History of Louisa County, Iowa
(From Its Earliest Settlement to 1912)
by Arthur Springer
Vol I
The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company 1912
CHAPTER XII.
pp.177-208
LOUISA COUNTY SOLDIERS.
TERRITORIAL MILITIA---ALPHABETICAL LIST OF LOUISA COUNTY SOLDIERS IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION---SOLDIERS IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.
The first territorial governor of Iowa, Robert Lucas, was himself something
of a military man, and at once interested himself in an effort to organize
a territorial militia. He had difficulty in many of the counties in getting
them to take any interest in the matter, but it is understood that the
military spirit showed itself quite early in this county. on January 19,
1839, Gov. Lucas made the following militia appointments in this county,
all of them being of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Brigade of the 2nd Division:
Colonel, John Ronalds.
Lieutenant, Z. C. Inghram.
Major, Robert Childers.
There are no records to be found showing just what military organizations
were perfected in this county at that time. Such as there were, however,
came very near having something to do in connection with the controversy
between the state of Missouri and Iowa territory over the location of the
southern boundary of the territory. This incident is sometimes called the
Border War, or the Puke War. The state of Missouri claimed that the northern
boundary of that state extended far enough North to include a great part
of Van Buren County, and brought the matter to a crisis by sending an officer
up there to collect taxes. This officer was arrested and put in jail in
Van Buren County, whereupon the governor of Missouri issued a fierce proclamation
and called for a thousand volunteers. Gov. Lucas responded with a much
bigger proclamation and called for 120 troops. In an article on Louisa
County history in the Annals of Iowa for 1870
William L. Toole, referring to this incident, says: "Louisa
County, like its adjoining counties, had for its early settlers a people
patriotic and spirited, as was fully shown at the time of our border war;
for, although then but few in number, they eagerly and freely attended
to the call to repel the invaders." Mr. Toole then relates that public
meetings were held and patriotic speeches delivered and resolutions made
to stand ready for a move against the intruders from Missouri. The display
of patriotism was not confined to the males, but the wives and daughters
were also zealous in their patriotism. Maximillian Eastwood, justice of
the peace, blacksmith and tavern keeper in Toolesborough, was a man of
considerable local note and influence and his cabins were places of public
resort. On the occasion of one of these "war meetings," Mrs.
Eastwood, who was a favorite among the people, "assisted by her female
friends, prepared a free dinner for all assembled, and enough for all.
The dinner was made noted through the huge (John or journey) cake she prepared
for the occasion; it was fourteen feet long and about one foot wide, baked
on a board before a fire fixed along a large log, and perhaps the largest
cake ever made in Iowa."
In addition to the public meetings referred to by Mr. Toole, there were
other I warlike occurrences in this county at the time, notably the march
through the county of a company of the militia from Muscatine. It is said
also that a company from Johnson county came as far as the bluff south
of Wapello, and then, learning that there would be no war, returned home.
The controversy over the boundary was settled some years after by the Supreme
Court of the United States, in favor of the contention of Iowa.
Among the old files are found the records of two courts martial held in
1840 The following, which seems to have been held on Sept. 19, 1940 was
doubtlessheld in Grandview township, although it does not so state. We
quote it literally:
"I do heare by certyfy that the folowing is a corect transaction acording
to law. Martin Gray Capt. (Spelling quoted exactly as written)
"A court marcial" being Detailed of the underlined acording to
law of the 5 "comp. I Reg. I Birgade 2 Division, S. M. on the 19th
"organised, an as folows asesed the fines of Delinquents as follows:
Jacob Holbrook fined $2.00
Wm. Thompson, Jun. fined $3.00
Lot Thornton, fined $2.00
Thomas MCoy, fined $3.00
Thomas Suleven, fine'd $2.00
Wm. Shoemaker, fined $3.00
Abraham Mclearey, fined $3.00.
Abraham Sellers, fined $2.00
S. R.CROW, prs
JESSE BENEFIEL,
WM. P. NORRIS,
JOH N TAYLER,
ALEXer. ROSS."
It seems from the foregoing that Martin Gray was captain of the militia
at Grandview. The record of the one held at Florence is as follows:
Court Martial Held at Florence on the I7th Day of September A. D., 1840
the following are the names of persons Returned by the Court and each one
Fined two dollars: James Morris, James Hate, Joseph Ogle, Obadiah Garison,
Mark Davidson, James R. Willson, John Devenport, James Willson, Samuel
Dunham, Nathan Linton, Thomas Stanly, Henry McFall, Jefferson Frizzle,
Richard Curry.
Attest SAMUEL SMITH,
President of the Court.
These fines were probably for failure to attend drills. The executive journal
of Gov. Robert Lucas shows that on January 13, 1841, he appointed John
Rinearson captain of the Wapello Cavalry, in place of M. Wilson, who had
resigned. Mrs. Sarah Hurley says she remembers the Wapello Cavalry quite
well, and that it was in the habit of drilling out west of town; and that
her uncle, David Clark, who at that time lived in Muscatine and had been
commander of a militia company back in Indiana, came down here occasionally,
to drill the boys.
It was the duty of the township assessors at one time to make a return
of all of the able-bodied males between the ages of eighteen and forty-five,
and thesereturns are among the files for Wapello, Florence, Jefferson,
Grandview and Columbus City townships, but none from Fredonia township.
