From Fort Pillow

Special to the Chicago Tribune.

OFF FORT PILLOW,
CAIRO, April 19, 1862.

The Enemy’s gunboats have laid behind Criaghead Point for two or three nights past, fearing an attempt on our part to run the blockade.

The firing upon both sides on Thursday, was very heavy. The mortars opens 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, Carondelet and Cairo, stationed as picket stops near the extremity of the point, where 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 all about our gunboats, but none were hit.

On 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 the mortars were shifted form the Arkansas to the Tennessee shore for the greater protection. In their past locality they have been in great danger from bands of rebel scouts prowling through the woods. These scouts have already cut the levee in two or three places, to embarrass the operations of the mortars.

Deserters are being rapidly taken both from the rebel gunboats and from their batteries. They say that nearly all of 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 mount about forty very heavy guns. They have sixty more guns which they are rapidly putting in position. Within the past few days Bragg has arrived and succeeds Gen. Villipage, 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 Mariposa [sic], Macray [sic], Ponchartrain and Livingston, mounting a total of twenty-four guns. The Ivy has gone to New Orleans with Hollins on board. The Gen. Polk is at Memphis repairing. Capt. Engee is acting Commodore in Hollin’s absence.

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

There are four rams at New Orleans, among them the Manassas. Active preparations are not expected at present.

Commodore Foot suffers severely from his wound received at Donelson.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p. 1

Colonel Henry Clay Caldwell

SECOND COLONEL, THIRD CAVALRY.

H. C. Caldwell, now judge of the District Courts for the District of Arkansas, is a son of the late Van Caldwell, who, in the early history of the State, was extensively known through South Eastern Iowa for his uncompromising whigism and his generous hospitality. Van Caldwell was one of the first settlers of that county, and deserves a passing notice. He was, at one time, a wealthy Virginia planter, but, meeting reverses in fortune, and losing the greater part of his estate, sold his ancient homestead and came to Iowa, which was then a Territory. His first claim was laid in what is now the town of Bentonsport, Van Buren county. After a four-years' residence here, he removed to Davis county, where he died. He was an old-style, Virginia gentleman.

Colonel Caldwell, the subject of this sketch, is a native of Virginia, and was born in Marshall county of that State, on the 4th day of September, 1832. Accompanying his father in his western migration, he remained with him till the fall of 1847, when he was received into the law office of Wright & Knapp, at Keosauqua, as chore-boy.

Colonel Caldwell is essentially an Iowa man — more so than any other officer whose sketch is here given; and for this reason the details of his early history may not be uninteresting. Before starting in life for himself, he did not have even the advantages of a common school education. He had attended school a few weeks at the old Indian Agency Station, now Agency City, where he might have learned to read, but nothing more. He was, however, a student at home; and it was here, by the fire-side of his father's rustic log cabin, where Judge Knapp first found him and learned his habits. The result was as has been stated.

In the fall of 1847, he left his home for a permanent residence in Keosauqua, having his entire worldly effects tied in a red cotton handkerchief. One year's schooling in Keosauqua completed his education; and this was only afforded by hard labor and the most rigid economy. In 1851, he was admitted to the Keosauqua bar, since which time his history is better known.

He first entered the practice as a partner of Judge Wright, (Judge Knapp being then on the bench) and later was a member of the firm of Wright, Knapp & Caldwell. Still later, on the election of Judge Wright to the Supreme Bench of Iowa, the firm was known as that of Knapp & Caldwell. He was the junior member of this firm at the time of entering the service, in the summer of 1861. The connection of Colonel Caldwell with this able firm was, for him, no ordinary good fortune. He would have succeeded by himself, poor as he was. Agreeable in manners, able, energetic and ambitious, he possessed every requisite of success; but his advancement was much more rapid from being associated with two such masterly minds.

In March, 1853, Colonel Caldwell married Miss Hattie Benton, an estimable lady and a niece of Judge Wright, and a sister of Mrs. Judge Knapp.

"Colonel Caldwell was always the pet of Van Buren county;" so many of her citizens have told me. With his appearance at the bar began his popularity. In the fall of 1856 he was elected prosecuting attorney for Van Buren county, by a majority of 180. He ran upon the Republican ticket, and was the only candidate in the county, of that shade of politics, who was elected. In 1860, he was elected to the State Legislature, and here again was the only successful candidate on his ticket in the county, the democrats electing the senator and the other members of the House. While a member of the legislature, he served as chairman of the Judiciary Committee; and by his counsels in the committee-room, and his nervous, off-hand speeches in the House, established the reputation of being an able lawyer and practical legislator. His geniality, moreover, secured the love and respect of every member of the House.

Mr. Caldwell entered the service in the summer of 1861, being in August of that year commissioned major of the 3d Iowa Cavalry. Subsequently to that time and till the 20th of June, 1864, when he was appointed judge of the district courts for the District of Arkansas, he followed the profession of arms. As a soldier, he met with his usual success. His military record is not as brilliant as are those of some others, and for the reason that the department in which he served did not chance to be the theatre of many hard-fought battles. The service which he saw comprised all the hardships and nearly all the dangers, but lacked the glory incident to the sanguinary campaigns in other departments. During his first year's service, Major Caldwell had a separate command, consisting of companies E, F, G and H—the 2d Battalion of the 3d Iowa Cavalry. On the 12th of December, 1861, he was ordered from Benton Barracks to Jefferson City, Missouri, and thence to Fulton, where he made his head-quarters, and from whence he led various scouting expeditions, during the Winter.

In the following Summer, in connection with a detachment of the Missouri State Militia and Merrill's cavalry command, he took part in the engagement at Moore's Mills, in Galloway county. This battle, though short, was fiercely contested, and, of all that were fought during that Spring and Summer, ranks highest in importance.

On the 5th of September, 1862, Major Caldwell was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 3d Iowa Cavalry, vice lieutenant-Colonel Trimble, resigned. In the winter of 1862-3, he served in the Army of the Frontier, and then joined General Davidson, at that time in command of the Army of South East Missouri. For several months, although only a lieutenant-colonel, he commanded a brigade. Subsequently, he was made chief of cavalry on General Davidson's staff, and served in that capacity till after the capture of Little Rock.

Colonel Caldwell most distinguished himself, I believe, in the Little Rock Campaign. At the head of his command, he was the first to enter the Arkansas Capital.

How Steele, having completed his reconnoissance, marched via Shallow Ford and Ashley's Mills to the Arkansas, and crossed the river some eight miles below the city, has been given elsewhere. The passage of Davidson's cavalry command across the Arkansas, and the march on Little Rock is thus given by General Steele:

"Two regiments of infantry passed over the river to drive the enemy's skirmishers out of the woods, and the cavalry division passed on without serious interruption until they reached Bayou Fourche, where the enemy were drawn up in line to receive them. The rebels held their position obstinately until our artillery on the opposite side of the river was opened upon their rear and flank, when they gave way and were steadily pushed back by Davidson, the artillery constantly playing upon them from the other side of the river. Our two columns marched nearly abreast on either side of the Arkansas."

Long before reaching the city, General Steele knew that the enemy were evacuating; for dense clouds of dust and smoke were seen rising in the distance, in the direction of the town, and soon small bodies of troops were seen hurrying hither and thither, like so many frightened sheep.

On approaching the city, Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, who had been given the advance, disposed his troops and charged through the streets; but the enemy, with the exception of some few stragglers, had fled. Soon after the cavalry took possession of the place, the infantry came up and marched through its deserted streets, after the music of the "Star Spangled Banner " and " Yankee Doodle." It was an inspiring scene, and will be recalled as a day of proud recollections by Steele's old command.

Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell was commissioned colonel of his regiment, on the 4th of May, 1864, and, on the 20th of the following June, was promoted to his present office. In the spring of 1864, and before he was promoted to the colonelcy of his regiment, he had been recommended by both Steele and Davidson for promotion to a general officer; and, had he not been tendered his present position, he would have been made a brigadier-general, and in that case would have been the second officer from the State to receive like honor. I am told that, by the advice of his friends and through the solicitations of Governor Murphy, Senator Baxter, Doctor Kirkwood, and other prominent Union men of Arkansas, Colonel Caldwell waived a brigadier's commission, and accepted his present office. The position he now holds is both honorable and lucrative, and he deserves his good fortune.

Colonel Caldwell is tall and slender in person, and gentlemanly and pleasing in his address. His constitution is not very vigorous; that, at least, would be the judgment of a stranger ; for he has a thin, pale face, and is nervous and restless in his movements. The hardships of the service and his constant mental labors have conspired to make him an older looking man than he is. He is himself careless in dress, and never measures other men by their broad-cloth. In conversation, he is earnest and emphatic, and has a habit of constantly winking.

