MILITARY: Civil War Rosters, Clinton County Iowa
CIVIL WAR BOOK #2
MILITARY: Civil War Rosters, Clinton County Iowa
We would like to thank the Clinton County Historical Society for the use of their
library and material.
Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion Together with
Historical Sketches of Volunteer Organizations 1861-1866:
Vol. 2
9th- 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
TWELFTH REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
The ten companies composing the Twelfth Regiment of Iowa Volunteer Infantry were ordered
into quarter by Governor Kirkwood on dates ranging from Sept. 24 to Oct. 10, 1861, under the
proclamation of President Lincoln bearing date July 23, 1861. The companies were mustered into
the service of the United States by Capt. E. C. Washington, United States Army, at Dubuque,
Iowa, on dates ranging from Oct. 17 to Nov. 25, 1861. The total enrollment at muster in was
981, rank and file.
Only three days after the last company was mustered, the regiment left Camp Union, near
Dubuque, and proceeded by railroad to St. Louis, Mo. Upon its arrival there it marched at once
to Benton Barracks, where troops were being concentrated and instructed in company and
battalion drill and the other duties of the soldier, in order that they might be prepared to
take the field against the enemy at the earliest possible date. This period of preparation was
utilized to the utmost advantage. The regiment remained in this huge camp of instruction until
Jan. 27, 1862. It had gained much in the knowledge of the manual of arms and the military
movements that would be necessary when it came into contact with the enemy. It was now about
to enter upon a campaign which would put to the test the courage and fortitude of its officers
and men, and in which it was to learn its first severe lessons in actual warfare.
The regiment was ordered to proceed to Cairo, Ill., where it received orders from General
Grant and embarked on steamers which landed at the mouth of the Cumberland river, and here the
regiment made its first encampment in the field, Jan. 31, 1862. On the 5th of February it
again embarked and was conveyed, by way of Paducah, Ky., to a point four miles below Fort
Henry, where it landed and joined the force which was to co-operate with the gunboats, under
Commodore Foote, in an attack upon the fort. Owing to the almost impassable condition of the
roads, the troops did not arrive until the gunboats had compelled the evacuation of the fort
and secured possession of it.
On the 12th of February, the regiment was assigned to Cook's brigade of Smith's division
and ordered to Fort Donelson, where it arrived the same day and became part of the investing
force. Its first position was to the left of the Dover road, where it lay in line of battle
during the night, ready for action. During the three days' siege which followed, and which
ended in the surrender of the fort and its garrison, the Twelfth Iowa rendered most important
and efficient service. It was on the afternoon of February 15th that the regiment suffered its
greatest loss, while supporting the charge of Colonel Lauman's brigade. Col. J. J. Woods was
in command of the regiment and wrote the official report of its conduct, in which he makes
special mention of the bravery and efficiency of Lieutenant Colonel Coulter, Major Brodtbeck,
Adjutant Duncan, Lieutenant Door, Surgeon Parker and Assistant Surgeon Finley, Sergeant Major
Morrisey and Color Bearer Sergeant Grannis. The Colonel concludes his report as follows:
"Without further particularizing, every commissioned officer of the regiment performed his
duties without flinching. The same way be said of the non-commissioned officers and privates,
with but few exceptions."
The regiment remained at Fort Donelson, occupying the quarters built by the rebel
soldiers, until March 12, 1862, when it marched to Metal Landing on the Tennessee river, where
in embarked on steamers and was conveyed to Pittsburg Landing. There it landed on the 21st of
March and was assigned to a brigade composed of the Second, Seventh, Twelfth and Fourteenth
regiments of Iowa Infantry, commanded by Col. J. M. Tuttle of the Second Iowa. This was the
First Brigade of the Second Division, commanded by Gen. W. H. L. Wallace, a division which was
destined to save the day for the Union army on Sunday, the 6th of April, 1862.
The compiler of this historical sketch has a just appreciation of the subsequent splendid
record of service of the Twelfth Iowa Infantry, and regrets that the limitation to which he is
subjected will not permit a detailed history of all it operations, but feels that the
importance of its service at Shiloh requires a greater amount of space than can be devoted to
any of the battles in which it was afterwards engaged. Col J. J. Woods, who commanded the
regiment, and who was severely wounded, gives a detailed account of its operations, over his
signature, which is not in the form of an official report, and which is not dated, but which
substantially agrees with the official report of Col. J. M. Tuttle, who commanded the brigade.
