Civil War History: Iowa and as it pertains to Clinton County, Iowa
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sharing this information with us.
Also, thanks go to Fran Barsema who typed much of this info for us to put online.
Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion Together with
Historical Sketches of Volunteer Organizations 1861-1866:
Vol. 1
1st -8th Regiments-Infantry.
Published by authority of the General Assembly, under the direction of Brig. Gen. Wm.
H. Thrift, Adjutant General. Des Moines; Emory H. English, State Printer, E. D. Chassell,
State Binder; 1908
HISTORICAL SKETCH
TWENTIETH REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
The ten companies which were assigned to the Twentieth Regiment were ordered into
quarters by the Governor on dates ranging from Jul 15 to August 15, 1862. The designated
rendezvous was Camp Kirkwood, near Clinton, Iowa, and there the companies were
mustered into the service of the United States on the 22d, 25th and 27th days of August,
1862, by Captain H. B. Hendershott, of the United States Army. The aggregate strength of
the regiment at muster in was 904, rank and file. Like most of the regiments which had
preceded it, the Twentieth had but a brief opportunity for instruction before leaving the
State. It was armed with Enfield rifles, (at that time considered one of the most effective
weapons,) was furnished with the usual equipment for active service, and on, the 5th of
September, was conveyed down the river by steamboat to St. Louis, and upon it arrival
there went into quarters at Benton Barracks, where it remained but a short time, and
proceeded thence to Rolla, Mo., arriving there September 14th, and, two days later, started
upon the march for Springfield, Mo., where it arrived September 24th, having covered a
distance of 122 miles. In this, their first experience in marching, the men suffered much
hardship, because of the fact that they had not yet become inured to the exposure and
fatigue of an active campaign. It was their first lesson in the hard school of the soldier in
time of war. Fortunately for the regiment, Colonel Dye had been a Captain in the Regular
Army and was a thoroughly trained soldier, and a few others among the officers and men
had seen service as volunteers in other Iowa organizations. Having a leader with a military
education and with the help of those who had had some actual experience in warfare, the
officers and men made rapid progress in learning their duties as soldiers.
Upon its arrival at Springfield, the regiment was assigned to a brigade consisting of
the Twentieth Iowa, First Iowa Cavalry, thirty-seventh Illinois Infantry, and one section of
the First Missouri Light Artillery. This was the Second Brigade of the Second Division of
the Army of the Southwest, commanded by General J. M. Schofield. The division was
commanded by General Totten, and the brigade by Colonel Dye, of the Twentieth Iowa,
leaving Lieutenant Colonel Leake in command of the regiment. The Twentieth Iowa was
now about to enter upon a campaign which was to put to the severest test the bravery,
fortitude and discipline of its officers and men. The hardships to which they had thus far
been subjected were slight in comparison with those they encountered while marching and
counter-marching in pursuit of their elusive enemy. From the 30th of September to the 7th of
December, on which latter date the battle of Prairie Grove was fought, the regiment passed
through an experience, the details of which are described with great particularity in the
history of the regiment written by Colonel Dye, and in the prefix to the official report of
Lieutenant Colonel Leake, describing the conduct of his regiment in the battle of Prairie
Grove. The following extracts taken from Lieutenant Colonel Leake's report will serve to
show some of the great hardships endured by the regiment during this period of its service.
