TWENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
The Twenty-eighth Regiment of Iowa Infantry was organized
under authority of the proclamation of President Lincoln, bearing date
July 2, 1862. The ten companies of which it was composed were ordered
into quarters by Governor Kirkwood, on dated ranging from July 24 to
September 8, 1862. Camp Pope, near Iowa City, was designated as its
place of rendezvous, and there, on October 10, 1862, the regiment was
mustered into the service of the United States, by Captain H. B.
Hendershott; of the Regular Army. At the completion of the muster rolls,
the regiment had an aggregate strength of 956, including one additional
enlistment. But little time was given the officers and men to learn their
duties as soldiers before they were ordered to take the field. They had
only acquired the rudiments of military knowledge and were yet to gain,
in the hard school of the soldier in time of war, that practical knowledge
which would enable them to make for themselves and their regiment a
record of which they could all feel justly proud. The regiment was
composed of the same class of men that had already won honor and glory
for the State of Iowa on the battlefields of the south; these men of the
Twenty-eighth Iowa needed only the opportunity and the experience,
(which had come to their comrades who had preceded them to the field,)
and—as will be shown in this brief sketch-they were to have both in full
measure. Their short stay in rendezvous was improved to the best
advantage and, when the order to move south was received, the regiment
was probably as well prepared for active service as any of those which
had been mustered in at an earlier period of the war.
On November 2, 1862, the regiment was ordered to proceed to
Davenport, at which place it was to await further orders. After
considerable, delay in procuring transportation, the regiment embarked
on steamer, and was conveyed to Helena, Ark., where it arrived
November 20th, and went into camp. A week later, a detachment of three
hundred men of the regiment, under command of Major Lynch, joined
the command of General Hovey upon an expedition, the main object of
which was to divert the attention of the enemy from the movement of
General Grant's army, then moving toward Vicksburg. The troops under
General Hovey did not encounter any considerable force of the enemy,
and the only casualty sustained by the detachment from the Twenty-
eighth Iowa was one man killed, (Private William M. Hall, of Company
C,)—the first man of the regiment who fell in defense of his country.
The troops engaged upon this expedition returned to Helena on
December 7th. The march had been rapid and toilsome and the men
suffered greatly from the inclemency of the weather. In the meantime,
that portion of the regiment which had remained in camp had suffered
almost equal hardship. The camp was located on low ground and the
continuous rains had made it but little better than a swamp. The regiment
soon after moved its encampment to higher ground, but sickness
prevailed to an alarming extent. Many of the men died. Survivors of the
regiment recall that winter in Helena and the regions adjacent (which
comprised the territory covered by the operations of the troops) as the
most gloomy and depressing period in all their experience as soldiers.
On January 11, 1863, the regiment embarked on steamer and
proceeded, with other troops, under command of General Gorman, on an
expedition up the White River, to Devall's Bluff. The weather conditions
were the worst ever known in that part of the country. Soon after the
fleet got under way a heavy rain began, which soon changed to snow and
freezing temperature; the decks of the boats were covered with ice, and
the troops suffered intensely from the cold. The boats were crowded and
but few could procure shelter, most of the men being completely
exposed, their clothing saturated, and many were nearly frozen. The
result of this frightful exposure was death to many and permanent
disability to many more. The expedition returned to Helena on January
23d. The Results were meager, as compared with the amount of
suffering and death involved. Some prisoners were captured, but no
great amount of damage was inflicted upon the enemy. Rude log cabins
were constructed for winter quarters, in which the men were somewhat
more comfortable than they had been in tents, but the winter of 1863, was
the most disastrous period in the history of the regiment, in the number of
deaths from disease and discharges for disability resulting from the same
cause.
