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Iowa in the Civil War
In April 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. The Confederate attack on Fort
Sumter changed everything. Personal concerns were put aside, and the entire state became
involved in the war effort.
The War Department issued a call for volunteer regiments 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 signed up for ten regiments. By the end
of the war, Iowa had the highest percentage of volunteer enlistments of any state, North or South.
In total, Iowa furnished 46 infantry regiments, 9 cavalry regiments, and 4 batteries of
artillery. Iowa also furnished one black regiment and a thousand replacement troops.
Iowa’s 76,000 soldiers conducted themselves with honor throughout the war. Twentyeight received Medals of Honor. Thirteen thousand died. Many more died from disease than
from bullet wounds.
Three Iowans became major generals during the war. Samuel Curtis of Keokuk was a
graduate of West Point. He was also a member of Iowa’s congressional delegation. He resigned
from Congress in 1861 and was placed in command of the District of Southwest Missouri. He
commanded Union forces, including many Iowa soldiers, at the Battle of Pea Ridge (AR).
Grenville M. Dodge, 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 (MS),
Chattanooga (TN), and Atlanta (GA). He was wounded three times. After the war, Dodge
served as the chief engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad during the construction of the
nation’s first transcontinental railroad. Iowa’s youngest major general was Francis Herron, a
Dubuque banker. He served at Wilson’s Creek (MO), Pea Ridge (AR), Prairie Grove (AR),
Vicksburg (MS), and Mobile (AL). He was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the
Battle of Pea Ridge.
Iowans fought in many battles. Iowa soldiers first saw action 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 (TN), Fort Donelson (TN), and Shiloh (TN). 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. The Mississippi Valley
was now securely in Union hands. Iowa soldiers then fought in Mississippi, southeastern
Tennessee, and Georgia. Finally, in late 1864 and early 1865, thousands of Iowans took part in
General William Tecumseh Sherman’s famous “March to the Sea” through Georgia and the
Carolinas.
Although cannon balls and bullets had been fired across the Des Moines River into Iowa
dwellings, the only actual fighting in Iowa occurred in 1864. Missouri “guards” raided Davis
County, robbing, looting, and murdering. Bloomfield’s county fair was in progress, and a posse
was organized under Colonel James Weaver. Unfortunately, the raiders disappeared across the
Missouri border before they could be apprehended.
Iowa’s first Civil War battle death was Shelby Norman of Muscatine. Norman was killed
at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek in 1861. The youngest Iowan to serve in the war may have been
Cyrus Lichty of Cedar Falls. Lichty was only twelve when he enlisted as a drummer boy in
1861. He survived until 1940.
Iowa also gained fame for a unique military unit known as the Graybeard Regiment. The
regiment was composed of men too old to serve in combat (over 45). Nearly all were over 50.
Many were in their 70s, and a few were in their 80s! The Graybeards enlisted in spite of the fact
that they had a total of 1,300 sons and grandsons on the fighting front. The elderly men were not
expected to fight but were given duties of escorting trains and guarding railroads and prisoners.
Near Memphis, Tennessee, a supply train they were guarding was fired on by rebels; two
Graybeards were killed, but the rest got the train through. During their service, they guarded
160,000 prisoners. Iowa was the only state to have a Graybeard Regiment.
Like their husbands, fathers, and brothers, Iowa women performed heroic service during
the Civil War. Many organized Soldiers’ Aid Societies to raise money to buy food, clothing, and
medical supplies for sick and wounded soldiers. Some, like Annie Turner Wittenmyer of
Keokuk, followed Iowa units across the South, setting up hospitals and “diet kitchens.” Others,
like Mrs. M. J. (Eliza) Upright, managed farms that continued to supply the needs of both the
civilian population of the North and the thousands of soldiers fighting in the South. Mrs.
Upright’s situation was especially interesting. She single-handedly operated a large family farm
near Aplington, while her husband and ten sons served in the Union Army.
Iowa in the Civil War
Study Questions
1.
How many regiments was Governor Samuel Kirkwood able to organize after the first
round of voluntary enlistments in 1861?
2.
During the Civil War, Iowa furnished _______ infantry regiments, _______ cavalry
regiments, and _______ artillery batteries. Iowa also furnished one _______
regiments, and _______ replacement troops.
3.
How many Medals of Honor were awarded to Iowans?
4.
How many Iowa soldiers died during the war?
5.
What three Iowa men became major generals during the war?
6.
After the war, what role did Gen. Grenville Dodge play in the building of the first
transcontinental railroad?
7.
Name four battles in which Iowa units were involved.
8.
Why was the Union victory at Vicksburg especially important?
9.
What was the only Iowa county to actually experience fighting during the Civil War?
10.
Who was the first Iowan killed in battle?
11.
Who was probably Iowa’s youngest recruit?
12.
What was the “Graybeard” Regiment?
13.
In what ways did Iowa women contribute to the war effort?