On the 15th day of October, at Cassville, Mo., the army was reorganized and call the
"Army of the Frontier," The First Division under command of General Blunt, and Second
Division under command of General Totten, and the Third Division under the command of
General Herron. The First Iowa Cavalry was taken from Colonel Dye's Brigade and
transferred to the Third Division, and in its place a battalion of the Sixth Missouri Cavalry,
under command of Major Montgomery, was assigned to the Second Brigade, Second
Division. General Schofield still commanded the whole. Thus organized as an army on the
28th of Octobert, we had penetrated as far south as Fayetteville, Washington County,
Arkansas, having driven the enemy before us. Beyond and south of that place, on the 30th
of the same month, General Schofield retired from Fayetteville, and placed the army in
position on the line of the road leading from Huntsville to Bentonsville, the first Division on
Prairie Creek, six or seven miles west of Bentonsville, the Second Division at Osage
Springs, and the third at Cross Hollows, to await the future movements of the enemy. The
army remained in this position until the 2d of November, when, in pursuance of orders from
Major General Curtis commanding the Department, the Second and Third Divisions
commenced ttheir return march to Missouri. The first Division under General Blunt
retained it position west of Bentonsville. A few days afterwards intelligence was received
that the post at Clark Mills, on the road from Springfield to forsyth, garrisoned by five
companies, three of State Militia, and two of the Tenth Illinois Cavalry, had been
surrendered, and that the enemy were marching in large force on Springfield, to protect
which the Second Division was moved on the 10th to Ozark, making the march of thirty-five
miles in twelve hours. The Second Division moved on the 17th, the night of the 17th, and the
18th, through a drenching storm westerly thirty-six miles to Camp Lyon. Up to this time the
regiment had marched since leaving Rolla the distance of 520 miles. We rested at Camp
Lyon from all our fatigues and exposure until the morning of December 4th. During the stay
at Camp Lyon, the men were provided with everything needed for comfort except shoes and
stockings. Only one hundred pairs of socks could be obtained. These were distributed
through the regiment to those who were most in need of them. No shoes had been provided
since the first pair obtained before leaving Iowa, and they were almost entirely worn out to
the continuous marching over hundreds of weary miles of stony road, and through
numerous creeks and rivers.
On the evening of December 3d, a courier arrived at Camp Lyon with a message
from General Blunt, asking for reinforcements, his division being threatened with attack by
a greatly superior force of the enemy. General Blunt was a skillful officer and, as his troops
consisted mostly of cavalry and mounted infantry, he had been able to elude the enemy and
avoid a general engagement, but the rebel forces had cut off his retreat and he was in a very
critical position. The Second division promptly responded to his call for assistance and
made a most wonderful record of forced marches, which are thus described by Lieutenant
Colone Leake, in continuation of his report from which the previous extracts were made:
On the morning of the 4th of December, reveille was beaten at one o'clock, and at
four o'clock the regiment commenced its march. Between four and five o'clock P.M. it
encamped on Flat Creek, having marched 25 miles. The next day we moved at 5 o'clock
A.M., passed through Cassville and Keithsville, and encamped one and a half miles beyond
the latter place, having marched twenty-one and half miles. On the morning of the 6th, we
left camp at 5 o'clock, passed through Pea Ridge and Sugar Creek, and reached Cross
Hollows, Ark., at about 5 o'clock P.M., twenty-six and a half miles. Here we halted for rest
and supper. At eleven o'clock P.M. we moved on, marching all night, passed through
Fayetteville after daylight, and halted one mile beyond, on the road to Cane Hill, for rest
and breakfast. After the lapse of about an hour and a half, having learned of the capture of a
portion of the train of the First Arkansas Cavalry, a few miles beyond, I was ordered to
detail a company under the command of a reliable officer, to protect our train (in addition to
the regular division and brigade guards, already large,) to which duty I assigned company
B, under command of Captain Coulter; so that company B was deprived of the privilege of
being in the engagement. We then marched on rapidly, until we arrived at the battlefield
between eleven and twelve o'clock on the morning of the 7th, a distance of nine miles. The
regiment thus marched the distance of one hundred miles in eighty consecutive hours, the
last fifty-three and one-half of which we accomplished in thirty-one hours. Very many of
the command marched with shoes so much worn that their feet were upon the ground, and
were badly bruised and cut up by the stony road. Many of the boots furnished at Camp
Lyon fitted the feet of the men so illy that they became inflamed and blistered by the
continuous marching, and a few carried their boots in their hands and marched to the field
in their bare feet, whilst many fell out by the way, unable to march farther. Under these
circumstances, we went into the engagement with only two hundred and seventy enlisted
man, and twenty-three commissioned officers.
From the foregoing description of the energetic manner in which the Twentieth Iowa
with it brigade and division, pressed forward by day and night marches to the relief of
General Blunt's command, it will be seen that they were the first troops to engage the
enemy. Continuing his report, Lieutenant Colonel Leake describes minutely the positions
of the opposing forces at the commencement of the battle. The enemy was posted upon a
heavily wooded hill, the approach to which was across a prairie about 1000 yards wide.