From the report made by John Gilliland, Clerk of the County Board of Commissioners,
to the adjutant general, on June 24, 1844, it appears that the persons
subject to military duty in the county were as follows: Wapello township,
143; Florence township, 191; Jefferson township, 86; Grandview township,
117; Columbus City township,143; Fredonia township, estimated, 55. Total,
635.
The return from Grandview township made by Joseph Burr, assessor, shows
that there were the following officers residing in that township
at that time: Robert Childers, Colonel; Alex. Ross, Major; Nicholas T.
Brown, Lieutenant; Morton Brown, 2nd Lieutenant.
The returns from other townships do not make mention of any officers. one
military item of interest is found in the report of Treasurer George F.
Thomas, made January I, 1847, for the year 1846, in which he mentions the
payment to Francis Springer, "Captain of Louisa Guards," of the
following amounts:
one stand of collars .....$15.00
one French Horn..............8.00
one Bugle .......................2.00
one Trumpet, 4 Crook ....6.00
The history of the Union Guards, will be found in the chapter
on Columbus City.
LOUISA COUNTY IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.
"According to the report of Adjutant General Baker,
made in 1866, the quota of troops to be furnished by Louisa county for
the suppression of the rebellion
under the calls made by President Lincoln in 1861 and 1862 was five hundred,
and the number of troops furnished by the county under these calls is given
by
the same report as eight hundred and forty-two. This gives the county a
surplus over the call of three hundred and forty-two. We find no other
official statement as to the quota to be furnished by Louisa county under
any of the calls made by the president subsequent to this. Since then the
number of troops furnished by this county in the war of the rebellion has
been placed at eight hundred and forty two. We have long supposed that
that number was entirely too low, and have made a very careful investigation
in the effort to give not only the full number of soldiers furnished by
this county, but the names of the soldiers with their "respective
commands".
We have prepared an alphabetical list, which is given
at the close of this chapter, showing the names and commands of all the
Louisa county soldiers so far, as we have been able to ascertain them.
This list was first made by copying from the reports of the adjutant general
for the various years covering the rebellion, the names of those soldiers
who were credited to Louisa county. The list was then submitted to quite
a number of the Louisa county soldiers and many additional names were suggested.
Colonel J. W. Garner was kind enough to go over the list and compare it
with the adjutant general's reports and add such names as he could think
of not found there. Colonel Garner himself added in the neighborhood of
one hundred names, which were not on the original list. The list of those
whose commands are given numbers upward of twelve hundred. To this list
there are fourteen names added, all of whom are believed to have been residents
of this county when they enlisted, but whose commands we have not been
able to learn.
Louisa county furnished nearly the whole of the following companies: C
of the Fifth Infantry; K of the Eighth Infantry; F and G of the Nineteenth
Infantry; F of the Twenty-fifth Infantry, and F of the Thirty-fifth Infantry.
It also furnished quite a number in Companies C of the Eleventh; C of the
Eighth; E of the Fourteenth; C of the Fourteenth; I of the Sixth; E of
the Sixteenth; D, G and H of the Seventeenth, and one or more in the following
companies: A, C, ~ and E of the First Infantry; Companies A, G and H of
the Second Infantry; G of the Fifth; A and I of the Seventh; H and I of
the Eighth; A of the Ninth; F. G and II of the Eleventh; K of the Thirteenth:
K of the Fourteenth; H of the Fifteenth; C of the Sixteenth; C of the Eighteenth;
C of the Nineteenth; D, E and I of the Twenty-fifth; C of the Thirtieth;
A and D of the Thirty-fifth; B and G of the Thirty-seventh; C of the Forty-first,
and B, F and H of the Forty-fifth; and Companies A, B, C, D and E of the
First Cavalry; A, H, I and K of the Second Cavalry; K and L of the Fourth
Cavalry; M of the Seventh Cavalry; D, E, F, H, K, L and M of the Eighth
Cavalry and A of the Ninth Cavalry. There were also some Louisa county
soldiers in the following commands: Engineer Regiment of the West; the
First Battery Iowa
Light Artillery; the Fourth Veteran Infantry; Fifteenth United States Regulars:the Sixteenth Illinois and the Fifty-fifth Illinois.A fair idea of the patriotism of Louisa county and her devotion to the Union can be gained from the fact that by the census of 1860 the county had a population of but 10,370 and that she furnished during the war 1217 soldiers. This means that practically fifty per cent of the men of Louisa county enlisted in the army. It is not our purpose to write a history of the war of the rebellion, nor to give a detailed account of the various battles and campaigns in which Louisa county soldiers were engaged. It is probable that some of them were engaged in the following battles, and doubtless in many others: Bull Run, Wilson's Creek, Belmont, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Chickahominy, Manassas, Antietam, Iuka, Corinth, Prairie Grove, Fredericksburg, Chickasaw Bluffs, Arkansas Post, Chancellorsville, Champion Hill, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Jackson, Mississippi, Sterling's Plantation, Rappahannock, Missionary Ridge, Mine Run, Virginia, Meridian Expedition, Sabine Cross Roads, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Totopotamy, Guntown, Mississippi, Atlanta Campaign, Cold Harbor, Sherman's March to the Sea, Petersburg, Kenesaw Mountain, Tupelo, Mississippi, Nashville and Bentonville.
More to Come including names of all those who served:
