TWENTY-SECOND REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
The Twenty-second Regiment of Iowa Infantry Volunteers was composed of
ten companies, seven of which were organized in Johnson County, and one each in the
counties of Jasper, Monroe and Wapello. The records in the office of the Adjutant
General of Iowa show that the companies were ordered into quarter by the Governor,
on dates ranging from June 16 to August 30, 1862. The rendezvous designated in the
order was camp Pope, near Iowa City, and there, on the 7th, 9th and 10th days of
September, 1862, they were mustered into the service of the United States, by Captain
H. B. Hendershott, of the Regular Army. Major William M. Stone, of the Third
Regiment Iowa Infantry, who had served with that regiment from the commencement
of the war, and was wounded in the first general engagement in which it participated,
and who had commanded the regiment at the battle of
Shiloh, and officer in every way well qualified to assume the duties of regimental
commander, was commissioned Colonel of the Twenty-second Regiment, on the 21st
of May, 1862, by Governor Kirkwood, and, with his characteristic energy, proceeded
to organize the regiment, when the companies which had been assigned to it had
reported at the rendezvous. The regiment was fortunate in securing the services of
this able and experienced soldier as its first commandeer. Upon the completion of the
muster rolls, the regiment showed an aggregate strength of 952 enlisted men and
officers, but early additional enlistments brought the number up to 1,008, about the
maximum strength of an infantry regiment, including Field and Staff officers. There
was but a short interval between the date of the muster in of the last company and the
completion of the organization of his regiment until Colonel Stone received orders to
take the field.
On the evening of September 14, 1862. The regiment left its camp at Iowa City
and was conveyed by rail to Davenport, where it embarked on steamer and proceeded
to St. Louis, where it arrived on the 18th, marched to Benton Barracks, was assigned to
quarters, and was there thoroughly equipped for active service. On the 22d of
September the regiment was ordered to Rolla, Mo., to which place it was conveyed by
rail, and, arriving there on the 23d, went into camp about two miles from the town. It
was subsequently assigned to duty at the post of Rolla, and was engaged in guarding
commissary stores and the railroad and in escorting supply trains to the Army of
Southeast Missouri, until the 27th of January, 1863, on which date it received orders to
join the army under General Davidson, at West Plains, Mo. After a march of five
days it reached its destination, and was assigned to the Second Brigade, Second
Division, Army of southeast Missouri. The brigade consisted of the Twenty-first,
Twenty-second and twenty-third Regiments of Iowa Infantry, and was under
command of Colonel Stone of the Twenty-second.
On the 9th of February, 1863, the regiment with its brigade took up the line of
march towards Iron Mountain, arriving there on February 26th. This long march
towards Iron Mountain, arriving there on February 26th. This long march through a
mountainous region, at an inclement season of the year, with insufficient rations, was
a severe test of the fortitude of the men, but they endured the hardships and privations
to which they were subjected without complaint, and demonstrated their capacity to
withstand such exposure and suffering to the fullest extent. The army remained
encamped at Iron Mountain until March 9th, upon which date orders were received to
join the army under command of General Grant, in the great Vicksburg campaign. In
compliance with orders, the troops took up the line of march for St. Genevieve, Mo.,
on the Mississippi River, which place was reached on the 12th of March.
Transportation was not secured until March 22d, upon which date the regiment
embarked on the transport "Black Hawk," and was conveyed down the river to
Milliken's Bend, where it arrived and disembarked on the 27th, and went into camp.
The other troops of the Army of Southeast Missouri reached Milliken's Bend by the
1st of April. In the reorganization of the troops, which then took place, the Twenty-
second Iowa was assigned to the Second Brigade, of the fourteenth Division,
thirteenth Army Corps. The other regiments assigned to the brigade were the Twenty-
first and Twenty-third Iowa, and the Eleventh Wisconsin Infantry. Colonel C. L.
Harris of the latter regiment, being the senior officer, was assigned to the command of
the brigade; Brigadier General Eugene A. Carr was in command of the division and
Major General John A. McClernand was the corps commander. The Army of
Southeast Missouri had thus been merged into the Army of the Tennessee.
On the morning of April 12th, the Twenty-second Iowa, with its brigade,
received orders to march to Richmond, La., and. Having driven a small body of the
enemy's cavalry from that place marched to Carthage, thence to Perkins' Landing, and
there went into camp to await the arrival of the rest of the division and corps. On the
evening of April 27th, the Thirteenth Army Corps embarked on transports, and, on the
morning of the 28th, proceeded down the river to Hard Times Landing, opposite the
mouth of Black River and near Grand Gulf, where the enemy had erected
fortifications and powerful water batteries on a bluff commanding the entrance to the
river. On the morning of the 29th, the fleet, headed by the gunboat "Benton," moved
down and engaged the rebel batteries. After a terrible bombardment, lasting several
hours, during which several of the rebel guns were dismounted, the plan was
abandoned. Having failed in the movement which seemed to have been intended for a
combined attack by the land and naval forces upon this impregnable position of the
enemy, the Thirteenth Army corps was ordered to move from Hard Times Landing to
a point on the river three miles below Grand Gulf, and there go into bivouac until
morning. During the night the fleet of transports and gunboats, which had
successfully run the blockade at Vicksburg, passed the rebel batteries.
