Colonel William E. Miller

FIRST COLONEL, TWENTY-EIGHTH INFANTRY.

William E. Miller, the original colonel of the 28th Iowa Infantry, is a Pennsylvanian by birth, and was born in the year 1823. At the time of entering the service, he was a resident of Iowa City, and a practicing lawyer. He was at one time a district judge. Mr. Miller entered the service as colonel of the 28th Iowa Infantry, and was commissioned, as such, on the 10th of August, 1862. The date of his muster into the United States service was just two months later.

The 28th Iowa Infantry was enlisted in the counties of Benton, Tama, Jasper, Powesheik, Iowa and Johnson, and was rendezvoused at Iowa City. The history of this regiment and of the 24th Iowa Infantry are nearly identical. The 28th left its rendezvous for the front, on the 1st day of November, 1862, and, going to Helena, Arkansas, was there brigaded with the 24th Iowa; and from that time to the present these regiments have served in the same brigade. The first march of the 28th Iowa was that made to Oakland, Mississippi; after which it joined the White River Expedition, under Brigadier-General Gorman. General Gorman left Helena with his command for the mouth of White River about the 6th of January, 1863; and sailing up that stream until arriving near St. Charles, disembarked his command. St. Charles, a little village on the south bank of White River, and resting on its steep, high bluffs, was supposed to be held by the enemy in force; for strong works surrounding the place were visible. On sending forward skirmishers, however, it was found to be unoccupied and was entered without opposition. The next morning General Gorman moved up the river to Duvall's Bluff, preceded by the gun-boats. This place, too, the enemy were making haste to abandon. The greater part of the stores had already been sent west, over the Little Rock road, and the last train was in waiting to remove the siege-guns and small artillery. One large siege-gun was loaded, and another was raised on skids for the same purpose. But on the approach of the gun-boats, which opened vigorously upon the place, the enemy fled, having offered but slight resistance. Five or six pieces of artillery were captured, besides some two hundred and fifty stand of small arms. If the object of the White River Expedition was the capture of Duvall's Bluff and nothing more, I do not know it. I believe the object was the capture of Little Rock; for it will be remembered that Mc'Clernand's expedition up the Arkansas River to Arkansas Post was made at just about this time. After the capture of Arkansas Post, McClernand went no further, and Gorman, accordingly, turned back to Helena.

If on this expedition Colonel Miller and his regiment won little distinction, it was because no occasion offered. One thing is certain that, the hardships and exposures attending the movement were hardly ever equalled. The weather was cold; and it rained and snowed, by turns, almost incessantly. Scores contracted diseases on the White River Expedition, which totally disabled them for service.

The 28th Iowa, as a regiment, met the enemy for the first time on the final Vicksburg Campaign. On this march it was attached to the corps of General McClernand, which led the van of General Grant's army. Previous to the 29th of March, 1863, the day on which General McClernand began his march through the country from Milliken's Bend to New Carthage, General Grant had tried five distinct plans to gain a footing on the hills in rear of Vicksburg. He had even permitted a sixth plan to be tried but this last one was at the suggestion of Admiral David D. Porter, who, with a portion of his Mississippi squadron, had discovered "a new route." This expedition has already been spoken of. It should be known in history as the Steele's-Bayou-Black-Bayou-Deer-Creek-Rolling-Fork-Sun-Flower-Yazoo-River Expedition: indeed, even this prodigiously significant name does not begin to suggest the obstacles that must have been overcome to make it successful. The soldiers of Steele's Division christened it "The Deer Creek raid."

The march across the neck of land, which is embraced in the great bend of the Mississippi, and which lies just opposite Vicksburg, was thirty-five miles in length, and was attended with great hardships; for the weather was cold and stormy, and the roads so muddy as to make the transportation of large army supplies over them almost impossible. And it must be remembered too, that, at that time, the plan of running the Vicksburg Batteries had not been proven feasible; for the Silver Wave, the Forest Queen, and the Henry Clay, under the escort of Porter's fleet, did not run their celebrated gauntlet, until the night of the 6th of April. But, as General Grant said, the only way to reduce Vicksburg was to approach it from the south side, and he accordingly played this bold hand. All other plans tried had proved impracticable.

On arriving near New Carthage, General McClernand found the levee of Bayou Vidal broken, and the country flooded. New Carthage was an island, and could only be reached in skins and flat-boats, such as could be found in the neighborhood ; and this proving too great a task, the march was continued to Perkin's plantation, twelve miles lower down the river. The country and the scenery at Perkin's plantation were magnificent; but the owner, Judge Perkins, a bitter rebel and Confederate State Senator, had burnt his splendid mansion to the ground, declaring that the foot of no Yankee soldier should ever cross its threshold. It was said that he burned it just after the fall of Island No. 10, declaring that, if the Union troops could capture that place, they could capture every thing; and this may have been so, for rank weeds were growing among the ruins, and the shrubbery, and winding and shaded avenues, had the appearance of having been long deserted. I mention these things because they formed a theme of great interest among the soldiers, as they dragged themselves along on the weary march.

In the meantime, Admiral Porter, having run the Vicksburg Batteries, arrived in the river opposite Perkins' plantation. Here a portion of McClernand's command having embarked moved down to Hard Times Landing, which lies a little above Grand Gulf, and on the opposite side of the river. The balance of the command moved round to the same point by land. The object now was to capture Grand Gulf, and move round to the rear of Vicksburg from that point. Admiral Porter declared the plan feasible, and at once set about the reduction of the rebel works; but they would not reduce: the position was impregnable; for, during more than five hours of most vigorous cannonading, not a gun of the enemy was silenced. This happened on the morning of the 29th of April, and on the afternoon of that same day the gunboat fleet and the transports prepared to run the Grand Gulf Batteries, while the troops took up their line of march to a point down the river, and opposite Bruinsburg, Mississippi. The fleet arrived in safety; and on the following morning the 13th Army Corps, as is well known, effected a landing on the east side of the Mississippi River.

That same afternoon, the 30th of April, General McClernand marched for Port Gibson; and that same night, at about eleven o'clock, encountered the enemy's pickets. He continued to push on, and two hours later arrived at Thompson's Hill, where, when the head of the column was resting in the road, it received a heavy volley of musketry. The enemy also opened with his artillery; and for a few moments all was confusion ; but it soon appeared that his only object was to check the advance, and quiet was restored. In this connection, it is but just that I should pay a merited compliment to the skill and bravery of Captain H. H. Griffiths, of the 1st Iowa Battery. When the firing commenced, he was far to the rear; but, being impressed with the notion that he was wanted at the front, he moved hastily forward through the opened ranks of the infantry, and reported to General Carr, whose division was in the van. "Did you send for me, general?" he said. "No"; and at that very instant a shell came screaming down the narrow, excavated road, and burst just to their right. "Tear down the fence," said Captain Griffiths to his men; and in less time than is required to tell it, he had run his guns over the embankment, unlimbered them, and was playing upon the enemy. Twice he silenced the enemy's batteries, and compelled them to change position. The fighting in the darkness now closed; and in the morning, General Carr sent his compliments to Captain Griffiths, whose guns had burst the first shell on the south side of Vicksburg.

The 28th Iowa, which was attached to the division of General Hovey, did not cross the Mississippi till evening, when, having drawn three days' rations, it started for the front. At one o'clock in the morning, and just after it had ascended the hills that lie some four miles back from the river, it heard the booming of artillery. The regiment pushed on through the darkness, and at sun-rise arrived at the foot of Thompson's Hill, where, having eaten a hasty breakfast, it prepared for battle. Its first position was on the crest of Thompson's Hill, where all but three companies lay under fire for an hour. In the meantime Companies B, G and K joined the 34th Indiana in charging a rebel battery, which, I may add, was captured, with nearly three hundred prisoners. But the enemy had now massed their forces heavily on our left, with the hope of forcing it and gaining our rear. The 28th Iowa was therefore ordered to this point, where it engaged the enemy till he fled from the field. While in this position, the regiment was opposed to the 2d and the 5th Missouri (rebel) Infantry. If was now nearly dark, and the 28th Iowa, which had been separated from its brigade the greater part of the day, was ordered by General Stevens to re-join it; and that night it encamped on the bloody battle-field of Thompson's Hill, or Port Gibson. The casualties of the regiment in this engagement were not great: only one man was; killed — Jacob Souervine—and sixteen wounded.

In the battle of Champion's Hill, the 28th Iowa distinguished itself, and suffered severely. The part taken by the regiment in this engagement is thus given by Chaplain J. T. Simmons:

"At 11 A. M. our command was ordered forward, and in a short time the whole line of our division had engaged the enemy. Moving steadily forward, we were thrown across a deep ravine, densely set with timber and underbrush, which rendered our advance difficult. On reaching the top of the hill we were fully under the fire of the enemy, yet continued to advance, driving him from his position. The work of death had now fairly begun, and our brave men falling in numbers from the ranks, dead or wounded, told too plainly the terrible earnestness of the engagement. Attendants began to gather the fallen, surgeons to dress their wounds, ambulances to convey them to the rear; and all the machinery of a dreadful conflict was in motion. The regiment with the whole division continued to press the enemy back over an open field for nearly one mile. During all this time the fighting had been most fearful. Here the enemy massed his forces in front of our single line of battle, already weakened by the loss of hundreds, and at the same time a move was made to turn our left flank. This compelled us to fall back, which was done in good order. Outnumbered, pressed, and overwhelmed, our men were still driven back, until we had lost a large portion of the ground that had been gained, when General Quimby sent to our relief a portion of his command, commanded by General Crocker, among which were the 10th, 17th and 5th Iowa. These troops charging through our shattered lines, came nobly to the rescue. Here a most terrible struggle ensued, when the enemy in turn gave way; and our men, now flushed with victory, rapidly pressed them back again over the ground already twice fought for. So hotly was he pressed, that the enemy could not avoid confusion; his lines wavered and broke, and his rout became complete, leaving his dead, wounded, and many prisoners, in our hands."

The 28th held the left of its division which extended to the Raymond road; and, in endeavoring to resist the flank movement of the enemy, was subjected to a most terrible enfilading fire of musketry. Four companies came out of the fight without a commissioned officer; and the total, in killed and wounded of the regiment, was an even one hundred. "Lieutenant John J. Legan, of Company A, and Captain Benjamin P. Kirby, of Company I, were killed; and Lieutenant John Buchanan received a severe wound of which he died." Twenty enlisted men were killed.

After the battle of Champion's Hill, the 28th Iowa followed the enemy as far east as Edward's Station, and there rested till the 20th instant. It was then ordered to the Big Black, where it remained till the 24th, and then re-joined its division in rear of Vicksburg.

At the time of entering the service, Colonel Miller was afflicted with a troublesome disease which the exposures and hardships of the field so aggravated as to compel him to resign his commission. He left his regiment just before it marched on the Vicksburg Campaign.

In personal appearance Colonel Miller is prepossessing. He is heavy set, with broad, square shoulders, and is about five feet, eight inches in hight. His hair and eyes are both dark, and the expression of his countenance is frank and manly. He has a heavy, firm voice, and possesses good taste as a military man. He was a good disciplinarian, and was regarded by his regiment as a good and brave soldier. Had he retained his health, he would doubtless have made a fine record.

It was with the greatest reluctance that Colonel Miller left the service: indeed, he delayed sending in his resignation, until many thought he could not live to reach his home; and, after arriving in Iowa City, but few of his neighbors expected him to recover.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 429-36

Report of the Senate Committee

WASHINGTON, April 18 – The Select Committee of the Senate, through Mr. Hale, made their report under the resolution adopted in July last, instructing them to inquire into the circumstances attending the surrender of the Navy Yard at Pensacola and the destruction of the property of the United States at the Norfolk Navy Yard and the amount at Harper’s Ferry and the abandonment of the same by the Federal forces, and also whether there was default on the part of our officers. The Committee relate at length the facts of the case. The amount of property at the Norfolk Navy Yard was valued at $9,760,000; the vessels were worth nearly $2,000,000. There were in the Yard at least 2,000 heavy guns, of which 300 were of the dahlgreen pattern. The committee making the report was composed of Senators Hale, Johnson of Tenn., and Grimes of Iowa.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 4

The Flood in the Connecticut

SPRINGFIELD, MASS., April 21. – The freshet in the Connecticut river at this point is the greatest ever known. At 9 o’clock this evening the water had fallen 15 inches, and is still receding slowly. At Northampton the water is two feet higher than ever before, and at Hadley there is no land to be seen, the inhabitants go from house to house in boats.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 4

Brigadier General J. I. Gilbert

COLONEL TWENTY-SEVENTH INFANTBY.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Telegraph

BEAUREGARD CALLS FOR RE-INFORCEMENTS!

AN IMPORTANT BATTLE SOON TO OCCUR

BOMBARDMENT OF FT. PILLOW!

CAIRO, April 20. – When Gen. Mitchell arrived at Decatur, in his lat bridge burning expedition, he took possession of the telegraph office and cut the wires, leaving Decatur and Corinth only in telegraphic communication.

Beauregard sent a message to President Davis urgently demanding reinforcements for Corinth, and saying that otherwise he could not hold the position, of course Gen. Mitchell promised to send the reinforcements.

An important movement has taken place, the particulars of which I am not allowed to give at present. It is sufficient to say that the movement is made in obedience to orders from the military authorities here and elsewhere, and points to a speedy issue of affairs in Tennessee.

A private of an artillery company established here was last night killed by a sentry on guard near the St. Charles Hotel. He attempted to thrust his sabre into the body of the officer of the guard and was shot in the mouth, the ball coming out behind his ear. He died last evening.

The river is still on the rampage, having risen five inches during the night. It is now within a foot of the top of the levee.

Intelligence has been received from the Tennessee and Wabash that a greater volume of water may be expected.

Mound City is entirely submerged, the water running into the lower stories of the hospital and private dwellings.

The Illinois Central Railroad has discontinued its trips to Cairo, the track being submerged and washed away. Passengers for Chicago were compelled to take the steamer for Mound City, whence they were carried in scows to the high ground in the rear.

There is nothing of importance from Pittsburgh at latest dates. The two armies were nearing each other slowly and each waiting breathlessly for the beating of the roll should announce the renewal of battle.

Late arrivals from below bring intelligence of the continued bombardment of Fort Pillow, participated in by both gunboats and the mortar fleet. The enemy reply vigorously, doing as yet no damage. Their guns are evidently well manned and excellently well served. There is no expectation of the reduction of Ft. Pillow at present. The high state of water will prevent any co-operation on the part of the land forces for some days.

Every house in Columbus is surrounded by water.

The telegraph between Cairo and Pittsburg is down, carried away by high water.

Steamers from the Tennessee on almost every trip bring down pretended deserters from the Confederate army. These gents are generally spies. The Provost Marshal arrested two of these this morning.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 4

Bombardment of Fort Pillow

OFF FT. PILLOW, April 19. – Enemy’s gunboats have laid behind Crag Head point for two or three nights past, fearing an attempt on our part to run the blockade. Firing upon both sides on Thursday was very heavy, mortars opened at noon, four being in operation. The enemy replied immediately and briskly from the land batteries, throwing shell clear over us and nearly across the river to the Tennessee shore, their firing was very accurate and from very heavy guns. The St. Louis, Carondolet [sic], and Cairo, stationed as picket ships near the extremity of the point were obliged to move up the river several times to get out of range. A skiff attached to a mortar raft was hit by a shell and dashed to pieces.

