RECAPITULATION.

     Washington county was represented in forty regimental organizations, and is credited with 1,240 men furnished under the calls of the President in 1861 and 1862, or 554 more than required. This does not include the one hundred days' men.
The following is the list of her commissioned officers:

STAFF AND FIELD OFFICERS.

Henry R. Cowles, lieutenant-colonel, second infantry.
Nortan P. Chipman, adjutant, second infantry.
Matthew G. Hamill, major, second veteran infantry.
William T. Herritt, sergeant-major, second veteran infantry.
John Ashton, assistant surgeon, seventh infantry.
William B. Bell, brevet colonel, eighth infantry.
Samuel E. Rankin, major, eighth infantry.
Samuel D. Cook, surgeon, eighth infantry.
George W. Marsden, adjutant, eighth infantry.
Samuel R. Parker, quartermaster-sergeant, eighth infantry.
J. D. Miles, assistant surgeon, eleventh infantry.
John Elrod, chaplain, thirteenth infantry.
W. Wilson, chaplain, seventeenth infantry.
B. Crabb, colonel, nineteenth infantry.
G. G. Bennett, adjutant, nineteenth infantry.
J. H. Downing, quartermaster, nineteenth infantry.
J. Bennett, quartermaster, nineteenth infantry.
D. J. Palmer, lieutenant-colonel, twenty-fifth infantry.
T. W. Hyde, chaplain, thirtieth infantry.
J. B. Hope, major, forty-fifth infantry.
S. H. Stutsman, assistant surgeon, forty-fifth infantry.
J. P. Dawson; quartermaster, forty-fifth infantry.
T. J. Maxwell, assistant surgeon, third cavalry.

CAPTAINS.

Henry R. C?Cwles, company H, second infantry.
Matthew G. Hamill, company H, second infantry.
Benjamin Crabb, company H, seventh infantry.
James B. Hope, company H, seventh infantry.
Thos. L. Montgomery, company H, seventh infantry.
W m. Bell, company C, eighth infantry.
Samuel E. Rankin, company C, ,eighth infantry.
George W. Marsden, company C, eighth infantry.
N. A. Holson, company E, tenth infantry.
M. G. Cooper, company E, tenth infantry.
Isaiah G. Moore, company F, eleventh infantry.
M. Lemon, company F, eleventh infantry.
J. Elrod, company I, thirteenth infantry.
D. E. Cocklin, company I, thirteenth infantry.
S. E. Woodford, company K, thirteenth infantry.

516

V. W. Andrews, company K, thirteenth infantry.
L. Bassett, company K, thirteenth infantry.
H. W. McCaulley, company K, thirteenth infantry.
T. Blanchard, company I, eighteenth infantry.
D. J. Palmer, company A, twenty-fifth infantry.
J. M. Dick, company A, twenty-fifth infantry.
J. A. Young, company A, twenty-fifth infantry.
S. A. Russell, company I, twenty-fifth infantry.
T. H. Maxwell, Company I, twenty-fifth infantry.
J. W. Harpe, company I, twenty-fifth infantry.
A. Wilson, company H, twenty-eighth infantry.
W. T. Burgess, company E, thirtieth infantry.
J. Smith, company E, thirtieth infantry.
S. D. Cook, company K, thirtieth infantry.
J. B. Galiagher, company K, thirtieth infantry.
W. H. Allen, company B, forty-fifth infantry.
J. F. McCutchan, company D, ninth cavalry.

FIRST LIEUTENANTS.