This account is here quoted in full, as follows:
On the morning of April 6, 1862, the rebels having attacked our advanced lines at Shiloh,
Tenn., the Twelfth Iowa Infantry Volunteers was rapidly formed and joined the other regiments--
Second, Seventh and Fourteenth of the Iowa Brigade, being the First Brigade, under Brigadier
General Tuttle, of the Second Division under General Wallace. The brigade was marched to near
the field beyond General Hurlbut's headquarters, and formed in line of battle, the Second and
Seventh on our right, the Fourteenth on our left. The Eighth Iowa of Prentiss' division was on
the left of the Fourteenth, forming an angle to the rear with our line. An open field lay in
front of our right. Dense timber cover our left. A small ravine was immediately behind us.
In this position we awaited the approach of the enemy. Soon he made a bold attack on us, but
met with a warm reception, and we soon repulsed him. Again and again did he attack us, trying
vainly to drive us from our position. He failed to move us one inch from our position. On the
contrary, we repulsed every attack of the enemy and drove him back in confusion. Thus matters
stood in our front until about 4 o'clock P.M., at which time it became evident, by the firing
on our left, that the enemy was getting on our rear. An Aid-de-Camp rode up and directed me to
face to the rear and fall back, stating, in answer to my inquiry, that I would receive orders
as to the position I was to occupy. No such orders reached me, and I suppose could not.
The Second and Seventh Iowa had already gone to the rear, and, on reaching the high
ground between our position and General Hurlbut's headquarters, we discovered that we were
already surrounded, we nevertheless opened a brisk fire on that portion of the enemy who
blocked our passage to the landing, who, after briskly returning our fire for a short time,
fell back. A brisk fire from the enemy on our left (previous right) was going on at the same
time. Seeing the enemy in front falling back, we attempted by a rapid movement to cut our way
through, but the enemy on our left advanced rapidly, coming n behind us, pouring into our ranks
a most destructive fire. The enemy in front faced about and opened on us at short range, the
enemy in our rear still closing in on us rapidly. I received two wounds, disabling me from
further duty. The command then, devolved on Captain Edgington, acting as field officer. The
enemy had, however, already so closely surrounded us that their ball which missed our men took
effect in their ranks beyond us. To have held out longer would have been to suffer complete
annihilation. The regiment was therefore compelled to surrender as prisoners of war.
Lieutenant Colonel Coulter was much reduced by chronic diarrhoea, and Major Brodtbeck was
suffering from rheumatism.. Being myself the only field officer on duty, at my request Captain
Edgington acted as a field officer, the duties of which he performed in an able and efficient
manner. Quartermaster Dorr, though his position did not require him to go into action,
volunteered to do so, and throughout the day behaved in a brave and gallant manner, daringly,
if not recklessly, exposing his person to the enemy. He made himself very useful in carrying
messages and spying out the positions and movements of the enemy, and firing on them as
occasion offered; energetic and efficient in his own department, he would fill a higher one
with credit to himself and honor to the service. Adjutant Duncan proved himself on this, as on
all occasions, a faithful and efficient officer. Captains Earle, Warner, Stibbs, Haddock, Van
Duzee and Townsley performed well their part, as did all the Lieutenants in the action, in a
prompt and willing manner. The non-commissioned officers and men stood bravely up to their
work, and never did men behave better. In the death of Lieutenant Ferguson, of company D, the
regiment lost one of its best drilled officers and a gallant soldier. it also lost a good man
and goo officer in the death of Lieutenant Moir of company A.
J. J. WOODS,
Colonel Twelfth Iowa Volunteers.
