The more we share the more we have to share
MILITARY: Civil War History SIOUX CITY VOLUNTEER CAVALRY COMPANY This company was composed of men who enlisted from several of the northwestern counties of Iowa, for service against the hostile Indians on the northern border of the State. Prior to the commencement of the War of the Rebellion, troops from the Regular Army had been assigned to that service, but they had been withdrawn for service in the South, and volunteers had been called for to take their places. In response to the call, Captain Andrew J. Millard, of Sioux City, Iowa, was commissioned by Governor Kirkwood and authorized to enlist and organize a company of cavalry. Sioux City was designated as the rendezvous of the company, and there, on November 14, 1861, it was mustered into the service of the United States, by Lieutenant George S. Hollister, of the Regular Army, under special authority of the War Department, bearing date August 14, 181. The company numbered 93 men—rank and file—at the date of its muster into the service. From that date it is well known that the company was actively engaged in the duty of guarding the northwestern frontier and protecting the settlers from incursions of hostile band of Indians. Careful search of the records from in the office of the Adjutant General of Iowa fails to revel the official reports of its operations or of the casualties sustained by the company prior to the date of its transfer to the Seventh Iowa Cavalry, on July 24, 1863. The compiler regrets that he has been unable to find the data which would have enabled him to give at least the principal events connected with the service of this company, during the twenty months preceding its assignment to the Seventh Cavalry. At the time the Northern Border Brigade was being organized, under the supervision of S. R. Ingham, Aid-de-Camp to Governor Kirkwood, that officer states in his report that he found Captain Millard's company performing faithful and efficient service at Spirit Lake, and later in his report he states that First Lieutenant James A. Sawyers, of that company, had been chosen as the commander of the Northern Border Brigade, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Commenting upon this appointment, Mr. Ingham says; "Permit me to say that an excellent selection was made. In my opinion, no better man could have been found for this service." The service of the company, after the assignment to the Seventh Iowa Cavalry, is described in the Historical Sketch of the regiment, contained in this volume. It was identical with that of the regiment, and involved the endurance of great hardships and participation in many fierce conflicts with the Indians. At the battle of White Stone Hill, Captain Millard and his company fought most gallantly, under the immediate command of General Sully, and received special mention in his official report, for the splendid manner in which they had performed their duty. The names of the officers and men composing the company, together with their personal records of servioce, will be found in the roster of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry. Its casualties are also included in the Summary at the close of the history of that regiment. The subjoined roster contains the names of the officers and men who wee originally mustered in with the company, together with additional enlistments and those rejected by the Mustering Officer. The reference "See Miscellaneous" in the roster of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry applies to the records under that head in the office of the Adjutant General, and not the Miscellaneous Volume of this work. Mustered into the service of the United States at Sioux City, Iowa, November 14, 1863, by Lieutenant George S. Hollster, United States Army. Transferred to Company I, Seventh Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry, July 14, 1863. HISTORICAL SKETCH of an IOWA CAVALRY COMPANY Which Was Assigned to the State of Pennsylvania AND BECAME COMPANY A, of the ELEVENTH PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY. The subjoined roster shows the names and service records of a company, composed exclusively of Iowa men. A foot-note, appended to the original roster of the company reads as follows: This company was originally raised for Colonel Josiah Harlan's "Independent Cavalry," which afterwards became the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry. Captain Stratton's company (Company A) was an Iowa company, and commissions were issued to its officers, by the authoritites of this State, at the request of the general commanding the division in which said comapnay was, at the time of the organization of the regiment. The roster shows that, upon the completion of its organization, the company numbered 83 men, rank and file Beyond the publication of the roster—and the foot-note referred to—but litt further reference is made to the company in the Adjutant General's Reports, except the correspondence with the War Department, claiming credit for this company upon Iowa's quota of troops, which credit was subsequently allowed. Therefore, in the operations of the company, the compiler avails himself of a history of its organization and service, contained in the "Annals of Iowa," published by the Historical Department of the State. A revised roster is published as a supplement to this history, giving the personal record of service of each officer and enlisted man of the company. With the omission of some of the less important details, the history is herewith quoted, as follows: Company A, Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, was organized at Fort Dodge, Iowa, in August, 1861. When the news of the battle of Bull Run was received, a number of young men, who had been drilling during the spring and summer, resolved to organize a company for the service and messengers were sent up the Des Moines River as far Spirit Lake. On the 2d of September, the company met at the courthouse in Fort Dodge, and, before electing its officers, was sworn into the service of the United States, by James R. Strow, Justice of the Peace. Franklin A. Stratton was elected Captain; G. S. Ringland, first Lieutenant, and George W. Bassett, Second Lieutenant. The company went by stage to Cedar Falls, and thence by railroad to Dubuque, where, on September 21, 1861, it was mustered into the service of the United States by Captain Washington. It left Dubuque October 6th, and reached Washington, D. C., October 10, 1861. One of its members, Peter Bowers, was killed in a railroad accident near Lewiston, Pa., and was buried there. At Washington, D. c., the company joined the regiment then known as Harlan's Independent Regiment of Light Cavalry. Colonel Josiah Harlan was a relative of Senator James Harlan of Iowa, and it was through his influence that Company A joined that regiment. Later, the Secretary of War, finding he had no authority to accept independent regiments, the name was changed to the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, that State having the largest number of troops in the regiment. On the 16th of October it left its camp on Seventh Street, and crossed the Potomac to Ball's Cross Roads, Va. In November it marched to Annapolis, Md., and thence proceeded to Fortress Monroe, Va., by steamer. Here stables were built for the horses, and the regiment was thoroughly drilled…. On March 8, 1862, when the Merrimac sank the Cumberland, and the Congress was burned, the regiment was on picket duty on Newmarket Creek, and, on the morning of the 9th, saw the beginning of the fight between the Monitor and the Merrimac. The company was under fire for the first time on the old battle-ground of Great Bethel, in March, 1862. On May 7th the regiment was reviewed by President Lincoln. On May 15th Companies A, E, G, H and K, were sent to Norfolk, Va., and soon after to Suffolk. Company A was detached from the battalion and placed under the immediate orders of General Mansfield. Captain Stratton was a civil engineer and, under the direction of the General, made maps of all the routes between Suffolk and the Black Water….In August the part of the regiment that had been on the Peninsula with McClellan came to Suffolk. On December 2, 1862, the company was in the mounted charge at Beaver Dam Church, in Virginia, where the enemy was routed and a number of prisoners were taken. On January 30, 1963, Company A led the advance in the attack on the Deserted House, in which General Prior was defeated. During the year at Suffolf, the command was constantly employed on scouting and out-post duty, In June, 1863, the regiment, with other troops, was sent by steamer to the White House, on the Pamunkey River, and from there to Hanover Court House, where a wagon train was capture. At South Anna Bridge a mounted charge was made, by Companies A and G, upon an earth-work, and the work captured. The object of the raid was to break up the railroad communications north to Richmond. On the expedition the rebel General Fitzhugh Lee was captured. In July a second expedition, under General Getty, was made against the Richmond and Manassas Railroad. The command returned to Norfolk and, on the 9th of August, a raid on the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad was made. It was hard service, and but little was accomplished. In October an expedition went to Matthew's Court House, to break up the contraband trade. Soon after, Company A was detached from the regiment and was placed on provost guard duty at Norfolk, Va. In the following February, the company returned to the regiment, and was sent to Williamsburg and participated in General Wistar's famous expedition against Richmond. The expedition got no further than Bottom Bridge, on the Chickahominy. On the return of the regiment to Williamsburg, Company A was detached and stationed in Glouscester Point, opposite Yorktown. During the winter General Lee's army was encamped on the Rapidan River, and many of his men, especially cavalry, were furloughed for the purpose of recruiting their ranks. At different times during the winter twenty-five of the Glouscester company were captured. In March, 1864, General Killpatrick made a raid on Richmond. A part of his command, under Colonel Dalghren, became separated and, while attempting to make their way to our forces at Glouscester Point, were ambushed in the night. Colonel Dalghren was killed, and the command scattered. A sergeant and five men mad their way to our camp. A force sent out under Major Wetherill found none of Dalghren's command, but captured one man of the Fifth Virginia Cavalry, and on from the Ninth Virginia Infantry. April 9, 1864, we crossed the York River and marched to Newport News, on the James River, took transports to Portsmouth, and were soon at Camp Getty, when the cavalry division, under General August V. Kautz, was organized. It consisted of the third New York, fifth Pennsylvania, Eleventh Pennsylvania and the First District of Columbia regiments. The last were armed with the Henry repeating rifle, and two guns of