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Roster and Record of Iowa Troops In the Rebellion, Vol. 3

By Guy E. Logan

HISTORICAL SKETCH

TWENTY-FIFTH REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY

The Twenty-fifth Regiment was organized under the proclamation of President Lincoln,

bearing date July 2, 1862. The ten companies of which it was composed were ordered into

quarters by Governor Kirkwood, on dates ranging from August 2 to September 1, 1862. The

place of rendezvous designated in the order of the Governor was Camp McKean, near Mount

Pleasant, Iowa, and there, on the 27th of September, 1862, the companies and the field and staff

officers of the regiment were mustered into the service of the United States, by Captain George

S. Pierce of the United States Army. At the completion of the muster the regiment had an

aggregate strength of 972 men, including the field, staff and company officers. There were 23

early additional enlistments, which brought the total number of the regiment to 995, at or about

the time it left the State for the field of active military operations. 1 The commander of the

regiment, Colonel George C. Stone, had won honor and distinction in his previous service as

First Lieutenant of Company F, First Iowa Infantry and, later, as Major of the Fourth Iowa

Cavalry. Under the instruction of this very capable and energetic officer, the regiment improved

to the utmost the time it remained in rendezvous and, by the time it left the State, had acquired a

fair knowledge of the drill and discipline so essential to effective service in the field.

1. Report of, Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 1, page VIII, and the Original Roster of

the Regiment, Vol. 1, pages 884 to 317 inclusive.

Early in November the regiment proceeded to St. Louis, and thence down the Mississippi

River to Helena, Ark., where it went into camp. During its stay at Helena, detachments from the

regiment accompanied reconnoitering expeditions to White River and elsewhere, but the record

does not show that these expeditions encountered any considerable force of the enemy. The

regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade of the First Division, Fifteenth Army Corps, the

brigade commanded by General Hovey, and the division by General Steele On the 22d of

December, 1862, the regiment embarked on transports and moved down the Mississippi with the

forces under command of General Sherman, and participated in that notable but unsuccessful

movement against Vicksburg, by way of Chickasaw Bayou, in which it lost one man killed,

seven wounded and two captured or missing. 2 Returning from this expedition, the regiment,

with its brigade and division, comprising part of the Fifteenth Army Corps, under command of

Major General Sherman, with the Thirteenth Army Corps, commanded by Major General

McClernand, moved down the Mississippi River to Arkansas Post. On January 11, 1863, the

Twenty-fifth Iowa participated in the battle which resulted in the capture of that rebel stronghold.

he conduct of his regiment in the battle is described in the official report of Colonel Stone as

follows:

2. War of the Rebellion official Records, Series 1, vol. 17, Part 1, page 625, Chickasaw

Bayou.

HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-FIFTH IOWA INFANTRY,

CAMP AT ARKANSAS POST, ARK., Jan. 12, 1863

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GENERAL: I herewith hand you the report of the part taken by my regiment in the action

yesterday. I was ordered by our brigade commander, General Hovey, to form the regiment in the

rear of the Seventy-sixth Ohio, Colonel Woods, the leading regiment, and sustain him in a

bayonet charge on the enemy's fortifications, My command, to that effect, was promptly obeyed,

and the two regiments, with yells creditable to Indians, started over an open space of ground for

some 500 yards, exposed to the grape and canister of a rebel battery, of 6 pounder Parrott guns,

and the rifles of five Texas Infantry regiments. The clear space was passed over with some loss

and we then had some 200 yards more to make, 100 of which was through abatis and ditches.

The Seventy-sixth Ohio had cleared everything but the last 100 yards of open ground that

separated it from the breastworks, we following 20 yards in their rear, when the fire was so

terrific, and the men so much exhausted, that the first line was compelled to halt, and we then for

the first capped our rifles and responded to the enemy's fire, constantly advancing till the last line

of defense for us was reached, and, after three hours fighting, the rebel flag was struck and the

white one displayed, indicating that the enemy had surrendered. Some 5,000 prisoners, with

several batteries, siege guns, and ordnance stores, small arms, etc., are a part of the fruits of this

truly great victory. My regiment was complimented by the Texas Colonel in front of us, who

remarked he was almost sure they must be Iowa troops. The casualties are as follows :3 . . .

Adjutant S. Kirkwood Clark was wounded severely by a gunshot wound through the left leg, just

below the knee. I do but justice when I notice the Adjutant in this report, for his cool and gallant

conduct as well in this fight as the one in the vicinity of Vicksburg. He has received and has well

earned the praise of the entire regiment. I also must notice Privates Hiram Payne of Company B,

and Ben F. Weaver of Company C, who, on account of the Color Sergeant being sick,

volunteered for the duty of carrying the colors, and right nobly did they perform it. We were the

second regiment in the rebel fortifications.

Very respectfully, General,

GEO. C. STONE, Colonel Commanding.

ADJUTANT GENERAL N. B. BAKER, Davenport, Iowa. 4

3. War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 17, Part 1, page 718. Casualties of

the Twenty-fifth Iowa at Arkansas Post: Killed, enlisted men 10; wounded, officers 5, enlisted

men 41. Total 56. The names of the killed and wounded included in Colonel Stone's report of

this battle will be found noted in the subjoined revised Roster of the Regiment, together with the

names of the killed and wounded, and those who died from wounds or disease, during the entire

term of its service.

4. Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1864, pages 473, 4.

Adjutant Clark died from the effect of his wound, and was succeeded by First Lieutenant

Samuel W. Snow, of Company E. The regiment returned to the vicinity of Vicksburg, and went

into camp near Young's Point for the remainder of the winter. During its first campaign, the

Twenty-fifth Iowa had suffered much from sickness, having much the same experience as all

new regiments in that respect; but the records show that the fatalities from disease were not as

great as in most of the other Iowa regiments which were encamped in the same unhealthy

locality. Colonel Stone was noted for the care with which he looked after the health of his men,

and provided everything available for their comfort, while exercising strict discipline and

requiring them to observe such sanitary regulations as were possible under the conditions in

which they were placed during that gloomy winter of 1863. In the meantime, General Grant was

making active preparations for the beginning of another aggressive campaign, to commence as

soon as the necessary number of troops could be concentrated under his command.

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On the 2nd of April the Twenty-fifth Iowa, with its brigade and division, started upon the

expedition—conducted by General Steele—to Greenville, Miss., and further into the interior of

the State. While the object of the expedition was mainly to distract the attention of the enemy

from the principal movement of the campaign, it accomplished more than that, by the capture of

considerable quantities of supplies which were intended for the use of the rebel army. The

division remained in camp near Greenville, from which place detachments were sent into the

surrounding country, gathering supplies, until April 24th, when, the purpose of the expedition

having been accomplished, it returned to Milliken's Bend. From that place, Colonel Stone,

commanding the Twenty-fifth Iowa and the Thirtieth Missouri regiments, marched to Richmond,

La., where he remained in camp for a few days, and then marched to Hard Times Landing, where

his troops crossed the river on transports to Grand Gulf, arriving there too late, however, to

overtake the main portion of the army, which had moved on towards Jackson. Colonel Stone was

ordered to proceed with his regiment as escort to a supply train, loaded with rations and

ammunition for the army. Upon arriving with the train at Clinton, the regiment rejoined its

brigade and division, then marching from Jackson towards Vicksburg. The march was continued.

On the 18th of May the regiment joined with the other troops in the investment of Vicksburg, the

siege of that rebel stronghold having already begun. In the operations which ensued, the regiment

performed its full share of duty. It participated in the arduous and dangerous work of advancing

the lines, digging and occupying the trenches, driving the enemy from one advanced position to

another, until the troops of the Union army were entrenched in a line close to the frowning forts

of the enemy and the main line of heavy works which connected them. The regiment was

engaged in the assault upon the enemy's works on the 22d of May, as will be seen from the

following extracts from the official reports of its brigade and regimental commanders. In the

report of Colonel Charles R. Woods, commanding Second Brigade, First Division, the following

reference is made to the Twenty-Fifth Iowa:

Owing to the difficulty of moving my brigade, so as to prevent the enemy from seeing our

movements, several hours were consumed in reaching our position, and, having reached the rear

of the position where the charge was to be made, it was necessary to pass over several pieces of

open ground within close range of the enemy's rifle-pits, part of the road being swept by artillery.

Fifty or sixty men and officers were killed and wounded in gaining our position. The Twentyfifth

Iowa, Colonel Stone commanding, being in the advance, suffered severely, but as soon as it

gained the ravine one wing was thrown forward as skirmishers, and succeeded in a great measure

in keeping down the fire of the enemy.... The Twenty-fifth Iowa, while deployed as skirmishers,

did good execution and lost severely.... The officers and men, during all the skirmishes in which

they have been engaged, have done their duty well and faithfully, and deserve the highest praise.

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5. War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, pages 251, 2.

Colonel Stone, in his official report, says, in part:

A general attack was ordered by our entire line. Our division. occupying the extreme right of

our army, was ordered to gain the heights to our left, near the center of our line, and to assist in

carrying the fort opposite. In making this movement, I had the advance with my regiment, and

kept it until the heights above mentioned were gained. We failed to carry the fort, and at night

the entire division was withdrawn to the position each regiment had occupied in the morning.

