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Roster and Record of Iowa Troops In the Rebellion, Vol. 1

By Guy E. Logan

HISTORICAL SKETCH

EIGHTH REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY

The Eighth Regiment of Iowa Infantry was organized in compliance with the proclamation of

the President, dated July 23, 1861, and the proclamation of the Governor of Iowa, calling for the

necessary number of volunteers to fill the quota of the State under that call. Davenport was

designated as the place of rendezvous for the companies composing the regiment, and they were

there mustered into the service of the United States, between the dates of August 31 and

September 4, 1861, by Lieut. Alexander Chambers of the regular army. The names of its first

Field and Staff and Company Officers will be found in the subjoined roster. The subsequent

changes on account of death, wounds, resignation, or whatever cause, will also be found noted in

the roster, in the paragraph opposite the name of each officer, together with his record of

personal service. Under the provisions and limitations of the act of the General Assembly of the

State of Iowa, by authority of which this compilation is made, the sources from which

information has been obtained have been mostly from the records and reports forwarded by the

officers of the various regiments, and other organizations, to the Adjutant General of the State

and, by his clerical force, recorded in many huge volumes. Many of these reports, muster rolls

and returns exhibit evidence of great care and minute attention to details, though a considerable

number are very Imperfect, and in many cases it has been found impossible to give the complete

record of individual service. Only brief historical sketches have been provided for, and, laboring

under the disadvantage of such limitation, the compiler of this sketch is painfully aware of his

inability to do full justice to this regiment, or to any of the Iowa organizations which had a long

record of service in the great War of the Rebellion.

The Eighth regiment had the usual experience of those which had preceded it, in the short

time it remained in rendezvous at Davenport. Its officers realized the importance of fitting

themselves for the responsible duties which they had been called upon to assume, and the

necessity of incessant study, in order that they might become capable of imparting to the men

under their command such instruction as would, at the, earliest possible moment, enable them to

perform the active duties of soldiers in time of war.

The time for such preparation was exceedingly limited, and being without arms or uniforms,

and supplied with only the most crude camp equipage, they were in a raw and unprepared

condition when, on the night of September 24, 1861, orders were received to be in readiness to

embark early the next morning for St. Louis. The order was promptly obeyed, and the regiment

was soon on board the steamer "Jenny Whipple" and on its way south.

At Keokuk, arms of poor quality, but the best the government was at that time able to procure

for its fast increasing army, were issued, and the regiment proceeded on its way. Arriving at St.

Louis, it disembarked and marched to Benton Barracks, where troops were being rapidly

concentrated, and instructed and equipped as fast as possible for the arduous work which was

before them. The time was utilized to the best advantage, and on October 15th the regiment left

St. Louis, on board flat cars, and proceeded to Syracuse, Mo. The regiment was fortunate in

having for its first commander a capable and thoroughly trained soldier of the regular army, Col.

Frederick Steele,* who insisted upon good discipline, which the men could not at that time

appreciate as they did later, when they came to understand more fully the necessity for it.

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On the 21st of October, the regiment began the march to Springfield, Mo., with Lieutenant

Colonel Geddes† in command, Colonel Steele having been assigned to the command of a

brigade. On this march the men suffered greatly, not having become inured to the hardships of a

soldier's life, and unable to care for themselves under such conditions, which, at a later period,

those who had the physical vigor to enable them to survive these early privations had learned to

do. The regiment remained at Springfield until November 4th, when it marched to Sedalia, Mo.,

again enduring great hardship from exposure. Two companies, E and K, were sent to Fort

Leavenworth as guard to a drove of cattle and a wagon train conveying supplies. The other eight

companies remained at Sedalia during the winter, to which place the two companies on detached

service did not return until about the first of March. This winter campaign in Missouri cost the

regiment many valuable lives, while many more were permanently disabled and subsequently

discharged. It is a well known fact that, in the first year of the war, more deaths and disabilities

resulted from sickness than from conflict with the enemy upon the battlefield. While there may

have been some exceptions, this statement would apply to most of the early regiments from

Iowa. The men who thus suffered and died, and those who were so enfeebled as to be no longer

able to serve, are entitled to the same honor as those who were killed and wounded in battle.

March 11, 1862, the regiment was ordered to St. Louis, and from there it was conveyed by

boat to Pittsburg Landing, Tenn. On its way up the Tennessee river the boat was fired into by

rebels concealed in the woods, and two men were killed and three wounded. Upon its arrival at

Pittsburg Landing, the regiment went into camp and was assigned to the Third Brigade of the

Second Division, Army of the Tennessee. The brigade was under command of Col. T. W.

Sweeny, and the division was commanded by Brig. Gen. W. H. L. Wallace. In this great battle,

the Eighth Iowa Infantry rendered such conspicuous and important service, and suffered such

great loss, that the compiler of this sketch feels impelled to quote here the complete official

report of its commanding officer, notwithstanding the fact that it will necessitate making only

brief quotations from later official reports.

* Col. Frederick Steele was promoted to Brigadier General Feb. 1, 1862.

†Lieut. Col. J. L. Geddes was promoted to Colonel Feb. 7, 1862, and succeeded Colonel Steele

in command of regiment.

VINTON, BENTON COUNTY, IOWA, NOV. 13, 1862.

SIR: In compliance with your request, I have the honor to submit for your information a

report of the part taken by the Eighth Iowa Infantry at the battle of Shiloh, fought on April 6,

I862. About 8 o'clock on the morning of the 6th, I ordered the regiment under arms, and formed

line of battle in front of my encampment, awaiting orders to proceed to the front. At this time,

the firing on our advanced line had become general, and it appeared to me evident that we were

being attacked in force by the rebel general. After remaining under arms about half an hour,

during which time I had ordered the baggage belonging to the regiment to be loaded on the

wagons, and an extra supply of ammunition to be issued to the men, 1 was ordered by Colonel

Sweeny, brigade commander, to proceed to the front. On arriving at our advanced line, I was

ordered by Colonel Sweeny to take position on the left of the brigade to which I was attached,

for the purpose of protecting a battery immediately in front. Here the regiment remained about

one hour, exposed to a severe fire from artillery of shell and grape, killing and wounding several

of my men. About 11 A. M, I was ordered by Colonel Sweeny, through his aid, Lieutenant

McCullough, of the Eighth Iowa, to leave my position, and take ground to my left and front. This

change of position brought my regiment on the extreme right of General Prentiss' division, and

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left of General Smith's, the latter being the division to which my regiment belonged, I was thus

entirely detached from my brigade, nor did I receive any order from my brigade or division

commander during the remainder of that day. On arriving at the point I was ordered to defend I

formed my regiment in line of battle, with my center resting on a road leading from Corinth to

Pittsburg Landing, and at right angles with my line. Here I immediately engaged a battalion of

the enemy, and after a severe conflict of nearly an hour's duration, in which I lost many of my

men, the enemy were driven back with heavy loss. At this time Captain Hogin, Company F, was

killed and Captain Palmer, Company H. severely wounded. About 1 P. M. General Prentiss

placed a battery in position immediately in front of my regiment, with instructions to defend it to

the last. The precision of its fire, which was directed by the General in person, made great havoc

in the advancing columns of the enemy. It therefore became an object of great importance to gain

possession of the battery. To this end they concentrated and hurled column after column on my

position, charging most gallantly to the very muzzles of the guns. Here a struggle commenced

for the retention and possession of the battery, of a terrific character, their concentrated and well

directed fire decimating my ranks in a fearful manner. In this desperate struggle my regiment lost

100 men in killed and wounded.

The conspicuous gallantry and coolness of my company commanders, Captains Cleaveland,

Stubbs and Benson on the left; Captains McCormick and Bell in the center, and Captains Kelsey

and Geddes, and Lieutenant Muhs on the right, by reserving the fire of their respective

companies until the proper time for its delivery with effect, and the determined courage of my

men, saved the battery from capture, and I had the satisfaction of sending the guns in safety to

the rear. In this attack, I was wounded in the leg, and Major Andrews severely in the head, and I

do here take pleasure in acknowledging the courage and coolness displayed by my field officers,

Lieut. Col. J. C. Ferguson and Major J. Andrews, and the able assistance rendered by them on

that occasion. About 3 P. M. all direct communication with the river ceased, and it became

evident to me that the enemy were driving the right and left flanks of our army, and were rapidly

closing behind us. At this time, I could have retreated, and most probably would have saved my

command from being captured, had I, at this time, been ordered back, but I received no such

order, and I considered it my duty to hold the position I was assigned to defend, at all hazards.

General Prentiss' division having been thrown back from the original line, I changed front by

my left flank, conforming to his movement, and at right angles with my former base, which was

immediately occupied and retained for some time by the Fourteenth Iowa, Colonel Shaw. In this

position, I ordered my regiment to charge a battalion of the enemy (I think the Fourth

Mississippi), which was done in good order, completely routing them. We were now attacked on

three sides by the rebel force, which was closing fast around us. The shells from our gunboats, in

their transit, severing the limbs of trees, hurled them on my ranks. It now became absolutely

necessary, to prevent annihilation, to leave a position which my regiment had held for nearly ten

consecutive hours of severe fighting, successfully resisting and driving back the enemy in every

attempt to take the position I was ordered to hold and defend—with a loss of near two hundred in

killed and wounded—I ordered my regiment to retire. On retiring about three hundred yards, I

found a division of the rebels, under General Polk, thrown completely across my line of retreat. I

perceived that further resistance was useless, as we were now completely surrounded. Myself,

and the major portion of my command, were captured at 6 P. M. of that day, and I claim the

honor for my regiment of being the last to leave the advanced line or our army, on the battlefield

of Shiloh, on Sunday, April 6, 1862.

I cannot conclude this report without bearing testimony to the gentlemanly conduct and

dignified bearing of my officers and men during their captivity. Our captors had felt the effects,

and well knew the courage of my regiment in the field, but had yet to learn they could conduct

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themselves as well under other and very trying circumstances. Not having received any reliable

information as to the true amount of casualties at the battle, and during our imprisonment, I shall

forward an official list, as soon as practicable, of killed and wounded, and or such as died in

southern prisons, through privation and neglect. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. L. GEDDES,

Colonel Eighth Iowa Infantry.

His Excellency, SAMUEL J. KIRKWOOD, Governor of Iowa.

The morning reports, published officially, show that the Third Brigade of the Second

Division had 2,131 present for duty on the morning of April 6th, and the official reports of

casualties in the battle show that the brigade suffered a loss of 1,247, or about 60 per cent of the

entire number engaged. Of this number, the Eighth Iowa lost 493.

There were six regiments in the brigade and its total loss was about 60 per cent of the entire

number engaged, while the loss of the Eighth Iowa Infantry, which fought detached from its

brigade, exceeded 80 per cent of its number engaged, in killed, wounded and captured. The

highest duty of a soldier is implicit obedience to orders. Colonel Geddes, when confronted with

the fact that the troops upon his right and left flanks were being driven back, but receiving no

order to retreat, simply changed front at right angles with his former line, conforming to the

movements of the remnant of General Prentiss' division, and stubbornly continued to hold his

ground. To these troops, then acting under the orders of General Prentiss, is due the credit of

delaying the advance of the rebel forces in their front long enough to enable the scattered and

disintegrated Union forces in their rear to rally and form the line of last resistance, as night was

fast coming on, on that hard fought first day's battle at Shiloh.

The truth of history demands that the credit of saving the day for the Union army at Shiloh be

given to those gallant regiments (three of them from Iowa) who so gallantly stood their ground,

without hope of re-inforcement, and with the full knowledge that it was only a question of time

when they would be completely surrounded by overwhelming numbers, and compelled to

surrender. To concede this honor is no discredit to the gallant men who, profiting by the delay

thus afforded, rallied behind the concentrated Union artillery, and hurled death and destruction

upon the advancing columns of the enemy, and at last turned what had seemed certain defeat into

victory.

Almost the entire number of the Eighth Iowa Infantry which had gone into action on that

Sunday morning, and had escaped being killed, were captured, and entered upon a long and

weary term of imprisonment, during which many of them died. Most of those who were

wounded before the enemy got in the rear of the regiment had been sent to the field hospitals, but

those who were wounded later, and were considered by the enemy able to be moved, were

compelled to go along with the prisoners, and many of them died in prison. The few who

succeeded in eluding the enemy in the confusion and darkness of that first night, together with

those who had been sick in hospital, on detached duty and furlough, when the battle was fought,

were afterwards placed in an organization called the "Union Brigade," in which they remained

until the captured officers and men were exchanged, when the brigade was disbanded and they

rejoined the regiment. A sketch of the operations of the Union Brigade will be found in its

appropriate place in this work, in which the history of service of the officers and men of the

Eighth Iowa Infantry who served with that organization will be found. The prisoners were

paroled October 18th, and exchanged November 10, 1862.

During the winter of 1862-3, the regiment was re-organized at St. Louis, and was sent from

there to Rolla, Mo., where it spent the remainder of the winter. In the spring it returned to St.

Louis and was sent to Vicksburg, where it arrived about April 1st and was assigned to the Third

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Brigade of the Third Division, Fifteenth Army Corps, commanded by Gen. W. T. Sherman.

Early in May it participated in that brilliant series of movements around Vicksburg ending in the

assault upon Jackson, and then marched to Vicksburg and became part of the investing force up

to the 22d of June. During this time it participated in the siege operations carried on by its

brigade, and took part in the assault on the rebel works on the 22d of May. June 22d it became

part of the force, under the command of Gen. W. T. Sherman, constituting a line of

circumnavigation to guard against the threatened attack of the rebel General Johnston's army and

the re-inforcement of the rebel forces under General Pemberton, then defending the formidable

forts and earthworks around Vicksburg. The regiment remained on this duty until the surrender

of the rebel stronghold on July 4th. Immediately after the surrender, the regiment was ordered,

with the other troops under Sherman, to go in pursuit of Johnston, who was retreating towards

Jackson. They participated in the operations which led up to the short siege and subsequent

evacuation of that place on July 17, 1863. It then became part of a force under General Steele

which drove the enemy out of Brandon, Miss., and captured that place. At the conclusion of

Colonel Geddes' official report of the operation of this regiment during the Vicksburg campaign,

he says: "From the 2d of May to the 25th of July, we marched without tents or transportation,

over three hundred miles, engaged the enemy at Vicksburg, twice at Jackson, and at Brandon,

and, although during the operations of this ever memorable campaign, both officers and men of

the regiment suffered much exposure and hardship of a very trying character, they endured all

without a murmur, and with a fortitude which elicited on several occasions the unreserved

commendations of the commanding general."

Sherman's army soon after started for Chattanooga, but the Third Division of the Fifteenth

Corps was left to guard the railroad. The Eighth Iowa was stationed at Pocahontas, Tenn., from

the last of October, 1863, to the first of January, 1864, on which date three-fourths of the men reenlisted

as veterans.

The following month General Sherman organized the famous Meridian expedition, which

penetrated far into the interior of Mississippi and inflicted great damage upon the enemy in the

destruction of railroads and immense quantities of supplies which were found stored at Meridian.

The Eighth Iowa Infantry participated in this remarkable expedition, marched over three hundred

miles and bivouacked in the open air, living upon such provisions as could be gathered from the

country through which they marched. Returning to Vicksburg, the re-enlisted veterans were sent

to their homes in Iowa on furlough, while the non-veterans participated in the ill-fated Red River

expedition, in which they performed good service and suffered great hardships. The veterans

returned to Memphis, Tenn., at the close of their thirty days' furlough, and upon their arrival

there were assigned to provost guard duty under the command of Lieut. Col. W. B. Bell, Colonel

Geddes being at the same time appointed Provost Marshal of the District of West Tennessee. In

the discharge of this important duty, the regiment won the commendation of General Marcy,

Inspector General United States Army, who pronounced it equal in equipment and discipline to

any regiment in the volunteer or regular army. It was while performing this duty that the

regiment had a severe engagement with the rebel General Forrest's cavalry which made a daring

raid into the city of Memphis on the 21st day of August, 1864, and at 4 o'clock in the morning

had made its way into the very center of the city.

The following extracts from the official report of Lieut. Col. W. B. Bell will show how well

the troops under his command acquitted themselves in defeating and driving the rebels from the

city and pursuing them into the adjacent country:

When the first alarm was given, by the enemy firing on the streets, my command turned out

promptly from their several barracks throughout the city, and skirmished with the enemy

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wherever they found him, killing and wounding several, and taking six prisoners. Lieut. D. W.

Stearns, with the headquarters' guards, numbering twenty men, attacked a force of the enemy

who were attempting to release the prisoners in Irving Block, and, in connection with the prison

guard, drove them off. A few minutes afterwards, I arrived at regimental headquarters. Adjutant

Campbell had already ordered Company C and Headquarters' guard to report at regimental

headquarters.

In compliance with General Buckland's order, I pursued the enemy with the Headquarters'

guard commanded by Lieutenant Stearns, and Company C commanded by Lieutenant Boyer,

leaving Major Stubbs and Adjutant Campbell to assemble the balance of the regiment.

On crossing Beal street, I was joined by Company F, commanded by Lieutenant Irwin, which

increased my command to seventy men. With this force, I moved briskly forward after the

enemy, who were retiring on the Hernando road. On arriving at the mouth of a lane, I sent

forward a line of skirmishers under Lieutenant Stearns and advanced in line of battle for some

distance, when my skirmishers were driven in.

Sergeant Ostrander and privates A. M. Walling, I. E. Newman, Charles Smith and Peny

Clark watched their opportunity, and fired a volley on the flank of the enemy, killing the rebel

captain Lundy, and wounding several others. Then by making a circuit they safely joined their

command. At this time General Dustan came up and assigned to my command fifty of the One

Hundred and Thirteenth Illinois, commanded by Lieutenant Chatfield. I then moved forward

some distance, halted, formed line of battle, and moved through the orchard on the left side of

the road, and into the woods a short distance beyond, when we met the enemy, and firing

commenced on both sides about the same time. A brisk, spirited, and severe engagement ensued.

* * *

During the engagement, the troops under my command, one and all, behaved gallantly.

Captain Geddes, who was on detached service, joined my command at the first, and throughout

the engagement did good service. By the death of Lieutenant Irwin, who fell bravely leading his

company, the regiment lost a good soldier, a pleasant companion, and an excellent man.

Annexed is a full list of casualties.

In this engagement the regiment's loss was 43, which, considering the fact that only a small

portion of the regiment was engaged, was very heavy. Lieut