1864. Although the first year of its service was one of apparent inactivity it more than made up for this by extraordinary activity during the remainder of the war.
In the year 1864 it probably traversed as wide an extent of territory, and was in as many engagements as any other regiment in the service. At the opening of this year it was stationed in detachments along the Mississippi, in Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee. In February it made the march with Sherman to Meridian, which occupied the whole month. March, April and May were occupied with Bank's expedition up Red River, where it fought valiantly at Fort De Russy, Pleasant Hill, Cruthersville, Bayou Rolerts, Marksville and Yellow Bayou. It is conceded that it saved the day for the Federal troops at Pleasant Hill. In Jane it participated in the battle of Lake Chicot, Arkansas; and in July was engaged at Tupelo and Old Town Creek, Miss., and in August was in the raid on Oxford, Miss. In September and October it marched over seven hundred miles in driving Price out of Missouri. In November it joined Thomas at Nashville, Tenn., and was engaged in the battles at that place on the fifteenth and sixteenth of December. It distinguished itself on this last occasion by the capture of a battery of five guns and fifty prisoners. After resting a month at Eastport, Miss., it went to New Orleans and joined in the expedition against Mobile, and was in the assault on Ft. Blakely. It then went to Montgomery where it remained until ordered mastered out in August 1865.
That this organization nobly did its whole duty and was in the thickest of the fight is attested by its long mortality list in which appears the names of the following Story County men:
N. A. Mount, O. Egland, E. Modlin, F. M. Anderson, Wm. C. Ballard, D. J. Blows, F. S. Daniels, H. Elliason, Peter Egland, H. B. Henryson, E. Hefley J. R. Hand, Wm. L. Lemmon, Wm. Pierce, C. M. SELLERS, J. Sorter, N. A. Tichenor and John S. Wood.
The Story County boys in the Tenth, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Thirty-ninth Regiments of Infantry, and Eighth Cavalry and other Regiments, did equally as good service, and were in as many hard fought battles as any of the organizations mentioned. They each have a history of thrilling interest, and in order to fully preserve it for the information of coming generations it should all be written out and published, but lack of space in a work of this kind forbids giving a full history of those organizations, or even making what has been attempted as full and complete as justice demands.
There are scores of individual cases entitled to special mention, and enough of entertaining matter might be written on those cases to fill a good sized volume, but we must desist from entering on that branch on this occasion. The list of dead belonging to our county, not already given, as near as I am able to ascertain, is as follows:
Wm. Crum and Wm. Tanner, Company A, Tenth Infantry; B. F. Craig and H. Howard, Company D, Tenth Infantry; S. Kelley,