The shells flew thick and fast all about the gunboats, but none were hit. Thursday night the mortars commenced firing at 8 o’clock, the enemy replying immediately, and the fire was kept up until midnight. A rebel shell exploded directly above the stern awnings of the St. Louis, slightly injuring one man in the wrist; another shell struck the broadside casemate of the Cairo, but did no damage. The firing ceased at midnight. Yesterday but little was done except a few shots fired by the mortars in the morning. In the afternoon the mortars were shifted from the Arkansas to the Tennessee shore for greater protection; in their past locality they have been in great danger from bands of rebels scouting and prowling through the woods, these scouts have already cut the levee in two or three places to embarrass the operations of the mortars.

Desertions are very rapidly made both from the rebel gunboats and from their batteries. – They say that nearly all the crews of the gunboats have been impressed, and so great is the fear of the officers lest they desert that they frequently muster them every hour in the day. The batteries now muster about 40 guns very heavy. They have 60 more guns which they are rapidly putting in position.

Within the past few days Bragg has arrived and succeeds Gen. Villthige [sic], hitherto in command.

There are about 6,000 troops there. Both troops and guns are from Pensacola. There are but four gunboats in the river – the Malipa, [Macrov], Ponchartrain [sic] and Livingston, mounting a total of twenty four guns.

The Ivey has gone to New Orleans with Hollins on board. The Gen. Polk is at Memphis repairing. Capt. [Sug c] is Acting Commodore in Hollins’s absence.

An independent company at Memphis has five boats below Pillow intended to grapple into our fleet and take it down to Dixie.

There are four rams at New Orleans – among them the Manassas.

Com. Foote suffers severely from his wound received at Donelson.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 4

From Fort Pickens

NEW YORK, 20. – The Steamer Philadelphia has arrived from Fort Pickens.

Deserters were constantly arriving from Pensacola. The rebels had not evacuated but were moving guns away. The town was under martial law. Large [fires] are seen nightly, indicating that the rebels are destroying their property.

Minard Wood is the sutler who has escaped from the rebels, taking $10,000 in gold. He came passenger in the Philadelphia.

The rebel commander, Col. Jones, issued a proclamation that he would hang all idle people after the [3d] of April.

The steamer Troy, from Newbern, April 17, via Hatteras, April 18, has arrived here. Four companies of the Connecticut 8th had a skirmish on the 12th with 150 rebels who sortied from Fort Macon and drove in our pickets. After a sharp engagement the rebels were driven back to the Fort. During the engagement the Fort fired seventy shots at the forces engaged. Two of our men were wounded. We shall open on Fort Macon on the 21st with mortars and siege guns. Health of troops good.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 4

Our Army At Fredericksburg

WASHINGTON, April 20 – Our forces under Gen. Auger [sic] still occupy the heights of Falmouth opposite and commanding Fredericksburg.

On Friday afternoon, Lieut. Wood of Gen. King’s staff, Lieut. Campbell, 4th artillery and Maj. Dufee of Harris’ Light Cavalry, crossed the Rappahannock under a flag of truce, and communicated with the municipal authorities of the city, all of whom remain. The authorities had called a meeting after the appearance of our troops, and appointed a committee consisting of the Mayor, Mr. Slaughter and three members from each board and three citizens, to confer with our General relative to the occupation of Fredericksburg, and the protection of property. The Council at the same time adopted a resolution declaring that the city since the adoption of the ordinance of secession had been unanimously in favor of disunion and was still firmly attached to the confederacy, surrendering only upon conditions of protection to private property. Arrangements were perfected for a meeting between the Committee and Gen. Auger [sic], to be held yesterday afternoon.

From citizens of Fredericksburg who have crossed over to Falmouth by means of small skiffs, much valuable information has been derived. Most of these affirm that so soon as we take possession of the city and there is no fear of the return of the rebels, a majority of the remaining citizens will be found loyal.

Vast amounts of grain and forage are stored in the immediate vicinity of Fredericksburg, much of which belonged to the rebel army.

The guerrillas besides destroying the bridge, burned the steamers Sagan, Virginia and St. Nicholas and 20 schooners loaded with corn. – The St. Nicholas, it will be remembered was captured by the French Lady and his accomplices, in Chesapeake bay last year.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 4

COLONEL MILO SMITH

TWENTY-SIXTH INFANTRY.

Milo Smith was born in the State of Vermont, about the year 1819. At the time of entering the service he was a resident of Clinton, Iowa. He was commissioned colonel of the 26th Iowa, the 10th day of August, 1862; was mustered into the United States service on the 30th of the following September; and served with his regiment in the field until after the fall and occupation of Savannah, when he resigned his commission and returned to his home in Clinton.

I know more of the 26th Iowa than of its colonel. The regiment, like all the regiments of its old brigade, has a splendid record. It was raised in Clinton and adjoining counties, in the summer and early fall of 1862, and proceeding to the front arrived at Helena, Arkansas, in the latter part of the following October. The first military movements in which it joined were the White River and Tallahatchie marches. It also joined General Sherman in his operations against Vicksburg, late in December, 1862, by way of Chickasaw Bayou and the Walnut Hills; but in the severe and disastrous fighting which took place at that point, it took no part, being detached from its brigade, and engaged on pioneer-duty.

The regiment's first engagement was Arkansas Post. This battle was not only its first, but, judging from its list of casualties, the severest one in which it ever took part. Its position on the field was exposed, and it was not only subjected to a severe fire from the enemy's artillery, but to a direct and partially enfilading musketry-fire. The regiment went into the engagement with an aggregate, in officers and enlisted men, of four hundred and forty-seven, and lost, in killed and wounded, one hundred and nineteen. Two officers were killed, and six wounded. The killed were Lieutenants P. L. Hyde and J. S. Patterson; Lieutenant James McDill died of his wounds a few days after the engagement. Colonel Milo Smith was slightly wounded in the leg. Among the enlisted men killed were Corporal Shaffer, Pankow, Delong and J. E. Stearns. Lieutenants William R. Ward and Edward Svendsen were wounded.

The engagement at Arkansas Post took place on the 11th of January, 1863; and on the 13th instant the regiment left that place on transports for Young's Point, Louisiana.

General Steele's Division, of General Sherman's Corps, to which the 26th Iowa was attached, was the one selected by General Sherman to open up a passage through Deer Creek to the Yazoo River, and thereby gain the high lands to the rear of Haines' Bluff and Vicksburg.

The following is from General Grant's official report of his operations against Vicksburg:

"On the 14th day of March, Admiral D. D. Porter, commanding the Mississippi squadron, informed me that he had made a reconnoissance up Steele's Bayou, and partially through Black Bayou, towards Deer Creek; and so far as explored, these water-courses were reported navigable for the smaller iron-clads. Information, given mostly, I believe, by the negroes of the country, was to the effect that Deer Creek could be navigated to Rolling Fork, and that from there, through the Sun-Flower to the Yazoo River, there was no question about the navigation. On the following morning, I accompanied Admiral Porter in the ram Price, several iron-clads preceding us, up through Steele's Bayou to near Black Bayou.

The expedition was promptly dispatched, and as a co-operating infantry force, Sherman, with Steel's Division, was sent up to Eagle's Bend and marched across the country from that point. I need not add the expedition was a failure.

"All this may have been providential, in driving us ultimately to a line of operations, which has proven eminently successful." And so thought all who accompanied the expedition.

In this connection, mention should not be omitted of the other expedition, to which the one in question was only supplemental. The Yazoo Pass Expedition had already been organized and sent out, and was now blocked by the rebel Fort Pemberton at Greenwood. The junction of the Sun-Flower Bayou with the Yazoo River was between Fort Pemberton and Haines' Bluff; and General Grant hoped to introduce a force between that fort and the high grounds above Haines' Bluff. Had he succeeded, the rebel works at Greenwood would not only have been rendered untenable and the garrison compelled to fly east to escape capture, but the two Federal forces, united, would have been sufficiently strong to possess and defend the desired point.

