. I had also received a bruise on my hip from a piece of shell, and a wound from a musket ball in the left arm near the elbow, which sickened me so that I could not ride for near an hour, and the regiment was commanded by Captain L. Clark, during my absence. Soon after I returned to the regiment, which was then in the position above mentioned, the enemy made a flank movement to the left of the Sixth Corps, rendering it necessary for it to fall back, and we were ordered to retire by the right of regiments to the rear. We moved in this manner nearly three miles, halted, took position, procured ammunition and prepared to renew the battle. After we had rested about half an hour, Major General Sheridan came on the field, having been absent since the morning of the 18th. He ordered the Eighth Corps to take position on the left of the pike between Middletown and Newtown, the Sixth Corps the center, and the Nineteenth Corps the right. Sent two divisions of cavalry to the right, and one to the left. The Fourth Brigade was formed on the extreme left of the Nineteenth Corps, connecting with the right of the Sixth Corps, in this position the troops were ordered to rest, and throw up some temporary works.
About 12 o'clock I was ordered to move the Twenty-fourth Iowa to the extreme right of the Nineteenth Corps, and protect the flank. I immediately moved to the place indicated, took position and threw out a skirmish line. In this position I remained until 3 o'clock P. M., when I received orders to call in my skirmishers and take my place in the line, as it was going to advance. My skirmishers had just reported when the advance was sounded. In order to get my position in the line, I had to double quick about one mile, and, during the greater part of this distance, we had to pass through the fire of the enemy's guns, which overshot our advancing columns, the shells exploding in the rear. About 3 ½ o'clock, I got my place in the line, which steadily advanced, driving the enemy from every position taken until we reached the camp we left in the morning. Here we halted and made some coffee, (those of us who were fortunate enough to have any,) the first we had tasted since the evening of the 18th. We found one wounded officer there, who had hidden among the rocks during the day, and quite a number of our wounded men. Everything was taken from our camp, leaving the men and most of the officers without haversacks, blankets or shelter tents. At 8 o'clock P. M., the regiment moved forward, with the brigade, to a point near Strasburg, to protect the parties that were sent out to collect the property abandoned by the enemy in his hasty retreat. There we bivouacked for the night, without fires, the men suffering severely for want of blankets and proper clothing to protect them from the excessive cold. On the following morning (20th) the remainder of the Second Division came up, and we went into camp about one mile from Strasburg.
It would appear invidious to mention individual cases of gallantry during the day, when all, both men and officers, did their whole duty. I cannot close, however, without referring to the bravery of our lamented Colonel Wilds, who was wounded soon after daylight and died November 18th. In him we lost a noble, brave and efficient officer. Captain Knott and Lieutenant Kurtz were wounded and captured, but both were retaken in the evening. Captain Smith and Lieutenant Davis were captured in the morning about daylight. The loss of the regiment was: Killed; enlisted men 7. Wounded; officers 6, enlisted men 39. Captured; officers 2, enlisted men 39. Total casualties 93; a list of which is hereto annexed.
I have the honor to be, most respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
Ed Wright,
Lieutenant Colonel Twenty-fourth Regiment Iowa Infantry Volunteers.
N. B. Baker, Adjutant General State of Iowa.
During the remainder of the month of October the regiment participated in the various movements of its brigade and division in the Shenandoah Valley, but did not again come into contact with any considerable force of the enemy. In the early part of November the regiment was engaged in the duty of escorting supply trains for the army. On the 8th of November, 1864, the officers and men of the regiment recorded their choice for President of the United States, with the following result: Whole number of votes cast, 303, of which Abraham Lincoln received 285 and George B. McClellan 18. On November 10th the regiment arrived at Camp Russell, where the army of the Shenandoah was encamped, and during the remainder of the month was engaged in the erection of fortifications and building cabins for winter quarters. In December the winter quarters were completed, and the regiment was engaged in the performance of picket and escort duty until the close of the month. On December 30th the regiment was assigned to the post at Winchester, Va. On the 6th of January, 1865, the Twenty-fourth Iowa left Winchester and proceeded by rail to Baltimore, thence by steamship to Savannah, Ga., where it went into camp and remained for two months. It then moved to Morehead City, N. C, and, from that point, to Goldsboro and Raleigh, escorting transportation trains. After the surrender of the rebel General Johnston's army, it returned to Savannah, moved thence to Augusta, Ga., with the Twenty-second and Twenty-eighth Iowa, crossed the river at Augusta and went into camp near the town of Hamburg, S. C, where it remained until the 6th of June, when, with the other Iowa regiments, it was ordered to return to Savannah. Its last long march was completed on June 20th. The regiment then went into camp at Savannah, where it remained until the 17th day of July, 1865, on which date it was mustered out of the service of the United States. A few days later it was provided with transportation to Davenport, Iowa, and, upon its arrival there, was disbanded, and the survivors returned to their homes, there to resume and discharge the duties of citizens, with the same fidelity they had shown as soldiers, while engaged in the defense of their country against armed treason and rebellion. No Iowa regiment has a more distinguished record than the Twenty-fourth, and there were only a few others whose operations covered such a wide extent of territory. Everywhere, in camp or garrison, upon the march, in battle, and under all the vicissitudes of its long and arduous service, it maintained in the highest degree the honor of the flag and its State. The archives of the State of Iowa and of the War Department at Washington contain no more glorious record of valor and patriotic service than that of the Twenty-fourth Regiment of Iowa Infantry Volunteers.
SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES
Total Enrollment 1,204
Killed 71
Wounded 260
Died of wounds 55
Died of disease 201
Discharged for disease, wounds or other causes 235
Buried in National Cemeteries 117
Captured 76
Transferred 55
[Note 1.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. 1, pages 8 and 11. Report of Adjutant General or Iowa, 1863, Vol. 1, pages 850 to 883; Original Roster of the Regiment.
[Note 2.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 1, Vol. 24, page 610. War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Part 1, Vol. 24, page 583. The tabulated statement shows the losses by regiments, as follows: Forty-seventh Indiana, killed 5, wounded 20, missing 1; Twenty-fourth Iowa, killed 1, wounded 5; Twenty-eighth Iowa, killed 3, wounded 14, missing 3; Fifty-sixth Ohio, killed 6, wounded 23, missing 7; Second Illinois Light Artillery, Battery A, killed 1. Total, 89.
[Note 3.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, pages 40 to 47 inclusive.
[Note 4.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, page 54.
[Note 5.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, page 40.
[Note 6.] Which gave the name to the battlefield.
[Note 7.] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, page 8. Tabulated returns of casualties in battle of Champion's Hill.
[Note 8.] See Revised Roster of the Regiment, following this sketch.
[Note 9.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1144 to 1162 inclusive.
[Note 10.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1153, 4, 5.
[Note 11.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1156, 7.
[Note 12.] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1157, 8, 9.
SOURCE: Roster & Record of Iowa Soldiers During the War of the Rebellion, Volume 3, p. 781-94
Arkansas State Memorial: Shiloh National Military Park
PRESENT AND ENGAGED AT THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.
REMARKS
THE FOLLOWING NAMED FIELD OFFICERS OF ARKANSAS TROOPS WERE KILLED OR DIED OF WOUNDS RECEIVED ON THE BATTLEFIELD OF SHILOH:
LT. COL. A. D. GRAYSON, 12TH ARKANSAS
LT. COL. JOHN M. DEAN, 7TH ARKANSAS
LT. COL. A. K. PATTON, 15TH ARKANSAS
MAJ. J. T. HARRIS, 15TH ARKANSAS
LT. COL. CHARLES E. PATTERSON, 2ND ARKANSAS, WOUNDED APRIL 6TH, DIED APRIL 7TH.
