Civil War History: Iowa and as it pertains to Clinton County, Iowa
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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
THIRD REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
HISTORICAL SKETCH
THIRD REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
The companies composing the Second and Third regiments of Iowa Infantry Volunteers
were organized and ready to respond to the first call of President Lincoln for troops,
but as only one regiment from Iowa could be accepted under that call these companies
were compelled to wait during the brief time that intervened before the second call
was issued. The Second and third were then ordered into quarters by Governor Kirkwood,
and his order was so promptly obeyed that there was but little difference in the dates
upon which these three regiments assembled at the designated rendezvous, Keokuk, Iowa.
There, on the 8th and 10th days of June, 1861, the ten companies composing the Third
regiment were mustered into the service of the United States by Lieutenant Alexander
Chambers of the regular army, for the term of three years. On June 27, 1861-only
seventeen days after its last company was mustered-the regiment embarked on the steamers,
Gate City and Hamilton Belle, and was conveyed to Hannibal, Mo., there to await further
orders. The first and Second regiments had reached Hannibal only a few day before, and
were then engaged in taking possession of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, and in
preventing the concentration of the band of rebel troops then being raised in that part
of Missouri. The Third Regiment was at once assigned to the same duty. From Hannibal
it was transported by rail to Utica, Mo., on the line of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad,
where it went into Camp. Up to this time the Governor had not appointed the field officers
of the regiment, and it had been commanded by its senior Captain, Richard G. Herron of
Company A, a very capable and efficient officer, and highly esteemed by the officers and
men of the regiment. Shortly after arriving at Utica, the field officers were appointed.
Nelson G. Williams, who had received military training at West Point, was
commissioned Colonel, Capt. John Scott of Company E, a veteran soldier of the Mexican
War, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Captain William M. Stone of Company B was
promoted to Major. The Lieutenant Colonel and Major had been mustered in as Captains
at Keokuk, but the Colonel was a stranger to the regiment. Upon assuming command, he
proceeded to enforce strict discipline, which at that time a majority of the officers
and men could not appreciate the necessity for, as they could, and did, later on. The
result was a strong feeling of dislike for Colonel Williams. Retaining that feeling of
self-respect and manly independence which had characterized them as citizens, and having
all their lives been amenable only to the mild restraints of the civil laws, it was not
strange that the sudden transition from the comparatively mild discipline to which they
had thus far been accustomed, to the most rigid enforcement of the rules and regulations
governing the men, who fell gallantly fighting at their posts. I refer to the enclosed
list of killed and wounded as a part of this report. The heaviest loss was sustained by
Company I, Third Iowa Volunteers, which lost four killed and twenty wounded, being one-fourth
of our total loss. Major Stone, Captains Warren, Willett and O'Neil, and Lieutenants
Hobbs, Anderson, Tullis and Knight were severely wounded. Lieutenant Knight was wounded
three times, but refused to retire from the field, and remained with his men until the
close of the engagement. Among the great number who deserve my thanks for their gallantry.
I might mention Sergeant James F. Lakin of Company F, who bore the colors, and carried
them into the thickest of the fight, with all the coolness of a veteran.
The Third Iowa lost in this battle 96 killed and wounded, out of less than 600
engaged, while the loss of the enemy was reported at 160 out of 4,4000 engaged. The
enemy fought on the defensive, and had all the advantage in position. Colonel Smith
with the Sixteenth Illinois met Lieutenant Colonel Scott's command about three miles
from Blue Mills Landing, but his troops were in such an exhausted condition that it
was deemed best not to renew the attack. The enemy only followed in pursuit a short
distance, and during the night retreated across the river. The compiler of this sketch
has a vivid personal recollection of this first battle of the Third Iowa. That it
ended in defeat does not detract from the bravery of the officers and men of the
regiment. Considering the great disparity in numbers, it was greatly to the credit
of the commander, and the best possible evidence of the coolness and courage of his
men, that it was able to extricate itself from its perilous position, and to retire
from the field in good order. To have longer continued the fight, in the face of
such a greatly superior force, would have resulted in such greater loss that the
surrender of the small command might have become a necessity. The surviving officers
and men came out of this fight with unimpaired confidence in their gallant commander
and in their own ability to successfully contend with the enemy under anything like
equal conditions. They had here fought against at least seven times their own number,
and had inflicted such heavy damage to the enemy as to discourage them from continuing
the pursuit and taking the chances of another engagement, when the Third Iowa would
have met the re-inforcements coming to its assistance. The next day the dead were
buried with military honors, the wounded who were able to bear the journey were
conveyed under escort to Cameron, while the most severely wounded were left at Liberty
to be later conveyed by steamboat to the government hospital at Fort Leavenworth.