On the morning of April 39th, the thirteenth Army Corps embarked on
transports and gunboats and proceeded down the river, landing, about 3 P. M., sixteen
miles below Grand Gulf, at the village of Bruinsburg. At 4 P. M. the army marched in
the direction of Port Gibson. The Twenty-second Iowa, with its brigade. Formed the
extreme advance of the army. Colonel Harris not being able to proceed with the
troops on account of illness, the command of the brigade devolved upon Colonel
Stone of the Twenty-second Iowa. At 1 o'clock A. M., May 1st, the advanced guard,
composed of one company of the Twenty-first Iowa, was suddenly fired upon by the
enemy's pickets, about three miles from Port Gibson. The official report of Major
Atherton, who was in command of the Twenty-second Iowa, describes the movements
and conduct of the regiment in the preliminary engagement on the night of April 30th,
and in the battle of Port Gibson on Mary 1, 1863, and is here quoted, as follows:
CAMP NEAR ROCKY SPRINGS, MISS., MAY 7,
1862.
COLONEL WILLIAM M. STONE,
SIR: II herewith report to you the action of the Twenty-second Iowa in the
battle before Port Gibson, Miss., on the 1st inst. You having been called upon to
command the Second Brigade, to which we were attached, the command of the
regiment devolved upon me. On the evening of the 30th ultimo, on our march toward
Port Gibson, Miss., after our advanced guard became engaged with the enemy, I
received an order from you to hurry my regiment forward and form it in line on the
left our our order from you to hurry my regiment forward and form it in line on the
left of our artillery, then hotly engage with the rebel batteries. This order was
promptly obeyed, and the men came up quickly and in good order, forming at the
point designated. We were then under the enemy's fire, yet my men manifested great
coolness and self-possession. We remained in line for two hours in support of the
batteries, until the battle ceased for the night, and we lay down upon our arms, but not
to sleep, as we were in momentary expectation of a renewal of the combat. Soon after
sunrise we were again in line and under the enemy's fire, in support of our batteries,
until near 10 o'clock, when we were led forward to charge on the rebel lines. This
movement was executed with alacrity by my regiment. Not a man faltered or fell
back. Our fire was delivered upon the enemy with great deliberation and accuracy,
and when their lines were broken and they driven in rout from the field, we were
among the first to occupy their field. In the long and hotly contested fight of the
afternoon, my regiment was all the time in the face of the enemy and under his
severest fire. Three times we were ordered against the rebel infantry and under the
range of his batteries. Each time we drove them from the field. Late in the afternoon,
by your order, we charged up the hill in conjunction with the Twenty-first Iowa, and
on the left of General Burbridge's brigade, against the enemy's lines, there strongly
posted in almost impenetrable timber and underbrush. Though unable, from the
character of the ground and the raking fire of the enemy's batteries, to reach the
extreme summit of the hill, we reached the point to which I was ordered, and
remained there, receiving and returning the enemy's fire, until about sundown, when,
by your order, we returned to our former position, and remained on the field until the
firing had entirely ceased and quiet reigned along our whole line.
Throughout this series of engagements the officers and men of my regiment
behaved with great coolness and gallantry. I found them always ready and eager to
obey the order to move on the enemy. Se well did the entire command acquit
themselves, I cannot, without seeming invidiousness, enter into particulars. It is
sufficient to say that they acted nobly, and well sustained the honors already earned by
Iowa soldiers. Great care was taken to shelter our men from the enemy's fire, which
the unevenness of the ground enabled us to do with comparative success, yet the loss
in this regiment being greater, with but one exception, than any other regiment in the
brigade, shows clearly where we were during this long and hotly contested
engagement, and that my men did not shrink from their duty. Too much praise cannot
be awarded to our surgeons, White and Peabody. Their department was conducted
with skill and ability. Their attention to the wounded was truly commendable and will
doubtless long be remembered by these unfortunates. The following is a list of the
killed and wounded. Several not enumerated were very slightly wounded, but
continued on the field until the close of the fight.
Very respectfully,
J. B. ATHERTON.
Major Commanding
Regiment.
The official report of the commander of the brigade, Colonel W. M. Stone of
the Twenty-second Iowa, describes with minute particularity the movements and
conduct of his command. He especially commends the conduct of Colonel Merrill of
the Twenty-first Iowa, Major Atherton of the Twenty-second Iowa, Lieutenant
Colonel Glasgow of the Twenty-third Iowa, Lieutenant Colonel Wood of the eleventh
Wisconsin, and Captain Griffiths of the First Iowa Battery, and adds this further
commendation: "Their associate officers, too, are entitled to great credit, as all of
them, so far as I have been able to learn, performed their duties nobly. To the
dauntless and heroic men of the ranks, and the line officers, all honor is due. Never
did brave men endure more with less murmuring that they, during these thirty
consecutive hours of hard marching and severe fighting, and, when the history of the
war is fully written, they will be remembered among the bravest defender of the
Republic.
The official report of General Carr, the division commander, speaks in the
highest terms of the conduct of Colonel Stone and the officers and men of his brigade,
and gives the following summary of losses: "The loss of the First Brigade was: Killed
328; wounded 134; that of the Second Brigade was: Killed, 13; wounded 88. Total in
the division, 263."
Early on the morning of the second day of May, the army marched in pursuit of
the enemy. At Bayou Pierre, the Second Brigade was ordered to halt for the purpose
of rebuilding a bridge, which had been destroyed by the enemy the night previous.
The bridge was completed and the march resumed on the evening of May 4th. Colonel
Stone had been relieved of the command of the brigade by General M. K. Lawler, and
had resumed command of his regiment. On Mat 13th, the Second Brigade arrived at
Mississippi Springs, where it was ordered to remain as guard for the transportation
train of the division until the 16th, on which date it returned to Raymond and rejoined
the division and corps, which then marched towards Edwards' Station, and arrived in
the vicinity of Champion's Hill while the battle which was fought there was in
progress. General Carr's Division was held in reserve until just at the close of the
battle, when it was ordered forward to pursue the retreating enemy and endeavor to
cut off the retreat. The pursuit was continued to Edwards' Station, which was reached
at 10 P. M., and a train of commissary and ordinance stores and other supplies of the
rebel army was captured, together with over 200 prisoners. It was no fault of the
Twenty-second Iowa and the other troops of their brigade and division that they did
not have a larger share of the fighting at Champion's Hill. They stood waiting for the
order to go into action during the progress of the battle, but the order was not given
until the enemy was in full retreat and it was too late to successfully execute the
flanking movement by which it was hoped to intercept the retreat and prevent the
escape of the enemy. Had the order been given sooner, that result might have been
accomplished, and the Twenty-second Iowa and the troops with which it was
associated would have had a more conspicuous record in the battle of champion's Hill,
and a greater loss would have been inflicted upon the rebel army.
