Albert Quaife Civil War Records

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 dates 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.[1] 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 justly feel 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 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 11th 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, 1863. On the evening of April 30, we were 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 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 them, 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 up 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 the 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.

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 scene.”[3] Colonel Slack highly commends the conduct of the field and line officers of his brigade, and makes 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 of 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.[4] 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. . . . [5]

There was much more fighting before the battle was ended, in which the Twenty-eighth Iowa bore its full part. 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, made 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 Iowa, 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 command 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 1,202,[6] - over 28 per cent of the number engaged. Two-hundred-twenty-one of the enemy’s dead were buried in 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.[7] 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; Lieutenant 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. . . .”[8] 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 as 97. As the keeper of the regimental records, the statement of the Adjutant - with the list of the names, numbering by actual count an even 100 - must officially determine the matter. Such discrepancies are frequently found in officials (sic) 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 so.” 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 Edwards’ 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 investing 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 operation 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.[9] 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 had 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.[10] 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.[11]

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 operations 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 25, 1863, 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 prospects 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 given, 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 in 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.[12] 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. . . . . [13]

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.[14] 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, (heretofore 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 so 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 trains to Grand Ecore. Had he kept his army intact, instead of withdrawing a portion 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 me 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 at the hands of the enemy.[15]

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 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 there until the commencement of General Sheridan’s campaign in the Shenandoah 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:

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. S. 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 did not, until ordered to do so by me. Appended you will please find a list of killed, wounded and missing.

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 casualties among enlisted men were as follows: Killed, 11; wounded, 55; missing, 25; total, 100.[17] 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 the charge the regiment had five men wounded.[18] 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 notable 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:

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 a 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 fires ever witnessed, losing six men killed, and between thirty and forty wounded; a few of our regiment, rather than run that great hazard of life, laid down their arms and have gone to Libby Prison.[19] Arriving at Major 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 wounded; but we were unconquered.

Major General Sheridan comes upon the field. The Nineteenth Corps is placed 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 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 engraven on our memories. In after year 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.

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 of 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 lost two hundred men and officers in battle.

During the remainder of the campaign, the regiment participated in the operations of its brigade and 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.[21] For the purposes 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, to transports to Annapolis, where it embarked on the steamer “Illinois,” for Savannah, Ga. The five regiments of the brigade were conveyed by the same steamer, and the voyage was rendered uncomfortable on account of insufficient quarters for so large a number of men. On January 19th the regiment disembarked at Savannah and was quartered for a few days in the railway station, 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 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 a 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 government. 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 there 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 distinguished their conduct as soldiers. At the close of his report to Adjutant General Baker, Colonel Wilson says:[22] “Better feeling never existed between officers and enlisted men than in the Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry. Many eyes were moistened when separation took place.”

It is no disappointment 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.

Total Enrollment .................................................................................................................................. 1,195

Killed.................................................................................................................................................... 60

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

[1] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1863, Vol. I, pages VIII and XIII; also pages 983 to 1013 inclusive. Original Roster of the Regiment.

[2] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1867, Vol. 2, page 602.

[3] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Vol. 24, Series I, Part I, pages 610 to 612 inclusive.

[4] War of the Rebellion, Official Records, Vol. 24, Series I, Part I, page 583; Tabulated Statement of Casualties at the battle of Port Gibson.

[5] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Vol. 24, Series I, Part 2, pages 54 to 57 inclusive; Report of Colonel James R. Slack, commanding Second Brigade, Twelfth Division, Thirteenth Army Corps.

[6] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Vol. 24, Series I, Part 2, page 8; Tabulated Returns of Casualties in the battle of Champion’s Hill.

[7] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Vol. 24, Series I, Part 2, pages 40 to 47 inclusive.

[8] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Vol. 24, Series I, Part 2, page 59. Also Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1864, pages 486 to 490 inclusive (in which the name of the Adjutant is erroneously printed Games G. Strong), giving list of killed and wounded at Port Gibson and Champion’s Hill. The name of all the killed and wounded in these as well as the other engagements in which the regiment participated, together with all casualties from whatever cause, will be found noted in the subjoined Roster. The compiler has made diligent search for the official report of Colonel John Connell, who commanded the Twenty-eighth Iowa at the battle of Champion’s Hill, but has failed to find it, either in the Reports of the Adjutant General of Iowa or the Official Reports of the War of the Rebellion, published by the War Department.

[9] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Vol. 24, Series I, Part 2, pages 151 and 241.

[10] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Vol. 24, Series I, Part 2, pages 601 to 603 inclusive; Official Report of Colonel James R. Slack, showing total casualties in his brigade during the Jackson Campaign, 19 killed and wounded. Of this number, the Twenty-eighth Iowa had but one man wounded.

[11] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Vol. 24, Series I, Part 2, pages 603 to 605, inclusive; Reports No. 29 and 30. In making this reference, the compiler has in mind the tremendous loss of another Iowa regiment, during the siege of Jackson, in obedience to an order from an officer high in command, and which should not have been given. The loss was followed by no more important results than were accomplished by the Twenty-eighth Iowa on the same day, without loss. Both regiments implicitly obeyed orders, the one protected and fighting behind breastworks, the other assaulting the strongest position on the line of the enemy’s fortifications, without support, and suffering a loss, in killed and wounded, of nearly one-half its number engaged.

[12] Colonel Connell’s wound although severe was not mortal. He was taken prisoner, but was subsequently exchanged and returned to his regiment.

[13] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Vol. 34, Series I, Part I, pages 287 to 289 inclusive.

[14] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Vol. 34, Series I, Part I, pages 259 and 286.

[15] War of the Rebellion Official Records, Vol. 34, Series I, Part I, page 309. Report of General A. J. Smith, to whom General Banks said upon the field at Pleasant Hill, “God bless you, General, you have saved the army.”

[16] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1182, 3.

[17] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1183, 4.

[18] Report of Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1184, 5. Official Report of Lieutenant Colonel B. W. Wilson, of the part taken by the Twenty-eighth Iowa in the battle of Fisher’s Hill, Va.

[19] There were only 9 men, as shown by report of number missing, in Summary of Casualties at conclusion of Report.

[20] Report of the Adjutant General of Iowa, 1865, Vol. 2, pages 1185, 6.

[21] Report of the Adjutant General of Iowa, 1867, Vol. 2, pages 603, 4. Synopsis of movements of the Twenty-eighth Iowa, from Jan. 6, 1865, to its muster out, by Lieutenant Colonel B. W. Wilson.

[22] Lieutenant Colonel B. W. Wilson was commissioned Colonel of the Twenty-eighth Iowa, June 15, 1865; Major John Meyer was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel on the same date, and Captain John W. Carr was commissioned Major July 18, 1865. These promotions were all well deserved, but neither of these officers (as shown by the record) had been re-mustered at the time the regiment was mustered out, and they were therefore mustered out of the service with the rank they had previously held.