A few days after the battle this detachment of the Third Iowa joined the command
of General Sturgis at Kansas City, where Union troops were being rapidly concentrated
to resist a threatened attack upon that place by the rebel forces under General Price,
Union troops continued to arrive until it became evident to the rebel General that he
would soon be acting on the defensive, and, after securing all the recruits that could
be induced to join him, he withdrew his army in Springfield, there to await
re-inforcements from the South. The Third Iowa was again reunited, and, on account
of the large number of men upon the sick list, it was deemed best to give it a change
of location and an opportunity to rest and recruit. It was therefore ordered to
Quincy, Ill., where it went into camp in a beautiful location just north of the city,
and enjoyed a season of much needed rest. The citizens of Quincy extended a cordial
welcome to the regiment, the best of discipline was maintained, the health of the men
rapidly improved, and at the end of three weeks they were again in such good condition
for active service as to fully justify the wisdom of the order granting this short
respite from active duty in the field. November 9, 1861, the regiment was transported
to St. Louis, and went into quarters at Benton Barracks, a huge camp of instruction,
where troops of all arms were being concentrated and prepared for the great campaign
which was soon to begin. The barracks were soon overcrowded by the constant influx
of troops, and much sickness resulted. The order to agin take the field was joyfully
received by the regiment, although the duty to which it was assigned involved a winter
campaign in northern Missouri. The regiment was selected for this service on account
of its past experience in dealing with Missouri rebels. It was important that the line
of the the North Missouri Railroad shoild be protected against the frequent raids of
rebel bands, who tore up portions of the track, cut down telegraph poles and otherwise
seriously interfered with the operation of the road. The companies of the regiment
were distributed at stations along the line of the road, and were constantly engaged
in protecting the working parties whose regular labor of keeping the track in condition
for the passage of trains was greatly augmented by the repairs necessitated by the
depredations of the enemy. The rebels infested the country in well-mounted bands,
and the road could not have been operated at all, except for the presence of Union
troops.
Fort Donelson fell. Iowa troops had won reown in the reduction of that rebel
stronghold, while the Third Iowa was still engaged in guarding the North Missouri
Railroad. It was not the hardships to which they were exposed in this wintry weather
of which the men and officers of the regiment complained, but the lack of opportunity
to win honor for themselves and their State on southern battlefields. During this
campaign Lieutenant Colonel Scott was serving as a member of a military commission
in St. Louis, and Maj. W. M. Stone was in command of the regiment until Colonel Williams-
who had been under arrest for several months-returned and took command. He had been
tried by Court Martial, upon the charge, preferred against him by certain officers of
his regiment, of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. The court had
acquitted him of this charge. While the feeling of prejudice was still strong against
the Colonel, his officers and men had come to appreciate the necessity for strict
discipline, and were disposed to treat their commanding officer with greater respect.
The Colonel had, in the meantime come to a better understanding of his men, and held
them in higher regard on account of the important service they had rendered while he
was separated from them. Had such consideration been shown earlier, it would have
saved the Colonel much humillation, and the officers and men of his regiment much
annoyance and ill feelings.
On the 3d of March, 1862, the welcome order was received for the regiment to
proceed to St. Louis . The scattered companies were concentrated at the regiments
headquarters in Mexico, Mo., transportation was provided, and the regiment was in St.
Louis the next day, where it immediately embarked on the steamer Iatan, and was soon on
its way to the South. From Cairo, Ill., it proceeded up the Ohio and Tennessee, and
soon overtook the large fleet of transport conveying General Grant's army. The boats
were greatly crowded, and the impure water of the river had a bad effect upon the health
of the men. The result was a large increase of the sick list, and when the regiment went
ashore, at Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., on March 17, 1862, it had less than 600 men able
for duty.
The regiment was assigned to the First Brigade of the Fourth Division Army of the
Tennessee. The other regiments composing the brigade were the Twenty-eighth, Thirty-
second and Forty-first Illinois Infantry. Brig. Gen. S. A. Hurlbut was in command of
the division, Col. N. G. Williams of the Third Iowa commanded the brigade, while Maj.
W. M. Stone was in command of the regiment, in the absence of Lieut. Col. John Scott,
who had the misfortune-with many other officers and men of the regiment-to be confined
by sever sickness on board the hospital boat "City of Memphis," which lay at Pittsburg
Landing. It was very hard for these brave men, many of whom had not sufficiently
recovered, at the time the battle was fought, to rejoin the regiment, to listen to the
thunder of battle reverberating along the river, and to endure, in addition to the pain
that racked their bodies, the mental agony which came with the knowledge that their
comrades were bravely fighting, while they could not be permitted to join them.