At daylight, on the morning of May 17th, the regiment with its brigade resumed
the pursuit of the enemy. General Carr's Division now led the advance. The march
was conducted with great vigor and, at 10 A.M., the enemy's pickets were
encountered about two miles from their fortifications on Black River. Space will not
permit a detailed description of the battle which ensued or the conditions which
confronted the troops making the attack. Suffice it to say that, when the pickets of the
enemy had been driven in and their position developed, it became evident that their
defeat could only be accomplished after a desperate struggle. Having reconnoitered
the position and determined upon the most accessible point of attack, the thirteenth
Corps moved forward, with General Carr's division in advance. Skirmishing was
renewed and continued for several hour. General Lawler, whose brigade occupied the
extreme right, discovered that by moving his brigade under cover of the river bank a
charge on the ordered his brigade to charge and, if possible, carry the works. The
Twenty-third Iowa, led by the gallant Colonel Kinsman, was in the van, followed by
the Twenty-first Iowa and the eleventh Wisconsin; while the Twenty-second Iowa, on
the extreme right of the brigade, was ordered to move down the river bank against the
enemy's left, which rested on the river. The order was most gallantly executed. In
less than twenty minutes after the order to charge was given, the main line of the
enemy's works had been captured. In his official report General Lawler gives a
carefully detailed account of the movements and conduct of the different regiments
composing his brigade. In it position upon the extreme right, the Twenty-second
Iowa, while rendering most important service, did not come under the direct fire of the
enemy and therefore, escaped with the least loss of any of the regiments of the
brigade. It implicity obeyed the orders it received, however, and acquitted itself with
perfect honor in the battle of Big Black River Bridge. The following brief extracts
from General Lawler's report will serve to show his appreciation of the conduct of the
regiment during the battle:
The Twenty-second Iowa—which had in the meantime crossed the field and
taken position on the river bank, on the right of the Eleventh Wisconsin—ordered to
move out into the field and act as a reserve force. The rebels broke and fled before the
Twenty-second Iowa, and fell an easy prey into the hands of the eleventh Wisconsin.
Those of the rebels who were not captured hastened to make good their retreat over
the bridge. As the result of this successful charge, we may with justice claim that it
gave our army entire possession of the enemy's extended lines of works, and with
them their field artillery (18 pieces in all), a large quantity of ammunition, thousands
of small arms, and 3,000 prisoners. Colonel William M. Stone, Twenty-second Iowa
Volunteers, though suffering severely from disease, was present on the field, sharing
its dangers, and has my thanks for the promptness with which he moved his command
against the left of the enemy's works.
General Lawler gives the number of killed and wounded in his brigade as
follows: Killed 27; wounded, 194; total 221; while the total loss of the division was
246 and that of the Thirteenth Army Corps 279, thus showing that Lawler's Brigade
sustained the heaviest loss and did most of the fighting in that battle. The Twenty-
first and Twenty-third Iowa lost 184 of the 221 killed and wounded in the Second
Brigade, those two regiments leading the charge, while the Twenty-second Iowa and
the Eleventh Wisconsin, being held in reserve, did not participate in the severest part
of the battle.
The Thirteenth Corps went into camp on the battlefield until a floating bridge
could be constructed to replace the bridge destroyed for the enemy. On the evening of
the 18th, the bridge having been completed, the corps crossed the river and took up the
line of march towards Vicksburg, the enemy having retreated to that place, where,
behind heavy fortifications, they awaited the attack of General Grant's army. The
march was continued all night and the following day until noon, when the advanced
line of the enemy's works was reached and the troops came under the fire of their
heavy guns. Firing was kept up by the contending batteries and, at 2 P. M., the
infantry was ordered to move forward. After several hours' skirmishing, the
Thirteenth Corps succeeded in gaining an advanced position within 500 yards of the
enemy's works, covered from their fire by a range of hills. The Twenty-second Iowa
had one man severely wounded during this advance. The position taken by General
Carr's Division was on the range of hills in the vicinity of the Jackson Railroad.
Lawler's Brigade occupied the left, with the right of the Twenty-second Iowa resting
on the railroad. During the whole of the night of May 20th, the regiment was engaged
in throwing up fortifications and, on the morning of the 21st, two twenty-pound
Napoleon guns of the Sixteenth Ohio Battery were placed in position on the brow of
the hill and opened a vigorous fire on the enemy's works. Their fire dismounted on
the enemy's heavy guns, but the rebel artillery remained silent, probably for the
purpose of saving its ammunition for the anticipated assault. Throughout the day the
regiment occupied the works, constructed during the previous night, and kept up a
brisk fire in response to that of the enemy's sharpshooters, but, owing to the
inaccuracy of the enemy's aim and the great distance, the total casualties in the
regiment resulting from this first day's practice in the rifle pits, were two men
severely wounded.
