Civil War VeteransCivil War VeteransJeannie Winter has provided this picture of her great grandfather Aaron Lewis who was one of the oldest settlers of Clarke County. Aaron was a drummer in the 39th Iowa Company K during the Civil War.
The photo is of Aaron Lewis and Joseph Linder (Aaron's wife Susan Linder Lewis' brother). Both are in their Union uniforms, Aaron with his drum and Joseph with his fife. Joseph, also of Clarke Co., was a fifer in 39th Iowa Company K. Joseph was injured in a forced march to the battle of Parker's Crossroads and died a few months later of complications of those injuries.
The drum in this photograph was Aaron's original drum. It was destroyed in one of the battles. His Company took up a collection and bought him a new one, which he carried with him the remainder of the war and is now held at the Iowa Historical Building in Des Moines.
Aaron's face is very thin in this photograph, unlike his more full face in other later photos of him-which really shows the deplorable conditions which they lived under during the war.
Aaron went on to several more battles and marched with Sherman to the sea, ending up in the Grand Review in Washington DC. Aaron Lewis lived to be an old age in Osceola and is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery.
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