Though the colonel has first-rate ability, it is not of that voluntary kind that accomplishes wonders spontaneously. Through his whole life, he has been an untiring student. As a public speaker, he is off-hand, impressive and laborious, and. at the close of a long argument, seems nearly exhausted. While in the practice of his profession, he rarely took the time to make a short speech, in consequence of which his arguments were desultory. But he always had this excellent trait: he never talked because he wished to say something, but because he had something to say.

Colonel Caldwell's character as a soldier may be inferred from the following extract from General Davidson's official report of the capture of Little Rock.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, whose untiring devotion and energy never flags during the night nor day, deserves, for his gallantry and varied accomplishments as a cavalry officer, promotion to the rank of a general officer."

Is it to be wondered that Iowa is proud of this distinguished young citizen and soldier?

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 591-6

WASHINGTON, April 21 [1862]

A state prisoner Jesse D. Horton, From near Hagerstown, Md., was shot by a sentry yesterday at the Old Capitol prison and died in a few hours after.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p. 1

Bank Statement

NEW YORK, April 21.

Decrease in loans, $342,208; increase in specie, $76,860; do circulation, $59,820; increase in deposits, $1,420,277.

The office of the Brooklyn White Lead Company of Fulton street was robbed on Saturday night of bonds to the amount of from $40 to $50,000 of the Chicago & N. H. Western RR.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p. 1

Brigadier-General Cyrus Bussey

FIRST COLONEL, THIRD CAVALRY.

Cyrus Bussey was born on the 5th day of October, 1833, in Trumbull county, Ohio, where he lived till the year 1837, when he removed with his father, the Rev. A. Bussey, to Southern Indiana. When fourteen years of age, he entered a dry-goods store as clerk; and at sixteen embarked in the mercantile business on his own account. In 1855 he came to Iowa, and settled in Bloomfield, Davis county. Previously to coming to Iowa he had spent two years in the study of medicine; but the practice of that profession not according with his tastes he resumed, after coming to Iowa, his former business.

Mr. Bussey was formerly a Democrat in politics, and in 1858 was elected by that party to the State Senate from Davis county. During the canvass that terminated in his election, the oratorical skill and ability that he displayed in his speeches surprised the people of Davis county, who had heretofore known him as a successful merchant. He served in the State Senate during the session of 1860-61, and. also in the extra war session; and unlike the representatives from Davis county, gave hearty support to the Administration and voted for every war measure. By his fealty to the Government he lost caste with his party and forfeited all prospects of political preferment in his county, for it was intensely democratic.

On the 11th of June, 1861, General Bussey was appointed an aid de camp to Governor Kirkwood, and served in that capacity during the southern border excitement in the summer of 1861, distributing arms and organizing the militia.

On the 10th of August, 1861, he was commissioned colonel of the 3d Iowa Cavalry, and in ten days from that date, had his regiment in rendezvous. Early in February, 1862, he was ordered with his regiment from Benton Barracks near St. Louis, to Rolla, Missouri, which place, after a few days' rest, he left and marched for Springfield, to join General Curtis. He reached Springfield on the 15th instant, but General Curtis had already left in pursuit of General Price toward the Arkansas border. On learning this fact, and hearing rumors of an impending battle, Colonel Bussey decided to push on at once, and join General Curtis' command at all hazards. The roads were heavy and the weather inclement; but on the evening of the 16th instant, he reached Sugar Creek, having accomplished in four days' time, some two hundred miles. It is not the greatest cavalry march on record; but at that day there was not a greater, where it was made in the direction of the enemy.

After joining the Army of the South West, Colonel Bussey was assigned to the command of a cavalry brigade. With this command he fought in the battle of Pea Ridge, and engaged the enemy near Leetown. The circumstances attending the opening of the engagement on the part of the 3d Iowa Cavalry, and the part the regiment sustained in the action are as follows: Van Dorn, declining to attack General Curtis in front, stole in the night-time quietly by the right flank of the original line of battle, hoping to gain position in the rear, and by a sudden attack, and with confusion as his ally, push the Federal army to ruinous defeat. But General Curtis divined his plans, and made disposition of his forces to meet the enemy in the new position.

The new line was formed early in the morning, and the rebel advance encountered near Elkhorn Tavern — Curtis' right. At about the same time, Colonel Osterhaus with an infantry command, and Colonel Bussey with his cavalry brigade, were sent out from the left to strike the enemy in flank, while they were moving into position. This force proceeded through the timber and some open fields to beyond Leetown, when they saw the enemy's train and some cavalry passing by their front. This cavalry the 3d Iowa, under Lieutenant-Colonel Trimble, was ordered to charge; but while moving to the attack, the regiment suddenly came on the infantry of McCulloch, McIntosh and Albert Pike, concealed in the timber. Lieutenant-Colonel Trimble was instantly shot in the head and disabled; and a majority of the men of the 3d Iowa, who were killed and wounded in the engagement, fell here. Nine of Company D were killed and wounded by this fire. The regiment was of course repulsed, and, wheeling about, retired.

But in the meantime a force of rebel cavalry having advanced from the right, charged the command of Colonel Bussey, and, after a short struggle, drove it back in confusion. This rebel cavalry, the 3d Iowa while falling back encountered, and immediately charged and routed it. A running fight then ensued, during which the rebel General Ben McCulloch was shot from his splendid black charger. Company D, Captain Norman W. Cook, had the honor of killing this celebrated rascal. In these charges and counter-charges, both the Benton and Fremont Hussars failed to do themselves credit: some declare that they broke without firing a gun. All of Bussey's command now fell back to the infantry of Colonel Osterhaus, which was found in line of battle. The enemy soon followed, and in this position, which was near Leetown, was done the principal fighting on the left.

The enemy were routed on the 8th of March, and, on the morning of the 9th, Colonel Bussey in command of his brigade and with a battery of artillery started in pursuit. He came up with their rear-guard at Bentonville, which he found in line of battle; but a few shots from his artillery put it to flight. Pursuing still, Colonel Bussey continued to harass the enemy's rear till he had gained his strong-hold in the Boston Mountains. Pea Ridge was Colonel Bussey's first battle, and, in evidence of their admiration of his conduct throughout the engagement and in the pursuit, his regiment presented him with a magnificent sabre, costing over seven hundred dollars. Pea Ridge was also the first battle of the 3d Iowa Cavalry, and it was one of the hardest in which the regiment ever fought It was at Pea Ridge only, that the killed and wounded were subjected to the shocking atrocities of barbarous warfare. Many of the wounded were killed after their capture, by the inhuman wretches, led to the conflict by Albert Pike. Eight of the 3d Iowa alone were scalped, and many bore evidences of having been murdered after their capture. The killed, wounded and missing of the regiment numbered fifty; and among the former were Sergeants W. O. Crawford, G. N. Anderson, R. H. Millard, and J. W. Montgomery. Not to convey a wrong idea, I should state that only five companies of the regiment were in the engagement— A, B, C, D and M. The 2d Battalion, under command of Major H. C. Caldwell, was at the time serving in Central Missouri.

During the spring and summer of 1862, Colonel Bussey continued with the Army of the South West, and accompanied it on its long and tedious campaign through Arkansas to Batesville. On this march, he had command of his brigade, and, with it, was sent on various expeditions; but in all of these he failed to meet the enemy in any considerable force. On the 10th of July, 1862, he was assigned to the command of the 3d Brigade of General Steele's Division, Army of the South West, which he retained till the 2d of the coming September. From the 2d of September till the 11th of January following, he was in command of either a brigade or a division, but on the last named date was appointed to the command of the District of Eastern Arkansas; and the manner in which he discharged the duties of this command, affording, as it did, so great a contrast with the administration of his predecessor, challenged the attention of the General Government.

On the 6th of April, 1863, Colonel Bussey succeeded Major-General Washburne, in command of the 2d Cavalry Division, Army of the Tennessee; but his command here was Brief; for, desiring a more active field of labor, he was at his own request relieved and ordered to report at Vicksburg, where, on his arrival, he was made chief of cavalry. From the last of May till the surrender of Vicksburg, he had command of all the cavalry in the rear of the beleaguered city, and, in \\atching the movements of General Johnson, rendered important services to General Grant.

The advance of General Sherman against Jackson, Mississippi, after the fall of Vicksburg, was led by Colonel Bussey, who, on the 8th instant, engaged the rebel General Jackson, and after a spirited little fight forced him to retire. He was more or less engaged with the enemy till the 16th instant, during which time he visited Calhoun, Beattie's Bluff, and Vernon. On the 17th of July, he started in command of an expedition to Canton, Mississippi, and on this march again encountered General Jackson with a force numbering four thousand strong. The engagement lasted from eight o'clock in the morning till five in the evening, when the enemy, repulsed at all points, fell back and crossed to the east side of Pearl River. On this expedition, Colonel Bussey destroyed thirteen manufacturing establishments, forty miles of railroad, and a large amount of rolling stock. It is proper to state in this connection that, in all these operations, Colonel Bussey's regiment formed a part of his command.