On the morning of April 6, 1862, the great battle of Shiloh began. The Third
Iowa, with the other troops of its brigade and division, was promptly in line of
battle, and moved rapidly to the front, where the advanced line of the Union army
was already engaged in fierce conflict with the enemy. The division was soon engaged.
After a short struggle on it first line of battle, it retired some distance, to prevent
being outflanked, and took up its second position, where it fought stubbornly for over
five hours and suffered heavy loss. This position at last becoming untenable, it again
retired, fighting from one position to another, and keeping well together. Early in
the engagement Colonel Williams had his horse shot under him, while gallantly performing
his duty as brigade commander. He was entirely disabled for further duty, and was
borne from the field, Col. I. C. Pugh of the Forty-first Illinois succeeding him as
commander of the brigade. Late in the afternoon Major Stone had his horse shot under
him, and he was stunned by the fall, just when the enemy were charging and the regiment
was compelled to fall back. The gallant Major, was thus cut off from his command and
captured. Capt. M. M. Trumbull then took command of the regiment which had become
separated from its brigade. Upon reaching its own camp ground, the regiment again
faced the enemy, but found itself in the desperate situation of being nearly surrounded.
It again retired, fighting its way through its own camp, in which many of its men were
killed and wounded, among the wounded being the gallant Captain Trumbull.. The casualties
among the officers had been so great that only seven Lieutenants now remained upon duty,
and First Lieut. George W. Crosley of Company E was the ranking officer in command of the
regiment, which continued to fight its way to the rear and, at about 5:30 in the evening,
formed on the right of Colonel Crocker's Thirteenth Iowa at the line of last resistance.
After dark the regiment rejoined its brigade, and, on the morning of April 7th, again went
into action and fought to the close of the battle that day. The next day the dead were
collected from the field where they had fallen, and were buried near the regimental camp,
with the honors of war. This sad duty performed, details from the regiment assisted in
the burial of the enemy's dead, who were found in great numbers, and nowhere did they
lie thicker than at the points where the First Brigade of the Fourth Division had fought.
Capt. M. M. Trumbull, though still suffering from his wound, resumed command of the
regiment shortly after the battle, and wrote the official report, including a list of
the killed, wounded and missing. The summarized list, shows the loss of the regiment
as follows:
Killed, 23. Wounded, 134. Missing (captured by the enemy), 30. Total, 187 out
of 560 engaged. Of the captured, nearly all were wounded. Sixteen of the wounded, who
were not captured died of their wounds in hospital, increasing the death list of the battle
to 29. The total loss was one-third of the number engaged."
Captain Trumbull describes the conduct of the regiment during the battle, in detail,
and at the close of his report says:
The regiment went into battle on the second day under the command of First Lieutenant
G. W. Crosley of Company E, and, as I am well assured, nobly maintained the honor of the
flag. Should I designate meritorious officers, I should have to name nearly every officer
in the regiment. I think, however, none will feel envious if I specially mention Lieutenant
Crosley. I desire to call the attention of the general commanding the division to the
gallantry and good conduct of Sergeant James F. Lakin of Company F, who carried the colors
on the first day, and of Corporal Anderson Edwards of Company I, who carried the colors on
the second day of the battle.
In this order, thanking the survivors of his division for their good conduct during
the battle, Gen. Stephen A. Hurlbut says in part:
Let this division remember that for five hours on Sunday it held under the most
terrific fire, the key point of the left of the army, and only fell back when flanked
by overwhelming masses of the enemy, pressing through points abandoned by our supports.
Let them remember, that when they fell back, it was in good order, and that the last line
of resistance, in rear of the heavy guns, was formed by this division. Let them remember,
that on the morning of Monday, without food and without sleep, they were ordered toward to
reinforce the right, and that wherever either brigade of this division appeared on the
field, they were in time to support broken flanks, and hold the line. Keep these facts
and let it be the chief pride of every man of this command, as it is of you General, that
he was at Shiloh with the fighting Fourth Division.
The compiler of this sketch has given more space in this brief account of the part
taken by the regiment in the battle of Shiloh than he will be able to devote to the
subsequent battles in which it was engaged, with equal honor, but, in his judgment,
this great historical battle gave to the regiment an experience upon which was based
its subsequent splendid battle record.