On the evening of May 21st, Colonel Stone received General Grant's order for a
general assault on the enemy's lines at 10 A. M. on the 22d, and the officers were
notified to have their men in readiness for the movement, which it became necessary
to make under cover of the night in order to reach the position midway between the
two lines, from which the assault was to be made. In the stillness of midnight the
Twenty-second Iowa led the advance of the brigade, moved over the brow of the hill
and passed quietly down the deep ravine, into which the enemy had felled trees which
formed an obstruction difficult to overcome. With great caution the regiment made its
way over this obstruction and, after several hours, succeeded in reaching the desired
position, without having attracted the attention of the enemy's pickets, posted but
twenty yards distant. The day was dawning when the position was gained, and the
men were ordered to lie down and rest upon the hillside until the appointed hour
should arrive. At 9:30 A. M. the brigade was formed in line of battalions, the Twenty-
second Iowa in advance, followed by the Twenty-first Iowa and Eleventh Wisconsin.
At. 10 A. M. Captain Bluford Wilson, of General Lawler's Staff, arrived and directed
Colonel Stone to advance. In a moment more, with the battle-cry "Remember
Kinsman!" (Colonel of the Twenty-third Iowa, killed at Black River), and the
command "Forward!" given by Colonel Stone, the regiment leaped over the hill to the
charge. The enemy were on the alert and, as our colors rose above the crest of the hill,
a thousand bayonets glistened in the sunlight above the parapet at Fort Beauregard.
The strong work against which the main attack was directed covered about half
and acre of ground, the walls being about fifteen feet high, surrounded by a ditch ten
feet wide. A line of rifle pits connected it with other of the same kin, each of which
was so arranged as to enfilade the approach to the other. The regiment succeeded in
reaching—under a concentrated fire of grape and musketry—an almost impenetrable
abatis, forty yards from the works, where it became necessary to reform the line, the
men having become separated in crossing the obstructions. They promptly rallied to
the flag and were again led to the charge. Colonel Stone was here wounded, while
gallantly directing the charge, and was compelled to leave the field. Lieutenant
Colonel Graham then assumed command and, with a few officers and about fifty men,
succeeded in reaching the ditch surrounding the fort, but, having no scaling ladders,
they were unable to enter the works. Sergeant Joseph E. Griffith, with some fifteen or
twenty men, succeeded-by raising one another up the wall—in gaining an entrance
and capturing a number of prisoners, but the fire from the enemy's rifle pits in rear of
the fort, and the lack of reinforcements coming to their aid, rendered the place
untenable. Sergeant Griffith and David Trine, of Company I, were the only survivors
of this daring exploit. The assault had proved a failure. The troops did not leave the
field, however. Believing that reinforcements would be sent to their aid, the gallant
officers and men of the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Iowa and the eleventh
Wisconsin remained on the field, receiving and returning the fire of the enemy until,
their ammunition becoming exhausted, they were compelled to withdraw. The
regiment had suffered very heavy loss. Captain James Robertson of Company I, and
Lieutenant Matthew A. Robb of Company D, were killed at the head of their
companies. Lieutenant Colonel Harvey Graham and several others were taken
prisoners in the ditch at the fort, while gallantly endeavoring to aid the brave men who
had gained an entrance. Captain John H.Gearkee and Lieutenant John Remic, of
company B, and Lieutenant L. F. Mullins of Company C, fell severely wounded at the
post of honor at the head of their companies. Every officer and man of the regiment
might justly have had special mention for the brave manner in which he performed his
duty in that desperate and hopeless struggle. They obeyed orders-the highest duty of
soldiers—without questioning the wisdom or unwisdom of the officers high in
command, who had sent them against this strong position of the enemy and failed to
reinforce them at the critical moment when they had gained a lodgment upon the
works of the enemy and, with a sufficient force sent to their assistance, might have
carried and held them. It was the last attempt to capture Vicksburg by direct assault,
and, from that day to the time of surrender, the saer and wiser plan of a regular siege
was adopted. The loss of the Twenty-second Iowa in this charge was 27 killed, 118
wounded and 19 captured. Total loss of 164. This was the heaviest loss sustained by
any regiment of the Thirteenth Army Corps in the disastrous assault, as shown by the
official returns. The total loss of the corps was 1, 275, while that of Carr's Division
was 710, and of Lawler's Brigade 368.
Colonel Stone having been wounded and Lieutenant Colonel Graham captured
during the assault, the command of the regiment devolved upon Major Atherton, who
wrote the official report of the engagement. His report differs in some respects from
those of other officers, notably that of Captain C. N. Lee, also, that of General Lawler,
the Brigade Commander, and that of Adjutant Pryce, in his history of the regiment.
The compiler has heretofore referred to these conflicting reports and cannot attempt to
reconcile them. In the main they are in accord as to the essential fact, that the conduct
of the officers and men of the regiment in that desperate charge was worthy of as high
praise as was ever accorded to soldiers upon any battlefield of the war, in either of the
contending armies. Had the history of the Twenty-second Iowa ended upon that day,
that regiment would still stand high upon the roll of fame, as among the bravest and
best that the State of Iowa sent into the field.
On the morning of July 5th, the regiment took up the line of march with the
troops under General Sherman, moving against the rebel army under General
Johnston. The regiment started on this march with less than 150 officers and men fit
for duty, but, during all the operations of its brigade and division, while the rebel army
was being driven towards Jackson and during the siege of that place—which ended
with the evacuation of the enemy on July 16th—it performed its full share of duty,
always acquitting itself with credit. Colonel Stone, having partially recovered from
his wounds, rejoined his regiment while the siege of Jackson was in progress, and was
placed in command of the Second Brigade. After the army had taken possession of
the city, the Second Brigade was ordered to destroy a portion of the Mississippi
Central Railroad. Having accomplished that duty,, it returned to Vicksburg, arriving
there on the 24th of July, and going into camp in the city, Here Colonel Stone (having
been nominated for Governor of Iowa) tendered his resignation and took final leave of
the army, carrying with him the love and respect of his comrades in arms. 'The
officers and men of the regiment regretted the loss of their noble commander, under
whom they had won renown, but they rejoiced to know that he was to become the
Governor of their State, in recognition of his splendid service as a soldier and of his
ability to render equally good service as the Chief Executive of the Commonwealth of
Iowa.
