Benjamin F. Gue

“ On the last of May the regiment moved down the river to join General Grant’s army, then engaged in the Vicksburg campaign. It was not called to take part in the numerous brilliant battles which followed in rapid succession but was employed in the swamps of the vicinity where sickness and death thinned the ranks. Bad water and the malaria of the swamps were more fatal to the men than hard fought battles. In August the Fortieth joined General Steele’s army in the campaign against Little Rock. With about 12,000 men General Steele marched against that city. ”

“ A moment later the First Iowa Cavalry charged and not a man of the entire force escaped, all who were not killed or wounded being taken prisoners. Guns, horses, camp equipage and several thousand dollars’ worth of property were captured by the Union army.
The affair was a most brilliant one and the Iowa regiment returned without the loss of a man. The pursuit of Marmaduke’s army was continued to Chalk Bluff, on the Saint Francis River with skirmishing all the way. Major Caldwell, who had the advance, lost but five men wounded. ”

“ Hatch, who had been made a Brigadier-General, commanded the Fifth Cavalry Division and won great renown. In the Battle of Nashville, General Hatch’s Division took a brilliant part and, with the Second Iowa, was in the severest of the fight. In this battle and the pursuit of Hood, Colonel Coon’s Brigade did gallant service. It captured 1,186 prisoners, fifteen pieces of artillery and a great amount of other property. The Second Cavalry had fourteen men killed and forty-seven wounded. ”

“ The battle was fought largely by the brigades of General Rice and Colonel Englemann on the Union side. At half-past twelve o’clock the Confederates had retired from the field and the Union army crossed the river in safety. The battle was fought in the mud where the men sunk to their horses’ knees and in many places stood in water up to their own. The Fortieth did not fight in a body at any time during the engagement. Early in the morning two companies under Captain Campbell had been sent out as skirmishers. ”

“ Four of the companies, with a detachment of the First Missouri Cavalry, attacked and routed a party of the enemy under Poindexter at Silver Creek in January. The same companies in February, made a raid on Warsaw and captured several Confederate officers. In similar services the eight companies spent the winter almost constantly in the saddle on either side of the Missouri River everywhere protecting Union men. Early in March the third battalion was ordered to Sedalia where it joined the first battalion under Major Torrence. ”

“ Captains Chase and William Thompson were promoted to majors and Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson was made colonel of the regiment upon the resignation of Colonel Gower. Major Caldwell was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and Captain McQueen was at the same time made major. During the campaign which closed with the capture of Little Rock, the regiment suffered greatly from sickness. Disease brought on by hardships and exposures of the march prostrated hundreds of men and death sadly thinned the ranks. ”

“ The success of the Union armies would almost certainly bring emancipation to the slaves. As soon as our Government determined to enlist colored soldiers the negroes of Iowa hastened to volunteer their services. The Sixtieth regiment of United States colored troops was largely made up of Iowa men. Six companies of this regiment went into camp at Keokuk, where they were mustered into the service of the United States on the 13th of October, 1863. The four companies which completed the regiment, entered the service at St. ”

“ The remaining companies under the colonel did a large part of the regiment’s hard fighting and suffered much of the loss.
“The four companies holding the extreme left,” says Colonel Englemann in his report, “were hard pressed by the enemy, but maintained their position with the most commendable bravery, suffering, however, in proportion to the number of men composing those companies, the most severe loss of any of our troops engaged at Jenkins’ Ferry.” Out of one hundred men these companies lost six killed, thirty-four wounded and five captured. ”

“ The beginning of the Rebellion sent more into our State from Missouri and it is likely that the negro population had increased to nearly 2,000 before 1863. These realized early in the gigantic struggle that their race had a vital interest in the results of the war. ”

“ He had be his superior strategy, defeated nearly 5,000 men with a force of eight hundred. Colonel Hatch with the Iowa cavalry in this affair coöperated in the most skilful manner, aiding greatly in winning the brilliant victory. The loss of his regiment was twenty-two killed and wounded.
While in camp near Rienzi the command was attacked by a Confederate force under General Faulkner. After a lively fight the enemy was driven off and pursued many miles with heavy loss. In this affair the Second Iowa lost ten men. ”

“ The total loss to the Confederate cause from this foray was estimated at about $300,000. Blunt’s army returned to Prairie Grove. The early months of 1863 found the First Cavalry in Arkansas and Missouri scouting over a great extent of country, dispersing guerrilla bands and capturing many prisoners. On the 26th of April a night attack was planned on the advance guard of a Confederate force near Jackson and the charge was intrusted to the First Iowa Cavalry under Major Caldwell. ”

“ A battle must be fought against greatly superior numbers or the army must surrender. The Thirty-third Iowa under Colonel Mackay held the extreme rear near the bluff. At daylight this regiment was fiercely attacked. ”