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Officers and men of my regiment behaved well, and I shall not particularize by mentioning any,

save Private Isaac Mickey of Company F, who, when I called for some one to volunteer to carry

an order for me past a line exposed to the enemy's entire line Of sharpshooters, responded at

once to the call, carried my message, and returned promptly when the order was executed. 6

6. Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1864, pages 474, 5.

Captain James D. Spearman, of Company H, was among the severely wounded and was

subsequently discharged on account of the disability thus incurred. The number of casualties in

the regiment, in the assault on the 22nd of May, were as follows: Killed, enlisted men, 5;

wounded, 1 officer and 26 enlisted men; captured or missing, 5 enlisted men. Total 37. 7 The

total casualties sustained by the regiment during the entire siege of Vicksburg numbered 65 in

killed, wounded and missing. In addition to this number, many were prostrated by sickness, the

result of the great hardships, toil and exposure to which they were subjected in that protracted

siege.

7. War of the rebellion Official records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, page 162.

On the day following the surrender of Vicksburg, the regiment, with its brigade and division,

joined the army under command of General Sherman which promptly marched in pursuit of the

rebel army under command of General J. E. Johnston, and, in the short but vigorous campaign

which ensued performed its full share of duty. During the brief siege of Jackson it lost 2 men

killed, and 2 wounded. 8 Returning from Jackson, the regiment went into camp on Black River,

near the scene of the battle of that name, where it enjoyed a season of well-earned rest. It had

now been in the service but little more than ten months, had lost 134 men killed and wounded in

battle, and a much greater number by disease and discharge for disability. If its record had ended

with the campaign just closed, it would have taken its place in history as well deserving the

gratitude of the people of the State and Nation for the gallant service it had rendered. But it had

yet a long and arduous period of service to perform, as will appear in the history of its

subsequent operations, ending only with the close of the war.

8. War of the Rebellion Official records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 2, page 548. Return of

casualties in siege of Jackson, Miss.

In the latter part of September, 1863, the Twenty-fifth Iowa, with its brigade and division,

moved from its encampment to Vicksburg, and there embarked for Memphis. General Osterhaus

had succeeded General Steele as commander of the division. Upon arriving at Memphis, the

troops disembarked and at once took up the line of march to Corinth, thence to Iuka and

Cherokee Station. At the latter place the enemy was encountered. The following extract from the

official report of Colonel Stone will show with what vigor the enemy's skirmishers were

attacked, and how persistently the march was continued to Chattanooga, to reinforce the troops

which were so soon to become engaged in the tremendous conflicts around that place:

On Sunday. evening, October 25th, at Cherokee, our division received marching orders for 4

A. M. next day, and accordingly the division moved at the hour indicated, in the direction of

Tuscumbia, in light marching order and in fine fighting condition. The First Brigade, Brigadier

General C. R. Woods commanding, had the advance, and ours, the Second brigade, Colonel

James C. Williamson commanding, the rear. General Osterhaus' orders were very imperative and

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strict concerning the tactical arrangement of battalions, as the enemy, but some three miles in

front of us, was composed entirely of cavalry, and was fully our equal in numerical strength.

About two miles from camp we met the enemy's skirmishers, and here formed our line of battle,

the First Brigade on the right, and the Second on the left, with one of the other divisions of our

Corps as reserve. My position was on the extreme left, and, in accordance with orders, I formed a

square to repel cavalry, first, however, having covered my front properly with skirmishers. Our

skirmishers pushed the enemy so vigorously, and our lines followed so promptly, that after a

short resistance the enemy fell back to another position some four miles to the rear, and made

another stand. The same disposition was again made by our division, the same sharp, short

fighting with the same result, the hasty retreat of the enemy. We continued this skirmishing

during the entire day, and renewed it on the 27th, literally fighting the from Cherokee to

Tuscumbia. We entered the town at 3 P. M., on the 27th. Sergeant Nehemiah M. Redding, of

Company D, was killed while skirmishing on the 26th. I have no other casualties to mention.

Officers and men behaved handsomely. 9

9 Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1864, page 475.

The troops continued to press forward by forced marches, and at midnight, on November

23d, had reached a point near the foot of Lookout Mountain. The division under General

Osterhaus was temporarily attached to the forces under the command of General Hooker. The

Twenty-fifth Iowa was assigned to a position in support of a battery of New York artillery.