Coloney Bussey was promoted to a general officer on the 5th of January, 1864; and the above statement of his services suffices to show that his title to a star was long anterior to the date of his receiving it. He was nominated and confirmed for "special gallantry," on the reports of commanding generals.

Since promoted to his present rank, General Bussey has served in the Department of Arkansas: until the middle of February, 1865, he was stationed at Little Rock, and much of this time was the president of a court-martial. Immediately after General Reynolds succeeded General Steele at Little Rock, General Bussey was assigned to the command of the 3d Division, 7th Army Corps, and ordered to relieve General Thayer at Fort Smith, Arkansas. The history of these changes in commanders has been discussed elsewhere, and well illustrates the esteem and confidence in which General Bussey was held by his superiors. Soon after he assumed command at Fort Smith, the following appeared in an editorial of the "New Era:"

"The firm administration of the new commander, General Bussey, together with his untiring efforts to deal justice with an even hand to all, have contributed greatly to restore confidence among the loyal people, and infuse new hope for a bright future among them."

And Governor Murphy, in a letter to the same paper writes:

"I have great confidence in your present commander, General Bussey. His judgment energy, and firmness I feel confident will be equal to the task imposed, though it be great. General Reynolds, commander of the Department, will fully sustain him in every measure for the protection of loyal citizens, and the suppression of villainy."

Before closing this sketch of General Bussey and his old regiment, I cannot forbear alluding to some of the many brave officers, who have contributed to make the history of the 3d Iowa cavalry what it is. Majors Perry, Duffield, Drake and Scott; Captains Van Benthuser, Anderson, Cook, Duffield, Robison, Mayne, Hughs, Taylor, Miller, Mudgett and Warner, and Lieutenants Dale, Fitch, Cherrie, Horton, Walker, McCrary, Crail, Spencer, Curkendall, De Huff, Baker, and H. D. B. Cutler were among the officers who accompanied the regiment to the field. Lieutenant Cutler, a brave and genial companion, was for a long time on the staff of General Bussey — I think his adjutant-general.

Among others, too, who are deserving of mention, is the late Lieutenant A. H. Griswold. He was killed in Arkansas, on the 27th of June, 1862, by a party of guerrillas. The circumstances of his murder are as follows:

"With twenty men of Company K, Lieutenant Griswold went out yesterday morning as escort to Captain Fuller's forage-train. The party proceeded down White River about ten miles, where they loaded the train with corn, and were returning to camp without having discovered the enemy. After traveling three miles, the cavalry escort in the rear of the train were fired upon by a party of rebels concealed in a canebrake about twenty yards distant, killing the lieutenant, Corporal Thomas Watson, and Privates Richard Luke and James L. Beacom, all of Company K; and wounding Privates Edwin Beckwith, in elbow, severely; Wesley Pringle, in side, not dangerously; James Marsh, in head, not dangerously; and Marcus Packard, in leg, slightly. The escort returned the fire, and succeeded in bringing off the train, with the killed and wounded. Lieutenant Griswold was a most faithful and efficient officer, and a gentleman, whose loss will be deeply felt by a large circle of friends in the regiment and in Iowa, where he leaves a wife and two children."

General Bussey is five feet, eleven inches in hight, and has a slender, athletic form. He has an exceedingly fair complexion, dark hair, and dark, lustrous eyes. He is not only comely in person, but winning in manners, and, with his pleasing conversational powers, could not be otherwise than popular in any community. He has ready wit, great power of expression, and is able to say whatever he wishes in whatever way he pleases; and in this lies the secret of his success as a public extempore speaker. General Bussey has confidence in himself and his abilities, and is happily free from those airs and indiscretions common to men overburdened with self-esteem. As a business man, he was characterized for promptness and order, and these traits he carried with him into the army. He is ambitious and fond of public eclat, and — who is not?

Mr. J. Thompson of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, in an article on the Iowa general officers, speaks thus of General Bussey:

"His demeanor indicates at once the scholar and gentleman. He possesses fine sensibilities, and a character irreproachable for honesty and morality. His moral qualities have suffered little by three year's contact with the evil associations of the army. Position or promotion does not change him. It gives me pleasure to dwell on the virtues of his private life, because he stands alone in this respect. His conduct during the war proves him not unworthy the position he occupies."

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 583-90

XXXVIIth Congress – First Session

WASHINGTON, April 21.

SENATE. – Messrs. Howe and Howard presented memorials from citizens of Wisconsin and Michigan, praying for a ship canal from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi river.

Mr. Doolittle spoke in favor of the resolutions in regard to Brig. Gen. Stone.

Mr. Wade replied to him.

Mr. Cowell offered a resolution calling on the Secretary of State for the names of all persons, resident of the State of Kentucky, who have been arrested by his order, and confined in forts, camps, and prisons, since the 1st of Sept. last. Also number and age of those who had been released; and the number, names and ages of those retained.

Mr. Sumner objected, and the resolution was laid over under the rule.


HOUSE. – Mr. Cox, of Ohio, submitted the following: Resolved, That the secretary of War inform the House of the following facts: 1. What has delayed reply to the resolution of this House, calling for information as to the age, sex, condition, &c., of Africans employed in Gen. Wool’s department. 2. What number of slaves has been brought into this District by the army officers, or other agents of the Government, from Virginia, since the enemy abandoned Manassas, and their lines on the Potomac. 3. What number of fugitives from Maryland and Virginia are now in the city of Washington, their sex, and probable ages. 4. What number is now in, and has been sent to Frederick, Md. 5. How many are now fed and supported by the money of the U. S., appropriated by congress to prosecute the war. 6. By what authority where both old and young, male and female, sent by rail to Philadelphia, at whose expense, the amount of expense, and the purpose for which they were sent. 7. If he has not the means to answer these inquiries, to take the necessary steps to obtain the information.

On motion of Mr. Lovejoy, the resolution was tabled, 65 against 31, the republicans generally voting in the affirmative.

On motion of Mr. Porter, a resolution was adopted, instructing the committee on invalid pensions for disabled soldiers of the present war. The House reconsidered the vote by which the resolution was adopted to-day, calling for the expenditures of the Western department and then rejected it.

Mr. Divens resolution requesting the Attorney General to bring a suit against Gen. Fremont and Mr. Beard, to recover money obtained on the order of Fremont, was taken up. Mr. Divens [spoke] of the extravagance of the expenditures on the St. Louis fortifications; the money having been drawn without any just equivalent and without any form of law.

Mr. Colfax disapproved of the St. Louis contracts, but the circumstances under which they undertaken, offered an extenuation for them. Why did government then wait until Gen. Fremont was in the face of the enemy before they malignantly pursued him. Why not wait until the end of the war, instead of so acting as to cause him to loose the confidence of his army in front of the foe.

Mr. Blair replied to Mr. Colfax, that St. Louis never was in danger, excepting from Gen. Fremont, who brought with him a gang of Californians to the prejudice of the people of Missouri. He admitted that the was partly influenced in placing Gen. Fremont in command in the west, but he had suffered for it, and he hoped he would be pardoned.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p. 1

Successful Canvassing

Mr. John Connor, deputy collector for Allen’s Grove, obtained on Monday afternoon and Tuesday of last week, the sum of $38.50 for the Relief Association of the county, in about one-fourth part of the township. Mr. Connor obtained besides large quantities of pillows, sheets, shirts, bandages and lint. Everybody, he says, seemed willing to give, and only regretted their inability to give more.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p 1

Home Papers

The following, from the Boston Journal, is commended to the consideration of those who take Chicago and New York papers for late news to the exclusion of home journals, and have to barrow from their neighbors to find out what we are doing at home, and how our brothers and friends in the army are getting along: “Not one-tenth part of all the local news which transpires in any country town finds its way into the city newspapers, and he who takes the latter to the exclusion of his own town or county paper, does not fulfill his duty as a citizen. Such a person as unworthy to fill a town office, for he most certainly lacks local pride.”

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p 1

Protecting Bridges

The recent legislature passed an act requiring all the Boards of Supervisors to prohibit persons from riding or driving faster than a walk over bridges more than twenty-five feet long, under a penalty for violation of from one dollar upwards, according to the length of the bridge. Notices designating the penalty are to be conspicuously posted at each end of the bridge. Bridges owned by individuals or companies may be included on petition of the owner to the Board of Supervisors.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p 1

Colonel Datus E. Coon

THIRD COLONEL, SECOND CAVALRY.

Datus E. Coon is a native of New York State, and is thirty-four years of age. He was, in the summer of 1861, a resident of Mason City, Cerro Gordo county, Iowa. He entered the service as captain of Company I, 2d Iowa Cavalry, and, on the 14th of September of the same year, was promoted to a majority in that regiment. If he ever held the lieutenant-colonelcy of his regiment, I have failed to learn it. He was commissioned colonel of the 2d Iowa Cavalry on the 1st day of May, 1864. Much of the time since promoted to his present rank, he has been in command of the 2d Brigade, 5th Cavalry Division, the command of General Edward Hatch. He is reputed a gallant and efficient officer.

The point of chief interest in the history of the 2d Iowa Cavalry, during the colonelcy of Colonel Coon, is that which relates to the Fall and Winter Campaign against General Hood, in Tennessee. The time covered by these operations embraces fully three months; for the advance of Forest into Tennessee near Waterloo, Alabama, late in September, 1864, may be regarded as a part of Hood's grand flanking campaign. From the 30th of September to the 5th of December, the skirmishes and engagements of the 2d Cavalry are enumerated as follows: Shoal Creek, Alabama, November 9th, 1864; Aberdeen, Alabama, November 17th; Butler Creek, Alabama, November 19th; Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, November 22d; Campbellville, Tennessee, November 24th; Linnville, Tennessee, November 24th; Mount Cannel, Tennessee, November 29th and New Franklin, Tennessee, November 30th.

At the time Forest crossed into Tennessee, as above stated, the 2d Cavalry was stationed at White's Station, and at once marched with its brigade for Clifton, on the Tennessee River. Arriving there, it found General Washburne, who had come by boat from Memphis, and was directed by him to start in pursuit of the raider. From this time till the 18th of October, the regiment was on the scout, but failed to find the enemy. Returning then to Clifton, it remained a few days in camp and then started again on the scout; and thus its time was passed until the advance of Hood made its appearance opposite Florence, Alabama.

The brigade command of Colonel Coon, to which was attached the 2d Iowa, took a distinguished part in the operations to resist Hood's advance into Tennessee, and also in driving the rebel army from the State. The skirmishes and engagements, which I have given above, were fought while Hood was marching on Nashville. For the part taken by the 2d Iowa in the battles of the 15th, 16th, and 17th of December I refer to the official report of Major C. C. Horton, who was in command of the regiment. After first stating that his regiment with its brigade moved out from camp and took up its position on the right of General A. J. Smith's Corps, the Major says:

"Their main line was found some four miles from town, occupying formidable works on a commanding hill. By continually swinging to the left, our brigade struck their left flank.

"The division battery (I, of the 2d Illinois) now galloped into position in an open field and opened on the works, evidently much to their annoyance, as the guns of both forts were immediately turned upon the battery and my regiment, which had been formed to the left and rear as support. Remained lying in this position, exposed to a galling fire from both forts for nearly an hour, losing two men killed and one wounded, when I received orders to move forward and join in an assault upon the first fort. The regiment moved steadily forward under a severe fire until within three hundred yards of the works, when the order to 'charge and take that fort' from General Hatch, rang along the line. With a shout the men sprang forward, and with a shout the fort was carried. Company G, Lieutenant Budd commanding, having been thrown out as skirmishers, were nearest the works, and consequently the first to enter. One man was knocked down by a blow from a musket just as he was scaling the works. One of General Smith's batteries shelled the fort after it was captured, six shells bursting in and over it after we had entered. Captured here four brass Napoleons and sixty prisoners. Thirty killed and wounded rebels were found lying in the fort. Leaving a guard with the guns, I pressed forward after the retreating enemy, capturing many prisoners.

"Orders were now received from Colonel Coon to move by the right flank and charge the second fort, situated some seven hundred yards to our right on a high, conical hill. The men were so eager in the pursuit of the fugitives from the first fort, that I was able to rally only two hundred of them: with these I joined the brigade in the assault. The fort was defended with a stubbornness and gallantry seldom surpassed — the enemy only ceasing to use their artillery after the works were scaled. A short but desperate hand-to-hand struggle ensued after the works were entered. My colors, borne by the gallant Sergeant Hartman, Company P, were the first to float from the fort. The Sergeant fell mortally wounded while in the act of planting the colors on one of the guns. Seizing my hand as I bent over him, he exclaimed, 'Major, tell my friends I died doing my duty.' .

"In this fort were captured two guns, with caissons; one battery-wagon, and nearly one hundred prisoners. Notwithstanding my colors were the first to enter the works, it would be unjust to claim the guns or prisoners as my particular prize, as the different regiments of the brigade entered so nearly at the same time. Lieutenants Watson and Griffith, Companies I and D, who, not having heard the order to rally in time to join in the assault on the fort, moved by the right and charged on our left flank, attacking and repulsing a force of rebels who were endeavoring to reinforce the fort, now reported with some sixty prisoners each. Quartermaster-Sergeant Beason, with my bugler, Anderson, and two mounted orderlies (Truesdale and Winn) charged with the sabre, killing and wounding several, and taking some seventy prisoners. Number of prisoners captured during the day, two hundred and fifty. Regiment lost, while supporting the battery and charging the two forts, six men killed, and two commissioned officers and eighteen men wounded.

"December 16th. — Moved with the brigade, early in the morning, again taking a position on the right of General Smith's Infantry: slight skirmishing during the morning. About 2 o'clock P. M., in compliance with orders from General Hatch, I sent Captain Bandy with the 3d Battalion to draw one gun of Battery I up a steep hill, utterly impassable for horses. The gun was dragged to the top of the hill and planted in such a position that it commanded a battery which had greatly annoyed our infantry lines during the day. In a few moments the rebel battery was silenced, and their infantry wavering and falling back. Colonel Coon then ordered the brigade forward, and poured volley after volley into their retiring columns. I now received orders to remain with the battery, assist in taking the gun down the hill, and then join the brigade. Lost during the day, one commissioned officer slightly wounded.

"December 17th. — Moved again at day-light on the Franklin pike, General Hammond having the advance: found the enemy in strong force, occupying a line of hills on ' Little Harpeth,' four miles south of Franklin. General Hatch moved his division to the front; formed on the right of General Hammond, 2d Iowa on the extreme right. The line moved at a walk for some three hundred yards: then the trot, and finally the charge was sounded. At the signal, all sprang forward; but the centre found it impossible to carry the position on account of the steep and rocky hill-side. They halted here, dismounted, and engaged the enemy on foot. Not receiving the order to halt, and having better ground in front, I pressed forward, charged up the hill and through a thick wood, until we reached the enemy's left and rear, who now opened on me with grape and canister from the batteries. Wheeling the regiment to the left, I ordered the charge upon the battery to our left; but the horses were poor and so much blown that they could only raise a slow trot, perceiving which the enemy charged us in turn, but were handsomely repulsed with the carbine. A strong column of rebels were now reported passing through the gap between my regiment and the balance of the brigade. The fact that the day was dark and rainy, and that they wore rubber ponchos, and were many of them dressed in blue, had led my men to believe them to be our own troops, so that they were nearly in the rear of the 3d Battalion before the mistake was discovered. Company K, Sergeant John Coulter commanding, were nearly surrounded, and were compelled to cut their way out with the sabre. Sergeant Coulter, with Corporal Heck and Privates Black and Anderson, charged the rebel color-guard, and after a desperate hand-to-hand struggle, in which Heck and Black were killed and Coulter and Anderson badly wounded, the colors of Rosse's Brigade were captured, and borne triumphantly off by the sergeant. Eight dead rebels, lying within the space of a few yards, attest the desperate nature of the conflict. After a few moment's close fighting, in which the sabre and butts of guns were freely used, the rebels fell back. * * * My loss during the engagement was seven killed, eight wounded, and thirteen captured. Several others were captured, but made their escape, in some instances returning with their guards as prisoners. The regiment captured in all some fifty prisoners.

On the 19th instant, the 2d Iowa met and engaged the enemy at Rutherford Creek, and, on the 25th, near Pulaski. But they continued their flight rapidly southward, and succeeded in crossing the Tennessee in detatchments. Many officers of the 2d Cavalry are mentioned in the highest terms for their conduct during this campaign, and among others are Major Schnitger, Captains Foster and Bandy, and Adjutant Sydenham.

After the above operations had closed, Generals Smith, Schofleld, and Wilson were ordered to concentrate their respective commands at Eastport, on the Tennessee River, preparatory to a renewal of the campaign against the enemy in Mississippi and Alabama; little more was done in this quarter, for Schofleld was soon after summoned to North Carolina to co-operate with Sherman, and Thomas ordered to Tennessee to "assume general control of the defenses of our line of communication in the rear of the Army of the Mississippi." The results of the campaign are thus summed up by General Thomas:

"There were captured from the enemy during the various actions of which the foregoing report treats, thirteen thousand, one hundred and eighty-nine prisoners of war, including seven general officers and nearly one thousand other officers of all grades, seventy-two pieces of artillery, and – battle-flags. During the same period over two thousand deserters from the enemy were received, and to whom the oath was administered. Our own losses will not exceed ten thousand in killed, wounded and missing."

With the above campaign, closes the interesting portion of the 2d Cavalry's history. It did not march with Wilson on his celebrated march through Alabama to Macon, Georgia.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 577-82

A Fight

Four deserters from the First Cavalry, who were captured at Dubuque last Wednesday Passed down on the steamer [Pembina] last Sunday. While the boat was lying at our levee one of them jumped ashore, and before he was taken back had a fight with an Irishman, whom he pummeled pretty severely. He was eventually secured and marched back to the boat.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p 1

Returned

Hiram Price, Esq., returned home yesterday morning from Pittsburg Landing, where he spent a number of days among the wounded. Mrs. Col. Hall also arrived yesterday morning from the Tennessee river. Mrs. Hall has seen more of the battlefield than often falls to the lot of her sex, having been in the tent with her husband when the 11th regiment was attacked, a portion of the volley even entering the tent. Acting under instructions Mrs. H. immediately started for the landing, three miles distant, where she arrived in safety. Col. Hall was wounded, and lost his horse, saddle, pistols, &c., and had a second horse killed under him early in the fight, but remained on the field all day and night of Sunday. The wound was so much swollen that it was necessary to cut his boot to get it off, but he suffered only a temporary inconvenience.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p 1

The Telegraph

There is no use of being choice about terms any longer, the telegraph between Iowa and Chicago is a nuisance – so far as the press is concerned. The most trivial matter is assumed as sufficient cause to prevent us receiving our regular dispatches. With every rain they fail, and then comes the excuse that the battery at the junction works badly and they cannot be reshipped at that point. It would pay the press of Iowa to contribute and purchase a new battery for Bureau junction. It’s a little remarkable, however that the line becomes convalescent of an evening just long enough to transmit a few paragraphs, so as to make the customary charge! We don’t know who is to blame for this irregularity and would not now make a complaint, only that some of our citizens seem to imagine the press and the telegraphers in collusion to keep them from receiving the latest news.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p 1

From Capt. Williams' Company

We have been kindly permitted to make use of a letter received by a gentleman of this city from Mr. A. S. Collins, of Benton Co., a Member of Co. D, 16th regiment (Capt. Williams). As there are a number of Scott County men in the company, we published the following extract, which may be of interest to some of their friends. The letter is dated April 8th. The writer says:

“Our company went into the fight with 42 men. One was killed, and I believe ten wounded. Our friend Willard was suffering from rheumatism, and was not in the battle. Corporal Cutting is killed and David Holcomb wounded – not seriously. Sergt. Crooks, color-bearer, is either killed or seriously wounded. The wounded in our company form Davenport are: Harry H. Bowling, seriously; Danl. Madden, in the leg; Ninian Lindsay was stunned by a cannon ball or shell and knocked down. He is considerably sore, but not seriously hurt. I was twice wounded – in the right arm and left thigh – no bones broken; both balls are in my body; rather uncomfortable flesh wounds, but not serious ones. * * * I presume I shall see some of your people here shortly to look after the wounded. I assure you there is a great need of their being attended to and taken home.”

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p. 1

Brigadier-General Edward Hatch

SECOND COLONEL, SECOND CAVALRY.

The gallant young Edward Hatch is one of the very best of the Iowa general officers. He was born in Maine, in the year 1832. The town of his nativity, the character of his education, and the date of his removal to Iowa, I have failed to learn. He was a resident of Muscatine, Iowa, as early as 1858, and engaged in the lumber business with a Mr. Fullerton of that city. I regret that I can not give more of his history. In August, 1861, Mr. Hatch was made Major of the 2d Iowa Cavalry. A few weeks later, he was commissioned Lieutenant-Colonel of his regiment, and, on the promotion of Colonel Elliott to brigadier-general, in June 1862, he was made colonel. For gallant and meritorious services he was, in the spring of 1864, appointed and confirmed a brigadier-general. He richly earned his promotion; for, from the first, he has been a working, fighting officer.

General Elliott left the 2d Iowa Cavalry soon after the fall of Corinth; and from that date I resume the history of the regiment, first premising that it was under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Hatch from the time of its arrival before Corinth, Colonel Elliott being in command of the brigade to which it was attached.

Since May, 1862, the regiment's field of service has been principally in Tennessee and in Northern Alabama and Mississippi. A full history of its operations can not be given in the limited space to which I am confined, and I shall therefore allude to only the most important items of its service.

During the summer and fall of 1862, the regiment was attached to the cavalry brigade of the gallant Philip H. Sheridan, and made its head-quarters, a chief portion of the time, near Rienzi, Mississippi. After General Grant's unsuccessful march through Central Mississippi, in November, 1862, the 2d Iowa changed its head-quarters to La Grange, Tennessee. It was from that point the regiment moved out to co-operate with Colonel Grierson, at the time that officer started on his wonderful raid through Mississippi. Much interest attaches to this movement, and I therefore give briefly its antecedents and its results.

"In accordance with previous instructions, [I quote from General Grant's official report] Major-General S. A. Hurlbut started Colonel B. H. Grierson with a cavalry force from La Grange, Tennessee, to make a raid through the central portion of the State of Mississippi, to destroy railroad and other public property, for the purpose of creating a diversion in favor of the army moving to the attack of Vicksburg. On the 17th of April, this expedition started, and arrived at Baton Rouge on the 2d of May, having successfully traversed the whole State of Mississippi. The expedition was skillfully conducted, and reflects great credit on Colonel Grierson and all of his command. The notice given this raid by the Southern press confirms our estimate of its importance."

Colonel Hatch and the 2d Iowa did not accompany Colonel Grierson on this raid, but operated in other quarters, and in conjunction with him, so as to draw the attention of the enemy from the real movement, and thus secure the expedition a sure and unmolested start. For a full account of the part taken by the 2d Iowa in this movement, I can not do better than to give in full the official report of Colonel Hatch:


"Head-Quarters 2d Iowa Cavalry,
La Grange, Tennessee, April 27th, 1863."

“CAPTAIN :

"I have the honor to report: Complying with orders from Colonel Grierson, commanding 1st Cavalry Brigade, left camp with my regiment at La Grange, Tennessee, April 17tb, and marched with the brigade to the neighborhood of Ripley, Mississippi, and camped.

"On the morning of the 18th of April, by order of Colonel Grierson, marched my regiment east of Ripley three miles, thence south-east through Molino, and camped five miles south of that place, skirmishing during the day with Smith's regiment of Partisan Rangers, organized near there at a place known as Chesterville. On the 19th, marched south-west, forming a junction with Colonel Grierson, five miles south of Pontotoc, Mississippi. There Major Love, of my regiment, was detached with a portion of the regiment to return to La Grange, reducing me to about five hundred men.

"On the morning of the 20th, marched with Colonel Grierson thirteen mile south-east of Houston, and camped. On the morning of the 21st of April, complying with Colonel Grierson's order, I moved in rear of his column. At 3 o'clock A. M., left Colonel Grierson at the junction of the roads leading to Louisville, West Point and Columbus, thence to proceed to the railroad at West Point, destroying the railroad-bridge over the Okatibbayhah River, thence to move rapidly southward to Macon, destroying the railroad and government stores, and thence to find my way back north to La Grange, by the most practicable route. For some reason unknown to me, the column did not move till 7 o'clock A. M. This delay, as the following report will show, was fatal to carrying out Colonel Grierson's order.

"At the point Colonel Grierson turned south from the direction I was to travel, a detachment of my regiment moved with him four miles, then marched back to that point to obliterate the tracks of Colonel Grierson going south with the 6th and 7th Illinois Cavalry, which had been concentrating for some days in anticipation of a movement on Columbus. About 12 o'clock, on reaching the town of Palo Alto, I was attacked in rear and on each flank by a force under General Dolsen, consisting of Smith's Partisan Regiment, Bartoe's Regiment and Inge's Battalion. In my front, between me and West Point, was an Alabama Regiment, recently from Pensacola, with artillery — my front being well protected by the Hooka River. In the attack made by the enemy, a company in the rear was cut off and nearly all taken. The enemy then closed in on my flank, and advanced in two lines upon my rear, with two flags of truce flying, enabling him to approach very close, my command being at that time in a lane, with high fences and hedges upon either side, my men dismounted and well covered. Changing my front to the rear, I waited until the enemy were close upon me, and opened with my rifles and one two-pounder from the front, and with carbines on the flanks, breaking his lines, driving him back, pushing him about three miles, capturing arms and horses, and re-taking the company that was lost in the first attack. From that time until it was dark, it was a constant skirmish, the enemy having taken mine for the main column. Believing it was important to divert the enemy's cavalry from Colonel Grierson, I moved slowly northward, fighting by the rear, crossing the Hooka River, and drawing their force immediately in my rear.