On February 14th, a large force, under command of General
Washburn, left Helena for the purpose of removing obstructions from the
Yazoo Pass and securing a navigable channel through the tortuous
windings of that stream. In this arduous labor the men and officers of the
Twenty-eighth Iowa, who were able for duty, participated and, when the
work was completed, returned to Helena. With the opening of spring the
health of the men was somewhat improved, and they were cheered by the
prospect of a speedy removal from winter quarters and the transfer from
an environment that had been the scene of the struggle of so many of
their comrades with sickness and death. On the 17th of April, 1863, the
regiment, with its brigade,--consisting of the Forty-seventh Indiana,
Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa, and the Fifty-sixth Ohio,
designated as the Second Brigade of the Twelfth Division, Thirteenth
Army Corps—entered upon the Vicksburg campaign, which resulted in
such important victories to the Union armies, under the command of
General Grant. The first general engagement in which the Twenty-eighth
Iowa participated in that great campaign, was at Port Gibson, May 1,
1863. Colonel William E. Miller had resigned on March 13, 1863, and
Lieutenant Colonel Connell had been promoted to Colonel of the
regiment. His official report of the operations and conduct of his
regiment, in its first conflict with the enemy, is here quoted in full:
Colonel:--I send the following as the report of the action taken by
my command in the battle of Port Gibson, on May 1, 1862. On the
evening of April 30, 12 1232 landed on the bank of the Mississippi, and
started for Port Gibson. At 1 o'clock A. M., of May 1st, we could
distinctly hear the boom of artillery in our advance. We quickened our
pace, and arrived at the foot of Thompson's Hill at sunrise. General
Hovey, commanding our division, rode up and said, "Boys, prepare your
breakfast soon, for we go into battle in half an hour." After breakfast I
formed in line of battle, and moved to the crest of Thompson's Hill,
where we remained one hour under fire. Three companies—B, G, and
K,--were at this time sent to support the Thirty-fourth Indiana in a charge
on a rebel battery, which was taken, with about 300 prisoners, After this
I reformed the regiment, and was ordered to the extreme left (by General
McClernand), which was vigorously attacked by the enemy. Upon
arriving at this point, I found that the enemy had massed a large force to
turn our left, among which were two Missouri regiments, who were
placed directly in our front. I formed my command so as to meet then,
and, after a contest of nearly two hours, the enemy fell back, and we
succeeded in planting the Eighth Michigan Battery on the knoll we held
against the charge of the enemy, which battery played with telling effect
on their lines. At about 4 P. M. they again appeared in force, still
attempting to turn our left; but after a brisk engagement of about one
hour they retired in confusion. A company of skirmishers, having been
sent out to the left and front of our lines, discovered a rebel battery,
which had command of the port Gibson road. Our artillery soon got into
position and commenced shelling it. My command lay in support until
the battery had silenced the enemy's guns. By this time it was nearly
dark, and General Stevenson, coming up, relieved us from the left, and
we rejoined our brigade, which was encamped for the night on the field.
Here we lay on our arms, in support of the Peoria battery during the
night. With regard to the conduct of the officers and men during the
action, I can only speak in terms of highest commendation. Although
they had marched all day and night previous to the engagement, carrying
three days' rations and one hundred rounds of cartridges to the man, and
having never been under fire before, they fought with that fearless spirit
and determination which has always characterized the American soldier.
JOHN CONNELL,
Colonel
Commanding Twenty-
eighth Iowa Infantry.
COLONEL JAMES R. SLACK, Commanding Second Brigade,
Twelfth Division, thirteenth Army Corps.
In the official report of the brigade commander Colonel James R.
Slack, of the forty-seventh Indiana, the following reference is made to the
two Iowa regiments which were detached from the brigade and rendered
important service as reinforcements to the troops of General Logan's
division at a critical period in the battle: "In the afternoon the Twenty-
fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa were ordered to the rear and extreme left
of the line, to support, Major General Logan's division, which was hotly
engaged, and there continued fighting like veterans, as men of that
gallant State always have done, until the enemy was driven from the field
and utterly routed at every point, and the curtain of night closed the
secen." Colonel Slack highly commends the conduct of the field and line
officers of his brigade, and make special mention of Lieutenant Theodore
Schaeffer, of Company F, Twenty-eighth Iowa, who rendered most
efficient service as Aide on the staff of the brigade commander. The
report gives the number os casualties in the brigade as follows: Killed,
16; wounded, 62; missing 11; total, 89. The casualties in the Twenty-
eighth Iowa were: Killed, 3; wounded, 14; missing, 3; total 20. It will
thus be seen that in its first battle, the Twenty-eighth Iowa had sustained
about the average loss of the other regiments of its brigade, and had won
for itself an honorable record. Its officers and men could now go forward
with the feeling that they had established a reputation which they were in
duty bound to sustain. They had passed the crucial period in their
history, and could face the future with that confident feeling of self
reliance which sustained them in all the conflicts in which they were
subsequently engaged.
In the pursuit of and operations against the enemy, which followed,
the Twenty-eighth Iowa performed its full share of duty and, on May
16th, participated in the hard-fought battle of Champion's Hill, in which it
bore a most conspicuous part and suffered heavy loss. In the official
report of the brigade commander, the preliminary movements of his
command and the skirmishing which took place prior to the
commencement of the battle are described in detail. The report occupies
too much space to permit its being quoted in full, but a brief extract will
suffice to show the desperate character of the fighting which ensued.
After the skirmishing had been in progress for one hour and the position
of the enemy had been developed, Colonel Slack was ordered to move
his brigade forward to the attack. He thus describes the movement and
that part of the engagement in which his brigade sustained its heaviest
loss:
I advanced the whole line, with the Forty-seventh Indiana on the
right and the Twenty-eighth Iowa on the left. The thick growth of
underbrush and vines and the ravines and hills made it very difficult to
advance, but it was accomplished with little disorder, until we reached
the crest of the hill, where we found the enemy in very heavy force, about
200 yards in front of us, and under cover of a wood beyond a field. Then
the battle began with great fury, our troops advancing for the purpose of
driving the enemy from the cover of the woods, which was done at
double-quick and in a most gallant manner, the men loading and firing as
they advanced, and unfalteringly receiving a most deadly fire from the
enemy; yet they pressed forward as men only can do who are prompted
by intelligent motives of patriotic devotion to a common country, until
the rebel force was driven, from the covering and forced to fall back a
distance of 200 yards, with terrible loss, the ground being literally
covered with dead and wounded rebels. In this daring and determined
charge all the regiments lost most severely.