On the 31st of July, General Carr, who had successfully commanded the
division, relinquished the command, on account of impaired health, and General
Benton was appointed his successor, while Colonel Harris, of the eleventh Wisconsin,
again assumed command of the brigade as the successor of Colonel Stone. The
brigade became a part of the First Division of the Thirteenth Army Corps, commanded
by Major General Ord, as the successor of Major General McClernand. On the 13th of
August, the regiment embarked on the transport "Baltic," and moved down the river to
Carrollton, eight miles above New Orleans, and went into camp there. Preparations
were being made for another campaign. The troops were soon ordered to New
Orleans, where all surplus baggage was stored in order that the troops might be
relieved of everything that would prevent celerity in marching, and, after being
reviewed by Generals Grant and Banks, the whole command embarked on transports
and proceeded to Algiers Landing there, the troops were conveyed by rail to Bayou
Beoff, where they arrived September 5th, and remained until the 11th, when they
marched to Brashear City, on Berwick Bay. On September 25th the troops crossed the
bay and went into camp near the ruins of the town of Berwick. On the 2d of October
the army took up its line of march, passing through Iberia, Franklin and St.
Martinsville, and arriving at Vermillionville on October 10th. The enemy, consisting
of a heavy force under General Dick Taylor, was first encountered near Iberia. They
rapidly retreated and were pursued to Opelousas, at which point it was expected they
would make a determined stand and that a general engagement would take place; but,
the enemy continuing to retreat, the expedition wa abandoned, with no more important
result than temporality driving the enemy out of that part of the county south of Bayou
Teche and extending from Berwick to Opelousas. During this campaign the Twenty-
second Iowa participated in several skirmishes, but sustained only slight losses. On
the 10th of November the regiment, with the other troops, had returned to Berwick.
The First Division, now under command of General Washburn, was ordered to
proceed to Texas, and, on November 17th, the Twenty-second Iowa crossed Berwick
Bay, reaching Algiers the next day. Five companies, under command of Colonel
Graham, embarked on the steamer "T. A. Scott," while the balance of the regiment,
under command of Major White, remained at Algiers, awaiting transportation. On the
20th, the steamer, conveying the five companies, proceeded down the river and crossed
the bar into the Gulf of Mexico and, after a stormy and perilous voyage, arrived at the
mouth of the Rio Grande, off Brazos Santiago, Texas. Here an attempt was made to
land a portion of the troops at Point Isabel. The ship drawing too much water to cross
the bar, five companies of the eleventh Wisconsin were landed in small boats, but,
during the undertaking-a somewhat hazardous one—a storm arose and the ship was
compelled to put to sea again, leaving that portion of the troops landed at Point Isabel.
On the evening of November 27th, the ship arrived off Mustang Island, seventy miles
from Matagorda Bay, and, the storm having somewhat abated, succeeded in landing
the troops safely. On the 29th the regiment proceeded with the expedition against Fort
Esperanza, commanding the entrance to Matagorda Bay, crossed St. Joseph's and
Matagorda Islands, and arrived at the fort December 1st. The enemy had blown up
their magazines and abandoned the fort the night previous. The troops went into camp
near the Port of Saluria, and on the next day crossed Pass Cavallo, at the entrance of
the bay, and went into camp on the peninsula, at De Crou's Point. The regiment was
there joined by Major White, with the left wing. The regiment remained at that place
until January 3, 1864.when, with the other troops of the brigade and division, they
embarked on transports and proceeded to Indianola. The town was occupied by a
force of the enemy, which fled upon the approach of the Union troops. The troops
were quartered in houses at Indianola about three weeks, when the Second Brigade
was ordered to Old Indianola, where it went into winter quarters. While at the latter
place the first and Second Brigades were consolidated and formed the first Brigade of
the First Division, the former commanded by General Fitz Henry Warren, and the
latter successively by Generals Washburn, Dana and Benton.
During the winter the officers and men were comfortably situated, enjoyed
excellent health, and the regiment rapidly improved in discipline and military
efficiency. The enemy appeared several times near the town, but only in small
reconnoitering parties, which were generally easily driven off by a detachment of
mounted infantry of twenty-five men organized for that purpose from the different
regiments of the brigade. On one occasion they encountered a full company of rebel
cavalry, supposed to belong to "Wall's Legion," and formerly known as "Texas
Rangers." A desperate fight took place about fifteen miles in the interior. The enemy
numbered about one hundred men, but the little band of Union soldiers
Fought bravely. They were finally compelled to surrender. The following members
of the Twenty-second Iowa, belongs to the detachment were captured; John Fleming
and Wm. Bechtel, Company A; Philip Huzer, Company D; Gabriel Hoffman,
Company H; Karl Bedner, Company K; and William Franklin, Company F. On the
13th of March the troops evacuated the town and returned to Matagorda Island. All
other troops of the thirteenth Army Corps having left the island, the first Division,
under General Dana, was assigned to the defenses of the coast at this point. Colonel
Graham was ordered to proceed to Iowa on recruiting service at this time and, Major
White having been granted leaves of absence. Major Houston of the Twenty-third
Iowa was temporarily assigned to the command of the Twenty-second Iowa.