[Right Side:]
TO THE BRAVE CONFEDERATE DEAD OF ARKANSAS WHO FELL UPON THIS BATTLEFILED.
THIS MONUMENT IS ERRECTED BY THE ARKANSAS DIV. UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY IN THE YEAR 1910
[Back:]
INFANTRY
1ST ARKANSAS (FAGAN)
GIBSON’S BRIGADE, BRAGG’S CORPS.
15TH ARKANSAS (PATTON)
CLEBURNE’S BRIGADE, HARDEE’S CORPS.
2ND ARKANSAS (GOVAN)
6TH ARKANSAS (HAWTHORN)
7TH ARKANSAS (DEAN)
SHAVER’S BRIGADE HARDEE’S CORPS.
8TH ARKANSAS (PATTERSON)
9TH (14TH) ARKANSAS BATTALION (KELLY)
WOOD’S BRIGADE, HARDEE’S CORPS
9TH ARKANSAS (DUNLOP)
10TH ARKANSAS (MERRION)
BOWEN’S BRIGADE, BRECKINREDGE’S CORPS
13TH ARKANSAS (TAPPAN)
STEWART’S BRIGADE, POLK’S CORPS
[Left Side:]
ARTILLERY
CALVERT’S BATTERY, SHOUP’S BATTALION
HUBBARD’S BATTERY, CLEBURNE’S BRIG.
TRIGG’S BATTERY, HARDEE’S CORPS
ROBERT’S BATTERY (UNASSIGNED)
The Great Union Victory in Kentucky!
Special to the Chicago Journal.
CAIRO, Feb. 7.
I arrived from Fort Henry on the gun-boat St. Louis this morning. We left the Fort at 9 o’clock last evening.
Our gun-boats took one 128-pounder, one 24 rifled, two 24-pounders, ten 32 pounders, one 24 siege gun, two 12-pounders, one 6-pounder caisson in the fort.
A rifled shell was fired directly into the muzzle of the 128 pounder. Seven guns were disabled. Thirty-one shots struck the Cincinnati, seven struck the St. Louis and fourteen struck the Essex.
The Cincinnati, Carondelet, and St. Louis were within 300 yards of the rebel batteries when the flag was hauled down on the St. Louis.
No one was injured. The St. Louis is as good as new. She fired 126 shots during the engagement. The Cincinnati fired one-hundred and thirty-six shots. The Essex fifty-five shells.
The Essex was disabled by a round shot that entered a forward post, passing through a heavy bulwark into her boiler. She reports 26 killed, wounded and missing. Her pilots, Marsh Ford, of Pittsburg, and Jas. McBride, of Cincinnati, were scalded and died.
Capt. Porter’s clerk, S B. Britton, was killed, a round shot taking off his head. Two were killed on the Cincinnati. The second master, Hewitt, lost a leg, but will probably recover.
Our prisoners are: Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman; Capt. H. L. Jones, of Ky., acting quartermaster; Captain. J. H. Hayden, chief of engineers; Capt. John McLaughlin, Quartermaster; Maj. W. L. McComico; assistant adjutant-general; Capt. Jesse Taylor, commanding garrison; Lieuts. J. Ormsley, Watts, and Fred. J. Weller; Capt. G. R. G. Jones; and sixty privates.
In the evening, three 6-pounders and five rifled field-pieces, that had been taken into the woods, were recovered.
The Lexington and Conestoga went up the river, it was supposed, to destroy the bridge of the Clarksville and Memphis RR., last night.
Gen. Smith, on the west side of the river, had captured the whole camp equipage of two regiments, and, it was believed, a number of prisoners.
At least six hundred shots were fired during the engagement. It was a most terrific cannonade. The guns were well served.
I saw six dead rebels. Their loss could not be ascertained, the dead having been taken away.
The scene inside the rebel intrenchments was terrible. In three rows of their log barracks not one escaped, shot and shell having torn everything to splinters.
On the Cincinnati one was killed, P. Cassidy, of St. Catherines; [8] wounded, one of whom, Wm. Lakeman, will die. Captain Pratt may save his leg.
Our land force on the east side of the river encamped at Fort Henry last night.
Flag Officer Foote, commander of the fleet of Federal gunboats that captured Fort Henry yesterday, was on the Cincinnati, which led the advance.
Gen. Tilghman, in surrendering, said he was “gratified to surrender, if he must, to so gallant an officer as Flag Officer Foote.”
Commodore Foot replied, “You did right to surrender. I should not have given up until you had sunk my boats. Your surrender must be unconditional.”
Here is the complete list of the Essex dead wounded and missing. This casualty to the Essex has cast a gloom over our fleet and some what dampens the enthusiasm of our victory.
KILLED – M. H. Ford, Jas. McBride, pilots; S. B. Britton, Quartermaster’s mate; David Wilson, captain of gun; J. Coffey, Jasper P. Brease, seaman.
OFFICERS WOUNDED – Commander W. D. Porter, Theo. P. Ferry, 3d master.
SEAMEN WOUNDED (badly.) – John Matthews, N. McCarty, Peter White, G. E. Nichols, Samual [sic] Boyer, B. Harrington, W. O’Brien.
SEAMEN WOUNDED (slightly.) – J. Rodgers, Francis Wilson, Harvey Hogan, Thomas Mullen, W. H. Maxley. T. Sullivan, John O’Hara, John Costello, J. J. Phillips, B. Solin.
MISSING – A. D. Waterman, Jno. Larrise, Henry Gulper, Henry Reynolds, J. Bedard.
A detachment from one of the Indiana regiments, taken on board the Essex just before engaging the enemy, to act as sharp shooters, under command of Danl. Trotter, lost some of their men as follows:
Killed – Chris Stocker; L Gantz.
Scalded – Lieut. Trotter, Chas. E. Erb, J. Lump.
Missing – Wm. O’Neal and Benj. Lubec.
Our gun boats did splendid fighting. We can bake no distinctions. The Cincinnati, however, was in the lead, and flying the flag officer’s pennant, the chief mark. Flagg officer Foote and Capt. Stombel crowded her defiantly into the teeth of the enemy’s guns. She got 31 shots, some of them going through and through her. She expended 110 shots.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, February 10, 1862, p. 1
CAIRO, Feb. 7.
I arrived from Fort Henry on the gun-boat St. Louis this morning. We left the Fort at 9 o’clock last evening.
Our gun-boats took one 128-pounder, one 24 rifled, two 24-pounders, ten 32 pounders, one 24 siege gun, two 12-pounders, one 6-pounder caisson in the fort.
A rifled shell was fired directly into the muzzle of the 128 pounder. Seven guns were disabled. Thirty-one shots struck the Cincinnati, seven struck the St. Louis and fourteen struck the Essex.
The Cincinnati, Carondelet, and St. Louis were within 300 yards of the rebel batteries when the flag was hauled down on the St. Louis.
No one was injured. The St. Louis is as good as new. She fired 126 shots during the engagement. The Cincinnati fired one-hundred and thirty-six shots. The Essex fifty-five shells.
The Essex was disabled by a round shot that entered a forward post, passing through a heavy bulwark into her boiler. She reports 26 killed, wounded and missing. Her pilots, Marsh Ford, of Pittsburg, and Jas. McBride, of Cincinnati, were scalded and died.
Capt. Porter’s clerk, S B. Britton, was killed, a round shot taking off his head. Two were killed on the Cincinnati. The second master, Hewitt, lost a leg, but will probably recover.
Our prisoners are: Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman; Capt. H. L. Jones, of Ky., acting quartermaster; Captain. J. H. Hayden, chief of engineers; Capt. John McLaughlin, Quartermaster; Maj. W. L. McComico; assistant adjutant-general; Capt. Jesse Taylor, commanding garrison; Lieuts. J. Ormsley, Watts, and Fred. J. Weller; Capt. G. R. G. Jones; and sixty privates.