Colonel Woods does not give a list of the killed, wounded, and capture, or the aggregate
loss of the regiment, in the battle of Shiloh, but, in his outline history of its organization
and operations, Maj. Samuel G. Knee states that at the time of its surrender it had lost 16
men killed and 97 wounded, and that about 400 were captured. The official tabulated statement
of losses gives the aggregate loss of the Twelfth Iowa at Shiloh as 479. A foot note to this
return states: "A number of the captured and missing were also wounded,: The statement of
Major Knee may therefore be considered as a close approximation to the actual number killed and
wounded, notwithstanding its variance from the tabulated return, increasing the aggregate loss
of the regiment to 513. It is no disparagement to any one of the other eight Iowa regiments
that participated in the historic battle of Shiloh to say that the service rendered by the
Eighth, Twelfth and Fourteenth which stemmed the tide of battle at the front, with the
victorious enemy on both flanks pushing the remainder of General Grant's army to its last line
of resistance, was of transcendent importance in deciding the fortune of that first day's
battle.
Soon after the battle, the remnants of the Eighth, Twelfth and Fourteenth Iowa, and
Fifty-eighth Illinois, consisting of those who had escaped capture, together with the slightly
wounded, those who had been on furlough and detached service at the time of the battle, and the
convalescents returned from hospital, were consolidated into an organization which was
designated as the "Union Brigade," although it numbered but 478, rank and file, when
organized, and its maximum strength-Oct. 1, 1862--was but 631. The Twelfth Iowa had an
aggregate of only 75--3 commissioned officers and 72 enlisted men--when it was assigned to the
"Union Brigade." This detachment of the Twelfth was under the command of the gallant Lieut. D.
B. Henderson, and rendered efficient service during the advance upon and siege of Corinth. Its
most conspicuous service was in the battle of Corinth, Oct. 3-4, 1862, where it sustained a
loss of 39 killed, wounded and missing out of 80 men engaged. Among the wounded of Corinth
were Lieut. D. B. Henderson, who lost his left leg, Capt. Allen E. Webb, and Lieut. J. R. C.
Hunter. During a considerable part of the time that the "Union Brigade" was maintained it was
commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Coulter of the Twelfth Iowa, who was also wounded at Corinth,
but was sufficiently recovered to resume command on the 11th of December, 1862, and, a few days
later, received the following order:
Specual Orders, No. 62.
Headquarters Division of Corinth,
Corinth, Miss., Dec. 17, 1862.
The formation known as the Union Brigade is hereby dissolved. The Eighth, Twelfth and
Fourteenth Iowa Infantry will proceed to Iowa tomorrow, the 18th inst., under the charge and
command of Lieutenant Colonel Coulter, and report to Adjutant General N. B. Baker, of Iowa, for
re-organization.
By order of G. M. Dodge, Brig. Gen'l.
L. H. EVARTS. A. A. Gen'l.
In compliance with this order, the officers and men belonging to the designated
detachments started for Iowa, but the rebel General Forrest, with his cavalry command, had
partially destroyed a portion of the line of railroad over which they were to pass, the
repairing of which consumed so much time that they did not reach Davenport until Jan. 7, 1863.
In the meantime, about half of the Twelfth Iowa who had been captured at Shiloh were paroled
and sent to Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Mo., there to await exchange. The rest remained in
prison during the summer and fall. Many died in prison, and many others were unfitted by their
sufferings for further service. They were finally sent north to Libby Prison, in Richmond,
Va., thence to Aiken's Landing, where they were paroled on the 20th of November, 1862. They
were then sent to Annapolis, Md., and thence to St. Louis, where they joined the other
detachment of paroled prisoners. The detachment which had been sent to Davenport, Iowa,
remained there during the winter of 1862-3 and was sent to St. Louis, arriving there on the
29th of March, 1863, and proceeded to Benton Barracks, where all of the survivors of the
regiment were again assembled, under the command of Colonel Woods. The paroled prisoners had
been exchanged, and the regiment was ordered to prepare to again take the field. Capt. S. R.
Edgington was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Capt. J. H. Stibbs to Major, these officers
succeeding Lieutenant Colonel Coulter and Major Brodtbeck, who had resigned. There were
numerous other changes which will all be found noted upon the roster which follows this sketch.