There was much more fighting before the battle was ended, in
which the Twenty-eighth Iowa bore its full parr. At one time the enemy
gained a temporary advantage. The Twenty-fourth Iowa had advanced
beyond the other three regiments of the brigade and, by a gallant charge,
had succeeded in capturing a rebel battery. The enemy, being reinforced,
mad a counter charge and recaptured the battery, when the Twenty-eighth
Iowa, Forty-seventh Indiana and Fifty-sixth Ohio advanced to the support
of the Twenty-fourth Iowam and the reunited brigade charged upon the
enemy the rebel battery was again captured and, reinforcements coming
up, the enemy, after making a most desperate resistance, was driven from
the field with heavy loss. At the close of his report, Colonel Slack highly
commends the conduct of the officers and men of each of the regiments
of his brigade, and again makes special mention of the efficient service
rendered by Lieutenant Theodore Schaeffer of the Twenty-eighth Iowa,
who, as a member of his staff, rode along the lines under the fire of the
enemy, carrying his orders to the regimental commanders. The casualties
in the brigade were as follows: Killed, 108; wounded, 365; captured or
missing, 93; total 566. The total losses, by regiments, were as follows:
Forty-seventh Indiana, 140; Twenty-fourth Iowa, 189; Twenty-eighth
Iowa, 97; Fifty-sixth Ohio, 138; First Missouri Battery, 2: total 566.
General Alvin P. Hovey, the division commander, reports the number of
his common engaged as follows: First Brigade, 2,371; Second Brigade,
1,809; total 4, 180. Of this number there were 211 killed, 872 wounded
and 119 missing; a total loss in the division of 2,202,--over 28 per cent of
the number engaged. Two-hundred twenty-one of the enemy's dead
were buried on the field in front of the positions occupied by the troops
of General Hovey's Division, and, upon the presumption that none of the
enemy's dead were removed, the number killed on both sides was about
the same. The number of rebel prisoners taken by General Hovey's
Division was 700, while he reports but 119 captured or missing from his
command. Sixteen guns of the rebel batteries were captured by the
division. Of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa, General Hovey
says:
Not more than six months in the service, their record will compare
with the oldest and best tried regiments in the field. All honor is due to
their gallant officers and men; and Colonels Byam and Connell have my
thanks for the skill with which they handled their respective commands,
and for the fortitude, endurance and bravery displayed by their gallant
men. The General also makes special mention of the gallantry and
devotion to duty of Surgeon Vest and Chaplain Simmons of the Twenty-
eighth Iowa. Adjutant Joseph G. Strong, of the Twenty-eighth—whose
description of the part taken by his regiment in the battle of champion's
Hill is in accord with that portion of Colonel Slack's report from which
quotation has been made,--says: Four companies of the regiment came
out of the fight without a commissioned officer. Lieutenant John J.
Legan, of Company A (Captain Shutts acting as Major,) was killed while
gallantly leading his men; Captain Benjamin F. Kirby, of Company I,
was also killed while doing his duty nobly; Lietutenant John Buchanan,
of Company H, lost his arm; Captain John A. Staley, of Company F, was
taken prisoner while crossing the field north of the Raymond Road,
gallantly disputing the advance of the enemy. There is a slight
discrepancy in the number of killed and wounded as given in the report
of Adjutant Strong and the tabulated statement of the War of the
Rebellion Record, the one giving the total as 100, the other is 97. As the
keeper of the regimental records, the statement of the Adjutant-with the
list of the names, mental records, the statement of the Adjutant-with the
list of the names, numbering by actual count as even 100-must officially
determine the matter, Such discrepancies are frequently found in
officials reports, and are accounted for by the returns of losses being
made up on the field immediately after the close of battles, and which are
subsequently found not to include all the names which should have been
reported. It will be seen from the foregoing reports that the Twenty-
eighth Iowa fully sustained the splendid reputation of the soldiers of
Iowa, in the hard-fought battle of Champion's Hill. In transmitting his
report to Adjutant General Baker, Adjutant Strong says: "The Twenty-
eighth has added new laurels to the noble young State of Iowa, and will
continue to do." How well and faithfully that promise was fulfilled will
be shown in the subsequent history of the regiment.
Soon after the battle of Champion's Hill, the regiment, with its
brigade and division, marched by way of Edward's Station to Black
River, where it remained for a few days guarding the bridge, and then
marched to the rear of the enemy's outer works at Vicksburg, where, on
May 25th, it was assigned to a position near the center of the left wing of
the lavesting army. During the long siege which followed, the Twenty-
eighth Iowa performed its full share of the arduous duties involved in the
operations against the formidable works of the enemy, who made a most
gallant defense of that almost impregnable stronghold. General A. P.
Hovey, at the close of his official report of the operations of his division
says: "Officers and men displayed great firmness, coolness and bravery
during this ever memorable siege, and I cannot discriminate among
them." There were ten infantry regiments in the Twelfth Division, and
General Hovey reports his loss during the siege: Killed, 19; wounded,
76; total 95. Of this number the Twenty-eighth Iowa lost 3 killed and 7
wounded. The regiment also lost during the same period, by death from
disease, 16, and by discharge for disability, 7; making its total casualties
at the siege of Vicksburg, 33. The regiment had thus sustained its full
average share of casualties at the hands of the enemy during the
prolonged contest, and has shown itself the equal of any of the veteran
organizations with which it was associated.