If the history of its service had ended at Shiloh, the regiment would still have
a record of service reflecting great honor and credit upon the military history of the
State of Iowa. The regiment welcomed the order which removed its encampment from a
gloomy environment, for its old camp ground on the battlefield was in the midst of the
graves of both friend and foe, which were constant reminders of the horrors of the
tremendous conflict. The enemy had withdrawn to his stronghold at Corinth, only a day's
march from the scene of his defeat at Shiloh.
The Third Iowa, with its brigade and division, performed its full share of the
arduous service involved in the advance upon and siege of Corinth, resulting in the
evacuation of that place on May 30, 1862, and the pursuit of the enemy which followed,
and in the campaign the following summer in which the Fourth and Fifth Divisions of the
Arm of the Tennessee were constantly associated, ending on the 21st of July, 1862, when
these two divisions entered the city of Memphis, Tenn., after a long and toilsome march,
which put to the severest test the endurance of the troops. Lieutenant Colonel Scott
had resigned June 20, 1862, to accept promotion as Colonel of the Thirty-second Iowa.
Colonel Williams had returned and assumed command of the regiment after the evacuation
of Corinth, but he had only partially recovered from his injuries at Shiloh, and was
really unfitted for the active duties of the campaign. Major Stone had been exchanged,
and had resigned to accept promotion as Colonel of the Twenty-second Iowa, and
Quartermaster Geo. W. Clark had resigned July 17, 1862, to accept promotion as
Colonel of the Thirty-fourth Iowa.
The regiment remained in Memphis until September 6, 1862. The Fourth and
Fifth Divisions were now about to separate. Gen. W. T. Sherman expressed his regret
in a letter to General Hurlbut, from which the following brief extract is taken:
Permit me through you to convey to the officers and men of you division my deep
regret that the necessities of the service should at this time separate our commands.
Our divisions were the first to disembark at Pittsburg Landing, and through storm and
sunshine we have been side by side. The habit of acting together has made us one command,
and I feel in parting from you as though my own division was divided. Your division is
composed of good and sturdy men who by their behavior in camp, on guard, on the march
and in battle reflect honor and credit on themselves, and their country. Be pleased
to assure them that I will hail the change in events that will bring us together again.
Every many and officer of the Fourth Division fully appreciated this compliment.
They all loved and honored General Sherman, and were glad to receive his expression of
friendship and confidence in them, and in their trusted leader, General Hurlbut.
On the 6th of September the Fourth Division entered upon another long and arduous
campaign. It marched to Bolivar, Tenn., where it remained until October 3, 1862. On
the morning of that day the enemy was closing in about Corinth, and at 3 a. m. General
Hurlbut received orders to march for that place. The order was promptly obeyed and the
march was conducted with the greatest energy. On the afternoon of the next day the
advanced guard intercepted the enemy, on their retreat from Corinth, and the fighting
began just before dark, and the opposing forced lay upon their arms during the night.
In the morning, the battle was renewed, and continued until the enemy-who made a most
gallant and desperate defense-were completely vanquished, and in full retreat. The
Third Iowa Infantry bore a most conspicuous part in this conflict, known in history as
the battle of the Hatchie. It was under the command of the brave and intrepid Captain
Trumbull, and at a most critical stage of the battle crossed the bridge over the Hatchie
River, under a heavy fire, and after crossing again formed line of battle under the fire
of the enemy, charged up the steep hill, and drove the enemy from their strong position
on its crest. The brave Capt. W. P. Dodd was killed. Capt. E. I. Weiser and Lieut. D.
W. Foote, both of whom had been wounded in battle before, were here again severely wounded
and permanently disabled. Captain Kostman, Lieutenants Hamel and Anderson were severely
wounded. Lieutenant Gary remained in command of his company, after the death of Captain
Dodd, through suffering from a painful wound, until the close of the battle. Adjutant
Cushman, Lieutenants Scobey, McMurtrie, Burdic, Lakin and Abernethy were all warmly
commended by Captain Trumbull for their bravery and efficiency, and Corporal Edwards,
who again bravely bore the colors, and seemed gifted with a charmed life, received special
mention.
Company A being on detached duty, guarding the supply train, did not participate
in this battle. The total casualties in the regiment were 62 killed and wounded.
Brigadier General Hurlbut was, soon after the battle, promoted to Major General, and
assigned to the command of the Sixteenth Army Corps. The following brief extract from
his farewell address will show how he appreciated the officers and men of his old
"fighting Fourth Division":
And now a promotion won by your courage and discipline, removes me to a larger
command. Remember,, every man and officer, that whatever I may have of military
reputation, has been won by your valor, and that I wear it as coming from you.
