In April of 1861, most Iowans were going about the business of building a young state. Farms and towns were being established. Railroads connected most settled areas in the eastern part of the state and were gradually being extended westward.
But, on April 12, 1861, the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter changed everything. Personal concerns were put aside, and the entire nation became involved in a civil war.
Iowa, being a northern state since 1846, was thrust into the conflict just as every state in the Union was. The War Department issued a call for volunteers and asked for one regiment from Iowa. Governor Samuel Kirkwood was uncertain if Iowa could raise the number of volunteers necessary to meet its quota, but enough men enlisted to form ten regiments. In total, Iowa furnished 48 infantry regiments, 9 cavalry regiments and 4 batteries of artillery. The Hawkeye State also furnished one black regiment and one thousand replacement troops to the Union cause.
Click here to read more about the Civil War mustering camp – Camp Pope – in Iowa City.
Read more about four young Iowa Citians who served during the war.
Read more about four other brave Iowan’s who helped fight the war.
Read about Captain A.B. Cree & the 22nd Iowa Infantry – Johnson County’s Regiment.
Between 1861-1865, there were no major battles between Union and Confederate forces in Iowa. In truth however, the State of Iowa played a significant role in the North’s ultimate victory over the South, providing food, supplies, troops and officers for the war effort. During this four year period, Iowa – with a total population of 674,913 in 1860 – provided 76,534 men to fight with the Union Army. In fact, Iowa contributed more troops per capita to the Union Army than any other state, and during that war, 13,001 Iowa soldiers – 17% – died. 1/3rd of those perished because of war wounds, while 2/3rd died because of disease. And, oh yes, another 8,500 Iowa men – 11% – came home severely wounded.
Read more about the 22nd Iowa Infantry and their extensive 3-year tour between 1862-1865.
Three Iowans became major generals during the war. Samuel Curtis of Keokuk (above left) was a graduate of West Point. He was also a member of Iowa’s congressional delegation. He resigned from Congress in 1861 and commanded Iowa forces at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Grenville M. Dodge (above middle), an engineer and railroad builder, had settled in Council Bluffs in the 1850s. He recruited a company of volunteers at the start of the war and served under General Curtis at the Battle of Pea Ridge. He participated in many major battles – including Vicksburg and Chattanooga. He was wounded three times. Iowa’s youngest major general was Francis Herron (above right), a Dubuque banker. He served at both Pea Ridge (1861) and Prairie Grove (1862).
Iowans fought in many battles. Iowa soldiers first saw combat at Wilson’s Creek, Missouri, and Pea Ridge, Arkansas. Early in the war, many Iowa units accompanied General Ulysses S. Grant in his campaign to gain control of the Mississippi River. They took part in the great battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson and Shiloh. At Shiloh, five Iowa regiments “saved” Grant’s army by holding the center of the Union line (called the “hornets’ nest” by attacking Confederates) until late in the first day of the battle. This campaign ended with the great Union victory at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on July 4, 1863. Iowa soldiers then fought in Mississippi and Tennessee. Finally, in the spring of 1864, thousands of Iowans took part in General William Tecumseh Sherman’s famous “March to the Sea” through Georgia and South Carolina.
Chauncey Noble Bloomfield, the author of our letter, served in the 2nd Regiment/Company D of the Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Union) during the Civil War. Records show that his regiment was called into service in December, 1861 and was disbanded in April, 1865. Company D was led by Captain Ignatius Burns, with many men coming from Alexandria, Clark County, MO, which lies directly south of Lee County, Iowa, across the Des Moines River. The 2nd Regiment moved throughout northern Missouri (including Palmyra) from January, 1862 to June, 1863, operating against guerrilla fighters from the secessionist Missouri State Guard (Confederates). Below left – Belfast, Iowa no longer exists. Once a thriving community on the Rock Island railway, it was located along the Des Moines River south of Croton, and west of Argyle. Below right – Chauncey Bloomfield died at a young age (June 6, 1865) and is buried (along with a relative, G.M. Bloomfield) in Belfast Cemetery in Lee County. Also known as Johnson Cemetery, this long-abandoned cemetery is in the woods, about 1/4 mile from Belfast Road in Van Buren Township.