General Blunt states in his official report that he had been skirmishing with the advance of
the enemy, holding them in check until his reinforcements should arrive, but the enemy got
between him and the troops coming to his assistance, and the battle had been raging for
several hours before his division came up and attacked the enemy in the rear. He, therefore,
furnished the reinforcement, instead of receiving it. The compiler again quotes from the
report of Lieutenant Colonel Leake, as follows:
These dispositions having been made at one o'clock P. M. the engagement was
opened by the firing of a gun from the battery under the command of Lieutenant Marr. At
about two o'clock the order was given to advance the battery, and I received orders to
advance the regiment forward in support. We advanced in this order across the open field,
to within about two hundred yards of the foot of the hill, and in front of the house of H.
Roger, when the battery was ordered back, and the regiment left in that position. I
presently received orders from Colonel Dye, in pursuance of which the regiment moved to
the right into the adjoining field and in front of the orchard on the left of the house of Wm.
Rogers, to check a movement of the enemy to outflank us on the right. At this time the
Twentieth was on the extreme right of the Second and Third Divisions. This movement
was executed under a galling fire which we returned, advancing to within a few paces of the
edge of the orchard. At this time a force appeared on our right advancing up the valley.
Fearing that we were being outflanked by the enemy, I was ordered to fall back across the
field and take position behind a fence in our rear, which was executed in good order under
fire. I then threw out companies A and F, under command of Captains Bates and Hubbard,
from the right wing as skirmishers. Shortly after, a cavalry force appeared upon our right
and rear, whereupon the skirmishers were recalled and a change of front made toward the
approaching force, to the rear behind a fence running at right angles to the one from which
we moved. Colonel Dye having sent forward and ascertained that the cavalry were from
General Blunt's command, the Twentieth at once changed front and resumed its former
position behind the fence fronting towards the orchard. We had scarcely taken this position
when an aide from General Blunt reported to me that the forces which had come up the
valley, and were taking position in the field on our right, was the command of General
Blunt. I at once directed him to Colonel Dye, who was about 200 yard to the rear and left
of me, who immediately sent word to General Herron of the arrival of reinforcements under
General Blunt. This took place at about three and a half o'clock, as nearly as I can fix the
time. Before, this time the Nineteenth Iowa and Twentieth Wisconsin had charged up the
hill on the extreme left, and had been driven back; after which the Twenty-sixth Indiana and
Thirty-seventh Illinois had been ordered up in nearly the same place, and with a like result,
so that when General Blunt arrived no infantry was engaged on our left. General Blunt at
once sent forward a part of the First Indiana regiment as skirmishers. Colonel Du reported
to General Blunt and ordered me to make a charge with the Twentieth up the hill and on the
left of, and operating with the forces of General Blunt. I moved the regiment rapidly
forward in line of battle across the field, obliquing to the left; crossed the orchard fence,
drove the enemy through the orchard, and advanced beyond the upper orchard fence and
through the woods a short distance. Fearing that the troops on our left wing had ascended
the hill and advanced to our front, I saw directly in front of us a mass of troops moving
down upon us. At almost the same instant they fired a volley under which the left wing
recoiled nearly to the orchard fence, where they promptly rallied at my command and
renewed the firing with great rapidity and, I think, effect. I received orders to retire behind
the fence at the foot of the hill, and hold it, which movement was promptly executed by the
regiment in good order, climbing the fence under a galling fire, lying down behind it, and
continuing the firing between the fence rails. The moment we crossed the fence the orchard
was shelled by the batteries of General Blunt's forces on the right in the field, and by that
under command of Captain Murphy in position at the point from which we entered the
action, from the combined effects of which, and our own firing, the enemy were driven
back. As soon as the enemy was driven from the orchard I was ordered to retire in good
order from the fence and form in the middle of the field. As we commenced to retire, Major
Thompson having been wounded and the left wing, not receiving the order to halt, promptly
retired nearly to the fence from which we had advanced. I rode down, and at the command
they returned formed at the place designated. This ended our active participation in the
contest. About the time we had retaken our old position, the rest of General Blunt's
Division had become heavily engaged with the enemy on our extreme right and remained so
engaged until darkness closed the contest. The next morning before daylight, I formed the
line of battle, and awaited the renewal of the action.