Allan L. Thompson, company H, second infantry.
Hiram Schofield, company H, second infantry.
Matthew G. Hamill, company H, second infantry.
David M. Williams, company H, second infantry.
William P. Crawford, company H, seventh infantry.
James B. Hope, company H, seventh infantry.
Thos. L. Montgomery, company H, seventh infantry.
Robt. N. Graham, company H, seventh infantry.
Henry S. Kinsey, company H, seventh infantry.
Otho Bonser, company K, seventh infantry.
S. E. Rankin, company C, eighth infantry.
E. B. Plumb, company C, eighth infantry.
J. C. Baxwell, company C, eighth infantry.
G. W. Marsden, company C, eighth infantry.
S. R. Palmer, company C, eighth infantry.
R. J. Mohn, company E, tenth infantry.
J. H. Terry, company E, tenth infantry.
Y. S. Cummings, company E, tenth infantry.
J. Y. Haley, company E, tenth infantry.
J. D. Miles, company F, eleventh infantry.
W. J. Williamson, company F, eleventh infantry.
V. W. Andrews, company K, thirteenth infantry.
L. Bassett, company K, thirteenth infantry.
J. S. Rice, company K. thirteenth infantry.
J. M. Dick, company A, twenty-fifth infantry.
J. A. Young, company A, twenty-fifth infantry.
J. W. Harper, company I, twenty-fifth infantry.
T. T. Williams, company I, twenty-fifth infantry.
J. Smith, company E, thirtieth infantry.
W. W. Parker, company E, thirtieth infantry.
J. W. Middleton, company E, thirtieth infantry.
N. A. J. Young, company K, thirtieth infantry.
F. Critz, company K, thirtieth infantry.

517

S. E. Hawthorne, company B, forty-fifth infantry.

SECOND LIEUTENANTS.

Norman P. Chipman, company H, second infantry.
Hiram Schofield, company H, second infantry.
Mathew G. Hamill, company H, second infantry. .
George W. Neal, company H, second infantry.
David M. Williams, company H, second infantry.
William H. Samson, company C, sixth infantry.
George S. Richardson, company C, sixth infantry.
Granville V. Bennett, company H, seventh infantry.
James B. Hope, company H, seventh infantry.
Thos. L. Montgomery, company H, seventh infantry.
Rob't. N. Graham, company H, seventh infantry.
A. A. Rodman, company C, eighth infantry.
J. A. Boyer, company C, eighth infantry.
G. F. Dawson, company I, eighth infantry.
W. W. Purcell, company E, tenth infantry.
M. S. Cummings, company E, tenth infantry.
E. Garland, company E, tenth infantry.
J. B. Dawson, company F, eleventh infantry.
E. G. Jackson, company F, eleventh infantry.
S. Gordon, company F, eleventh infantry.
C. T. Young, company I, thirteenth infantry.
J. A. Brown, company I, thirteenth infantry.
S. D. Cook, company K, thirteenth infantry.
W. H. Allen, company K, thirteenth infantry.
J. S. Rice, company K, thirteenth infantry.
J. W. Eyestone, company K, thirteenth infantry.
S. A. Wilson, company I, eighteenth infantry.
B. I. Kinsly, company I, eighteenth infantry.
D. W. Ott, company D, twenty-fourth infantry.
J. A. Young, company A, twenty-fifth infantry.
M. B. Anderson, company A, twenty-fifth infantry.
D. A. Boyer, company A, twenty-fifth infantry.
T. Y. Williams, company I, twenty-fifth infantry.
J. A. Harper, company I, twenty-fifth infantry.
I. S. Drummond, company E, thirtieth infantry.
M. W. Parker, company E, thirtieth infantry.
J. W. Middleton, company E, thirtieth infantry.
J. B. Gallagher, company K, thirtieth infantry.
E. R. Eldridge, company B, forty-fifth infantry.
D. J. Ferree, company A, second cavalry.

518

SHERMAN'S MARCH TO THE SEA.

     The following beautiful poem, which has won for its author a national reputation, and has been sung in the theaters of Europe, was written in a Southern prison, by Adjutant S. H. M. Byers, at present (1880) U. S. Consul, at Zurich, Switzerland. In his little book, "What I saw in Dixie," on pages 73-4, he copies from his diary, December 25, 1865, as follows: "This is my second Christmas in prison.

* * * * * * *

      Lieutenant Tower, of Ottumwa, Iowa, who had lost a leg in the army, and who was afterward captured, is now to be exchanged and sent home. He wears a hollow, artificial limb in place of the one lost; this we packed full of letters, one of which contained 'Sherman's March to the Sea.' The rebels little suspected our novel way of communicating with our friends. The Lieutenant went safely through, and the letters were all safely delivered":

Our camp fires shone bright on the mountains
That frowned on the river below,
While we stood by our guns in the morning
And eagerly watched for the foe
When a rider came out from the darkness
That hung over mountain and sea,
And shouted "Bo'y's up and be ready,
For Sherman will march to the sea."