On the 9th of April the regiment embarked on steamers and procedded down the river to
Duckport, La., where it landed and was assigned to the Third Brigade of the Third Division of
the Fiftheenth Army Corps. The Fifteenth Corps was commanded by Gen. W. T. Sherman, the Third
Division by Brig. Gen. J. M. Tuttle, of Iowa, while the Brigade--consisting of the Eighth Iowa,
Colonel Geddes, the Twelfth Iowa, Colonel Woods, and the Thirty-fifth Iowa, Colonel Hill--was
commanded by the Brig. Gen. Charles L. Matthies, also of Iowa. On the 2d of May, 1863, General
Sherman's divosion moved from Duckport, La., and participtated in the memorable campaign which
ended in the surrender of Vicksburg on the 4th, the evacuation of Jackson on the 17th, and the
capture of Brandon on the 20th of July. From the beginning to the end of this arduous
campaign, upon the march, in battle, and in the trenches at Vicksburg and Jackson, the Twelfth
Iowa performed it full duty and received the commendations of its regimental, brigade and
division commanders. The results of this campaign were very important. The capture of General
Pemberton and his entire army at the surrender of Vicksburg, and the losses sustained by the
enemy in the various battles which led up to and during the siege, together with those which
followed, to the close of the campaign, aggregated more than 50,000 men, and dealt a staggering
blow to the rebel cause.
The regiment went into camp on Black River, eight miles in rear of Vicksburg, and enjoyed
a season of comparative rest until the 10th of October, when it engaged in an expedition in the
direction of Canton, Miss. It had slight engagement with the enemy near Brownsville, where
it captured and destroyed a cavalry camp. Returning from the expedition, the regiment remained
in camp until early in November, when it was ordered to Memphis and upon arriving there, was
assigned to the Third Brigade of the First Division of Major General Hurlbut's Sixteenth Corps,
and was stationed at Chewalla ninety miles from Memphis, to guard a section of the railroad.
On the 25th of December, 1863, 298 men--a large majority of those present for duty--re-
enlisted as veterans, and were re-mustered into the service for three years, or during the war,
on the 5th day of January, 1864. On the 1st of February, 1864, the regiment was ordered to
return to Memphis, and thence down the river to Vicksburg, where it arrived too late to
participate in the celebrated Meridian expedition of which it was to have formed a part. It
remained in camp until the return of that expedition, when orders were received by Col. J. J.
Woods to proceed with the men who had re-enlisted--330 in number--on veteran furlough to their
homes in Iowa the veterans arrived at Davenport, Iowa, on the 22d of March, and were given a
furlough for thirty days, from that date. On the 22d of April they reassembled at Davenport,
and, a few days later, were again on their way to the South. On the 2d of May they were again
in camp near Memphis. In the meantime, the men of the regiment who had not re-enlisted were
temporarily attached to the Thirty-fifth Iowa and, with that regiment, took part in the Red
River campaign. this detachment numbered only about seventy men. The were engaged in the
battle of Pleasant Hill and other engagements, under command of Gen. A. J. Smith, and lost
several of their number in killed and wounded. The survivors of this detachment rejoined the
regiment in Memphis about the middle of June.
On the 14th of May, six companies of the regiment, under the command of Lieut. Col. J. H.
Stibbs, were ordered to the mouth of White River, Ark., for the purpose of establishing a
military post at that point. Lieutenant Colonel Stibbs performed the duty assigned him and ,
on the 1st of June, was ordered to return to Memphis with four companies of his detachment, and
to leave tow companies as a garrison for the post. Companies A and F, under command of Capt.
J. R. C. Hunter, were detailed for this important duty. The building of the stockade at the
post had not been entirely completed when, on the night of the 22d of June, the little garrison
was attacked by a largely superior force of rebels, consisting of the Tenth Missouri (rebel)
regiment under command of Colonel Lawler. The attack was sudden and determined and, at the
weakest point in the stockade, the enemy gained a temporary lodgment, but they were met with
such prompt and stubborn resistance that they soon fled, leaving twenty killed and mortally
wounded upon the field, a Lieutenant and Major among the number. Those who were wounded and
able to retreat did so, and the rebel loss in killed and wounded was probably double the number
of those left behind. Captain Hunter reported the loss of the garrison as one killed, and five
so severely wounded that they died within a short time after the engagement. Corporal George
D. Hunter, who was killed, and Sergeant Isaac Cottle, who was the first to die from the effects
of his wound, were among the first to meet the attack of the enemy, and both exhibited great
bravery, as did every one of that little band of the Twelfth Iowa, numbering in all but forty-
eight effective men with muskets. For thus gallantly defending their post, Captain Hunter and
his little command were highly commended by General Buford, commanding the District of Helena.
