of
Muscatine County Iowa
1911
| History of Muscatine County Iowa 1911 | |
Source: History of Muscatine County Iowa, Volume I, 1911, pages 141-146
SIXTEENTH IOWA INFANTRY. The organization of the Sixteenth Regiment of Infantry began when the first company was ordered into quarters by Governor Kirkwood, September 17, 1861. The designated rendezvous was Camp McClellan, Davenport, Iowa, and there seven companies of the regiment were mustered into service on dates ranging from December 10, 1861, to March 12, 1862, by Captains Alexander Chambers and S. A. Wainright, of the United States army. It was more than six months from the date on which the first company was organized into quarters before the organization of the regiment was completed.
The regiment left Davenport, March 20, 1862, was conveyed by steamer to St. Louis, marching thence to Benton Barracks, where it went into quarters, was furnished with arms, ammunition and field equipage, and without having the opportunity for drill and instruction except to the most limited extent, was hurried to the front. It had the good fortune, however, of having a commander who was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a thoroughly trained soldier. The regiment was thus better fitted for immediate active service than it would have been under a commander without military training. On the 1st of April, Colonel Chambers was ordered to embark his regiment and proceed to Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, and upon arriving there, to report to General Grant.
TAKE PART IN BATTLE OF SHILOH. On the morning of April 6, 1862, the regiment arrived at Pittsburg Landing. The great battle of Shiloh had begun and the roar of the conflict was heard as the regiment was leaving the boat. Here the men loaded their guns for the first time. Wounded men and some panic-stricken stragglers began to arrive from the firing line with tales of disaster to the Union troops, indicating that the rebel forces were superior in numbers and were victorious on every part of the field. This was a hard experience for these men, who had but a few days before left their homes in Iowa, and was a severe test to their courage and discipline even before they were ordered forward to meet the enemy. The orders soon came and the regiment marched promptly to the front under the leadership of their gallant colonel, to the aid of the troops who were being hard pressed by the enemy.
The experience gained by the regiment in this great battle was invaluable and in the numerous battles in which it was subsequently engaged it had the advantage of the training and drill which it had not received before the battle of Shiloh. But it was never afterward placed in a position in which the bravery and fortitude of the officers and the men received a more thorough test. It was a common experience of all soldiers that their first battle, no matter how favorable the conditions under which it was fought, was the severest test of their courage. At Shiloh the conditions under which the Sixteenth Iowa went into action were most unfavorable. The fact that the men of this new and untried regiment did not become infected with the feeling of panic but marched; steadily forward and went into that hell of battle with the coolest of veterans; fought until the only alternative was retreat or surrender, afterward rallied to their colors and rendered important service until the close of the battle, entitles them to a place in the front rank as heroic soldiers.
After the battle the regiment was ordered to move toward Corinth, the strongly fortified position to which the rebel army had retreated. General Grant's army cautiously advanced, constructing earthworks at regular intervals along its front, thus guarding against another possible attack by the enemy and preparing for the siege of the rebel stronghold. On the 27th of April the organization of a brigade, consisting of the Eleventh, Thirteenth, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Regiments of Iowa Infantry, was effected, and Colonel M. M. Crocker, of the Thirteenth, became its commander. This organization was maintained until the close of the war and was known throughout the war as "Crocker's Iowa Brigade." However, after Colonel Crocker was promoted to brigadier general it had many different commanders, most of whom, if not all were or had been officers of some one of the regiments.
ARDUOUS DUTIES AT SIEGE OF CORINTH. During the siege of Corinth the regiment, with the brigade, performed arduous and important service and contributed its full share to bring about the evacuation of that stronghold just as General Grant had determined to order an assault upon the fortifications. The evacuation took place during the night of May 30, 1862. The regiment now went into camp near Corinth, where it remained until the 28th of July, at which time it marched with its brigade to Bolivar, Tennessee, where it was engaged in watching the movements of the enemy, erecting fortifications and guarding against threatened attack by the enemy. A considerable rebel force remained in the vicinity of Bolivar for several weeks, but as was later shown, not with the intention of attacking the Union troops, but to draw away from Corinth enough Union troops to make it possible for the rebels to recapture that important post. When the real purpose of the enemy was discovered, the regiment wIth its brigade was ordered to return to Corinth. Upon its arrival there it was ordered to march toward Iuka and watch the movements of the enemy.