On the 21st of April the regiment embarked on steamers "Planter" and
"Matamoras" and proceeded on an expedition, under command of General Warren in
person, to Port Lavacca, a distance of seventy miles from the mouth of the bay and
thirty miles above Indianola; the object of the expedition being to obtain lumber for
the completion of the forts and other works on the island. Upon the approach of the
steamers, the rebel troops stationed at Port Lavacca—consisting of one company of
cavalry—fled to the interior. The regiment disembarked and Lieutenant Jones, with
Company A, as advance guard, took possession of the place. The steamers were
loaded with lumber and the main object of the expedition was accomplished. General
Warren, having been advised that the rebel cavalry had returned to the vicinity of the
town, ordered Major Houston to proceed with a detachment of the Twenty-second
Iowa, and, if possible, surround and capture the rebel force. The Major succeeded in
getting into the rear of the enemy, and in the skirmish which ensued one rebel was
killed and several were wounded, but, being mounted, the rest of the company
escaped. The regiment then embarked and returned to the island.
On the 27th of April the Thirteenth Army Corps was ordered to report to
General Banks, as reinforcements to the army under that officer, then engaged in the
famous and ill-dated Red River Expedition. The left wing of the Twenty-second
Iowa, commanded by Captain Gearkee, embarked on the 27th, and the right wing,
commanded by Major White, followed on the 29th, arriving at New Orleans on May
1st. On the evening of May 4th, the left wing of the regiment Captain Cree
commanding, embarked with the Twenty-third Iowa, and, acompanied by General Fitz
Henry Warren and his staff, proceeded up Red Rivr, arriving at Fort De Russy on May
6th, but the enemy having obstructed the navigation of the river below Alexandria, the
boats could proceed no further. They then returned to the mouth of Red River, where
the troops landed and went into camp. On the 15th of May, a fleet of transports arrived
and the troops again embarked and proceeded to Simsport on the Atchafalaya River,
to join the troops of General Banks' expedition, who were marching from Alexndria
to that point. On May 16th, the Thirteenth, Seventeenth and Nineteenth Corps arrived
at Simsport and crossed thr river on transports. All the troops then took up the line of
march for Morganza, where they arrived on the 22d of May, and where the
detachment of the Twenty-second Iowa, under command of Captain Cree, remained in
camp tunil the 9th of June, when the captain received orders to report, with his
detachment, to Colonel Graham at Baton Rouge, La., where the regiment was reunited
on June 19, 1864.
The thirteenth Army corps having been temporarily discontinued by the War
Depart,emt. The Twenty-second Iowa was ordered to report to General Reynolds at
New Orleans, was conveyed to that place on July 6th and went into camp at Algiers.
The regiment was there assigned to the Second Brigade of the Second division,
Nineteenth Army Corps, composed of te One-hundred Massachusetts Cavalry,
Twenty-second Iowa and Eleventh Indiana. The brigade was commanded by Colonel
E. L. Molineaux, of the One-hundred-fifty-ninth New York. The Nineteenth Corps, as
reorganized, comprised three divisions. The first, General Dwight's was composed of
eastern troops exclusively; the second, General Grover's, had five western regiments
and the remainder were eastern troops; the thir, General Lawler's, was composed
entirely of western troops. The first and second divisions having been ordered to
report to Washington, D. C., the Twenty-second Iowa, with the One-hundred-thirty-
first, and One-hundred-fifty-ninth New York, embarked, on the 17th of July, on the
steamer "Cahawba," and arrived at Fortress Monroe on the 24th, after a voyage void of
incident. On the 25th the ship proceeded up the James River to Bermuda Hundreds
Landing, where the troops disembarked and, after marching seven miles, joined the
forces under General Butler. These three regiments were separated from the division
to which they had been assigned, the other portion of it having gone direct to
Washington. They were temporarily attached to General Terry's division of General
Birny's corps and placed on duty in the trenches, extending across the peninsula from
the James River to Appomattox, occupying a portion of the line in General Butler's
front until July 31st, when orders were received to report at Washington The troops
marched to Bermuda Hundreds Landing, where they embarked on transports,
proceeded down the river to Fortress Monroe and from there up the Potomac to
Washington, where they arrived on August 1st and disembarked.
On August 2d the three regiments marched to Tennallytown, D. C., at the outer
defenses of the city, and went into camp on the heights of Georgetown, overlooking
the city. There they were joined by a portion of their division, and on August 14th
again took up the line of march to join the troops under command of General
Sheridan, then operating in the vicinity of Cedar Creek and Strasburg in the
Shenandoah Valley. The march was continued through Dranesvilles, Leesburg and
Hamilton, over the Kitoctan Mountains, through Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge, and,
wading the Shenandoah River at the foot of the mountain at midnight, the troops
arrived at Berryville, ten miles from Winchester, Va., at daylight on the morning of
August 18th. Here they met the forces of General Sheridan on their retreat down the
valley, pursued by the rebel General Early's army. The Twenty-second Iowa and the
other troops of its brigade and division were ordered to join the retreat on the
Berryville and Harpers's Ferry road. Summit Point, four miles from Charlestown,
was reached at midnight. Here the troops remained for two days. The enemy
threatening a flank movement, the army again fell back to Halltown, the Twenty-
second Iowa forming the rear guard. On the morning of August 21st, the army took a
position on a range of hills, its left resting on the Potomac and its right extending to
near the foot of the Blue Ridge. The Twenty-second Iowa occupied a position near
the center of the line, about one mile south of Halltown. From the date last
mentioned, both armies continued to maneuver for position, the Twenty-second Iowa
and the troops with which it was associated performing their full share in the different
movements, in which there was more or less skirmishing, until the 18th of September,
when the army received orders to be ready to march at a moment's notice. All surplus
baggage was loaded and sent to the rear and the troops were left with nothing that
would in the least encumber them, either upon the march or in battle.