In the evening, three 6-pounders and five rifled field-pieces, that had been taken into the woods, were recovered.
The Lexington and Conestoga went up the river, it was supposed, to destroy the bridge of the Clarksville and Memphis RR., last night.
Gen. Smith, on the west side of the river, had captured the whole camp equipage of two regiments, and, it was believed, a number of prisoners.
At least six hundred shots were fired during the engagement. It was a most terrific cannonade. The guns were well served.
I saw six dead rebels. Their loss could not be ascertained, the dead having been taken away.
The scene inside the rebel intrenchments was terrible. In three rows of their log barracks not one escaped, shot and shell having torn everything to splinters.
On the Cincinnati one was killed, P. Cassidy, of St. Catherines; [8] wounded, one of whom, Wm. Lakeman, will die. Captain Pratt may save his leg.
Our land force on the east side of the river encamped at Fort Henry last night.
Flag Officer Foote, commander of the fleet of Federal gunboats that captured Fort Henry yesterday, was on the Cincinnati, which led the advance.
Gen. Tilghman, in surrendering, said he was “gratified to surrender, if he must, to so gallant an officer as Flag Officer Foote.”
Commodore Foot replied, “You did right to surrender. I should not have given up until you had sunk my boats. Your surrender must be unconditional.”
Here is the complete list of the Essex dead wounded and missing. This casualty to the Essex has cast a gloom over our fleet and some what dampens the enthusiasm of our victory.
KILLED – M. H. Ford, Jas. McBride, pilots; S. B. Britton, Quartermaster’s mate; David Wilson, captain of gun; J. Coffey, Jasper P. Brease, seaman.
OFFICERS WOUNDED – Commander W. D. Porter, Theo. P. Ferry, 3d master.
SEAMEN WOUNDED (badly.) – John Matthews, N. McCarty, Peter White, G. E. Nichols, Samual [sic] Boyer, B. Harrington, W. O’Brien.
SEAMEN WOUNDED (slightly.) – J. Rodgers, Francis Wilson, Harvey Hogan, Thomas Mullen, W. H. Maxley. T. Sullivan, John O’Hara, John Costello, J. J. Phillips, B. Solin.
MISSING – A. D. Waterman, Jno. Larrise, Henry Gulper, Henry Reynolds, J. Bedard.
A detachment from one of the Indiana regiments, taken on board the Essex just before engaging the enemy, to act as sharp shooters, under command of Danl. Trotter, lost some of their men as follows:
Killed – Chris Stocker; L Gantz.
Scalded – Lieut. Trotter, Chas. E. Erb, J. Lump.
Missing – Wm. O’Neal and Benj. Lubec.
Our gun boats did splendid fighting. We can bake no distinctions. The Cincinnati, however, was in the lead, and flying the flag officer’s pennant, the chief mark. Flagg officer Foote and Capt. Stombel crowded her defiantly into the teeth of the enemy’s guns. She got 31 shots, some of them going through and through her. She expended 110 shots.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, February 10, 1862, p. 1
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Weekly Report of Deaths of Iowa Soldiers at St. Louis and Vicinity
April 20 – Jacob Howrey, co F, 12th
April 23 – J. W. Cowville, co D, 14th.
April 22 – Aserom V. Campbell, co K, 17th.
April 23 – Simeon Pobin [sic], co, I, 13th.
– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 3, 1862, p. 2
April 23 – J. W. Cowville, co D, 14th.
April 22 – Aserom V. Campbell, co K, 17th.
April 23 – Simeon Pobin [sic], co, I, 13th.
– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 3, 1862, p. 2
Deaths in Keokuk Post Hospital
April 27, J. H. Nosler, Co. D, 15th Iowa.
April 27, S. Harrison, Co. K, 11th Iowa.
April 27, J. Davidson, Co. B, 16th Wisconsin.
April 27, M. B. Caldwell, Co. F, 72d Ohio.
April 27, John Christian Co. B, 8th Iowa.
April 27, James Donlan, Co. A, 21st Missouri.
April 27, Lewis Kerk, Co. C, 15th Iowa.
April 28, A. Anderson, Co. E, 43d Illinois.
April 28, Aug. Schaeffer, Co. F, 43d Illinois
April 28, W. S. Hillier, Co. I, 48th Illinois.
– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 3, 1862, p. 2
Munch’s Battery, 1st Minnesota Light Artillery: The Hornet's Nest, Shiloh National Military Park
U. S.MUNCH’S BATTERY
1ST MINNESOTA LT. ART., PRENTISS’ (6TH) DIV.,
ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE.
THIS BATTERY HAD ONE SECTION IN ACTION HERE, AND ONE SECTION 300 FEET NORTH, FROM 9 A.M. TO 4 P.M. APRIL 6, 1862.
THE BATTERY WAS AGAIN IN ACTION ON THE BANK OF THE RIVER NEAR THE MOUTH OF DILL BRANCH.
THE BATTERY WAS AGAIN IN ACTION ON THE BANK OF THE RIVER NEAR THE MOUTH OF DILL BRANCH.
Efforts are making to build up the National Intelligencer.
Alexander Wilson, lately managing editor of the N. Y. Times is to have charge. It will be Republican in politics.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
Officers Under The Tax Bill
A dispatch to the New York Tribune says:
A foolish report has obtained currency to the effect that the tax bill creates 26,000 offices. Every office-seeker in the country is counting upon seeing himself ensconced in one of these snug berths. The fact is, as we are assured, that the best informed Members of Congress estimate the number of these offices at less than 3,000 for the whole union.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
A foolish report has obtained currency to the effect that the tax bill creates 26,000 offices. Every office-seeker in the country is counting upon seeing himself ensconced in one of these snug berths. The fact is, as we are assured, that the best informed Members of Congress estimate the number of these offices at less than 3,000 for the whole union.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
The effect of the successes of Burnside and Foote . . .
. . . is very perceptible in all quarters. The contrabands, as may well be supposed, are not indifferent. One of them quietly inquired, recently as follows:
“Can you tell why it is that Master Burnside found that it took five northerners to equal one Southerner?
“No,” replied we, “How is it?”
“Why, sir, it takes four Northerners to catch one Southerner – her runs so fast – and then it takes the other Northerner to whip him!”
Pretty good for a contraband.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
“Can you tell why it is that Master Burnside found that it took five northerners to equal one Southerner?
“No,” replied we, “How is it?”
“Why, sir, it takes four Northerners to catch one Southerner – her runs so fast – and then it takes the other Northerner to whip him!”
Pretty good for a contraband.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
Emancipation in the District
A letter from Washington says:
The House committee of the District of Columbia have already agreed to report this bill in all its features, unless the colonization amendment, which was put on in the Senate yesterday, be accepted. The bill will pass the House and Mr. Lincoln will sign it. Although many of our slave owners are taking their slaves out of the city into Maryland, there are some who will welcome the passage of the bill. I saw one yesterday who owns eleven slaves. “I am waiting for the bill to pass,” he said, “that the lot my be taken off my hands. I would a great deal rather get my $300 per slave and have them go free than to take my chances of a higher sum and the negroes still remain slaves.”
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
The House committee of the District of Columbia have already agreed to report this bill in all its features, unless the colonization amendment, which was put on in the Senate yesterday, be accepted. The bill will pass the House and Mr. Lincoln will sign it. Although many of our slave owners are taking their slaves out of the city into Maryland, there are some who will welcome the passage of the bill. I saw one yesterday who owns eleven slaves. “I am waiting for the bill to pass,” he said, “that the lot my be taken off my hands. I would a great deal rather get my $300 per slave and have them go free than to take my chances of a higher sum and the negroes still remain slaves.”