On the 19th of September, 1862, the brigade was in close proximity to the enemy. The Sixteenth Regiment was ordered forward late in the evening of that day, while the other regiments of Crocker's brigade were held in reserve. The part taken by the regiment in the battle was important. Colonel Add. H. Sanders, reporting to Colonel Sanborn, stated that fourteen had been killed, forty-eight wounded and fourteen missing. The Colonel commended Captain Smith of Company A for bravery, the Captain being the last to leave the field.
The regiment had again contributed its full share to the defeat of a superior force of the enemy in this hard fought battle. Its loss was even greater than at Shiloh in proportion to the number engaged. Soon after the battle of Iuka the regiment returned with its brigade to Corinth, and on the 3d and 4th of October participated in the battles which were fought there.
For the third time the regiment had met the enemy in a hard fought engagement and acquitted itself with honor. Its losses in battle and on the skirmish line aggregated two hundred and fifty. It had also lost a large number by death and disease and by discharge for disability, yet it had only been six months in active service on the field. Its subsequent splendid record cannot be adequately described. The regiment now remained in camp for nearly a month. On the 2d of November the brigade was ordered to march to Grand Junction, and arriving there on the 5th, joined the army which was to engage in the movement against Vicksburg. November 28th the march to the south began, the Third Brigade of the Sixth Division of Hamilton's Corps (Crocker's Iowa Brigade) being assigned to the advance. The Sixteenth Iowa with its brigade bore the full share of the great hardships of that winter campaign, which proved a failure on account of the brilliant exploit of the enemy's cavalry in getting in the rear of General Grant's army and capturing the immense depot of supplies which had been accumulated at Holly Springs, Mississippi. This compelled the abandonment of the expedition and the retreat of the army. During this retreat the troops suffered from cold and lack of food. The regiment with its brigade and division reached Memphis early in January, 1863, and on January 18th again started for Vicksburg, this time on transports down the Mississippi river. Landing at Milliken's Bend, the troops went into camp. From this point detachments from the Sixteenth and other regiments of the Iowa Brigade were sent out for the purpose of watching the movements of the enemy and were engaged in some skirmishing in which slight losses were incurred.
CONNECT LAKE PROVIDENCE WITH MISSISSIPPI RIVER BY CUTTING CANAL. On the 2oth of January, 1863, the regiment with its brigade and division was assigned to the Seventeenth Army Corps. February 8th the brigade and division were conveyed to Lake Providence and there began the arduous undertaking of connecting the lake with the Mississippi river by cutting a canal. This work was steadily prosecuted and completed on the 16th of March. April 21, 1863, the brigade left Lake Providence and from that time until the surrender of Vicksburg was actively engaged in the operations which culminated in that most important event. About the time these operations began, Colonel Crocker was promoted to brigadier general and was assigned to the command of the Seventh Division of the Seventeenth Army Corps. Colonel Hall of the Eleventh Iowa succeeded to the command of the Vicksburg campaign.
The services of all four of the regiments of the Iowa Brigade during this period were of practically the same character. The compiler of the history of the regiment writes: "During the entire campaign which ended with the surrender of Vicksburg, the Sixteenth Iowa with its brigade, performed important service. It was moved from point to point, was part of the time with the army of observation in the real lines of troops engaged in the siege, and part of the time with the investing forces in the entrenchments, assisting the prosecution of the siege but everywhere doing its full duty and sustaining its well won reputation."
At the time of the surrender the regiment was skirmishing with the enemy on Black river, in the rear of Vicksburg.