At 2 A. M., September 19, 1864, the army took up its line of march on the road
leading to Winchester. Arriving at the Opequon soon after daylight, and the road
passing through a narrow defile, the Nineteenth Corps was obliged to halt until the
Sixth Corps passed. In the meantime the advance, composed entirely of cavalry, had
become engaged with the enemy and had succeeded in driving in their pickets. At 9
A. M. the Tenth corps arrived upon the ground and formed in line of battle about one
mile from the Opequon, on a range of hills facing the enemy. During the time that the
formation of the line was in progress, the enemy opened vigorously with artillery, but
were soon silenced and quiet was restored along the lines, as if to prepare for the
terrible contest which was soon to follow. The enemy was found to be strongly
posted in a belt of heavy timber, with their line extending across the Winchester road.
During a short reconnaissance to ascertain the enemy's position, the troops were
allowed to rest. In a few moments the command "Forward!" rang along the line, and
the army moved forward to the attack. The Twenty-second Iowa occupied the left of
the brigade, which formed the extreme left of the Nineteenth Corps. The ground over
which the regiment had to pass was an open field, extending to the enemy's works, a
distance of about one mile. The enemy, being in open view, observed our movements
and opened a concentrated fire from their artillery on our advancing column until it
had reached to within six hundred yards, when they opened with grape and canister.
The regiment then moved forward on the double quick, meeting a heavy fire of
musketry, and reached a point within one hundred yards of their line, posted behind a
stone fence in the woods. Under the destructive fire the line began to waver, but the
men were rallied and fought for nearly an hour in the open field against the enemy
protected by their works. The troops of the Sixth Corps--which joined immediately
on the left of the Twenty-second Iowa—gave way, and General Grover, finding that
his troops would be flanked on the left, gave orders to fall back, which was done in
good order. The enemy, inspired by their partial success, raised a yell and charged in
pursuit. The line was again rallied and, in turn, charged the enemy, driving them back
over the field and through the timber. The enemy retreated in confusion until they
reached the range of hills near Winchester, when they rallied and attempted to make a
stand; but the rebel troops had become demoralized and could not be held in line.
They again broke and fell back in confusion, leaving the Union Army in undisputed
possession of the field at sundown. In this desperate battle the Twenty-second Iowa
had fought in the open in the most exposed and dangerous position, while the greater
part of the Union troops advanced under cover of the woods When the line fell back,
the regiment promptly obeyed the order to halt and in turn, charged the advancing and
exultant rebels and turned apparent defeat into victory. The official report states that
the regiment never fought better. Not a man faltered or fell back, although it required
the highest degree of courage to turn and charge the enemy, and thus achieve a
splendid victory.
The Twenty-second Iowa had nobly maintained the honor of its State and had
won the high regard of the Eastern troops, by whose side they fought at the battle of
Winchester. Colonel Graham commanded the regiment, and directed its movements
with the same bravery and ability he had exhibited upon the battlefields where his
regiment had fought with the western armies. He was ably assisted by the gallant
Lieutenant Colonel White and Major Gearkee. Those especially mentioned in the
official reports were: "Captain D. J. Davis of Company A, and Captain B. D. Parks of
company E; who were instantly killed at the head of their companies. Their conduct
was heroic, and they died at the post of honor. Sergeant Major George Major George
A. Remley, as noble as he was brave, was pierced with three balls and fell dead.
Lieutenant Colonel E. G. White was slightly wounded in the face by the explosion of
a shell. Lieutenant James A. Boarts was severely wounded in the head by a minie
ball, and has since died. Lieutenants Jones of Company A, and Hull of Company K,
were both captured. Lieutenant Colonel white, Major Gearkee, Captains Mullins,
Humphrey, Cree, Clark, Shockey, Hartly and Morsman and Lieutenants Turnbull,
Davis, Needham, Messenger and chandler, are all entitled to great praise for their
gallantry throughout the battle in encouraging and rallying the men to the colors.
Surgeon Shrader was on the field during the engagement and was indefatigable In his
exertions to care for the wounded. Hospital Steward Ealy, Quartermaster Sterling and
Commissary Sergeant Brown rendered efficient service in carrying off the wounded
and conducting the ambulances to different parts of the field, and can not be highly
commended. The total loss of the regiment in this battle was 109 killed, wounded and
missing. A list of the casualties is annexed to the report.
On the night of the 19th of September, the regiment, with the rest of the army,
bivouacked on the battlefield near Winchester. On the morning of the 20th, the army
again took up its line of march ion pursuit of the enemy. On the 22d, the rebel army
made a stand at the strong position of Fisher's Hill, and General Sheridan at once
made preparations for an attack. At 12 o'clock the Twenty-second and Twenty-eighth
Iowa were ordered to advance and carry a line of rifle pits on the heights, occupied by
the skirmishers of the enemy. The charge was executed in fine style, and the
skirmishers were compelled to abandon the rifle pits and retire into their main works.
At 4 o'clock P. M. orders were received to assault the fortified position of the enemy.
The Twenty-second and Twenty-eighth Iowa and the One-hundred-twenty-eighth
New York, occupying the advance line as skirmishers on the extreme left of the army,
charged up the rocky and precipitous ground and drove the enemy in their front from
the works. Owing to the irregularity of the ground, the loss of the regiment in this
charge was but four men wounded. In the pursuit, which was kept up until the
following morning at 4 o'clock, the Twenty-second Iowa, with the Eleventh Indiana,
occupied the extreme advance of the army and marched, deployed as skirmishers, for
a distance of fifteen miles from Fisher's Hill, capturing hundreds of prisoners. During
this night march, while engaged in a skirmish with the rear guard of the enemy, Paul
Miller, of the non-commissioned staff of the regiment, was severely wounded. The
pursuit was continued through Harrisonburg to Mount Crawford, when it was
abandoned and the army returned to Harrisonburg and went into camp, remaining
there until the 6th of October, on which date it returned to Cedar Creek and began the
construction of a line of fortifications in a semi-circle on a range of hills north of the
creek.