Soon after daylight it was discovered that the enemy had fled during the night, thus
acknowledging defeat. The Union troops were so worn and exhausted from forced marches
and the hard fighting of the previous day that they were in no condition to pursue the
enemy. Lieutenant Colonel Leake in closing his report speaks in the highest terms of praise
of the conduct of the Twentieth Iowa during the battle. He makes special mention of Major
Thompson, who was wounded late in the action and, though suffering great pain, did not
leave the field until the regiment retired. He also mentions the gallant conduct of Acting
Adjutant, Lieutenant J. C, McClelland and Sergeant Major George A. Gray. Of the gallant
Brigade Commander he says, "It will not, I trust, be improper for me to remark of my
superior officer, Colonel William McE, Dye, commanding the Second Brigade, that by the
entire self possession, the calm bravery, and the military ability he displayed on the field, he
won the entire confidence of the regiment. Its affection he had gained before."
The loss of the regiment in the battle of Prairie Grove was 1 officer and 7 enlisted
men killed; 5 officers and 34 enlisted men wounded. The Brigade Commander—Colonel
Dye—warmly commended Lieutenant Colonel Leake for the excellent manner in which he
handled his regiment during the battle, and also made special mention of Adjutant Lake of
the Twentieth Iowa, who acted as Assistant Adjutant General upon his staff, and carried his
orders to different points on the field under the fire of the enemy. While the subsequent
record of the regiment is altogether an honorable one and deserves full description, the
limitations prescribed for this historical sketch will not permit of the occupancy of much
greater space in describing its future movements than has been devoted to its operations up
to and including the battle just described. The compiler believes, however, that the events
embraced in this period of the history of the regiment constitutes a record not excelled for
bravery and fortitude, and that it would have entitled the officers an men of the Twentieth
Iowa to the lasting gratitude of the State and Nation had the record ended with Prairie
Grove. The day after the battle the dead were buried with military honors. The wounded
had received such care and attention as could be given in field hospitals, and they were
subsequently removed to Fayetteville, where better facilities for their care were provided.
The regiment remained in camp at Prairie Grove, enjoying a much needed rest, until the
morning of December 27, 1862, when it again took up the line of march for Van Buren on
the Arkansas river. The march was over the Boston Mountains, the cavalry leading the
advance and skirmishing with the enemy, but, upon the approach of the Union troops, the
enemy retreated across the Arkansas, and the town of Van Buren, a large quantity of
supplies and several steamboats were captured. The boats and such portion of the supplies
as could not be removed were destroyed, and the troops returned to their camp at Prairie
Grove.
On Jan. w, 1863, the regiment again took up the line of march, with its brigade and
division. General Schofield had again assumed command of the Army of the Frontier. In
the campaign which ensued, and which extended through the winter and into the spring,
there was much hard marching, and the troops were exposed to alternate storms of snow
and rain, marching over muddy and sometimes almost impassable roads, but everywhere
the movements of the army as a whole, and in detachments, were directed against the rebel
forces with the one purpose in view—that of driving the invaders from the State and placing
the loyal citizens of Missouri in position to defend themsleves from further invasion, and
enabling the troops composing the Army of the Frontier to be withdrawn for the purpose of
co-operating in the great expedition against Vicksburg. General Schofield's plans were
successfully carried out, the rebel troops in his front being mostly withdrawn during the
winter for the purpose of reinforcing their army in Mississippi, then preparing to resist the
advance of the Union army under General Grant.
Towards the latter part of March, the regiment with its brigade and division was
being gradually withdrawn from the Missouri frontier and moved towards the point where
these troops had entered upon their firs campaign. At length, on the 23d of April, 1863, the
division marched into Rolla. The Twentieth Iowa had now been in active service about
seven months. It had been engaged in many skirmishes and one hard fought battle. Its
losses in killed and wounded, and from disease, had been heavy. April 24th the regiment
was transported by rail to S. Louis. The following extracts from Colonel Dye's history of
the regiment (heretofore alluded to in this sketch) described its principle movements for a
considerable portion of its subsequent service, beginning with its arrival in St. Louis:
Here we remained guarding the arsenal, and doing other important duties until May
15th. During a part of this time, First Lieutenant C. L. Drake, with company A, and a part of
company F, embarked for Cape Girardeau, Mo., where he arrived in time to participate in
the successful defense of that place against the assaults of the enemy. Companies D and G,
Captains Torrey and Altmann, were also detached to quell mutinies at Benton Barracks. On
the 1st of May the regiment arrived by rail at Pilot Knob, and remained there until June 3d.