Brig. Gen. J. G. Lauman succeeded General Hurlbut as commander of the division,
and Col. I. C. Pugh again assumed command of the First Brigade. The division now returned
to Bolivar where it remained until November 1, 1862. Colonel Williams had been with the
regiment most of the summer, but his health was very poor, and he was in actual command
only a part of the time.
Capt. Aaron Brown of Company F, was promoted to Major October 15, 1862, and Capt.
M. M. Trumbull was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel at the same time, but resigned November
20th to accept promotion as Colonel of the Ninth Iowa Cavalry. Colonel Williams resigned
on account of disability November 27, 1862, and Major Brown became the regimental commander.
The regiment now participated in the famous Mississippi Central Expedition, during which
it suffered greatly, particularly on the return march, when it was for several days
almost entirely without food. During the winter if 1863, the regiment was stationed
at Moscow, Tenn., and in the spring returned to Memphis. In the meantime Major Brown
had been promoted to Colonel, Capt. James Tillis to Lieutenant Colonel, and First Lieut.
George W. Crosley to Major. These promotions had all been earned on the battlefield,
and the men had full confidence in these officers. The company officers had also stood
the test of battle, and their men were ready to follow wherever they might lead, which
they fully demonstrated in the great campaign that soon began. On the afternoon of
May 18, 1862, the steamer "Crescent City" which conveyed the regiment down the river
was fired into by the enemy on shore, and, in the few minutes it was under fire. The
boat landed at Young's Point May 19, 1863, and, from that time until the close of the
Vicksburg campaign, the regiment was constantly engaged in the most active and arduous
service it had ever experienced. During the siege of Vicksburg, its division constituted
that portion of the investing force on the left of General Grant's army, for forty days.
The official reports of Colonel Brown and Major Crosley are among those published by the
Adjutant General of Iowa. They describe in detail the operations of the regiment during
the siege. Immediately following the surrender of Vicksburg, General Lauman's division
was ordered to Jackson, Miss., and took the most important part of any of the troops
engaged in the siege which followed. The Third Infantry here suffered a most disastrous
loss. It is the saddest chapter in the history of the regiment, and may well be compared
with the charge of the "Light Brigade," which Tennyson has immortalized in verse. The
division commander, Gen. Jacob G. Lauman, gave the order, as he received it, from Maj.
Gen. E O. C. Ord, who was in command of the Corps, No official investigation was ever
made, but the surviving officers and men of the brigade had implicit faith in the honor
of General Lauman, and believed he gave the order as it was given to him.
The veteran commander of the First Brigade, Coll. I. C. Pugh, promptly gave the
order as it was given to him by General Lauman, and the officers and men of the old
brigade obeyed the order without a moment's hesitation, as it was their duty to do.
"Theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do or die." The official report of this bloody
engagement was written by Maj. G. E. Crosley, who commanded the regiment after Colonel
Brown fell severely wounded. A copy of this report can be found on page 427 of the
Adjutant General's report for the State of Iowa+
The regiment went into action with 223 enlisted men, 15 line and 3 field and
staff officers, making an aggregate of 241 rank and file. Out of this number it lost
114, nearly fifty per cent of the number engaged. The regiment was so greatly reduced
in numbers that, on the evening of that fatal day, only a little more than a full
company of effective man answered to roll call.
Among the killed were the Ruckman brothers, Captain and Second Lieutenant of
Company B. and First Lieutenant Hall and First Sergeant Woodruff of the same company,
Lieutenant McMurtrie of Company D, Sergeants Gilmore, Dent, Follett, and many others.
Among the wounded were Col. Aaron Brown, severely; Majaor Crosley, slightly; Captain
Gary, and Lieutenants Abernethy, Anderson and Irwin, severely. Lieutenant Colonel
Tullis was at this time in hospital, suffering from both wounds and sickness. The
other regiments participating in tis terrible charge were the Twenty-eighth, Forty-
first and Fifty-third Illinois Infantry, and the total strength of the brigade was
880, while the total loss was 465.
The regiment now returned to Vicksburg, and with its division was ordered to
Natchez, Miss., where it remained until early in December, and then returned to
Vicksburg. Three-fourths of the able-bodied men now re-enlisted, and the regiment
became the Third Iowa Veteran Infantry.
Its next important service was upon the famous Meridian expedition during
which it was under the command of Major Crosley. The regiment left camp on the
3d of February, and returned on the 4th of March, having in that time marched 328
miles. It left camp with ten days' rations, and after that supply was exhausted
lived upon such food as could be obtained in the country through which it passed.
It had no tents while on this march, and suffered greatly from exposure to frequent
storms.