On the 4th day of July,, 1863, General Grant announced to his army
the glad tidings of the surrender of Vicksburg. General Hovey received
orders to report with his division to Major General Sherman, and, on the
morning of July 5th, his troops were again upon the march, in pursuit of
the rebel army, commanded by General Johnston. The Twenty-eighth
Iowa performed its full share of duty during the short campaign which
ensued, ending with the evacuation of Jackson, Miss., by the rebel army
on July 16th. Its casualties were light, as shown by the report of the
brigade commander. It suffered much hardship, however, both upon the
march and in the trenches before Jackson, obeyed every order with
alacrity and acquitted itself with honor, receiving the commendation of
its division and brigade commanders.
The regiment returned to Vicksburg, at the conclusion of the
Jackson campaign, and went into camp there on the evening of July 27th.
A few days later it embarked on steamer and was conveyed to Natchez,
Miss., where it remained but a short time, and, again embarking, was
conveyed to Carrollton, near New Orleans. Going into camp, the
regiment enjoyed a season of rest for nearly a month, during which time
the health of the men was greatly improved. On September 13, 1863, the
Twenty-eighth Iowa joined the troops under command of General
Franklin, in an expedition which extended to the western part of the State
of Louisiana. While no considerable force of the enemy was encountered
on the expedition, there were several skirmishes, and the record shows
that the regiment had six men captured. No detailed report of the
operation of the regiment during this period is found, and it does not
appear that any important results were accomplished, although a wide
extent of territory was covered by the troops. The regiment returned to
New Orleans and moved thence to Algiers, arriving at the latter place
December 24, 1862, where it remained until about the middle of January,
1864, when it moved to Madisonville, near the northern shore of Lake
Pontchartrain. While encamped at that place a considerable number of
recruits joined the regiment, and its numbers were further increased by
the return to duty of many who had recovered from wounds and sickness.
About the last of February the regiment moved to New Orleans,
crossed the river and again went into camp at Algiers. A few days later it
moved to Brashier, crossed the bay and, going into camp, awaited the
arrival of the troops with which it was to co-operate on the famous and-as
the event proved-ill-fated Red River Campaign. On March 12, 1864, the
Twenty-eighth Iowa and the other regiments of its brigade—the Twenty-
fourth Iowa, Forty-seventh Indiana and Fifty-sixth Ohio, with which it
had been so long associated--again took up the line of march. The
regiment had at that time 550 men on duty, in good health and spirits and
ready to meet the enemy with confidence in themselves and the officers
who commanded them. The campaign began with bright prospexts for
complete success, and had the General who had been placed in command
of all the Union forces possessed the same ability shown by several of his
subordinate officers, or had he been guided by their advice and
suggestions, success instead of failure would have resulted. The only
notable engagement in which the Twenty-eighth Iowa participated in the
Red River Campaign was at the battle of Sabine Cross Roads, in which it
bore a most conspicuous part and sustained the greatest loss in killed and
wounded, of any regiment in its brigade or division. Colonel John
Connell commanded the regiment and directed its movements until near
the close of the engagement, when he was severely wounded and fell into
the hands of the enemy. Captain Thomas Dillin then succeeded to the
command of the regiment and, a few days later, submitted his official
report of its conduct during the battle. He describes in detail the terrific
fighting which took place and the gallant manner in which his regiment
stemmed the unequal tide of battle and held its last position for two
hours, only giving way when its ammunition was exhausted and there
was no alternative but to retreat or surrender. A part of the concluding
portion of Captain Dillin's excellent report is here giver, as follows:
We went into the engagement 500 strong, and in the best of order.
All most nobly did their duty. Not an officer flinched, not a man gave
back. Colonel John Connell had his horse shot under him early to the
action, but he remained on the field, cheering and urging his men to the
last, and, it was supposed, fell mortally wounded, while retreating from
the field. Loved most by those who knew him best, his loss to the
regiment is irreparable. He possessed not only the respect but the
affection of his men. Adjutant J. G. Strong, while heroically and
fearlessly doing his duty, was knocked from his horse by a minie-ball,
inflicting a severe wound in the right shoulder, and was taken from the
field. Having his wound dressed, he returned to the field and continued
rallying the men in the thickest of the fire. First Lieutenant H. H. Weaver
was wounded in the right cheek while leading his company and was
compelled to leave the field. Second Lieutenant O. F. Dorrance, while
cheering his men in action, was severely wounded in the right hip, and
had to be borne from the field. I regret that space will not permit me to
speak of all the officers standing up bravely and facing the rain of death,
and of the non-commissioned officers and privates, many of whom fell in
the conflict, yielding up their lives upon their country's altar.