The Anderson family is originally from Ohio but relocated to Clarinda (Page County) in SW Iowa prior to the war. Both brothers enlisted in the 4th Iowa Infantry in August 1861 and were assigned to Company K, with Albert (age 23) assigned as a Third Sargent, and Harvey (age 19) a Third Corporal. At the time of this letter, Albert had been assigned to Iowa City to serve as a recruiting officer for the Union army, while Harvey stayed with Company K, and had just survived several major battles. Albert is obviously missing the comradery of his fellow soldiers, trying desperately (through letters to Col. James Williamson and Capt. Hendershot) to be reassigned to his Company, so he can fight alongside his brother. Here are Albert’s & Harvey’s official military records:
Anderson, Albert Rainey. Age 23. Residence Clarinda, nativity Ohio. Enlisted Aug. 10, 1861, as Third Sergeant. Mustered Aug. 31, 1861. Promoted First Lieutenant May 12, 1862; Captain March 19, 1863; Major April 5, 1864; Lieutenant Colonel June 10, 1865. Mustered out July 24, 1865, Louisville, Ky. Born Adams County, Ohio, November 8, 1837; moved with his parents to Galesburg, Ill.; attended the common schools and Knox College, Galesburg, Ill.; moved to Taylor County, Iowa, in 1857; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1860 and commenced practice in Clarinda, Iowa; appointed postmaster of Clarinda by President Lincoln in 1861. Albert resigned to enlist in the Union Army as a private in Company K, Fourth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry; promoted through the ranks to become major of his regiment; commissioned lieutenant colonel in 1865; mustered out in August 1865 and returned to Clarinda, Iowa; moved to Sidney, Iowa, in 1866; resumed the practice of law; assessor of internal revenue 1868-1871; delegate to the Republican National Convention at Philadelphia in 1872; district attorney 1876-1880; State railroad commissioner in 1881; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1882 to the Forty-eighth Congress; elected as an Independent Republican to the Fiftieth Congress (March 4, 1887-March 3, 1889); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1888 to the Fifty-first Congress; moved to Hot Springs, S.Dak., in 1892 and continued the practice of his profession; served as mayor of Hot Springs, Fall River County, S.Dak., in 1895 and 1896; elected State attorney of Fall River County November 8, 1898; died at Hot Springs, S.Dak., November 17, 1898; interment in Sidney Cemetery, Sidney, Iowa.
Anderson, William Harvey Age 19. Residence Page County, nativity Ohio. Enlisted Aug. 12, 1861, as Third Corporal. Mustered Aug. 31, 1861. Promoted Fifth Sergeant Feb. 5, 1862; Fourth Sergeant May 12, 1862. Wounded slightly Dec. 29, 1862, Vicksburg, Miss. Promoted Third Sergeant May 2, 1863; First Sergeant Dec. 1, 1863; Second Lieutenant Feb. 25, 1864; First Lieutenant April 6, 1864. Mustered out July 24, 1865, Louisville, Ky.
The 4th Iowa Infantry was organized at Council Bluffs and mustered into Federal forces on August 8, 1861. The regiment was moved to St. Louis, where it was assigned to the Army of the Southwest. The 4th Iowa fought in the Battle of Pea Ridge (Arkansas) in March 1862. The regiment, under the leadership of Colonel J.A. Williamson, then marched to Helena, Arkansas, where it remained during the greater part of the summer and autumn of 1862. The Regiment subsequently joined General Sherman’s army in the movement down the Mississippi River, against Vicksburg and Chattanooga. On December 28 and 29, 1862, it participated in the desperate fighting at Chickasaw Bayou, suffering severe loss, and duplicating its record of gallantry at Pea Ridge. This is, most likely, where Harvey Anderson was slightly wounded. The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles directed against a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi River (December 26, 1862 to July 4, 1863).
Emmer & Emory Westcott’s gravestones in Oakland Cemetery, Iowa City.
Records show Emmer’s twin brother, Emory (1838-1923), served in the 22nd Iowa Infantry during the Civil War. Known as the Johnson County Regiment, they entered into service in Iowa City on September 9, 1862. After garrison duty in Missouri, the regiment served in Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Vicksburg’s Campaign of 1863. In late 1863 and early 1864, the regiment participated in operations on the Texas Gulf Coast and in Louisiana. In May 1864, it was ordered to Virginia. Our letter was most likely mailed (June 21, 1864) from the federal encampment in Carrollton, LA (near New Orleans) just as the regiment was heading out. Records show that the Carrollton site included a barracks for troop housing, a cavalry camp of instruction, a general hospital, and served as a training ground for cavalry troops.
Click here to read more about Wetherby.
(P-0262) Long after Lincoln’s death, his life was commemorated. This beautiful penny postcard from 1904 was created in his memory.
There are two Civil War remembrance plaques (above) posted on stone monuments outside the Johnson County Court House. The one on the left of the steps has General John Logan’s Memorial Day Order of 1868. The one on the right has Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Kudos to the amazing resources below for the many quotes, photographs, etc. used on this page.
Johnson County Courthouse Civil War Monuments, Iowa Civil War Monuments
Civil War, Encyclopedia Dubuque
Click here to go on to the next section…
Click here for a complete INDEX of Our Iowa Heritage stories…
Our Iowa Heritage 