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
The Dubuque Election
The Dubuque Times thus speaks in the scenes that followed the triumph of the Mahony ticket for municipal officers of that city:
“The only cause for serious mortification in this defeat is the class of men by whom we have been beaten. As an example of their treasonable inclination it is a notorious fact that during the afternoon and evening of election day scores and hundreds of men were swarming the streets cheering for Jeff Davis, the Southern Confederacy, D. A. Mahony, the Merrimac, etc., etc. In the evening one of the Herald proprietors, decorated with secesh colors, entertained a large crowd in the Nebraska saloon with the classic air of “Dixie,” executed upon the fiddle. An [employee] of the same office, wearing a cap conspicuously ornamented with the letters C. S. A., accompanied the violin with the “bones.” Dancing, brawling, fighting middling, drunken speechifying, groans for “Old Abe,” and shouts of “Down with the Administration,” were heard there till nearly morning.”
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
“The only cause for serious mortification in this defeat is the class of men by whom we have been beaten. As an example of their treasonable inclination it is a notorious fact that during the afternoon and evening of election day scores and hundreds of men were swarming the streets cheering for Jeff Davis, the Southern Confederacy, D. A. Mahony, the Merrimac, etc., etc. In the evening one of the Herald proprietors, decorated with secesh colors, entertained a large crowd in the Nebraska saloon with the classic air of “Dixie,” executed upon the fiddle. An [employee] of the same office, wearing a cap conspicuously ornamented with the letters C. S. A., accompanied the violin with the “bones.” Dancing, brawling, fighting middling, drunken speechifying, groans for “Old Abe,” and shouts of “Down with the Administration,” were heard there till nearly morning.”
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
The Escape of the Nashville
Sufficient explanation has been made by the Navy Department to convince all fair-minded men that the escape of the Nashville was due alone to the fact that the Department had no vessels within its reach to prevent it. The various naval expeditions, and the coast blockade, have occupied every vessel as fast as it could be fitted out. As soon as it was known that the Nashville had arrived, which was on the 4th of March, the Secretary of the Navy telegraphed to various stations, but was unable to reach any vessels suitable for the propose, except those undergoing repairs. He was answered from Boston that two gunboats would be ready in two or three days; but owning to a defect discovered in the engine of one, and delay of the other from some similar cause, they did not leave till the 14th, and when they arrived at Fortress Monroe the Nashville had escaped.
The gunboat Georgia, which had been of Beaufort, was obliged to come into port for coal at the same time the Nashville escaped. – The abuse which has been heaped upon Secretary Welles for this matter was totally ignorant and senseless, and it is notable that this unscrupulous attempt to make the head of the Naval Department odious, seems to come almost entirely from the papers which insist that the waste of our resources on land shall not be criticized, because it may impair public confidence in that direction; and thereby injure the public service. – Cin. Gaz.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
The gunboat Georgia, which had been of Beaufort, was obliged to come into port for coal at the same time the Nashville escaped. – The abuse which has been heaped upon Secretary Welles for this matter was totally ignorant and senseless, and it is notable that this unscrupulous attempt to make the head of the Naval Department odious, seems to come almost entirely from the papers which insist that the waste of our resources on land shall not be criticized, because it may impair public confidence in that direction; and thereby injure the public service. – Cin. Gaz.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
Monday, May 3, 2010
The St. Louis Democrat says . . .
. . . that the reason for placing Buckner in close confinement at Fort Warren is stated to be that, after declaring upon his honor that he bore no concealed weapons, a loaded revolver was found upon him.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
Fitzjames O’Brien . . .
. . . one of the late Gen. Lander’s staff, died on Sunday, from lockjaw, in consequence of a wound received in a skirmish about two months ago. Mr. O’Brien was a native of Ireland, and came to New York ten years since. He possessed fine literary talents, and was one of the most popular contributors to the Eastern magazines and papers.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
Grain And Stock Trade Of Chicago
We learn that Messrs. Fairbanks have set in the elevators in this city, during the last year, about seventy-five of their five hundred bushel hopper scales, and sever smaller ones: Each of these can be loaded to its full capacity, and the load discharged in a few minutes, which shows something of the fast amount of grain which can be weighed upon them. They have also set, at the different stock yards in the city, five of their stock scales, with platforms of sufficient size to weigh a whole care load at once, which must add greatly to the facilities for shipping live stock from this market. – Chicago Tribune.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
Bill to Disfranchise the Rebels
A letter from Washington to the Chicago Tribune says:
One of the most important measures introduced at this session of Congress is the disfranchising bill proposed by Mr. Wilson of Iowa, which provides that no person shall hereafter be eligible to office who has taken up arms against the United States, after having taken an oath to support the Constitution. The bill is intended to apply to all former Senators, Representatives, Federal and State officers, who have joined in the rebellion. The Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of all the States, prescribe an oath of fidelity to the former instrument, and hence every rebel who has held an office is perjured before God and man. The oath of such a person on assuming another office under the United States Constitution would be a mockery and blasphemy. Yet I venture to say that the Democrats will oppose the bill with as much firmness as though it were a proposition to take a part of the tax burden from the shoulders of loyal citizens and put it on the traitors. Col. Voorhees, Wood, and most of the Democratic leaders here, long for the day when they can grasp the hands of Davis, Slidell and Wigfall in the Senate Chamber, and hold sweet communion with Pryor Keitt, Braksdale and Hindman in the House. Mr. Wilson’s bill cuts off all these luxuries, and hence they will be sure to oppose it.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
One of the most important measures introduced at this session of Congress is the disfranchising bill proposed by Mr. Wilson of Iowa, which provides that no person shall hereafter be eligible to office who has taken up arms against the United States, after having taken an oath to support the Constitution. The bill is intended to apply to all former Senators, Representatives, Federal and State officers, who have joined in the rebellion. The Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of all the States, prescribe an oath of fidelity to the former instrument, and hence every rebel who has held an office is perjured before God and man. The oath of such a person on assuming another office under the United States Constitution would be a mockery and blasphemy. Yet I venture to say that the Democrats will oppose the bill with as much firmness as though it were a proposition to take a part of the tax burden from the shoulders of loyal citizens and put it on the traitors. Col. Voorhees, Wood, and most of the Democratic leaders here, long for the day when they can grasp the hands of Davis, Slidell and Wigfall in the Senate Chamber, and hold sweet communion with Pryor Keitt, Braksdale and Hindman in the House. Mr. Wilson’s bill cuts off all these luxuries, and hence they will be sure to oppose it.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
"Old Clift"
One of the associates of Parson Brownlow, of Tennessee, both in religion and patriotism, is called “Old Clift.” The Nashville correspondent of the New York Tribune gives the following account of him:
“One of the most eminent and interesting actors throughout the Union drama in Tennessee is ‘Old Clift,’ a Methodist clergyman, living near Chattanooga, well known for integrity and righteousness of purpose throughout the eastern and middle districts. From the very outbreak of secessionism, he opposed it with a zealous vigor and consistency. At the Union Convention, held at Knoxville last summer, he made a violent speech in favor of a separation of the loyal from the disloyal counties, and the formation of a new State. This movement having failed, he went home and commenced active defiance of the rebel authorities by organizing the Unionists of his vicinity into companies and regiments. As late as September, there was an encampment of several hundred under his command in the mountains of Bradley county, over which the stars and stripes floated with a sword underneath. It was afterward broken up, but he managed to keep up and extend a secret organization, notwithstanding the constant efforts of the rebels to capture him, and being notified of the intentions of the bridge-burners, he had nearly a thousand men assembled under his standard in the middle of November. Seeing no prospect of Union support, he again disbanded his force. Upon the news of the fall of Fort Donelson, he immediately gathered a band of several hundred with whom he made his way to Gen. Carter’s command. He is now at the head of a newly organized regiment.”