During this expedition, the regiment lost one man killed, one mortally
wounded and ten captured, while foraging. Several of the men who were captured
subsequently died in Andersonville prison. Soon after the return from this
expedition, the non-veteran portion of the regiment (those who had not re-enlisted)
were sent upon the Red River Campaign under command of Lieutenant Colonel Tullis,
and endured great hardship while participating in the operations of the forces
under General Banks in that ill-fated expedition. The regiment was never reunited.
The detachment under Lieutenant Colonel Tullis was subsequently sent to Davenport,
Iowa, and there mustered out of the service, on the 18th day of June, 1864, three
years and ten days from the date of muster ina at Keokuk. These officers and men
had served faithfully and well, beyond the term for which they had enlisted. Many
of them were married men, and it was no disparagement to them that they did not re-
enlist. Their record was altogether as honorable as that of their comrades who
chose to remain until the end of the war. Their ling term of service justly entitled
them to the name of veteran, which had been officially bestowed upon those who had
re-enlisted. The re-enlisted men, under command of Major Crosley, had previously
been sent to Davenport, at which point they had each received a thirty-day furlough.
At the expiration of their furloughs they promptly assembled at Davenport, bringing
with them a number of recruits, and again proceeded to the front, rejoinging their
old division at Cairo, Ill., and from there moving by boat to Clifton, Tenn.
From Clifton, the regiment marched with its brigade and division across the
states of Tennessee and Georgia, and joined Sherman's army, then moving against
Atlanta. St Kingston, Ga., the regiment was reorganized into and Infantry battalion
of three companies, designated as companies A, B, and C if the Third Iowa Veteran
Infantry, and here (the original term of the regiment having expired) the commissioned
officers held a meeting, and, in view of the reduction in the number of officers,
they all decided to be mustered out and give opportunity for the promotion of the
officers of the new organization from the ranks. The subjoined roster will show
the names of the men who thus received well-deserved promotion, and the names of
this officers who thus, honorably retired at the expiration of their original term
of service. The battalion was entitled to but one field officer, with the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel, and that well-deserved promotion cane to Second Lieut. Jacob
Abernethy, one of the braves and best officers of the old regiment. From Kingston,
Ga., on to the end of the Atlanta campaign, the Third Iowa Veterans performed
splendid service. On the 21st day of July Lieutenant Colonel Abernethy was killed
while gallantly leading his little battalion.
On July the 22d, the remnant of these veterans again met the enemy in fierce
conflict, and again met with heavy loss. On Jul 28th, the official reports show
that it was again in action with the Thirteenth Iowa Infantry commanded by Col.
John Shane. The few survivors were subsequently consolidated with the Second Iowa
Infantry, and the gallant Third, ceased to exist as a distinct military organization.
With the Second Iowa they marched with Sherman to the sea, thence to Washington where
they participated in the grand review, and were then ordered to Louisville, Ky. There,
on the 12th of July, 1865-over four years from the date of their muster in at Keokuk-
they mustered out, and the record of their heroic service was ended.
Few of these gallant men remain to peruse this record, but the children of those
who made it, and their posterity, so long as heroism and patriotic deed are cherished
and revered among men, will read the story of their bravery, fortitude and great
achievements, and thank God that they can trace their lineage to the men who, from
1861 to 1865, confronted the storm of the rebellion, and saved the United States of
America from disruption and destruction.
SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.
Total Enrollment 1109
Killed 79
Wounded 370
Died of wounds 30
Died of disease 190
Discharged for disease, wounds and other causes 270
Buried in National Cemeteries 81
Captured 116
Transferred 24
THIRD REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INGANTRY
Term of service three years
Mustered into service of the United States at Keokuk, Iowa, June 10, 1861,
by Lieutenant Alexander Chambers, United States Army.
Roster of Field, Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Staff Officers at muster in of
organization, together with subsequent appointment from civil life.
FIELD AND STAFF
COMPANY "D"
Stockdale, John Wesley. (Veteran.) Age 21. Residence, Bloomfield, nativity Ohio.
Enlisted May 29, 1861. Mustered Jun 8, 1861. Taken prisoner Feb. 18. 1863, Moscow,
Tenn. Re-enlisted and re-mustered Feb. 3, 1864. See company C, Third Infantry
Consolidated Battalion.
THIRD IOWA VETERAN INFANTRY
Term of service three years.
Mustered into the service of the United States at Hebron, Miss, by Lieutenant
Dyde,Roster of Field, Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Staff Officers at muster in
of organization, together with subsequent appointments from civil life.
COMPANY "C"
Stockdale, John W. (Veteran.) age 21, Residence Bloomfield, nativity Ohio.
Enlisted Jan. 4, 1864. Mustered Feb. 2, 1864. Transferred from company D,
Third Infantry. See company I, Second and Third Consolidated.
