Montgomery County, Iowa

Our Military
Enlistments in the Civil War

In the years before and during the war for the Union, Montgomery County had no newspaper. Therefore no record has been found of the meetings which were held at different times in different parts of the county, to encourage enlistments in the National Union army. It is possible that somebody in the county may have some records still in existence among old papers. However, we did not succeed in finding these. Many people remember that some such public meetings were held, but no one could particularize with a sufficient exactness to make their recollections available for this printed history. (For additional history, see below)

Southern Border Brigade; Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Pennsylvania:

       

First Nebraska Cavalry - Company F
Surname	Given	Residence	Rank	Date of Enlistment	Addistional Information
Bolt	Ira W.	Frankfort	Private	24 Jan 1861	re-enlisted 18 Nov 1863
Campbell	Samuel	Frankfort	Private	24 Jan 1861	discharged 20 Jun 1863
Sharr	George	Red Oak	Private	unknown	Third corporal, promoted to second sergeant, veteranized 01 Jan 1864
Frank	William H.	Red Oak	Private	01 July 1864
Lyons	William H.	Red Oak	Private	24 Jun 1861	transferred to Company I, 8th Infantry, 14 Oct 1861
Mooney	W. H.	Red Oak	Private	24 Jun 1861	veteranized 01 Jan 1864
Porter	Luther D.	Red Oak	Private	25 Oct 1864
Robins	John C.	Red Oak	Private	24 Jun 1861	deserted 04 Aug 1862
Slutts	Joshua	Red Oak	Private	24 Jun 1861	veteranized 01 Jan 1864
Watson	Cyrus H.	Red Oak	Private	01 Aug 1864

Twenty-Fifth Missouri Infantry - Company K
Surname	Given	Residence	Rank	Date of Enlistment	Addistional Information
Overman	Joseph	Montgomery Co.	Private	20 Feb 1862	discharged at Keokuk, 28 Jan 1863

Seventy-Third Illinois Infantry
Surname	Given	Residence	Rank	Date of Enlistment
Juber	Jasper J.	Red Oak	Private	21 Aug 1862

One Hundred and Sixth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry - Company F
Surname	Given	Residence	Rank	Date of Enlistment	Addistional Information
Focht	Jacob	Pilot Grove Twp.	Private	12 Sep 1861	mustered out 10 Sep 1864 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (for list of engagements see his biography)

June 24, 1861, a general order was issued to the officers, and companies of the Iowa Volunteer Militia. The counties of Page, Taylor, Adams and Montgomery, should meet at Clarinda, in Page county, July 3, 1861; for the purpose of forming a regiment and holding a two day's encampment. This order was by the authority of Samuel J. Kirkwood, Governor of Iowa. They were to bring with them their arms and equipments that had been furnished by the State; and those who had not received arms were requested to bring their own rifles. In response to this call, ten companies of infantry, numbering 490 men, and five companies of mounted riflemen, numbering 244 men, reported for duty.

Among these were Company H, Montgomery County Tigers, Captain Brown; number of roll, 45. Also, Company E, Montgomery Rangers, (mounted) Captain Smith; number of roll, 45. The encampment elected the following officers of the regiment: Colonel John R. Morledge, of Clarinda, Page County; Lieutenant Colonel L. T. McCoun, of Taylor County; Major David Ellison, of Frankfort, Montgomery County. [Major Ellison now resides at Kansas City.]

July 5th, at midnight, this regiment was called on for help by Colonel Davis of Maryville, Missouri. Colonel Morledge reported to Govenor Kirkwood that from midnight till daylight he got together 250 men and marched immediately to Maryville, thirty-three miles, and remained there three days. Then Colonel Tuttle arrived with part of the 2d Iowa infantry, and took charge of the town and the rebel prisoners, who had been captured. Colomel Morledge returned home with his men. He also reports three other times during that year; July 10, August 28, and September 3, that he was called upon for help by the Union Men of Missouri. He marched with such militia as he could hastily collect, to their relief in Nodaway, Gentry, Worth and Andrew counties, in Missouri. Once marching even into the city of St. Joseph. Colonel Morledge's report does not indicate that any Montgomery County men took part in these border warfare expeditions, but it is known from other sources that a few did. These operations were merely local matters, under authority of the state, as a temporary necessity to prevent its own territory from rebel invasion. However, were not part of the movements of troops under United States authority. There can scarcely be a doubt that if it had not been for the prompt and resolute marching of the State Militia of Taylor, Page and Fremont counties, at the call of the Union Men in the border counties of Missouri, that the Missouri rebels would have overpowered the unionists and made some destructive raids into Iowa. It is true these first border marches were rude and undisciplined affairs, and did some wrong things, but at the time they were the "ounce of prevention that is better than a pound of cure". Let them have fair credit for what good they did do.

It is believed that the following list embraces the military record of every man in the union army who was a bona fide citizen of Montgomery County, at the time of his enlistment. The entire records of the Adjutant General's office, at Des Moines, have been carefully searched through, and every other discovered source of information dug into, for the record as here now given. (The date here given is the date of enlistment.)

~ Source: History of Montgomery County, Iowa, 1881