Then cheer upon cheer for bold Sherman
Went up from each valley and glen,
And the bugles re-echoed the music
That came from the lips of the men.
For we knew that the stars in our banner
More bright in their splendor would be,
And that blessings from Northland would greet us.
When Sherman marched down to the sea.

Then forward, boys, forward to battle,
We marched on our wearisome way,
And we stormed the wild hills of Resaca,
--God bless those who fell on that day
Then Kenesaw, dark in its glory,
Frowned down on the flag' of the free,
But the East and the West bore our standards,
And Sherman marched on to the sea.

Still onward we pressed, till our banners
Swept out from Atlanta's grim walls,
And the blood of the patriot dampened
The soil where the traitor flag falls;
But we paused not to weep for the fallen,
Who slept by each: river and tree;
Yet we twined them a wreath of the laurel,
As Sherman marched down to the sea.

0, proud was our army that morning
That stood where the pine darkly towers,
When Sherman said, "Boys, you are weary,
This day fair Savannah is ours. "
Then sang we a song for our chieftain
That echoed o'er river and lea,
And the stars in our banner shone brighter,
When Sherman marched down to the sea.

519

SOLDIERS' REUNION.

     One of the most largely attended meetings ever held in Washington county, and probably the largest of the kind ever held in the State was the soldiers' reunion which occurred at Washington on the 30th of September and the 1st of October, 1879. Speeches were made by Governor Kirkwood and Capt. Benson. Sham battles were fought, an immense quantity of gunpowder consumed and some fifteen thou sand visitors present. The following characteristic account as published in the "Press" will well bear reading and preserving:
     "At sunrise, McCutcheon's Battery of two guns waked everybody by its salute. His guns were heard near Crawfordsville, ten miles southeast, notwithstanding the wind was in the south. By 8 o'clock the country began to fill the city. Here and there an Old Vet. appeared with gun, canteen, knapsack, etc. At 9 the Junior Cornet Band marched into the park, their first appearance in uniform,-silver-trimmed caps with red plumes and tinselled coats. They looked gay, and eyes of girls and women and feet of gamins followed these melodious, gilt-edged youth everywhere. At 10, the band, the guards under Captain Palmer and the veterans, all commanded by Col. Cowles, marched to the depot to escort the boys from abroad. Of the Muscatine company only a baker's dozen came then,-the rest on the night express, with the brilliantly uniformed social band. The Muscatiners, commanded by Capt. Welker, are the flower of that town. Their bearing is not only soldierly, but patrician, and they drilled like an automatic machine. A nerve seemed to run from Welker's spinal chord to each man in the company, and his will moved the parts of the machine as readily as if its every member were an arm of his own body. Down town all came, and with some 400 veterans, the battalion moved off to Camp Grant. While the reception at the depot was taking place, the Columbus City band, 13 pieces, under D. R. Paschal, bestowed in a four-horse vehicle came into town. Our boys regretted that they were not on hand to receive them, but so the fate of war decreed. This hand played finely, and all were sorry that they could not stay over till next day and share the fun of the campaign.
     "Arriving at camp, C. T. Jones welcomed the boys in a graceful, piquant speech, guards were mounted, pickets stationed, and at 12 M. they fell-to on "dessiccated potatoes" and "anti-scorbutics."

"THE ROSTER.

     "While they are getting away with the flesh-pots of Egypt, let me give the roster of the troops:
     "Four hundred old veterans, formed, in part, as follows: Company D, captain Mitchell, thirty-five men, Crawfordsville; Oregon contingent, captain C. W. Crisman, forty men; Cedar re-inforcements, captain B. F. Tipton, forty men; Washington veterans, captain L. B. Cocklin, forty-five men; Marion musketeers, captain D. E. Cocklin, twenty men; Jackson contingent, captain T. L. Montgomery, twenty-five men; Dutch Creek, captain McCaulley, twenty-five men; captain G. L. Yanauken, fourteen men of company F, second regiment I. N. G. from Columbus Junction; the Muscatine boys and our guards, company D.
     "These regiments as far as known were represented: Iowa Infantry:

520

     Second, Seventh, Eighth, Tenth, Eleventh, Thirteenth, 'Sixteenth, Eighteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-fifth, Thirtieth, Thirty-third, Thirty-seventh, Forty-fifth, Forty-seventh; Iowa Cavalry: First, Second, Fifth, Ninth; Missouri: First Light Artillery; Colorado: First Artillery; Ohio Infantry: Fifteenth, Forty-eighth, Forty-ninth, Seventy-eighth, One Hundred and Second, One Hundred and third, One Hundred and Thirty-second, One Hundred and Fiftieth, One Hundred and Sixty-first, One Hundred and Eighty-third, and First Ohio Heavy Artillery; Indiana Infantry: Thirtieth, Fifty-second, Fifty-third, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth, One Hundred and Fifty-second, and Second Cavalry; Illinois Infantry: Twenty-eighth, Fifty-seventh, Sixty-fifth, Seventy-second, Eighty-third, Ninety-second, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth, One Hundred and Fifty-third; Twentieth Wisconsin Infantry; Fifty-sixth New York Infantry and Fifteenth Cavalry; Ninth, Tenth and One Hundredth Pennsylvania Infantry; Sixth Virginia Infantry; Fifteenth Michigan Infantry; United States Infantry: Forty-seventh, Sixty-fifth, Eighty-eighth and Sixtieth United States .Colored Infantry.

"A FEAST.

     "At 5: 30 luxuries were spread before the sons of Mars, not merely to recall old times, but to make them sleep ill; that is, to enable the boys to be wakeful and encourage them to make a night of it, which they proceeded to do. All this was washed down, at dinner and supper, by some one hundred and sixty-five gallons of prime coffee made so strong by Wm. Paul Moothart, consort to the Queen (Coffe Pot), that it would have floated bricks and wakened even the Seven Sleepers. A salute was fired at sunset, and by the way they kept saluting with sporadic gun-shots all night. I conclude that the enthusiastic boys, like General Joshua's solger boys, fancied the sun never would go down and hadn't gone down yet at 3 A. M. of Wednesday! They didn't cheese their racket all night. The arrival of the Muscatine boys and band, escorted to camp by our Guards, was the signal for such a hullabaloo demonstration as no civilian ever before heard; but it was fit to greet timely reinforcements by lifting the roofs off from the chambers where noise, din, whoop, yell, clatter and company are manufactured. The Muscatine boys took, up quarters in floral hall. Post Commander Cowles had a tent; the Cedar boys brought down the Advent tent that would sleep fifty men; there were other tents pitched, but the main force occupied barracks on the north side of the grounds, and the battery was posted within the track area.

"THE BOSS ROMANCERS

were Lush Taes and captain ,Kellogg. They spun yarns five or six hours. Lush reached a discourse to a lot of yelling bummers on the defunct war, passed a panegyric on general Grant and a blistering anathema on Jeff. Davis, and brought down the house by relating the story of the little baldheaded deacon in his father's rural church who called people to church by blowing a horn instead of ringing a bell, auctioneer fashion. During the week he and some wild boys put assafoetida or its equivalent in said horn. Next Sunday the deacon seized it to blow a gospel blast, but dropped it to make the unregenerate remark that he was a small man; a bald-headed man, and he had always tried to be a meek and lowly Christian, but he would be -- if he couldn't whip the internal cuss that stuffed that horn. Two

521

years later Lush and two wicked fellows were at camp-meeting, when the deacon importuned Lush to go to the mourner's circle. No, he was too vile a sinner. 'You have sworn and stolen, I suppose,' queried the deacon. ' Worse than that,' groaned the sinner. 'You perhaps have committed burglary, or greenbackism, or arson, or fusion,' said the devout man. 'Ah, worse than that.' 'Can't be possible that you have murdered anybody?' 'Wurse than that,' said Lush. The deacon laid his hat on a stump, shucked his coat, and looking at the elder said, 'I've found the son of a gun who fixed that horn.' Lush came away then.

"ATTACKS.