"On the 22d, marched north near the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, the enemy continuing to follow, their forces augmented by all the citizens in the country, armed with shotguns and hunting-rifles, firing constantly on our flank. At 4 o'clock, P. M., attacked Okalona, driving out the enemy's cavalry and State forces, burning the barracks for five thousand men, and destroying stores and ammunition. I then marched north-west five miles, and camped.

"On the 23d, marched north, and hearing that Chalmer's forces intended cutting me off, I destroyed the bridge over the Chivoppa Creek, to check the forces following me in the rear. Camped that night near Tupelo. On the 24th, marched north through Birmingham, where I was attacked in the rear by what I believe to be Chalmer's forces. At 10 o'clock, A. M., my ammunition giving out, I retreated slowly towards Molino, stopping occasionally to repel their charges, concealing my men at all favorable points with the two-pounder, which did excellent service. I waited till the enemy were nearly on me, when I opened a fire at short range, the enemy suffering terribly, with small loss to me. In this way the attack was kept up for six miles, when the enemy was evidently tired, and with the exception of annoyance from guerrilla parties, we were not troubled by the enemy from that point to La Grange, where I arrived on the 26th.

"We captured about three hundred shot-guns and rifles, mostly Enfield, which for want of transportation were destroyed, and had but ten men killed, wounded and missing. I left camp with seventy rounds of ammunition, and had two on reaching it. I had decided, on reaching Okalona, to go south, but, upon examining my ammunition, I had but twenty-one rounds left, which did not warrant the movement. The fight at Palo Alto gave the enemy time to guard the railroad at West Point, and to prepare for an attack on Columbus, with some two thousand State troops, under General Ruggles.

"I left camp with two hundred and fifty horses: worn out for want of proper and sufficient forage, they broke down at the end of the second day, and I mounted my men upon the mules from my train and borrowed mules. I have nearly mounted my regiment, returned the mules borrowed, and filled up my train, captured fifty prisoners and killed and wounded not less than one hundred of the enemy.

“The fight at Palo Alto, diverting the enemy from Colonel Grierson, has, undoubtedly, given him thirty-six hours' start."


The raid of Colonel Grierson, to which the operations above detailed were collateral, ranks among the first of the war, for daring and success; but the "Patriotism of Illinois" is not impartial in declaring that the entire credit of the affair belongs to Illinois officers. Had not Colonel Hatch, by his maneuvering and hard fighting, diverted the attention of the enemy's cavalry, the result would doubtless have been different. But it is true that the movement filled the enemy with consternation. At the time this handful of Federal troops was sweeping down through Mississippi, Porter was running the Vicksburg Batteries, and McClernand was gathering his corps on the west bank of the river below the city. The combination of movements filled the enemy with amazement, and for several days it was said they stood and looked on with wonder, not knowing what points were most threatened, and most in need of defense. Those who joined Grant's forces on the final Vicksburg Campaign, and who were afforded the opportunity of reading the rebel papers picked up at Raymond, Clinton, and at other points along the route, will remember how great the alarm had been: they will also remember how poor Pemberton was belabored for having allowed "this handful of thieving Yanks to pass unmolested under his very nose."

The 2d Iowa's next move of importance was that made to Jackson, in pursuit of Forest, about the middle of July, 1863. It was on this march, and while charging through the city of Jackson, that Lieutenant John Humphreys was severely wounded. This, considering the numbers engaged, was a gallant affair. One incident of the fight is thus given by Major, afterward Colonel Coon : " In one place, the contest was so close between Company M and a superior force of Forest's men, that one man, named H. H. Bromer, had a hand-to-hand fight, after exhausting all the weapons in his hands.

The 2d Iowa Cavalry re-enlisted as a veteran regiment in the winter of 1863-4, and came North. Afterward, it returned to Memphis, from which point it marched on the expeditions of Sturgis and Smith against Forest; but an account of these operations will be found elsewhere.

Much of the time since promoted to a general officer, General Hatch has commanded a cavalry division. He distinguished himself in resisting Hood's advance into Tennessee, and, especially, in the part he took in routing the rebel forces at Nashville.

The general has a handsome person and an agreeable address. He is about five feet eleven inches in hight, has dark hair and eyes, and, if I am rightly informed, possesses great energy and determination. He is dignified if the occasion requires it, and yet, he can crack a joke and tip a beer-mug with the best of them.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p.571-6

Trinity Church

Last Sunday being Easter, was appropriately observed in the Catholic and Episcopal churches of this city. At Trinity church the usual services for the occasion were had, under the direction of the Rector. The singing was very good, consisting in part of several difficult musical compositions, such as Jackson’s Te Deum arranged by Dr. Hodges, and the Deus Misereautur by an amateur composer. In the afternoon the Sunday-school children had their usual Easter exercises, consisting of a short sermon to the children and the distribution of presents. The scholars were very prompt and correct in their answers to the questions propounded, and reflected great credit on the ability and faithfulness of their teachers, and their superintendent, Mr. W. T. Ross. The Sunday-school has a well selected library, to which have been added since Christmas about 250 volumes. There is also a parish library of about 400 volumes, accessible to all the members of the congregation. Yesterday the annual election of vestrymen resulted in the choice of the following persons: J. S. Seymour, T. D. Eagal, John E. Henry, John M. Adler, J. W. Churchill, T. J. Saunders, Robt. Sickels and Ebenezer Cook.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p. 1

Local Matters

ERSKINE is selling ready-made clothing very low for cash. He has a very fine stock of cassimeres, vestings and furnishing which he offers cheap.

REMOVED. – The office of the City Marshal has been removed to the Council Chamber, where that officer may be found during business hours.

THE MUDDIEST STREET IN TOWN. – Fourth street east of Perry, is the muddiest street in town. Every one of us on that street should be taxed to have it graveled and gutters paved.

IRA COOK, ESQ., an old settler of Scott county, but who some years since removed to Des Moines, is about to take up his residence at Washington City. He has resigned the Mayorality of Des Moines with that object in view.

New dress goods received at Wadsworth’s. For the latest styles, for the most fasionalbe goods, for goods of the best quality, for goods at the lowest prices, call at Wadsworth’s. No inferior or second class goods sold for the best.

SHIPMENTS BY RAILROAD. – The shipments by railroad from this place for the last two weeks were: 1,508 bbls. Flour; 1,600 bu. Wheat; 6,600 bu. Barley; 110 [tons] bran; 881 sks. Malt; 400 bu. Potatoes; 36,000 lbs. tallow; 67,320 lbs. lard; 135,950 lbs. cut meat; 2,0606 lbs. hides; 25 live hogs.

DEATH OF AN OLD SETLER. – Mr. David Barry, whose death is this morning announced, although a young man, is one of the oldest residents of the county. He was brought here by his parents in the summer of 1837, before he was six months old, and has resided here ever since. His parents are both dead, and he leaves a wife and child to lament his loss.

ANOTHER CONCERT. – The Davenport Musical Union; a company of amateurs, comprising a majority of the best singers in davenport and vicinity are now rehearsing preparatory to giving a concert, in which they are to be assisted by the Davenport Orchestral Society, Miss Dutton, the juvenile pianist, Miss Hirschl, the youthful violinist, and several talented amateur vocalists. They promise a greater variety than has ever before been given to a Davenport audience. Have your quarters ready in about two weeks.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p. 1

Cyrus M. Runkle

1st Lieutenant, Co. A, 12th Iowa Infantry

Brigadier-General W. L. Elliott

FIRST COLONEL, SECOND CAVALRY.

Washington L. Elliott was the first regular army officer appointed to the colonelcy of an Iowa regiment. In the early history of the war, it was the opinion of Governor Kirkwood, and of a majority of the people, that none but men of military education could be safely entrusted with the command of a regiment of volunteers; but it was all a mistake.

The place of General Elliott's nativity, and the date of his birth, I have been unable to learn; but in May, 1846, he was appointed from Pennsylvania to a second lieutenancy of mounted rifles, and served in the Mexican War. At the close of that war he served in New Mexico, and, in 1854, was promoted to a captaincy. In the fall of 1858, he distinguished himself in conflicts with the Navajoes, and, in the following year, was placed in command of Fort Bliss, Texas.