CAPTURED BY THE JOHNNIES. In the desperately fought battle before Atlanta, July 22, 1864, after completely exhausting its ammunition and being entirely surrounded by the enemy, the regiment with its gallant commander, Lieutenant Colonel A. H. Sanders, surrendered as prisoners of war. Upon his return from captivity Colonel Sanders made a detailed report for Adjutant General Baker. Captain C. W. Williams also submitted a report of the battle with a list of the killed, wounded and missing, and Oliver Anson, sergeant major of the regiment, gave an account of the experience while in prison of those who were captured. Colonel Sanders in his report, among other things, said: "I have the honor to report the action of the Sixteenth Iowa Veteran Infantry in the battle before Atlanta, Georgia, July 22, 1864, resulting in the capture of nearly all of said regiment and myself. On the morning of July 21 my regiment charged on the rebel batteries and after a desperate assault lost sixty-five men. On the afternoon of the 21st the old Iowa Brigade was removed to the extreme left flank of Sherman's army, about two miles from Atlanta. The Sixteenth Iowa formed a line at right angles with the main line of the army. Immediately on the right of the Sixteenth's works were planted two Napoleon guns of the Second Illinois Battery, protected by heavy works. On the left of the Sixteenth and a little to the rear the Fifteenth Iowa had rifle pits. About a hundred yards to the rear of the Sixteenth, the Thirteenth Iowa had breastworks. During the night of the 21st each regiment of the brigade built substantial rifle pits along the line that I have designated and each cleared a space of fifty yards in front of its works. Still the heavy underbrush concealed the works of the different regiments from each other's view. On the 22d we were under arms at daylight but no enemy appeared. The afternoon before, immediately on our arrival, I had thrown out two companies (B and G) several hundred yards in front to act as pickets and skirmishers. About noon on the 23d I received an order from General Smith in person, to have my regiment ready to fall in at a minute's notice and that he expected me to hold these works to the last, as the safety of the division might depend upon the delay we would occasion the enemy at that point. This was the last order I received that day from my commanding officer. About 1:30 p. m. our skirmishers in front commenced a brisk firing. I immediately formed the regiment in the entrenchments, and soon after the skirmishers were driven in upon us. I again sent them out but a strong line of the enemy forced them back. Lieutenant Powers commanding the battery, opened fire on the advancing enemy but I requested it be stopped until the enemy should get nearer. I ordered my men not to fire a gun until they received my command, no matter how close the enemy came. The rebel line advanced steadily to the charge and I permitted them to approach to the open place of fifty yards in front of my works, when, cautioning the men to aim well and fire low, I ordered the rear rank to fire, and then the front rank. The response was a terrific and deadly volley from one rank, followed immediately by another, and then a continuous rapid firing fast as eager and experienced soldiers could load and discharge their guns. The result of our fire was terrible. The enemy's line seemed to crumble to the earth, for even those not killed or wounded fell to the ground for protection. Lieutenant Powers' battery here did excellent execution. Another heavy line of the enemy advanced and were repulsed in the same terrible manner ."
The report then describes the desperate situation in which the regiment was placed; how the fight was continued against tremendous odds until it became evident that the other regiments of the brigade had been outflanked and compelled to abandon their works, when, all hope of receiving reinforcements being abandoned, the brave officers and men of the Sixteenth Iowa reluctantly surrendered themselves as prisoners of war. At the conclusion of his report, Colonel Sanders shows the utter hopelessness of the situation and that he would not have been justified in urging his brave men to further resistance.
Sergeant Major Oliver Anson in a communication addressed to General Baker, relative to the capture of the Sixteenth and their treatment while prisoners of war, says in part: "We were taken to Macon and there the enlisted men were separated from the officers and taken to Andersonville, six miles farther south. The enlisted men of the regiment captured, numbered two hundred and twenty-five. The men suffered to lie out in the open air without any shelter whatever, and many of them are in a manner naked. They do not get enough to eat and what they do eat is not fit to eat. It is killing the men faster than the army. When I went into the prison on the 28th of July, there were over thirty-three thousand prisoners, and on the 7th of September the issuing clerk told me they issued twenty-nine thousand five hundred and fifty-three, and since the 28th they had captured the Eighth Iowa Cavalry, some of the Fifth and a large number from McCook and Stoneman, besides making captures from Sherman's army, and yet the number ran down in spite of them."
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