On the 16th of June, 1864, the eight companies of the regiment, under command of
Lieutenant Colonel Stibbs, with Colonel Woods of the Twelfth Iowa commanding the brigade,
started upon an expedition through Mississippi. On the 13th, 14th and 15th of July, 1864, the
regiment was engaged in battle near Tupelo, Miss,m and lost in the three days' fighting 64 in
killed and wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Stibbs describes in detaol the part taken by his
regiment on the bloody field:
On the 13th, about 2 P.M., while marching as guard for the supply train and support for
Muhler's sixth Indiana Battery, we were heavily attacked on our right flank by Maley's
Mississippi brigade at a point where the timber and underbrush were so dense as to make it
almost impossible to maneuver the men. Having learned by my flankers the point at which the
enemy were striking, I moved my command so as to meet their front fairly, and then as nearly as
possible concealed my men in the brush and awaited the attack. We allowed the enemy to
advance, without firing a shot, until they were within twenty paces, when we poured a volley
into their ranks. This threw them into confusion, and, after a sharp fight of twenty minutes,
we drove them from our front with heavy loss. Our loss during this action was one man killed,
one officer and eleven men wounded and one missing.
On the morning of the 14th, at Tupelo, I posted my command on the right of the Pontotock
road. In front of, and running parallel with our line, was a heavy rail fence, which we threw
down in such a manner as to form a good protection against small arms. My regiment was the
first to receive the enemy's attack. We held our position under a heavy fire for about two
hours, when, our ammunition being exhausted, we were ordered to the rear, and our place taken
by the Seventh Minnesota. Companies E and H being furnished ammunition were allowed to remain
at the front, and were thus kept constantly engaged during the entire action. The other
companies, after receiving a fresh supply of ammunition were allowed to remain at the front,
and were thus kept constantly engaged during the entire action. The other companies, after
receiving a fresh supply of ammunition, again moved forward and took position in front, and
remained engaged until ordered to charge, when we moved forward on the double quick, driving
the enemy from our front and capturing a number of prisoners. Our loss during this day was one
officer and six men killed and thirty-nine men wounded.
On the morning of the 15th, my regiment formed the left center of the brigade line,. We
had a substantial breastwork of cotton bales in our front, which served as an admirable
protection against the enemy's shrp shooters. We took full part in the fight of the dy, losing
one man killed, and three wounded. My command numbered on the first day's fight 295 muskets.
Our loss during the three days' fighting was one officer and eight men killed, one officer and
fifty-four men wounded and one man missing. Lieut. A. A. Burdick, A. R. Q. M., who was
killed, had been ordered to the rear with his train, but, after seeing his wagons properly
parked, he came to the front and volunteered to assist in bringing forward ammunition. While
thus engaged, he was struck by a shell and instantly killed. The officers and men of my
command behaved nobly. As evidence of the cool, deliberate and accurate manner in which out
fire was delivered, I would refer you to the great number of the enemy's dead that were strewn
in front of the lines occupied by my regiment.
The brigade commander--Col. J. J. Woods--in this official report gives full credit to
the other regiments for their conduct in the battles at Tupelo, speaks in the highest terms of
the manner in which his old regiment, with its gallant commander Lieut. Col. J. H. Stibbs,
acquitted itself. The total loss of the brigade was 197, and the loss of the Twelfth Iowa was
by far the greatest, in proportion to its number engaged.
The regiment then returned to La Grange, Tenn., where it arrived July 21, 1864, and from
there proceeded to Memphis where it remained until August 1st, 1864, and from there proceeded
to Memphis where it remained until August 1st, when it again started south into Mississippi,
going as far as Oxford. About this time, companies A & F, having been relieved from duty at
the post on White River, Ark., rejoined the regiment, and the remnants of its of its ten
companies were once more united. Its numbers had been so greatly reduced by deaths from wounds
and disease, killed in battle, discharged for disability, and the absent--sick in hospitals,
and on furlough--that it now numbered less than 250 men present for duty. After and arduous
march of 230 miles, the regiment returned to Memphis on the 23d day of August.