The casualties in the battle of Sabine Cross Roads were: 8 killed,
41 wounded and 26 captured,--the greater number of the latter supposed
to be wounded,--making a total loss of 75. The report of the brigade
commander—Colonel W. H. Raynor of the Fifty-sixth Ohio-gives the
numbers of the different regiments engaged and their casualties, as
follows: Twenty-eighth Iowa, 419; Twenty-fourth Iowa, 188; Fifty-sixth
Ohio, 243; total 840. Loss of Twenty-fourth Iowa and Fifty-sixth Ohio,
70; Twenty-eighth Iowa, 75; total loss of brigade, 145. It will thus be
seen that the Twenty-eighth Iowa sustained a loss of more than that of the
other two regiments, owing to the fact that it occupied a more advanced
position and was compelled to fight its way out, after the enemy had
gained its rear. In the official report of Colonel Raynor, (here-to-fore
referred to,) the following reference is made to the heroic conduct of the
commander of the regiment: "Colonel John Connell, of the Twenty-
eighth Iowa, is among the missing and is supposed to have been mortally
wounded. Brave, even to a fault, he remained on the field too late and
was seen to fall before the last heavy volley poured upon the devoted
division. His loss will be severely felt, not only by his regiment, where it
is irreparable, but by his brother officers and comrades in arms, to whom
his many noble and generous qualities had endeared him. Colonel
Raynor also mentions the gallant conduct of Thomas Hughes, of the
Twenty-eighth Iowa, who was Acting Brigade Quartermaster, and was
captured with Colonel Connell.
The retreat continued during the night, and, on the morning of
April 9th instead of retaining every man of his available force to meet the
victorious enemy, General Banks ordered his cavalry, and that portion of
the infantry which had fought the enemy at such a disadvantage the day
before, to proceed with the reains to Grand Ecore. Had he kept his army
intact, instead of withdrawing a protion of it in the face of the enemy,
there is every reason to believe that he could have won a decisive victory
in the battle of Pleasant Hill, on the 9th of April, 1864. The officers and
men who had met defeat the day before were ready and anxious to assist
in retrieving the disaster, but were denied the privilege by the officer who
had shown his unfitness to command an army. The Twenty-fourth and
Twenty-eighth Iowa were thus compelled to act as train guards on the
march to Grand Ecore, while their comrades of the Fourteenth, Twenty-
seventh, Thirty-second and thirty-fifth Iowa, were bravely fighting at
Pleasant Hill, and—as admitted by General Banks—saving the army
from utter defeat of the hands of the enemy.
The subsequent experience of the Twenty-eighth Iowa, in the
closing scenes of the Red River Campaign, was marked by toilsome
marches and great hardships. It halted for a time at Grand Ecore, where
it assisted in the construction of fortifications which were soon
abandoned, then marched with the army to Alexandria, and thence by
way of Marksville to Morganza, where it arrived on May 22d. About this
time the troops with which the regiment was operating passed from the
command of General Banks to that of General Canby and, instead of
continuing the retreat, assumed an aggressive attitude toward the enemy.
In the movement which followed, the Twenty-eighth Iowa participated.
The enemy declined to accept the gage of battle, and managed his retreat
so successfully that the pursuit was finally abandoned. Returning to
Morganza, the regiment embarked for Carrollton, arriving there about the
middle of June. During most of the operations of of the Twenty-eighth
Iowa on the Red River Campaign. Lieutenant Colonel Wilson and Major
Meyer had been absent on recruiting service in Iowa, and the former had
rejoined the regiment at Grand Ecore, bringing with him a number of
recruits. This compensated in some degree for the loss which had been
sustained, and the regiment was ready and anxious to enter upon another
campaign. Colonel Connell had been released from prison and rejoined
his regiment at Carrollton, with an empty sleeve hanging by his side. As
heretofore stated, he was supposed to have been mortally wounded at the
time of his capture. He received a joyful welcome at the hands of the
officers and men of his own regiment and from those of the brigade, in
which he had many warm friends. The regiment, with other troops, soon
moved again in pursuit of the rebel forces, but did not succeed in
overtaking them, and returned to Algiers, where it went into camp and
enjoyed a brief season of rest.
On July 22, 1864, the Twenty-eighth Iowa embarked on the
Steamer "Arago" and was conveyed to Alexandria, Va., where it arrived
and disembarked on the 2d of August. The voyage had been marked by
great hardship on account of extremely hot weather and the crowded
condition of the ship, and the men were glad to find themselves once
more upon the land. The regiment was conveyed by Ferry to
Washington, and from thence marched to Tennallytown, where it went
into camp and remained until the commencement of General Sheridan's
campaign in the Shennandoah Valley. The first engagement of that
campaign in which the Twenty-eighth Iowa participated was the battle of
Winchester, September 19, 1864. Lieutenant Colonel B. W. Wilson was
in command of the regiment during the battle and wrote the official
report, which is here given in full:
HEADQUARTERS, TWENTY-EIGHTH IOWA
INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS,
FOURTH BRIGADE, SECOND DIVISION,
NINETEENTH ARMY CORPS,
NEAR HARRISONBURG, VA., Sept. 26,
1863.