Captain Elliott was commissioned colonel of the 2d Iowa Cavalry on the 14th day of September, 1861, and by his energy and military ability soon made for himself and his regiment a most enviable reputation. Indeed, it has often been claimed as regards the Iowa troops that the 2d Infantry, the 2d Cavalry, and the 2d Battery, are the star troops of their respective arms of service; but this claim is certainly not founded in justice; though it may be conceded that the 2d Iowa Cavalry has done as much hard fighting as any other Iowa cavalry regiment.

On the 19th of February, 1862, which is the date of the commencement of their field-service, the 2d Iowa Cavalry arrived at Bird's Point, Missouri. Having watched the movements of the enemy for several days in the direction of Belmont and Columbus, the regiment started on the 27th instant in pursuit of Jeff. Thompson towards New Madrid, and after a march of thirteen days through the almost impassable swamps that here border the Mississippi, reached that place in time join the forces of General Pope in its capture. After the capture of Island No. 10, in which a detachment of the 2d, under Lieutenant Schnitger, took a conspicuous part, the regiment sailed for Hamburg Landing on the Tennessee River.

The services of the 2d Iowa and the 2d Michigan Cavalry regiments before Corinth, in the spring of 1862, gave to the 2d Brigade of General Pope's Cavalry Division a national reputation. From the 29th of April, the date of the capture and burning of the enemy's camp at Monterey, Mississippi, till the 30th of the following May, the 2d Iowa Cavalry took part in five distinct expeditions, and not less than ten skirmishes and engagements; and, in nearly all these operations, were joined by the 2d Michigan Cavalry, under the gallant Colonel Philip H. Sheridan. The most noteworthy of these expeditions is that which under Colonel Elliott in command of the 2d Brigade, left its camp near Farmington for Boonville, Mississippi, at one o'clock on the morning of the 27th of May, 1862. Connected with Colonel Elliott's exit from camp, is a laughable incident which I can not forbear relating. A new regiment, which had just come to the front, had its camp near the road over which Colonel Elliott passed. Its camp-guard was commanded by a lieutenant – an able lawyer, but at that time a green soldier. Soon after mid-night, hearing the heavy tramp of twenty-three hundred cavalry on a hard-beaten road, he supposed the enemy were upon him and, rushing to the tent of his Colonel, he broke through its fastenings, and thus reported:

"For God's sake, colonel get up: the enemy with ten thousand cavalry are upon us; and we are within half a mile of h—1!"

It was this Boonville Expedition of Colonel Elliott, which afforded General Pope the chief material for his celebrated report, of date, I think, the 3d of June, 1862; and it was really a most important affair. Moving from Farmington in a southerly direction, and crossing the Memphis and Charleston Railroad about ten miles west of Iuka. Colonel Elliott, from this point, marched in a south-westerly direction and, passing through the country intersected by the Tombigbee swamps, arrived before Boonville on the morning of the 30th of May, before day-light. The surprise was complete. Some two thousand prisoners were captured, the majority of them, however, being sick or convalescent. But the amount of rebel property destroyed was of chief importance. Beside three hundred kegs and barrels of powder, and large quantities of commissary-stores, ten thousand stand of arms and equipments to correspond, were destroyed. For his successes here, Colonel Elliot, was most highly complimented by General Pope.

The most gallant achievement of the 2d Iowa Cavalry, while under Colonel Elliott, was its charge on the rebel battery at Farmington, Mississippi, on the morning of the 9th of May, 1862. On the afternoon of the 8th of May, the divisions of Stanley and Payne, by order of General Pope, made an important reconnoissance in the direction of Corinth and Rienzi, surprising the enemy and driving them through and beyond the little village of Farmington. Then, the Federal forces fell back to the east side of the village and bivouacked for the night, Colonel Loomis' Brigade in advance. Thus things stood on the morning of the 9th when the guns of our sentinels gave notice of the advance of the enemy. Chafed by the surprise of the day before, which lost them their advance-line, they were moving in force to restore it; but Pope was resolved on maintaining his advanced position, and hastily dispatched General Plummer's Brigade to take position to the right, and somewhat in advance of Colonel Loomis. But these dispositions were not completed when the enemy were seen advancing in column by division. Soon two regiments of Plummer's Brigade broke in confusion, and fled to the swamps in their rear, when his two remaining regiments had to be withdrawn from the field.

Having hastily formed their line of battle just in rear of the large white house in the north-east portion of the town, and, where General Pope the day before had made his headquarters, they threw forward their batteries, and commenced shelling the position of Colonel Loomis. And now comes the gallant charge of the 2d Iowa, which had already arrived at the front:

"Moving the column to the top of the hill, I ordered Major Coon, with Companies H. G, C, and part of A, of the 2d Battalion, and Major Love's 3d Battalion, to charge the battery on our left in echelons of squadrons. Deploying the columns to the right and left when we had passed our infantry lines, we attacked the skirmishers and supports of the enemy, driving them in and killing and wounding some. The fire from the battery on our left, near the Farmington road, was very severe, but on account of the ground being impracticable, and the battery and supports protected by a fence, this could not be reached; yet the enemy's gunners evidently alarmed at the charge, ceased working their guns. Major Coon's Battalion, led by him, gallantly attacked the battery near the building known as the cotton-mill (the centre battery). Lieutenant Reily, commanding Company F of 3d Battalion, attacked and carried two guns in battery on our extreme right. The centre battery was fairly carried, the gunners driven from their guns, the enemy limbering up his guns without taking them off the field. Finding our horses badly blown from a long charge over rough ground, and the infantry of the enemy in great force, I under a heavy fire ordered all companies on my right to retreat to the right and rear, forming on the swamp-road, and those on my left to join the regiment in this road. I ordered Major Hepburn to move to the rear, retaining Major Coon with two companies to pick up the wounded and scattered. My orders were carried out better than I could have expected. My chief bugler's bugle was rendered useless in the charge. Four of my orderlies had their horses killed, and two of the orderlies were shot out of their saddles while transmitting orders.

"The conduct of officers and men was in every way commendable. Captains Lundy and Egbert, and Lieutenant Owen, were wounded near the enemy's guns; and Lieutenants Horton, Moore and Schnitger, all had horses killed under them. Captain D. J. Crocker, and Lieutenant Moore, of Company H; Captain McConnell, and Lieutenant Foster, of Company M; Captain Kendrick, of Company E; Captain Eaton, and Lieutenant Bilden, of Company L, all of the 1st Battalion, led in the finest manner by Major Hepburn, rode through the hottest fire, and were rallied by Major Hepburn on the right when retiring in fine style, forming in good order in rear of the swamp, to await orders. Major Coon, Captain H. Egbert, Captain William Lundy, Lieutenants Owen and Horton, of the L Battalion, led the charge on the right in the finest manner, riding boldly in advance of their commands, and in advance of the entire regiment. The daring of Lieutenant Queal, commanding Company B, was conspicuous, cheering his men to the very muzzles of the enemy's guns. Captain Bishop, of Company I, and Captain Graves, of Company D, obeyed my orders promptly, under a heavy fire. Lieutenant Schnitger, acting regimental-adjutant, and Lieutenant Metcalf, battalion-adjutant, did their duty to my entire satisfaction. Before, and at the time of the charge, Captain Freeman and Lieutenant Eystra, with detachments of Companies A, G and H, dismounted as skirmishers, did excellent service in the swamps on our left, holding the enemy's skirmishers in check. There were about four hundred men in the charge. Our loss will scarcely exceed fifty killed and wounded, fifty horses killed, and fifty rendered unserviceable from wounds."

Immediately after the 2d Cavalry had retired, the enemy advanced his infantry when, after a sharp fight between them and the brigade of Colonel Loomis, General Pope ordered his troops to withdraw to the east side of the creek. The enemy pursued no further. In this engagement, not only the Iowa troops, but, with the exceptions already mentioned, those from Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri, distinguished themselves.

Dr. M. K. Taylor, afterward the able and courteous surgeon in charge of the United States General Hospital at Keokuk, was at the time surgeon of the 26th Illinois, Colonel Loomis, and was conspicuous in his efforts to rescue the wounded. He was among the last to leave the field, in charge of the dead and wounded.

The 17th Iowa arrived at the front that evening, and bivouacked near the camp of the 2d Iowa Cavalry. That night we first saw the bodies of dead men killed in battle, and for the first time heard the piteous groans of the wounded, and witnessed their unmitigable agonies.

For his promptness, and for his soldierly qualities discovered during the siege of Corinth and before, Colonel Elliott was promoted to brigadier-general, his commission dating the 11th of June, 1862. He was soon after made Chief of Cavalry to General Pope, and not long after, accompanied that general to Washington, and served with him in his unfortunate campaign on the Potomac. After General Pope was relieved of his command in the East, General Elliott accompanied him to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he remained till the winter of 1862-3. He was then transferred to the Army of the Cumberland, and made chief of Cavalry to General Thomas.