the Eighth New York Battery were attached to the division. On May 5th, a beautiful spring morning, the division moved out of Camp Getty for the last time. Everything in the way of baggage or incumbrance was left behing…..Themarch was toward Petersburg, crossing the Black Water River near Wakefield Station, on the Petersburg and Norfolk Railroad. The advance struck the Weldon Railroad at Stony Creek Station, and captured the guard. The next day Jarratt's Station, with a guard of seventy men, was captured. The railroad bridge across the Notoway was burned, and Companies A and D were sent to destroy a wagon bridge to the left. From there the march was continued to City Point, which was in possession of General Butler and his colored troops. On May 11th we crossed the Appomattox at Bermuda Hundred. Raids, in which bridges were burned, railroads torn up, and much valuable property destroyed, were in constant progress, the division sometimes marching three hundred miles in six days. So constantly were we kept on the move that, on the night of June 1st, when we reached the lines in front of Petersburg, the men took off their clothes to rest for the first time since leaving Camp Getty on May 5th. The company had taken part in destroying a large amount of railroad track on the Danville, the South Side, and the Weldon Railroads. At Pittsburg the regiment was dismounted and manned the breastworks, performing infantry duty. On the 9th of June an attack was made on the Jerusalem plank roads. After some artillery fire, a charge was made and the lines carried. If General Gilmore had mad any attempt to carry out his part, by an attack on the east line of the rebel works, Petersburg would have been captured. On the 15th of June another attack was made on the lines of the Norfolk, and Petersburg Railroad. The regiment was under severe fire for some time, but failed to carry the works. On the 21st of June General Kautz's Division again left camp along the brestworks and crossed the Appomattox to Zion's Church, where it joined the Third Division of General Sheridan's cavalry, under General J. H. Wilson, in a raid, the object of which wa the destruction of the Danville Railroad. This was accomplished. For thirty miles not a vestige of railroad remained. The extreme heat of the fire, added to that of the sun, prostrated a number of the men. After a march, in which the men and horses suffered severely, the command reached the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad at Stony Creek Station. Here it met a strong rebel force. After sharp skirmishing, it marched north to Reams' Station, where the rebel infantry with bayonets, and our cavalry with sabers, came to a hand to hand contest. By out flanking the rebels, General Kautz's Division reached our lines at Petersburg that night. The column was led by the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, with Colonel Stratton in command, company A taking the advance of the regiment. General Wilson retreated south, and was four days in reaching our lines. After this the Eleventh Cavalry was on picket duty in Prince George County. It was with General Hancock in the attack on the Weldon Railroad August 22, 1864, where Company A had one man killed and one wounded. The picket duty in Prince George County was hard service. On the 29th of September, 1864, the members of the original Company A—except those who had re-enlisted—mustered out of the service of the United States, at General Butler's headquarters, on the Appomattox. On reorganizing the company, the officers were chosen from the veterans who had re-enlisted, as follows: Captain, E. P. Ring; First Lieutenant, William A. Barber; Second Lieutenant, Oscar S. Matthews. In October, 1864, they were with the cavalry in the actions north of the James River, where Lieutenant Barber was wounded and taken prisoner. He died in Richmond. The company was with General Sheridan at Fire Forks. In the cavalry charge on the enemy's line, Lieutenant Matthews was killed. On the memorable 9th of April, the eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry was in the front line. Iowa was there represented by the officers in command of the few remaining of grand old Company A. the regiment was mustered out of the service of the United States at Camp Cadwalader, Philadelphia, August 13, 1865. At that time there were but three of the original Iowa company left, Lieutenant Lucius L. Carrier, James Lindsay and Oscar S. Slosson. It will thus be seen that this splendid Iowa company, while assigned to and serving with a regiment from another State, nobly maintained the honorable record which was made by Iowa soldiers everywhere, throughout the great War of the Rebellion. Its first Captain—Franklin A. Stattion-became Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel of the regiment, and Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers, at the close of the war. He was twice wounded. Many of the members of the company have since achieved success in various avocations, both as private citizens and in official positions. In the Autumn of 1864, Governor Stone appointed Hon, Charles Aldrich as the Iowa commissioner to take the vote of the Iowa soldiers serving in the eastern army at the time President Lincoln was re-elected. Among the troops visited by Mr. Aldrich, while in the discharge of his official duty as election commissioner, was Company A, of the eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, among whom were a number of his personal friends and acquaintances. The compiler