COLONEL: In compliance with orders from Brigade
Headquarters I submit the following report of the part taken by my
regiment in the engagement near Winchester, Va., on the 19th day of
September, 1864. Early on the morning of the 19th inst., I broke camp
near Berryville, Va., and advanced with the rest of the brigade on the
Winchester Pike. After crossing the Opequan, we formed in line of
battle, my regiment occupying the extreme left of the brigade. On
receiving orders to advance, I immediately moved forward and was soon
warmly engaging the enemy. The First Brigade of our division (being in
advance) gave way, and were pressed back through our lines, yet we
moved steadily forward for about fifty yards, under one of the most
withering fires of shot, shell and canister, I have ever witnessed. Here I
was ordered to halt. At this point the fighting was most terrific,, yet I am
happy to say none showed a disposition to either flinch from duty or fall
back. We remained in this position until the right of the brigade, being
pressed back, exposed my command to a severe flank fire, and I was
forced to fall back a short distance to the cover of the timber, where we
rallied and drove back the enemy, who were in the act of charging one of
our batteries (the First Maine). We soon charged forward and took
possession of our former position, where we remained until, our
ammunition being expended, we were relieved by troops from General
Crooks' command. We then obtained a fresh supply of ammunition and
pressed forward to the front line again, where we remained until ordered
to join the brigade in pursuit of the retreating foe. We followed them
beyond Winchester. Here, night overtaking us, we lay down to rest and
dream over the events of the day. Too much cannot be said in praise of
both officers and men, who stood boldly forth in defense of the old flag,
and did their duty so nobly. Not an officer flinched nor a man gave back,
except by my order. I cannot forbear making special mention of the
following officers for their gallantry on the field: Captain J. W. Carr, of
Company C, was severely wounded, yet he continued to cheer the men
under his command until borne from the field. Adjutant Joseph G.
Strong was wounded in the early part of the engagement, had his wounds
dressed on the field, and refused to leave the same, although advised to
do so by surgeons, but continued to rally and cheer the men until victory
was ours. He is a brave and fearless officer and worthy of promotion.
First Lieutenant D. B. Dean of Company C was wounded, and told his
own son not to leave the ranks to assist him, until the rebels were
whipped, and he dod not, until ordered to do so by me. Appended you
will please find a list of killed, wounded and missing.
With high respect, I remain.
Your obedient servant,
B.W. WILSON, Lieutenant
Colonel,
Commanding Twenty-eighth Iowa
Infantry
D. SHUNK, Colonel Eighth Indiana Veterans,
Commanding Fourth Brigade, Second Division, Nineteenth Army
Corps.
The casualties among commissioned officers of the regiment, not
mentioned in the official report, were: Captain Palmer, killed; Captain
Houseworth, mortally wounded; Captain Wilson, wounded, and
Lieutenants Haverly, Summers and O'Hair, wounded; total 9 (including 3
mentioned in report). The casaulties among enlisted men were as
follows: Killed, 11; wounded, 55; missing, 25; total, 100. The Twenty-
eighth Iowa had again gloriously maintained the honor of its State, while
fighting by the side of the trained veterans of the eastern army.
The army under General Sheridan pressed forward after its victory
at Winchester and on the morning of September 22d, found the rebel
forces strongly intrenched at Fisher's Hill. In the battle which ensued,
the Twenty-eighth Iowa was not ordered into action until just before the
enemy abandoned his position and began to retreat, when it was ordered
to make a charge, in which it captured a six gun battery, a large quantity
of ammunition and a number of prisoners. In this charge the regiment
had five men wounded. In his official report, Lieutenant Colonel Wilson
describes the different positions he was ordered to occupy, the gallant
manner in which his regiment responded to the order to charge, and again
commends his officers and men for their bravery and good conduct in
action. The regiment did not again come into conflict with the enemy
until the 19th of October, 1864, on which date it fought its last battle. The
battle of Cedar Creek, Va., was one of the most notabe of the great
battles of the war. It is fitting, therefore, that the excellent report of
Major Meyer should be here transcribed, showing, as it doEs, the
splendid manner in which the officers and men of the regiment acquitted
themselves on that historic field:
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-EIGHTH IOWA
INFANTRY, FOURTH
BRIGADE, SECOND DIVISION,
NINETEENTH ARMY CORPS,
CAMP RUSSELL,
VA., Nov. 30, 1864.
GENERAL:-I have the honor to report that, in compliance with
orders, the regiment at 5 A. M. was standing at arms, awaiting the issue
of reconnaissance to be made by the First, Second and Third Brigades of
our division; but, before the reconnaissance was made, the enemy, in
overwhelming numbers, attacked the Eighth Corps, which was on the left
of the army. That corps, failing to be under arms, was soon driven from
their works, and the enemy was rapidly advancing toward the Nineteenth
Army Corps, occupying the center of the army, when General Grover,
commanding the Second Division, ordered the regiment, with the Fourth
Brigade, by the left flank to change front and assist the Eighth Corps.