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
“One of the most eminent and interesting actors throughout the Union drama in Tennessee is ‘Old Clift,’ a Methodist clergyman, living near Chattanooga, well known for integrity and righteousness of purpose throughout the eastern and middle districts. From the very outbreak of secessionism, he opposed it with a zealous vigor and consistency. At the Union Convention, held at Knoxville last summer, he made a violent speech in favor of a separation of the loyal from the disloyal counties, and the formation of a new State. This movement having failed, he went home and commenced active defiance of the rebel authorities by organizing the Unionists of his vicinity into companies and regiments. As late as September, there was an encampment of several hundred under his command in the mountains of Bradley county, over which the stars and stripes floated with a sword underneath. It was afterward broken up, but he managed to keep up and extend a secret organization, notwithstanding the constant efforts of the rebels to capture him, and being notified of the intentions of the bridge-burners, he had nearly a thousand men assembled under his standard in the middle of November. Seeing no prospect of Union support, he again disbanded his force. Upon the news of the fall of Fort Donelson, he immediately gathered a band of several hundred with whom he made his way to Gen. Carter’s command. He is now at the head of a newly organized regiment.”
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
Sunday, May 2, 2010
A Cipher Dispatch from Beauregard
From the N. Y. Evening Post
We have been shown a dispatch for message in cipher, from Beauregard to some Confederate in Washington, which, in addition to the ingenuity which characterizes the cipher, contains intrinsic evidence both as to its origin and the desperate means proposed by the rebel general for getting possession of the capital. It seems certain that arson and assassination were component parts of the chivalry of which we have heard so much a year or so ago, and perhaps the publication of such a dispatch as this, may modify the tender sensibility of those who adhere to the kid-glove policy in dealing with the rebels who themselves stick at nothing in prosecuting their traitorous schemes. The message deciphered, reads thus:
“I shall cross the river at Little Falls on Sunday at 2 a. m. Signal red and white rockets from Turner’s Hill. For God’s sake don’t fail us. Fire the city at all points as agreed upon at once. Despatch [sic] Lincoln and Scott as you suggest, and let the execution of our plot be perfect.
BEAUREGARD.”
The construction of the cipher in which the above interesting communication is made is difficult of explanation but simple in practice. It consists in laying over a white surface a piece of paper on which is printed the alphabet in various combinations and in parallel lines, covering the entire sheet. By perforating both pieces at the letters needed to spell out such words as the writer wishes to use, the white paper becomes an inexplicable medley of little holes, useless to every one who has not the corresponding printed sheet under it. of course the confederate conspirator has only to fit the white paper sent to him to the key in his possession to read with facility what his friends in Dixie would have him know and do.
We may add that the message above printed was found under the circumstances which verify it as authentic and genuine. It is in the hands of a gentleman of this city, and is highly prized as in important link in the chain of evidence which will go to condemn the great treason when History shall make up the account.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
Click Here for a related article
We have been shown a dispatch for message in cipher, from Beauregard to some Confederate in Washington, which, in addition to the ingenuity which characterizes the cipher, contains intrinsic evidence both as to its origin and the desperate means proposed by the rebel general for getting possession of the capital. It seems certain that arson and assassination were component parts of the chivalry of which we have heard so much a year or so ago, and perhaps the publication of such a dispatch as this, may modify the tender sensibility of those who adhere to the kid-glove policy in dealing with the rebels who themselves stick at nothing in prosecuting their traitorous schemes. The message deciphered, reads thus:
“I shall cross the river at Little Falls on Sunday at 2 a. m. Signal red and white rockets from Turner’s Hill. For God’s sake don’t fail us. Fire the city at all points as agreed upon at once. Despatch [sic] Lincoln and Scott as you suggest, and let the execution of our plot be perfect.
BEAUREGARD.”
The construction of the cipher in which the above interesting communication is made is difficult of explanation but simple in practice. It consists in laying over a white surface a piece of paper on which is printed the alphabet in various combinations and in parallel lines, covering the entire sheet. By perforating both pieces at the letters needed to spell out such words as the writer wishes to use, the white paper becomes an inexplicable medley of little holes, useless to every one who has not the corresponding printed sheet under it. of course the confederate conspirator has only to fit the white paper sent to him to the key in his possession to read with facility what his friends in Dixie would have him know and do.
We may add that the message above printed was found under the circumstances which verify it as authentic and genuine. It is in the hands of a gentleman of this city, and is highly prized as in important link in the chain of evidence which will go to condemn the great treason when History shall make up the account.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
Click Here for a related article
Western Inventions
The following important Patents were issued to Iowa inventors from the United States Patent Office, March, 1862. Reported for the Davenport GAZETTE, by Coburn & Marrs, Patent Attorneys and Solicitors, No. 11 Larmon Block, corner of Clark and Washington Streets, Chicago Ill.
James Canfield, Sabula, Iowa, Improved Gold Washer.
Lucinda Humphrey, Tipton, Iowa, Improved Skirt Protector.
G. S. Knapp, Dubuque, Iowa, Improvement in Harvesters.
W. H. White, Dubuque, Iowa, Improved Rooffing [sic].
Vincent & Leslie, Quasqueton, Iowa, improvement in Churns.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
James Canfield, Sabula, Iowa, Improved Gold Washer.
Lucinda Humphrey, Tipton, Iowa, Improved Skirt Protector.
G. S. Knapp, Dubuque, Iowa, Improvement in Harvesters.
W. H. White, Dubuque, Iowa, Improved Rooffing [sic].
Vincent & Leslie, Quasqueton, Iowa, improvement in Churns.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
The Public Anxiety
It is impossible for any one mind to compute the depth of sorrow and grief and painful anxiety, sown broadcast over our country by the double-dyed villains that through their mad ambition have plunged it into the vortex of misery. As we write hundreds of thousands of hearts are throbbing in painful anxiety at the fate of those whom they love. North and south, east and west, the same terrible feeling of suspense prevails. The West is looking with tearful eyes and throbbing hearts to the result of the recent great battle on the Tennessee river. The East has its eyes on Chesapeake Bay and is tremulously waiting the result of the terrible conflict so soon to be waged there. The South is looking in all directions, for wherever her sons are fighting they are bleeding and dying. Never before was our country in such condition. Fearful will be the penalty visited upon the guilty heads of the leaders of this ungodly rebellion. If they escape immediate punishment by fleeing the country, justice will seek them out at last though she track them to the uttermost bounds of earth. Remorse like a vulture will prey upon their vitals – they will live despised of men and die rejected of God.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
Desperation of the Rebel Leaders
Jeff. Davis recently sent a message to his Congress which not only shows the desperate condition of the rebel leaders, but the utter dishonesty of their course. Repudiating everything that savers of uprightness and common honesty, he recommends that the Southern Confederate Government assume the prerogative of an autocrat, or of the Pope at Rome, and absolve all prisoners released by the U. S. Government on parole from their oaths, and that they again be mustered into the service of the Confederate Government. First, the rebel Government refuses to exchange a like number of prisoners, and then absolves from their oaths those who have been returned! Was ever such high-handed outrage known among civilized nations? But it is upon a par with all their acts, and so sure as there is a God who watches over the destinies of nations, will the machinations of those wicked men be frustrated.
But this is not all; Jeff. Davis also recommends that all citizens of the Confederate States between the ages of 18 and 45 be enrolled for military duty. This act of universal conscription will bear heavily upon those soldiers who, having enlisted for one year, are now about to be discharged and return to their homes. The bright anticipations they had of again meeting their families after the absence of a year, during which time they have suffered unparalleled hardships, are dashed to the ground, and they find themselves arrested by the hand of despotism and forced into the rebel army without hope of speedy relief, unless the angel of death come to their rescue.