On the 1st of September, General Mower, commanding the division to which the Twelfth Iowa
was then attached, was ordered to Duvall's Bluff, Ark., to intercept a rebel force under
General Price. Upon the approach of the Union troops, the rebel force retreated, going
northward, with General Mower's division in pursuit. The march was continued over difficult,
roads and with insufficient rations, for seventeen days, covering a distance of 326 miles,
ending at Cape Girardeau, Mo., where the division arrived on the 5th of October. Here the
division embarked on steamers and was conveyed to St. Louis, thence to Jefferson City, Mo.,
where it landed and again started in pursuit of Price's rebel army. The pursuit was continued,
but at no time could the Union force get near enough the retreating enemy to compel him to halt
and give battle. At. Harrisonville, Mo., the infantry gave up the pursuit, leaving the cavalry
to follow the rebel army and watch its subsequent movements. On the 30th of October the
division started on the return march and reached St. Louis on the 15th of November, having
marched--within thirty day--543 miles in pursuit of its elusive enemy. The Twelfth Iowa had
participated in all the hardship and suffering incident to this long march. On the 23d of
November the regiment embarked on steamer for Nashville, where it arrived Dec. 1, 1864., and on
December 1st, Colonel Woods, Major Van Duzee and all but four of the line officers, and the
enlisted men whose terms of service had expired, were mustered out of service. Lieut. Col. J.
H. Stibbs was left in command of the veterans and recruits, while Capt. S. G. Knee was acting
as a field officer, Lieut. D. W. Reed, Acting Adjutant and Lieut. H. C. Morehead, Acting
Quartermaster. All the companies were therefore left in command of non-commissioned officers.
On the 15th and 16th days of December, 1864, the regiment was engaged in the battle of
Nashville, in which it repeated its splendid fighting record. In his official report of this
two days' battle, Lieutenant Colonel Stibbs gives the details of the part taken by his
regiment. He describes the gallant charge on the forenoon of the first day, in which the
Twelfth Iowa bore a conspicuous part, and in which the brave Col. S. G. Hill of the Thirty-
fifth Iowa, who was in command of the brigade, was shot through the head and instantly killed.
It was in that charge that Lieut. D. W. Reed, Acting Adjutant of the Twelfth Iowa,
distinguished himself by leading a portion of his regiment over the enemy's second line of
works and capturing a large number of prisoners and several pieces of artillery. On the second
day the regiment participated in another gallant charge, resulting in the capture of hundreds
of prisoners and several stands of colors, together with guns, caissons and ammunition. At the
conclusion of his report, Lieutenant Colonel Stibbs makes special mention of the fact that all
the companies of the regiment were commanded by Sergeants. He commends Captain Knee, Acting
Major Lieutenant Morehead, Acting Quartermaster, for valuable services rendered on the field.
He also commends Assistant Surgeon Underwood, who stood faithfully at his post and dressed the
wounds of the men under the fire of the enemy, and Chaplain Humphrey, who rendered invaluable
service in looking after, and caring for, the wounded. He also mentions Sergeant Major Burch
and Color Sergeants Grannis and Clark for great bravery and efficiency in the performance of
their important duties, and concludes by saying that all did their duty nobly, and, to do them
full justice, every officer and enlisted man of the regiment would be entitled to special
mention. The loss of the regiment in this battle was one killed and nineteen wounded.
After the battle of Nashville, the regiment followed in the pursuit of Hood's army, to
Clifton on the Tennessee river, arriving there on the 2d day of January, 1865. Leaving Clifton
January 5th, it proceeded to Eastport, Miss., where it went into winter quarters. Here
Lieutenant Colonel Stibbs was ordered to Washington, he having been detailed as a member of a
general court martial. He remained upon that duty and other detached service until after his
regiment was mustered out of the service. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel of his
regiment Feg. 11, 1865, and was mustered out of the service April 30, 1866. He was
subsequently given the well deserved promotion to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General of
Volunteers. While at Eastport, the following promotions occurred: Capt. S. G. Knee was given
the rank of Major, S. R. Burch was promoted to Adjutant and H. C. Morehead to Quartermaster of
the regiment. While at this camp the men were subjected to great hardship on account of
insufficient rations; for a part of the time they were almost at the point at starvation, the
only food obtainable being corn in the ear.