The regiment was on the extreme left of the brigade and division, and,
under the personal direction of the division commander, it was taken
about one-fourth of a mile to the east of the Winchester Pike to hold the
crest of a hill. In the hurry, the remaining regiments of the brigade were
left west of the pike, and the Twelfth Maine was ordered to form on our
right, but, after several unsuccessful efforts, it failed to come to the line
and retired in confusion, which left our right exposed. A brigade from
the First Division, Nineteenth Army Corps, formed on, the line on our
left; but the right of the line of the enemy extended far beyond the left of
that brigade. It was soon outflanked and gave way. The Twenty-eighth
was the last to fall back, but, being engaged on both flanks and front,
there was no hope left of holding our ground.
At first we fell back slowly. It was, however, soon discovered that
our retreat was being closed. I gave the order "double quick," and for
one-third of a mile we passed through one of the most destructive fores
ever witnessed, losing six men killed, and between thirty and forty
wounded; a few of the regiment, rather than run that great hazard of life,
laid down their arms and have gone to Libby Prison. Arriving at May
General Sheridan's headquarters, which were about half a mile northwest
from the crest of the hill where we first engaged the enemy, with other
regiments, we rallied and for a short time held the enemy in check. Here,
while rallying and encouraging his men, Captain Riemenschneider of
Company I was instantly killed, and Lieutenant Colonel Wilson was
wounded and taken from the field. The Sixth Corps, which was on the
right of the army, now engaged the victorious foe, but every effort failed,
because the enemy continued to flank us on the left. The whole army
was, therefore, ordered to fall back about two miles, so that our left was
no longer exposed to the rebel right. The enemy, finding that they no
longer had the advantage and seeing that our brave boys were not
subdued, but ready to renew the conflict, ceased to advance. Then during
a pause, such as is wont to prevail before a terrible storm, our army lines
were formed, front to front with the enemy. The Twenty-eighth as well
as the whole army had been repulsed. The enemy had our camps and all
we had except our arms; they had possession of the battlefield, of our
dead and our wounded; but we were unconquered.
Major General Sheridan comes upon the field. The Nineteenth
Corps Is place on the right, the Sixth in the center, and the Eighth on the
left. The Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth Iowa form the connecting
link between the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps. The awful scene opens.
We notice nothing except our own commands and the enemy in front.
No officers ever did better, nor any soldiers ever fought more bravely,
than did those of my command in that hour, which turned our defeat into
a glorious victory. We press forward, the enemy yields, he flees. The
victory is won, the rout transcends all others of the war. It seems so cruel,
yet so satisfactory to the loyal heart, to see our boys drop the running foe,
and when he gets beyond the reach of the rifles of the of the infantry, to
see the cavalry plunge with their carbines, revolvers and sabers right into
the disorganized masses of the traitors, to kill, to terrify, and to scatter
them in all directions. The Twenty-eighth goes into its old camp; our
food and clothing are all gone. We had no breakfast, no dinner and
nothing for supper; nor any rations nearer than Winchester, thirteen miles
away. We go forward to guard a captured train two miles long. It is cold
and dark. The mind grows calm; sadness and solemnity come over us all.
The last struggles of our brave comrades, the heroic dead, are forever
engraved on our memories. In after years we invite all interested in the
Twenty-eighth, as they pass by on the hill, on the right of the pike, just
before they cross Cedar Creek, to pause and read the names over the nine
graves of the killed of the regiment on that day. They, with those
mortally wounded, and the crippled and scarred for life, are some of the
tokens of the unflinching fidelity of the regiment to an undivided
nationality. I herewith append a list of the killed and wounded.
I have the honor to be,
Yours truly,
JOHN
MEYER, Major
Commanding
Regiment.
N. E. BAKER, Adjutant General, State of Iowa.
The casualties sustained by the regiment in the battle of Cedar
Creek were as follows: killed, 9; wounded, 77; missing, 9; total, 95.
Among the officers wounded-who were not mentioned in the report—
were Lieutenants Taggart and Barker. Lieutenant Colonel Wilson
remained in command devolved the regiment until he was wounded and
disabled, when the command devolved upon Major Meyer. In this last
battle, as in all the others in which it had taken part, the Twenty-eighth
Iowa had made an unbroken record of valor. From the time it entered
upon the Shenandoah campaign, the regiment had but two hundred men
and officers in battle.
During the remainder of the campaign, the regiment participated in
the operations of its brigade nd division, but the records do not show that
it met with any further casualties in conflict with the enemy. About the
middle of November it went into winter quarters of its own construction,
in which it remained until the latter part of December, when it moved to
Stephen's Depot, near Harper's Ferry, where winter quarters were again
constructed. About this time the regiment was assigned to the brigade to
which the Twenty-second and Twenty-fourth Iowa were attached, the
other two regiments of which the brigade was composed being the
Thirteenth Connecticut and One Hundred Thirty-first New York. In his
synopsis of the movements of the regiment, from Jan. 6 to July 31, 1865,
Lieutenant Colonel Wilson describes the changes which occurred in its
location and the various incidents connected with the closing months of
its service. For the purpose of this historical sketch, the account of this
period of the regiment's history is condensed from the report referred to,
but includes all the incidents of special importance.