Men thus dragged into service against their own wishes, fighting under leaders they have cause to despise, and to build up an oligarchy, the fearful workings of which they already experience, can never contend against the volunteers of the North, fighting for principles and the right, under officers whom they love. A rebellion that sustains itself by violating every principle of morality, that sets at defiance even the common honesty that exists among thieves, that robs its subjects of their property for its own sustenance and presses them into its service to fight for the existence of such things must soon be brought to an end. Its own people have not the heart to fight and in their desperation will soon rise up and crush their oppressors. It is a rebellion not only against the Government, but against the people of the South, and it will not be long before they so regard it, if their leaders do not soon submit to the Government they have sought to overthrow, the masses will take the power in their own hands and overthrow them. There is a point beyond which human endurance cannot go, and it seems to us that the point has been reached in the South, and the traitors will soon rebel against their own leaders if they persist in revolt.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 2
Des Moines Correspondence
DES MOINES, April [8], 1862.
At the close of the session I deem it proper to give you a little idea of what has been done in the Iowa Legislature since last I wrote. The last week is always a busy one. Bills are rushed through with great haste, though not always with equal prudence.
Among the important bills passed within the last week is Lane’s militia bill. Your correspondent will take back all he said about the impossibility of passing a bill of that character. Any prediction as to the action of an Iowa Legislature is very liable to fail. It did seem as though no bill of that kind could pass; but Mr. Lane knew no such word as fail, and engineered his bill through very successfully and against the predictions of many of its friends. He is deserving of much credit, both for the care bestowed in drafting the bill, which is very complete and carefully arranged, and for the determination and ability he has manifested in urging its claims upon the Legislature. The bill is considerably modified since it was first presented. Everything unnecessary has been omitted, everything that called for expense, or that related to tax or compulsory service. By this bill the militia service will be wholly voluntary, and no fines or taxes are imposed. During the present military spirit, and that which will prevail for years after the war is over, a law providing for voluntary drill in the militia will perhaps suffice. Companies will be formed, and thousands of the young men of Iowa will delight to be drilled by the brave boys who have learned the art of war by practical experience and hard service.
The income tax bill has been killed, and in its stead a bill has been passed reducing the salaries of Supreme and District Judges and of certain State officers. This is a Senate bill, and was only entertained by the House because it was all that could be had. It is a very questionable policy to reduce the salaries of our high officials so low as to make these officers feel that by accepting the offices tendered them they must submit to a pecuniary loss. It will do for men to talk of honor and patriotism, but in this practical age our most talented and patriotic citizens even must look to compensation more or less. If you place the salary too low, no one but a wealthy man or second or third rate one can afford to accept the office. But the people demanded some measure of the kind, and the Legislature has responded.
The Senate bill for the protection of the School Fund has passed both Houses. It makes the several counties liable for the fund loaned out, if loss occurs through any fault of the officers. If it occurs through depreciation of the value of property, the counties are exonerated from all liability for the loss thereby incurred. The counties are made liable to so great an extent that the fund will be more secure than at present.
A bill was introduced providing for the gradual absorption of the fund into the State Treasury, but it was brought forward too late, even had there been no fear on the part of members that the fund would be quite as insecure in the hands of the agents of the State. Such a feeling did exist, but I think a full discussion of the question would have resulted in a different feeling.
The bill providing for a waive of the Stay of Execution in certain cases was defeated.
Yesterday both Houses passed bills in quick succession, a large number being disposed of. Last evening the last sitting of the session commenced. The members felt very joyous over the prospect of an early boat ride in the morning, and of a speedy return home after the protracted labors of the winter. The weather was so unfavorable that comparatively few ladies were present, but those who were present represented their sex very worthily. They know, as ladies of discernment always know, that the ‘lords of creation’ are more good-natured and agreeable after a hearty repast then when they feel the gnawing of hunger. Either because they realized this or because their own generous impulses prompted them, or for both reasons combined, they prepared, in a room below, a sumptuous midnight repast. It was very opportune, I assure you. Every one was ready for it and every one inwardly pleased the hearts that participated, and the hands that arranged the generously bestowed luxuries of the occasion. After satisfying their appetites the members commenced their morning labors at 1 o’clock A. M. The House being somewhat ahead of the Senate resolved itself into a class meeting during a part of the morning, while waiting for business. Many noble sentiments were uttered; the brotherly impulses of all hearts were stirred, and it was refreshing to hear the experience of members, and witness the kindly flow of feeling and sentiment. A little before 6 o’clock the Senate having disposed of the most important bills before it, the Legislature adjourned.
And here let me state that our very worthy Speaker has for over a week been confined to his room by sickness. His absence is very much regretted, for he is not only an admirable officer, but a popular man. He is still confined to his room. During his absence Mr. Rothrock of Cedar as filled the Chair, and notwithstanding the embarrassment of that position at the close of the session, he has proved himself equal to the emergency. A little more experience will make him one of the best presiding officers that could be selected. In this, as in all other positions, he has proven himself a strong and worthy man.
After the adjournment there was a great hurrying to and from on the part of members in order to be ready for the boat, which was waiting for them. Nearly a hundred members went down on the Des Moines City, which left the wharf at 7 A. M. We have thus bid adieu to the assembled wisdom of the State, and are now left to ourselves once more, and to the quiet of our ordinary business life.
In biding [adieu] to the legislators it my very justly be said that no body of men assembled in this State in a legislative capacity, ever went to work with a more earnest determination to transact the business before them faithfully and speedily than the members of the Ninth General Assembly. This determination has been manifested all through the session. The condition of the country is such that much business came before them which would not in ordinary times. Not withstanding this extra business, the session was not a day longer than the session two years ago. Each lasted 86 days. One thing was very manifest in this Legislature – a disposition to frown down long and buncombe speeches.
This much I can say will all truthfulness of the last General Assembly. In whatever respects it may be criticized, no one who has had any acquaintance with the action of the previous Assemblies will deny what I have said above. Neither will any one deny that Scott county has been represented by a very worth delegations – all good, able, generous and faithful as men and as legislators.
J. R. C.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 1
At the close of the session I deem it proper to give you a little idea of what has been done in the Iowa Legislature since last I wrote. The last week is always a busy one. Bills are rushed through with great haste, though not always with equal prudence.
Among the important bills passed within the last week is Lane’s militia bill. Your correspondent will take back all he said about the impossibility of passing a bill of that character. Any prediction as to the action of an Iowa Legislature is very liable to fail. It did seem as though no bill of that kind could pass; but Mr. Lane knew no such word as fail, and engineered his bill through very successfully and against the predictions of many of its friends. He is deserving of much credit, both for the care bestowed in drafting the bill, which is very complete and carefully arranged, and for the determination and ability he has manifested in urging its claims upon the Legislature. The bill is considerably modified since it was first presented. Everything unnecessary has been omitted, everything that called for expense, or that related to tax or compulsory service. By this bill the militia service will be wholly voluntary, and no fines or taxes are imposed. During the present military spirit, and that which will prevail for years after the war is over, a law providing for voluntary drill in the militia will perhaps suffice. Companies will be formed, and thousands of the young men of Iowa will delight to be drilled by the brave boys who have learned the art of war by practical experience and hard service.
The income tax bill has been killed, and in its stead a bill has been passed reducing the salaries of Supreme and District Judges and of certain State officers. This is a Senate bill, and was only entertained by the House because it was all that could be had. It is a very questionable policy to reduce the salaries of our high officials so low as to make these officers feel that by accepting the offices tendered them they must submit to a pecuniary loss. It will do for men to talk of honor and patriotism, but in this practical age our most talented and patriotic citizens even must look to compensation more or less. If you place the salary too low, no one but a wealthy man or second or third rate one can afford to accept the office. But the people demanded some measure of the kind, and the Legislature has responded.