The enterprise was burdened with most annoying and stubborn obstacles, to overcome which no man who possessed less hope and persistency than Grant would have attempted. But Vicksburg would never have been captured from this direction, and I doubt whether Grant ever honestly expected it. The former of these expeditions was christened by the soldiers " the back-water," and the latter, the " Deer Creek raid."

In the meantime, General Grant, having settled on the plan which promised and resulted in success, recalled the detached portions of his army, and concentrated it on the west bank of the Mississippi, above Vicksburg. The 26th Iowa returned with its division to Milliken's Bend on the 25th of April, and on the 2d of May following marched with Sherman for Grand Gulf and Jackson, and thence to the rear of Vicksburg. In this march the regiment failed to meet the enemy in a single general engagement. It arrived at the Walnut Hills the 18th of May, and all that afternoon skirmished with the enemy, they gradually falling back to their strong works encircling the city. The heavy skirmishing of the following day the regiment engaged in, as it also did in the assault which was made the same afternoon. Its position before Vicksburg was north of the city. It was in Steele's Division, which held the right of the besieging line.

What followed in the long and arduous siege is given elsewhere. But one general assault was made after the 19th instant — that of the memorable 22d of May; and in that the 26th Iowa participated. Up to and including this disastrous day, the 26th Iowa lost in its skirmishes and assaults some forty in killed and wounded. Colonel Smith and Lieutenants Rider, Noble, and Maden were among the wounded.

After the fall of Vicksburg, the 26th Iowa joined the army of General Sherman in the pursuit of Johnson to Jackson, where it arrived on the 10th of July. It remained there during the eight days' siege, without meeting the enemy. It next marched to Brandon; then back to Jackson, and thence to Big Black River, where it remained in camp till the 23d of the following September, when it left with three divisions of its corps to reinforce the Army of the Cumberland, at Chattanooga. This march was accomplished without any fighting, if we except the affairs which General Osterhaus had with the enemy at Cherokee Station and beyond that place, in the direction of Tuscumbia, Alabama. The 26th Iowa was attached to this division, and participated in some of these affairs, but suffered no loss. In the meantime, General Sherman was preparing to cross the Tennessee at Chickasaw Landing; and the object of Osterhaus' advance to Tuscumbia, I do not understand, unless it was to draw the attention of the enemy from Sherman's real purpose, which was to reach Chattanooga by way of Florence, Alabama, Fayetteville and Winchester, Tennessee, and Bridgeport.

Returning to Chickasaw, General Osterhaus crossed the river with his division, and moved on after the main column; for Sherman was already well under way. He did not arrive in Lookout Valley until the evening of the 23d of November, and was too late to operate with Sherman's forces against the northern point of Mission Ridge. He was therefore ordered to report to General Hooker; and thus it happened that the 4th, 9th, 25th, 26th, 30th and 31st Iowa regiments, all of General Osterhaus' Division, engaged the enemy on Lookout Mountain. The 26th Iowa fought in the battle of Lookout Mountain in the afternoon and night of the 24th of November, after which it moved across the valley to engage the enemy on Mission Ridge; for the enemy had been routed and Lookout gained by our forces early on the morning of the 25th.

At Mission Ridge the 26th Iowa, and also the 25th, were separated from their division, and made a sort of Corps of Observation to watch the enemy's cavalry from near Rossville Gap. Neither of these regiments were therefore engaged at this point. But on the flight of General Bragg the night of the 25th instant, the 26th Iowa was near the van in its division, which led the advance in the pursuit. Osterhaus came up with the enemy at Ringgold as previously stated, and at Ringgold the 26th engaged them from behind their works, and suffered greater loss than it had done in the whole campaign before. In the engagement at Lookout Mountain, the loss of the regiment was only five wounded, among whom was Lieutenant-Colonel Ferreby. At Mission Ridge it was not engaged. Its loss at Ringgold on the 27th was three men killed — McDonnell, Beddon and Phillips — and nine wounded. Among the latter were Captain Steele, and Lieutenants Hubbard and Nickel. Captain Steele, a brave and efficient officer, died of his wounds soon after the engagement.

On the close of the Chattanooga Campaign, the 26th Iowa returned with its division to Bridgeport, and in the latter part of December was ordered to Woodville, Alabama, on the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, where it went into Winter quarters. On the opening of the Spring Campaign against Atlanta, it marched to the front: since that time its services have been nearly the same as those of the other Iowa regiments of its division. Moving via Gordon Mills and Snake Creek Gap, the regiment came on the enemy at Resaca, where it first engaged him. It subsequently engaged the enemy at New Hope Church, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, before Atlanta, and at Jonesboro; but in none of these engagements was its loss severe. At Big Shanty, it lost one enlisted man killed, and one officer and six men wounded. In the terrible fight before Atlanta on the 22d of July, the regiment lost only five men wounded; and, at Jonesboro, its loss was one officer and four men wounded.

After joining in the pursuit of Hood in his celebrated flank movement northward, the 26th Iowa returned to near Vining Station, on the Chattahoochie, where it rested and fitted for the march to Savannah. The history of this march, and of that from Savannah to Raleigh, will be found in the sketches of those officers whose regiments belonged to the 15th Corps' Iowa Brigade. I have already said that the 26th Iowa was attached to this brigade.

On the arrival of his regiment at Savannah, Colonel Smith resigned his commission.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 415-20

Siege at Yorktown

FORTRESS MONROE, April 19 – Thirty-nine wounded from Yorktown arrived to-day, making ninety wounded in the fight on the left flank Wednesday. The whole number was 32 killed and 90 wounded. In Norfolk Papers Magruder’s account gives 25 rebels killed, including Colonel McKinny, and 75 wounded.

Cannonading is heard towards Yorktown, but it is an attempt of the enemy to [disturb] our working parties.

With the exception of affairs at rifle pits Thursday they got the worst in skirmishing. – Operations are progressing rapidly, and when the siege guns opens the fire will be terrific.

The steamer Page arrived at Newbern on the 18th. Fort Macon is thoroughly cut off. It has been ascertained that the supply of provisions is short. No attempt will be made on the fort, but to starve them out. Slight apprehension still prevailed that the rebels might attack Newbern, and fortifications were being built for protection.

Smoke and flames from the Norfolk fire are still visible.

There was a flag of truce to-day, but the agent of the Associated Press was not allowed to see the papers.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 4

Deceased Soldiers

Francis Herrington, of Co. H, 55th Illinois, shot in left thigh, and Albert S. Keeler of Co. H, 14th Iowa, of Dysentery. Both died on the 22d of April, on board the floating hospital D. A. January. Their remains were buried in the cemetery. – {Gate.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 3

The following deaths of soldiers . .

. . . in hospital here have occurred since our last report.

John W. Ellis, Co. H, 15th Iowa
Joseph Ready, Co. B. 48th Illinois
Porter Groves, Co. G, 77th Ohio
Wm. Gibson, Co. B, 17th Iowa

All inquiries in relation to them should be addressed to V. P. Perkins, undertaker of this city. – {Keokuk Constitution

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 3

Kentucky Congressmen and District Emancipation

The New York Post’s Washington Correspondent says Mr. Wickliffe, of Kentucky has gone home with three or four slaves which he brought on with him in December. Not liking to make them over to the Government at three hundred dollars apiece, he takes them to Kentucky, not feeling in the best of humors over the passage of the emancipation bill. – Green Adams, of Kentucky, Third Auditor of the Treasury Department, is the owner of slaves but he refuses to carry them away, permitting them to be emancipated by the law just passed.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 3

COLONEL GEORGE AUGUSTUS STONE

TWENTY-FIFTH INFANTRY.