On the morning of January 6, 1865, the regiment went on board
cars and was conveyed by rail to Baltimore and from thence, by
transports to Annapolis, where it embarked on the steamer "Illinois," for
Savannah, Ga. The five regiments of the brigade were conveyed by the
steamer, and the voyage was rendered uncomfortable on account of
insufficient quarters for so large a number of men. On January 19th the
regiment disembaked at Savannah and was quartered fore a few days in
the railway stations, while the men erected substantial quarters, which
they occupied during the remainder of their stay at that place. On
January 31st Colonel Wilson was ordered to detail two companies of his
regiment to garrison Fort Barlow, on the river east of the city, and
Companies A and D, under command of Captain H. M. Wilson, were
assigned to that duty. Enoch Baird, of Company I, who had been
captured by the enemy at Sabine Cross Roads and had escaped from the
rebel prison at Tyler, Texas, rejoined the regiment at Savannah, after
having endured almost incredible hardships. On February 6, 1865,
chaplain John t. Simmons, who had faithfully performed the duties of his
office since the organization of the regiment, and who had gained the
esteem and affection of all the officers and men, resigned and departed
for his home in Iowa. On March 12th the regiment embarked on steamer,
with orders to proceed to Morehead City, N. C.; passed Hilton Head on
the 13th and, on the 15th, encountered a heavy gale. The vessel rolled
badly and the men suffered much from sea-sickness. On March 18th the
steamer reached its destination and the regiment disembarked and
proceeded by rail to New Berne, N. C., where it rejoined the other
regiments of the brigade which had preceded it to that place.
On April 13th the regiment returned to Morehead City and was put
upon fatigue duty, handling and forwarding supplies to General
Sherman's army. While engaged in this duty, the glad news of the
surrender of the rebel General Lee and his army was received, followed
later by the sad news of the assassination of President Lincoln. Finally,
the news of the surrender of the rebel General Johnston and his army
gave assurance that the war had ended. The officers and men now
confidently expected to be soon released from the service, and were
greatly disappointed when, on the 4th of May, they were again ordered to
embark and proceed to Savannah, where they arrived on the 6th, and, on
the 9th, started on the long and toilsome march to Augusta, Ga. On May
19th, the regiment halted at the village of Hamburgh, S. C., on the bank of
the Savannah River, and from there detachments were sent to a number
of places to gather up property which had belonged to the rebel
gobernment. The regiment remained in the performance of this duty until
May 31st, when, with the Twenty-fourth Iowa, it moved to Augusta
Arsenal, during the occupation of which place Colonel Wilson was the
senior officer in command of all the troops, whose duty it was to guard
the large amount of government property which had been collected there.
It was the finest camp the regiment had ever had, but it was left without
regret when the welcome order was received to return to Savannah, there
to be mustered out of the service. The order was received on the 23d of
June, and in seven days the regiment was again in Savannah. It was not
until the 31st day of July, however, that the regiment was mustered out of
the service of the United States. On August 2d, it embarked on steamer
and was conveyed to Baltimore, where it arrived on the 5th, and was
conveyed thence by rail to Davenport, Iowa, reaching that place on
August 8, 1865. There the regiment was disbanded and, bidding each
other an affectionate farewell, the men returned to their respective homes,
there to again take up the duties of citizenship, with the same zeal and
earnestness which had distinguiished their conduct as soldiers. At the
close of his report to Adjutant General Baker, Colonel Wilson says:
"Better feeling never ezisted between officers and enlisted men than in
the Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry. Many eyes were moistened when
separation took place."
It is no disparagement to any of the Iowa regiments which were
engaged in the suppression of the Rebellion—every one of them having a
splendid record of heroic service—to claim for the Twenty-eighth
Infantry a place in the military history of the State surpassed by none.
For bravery, fortitude and all the distinguishing features of honorable and
faithful service, it stands forth conspicuously, and well may its survivors
and their posterity, together with all the loyal sons and daughters of the
Commonwealth, cherish the memory of its noble deeds and great
achievements.
SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.
Total Enrollment 1,195
Killed 40
Wounded 262
Died of wounds 29
Died of disease 189
Discharged for wounds, disease and other causes 206
Buried in National Cemeteries 110
Captured 99
Transferred 44
TWENTY-EIGHTH IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Term of service three years.
Mustered into service of the United States at Iowa City, Iowa,
Oct. 10, 1862, by Captain H, B. Hendershott, United States Army.
Mustered out July 31, 1865, Savannah, Ga.
COMPANY "I"
Barr, Peter. Age 31. Residence Clinton, nativity New York. Enlisted
Sept. 23, 1864. Mustered Sept. 23, 1864. Mustered out July 31, 1865,
Savannah, Ga.
Osttrander, Lafayette B. Age 39. Residence Clinton, nativity New York.
Enlisted Sept. 23, 1864. Mustered Sept, 23, 1864. Mustered out July 31,
1865, Savannah, Ga.
COMPANY "H"
Thornburg, Thomas. Age 43. Residence Clinton, nativity Pennsylvania.
Enlisted Sept. 23, 1864. Mustered Sept. 23, 1864. Mustered out July 31,
1865, Savannah, Ga.
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