General Elliott is a smallish man, with stooping shoulders, sharp features and gray eyes. He is a man of great energy, and has the reputation of being a splendid cavalry officer.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 565-70

Colonel William Thompson

FOURTH COLONEL, FIRST CAVALRY.

William Thompson was born in the State of Pennsylvania, in about the year 1814. He came to Iowa while it was yet a Territory, and settled in Burlington, where he was at one time the editor of a democratic paper. He became, soon after coming to the country, quite a distinguished politician, and, in 1848, was elected to Congress. At the time of entering the service, he was a resident of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and a practicing lawyer; for that was his profession. Colonel Thompson entered the service as captain of Company E, 1st Iowa Cavalry, the company which he had recruited in Henry county, in the months of June and July, 1861. Holding this rank until the 5th of April, 1863, he was at that time promoted to a majority of the regiment, and in August, 1864, was made colonel.

In the sketch of Colonel Thompson, I shall include a portion of the history of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, which was made during the colonelcy of Mr. Anderson; for I can do so with propriety, since during this time the regiment was not commanded by Colonel Anderson.

Having passed the previous Fall and Winter in scouting in the vicinity of Little Rock, the 1st Iowa Cavalry in the opening of Spring joined the command of General Steele in the march to Camden. The regiment was brigaded with the 3d Missouri and the 10th Illinois Cavalry, these troops being the same that had been organized into a brigade command nearly a year before at Pilot Knob, Missouri. The brigade commander was not the same. Colonel Glover, a brave and good man, had been compelled to leave the service from disability, and Colonel Anderson, as the ranking officer, became his successor. But, as has already been stated, Colonel Anderson was, on the eve of General Steele's departure, seized with sudden illness, and Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, succeeded to the command of the brigade. There had also been a change in the division commander. After the possession of Little Rock, the radicalism of General Davidson had so conflicted with the conservatism of General Steele, as to produce repeated misunderstandings; and the report was that, by the mutual efforts of these officers, General Davidson was relieved and given a command elsewhere. General Davidson's successor was General E. A. Carr, of Pea Ridge notoriety. Major, now Colonel Thompson, commanded the 1st Iowa Cavalry, and thus commanded, and thus associated, the regiment marched on its most eventful campaign.

The leading events of the Camden Expedition are related elsewhere. It was one of great dangers and hardships, and the cavalry portion of the command, which led the advance, was hardly ever out of peril. From Prairie de Anne, (than which there is not a prettier little district of country in the Old or New World) to Camden, the enemy were never out of view. Wherever the character of the country was favorable, they were sure to be found in position, and during the whole of this distance, their skirmishers were constantly in the front, to harass the cavalry-advance. A detachment of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, and one of the 3d Missouri Cavalry were the first troops to enter Camden. Two and a half miles west of Camden, (and General Steele marching down the south-west side of the Washita River, entered the city from the west) the road forks. The left-hand road enters the city from the west, and the right-hand one from the south-west. Starting from these forks, two hundred and fifty men from the 1st Iowa Cavalry, and two hundred and fifty from the 3d Missouri Cavalry, dashed into Camden. The Iowa troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, taking the right-hand road, entered the city just before sun-down, and almost simultaneous with those of the 3d Missouri Cavalry. The enemy offered no resistance, for they had fled to avoid capture.

On entering Camden on the evening of the 15th of April, General Steele was unwilling to believe he had reached the terminus of his march southward. Nor when the Old Flag was raised on the Court-House did he think that it must soon be hauled down, and he be compelled to march back hurriedly to Little Rock.

But the 1st Iowa Cavalry was to go no further. Indeed, its leaving Little Rock was a matter of its own choosing; for the regiment had re-enlisted as veterans, and the first of March had been fixed as the time for its departure North. But General Steele had said "You had better go along, for we shall need you;" and where is the Iowa regiment that would not have done likewise? The horses of the 1st Iowa Cavalry were the individual property of the regiment, and by a general order these had to be sold and transferred to the Government, before the regiment could start back to Little Rock. It was a matter of irksome delay, but it saved the regiment from capture; for it was to accompany the brigade and train that were surrounded and captured at Mark's Mills, Arkansas on the 25th instant.

The 2d Brigade, 3d Division, 7th Army Corps, Lieutenant-Colonel F. M. Drake commanding, left Camden for Pine Bluff for supplies, at five o'clock on the morning of the 23d of April, 1864. Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Caldwell, in command of his regiment, was not able to leave until twenty-four hours later. The regiment had disposed of their horses and, with the exception of the officers, were to travel on foot. The order directing the regiment to sell and transfer their horses, also required them to turn over their arms; but against this Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell protested, and they were allowed to retain them. This was most fortunate; for their trusty arms proved their salvation. Early in the morning of the 24th instant, the 1st Iowa Cavalry crossed the Washita, and started in rapid pursuit of the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake. The country was full of the enemy's scouts. The citizens were sullen, and to all questions gave ominous answers. At the same time rumors were repeated of the defeat of Banks; all of which justly made Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell apprehensive of pending danger. He therefore called on General Carr for a cavalry-escort, which was reluctantly granted; but it turned back on the morning of the second day's march, and proved of no service. Camp was pitched on the evening of the 24th instant, about twenty-five miles from Camden.

The next morning, the march was resumed at day-light, and by great exertion, the edge of Moro Bottom was reached at ten o'clock. Here had been the encampment of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake's command only the night before, and, by hard marching, Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell hoped to overtake that command that night. The men of his regiment now ceased to be apprehensive for their safety, and began to indulge in dreams of home-greetings, and to devise plans by which they could most surprise their friends. But they had not quite reached the stream from which Moro Bottom derives its name, before a cry of alarm was heard in the front; and in the next instant all was confusion.

That morning the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake had been attacked by a superior force of the enemy—not less I think than seven thousand, and after a brief but most spirited fight, the greater portion of it captured. The camp-followers and teamsters, cutting loose the mules from the train, mounted them, and at full speed rode back in the direction of Camden; and from one of these Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell learned of that morning's disaster. To conceive the terror with which these poor fellows were overwhelmed is impossible. Stripped of all but their boots, pants and shirts, hatless, coatless and covered with mud, their eyes protruding, and their hair standing on end, they came at full run and shouting from their already hoarse throats: "We are all lost! they are all lost! we are all lost! they are all lost:" To the repeated calls of Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, "Stop, stop!" they paid no attention, and the only way he could learn what had happened was, by laying his strong hand on the shoulder of one as he was passing, and holding him fast till he had told the story. But he was not half done, when the report of musketry was heard at the front. Some four hundred of the enemy's cavalry were in pursuit of the fugitives, their object being the capture of the mules on which they were escaping. Reinforcements were at once sent forward to the advance-guard, which had arrived at the bridge over the Moro in time to prevent the enemy from crossing. Quite a sharp engagement followed, during which Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell burned his small train with its contents. This was the cause of much regret to his men; for in their saddle-bags were many cherished souvenirs which they had for a long time preserved as gifts for their friends; but it was impossible in the deep mud to turn the wagons and drive them to the rear. The enemy finally ceased their attack and riding down the creek, disappeared and gave no further trouble.

The 1st Iowa Cavalry now returned to near Camden, and accompanied General Steele to Little Rock. The departure North of this gallant regiment on veteran furlough, was made the occasion by General Carr, of a very complimentary order to not only that regiment, but to the Iowa troops generally. The same order alluded in flattering terms to the gallant conduct of Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Caldwell on the Camden Expedition.

About the middle of July, 1864, its leave of absence having expired, the 1st Iowa Cavalry left Davenport for the front, via Cairo, Illinois; but, on arriving at that place, was ordered by General Halleck to Benton Barracks, Missouri, where it remained until the 12th of the following August. At the last named date it was ordered to Mexico, Missouri; and later was ordered on duty on the line of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad.

At the time of General Price's invasion of Missouri in the fall of 1864, the regiment was ordered to Jefferson City, and at that point joined the forces of General Rosecrans, and marched on the campaign that resulted in the expulsion of the rebel forces from the State. Returning to Warrensburg, Missouri, the regiment was there made the cavalry-escort of General Rosecrans, which conducted him back to St. Louis. After its arrival in that city, it was ordered into quarters at Benton Barracks, and in January, 1865, sent back to Little Rock, where Colonel Thompson joined it, and in the vicinity of which place it has since served.

Colonel Thompson is a large man, weighing about one hundred and ninety pounds, and having black hair and eyes, and a dark complexion. He is reputed an able, intelligent man.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 559-64