George Augustus Stone is a native of New York State, and was born in the town of Schoharie, on the 13th of October, 1833. In 1839 his father removed with his family to the then Territory of Iowa, and settled in Washington county. Here young Stone resided, attending common school a principal portion of the time, till 1849, when he removed to Mt. Pleasant. After completing his studies at the Mt. Pleasant schools, he was received into the banking house at that place, and, in 1851, was appointed cashier of the bank, which position he held till the spring of 1861. Early in the spring of 1861 he assisted in recruiting Company F, 1st Iowa Infantry, Captain Samuel M. Wise, and on its organization was elected its first lieutenant. He served with his regiment in Missouri during its three month's term of service, and took part in the battle of Wilson's Creek.

Lieutenant Stone's term of service in the 1st Iowa expired in August, and, in the following October, he was commissioned a major in the 4th Iowa Cavalry, with which regiment he served till the 10th of August, 1862, when he was promoted to the colonelcy of the 25th Iowa Infantry.

In November, 1862, Colonel Stone's regiment arrived at Helena, Arkansas, whence it sailed, in the latter part of December following, on the expedition against Vicksburg by way of Chickasaw Bayou. Chickasaw Bayou was its first engagement. Its second was Arkansas Post, and there, like the 26th Iowa, it suffered severely, losing in killed and wounded more than sixty. The regiment was attached to Hovey's Brigade, of Steele's Division — the division which did the fighting and captured the strong-hold. It served as a support to the 76th Ohio, and just in rear of that regiment charged through an open field in the face of a withering fire from the enemy's artillery and musketry. Passing the enemy's obstructions, it advanced to within one hundred yards of their works; and in that position engaged them for nearly three hours, and until the garrison surrendered. So cool and gallant was its conduct, that a Texan colonel, captured with the garrison, remarked: " I was almost sure those were Iowa troops."

Five commissioned officers were wounded in this engagement — Captains Palmer and Bell, and Lieutenants Stark, Orr, and Clark. Nine enlisted men were killed, among whom were Sergeant Zickafoose, and Corporals Wilson and James W. Thompson. Adjutant S. P. Clark, who was wounded severely in the leg, was conspicuous for his cool and gallant conduct "He earned and received the praise of the entire regiment." Privates Hiram Payne and B. F. Weaver, who bore the colors of the regiment, earned and received equal praise.

After the Deer-Creek-Sun-Flower-&c. expedition, the 25th Iowa marched with Sherman, via Jackson, to the rear of Vicksburg; but, like the 26th Iowa, failed to meet the enemy till it arrived before the doomed city. Being in the same division with the 26th Iowa, its services before Vicksburg were nearly the same as those of that regiment. In the charge of the 22d of May, it was one of the front regiments in the charging line, and, with its colonel in the advance, moved against a strong fort on the north side of the city. It passed unfalteringly through the galling fire that met it as it moved upon and along the hights in plain view and within shot range of the enemy, but was unable to carry the rebel works, and after holding its position till night was, with the balance of the division, ordered to retire to the position it occupied in the morning. On that day, Private Isaac Mickey, of the enlisted men of the regiment, most distinguished himself.

An account of the march on Jackson, Mississippi, and the evacuation of that city by Johnson, after the fall of Vicksburg, having been given in other parts of this volume, I need simply state that the 25th Iowa took part in those operations. After the termination of that expedition, the regiment returned with its division to the Big Black River, where it remained till the 23d of September following, when it moved with General Sherman on the march to Chattanooga. The 1st Division of the 15th Corps, to which the 25th Iowa was attached and which was commanded by Brigadier-General P. J. Osterhaus, was the only one that engaged the enemy on this march. The fighting, which was not severe, took place at and between Cherokee Station, Alabama, and Tuscumbia, and, to give an idea of its character, I quote from the official statement of Colonel George A. Stone:

"On Sunday evening, October 25th, at Cherokee, our division received marching orders for 4 A. M. next day; and accordingly the division moved at the hour indicated, in the direction of Tuscumbia, in light marching order, and in fine fighting condition. The 1st Brigade, Brigadier-General C. R. Woods commanding, had the advance, and ours, the 2d Brigade, Colonel A. J. Williamson commanding, the rear. General Osterhaus' orders were very imperative and strict concerning the tactical arrangement of battalions, as the enemy, but some three miles in front of us, was composed entirely of cavalry, and our equal fully in numerical strength. About two miles from camp we met the enemy's skirmishers, and here formed line of battle, the 1st Brigade on the right, and the 2d on the left, with one of the other divisions of our corps as a reserve. My position was on the extreme left, and, n accordance with orders, I formed a square to repel cavalry, first, however, having covered my front properly with skirmishers. Our skirmishers pushed the enemy so vigorously and our lines followed so promptly, that, after a short resistance, he fell back to another position some four miles to his rear, and made another stand. The same disposition was made again by our division, the same sharp, short fighting, and the same result — the retreat of the enemy. We continued this skirmishing during the entire day, and renewed it on the 27th, literally fighting them from Cherokee to Tuscumbia. We entered the town at 3 P. M. on the 27th."

The 25th Iowa in these operations lost only one man — Sergeant Nehemiah M. Redding — who was killed on the skirmish line. Other regiments suffered more severely. In this connection I should state that there had been fighting on the 21st of the same month, on the entrance of Osterhaus' Division into Cherokee Station. It was in the affair of that day that the lamented Colonel Torrence, of the 30th Iowa, was killed.

Returning to Cherokee on the 28th instant, Colonel Stone marched thence with his regiment back to Chickasaw Landing, and crossed the Tennessee with his division, on the 4th of November. The march from that point to Chattanooga was continued without incident. The division of Osterhaus not arriving till the evening of the 23d of November, and being too late to operate with Sherman above Chattanooga, was ordered to report to General Hooker, who, on the following day, was to assault the enemy on Lookout Mountain. For the part taken by the 25th Iowa in the engagement on and around Lookout Mountain, on the 24th of November, I again quote from a statement of Colonel Stone:

"At 9:30, A. M., I had orders to go to the front, just under a point of rocks on Lookout Mountain, to support the guns of Battery I, 1st New York Artillery, now in position, and two of which guns were protected by being hastily casemated. This position I retained during the day, and on account of the admirable place for defense, and the inability of the enemy to sufficiently depress his guns, I found at dark I had not lost a man.

"Nothing could exceed the grandeur of this battle from the point at which we viewed it. [The position of the 25th Iowa was at a point on the north end of Lookout Mountain]. Every gun from Raccoon Mountain to Moccasin Point was in plain view, and our lines of infantry so close that acquaintances were easily recognized. At 12 M., the grand attack began, and soon the smoke of the battle hung over and enveloped the mountain, like a funeral pall; and the whole battle, like a panorama, passed around and before us."

This was the first battle whose progress the 25th Iowa had witnessed without being engaged; and the recollections of that afternoon will never be effaced from the memories of the regiment. But the scenery of the following night was even more terribly magnificent; for the fighting continued around and up the mountain until long after mid-night.

In the engagement on Lookout Mountain, the regiment suffered no loss: nor did it, in that of the following day on Mission Ridge. In the latter it was not engaged, being detached, with the 26th Iowa, for the purpose of anticipating an attack, which it was supposed two regiments of rebel cavalry designed making on the left. But it followed in pursuit of General Bragg's flying forces to Ringgold, and engaged the enemy there in their strong works, on the morning of the 27th of November.

Ringgold, which is planted among the broken, irregular hills of Northern Georgia, is about twenty-five miles south of Chattanooga. On a line of these hills the enemy had taken up an intrenched position in considerable force, which, contrary to the expectation of General Osterhaus, they held stubbornly. To dislodge them it became necessary to deploy the division so as to carry the works by assault. The position of the 25th Iowa, in the assaulting line, was at the front and on the extreme left in an open field. On the hill in its front were the enemy, protected by abattis and breast-works. A point of this hill, which was rocky and in places precipitous, extended down to the field where the 25th stood in position. Up this the regiment was to charge. On rugged points, both to the right and left, the enemy's infantry were posted, so as to rake by a right and left flanking fire the assaulting party. In front of the regiment were two rebel colors, defended doubtless by two rebel regiments. This then was the position of the 25th Iowa, when the advance was sounded.