deems it an appropriate closing of this sketch to quote a few brief extracts from the very interesting account which Mr. Aldrich has given of his visit to the eastern army, upon that occasion: A company had gone from Fort Dodge—with many of the members of which I was acquainted—to the Army of the Potomac. The theory in the formation of the regiment at the start was to make it a composite affair, comprising one company from each of a certain number of States; but the effort failed to materialize, the Adjutant General not being authorized to organize such regiments; and, when the command was fully mustered in, it was christened the eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry. I do not go into the history of this company to any farther extent, for the reason that an article elsewhere in this number details minutely the services of the company, and presents its full roster, showing the killed and wounded, as well as the few in the command at its muster out. It is but simple justice that this gallant command should be placed permanently in our records. I trust that its appearance in these pages will accomplish that purpose. I reported to the Secretary of State at Des Moines, where I received my instructions, with the poll books, blanks, etc; I also carried tickets provided by each of the political parties. The journey to Washington was without any special incident. I applied at the War Department for permission to visit General Grant's Army in my official capacity as "Army Vote Commissioner," and was referred to Major Henry Clay Wood, (who, I believe, if living, must be a gray-haired colonel by this time) and Assistant Adjutant General. I found him and exceedingly affable and pleasant gentleman. He gave me the necessary permit, limiting my stay to a certain number of days—five or six. I took the first steamer down the Potomac and up the James and in due time landed on the point at the junction of the latter stream with the Appomattox. I was not long in finding Charles A. Sherman, of Fort Dodge, who had been promoted to first Lieutenant and Assistant Quartermaster, and had been detailed for duty at the headquarters of General August V. Kautz, the distinguished cavalry leader. "Charlie" was an old political and personal friend, and gave me a most cordial welcome to his tent and mess table. He wanted to vote, and proffered to go out with me the next day to the point where the men were stationed, doing picket duty, far to the front. We were up in the morning very early, leaving camp on horseback as soon as we had taken our breakfast. We crossed the James at Deep Bottom, on a pontoon bridge, and started off in the direction of Richmond, following the old road. We now struck into the "Long Bridge rods," which led off through thick, grand old pine woods, toward Richmond. This was an ancient and very narrow road, which had never been used very much, or had been long abandoned. It was very crooked, and at many points nearly choked up with briars and brush. But it was line with our pickets. These men were stationed at such frequent intervals that each could see the one next ahead. They were all mounted, sitting motionless and mute, with their carbines cocked, the very impersonation of alertness and vigilance. It certainly looked very much like war, to see these grim soldiers peering into the woods, as if in momentary expectation of seeing the approaching enemy. We finally reached the most advance picket post, where we found Colonel Spear and a company of cavalrymen. Lieutenant Sherman introduced me to the Colonel, stating the errand upon which I had come. After a hearty and most cordial greeting, I waited a moment to hear what the Colonel might say. He spoke in an instant, about as follows: "Well, young man, if you are going to do anything here you had better get about it—quick. You don't know the peril you are in at this very moment! That line of trees over yonder (across a meadow or pasture, and not more than forty or fifty rods away) is full of 'Johnnies.' And they may open fire upon us at any minute!" "All right, Colonel, here goes!" An election board was quickly appointed "by the commissioner" from the soldiers, (as the law stipulated,) and a cigar box fitted up for a ballot-box. The men were brought in as quietly as possibe, and in less time than one can imagine our votes were all in and canvassed…. I was informed that we were within less than eight miles if Richmond, and that the spires of the city could be plainly seen from a point quite near by. I have always supposed tha the election was held nearer the front, and in closer proximity to actual peril, that that organized by any other army vote commissioner. We were not disposed to linger an instant, and Lieutenant Sherman and I mounted our horses and started for the rear. A young Second Lieutenant, by the name of Oscar Matthews, from Dickinson County, Iowa, returned with us. He was a pleasant, handsome boy. He had been in many battles, and the litt black horse which he rode had not yet fully recovered from an ugly wound in the side—and had other scars besides. He was very attentive to us, and showed us many interesting objects along our route. At the battle of five Forks, on April 1, 1865, this gallant young officer was killed, while leading his men in a charge. SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES. Total enrollment 105 Killed 5 Wounded 10 Died of wounds 2 Died of disease 6 Discharged for wounds, disease or other causes 6 Buried in National Cemeteries ---- Captured 6 Transferred ----