SECOND AND THIRD VETERAN INFANTRY CONSOLIDATED
Roster of Field, Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Staff Officers at muster
in of organization, together with subsequent appointments from civil life.
FIELD AND STAFF.
Noah B. Howard. Age 27. Residence Lyon, nativity Vermont. Appointed Colonel
Nov. 8, 1864, from Lieutenant Colonel. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ky
COMPANY "B"
Baldwin, John S. Age 22. Residence Lyons, nativity New York. Enlisted Feb. 27,
1864. Mustered March 3, 1864. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ky.
Transferred from company B, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "G"
Burge, Thomas J. (Veteran.) Age 18. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Ohio.
Re-enlisted Dec. 23, 1863. Re-mustered Dec. 23, 1863. Promoted Sixth Corporal
Oct. 17, 1864; Second Corporal Jan. 3, 1865. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville,
Ky. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
COMPANY " G"
Carson, Beecher R. (Veteran.) Age 19. Residence Bloomfield nativity Indiana.
Re-enlisted Dec. 23, 1863, as Fourth Corpora;. Re-mustered Dec. 24, 1862.
Promoted First Corporal Dec. 24, 1864. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville,
Ky., expiration of term of service. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
Cook, Phillip H. Age 27. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Indiana. Enlisted Aug.
16, 1862. Mustered Aug. 16, 1862. Mustered out May 30, 1865, expiration of term
of service. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
Curl, Joseph W. (Veteran.) Age 21. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Indiana.
Re-enlisted Dec. 23, 1863. Re0mutered Dec. 23, 1863. Mustered out July 12, 1865,
Louisville, Ky. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
Demuth, Jacob. Age 18. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Switzerland. Enlisted
Feb. 9, 1865. Mustered Feb. 9, 1865. Mustered out July 12, 1865.
Demuth, John A. (Veteran.) Age 18. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Switzerland.
Re-enlisted March 6, 1864, as First Sergeant. Re-mustered May 7, 1864. Promoted
Second Lieutenant July 28, 1864. First Lieutenant Dec. 12, 1864. Mustered out
July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ky. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
Elliott, John H. or F. Age 22. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Indiana.
Enlisted Feb. 5, 1864. Mustered Feb. 5, 1864. Wounded in left hand Feb. 26,
1865, Lynch Creek, S. C. Mustered out June 21, 1865, Keokuk, Iowa. Transferred
from company G, Second Battalion.
Fahn or Fohn, Joseph. Age 34. Residence Clinton County, nativity Germany.
Enlisted Nov. 14, 1861. Mustered Nov. 14, 1861. Mustered out Dec. 14, 1864,
expiration of term of service. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
French, Morris P. Age 22. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Indiana. Enlisted Aug.
16, 1862. Mustered Aug. 16 1862. Mustered out May 30, 1865, expiration of term
of service. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "C"
Greenough, George W. Age 25. Residence Lyon, nativity New York. Enlisted Sept
28, 1861. Mustered Sept 28, 1861. Mustered out Dec. 13, 1864. Transferred from
company C, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "H"
Getty, John. Age 24. Residence Clinton County, nativity Pennsylvania. Enlisted
Aug. 39, 1862. Mustered Aug. 30, 1862. Mustered out April 30, 1865, expiration
of term of service. Transferred from company H, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "G"
Haney, James. Age 23. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Scotland. Enlisted Jan.
28, 1864. Mustered Jan. 28, 1864. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ky.
Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
Jones, Henry H. (Veteran.) Age 17. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Indiana.
Re-enlisted Feb. 25, 1864. Re-mustered Feb. 24, 1864. Promoted Chief Musician
Jan. 4, 1864. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ky. Transferred from
company G, Second Battalion.
Julian, James A. (Veteran.) Age 18. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Ohio.
Re-enlisted Dec. 23, 1863. Re-mustered Dec, 24, 1863. Promoted Second corporal
Dec 24, 1863; Fifth Sergeant Jan. 2, 1865. Mustered out July 12m 1865, Louisville,
Ky. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "E"
Kinoum or Kingyoun, James E. Age 29. Residence Lyons, nativity Indiana.
Enlisted Sept. 28, 1864. Mustered Sept. 28, 1864. Mustered out May 31, 1865.
Keeler, Richard B. Age 18. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Indiana. Enlisted
Jan. 18, 1864. Mustered Jan. 18, 1864. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville,
Ky. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
Kinnick, William L. (Veteran.) Age 21. Residence Bloomfield, nativity North
Carolina. Re-enlisted Dec. 23, 1863. Re-mustered Dec. 24, 1863. Mustered out
July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ky. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
Knight, Archibald. (Veteran.) Age 20. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Illinois.