The contest now began along the whole line, and lasted for about an hour; when the enemy, no longer able to withstand the cool, steady valor of their assailants, fled from their works and hastened on to Dalton.

The loss of the 25th Iowa at Ringgold was twenty-nine wounded. None were killed. Of the twenty-one officers who entered the fight, seven were struck.

After the battle at Ringgold, the 25th Iowa marched back to Chattanooga, and thence, via Bridgeport, to Woodville, Alabama, where, with its brigade, it went into Winter quarters. It remained in Winter quarters, however, only about a month; for, on the organization of General Matthies' temporary Division to march to the relief of Knoxville, it was assigned to that command, and on the 11th of February, 1864, broke camp and again took the field. It was rumored when the division left Bridgeport, that it was to march only to Chattanooga, where, being relieved by other troops, it would be permitted to remain on guard-duty. But there was in store no such good fortune; for, on the morning of the 16th instant, it resumed the march eastward in the direction of Cleveland.

It was now the season of the year when the Southern Winter was breaking, and the alternating rain and sunshine, and cold and heat did not contribute to the good nature of the troops; and, as they trudged on through the mud, their minds soured at what they called the injustice of the commanding general. "He don't care a d—n, as long as he can ride a horse," and "If I could catch him a-foot, if I didn't give him an appetite for his hard-tack," and other like expressions were not unfrequently heard on this march. No veteran infantry trooper will wonder at these spiteful ebullitions; for it should be remembered that these troops were all of the 15th Corps, who, during the three past months, had marched nearly four hundred miles, and fought in three hard battles.

After the march to Cleveland, which resulted in nothing of special interest, the 25th Iowa returned to Woodville, where it remained till its division left for the front to join General Sherman in his grand campaign against Atlanta. The events of that campaign, in which the 25th Iowa took an honorable part, will be found elsewhere, as will also the history of Sherman's march from Atlanta to Savannah, and from Savannah to Raleigh, North Carolina.

In the operations of General Sherman in his march from Savannah to Raleigh, the capture of Columbia, South Carolina, is conspicuous. The credit of this affair belongs to the Iowa Brigade of the 15th Corps, to which the 25th Iowa Infantry was attached.

The question as to who was entitled to the honor of having first planted the American Flag on the Capitol buildings at Columbia, has been in some doubt. It is claimed by Justin C. Kennedy of the 13th Iowa, and by Colonel George A. Stone. The following I believe to be correct history: The 15th Corps' Iowa Brigade, commanded by Colonel G. A. Stone, forced the enemy back and captured the city; but in the meantime, Lieutenant-Colonel Kennedy, with a few men, crossed the Congaree in a rickety boat, and, hurrying on to the city, succeeded in first gaining both the old and new Capitol buildings. The banner of the 13th Iowa, in the hands of Colonel Kennedy, was the first to wave from the buildings; but the first American Flag was that belonging to the 31st Iowa, which was planted by the hands of Colonel Stone. But Iowa's brave sons should not allow jealousies to sully their fair lame. It is enough for the State to know that her soldiery received the surrender of Columbia.

For several weeks after the battles around Chattanooga, Colonel Stone commanded the Iowa Brigade. He also commanded this brigade on the march from Savannah to Goldsboro and Raleigh. He is an excellent young officer — prompt, precise and sprightly. He is a middle-sized man, with black hair, and merry, brown eyes. In appearance, he is quite youthful I never saw him but once, and that was while I was in the service, and just after he had succeeded to a brigade command. A stalwart captain was riding by his side, and both were enveloped in ponchos; for it rained in those days about Bridgeport. The captain I took for the commander, and the colonel for an aid, or orderly.

The colonel is proud and ambitious, and is happily free from that self-importance — a sort of pseudo-dignity — which seems to afflict army officers conversely in proportion to their merit.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 407-14

About Loafers

The loafer bears the same relation to the genuine man that the shadow does to the substance, and thus there are loafers of all grades and hovering about the borders of all avocations. There is the Celtic loafer at the sunny street corner, loitering [stolidly] at his own expense, or that of Biddy, but quite willing to loiter at the expense of any one else who shall be so misguided at to hire him. There is the military loafer, who remains in camp till there is some prospect of active service, and then suddenly falls ill or discovers that he is too young or too old, or otherwise unfit for military duty. There is the loafer of the rural districts, who likes to drive team and trade cattle and go to mill, and is sure to be present at all the town meetings and auction sales, bidding for goods which he cannot buy and voting heavy taxes on property which he never owns. Then there are loafers in the dry-goods line, on each side of the counter, with no positive wish either to buy or sell, but with only a languid desire to kill time and be impertinent to each other, or a desire that usually attains fulfillment. There are literary loafers that haunt libraries and newspaper offices, turning over books and papers and asking questions of the man that is busiest; for all though nature is said to abhor a vacuum, the nature of the loafer delights in it, and to block the wheels of business and obliterate the traces of thought is his especial pleasure.

One of the mission schools in New York is infested by the “religious loafer,” who calls because he has nothing to do, and can have a chair, morning paper, warm office, write a letter, “borrow” a stamp and perhaps get an invitation to dinner. The same individual sometimes appears as a supernumerary delegate at conventions, or a colporteur of tracts and Bibles where the good books lie in the parlor and are vended across the way. It was one of this class who once advertised for board in some family where in some family where his Christian deportment would be accepted as an equivalent for the demolished beef and bannocks. If he is a clergyman he extemporizes on the pulpit, droning forth any quantity of religious platitudes to the drowsy cares below. If he is a layman, he happens in to talk about the deplorable lethargy of the church, a lethargy for which he is to a certain extent responsible, since on one can look at him without feeling disposed to yawn; or he interrupts all the avocations of time by talking cheerily of eternity, forgetting there is no devise in the grave, we are to do with our might whatsoever our hands find to do. The loafer, whatever may be his especial department, never willingly finds anything to do except to eat or drink and enjoy the good of other men’s labor. He has something of the reptile in his nature, for he is torpid and fond of basking in the sun, can live a long time without food, and thrives upon the general disgust. His chief and social utility is to point the contrast between idleness and labor, and to consume the bad tobacco and worse whisky that might weaken the energies of the more effective men.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 3

The reunion of the Third Iowa Cavalry . . .

. . . held Wednesday and Thursday of last week at Centerville, was a success in every way. The attendance was 131 and the old soldiers enjoyed the event very greatly. This was the 22nd annual reunion of the Third Iowa Cavalry. The 27th was the 50th anniversary of the day on which the regiment was mustered into service at Camp Rankin, on the Bluffs at Keokuk. Since that day 50 years ago the regiment has passed through experiences that can never be duplicated even in their minor portions by any other generation of men. They fought against men of the same country from the south and won; they endured untold hardships, suffered loss of large numbers of comrades, laid down their arms to return to vocations of peace and industry, and today many of their number have their names known from one end of the land to the other as men prominent in the professions, politics and business. And now after 50 years they were able to assemble 131 sturdy, courageous, spirited men, many of whom would even today offer themselves in their country's service if need be.

General John W. Noble, of St. Louis, was present at the reunion. He is over eighty years old but stands erect, is clear of eye and still takes an active interest and part in the affairs of life. Captain Thos. H. Brown, of Chicago, formerly of this county was also in attendance. Those attending from Decatur County were: Captain John D. Brown, J. W. Honnold, E. J. Sankey, Abe Blakesley, of Leon; F. M. Hamilton, of Davis City; J. M. Thompson, of Van Wert.

The colonels of the regiment were Cyrus Bussey, afterward major general; Henry C. Caldwell, later judge of the United States circuit court, and John W. Noble, of St. Louis.