The movement of the enemy, from the 13th to the 18th of October, indicated that
the rebel generals were again contemplating an attack upon General Sheridan's
fortified position skirmishing with reconnoitering parties of the rebel army frequently
occurred and, on the night of October 18th, General Mollineaux, in command of the
brigade to which the Twenty-second Iowa was attacked, received orders to make a
reconnaissance in force to ascertain the strength and develop the lines of the enemy;
but at 5 o'clock on the morning of the 19th, when the brigade was just starting upon it
march, the enemy suddenly attacked the extreme left flank, taking the Eighth Army
Corps completely by surprise, driving it from its works and, in a short time,
succeeding in getting into the rear of the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps. This bold and
brilliant movement of the rebel commander threatened the complete defeat of General
Sheridan's army. At the commencement f the attack, the Twenty-second Iowa was
detached from its brigade and proceeded on the double-quick to the support of a
battery which was threatened with capture. Before the regiment could reach the guns,
they were captured by the enemy, and it was compelled to fall back before the
advancing force, but, in doing so, retained its organization and rallied four times
alone, each time checking the advance of the enemy.
The army retreated gradually for three miles in the direction of Winchester,
when, General Sheridan arriving upon the field in person, the troops were reformed,
and hurried preparations were made to retrieve the disaster of the morning. The
presence of General sheridan proved an inspiration to the officers and men of his
army. "And the wave of retreat checked its course there, because the sight of the
Master compelled it to pause." General sheridan rode along the lines and ordered the
troops to halt, reform and attack the enemy, still advancing and flushed with victory.
The western troops were formed together in one line, and the intrepid courage with
which they fought was an important factor in retrieving the fortune of the day and
converting what had seemed certain defeat into an overwhelming victory. The enemy
made a gallant and stubborn resistance, but were gradually forced back to the line of
breast-works which they had thrown up in the morning to provide against a reverse,
but they were soon driven from that line and continued their retreat, followed closely
by the forces of General Sheridan. Thousands of prisoners and a great protion of the
trains and artillery of the rebel army were captured. The rebel army had met with a
crushing defeat.
The loss of the Twenty-second Iowa in the battle of Cedar Creel was heavier
than that which it sustained at Winchester, in proportion to the number engaged. Its
loss was 77 in killed, wounded and missing. From the commencement to the close of
the battle the regiment was constantly engaged. In this, its last battle, as in the first
and all those in which it was engaged during its long period of service, the regiment
maintained its high record. It remained on duty with its brigade and division until
early in January, 1865. The carefully kept record of Captain Samuel D. Pryce shows
that, from the time the regiment was organized to the close ot the Shenandoah
campaign, it had traveled by land and water over 8,000 miles, participated in eight
general engagements, two sieges and numerous skirmishes, and five great campaigns,
in the states of Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Virginia.
Early in January, 1865, the Nineteenth Army Corps—of which the Twenty-
second Iowa was still a part—was ordered to proceed to Baltimore, Md. Here the
troops were quartered in barracks until January 11th, upon which date they embarked
on transports and were conveyed to Savannah, Ga., where they arrived on January 29th
and went into camp near that city, where they remained until March 13, 1865, on
which date the Twenty-second Iowa—with other troops—was sent ot Morehead City,
N. C. There the regiment was assigned to a brigade consisting of the Twenty-second,
Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa, the One-hundred-thirty-first, and One-
hundred-fifty-ninth New York and Thirteenth Connecticut. This was the First
Brigade, First Division of the Nineteenth Army Corps. There had been a number of
different assignments of these troops from the time they were first brought together at
New Orleans and sailed for Fortress Monroe, but, in the main, they had served
together in the concluding campaigns of the war, and Colonel Mollineaux, the first
commander of the brigade, was still in command but was now a Brigadier General.
On the 10th of May, 1865, the brigade began the march to Augusta, Ga., where
it arrived on the 19th, and the three eastern regiments went nto camp there, while the
three western regiments crossed the Savannah River and encamped near the town of
Hamburg, S. C., where they remained until the 6th of June, when they were ordered to
return to Savannah. They began the return march (the last long march they would be
required to make) on June 20th, and reached Savannah on the 25th, where they again
went into camp. The records in the office of the Adjutant General of Iowa show that
the Twenty-second Regiment was mustered out of the service at Savannah, Georgia,
July 25, 1865, and that the regiment was subsequently disbanded at Davenport, Iowa.
At the conclusion of his supplement to the history of the regiment, Adjutant
Pryce states that the muster rolls and final discharge papers were completed on July
20th, and that the troops were mustered out of the service by the date as July 20th. He
also states that, on the morning of July 22d, the Iowa troops marched through the city
and embarked, and that they reached Baltimore, via Fortress Monroe, on the 25th,
where they were quartered at the "Soldiers' Home," and the next morning departed for
Davenport, Iowa, where they arrived on the 27th, remaining there until August 3, 1865,
on which date they received their final pay and discharge from the service.
In conclusion, the compiler submits this condensed history of the regiment,
together with the roster and personal record of its officers and enlisted men, all of
which have been gleaned from official sources, in the hope and belief that, in the years
to come, those who can trace their lineage to the soldiers who marched and fought
under the colors of the Twenty-second Regiment of Iowa Infantry Volunteers will
proudly point to the glorious record of their ancestors, who went forth to battle in the
days which tried men's souls, and left to their posterity the precious legacy of their
patriotic service to their country.
SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES
Total Enrollment 1084
Killed 60
Wounded 267
Died of wounds 55
Died of disease 128
Discharged for wound and other causes 187
Buried in National Cemeteries 78
Captured 79
Transferred 42
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