On the 5th, by hot marching, arrived at St. Genevieve, and embarked with what remained of
the regiment. A part of the Infantry and Artillery of the Second and Third Divisions, having
now been organized into a division (detached from the Army of the Frontier) of two
brigades, the Twentieth Iowa being a part of the First Brigade, proceeded on the 6th to
reinforce the investing army at Vicksburg. We arrived at Chickasaw Bluff, on the Yazoo
river, on the 11th. Returned and landed at Young's Point, crossed the peninsula to a point
below Vicksburg, and took position on the 14th, on the extreme left of the investing forces,
the First Brigade on the left, and the Twentieth Iowa, the second regiment from the right,
where they remained until July 4th—the day of the surrender—participating in all the
exposures and fatigues of that successful siege, being on duty in detachments almost
contiuously, either in the trenches or rifle pits; the troops not thus on duty standing to arms
every day and night. Men were on duty as long as five successive days and nights, without
other sleep than was stolen or involuntarily obtained under the guns of the enemy, while
another relief was on duty. The regiment was very fortunate in losing during the siege by
wounds only six enlisted men, three of whom died from their wounds.
AT 9 a.m. on the 4th, part of the division, the Twentieth Iowa leading marched into
the works of Vicksburg, planting the first Union flag which floated over the extreme fort on
the right of the enemy's works. As bad as the water used by our men was, the sickness was
not so severe before the surrender, as when, by a relaxation of the system from the stimulant
of excitement, intermittent and congestive fevers at once prostrated about one-third of the
regiment. We remained in the works, collecting the surrendered material, until the 11th,
when the division embarked with orders to reinforce the investing force of Port Hudson.
When aboard, and about leaving, intelligence arrived of its surrender. The destination of
the division was then changed to Yazoo City, where it arrived on the 13th and by co-
operation with the gunboats, (the De Kalb of which was destroyed by torpedos,) captured
the place, with a half dozen pieces of artillery, and a number of prisoners, after an
ineffectual resistance of half an hour. On the 16th, we left to open communication with
General Sherman at Canton, Miss. This accomplished, we arrived on the 19th, on our
return, at Yazoo City, and re-embarked. By the 22d, we were again in camp within the
works of Vicksburg, the regiment having lost by sickness about 180 men. Leaving the
serious cases of sickness at Vicksburg, we embarked on the 245h of July, and arrived at
Port Hudson on the 26th. During the siege of Vicksburg, the division had been attached to
the Thirteenth Army Corps; it now became, and yet is, the Second Division of this Corps.
The troops remained on the boats until the 31st, when they were put into camp, just in rear
of Port Hudson. We remained here until the 16th of August. During our stay, although
about two-thirds of the men continued on the report for duty, probably three-fourths of the
regiment were under medical treatment. On the 17th, arrived at Carrollton, La., losing,
during our stay here, many of the men, from the protracted diseases of the summer. The
regiment embarked here, without tents or knapsacks, and bivouacked, Sept. 7th, near
Morganza, below the mouth of Red river. On the 8th, we marched to the Atchafalya, driving
the enemy to the opposite bank, a part of the division having a skirmish. We were absent
but two days on this duty, yet the men suffered greatly from the heat (many being sun
struck) and the want of good water. We remained at or near Morganza, almost constantly
bivouacked, until October 10th. The knapsacks of the regiment did not arrive until about
September 28th. Lieutenant Colonel Leake and two men (the former slightly wounded)
were unfortunately captured, at Sterling Farm, Sept. 29th, while on duty, detached from the
regiment. While at Morganza the men suffered alternately with heat and cold rains, being
without shelter or change of clothing. On the 11th of October, encamped at Carrollton, La.,
where the regiment remained until October 23d, health much improved. October 24th the
division steamed out with sealed orders, and was overhauled by a severe gale, which was
weathered by most of the vessels of the fleet. November 1st, arrived in sight of Brazos de
Santiago. (coast of Texas) and landed on the 4th, after making, with the Twentieth
Wisconsin, an unsuccessful effort to land through the surf, at the mouth of the Rio Grande,
in which seven out of ten surf boats, loaded with men, were either swamped or upset,
losing, miraculously, however, only four men by drowning. A portion of the division,
including company G, (provost guard of the division) proceeded to Brownsville, and a
detachment of the regiment, under Lieutenant Carver, remained at the mouth of the river,
whilst the regiment *with these exceptions) on the 6th crossed the Lagoon del Madre, to
Point Isabel, where it remained, suffering from great scarcity of water, and want of cooking
utensils and baggage, until the 13th. November 15th, the regiment re-embarked and landed,
with a portion of the division, on the south end of Mustang Island, in the evening. At 9 a.m.