On the 6th of February, 1865, the brigade to which the Twelfth Iowa was attached was
ordered to New Orleans, where it arrived February 25th, and remained until March 5th, when it
again embarked, and, after stopping at various points on the route, arrived in front of Spanish
Fort, on Mobile Bay, March 27th, and from that date until the fort was captured, fourteen days
later, took part in the siege operations. The regiment had eight men wounded during the siege.
The fall of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley left Mobile defenseless, and the Twelfth Iowa with
other Union troops took possession of the city on the 9th of April. Here the regiment spent
but three days, when it moved on to Montgomery, Ala., arriving there April 25th, and resting
until May 11th, when it moved to Selma, ala., where it performed garrison duty during the
remainder of the summer.
In the latter part of September, the regiment was assigned to the military district of
Talladega, which it occupied until December 26th, when it was ordered to Memphis, Tenn., where
it arrived Jan. 2, 1866, and was there mustered out of the service of the United States on the
20th of January, 1866. The regiment was then furnished with transportation to Davenport, Iowa,
and upon its arrival there was disbanded, and the survivors returned to their homes.
It has been the aim of the compiler to give, in a condensed form, a true history of this
splendid military organization. The material used has been obtained from the official reports
and records in the Adjutant General's office of the State of Iowa. The roster which follows
this history is also compiled from the same source, supplemented by such information as could
be obtained from the War Department in Washington. The personal record of service--contained
in the paragraph opposite the name of each soldier--is, of necessity, a brief one, and even
this brief record may, in some instances, be found to be incorrect, and, in others, correct as
far as it goes but still complete. The compiler can only say that, in all such cases, the
official records have been diligently searched to ascertain the facts, and he respectfully
refers the reader to the introductory article to this volume, wherein the difficulties,
encountered by himself and the clerical force engaged in the work, are enumerated. It was in
the minds of those who prepared the act which authorized this publication to secure the
preservation of the military history of the state, and, at the same time, have the personal
records of its soldiers preserved in such a way that they could be traced by those who shall
come after them, to their latest posterity. In thus endeavoring to honor the memory of those
brave men, the State has honored itself.
SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.
Total Enrollment 1,473
Killed 33
Wounded 222
Died of wounds 34
Died of disease 251
Discharged for wounds, disease and other causes 277
Captured 404
Bureid in National Cemeteries 194
Transferred 23
TWELFTH REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Term of service three years.
Mustered into the service of the United States at Dubuque, Iowa, Oct. 17, 1861, by
Captain E. C. Washington, United States Army. Mustered out Jan. 20, 1866, Memphis, Tenn.
Roster of Field, Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Staff Officers at muster in of organization,
together with subsequent appointments from civil life.
COMPANY "H"
Barr, George W. Age 20. Residence Lyons, nativity Pennsylvania. Enlisted Sept. 23, 1864.
Mustered Sept. 23, 1864. Mustered out July 19, 1865, Selma, Ala.
Conklin, Philip W. Age 39. Residence Camanche, nativity Pennsylvania. Enlisted March 7,
1865. Mustered March 7, 1865. Died Aug. 12, 1865, Division Hospital. Buried in National
Cemetery, Marietta, Ga. Section L, grave 418.
COMPANY "C"
Jordan, Daniel M. Age 18. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Pennsylvania. Enlisted March 28,
1864. Mustered March 28, 1864. Mustered out June--, 1865, Davenport, Iowa.
COMPANY "I"
Jenkins, Alexander T. Age 18. Residence Bloomfield, nativity Michigan. enlisted March 30,
1864. Mustered April 27, 1864. Wounded in head and shoulder July 14, 1864, Tupelo, Miss.
Mustered out Jan. 20, 1866, Memphis, Tenn.
COMPANY "E"
Tryon, Charles A. Age 24. Residence Clinton, nativity Ohio. Enlisted Sept. 23, 1864.
Mustered Sept. 23, 1864. Mustered out July 19, 1865, Selma, Ala.
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