John W. Noble was born at Lancaster, Ohio, October 26, 1831, the birth place of General Sherman. General Sherman's and General Noble's fathers were fast friends and the two sons were like brothers. General Sherman always calling General Noble by his first name.

During the war, General Sherman wished to make General Noble one of his staff of aids but the latter replied that he had been entrusted with the sons of parents who were in the Third Iowa, and there he would remain to care for them.

The things that the Third did in the four years of service cannot be told in one issue of a newspaper, or even in a book.

In 1861 the regiment was mustered into service and re-enlisted again in 1863 and 1864. The Third Iowa regiment lost more men, killed and wounded in battle than any other cavalry in the state of Iowa and any but five or six infantries. Eight hundred men were lost through disability from the ranks. But in 1864 re-enlistment was so strong that when the last battle was fought
on the 16th day of April, 1865, that nearly 1,000 men were mustered out of service at the close of the war.

At Pea Ridge the Third fought the Indians and confederates, at Little Rock and Vicksburg they fought. The regiment was divided during this time but in Mississippi was re-united where some raiding took place. In all there were nearly 3,000 men in the regiment from the commencement to the close of the war including those killed and wounded. At Columbus in '65, the last battle General Noble's army took the battery and entire line.

– Published in the Decatur County Journal, Leon, Iowa, October 5, 1911 and transcribed by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert

COLONEL EBER C. BYAM

TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY.

Eber C. Byam was born in Canada West, in the year 1826. All that I know of him prior to entering the service is, he was a Methodist preacher. He was made colonel of the 24th Iowa, on the 7th day of August, 1862, and served with his regiment till after the fall of Vicksburg, when he resigned his commission.

The history of the 24th Iowa up to the time its brigade reported to Carrollton, Louisiana, in the summer of 1863, will be found substantially in the sketches of Colonels Miller and Connell, of the 28th Iowa. It fought at the battles of Port Gibson, and Champion's Hill, and took part in the siege of Vicksburg. At Champion's Hill, its position was to the right of the 28th Iowa; and, like that regiment, it was among the first troops to engage the enemy. Its loss in that engagement was terribly severe, and was chiefly sustained while charging, capturing and holding a rebel battery in its front. The act was daring in the extreme. Leaving its place in the line, it advanced on the battery without any support, and without any disposition being made to protect its flanks. It accordingly became an object of the enemy's concentrated fire, which in a short time disorganized it. It retired to the rear in disorder, and took no further part in the engagement. The loss of the regiment in the engagement I have been unable to learn.

The 24th Iowa reached Carrollton, about the middle of August, 1863, where it remained one month in camp, and then left with its division on an expedition up the Teche. For a history of this march, the object of which I never knew, I refer to an account, given by the chaplain of the 28th Iowa.

"On the 13th of September, we received orders from General Banks to move, which proved to be over the railroad, west from New Orleans, or rather Algiers, to Brashear. * * We commenced moving up Bayou Teche on the 3d of October; and, after a slow march which gave ample time to forage through a beautiful country, abounding in beef and sweet potatoes, orange groves and sugar plantations, reached Opelousas on the 23d instant, a distance of one hundred miles. It is needless to say that when the luxuries of this clime got in our way we ate them. The authorities would sometimes interdict them; yet, it required a fine taste to tell the difference, while the ingenuity of the men seemed fully up to the exigency of possessing themselves of any thing they needed as food. No enemy of strength being found, this expedition was evidently at a terminus. * * * *

"On the first day of November, General Franklin commenced a retrograde movement, and we began falling back in the direction of Franklin. No sooner had we commenced falling back than the enemy began to harass our rear and flanks. We reached Carrion Crow Bayou, on the second day, and remained here till the 7th instant. One brigade of the 4th Division, under command of General Burbridge, being left at Grand Chateau, four miles in our rear, were, on the 3d instant, attacked by the enemy. The regiment, with a part of our division, was ordered out to his assistance. We went promptly at double-quick for three miles; for it was apparent that the enemy were pressing him severely, that they had already turned his left flank, and were gaining his rear. This brought our troops directly facing the foe, who were already flushed with success. Teams and numerous attendants were stampeding to the rear, and great danger of confusion and disaster was imminent. Our division was hastily put in line, and the command to charge given, when the whole command went in at double-quick, with fixed bayonets. This the enemy could not stand, and they fell back in confusion, leaving their dead and wounded. In the meantime the rebels had sent a force to attack our camps, and the firing of our pickets soon became spirited. A detachment of the 24th Iowa was thrown out to their support. The sick and lame, to the last man, were ordered out, and hobbled into the ranks; but, after a brisk engagement with our pickets, the rebels retired, leaving two of their men dead. Our teams, which had been hurried out with our camp equipage, returned, and all was again quiet.

"On the morning of the 9th of November, we moved toward Vermillionville; but when within six miles of that place, the enemy made demonstrations upon our rear, and the command halted. Our brigade was formed to receive the attack, but the enemy came no further than our skirmishers, and we continued the march and went into camp near Vermillionville, in a drenching rain."

In this connection the author speaks of an incident, like examples of which have been often witnessed at new encampments. I allude to the tearing down of rebel buildings by the soldiers and the construction of chebangs with the material. The rebels called it vandalism, but I have often witnessed the operation with admiration. Two-story dwellings, with outhouses, have been utterly demolished in ten minutes time. While witnessing the performance one could think of nothing but an unfortunate caterpillar, dropped by accident in an ant-bed.

The 24th Iowa remained at Vermillionville till about the 20th of November, when it fell back to the rebel Camp Pratt, and the next day to New Iberia, at the head of navigation on the Teche. Here the regiment remained till the middle of December, and then returned to Berwick, and in a short time proceeded to Madisonville, on Lake Pontchartrain. At Madisonville the regiment went into quarters, and remained until General Banks organized his Red River Campaign. The 24th joined in that celebrated failure, a history of which will be found in the sketch of Colonel Connell and the 28th Iowa.

The 24th Iowa reached Morganzia Bend, on the 22d of May, 1864, after the nine days' exhausting march from Alexandria. Here it remained till about the middle of June, when, with its brigade, it was ordered down to Carrollton and thence west to Thibadaux, to anticipate General Dick Taylor, who, with a large force, was reported to be moving on Brashear. But nothing came of this expedition, and on the 6th of the following July the troops struck tents and moved back to Algiers.

Early in July a portion of the 19th Corps as re-organized was summoned to the Eastern Department, and preparations were made for its hasty departure. Grant needed these troops at Petersburg, and Sheridan, in the valley of the Shenandoah; and there was little now that required their services on the Gulf. Steele was in danger of being driven from Little Rock, and a portion of the 19th Corps was dispatched to his assistance: the balance took boats for Fortress Monroe. The 24th and 28th Iowa left New Orleans for the last named place on the 22d of July. The 22d Iowa with its brigade had left for the same destination several days before. This was an eventful passage in the history of these regiments, and, when well out in the Gulf the news was broken to them that they were going to the Potomac, it was hailed with universal acclamation. No Iowa soldier had as yet trod the soil of Virginia. All his fame had been earned in south-western departments, and he was impatient to measure his bayonet with those of the boasted Virginia veterans.

For these troops this was the first ocean trip. They had made short journeys on the Gulf, but none of sufficient length to make them familiar with that detestable, though invigorating sickness, which is certain to overwhelm all new voyagers. They were not more fortunate than others; for, says the chaplain of the 28th Iowa, when the sickness was on them, they were at first afraid they would die, and then afraid they would not. The hardest feature of the journey was the crowded condition of the boats; this, with the hot weather and the meager supply of fresh water, put many on the sick list, and, as soon as land was made, in the hospitals.

After touching at Fortress Monroe, the fleet proceeded to Alexandria, where the troops were debarked and transferred by ferry to Washington. From Washington they were ordered by General Augur, to the Shenandoah. The 24th and 28th Iowa were the first Iowa troops in the National Capital, and their march down Pennsylvania Avenue is thus referred to by Chaplain Simmons, who has published a history of his regiment.

"About noon of the 3d, we started from the depot, passing down Pennsylvania Avenue, with our battle-worn colors floating over the column. * * The fame of Iowa troops had been long talked of in Washington, and now, for the first time, its people looked on living Iowa regiments. Much interest seemed to be manifested by the citizens. The boys caught the enthusiasm, and their soldierly deportment evinced their appreciation, and called out from the public press honorable mention. I can not fail to mention that citizens of Iowa thronged to greet us. Many others, gentlemen, ladies and children, mingled in the throng, to lavish their sympathies upon these brave men. Men of position and influence gave their congratulations; children mingled with the soldiers; and the ladies — God bless them — blushed not to smile their sympathies upon our war-worn veterans."

From Washington, the 24th Iowa, with its brigade and division, marched by way of Snicker's Gap to Berryville, where they formed a junction with Sheridan. Sheridan as elsewhere stated was at the time falling back before Early; and, after the arrival of the 19th Corps, he continued his retrograde movement till he arrived first, at Charlestown and then, near the hights of Harper's Ferry, where he threw up fortifications. After resting five days in this position, he moved forward to Charlestown, and two weeks later again advanced, encountering the enemy near Berryville. Early fell back across the Opequan to near Winchester, and both armies fortified. This was on the 8th of September. Eleven days later, the advance was resumed down the rugged Berryville pike, and the enemy encountered, when was fought the desperate battle of Winchester or Opequan Creek, the first of the series which utterly demolished the invincible cohorts of Early.

The 22d, 24th, and 28th Iowa fought together in this engagement ; and their services on the field were nearly the same. I have been unable to obtain the official report of Colonel Wilds, the commanding officer, of the 24th Iowa, and therefore append an extract from the report of Lieutenant-Colonel B. W. Wilson of the 28th. The two regiments fought side by side:

"Early on the morning of the 19th, we broke camp near Berryville, and proceeded with the rest of the brigade on the Winchester pike. After crossing the Opequan, I formed in line of battle, my regiment occupying the extreme left of the brigade, and, on receiving orders to advance, immediately moved forward, and was soon warmly engaging the enemy. The 1st Brigade of our division being in advance was pressed back through our lines; yet we moved steadily forward for almost fifty yards, under one of the hottest fires of shot, shell and canister I ever witnessed. Here I was ordered to halt. At this point the fighting was most terrific; yet I am happy to say that none showed a disposition to either shrink from duty, or to fall back. * * We followed the retiring foe beyond Winchester, where night overtook us and we lay down to brood over the events of the day."

As stated in the sketch of Colonel Graham of the 22d Iowa, the first successes of the 19th Corps were changed into reverses, threatening to make the contest a defeat, almost before it had become a battle. In the midst of the confusion that followed the well-nigh disastrous repulse, was an example of coolness and courage on the part of an officer of the 24th Iowa, which is thus recorded by one who took part in the engagement:

"One instance of coolness and discipline, which contrasted curiously with the general panic, was noticed by Captain Bradbury of the 1st Maine Battery. * * Through the midst of the confusion came a captain of infantry — William T. Rigby of the 24th Iowa—leading a sergeant and twelve men, all marching as composedly as if returning from drill. 'Captain, you are not going to retreat any further, I hope?' said Bradbury. 'Certainly not,' was the reply. 'Halt; about-face. Three cheers, men; hip, hip, hurrah!' The little band cheered lustily. It was the first note of defiance that broke the desperate monotony of the panic. It gave heart to every one who heard it, and made an end of retreat in that part of the field. In a few minutes, the platoon swelled to a battalion, composed of men from half a dozen regiments."

On the 20th instant, Sheridan pressed the pursuit, and, passing through Strasburg, found the enemy entrenched on Fisher's Hill. They were again encountered and so severely punished that their retreat became a hopeless rout. Sheridan followed them to beyond Harrisonburg, and then fell back to Cedar Creek, where he arrived on the 10th of October, and where he fought, on the 19th instant, the remarkable battle bearing that name.

I give below Lieutenant-Colonel Wright's account of the part the 24th Iowa sustained in the battle of Cedar Creek. After having stated preliminarily, that his regiment was, at 5 o'clock in the morning of the 19th, in line of battle and ready to march with its brigade on a reconnoissance, the colonel says:

"At ten minutes past 5 o'clock, firing commenced on the picket line of the 8th Corps. Supposing it to be only a reconnoissance by the enemy, it created but little alarm. In a few minutes heavy firing commenced on the left and front of the 8th Corps. It was not yet day-light, 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 24th Iowa rested on the pike.

"Colonel Wilds ordered me to ride to the left of the regiment, and 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 fog was so dense that it was impossible to tell what was in front of us, and as the 8th 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 6th 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 1st Brigade, General Birge, and the 6th 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 6th 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 8th Corps to take position on the left of the pike between Middletown and Newtown, the 6th Corps the centre and the 19th Corps the right. Sent two divisions of cavalry to the right, and one to the rear.

"The 4th Brigade was formed on the extreme left of the 19th Corps, connecting with the right of the 6th 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 24th Iowa to the extreme right of the 19th 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 8 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. Every thing 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 2d 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 can not close, however, without referring to the bravery of our lamented Colonel Wilds, who was wounded soon after day-light, and died November 18th. In him we lost a noble, brave, and efficient officer."

Each of the three Iowa regiments were conspicuous in the battles of Opequan, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek. In those of Winchester or Opequan and Cedar Creek, the 24th suffered severely. In the battle of Opequan, the 24th Iowa lost two officers and nine men killed, and four officers and fifty-six men wounded. Captain J. B. Gould and Lieutenant S. S. Dillman were killed; and Captain S. J. McKinley, Lieutenant and Adjutant D. W. Camp, and Lieutenants W. W. Edgington and R. S. Williams, were wounded. At Fisher's Hill, the loss of the regiment was only one officer and four men wounded. The regiment lost, at Cedar Creek, seven men killed; six officers and thirty-nine men wounded, and two officers and thirty-nine men captured. The wounded officers were Colonel John Q. Wilds, Major Edward Wright, Captains A. B. Knott, R H. Pound and A. M. Loomis, and Lieutenant C. H. Kurtz. Colonel Wilds was thirty-nine years of age; was a native of Pennsylvania, and entered the service from Mount Vernon. Before going to Virginia, he had commanded his regiment for several months. The 24th Iowa is known as the "Methodist Regiment."

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 397-406

The Richmond Examiner says:

“A gentleman who has just returned from extensive rambles in Louisiana and Texas, says the sugar planters are feeding their molasses to their hogs, and are going to raise meat from the cane, and that none of the planters are making any attempt to raise crops of cotton. Very few of the plantations have overseers, most of them having gone to the war.”

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 3

Rebel Schooner Dixie, Captured

NEW YORK, April 24. – the rebel schooner Dixie, formerly a rebel privateer, captured off Georgetown, S. C., In attempting to run the blockade, bound to Nassau, N. P., loaded with cotton, spirits turpentine, &c., by the U. S. steamer Keystone State, who placed a price crew on board, arrived at Philadelphia yesterday, p.m.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 3

Republican Caucus

WASHINGTON, April 23. – At a Republican caucus held to-night at the Capitol, about fifty members were present, Colfax, in the Chair and McPherson, Secretary.

A general debate ensued on the confiscation bills, in which Messrs. Train, Blair Covode, Hickman, Olin and others, participated. The discussion was somewhat of the character of that which had recently taken place in the House. – The sense of the caucus seemed to be in favor of discriminating against the leading Rebels in the Confiscation of all kinds of property.

It was unanimously agreed to refer all the bills pending in the House to a Select Committee of 7 members, as moved to-day, by Representative Olin.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 3