on the 17th, it arrived at the north end of the island, (about 25 miles distant,) after a very
fatiguing march, the men drawing by hand two pieces of artillery, carrying their knapsacks
and sixty rounds of ammunition, this after about two week's confinement aboard ship.
About one hundred of the enemy, with three pieces of heavy artillery, were at this end of the
island, guarding the Arkansas inlet. The enemy surrendered as soon as our forces appeared.
The regiment remained on Mustang Island about seven months. Out of wrecked
lumber, procured on and near the island, they erected barracks. The monotony of garrison
duty was varied somewhat by expeditions of detachments from the regiment to the main
land. Some prisoners and a couple of schooners were captured, but no organized body of
the enemy was encountered on these expeditions. It was the most restful period in the
history of the regiment. On June 24, 1864, the regiment embarked at Mustang Island and
was conveyed to Brazos Santiago, and from there returned by sea to New Orleans, arriving
there and going into its old camp at Carrollton, August 6th. Here it remained but a short
time when it was conveyed by steamer to Fort Gaines, Ala., which, however, had
surrendered before the arrival of the regiment. It disembarked at Mobile Point, and
participated in the siege of Fort Morgan, which surrendered August 23, 1864. During all
these movements Colonel Dye was detached from the regiment and in command of a
brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Leake was still a prisoner of war, Major Thompson had
resigned, and the, and the regiment had alternately been under command of Captains M. L.
Thompson and Edward Coulter.
On September 7th the regiment proceeded by steamer to New Orleans and thence up
the river to Morganza, La. During the voyage an accident occurred to the machinery of the
vessel, and five men of the Twentieth Iowa were badly scalded by escaping steam; three of
them jumped overboard and were drowned. At Morganza Lieutenant Colonel Leake
rejoined the regiment, having regained his liberty by an exchange of prisoners. He received
a glad welcome from the officers and men, who had become greatly attached to him and
had complete confidence in his courage and ability. With full appreciation of this feeling
towards him, he again assumed the command of the regiment.
On the 12th of October orders were received to embark the command and move up
the Mississippi to the mouth of White River, thence to Devall's Bluff, and disembark.
There, and at Brownsville, the regiment was encamped until January, 1865. During this
period of its service the Twentieth Iowa was part of the time engaged in scouting in the
surrounding country, but was most of the time reforming garrison duty and erecting
fortifications. Many of its men were on the sick list, the prevailing disease being scurvy. A
quantity of sanitary stores were sent to the regiment from Iowa, and were used with
excellent effect, and when the regiment left Arkansas, on the 8th of January, the health of the
men had greatly improved. Its next place of encampment was near Kennerville, La., where
it remained until February 16th, on which date it embarked for Pensacola Bay, Florida, and,
after a voyage without incident, went into camp at Florida Point, remaining there until the
commencement of the Mobile campaign, in which it was an active participant. On the
march to Mobile, which was very toilsome, the regiment attracted the attention of the
Division Commander to such a marked extent as to cause him to make special mention of
its conduct in a general order thanking all the troops under his command. The order is here
quoted as follows"
General Orders No. 8.
Headquarters Second Division thirteenth Army Corps
In the Field Mar. 28, 1865.
I. The General commanding appreciates the ready and generous efforts of the troops I in
promoting this difficult march. These labors assure future success, and every patriot will
feel grateful to the soldiers who have endured them. The General particularly thanks
Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Leake, commanding the Twentieth Iowa Volunteers, for the
valuable and rapid service of his regiment this morning, showing, by the amount done, how
much can be accomplished by officers giving their personal interest and attention to their
duty.
By order of BRIGADIER GENERAL C. C. ANDREWS,
GEORGE MONROE,
Assistant Adjutant General.
The regiment participated in the siege of Fort Blakely, performing all the duties
assigned to it, but fortunately sustained only the single casualty of one man wounded. On
April 14th, the regiment was conveyed across the bay to the city of Mobile, where it was
engaged in the performance of provost guard duty until July 8, 1865, on which date it was
mustered out of the service of the United States. The regiment was then conveyed to
Clinton, Iowa, where it was disbanded July 27, 1865.
The record of the Twentieth Iowa is an honorable one. While the regiment was
engaged in but one hard fought battle in the open field, it was no fault of its gallant officers
and men that it did not participate in more of the great battles of the war. They went where
they were ordered to go, and performed every duty required of them. They endured as
much suffering upon the march, in bivouac, in camp and siege, as any regiment which the
State of Iowa sent into the field. They are therefore entitled to the gratitude of every
patriotic citizen of the State and Nation for the service they have rendered to both. Their
names and the record of their service, contained in these pages, will be handed down to
their posterity; and those who can trace their lineage to the brave and faithful men of the
Twentieth Iowa may justly claim as proud a heritage as was ever bestowed upon the
descendants of those who fought and suffered and died in a righteous cause.
SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.
Total Enrollment 1026
Killed and drowned 20
Wounded 52
Died of wounds 7
Died of disease 130
Discharged for disease, wounds or other causes 183
Buried in National Cemeteries 66
Captured 13
Transferred 39
TWENTIENTH REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Term of service three years
Mustered into service of the United States at Clinton, Iowa, Aug. 22, 1862, by Captain
H. B. Hendershott, Second Artillery, United States Army.
Mustered out at Mobile, Ala., July 8, 1865.
FIELD AND STAFF
Abram O. Blanding. Age 28. Residence Lyons, nativity Massachusetts. Appointed
Assistant Surgeon Sept. 5,1862. Mustered Sept. 10, 1862. Promoted Surgeon March 6,
1865. Mustered out July 8, 1856, Mobile, Ala.
NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF.
Frederick E. Starck. Age 25. Residence Clinton, nativity New York. Appointed Sergeant
Major Aug. 20, 1862. Mustered Aug. 24, 1862. Promoted First Lieutenant of Company G,
Aug, 26, 1862.
COMPANY "B"
McConnell, William. Age 22. Residence Clinton, nativity New York. Enlisted Aug 6,
1862. Mustered Aug. 23, 1862. Mustered out July 8, 1865, Mobile, Ala.
COMPANY "D"
Pitts, Charles W. Age 22. Residence Clinton, nativity New York. Enlisted Jan. 20, 1865.
Mustered Jan. 21, 1865. Transferred to Company E, Twenty-ninth Infantry.
COMPANY "C"
Sanders, Newton. Age 26. Residence Calamus, nativity Pennsylvania. Enlisted Aug. 8,
1862. Mustered Aug. 22, 1862. Mustered out July 8, 1865, Mobile, Ala.
COMPANY "G"
Starck, Frederick E. Age 25. Residence Clinton, nativity New York. Appointed First
Lieutenant from Sergeant Major Aug. 26, 1862. Mustered Aug. 26, 1862. Wounded
severely Dec. 7, 1862, Prairie Grove. Ark. Mustered out July 8, 1865, Mobile, Ala. See
Field and Staff
COMPANY "C"
Walker, John V. Age 25. Residence Big Rock, nativity New York. Enlisted Aug. 9, 1862,
as Third Corporal. Mustered Aug. 22, 1862. Promoted Second Corporal Dec. 14, 1862.
Deserted Aug. 12, 1863, Port Hudson, La.
Walker, Joseph V. Age 27. Residence Big Rock, nativity New York. Enlisted Aug. 11,
1862. Mustered Aug 22, 1862. Deserted sept. 15, 1863, Carrollton, La.
COMPANY "I"
Weatherwax, Seymour. Age 21. Residence Clinton, nativity New York. Enlisted Aug. 13,
1862. Mustered Aug. 22, 1862. Mustered out July 8, 1865, Mobile, Ala.
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