     "Three charges were made on the battery, but the booming guns were not taken, and no rat-tailed files were driven into their little Jokers. The Muscatine Guards were assailed; the first charge was repulsed with 'fearful slaughter,' but in the next sally they lost several prisoners, and some arms, etc. They, in turn, assaulted headquarters, and Colonel Cowles owes his ride to them. About fifteen Muscatiners were captured this way: Fellows would slip in behind the skirmish line, gather in a man, snake him off and chuck him over the fence. Each of these victims would keep still, and let the same grab game be played on the next fellow.
     "So wore away the night in a perfect abandon of deviltry. The boys could not sleep on account of the noise; and then the graybacks bothered them. A lot of these were imported for that occasion, Kellogg says, and they seemed to enjoy the re-union as much as anybody.

"SECOND DAY-THE CROWD.

     "By seven and eight o'clock teams began pouring into the fair grounds from the country. A man counted till he got tired, and left off when two thousand four hundred wagons averaging five or six to the vehicle, had passed. The crowd that day was full fifteen thousand. Many put it five thousand higher. It was the greatest jam ever known here. The spacious grounds were packed full, and several buggies were crushed in the jam, while teams were hitched on either side of the road for a distance of half or three-fourths of a mile.
     "Pending the gathering of the clans, an elect ion of officers was held, viz: D. J. Palmer, colonel; R. R. Cowles, lieutenant-colonel; A. Bunker, major. The prize for drill was also awarded to the Muscatine Guards. As stated' above, they moved with the precision of clock-work, and plainly won the prize, a fine flag afterward exchanged for a cup, as they already had colors.

"THE OLD WAR GOVERNOR,

     Senator Kirkwood, was escorted to the grounds at 11 and talked to the boys for twenty minutes. He insisted that in the late war we were on the right side. The rebels believed they were on the right side, and we on the wrong. 'They so teach their children, with much bitterness of hostile feeling toward us, their superiors in numbers and power. He had been in Louisiana and South Carolina and knows that they still teach the doctrines that inspired the revolt. They put up in Virginia a monument to Stonewall Jackson, inscribed, 'Died in defense of constitutional liberty.' If

522

that were a fact, then our effort was to tear liberty down. Who can believe it? He scouted the sentimentalism which detected no difference in the character of the sentiments which animated either side, and which would raise, impartial1y or indifferently, altars to the heroism and honor of the combatants on each side. You fought for nationality, he said, they for a sectionalism based on the alien, unchristian, uncivilized idea of slavery. He admonished them to cherish the principles that carried them into the war and through the experience of the hardships that they so patriotically, heroically endured.
     "After this service of Attic salt came dinner of salt horse, bean soup, etc., fol1owed by toasts and responses. Capt. Judge Benson talked forty-five minutes to the old vets. and real1y made the speech of the day. He insisted that the soldiers fought against the seditious, vicious doctrine of states-rights, and nothing else; that is, they fought to maintain the national authority or supremacy, without which our government, our political fabric, is a rope of sand. He believed we did right, and that it was a duty to teach our children to emulate the example of the Union soldiers. He sketched the experience of the soldiers, and with rare pathos, and closed by calling for three cheers for the flag which they carried to victory, and they were given with a tiger.
     "After battalion drill came, the spectacular effect of the day, the

"STORMING OF FORT BEAUREGARD.

     "This tarred paper structure was situated in Stewart's field, nearly a mile, southeast of the grounds. It was manned by the battery, our city guards and L. B. Cochlin's veterans. It stood on rising ground, a slough in front, and the whole scene was open to view by thousands of eager pairs of eyes. The Union skirmish lines were thrown out, advanced, fired, charged, retreated, advanced again, and went through all the regular maneuvers, the cannons roaring like bulls of Bashan and the muskets cracking as in 'really' war. Some say a few bullets were accidentally fired, but this is probably a mistake. The cannon cartridges were filled up with clay dug beneath a cinder heap, and it was probably the, whistle of these particles of slag that was heard. However, no accidents happened. On went the boys in blue, and made a final cheer as the Muscatine Guards went pell-mell into the fort by the left flank, hauling down the flag as the Johnnies set fire to the fort. The thing was very well done, and the sight was much enjoyed by those who had but a small idea of military movements.
     This was the signal for a general stampede home. The soldiers, marched to the east side of the park for a final dress parade, and at the close Co1. Cowles thanked them for their attendance and good coduct, and presented the prizes. Everybody went home feeling tip-top."

Return to top