Colonel Stone's official reports of the part taken by his regiment in the battles Which followed in

rapid succession, are here given in full:

BRIDGEPORT, ALA., Dec. 19, 1863.

GENERAL: I have the honor to report as follows, of the battle of Lookout Mountain on the

24th of November, 1863. Our division camped on the 23rd of November Opposite Lookout

Mountain, and near General Hooker's headquarters. At 9 P. M. I received orders to be in fighting

trim at daylight next morning, and accordingly, at 5 A. M. of the 24th, I was in line of battle, and

received orders to support the First Iowa battery during the day. It was intended that our division

should act as reserves, while some of Hooker's division should storm the mountain, but this was

partially changed, probably on account of one column being ordered further to the right than was

first intended, and our division soon took an active part. At 9:30 A. M. I had orders to go to the

front, just under a point of rocks on Lookout Mountain, to support the guns of Battery 1, First

New York Artillery, then in position, and two of which guns were protected by being hastily

casemated. This position I retained during the day, and. on account of the admirable place for

defense, and the inability of the enemy to sufficiently depress his guns, I found at dark I had not

lost a man. Nothing could exceed the grandeur of this battle, from the point at which we viewed

it. Every gun from Raccoon Mountain batteries to those of Moccasin Point was in plain view,

and our lines of infantry so close that acquaintances were easily recognized. At 12 M. the grand

attack began, and soon the battle smoke hung over and enveloped the mountain like a funeral

pall, and the whole battle, like a panorama, passed around and before us. At dark, in accordance

with orders from General Osterhaus, I reported, with my regiment, for special duty, to Major

General Butterfield, General Hooker's Chief of Staff, and was ordered by him to a position on

the extreme right of the army, to prevent an anticipated attempt of the enemy to turn our flank at

that point. I occupied the point indicated, and made a personal reconnaissance of the ground in

front of me. The enemy threatened some during the night, but made no attack, and, at daylight

next day, in obedience to orders, I reported back, with my command, to the division.

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Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

GEORGE A. STONE,

Colonel Commanding Twenty-fifth Iowa

ADJUTANT GENERAL N. B. BAKER, Davenport, Iowa. 10

BRIDGEPORT, ALA., Dec. 19, 1863.

10 Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1864, page 476.

GENERAL: I respectfully report as follows of the part taken by this regiment in the battle of

Mission Ridge on the 25th day of November, 1863. On the morning of the 25th we left Lookout

Mountain at 10 o clock; passed through Chattanooga Valley, and arrived at the front of Mission

Ridge at 2 P. M. We had just formed in line of battle for an attack, when the enemy's artillery

became so annoying that we commenced to gain distance to the right for a more vulnerable point

of attack. A messenger having now arrived with the intelligence that two regiments of rebel

cavalry had passed down the mountain for the purpose of turning our left flank, General

Osterhaus ordered me to take a position up the valley in the direction of the rebel cavalry, with

my own regiment and the Twenty-sixth Iowa. The skirmishing soon became very brisk on the

right, with intimations of a general attack on our left. A division of the Fourth Corps now

relieved me, and I at once reported back to my division but had no sooner arrived at my former

position than General Osterhaus informed me that the enemy was endeavoring to gain the

mountain pass between Chattanooga Valley and Rossville, and that I must gain it first and hold it

at all hazards. I proceeded as ordered and held that pass till dark, securing one six-pound gun,

one loaded ammunition wagon, and 27 prisoners, (including three Lieutenants,) and a quantity of

corn meal and bacon. I am happy to say I have no casualties to report.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant GEORGE C. STONE,

Colonel Commanding Twenty-fifth Iowa. ADJUTANT GENERAL N. B. BAKER, Davenport,

Iowa 11

11 Report Or Adjutant General of Iowa 1864, page 477.

BRIDGEPORT, ALA., Dec. 19, 1863.

GENERAL: I respectfully make the following report of the part taken by my regiment in the

battle of Ringgold, or Taylor's Ridge, Ga., on the 27th of November last, with the list of

casualties of that day. Our division had the advance that morning, and we had not anticipated the

stubborn resistance the enemy would make there, or at least were not wholly prepared for it; or

perhaps, better still, both We approached the hill or mountain by a right flank, perpendicularly to

the face of the mountain, and, in order to get into line of battle, had to front and change front

forward on first company. Regiments therefore got into line of battle alternately, an evolution

that more or less endangered each regiment to loss, without leaving it an means for defense or

protection. My position being on the extreme left, I came into line last, and, when formed, found

myself in open ground, and in easy range of the enemy above us, protected by abatis and

breastworks. The fire here was very annoying, but the men responded so promptly to my

command "Forward, double quick,