The Senate bill for the protection of the School Fund has passed both Houses. It makes the several counties liable for the fund loaned out, if loss occurs through any fault of the officers. If it occurs through depreciation of the value of property, the counties are exonerated from all liability for the loss thereby incurred. The counties are made liable to so great an extent that the fund will be more secure than at present.
A bill was introduced providing for the gradual absorption of the fund into the State Treasury, but it was brought forward too late, even had there been no fear on the part of members that the fund would be quite as insecure in the hands of the agents of the State. Such a feeling did exist, but I think a full discussion of the question would have resulted in a different feeling.
The bill providing for a waive of the Stay of Execution in certain cases was defeated.
Yesterday both Houses passed bills in quick succession, a large number being disposed of. Last evening the last sitting of the session commenced. The members felt very joyous over the prospect of an early boat ride in the morning, and of a speedy return home after the protracted labors of the winter. The weather was so unfavorable that comparatively few ladies were present, but those who were present represented their sex very worthily. They know, as ladies of discernment always know, that the ‘lords of creation’ are more good-natured and agreeable after a hearty repast then when they feel the gnawing of hunger. Either because they realized this or because their own generous impulses prompted them, or for both reasons combined, they prepared, in a room below, a sumptuous midnight repast. It was very opportune, I assure you. Every one was ready for it and every one inwardly pleased the hearts that participated, and the hands that arranged the generously bestowed luxuries of the occasion. After satisfying their appetites the members commenced their morning labors at 1 o’clock A. M. The House being somewhat ahead of the Senate resolved itself into a class meeting during a part of the morning, while waiting for business. Many noble sentiments were uttered; the brotherly impulses of all hearts were stirred, and it was refreshing to hear the experience of members, and witness the kindly flow of feeling and sentiment. A little before 6 o’clock the Senate having disposed of the most important bills before it, the Legislature adjourned.
And here let me state that our very worthy Speaker has for over a week been confined to his room by sickness. His absence is very much regretted, for he is not only an admirable officer, but a popular man. He is still confined to his room. During his absence Mr. Rothrock of Cedar as filled the Chair, and notwithstanding the embarrassment of that position at the close of the session, he has proved himself equal to the emergency. A little more experience will make him one of the best presiding officers that could be selected. In this, as in all other positions, he has proven himself a strong and worthy man.
After the adjournment there was a great hurrying to and from on the part of members in order to be ready for the boat, which was waiting for them. Nearly a hundred members went down on the Des Moines City, which left the wharf at 7 A. M. We have thus bid adieu to the assembled wisdom of the State, and are now left to ourselves once more, and to the quiet of our ordinary business life.
In biding [adieu] to the legislators it my very justly be said that no body of men assembled in this State in a legislative capacity, ever went to work with a more earnest determination to transact the business before them faithfully and speedily than the members of the Ninth General Assembly. This determination has been manifested all through the session. The condition of the country is such that much business came before them which would not in ordinary times. Not withstanding this extra business, the session was not a day longer than the session two years ago. Each lasted 86 days. One thing was very manifest in this Legislature – a disposition to frown down long and buncombe speeches.
This much I can say will all truthfulness of the last General Assembly. In whatever respects it may be criticized, no one who has had any acquaintance with the action of the previous Assemblies will deny what I have said above. Neither will any one deny that Scott county has been represented by a very worth delegations – all good, able, generous and faithful as men and as legislators.
J. R. C.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 1
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Late News - By The Mails
Later from Gen. Grant’s Column.
The Enemy will make another Stand.
THEIR STRONGHOLDS NOT TAKEN.
Special to the Chicago Tribune.
CAIRO, April 11.
Our reporter has just arrived from Pittsburg, and furnishes the following:
The attack commenced about daybreak Sunday morning. Taylor’s battery and Waterhouse’s battery opened the fight, supported by the 23d Illinois on the right, the 77th Ohio supporting the left of Taylor’s, and the 53d Ohio supporting the left of Waterhouse’s. These regiments belonged to Sherman’s Division, occupying the extreme right. Both of the Ohio regiments ran – the 77th without firing a gun – leaving Waterhouse without support. He fought half an hour, however, retreating with only three guns. Capt. Waterhouse was wounded in the thigh by a Minie bullet, but not fatally. His battery was very badly cut up. His 1st Lieutenant, Abbott, was slightly wounded in the shoulder, with Chandler and Woodward, and five gunners were also wounded.
Taylor continued the fight, supported splendidly by the 22d Illinois, until he and his support were outflanked on both sides. He then retreated through a cross fire, having but one man killed and seventeen wounded. He lost 12 horses, his forge and battery wagons.
Meanwhile Waterhouse, with his three guns, took up a second position, supported by the second brigade of McClernand’s division, Colonel Marsh commanding, composed of the following troops, viz: the 11th, 17th, 20th, 45th and 48th Illinois. During the forenoon they were compelled to retire through their own encampment with heavy loss into some woods in the rear, where they formed a second line of battle.
McClernand ordered an advance. They advanced 100 rods and came in sight of the rebels, and here commenced on of the most fiercely contested engagements of the day, resulting in the repulse of the enemy, who were driven back through our encampments. The enemy met strong reinforcements and our ammunition being out retired. Another brigade took our place, but were compelled to retreat until within half a mile of the river; at that time our artillery and gunboats opened fire, the latter causing awful slaughter. The enemy were occupying our camp and the gunboats threw shell over our heads, and the ground was literally filled with rebel slain.
When Taylor’s battery took up their second position, it was upon the parade ground of the first division. The rebel battery took position about eight hundred yards in their front, resulting in a splendid artillery duel, which silenced the rebel battery and blew up their caisson. Our boys set up a shout which fairly drowned the musketry. Taylor’s battery, after that, were ordered in the reserve.
The left wing, with Prentiss on the left of Sherman, were drawn back parallel with the right. The gunboat firing was kept up all night.
Poor Carson, the scout, was killed about sunset. He had just come across the river with intelligence that Buell was crossing. He reported to the commanding General, stepped back, and that instant his head was shot off by a cannon ball.
Several Mississippi regiments who had arrived Saturday night at the rebel camp, double quicked to the battle-ground and were immediately repulsed.
Col. Hicks of the 40th Illinois is badly wounded, but not fatally. Lieut-Colonel Kilpatrick, 14th Illinois, killed; Lieut-Colonel Ross, 32d Illinois, wounded, dangerously.
Col. David Stuart was wounded through the left chest, but in spite of his Surgeon’s remonstrances, he went back upon the field.
When the boat left Col. Wallace was still living with faint hopes of recovery.
Col. Sweeney, of the 32nd Illinois, was wounded four times, not fatally, but kept the field until ordered off.
Col. Haynie was also wounded.
Gen. John McArthur was wounded in the foot.
Dr. Roscotton of Peoria, brigade surgeon, was seriously injured. Dr. Young, 48th Illinois, was wounded in the head; Frank W. Rielly, assistant surgeon 48th Illinois had a Minie ball shot through his leg, but his wound is not fatal.
SECOND DAY.
The attack was commenced by Lew Wallace’s division, who had come up in the night from Crump’s Landing, on the enemy’s left. The enemy fought with bulldog courage, and were driven back inch by inch, hotly contesting the ground. Six of our batteries were recaptured, and about thirty of the rebel guns taken. A Michigan battery captured by the 16th Wisconsin on Monday.
