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Iowa Seventh Cavalry
| The Seventh Cavalry was organized in the spring
of 1863, rendezvoused at Davenport, and on the 27th, was divided
and six companies took their first experience in the field by a
march across the State from Davenport to Omaha, and from thence
were sent to various posts in the Territory of Nebraska. On the
5th of September the two remaining companies were sent to Omaha,
and from that time the entire service of the regiment was spent
on the frontier, at different points in that vast stretch of
country from Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains, fighting and
chasing Indians - an arduous if not dangerous duty. To give a
history of the regiment would necessitate a record of each
company, for the regiment never moved as a body; in fact was
never together as a whole. It was scattered in detachments, who
took part in every expedition against Indians in the departments
of Missouri, Kansas and the Northwest., from 1863 to the fall of
1865, and fought wholly or in part in the battles of White Stone
Hill, Tahkahokutah, Bad Lands, Little Blue, Julesburg, Mud
Springs, and Rush Creek. Keokuk County was represented in
Companies A, C, and D. Companies A and C took a tilt with five
hundred Cheyenne's on Little Blue River, August 12, 1864,
fighting from eleven o'clock in the forenoon until seven in the
evening, with a loss of only two men. The distance traveled by
the company fro9m its organization to February 28, 1865, was
five thousand three miles.
Company C remained at Nebraska City until May 5, 1864, and
was employed in hunting bushwhackers, murderers and horse
thieves. It next moved to Cottonwood Springs where August 31, it
joined an expedition against Indians at Plumb Creek and returned
in September, having marched over one thousand miles. While the
company was absent, the garrison at the Springs were surprised
by Indians, and two men of company C were killed. January 21,
1865, the company was ordered to guard Beauvois Station,
eighty-five miles west of Cottonwood. It was employed in
scouting, escorting overland stage stations, etc.
Company D went to Fort Laramie, thence to Fort Halleck,
whence December 8, 1864, returned to Fort Laramie, and went into
garrison for scouting, etc; February 8 was engaged with Indians
at Mud Springs, and on the 9th at Rush Creek, I. T. in which one
man of the company was killed and two wounded. June 11, 1865 the
company, with a small detachment from A and B, in all 135 men,
were detailed to escort about 2,000 Sioux to Julesburg, with
their lodges and families. On the morning of the 14th near Fort
Mitchell, the Indians revolted, and Captain Fouts was shot his
body stripped and mutilated. The Indians finally fled to the
hills and bluffs, leaving their lodges and loose plunder.
January 6, 1866, companies A, C, D, I and H, constituting the
second battalion, with two other battalions left Fort McPherson
(Cottonwood Post) on an expedition against hostile Indians,
returning after severe and long march to the post February 19th,
and the following day the expedition disbanded. When it is
considered that the men had already served out their full time;
that this expedition was through a wild and unsettled country,
amid the rigor of the severest weather known on the plains with
subsitenc3e short, the men deserve, as they received, the
highest commendation from commanding officers and the war
department. They did their duty well and won the title of "Hiowa
'ell ounds" among the predatory enemies of the settlers on the
frontier.
The regiment was not formally mustered out, but was disbanded
in detachments. Companies A to K were mustered out at
Leavenworth, May 17, 1866. It had became decimated as to lose
its regimental organization. In fact its colonel was not with
the regiment for nearly a year before it was disbanded, having
been mustered out January 31, 1865. The casualties were killed,
145; died 101; discharged, 246; wounded 8. Of enlisted men and
of officers: killed 2; resigned 15; dismissed 6. |
Company A
Officers
-James G. Smith second lieutenant; enlisted Sep 12, 1862;
Promoted first lieutenant, Jul 25, 1863; resigned Oct 9, 1865
-James Quick third sergeant; enlisted Sep 30, 1862;
discharged Jan 25, 1864 for disability
-Jeremiah Webb second corporal; enlisted Sep 18, 1862
-George H. Smith fifth corporal; enlisted Oct 10, 1863
Privates
-Adams, William H. enlisted Oct 1, 1862
-Babb, James enlisted Oct 1, 1862
-Gibson, James enlisted Oct 25, 1862
-Hand, Lemuel enlisted Mar 1, 1863
-Kauble, William F. enlisted Sep 22, 1862
-Martin, Reuben J. enlisted Oct 1, 1862
-Martin, John H. enlisted Oct 9, 1862
-Porter, Andrew J. enlisted Sep 15, 1862
-Parnell, Edward enlisted Oct 26, 1862
-Petree, Samuel enlisted Sep 22, 1862
-Rice, George L. enlisted Oct 28, 1862
-Roland, William enlisted Feb 24, 1863
-Smith, Daniel B. enlisted Mar 4, 1863
-Smith, George R. enlisted Sep 25, 1862
Company C
Privates
-Clingan, Gustavus A. enlisted Apr 11, 1863
Company D
Officers
-Jeremiah H. Triggs second lieutenant; enlisted Nov 10,
1862; declined commission but promoted first lieutenant Aug 24,
1864; promoted captain June 26, 1865, but declined
-Jacob Irwin fifth sergeant; enlisted Jan 3, 1863
-Justus Skeen second corporal; enlisted Jan 1, 1863; promoted
first corporal Jun 8, 1863
-Irwin Crowner fourth corporal; enlisted Jan 1, 1863;
promoted third corporal Jun 8, 1863; died at Fort Kearney Neb Jan 8,
or Feb 11, 1863
-George W. Corporon; enlisted Nov 21, 1862
-John Snyder farrier; enlisted Jan 1, 1863
Privates
-Bales, Noah J. enlisted Dec 11, 1862
-Daugherty, Alexander enlisted Dec 16, 1862
-Moore, Leman enlisted Dec 16, 1862
-Moore, David D. enlisted Nov 23, 1862
-Powell, Joseph W. enlisted Jan 26, 1863
-Rowan, George W. enlisted Dec 24, 1862
-Smith, Barclay enlisted Jan 5, 1863
-Snyder, Edson enlisted Jan 1, 1863
-Wood, Joel W. enlisted Jan 24, 1863
-Wymer, Sylvester enlisted Nov 21, 1862
Company H
Privates
-Bennett, Elisha W. enlisted Jun 23, 1863
-Berry, Thomas J. enlisted Jun 10, 1863
-Reynolds, Joseph H. enlisted Jun 10, 1863
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