Re-enlisted Dec. 23, 1863. Re-mustered Dec. 24, 1963. Mustered out July 12, 1865,
Louisville, Ky. Transferred from company G. Second Battalion.
Lumley, Jacob G. Age 21. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Indiana. Enlisted Aug.
29, 1962. Mustered Aug. 29, 1862. Mustered out May 39, 1865, expiration of term
of service. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "C"
Miller, George. Age 22. Residence Lyons, nativity Ohio. Enlisted Aug. 30, 1862.
Mustered Aug. 30, 1862. Mustered out June 1, 1865, Washington, D. C.
Miller, Joseph S. Age 25. Residence Lyons, nativity Ohio. Enlisted Aug. 30, 1862.
Mustered Aug. 30, 11862. Mustered out June 1, 1865, Washington, D. C. Transferred
from company C, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "H"
Polley, Albert. Age 19. Residence Lyons, nativity Ohio. Enlisted Jan. 26, 1865.
Mustered Jan 26, 1865. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ks.
COMPANY "G"
Reagin, James. (Veteran.) Age 18. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Indiana.
Re-enlisted Dec. 23, 1863. Re-mustered Dec. 23, 1863. Promoted Second Lieutenant
Dec. 12, 1864. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ky. Tranferred from company
G, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "C"
Shadduck, Foy. Age 23. Residence Lyons, nativity Iowa. Enlisted Aug, 30, 1862.
Mustered Aug. 30, 1862. Mustered out June 1, 1865, Washington, D. C. Transferred
from company C, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "G"
Scott, John W. (Veteran.) Age 18. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Ohio.
Re-enlisted April 3, 1963, as First Lieutenant. Re-mustered May 1, 1863.
Promoted Captain Dec. 12, 1864. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ky.
Scott, John W. Age 19. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Indiana. Enlisted Aug. 26,
1862. Mustered Aug. 26, 1862. Mustered out May 30, 1865. Transferred from company
G, Second Battalion.
Shivley, John. Age 42. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Germany. Enlisted Feb.
15, 1864. Mustered Feb. 15, 1864. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ky.
Transferred from company G. Second Battalion.
Snoddy, John. Age 22. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Indiana. Enlisted Feb. 15,
1864. Mustered Feb. 15, 1864. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ky.
Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
Stephens, James H. (Veteran.) Age 19. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Iowa.
Re-enlisted Dec 23, 1863. Re-mustered Dec. 24, 1862. Promoted Wagoner Dec.
24, 1863. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville, Ky. Transferred from company
G, Second Battalion.
Sutton, Kasper N. Age 20. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Illinois. Enlisted
Aug. 25, 1862. Mustered Aug. 24, 1862. Mustered out May 30, 1865, expiration
of term of service. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "H"
Sloan, Flaminius H. Age 20. Residence Clinton County, nativity Iowa. Enlisted
Aug. 30, 1862. Mustered Aug. 30, 1862. Mustered out May 31, 1865, expiration of
term of service. Transferred from company H, Second Battalion.
Sloan, Lafayette T. Age 22. Residence Lyons, nativity Iowa. Enlisted Aug. 30,
1862 Mustered Aug. 30, 1862. Promoted Third Sergeant Aug. 39, 1862; Sergeant
Major Jan. 4, 1865. Mustered out May 22, 1865, Louisville, Ky. Transferred
from company H, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "I"
Stockdale, John W. (Veteran.) Age 24. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Ohio.
Re-enlisted Jan 4, 1864. Re-mustered Feb. 2, 1864. Wounded. Mustered out July
12, 1865, Louisville, Ky. Transferred from company C, third Battalion.
COMPANY "C"
Turner, Thomas T. Age 29. Residence Lyon, nativity England. Enlisted Aug. 30,
1862. Mustered Aug. 30, 1862. Mustered out June 1, 1865, Washington, D. C.
Transferred from company C, Second Battalion.
COMPANY "G"
Tharp, Nathan D. Aug 20. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Iowa. Enlisted Aug.
16, 1862. Mustered Aug. 16, 1862. Mustered out May 30, 1865, expiration of
term of service. Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
Tharp, William T. (Veteran.) Age 21. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Ohio.
Re-enlisted Dec. 23, 1863. Re-mustered Dec. 24, 1863. Promoted Third Corporal
Dec. 24, 1863; Fourth Sergeant Jan. 2, 1865. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Louisville,
Ky Transferred from company G, Second Battalion.
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