At this time, Beauregard was wounded in the arm, in his efforts to recover their battery. He led the attack in person, urging his men on with his sword. He was successful in taking the battery, but it was again taken from him. It was captured and recaptured no less than six times. Co. A, Chicago Light Artillery, was so severely handled on the first day that they were only able to man three guns on Monday. – But with these, after a desperate conflict, they succeeded in completely silencing and capturing a rebel battery of six guns, but they were compelled to relinquish it from lack of horses to draw the guns off. They had to take off their pieces by hand.
Out of seven men who were drawing one, five were struck down, two killed and three wounded. There were in all two killed and thirty-two wounded.
The general retreat of the enemy commenced about dark Monday. Our cavalry followed them up all night until their horses were tired. But for the impassable condition of the roads (it having rained) the rout would have been complete, and would could have carried their entrenched camp at Corinth. This latter will be impossible, for the above reasons, for some days. Their artillery is superior to ours. They have some of the finest ordnance officers in the country. Their small arms are also equal to ours.
Our reporter places the loss of the enemy at 15,000 killed and wounded, and our loss at 10,000 killed and wounded. These will be found moderate estimates. The enemy have taken more prisoners than we.
The 8th Iowa, Col. Geddes, were captured almost en masse. Gen. Prentiss, after he was captured, escaped and came into our camp alone.
The rebels had the very flower of the Potomac army with them. Breckinridge was reported killed on Sunday.
When our reporter left Wednesday morning, our advance, which had been pursuing, had only occupied the ground formerly held by him about seven miles from the enemy’s entrenched camp, which is located half-way between Corinth and Pittsburg.
The enemy are straining every nerve to get in reinforcements, and bloody work must yet occur before we drive them from their position.
The names of the killed and wounded are coming, but are so numerous and scattered as to preclude the getting of anything like a detailed account. Every means of transportation is being used for the wounded, and every facility afforded those who have so nobly come forward to care for them.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 1
The Enemy will make another Stand.
THEIR STRONGHOLDS NOT TAKEN.
Special to the Chicago Tribune.
CAIRO, April 11.
Our reporter has just arrived from Pittsburg, and furnishes the following:
The attack commenced about daybreak Sunday morning. Taylor’s battery and Waterhouse’s battery opened the fight, supported by the 23d Illinois on the right, the 77th Ohio supporting the left of Taylor’s, and the 53d Ohio supporting the left of Waterhouse’s. These regiments belonged to Sherman’s Division, occupying the extreme right. Both of the Ohio regiments ran – the 77th without firing a gun – leaving Waterhouse without support. He fought half an hour, however, retreating with only three guns. Capt. Waterhouse was wounded in the thigh by a Minie bullet, but not fatally. His battery was very badly cut up. His 1st Lieutenant, Abbott, was slightly wounded in the shoulder, with Chandler and Woodward, and five gunners were also wounded.
Taylor continued the fight, supported splendidly by the 22d Illinois, until he and his support were outflanked on both sides. He then retreated through a cross fire, having but one man killed and seventeen wounded. He lost 12 horses, his forge and battery wagons.
Meanwhile Waterhouse, with his three guns, took up a second position, supported by the second brigade of McClernand’s division, Colonel Marsh commanding, composed of the following troops, viz: the 11th, 17th, 20th, 45th and 48th Illinois. During the forenoon they were compelled to retire through their own encampment with heavy loss into some woods in the rear, where they formed a second line of battle.
McClernand ordered an advance. They advanced 100 rods and came in sight of the rebels, and here commenced on of the most fiercely contested engagements of the day, resulting in the repulse of the enemy, who were driven back through our encampments. The enemy met strong reinforcements and our ammunition being out retired. Another brigade took our place, but were compelled to retreat until within half a mile of the river; at that time our artillery and gunboats opened fire, the latter causing awful slaughter. The enemy were occupying our camp and the gunboats threw shell over our heads, and the ground was literally filled with rebel slain.
When Taylor’s battery took up their second position, it was upon the parade ground of the first division. The rebel battery took position about eight hundred yards in their front, resulting in a splendid artillery duel, which silenced the rebel battery and blew up their caisson. Our boys set up a shout which fairly drowned the musketry. Taylor’s battery, after that, were ordered in the reserve.
The left wing, with Prentiss on the left of Sherman, were drawn back parallel with the right. The gunboat firing was kept up all night.
Poor Carson, the scout, was killed about sunset. He had just come across the river with intelligence that Buell was crossing. He reported to the commanding General, stepped back, and that instant his head was shot off by a cannon ball.
Several Mississippi regiments who had arrived Saturday night at the rebel camp, double quicked to the battle-ground and were immediately repulsed.
Col. Hicks of the 40th Illinois is badly wounded, but not fatally. Lieut-Colonel Kilpatrick, 14th Illinois, killed; Lieut-Colonel Ross, 32d Illinois, wounded, dangerously.
Col. David Stuart was wounded through the left chest, but in spite of his Surgeon’s remonstrances, he went back upon the field.
When the boat left Col. Wallace was still living with faint hopes of recovery.
Col. Sweeney, of the 32nd Illinois, was wounded four times, not fatally, but kept the field until ordered off.
Col. Haynie was also wounded.
Gen. John McArthur was wounded in the foot.
Dr. Roscotton of Peoria, brigade surgeon, was seriously injured. Dr. Young, 48th Illinois, was wounded in the head; Frank W. Rielly, assistant surgeon 48th Illinois had a Minie ball shot through his leg, but his wound is not fatal.
SECOND DAY.
The attack was commenced by Lew Wallace’s division, who had come up in the night from Crump’s Landing, on the enemy’s left. The enemy fought with bulldog courage, and were driven back inch by inch, hotly contesting the ground. Six of our batteries were recaptured, and about thirty of the rebel guns taken. A Michigan battery captured by the 16th Wisconsin on Monday.
At this time, Beauregard was wounded in the arm, in his efforts to recover their battery. He led the attack in person, urging his men on with his sword. He was successful in taking the battery, but it was again taken from him. It was captured and recaptured no less than six times. Co. A, Chicago Light Artillery, was so severely handled on the first day that they were only able to man three guns on Monday. – But with these, after a desperate conflict, they succeeded in completely silencing and capturing a rebel battery of six guns, but they were compelled to relinquish it from lack of horses to draw the guns off. They had to take off their pieces by hand.
Out of seven men who were drawing one, five were struck down, two killed and three wounded. There were in all two killed and thirty-two wounded.
The general retreat of the enemy commenced about dark Monday. Our cavalry followed them up all night until their horses were tired. But for the impassable condition of the roads (it having rained) the rout would have been complete, and would could have carried their entrenched camp at Corinth. This latter will be impossible, for the above reasons, for some days. Their artillery is superior to ours. They have some of the finest ordnance officers in the country. Their small arms are also equal to ours.
Our reporter places the loss of the enemy at 15,000 killed and wounded, and our loss at 10,000 killed and wounded. These will be found moderate estimates. The enemy have taken more prisoners than we.
The 8th Iowa, Col. Geddes, were captured almost en masse. Gen. Prentiss, after he was captured, escaped and came into our camp alone.
The rebels had the very flower of the Potomac army with them. Breckinridge was reported killed on Sunday.
When our reporter left Wednesday morning, our advance, which had been pursuing, had only occupied the ground formerly held by him about seven miles from the enemy’s entrenched camp, which is located half-way between Corinth and Pittsburg.
The enemy are straining every nerve to get in reinforcements, and bloody work must yet occur before we drive them from their position.
The names of the killed and wounded are coming, but are so numerous and scattered as to preclude the getting of anything like a detailed account. Every means of transportation is being used for the wounded, and every facility afforded those who have so nobly come forward to care for them.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 14, 1862, p. 1
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