-------------------------------------------------------------------------- File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Paul R. Sarrett, Jr. Feb. 10, 1998 prsjr@aol.com USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- File PG_CWAR2.TXT, Revised 10 Dec. 1996, By Paul R. Sarrett, Jr. (prsjr@aol.com) http://members.aol.com/prsjr/ia/pageia.htm (Page Co., IA. HomePage Civil War: Page Co., Iowa 1st Iowa Regiment Cavlary CIVIL WAR (1861-1865): ABRAHAM WILSON was 18 1/2 years old when the first shot on Fort Sumter, South Carolina on 12th April 1861. His personal description at the time of his enlistment was as follows: 5 feet, 10 inches tall; complexion was light; color of eyes were Gray; color of hair Fair Brown. ABRAHAM was 19 years old and working on his father's farm in Amity Township, near College Springs, Iowa. About a year and six months after the start of the War, ABRAHAM WILSON served two en-listment's, first, on the morning of 8 Sep. 1862 he rode his horse to Davenport, Iowa, and signed up with the IOWA CAVALRY VOLUNTEERS, and served for 1 year, 3 months, and 23 days, was discharged as a Private on 31 Dec. 1863, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Re-enlisted on 1 Jan. 1864, and served a second term of 2 years, 1 month, and 15 days; was mustered out as a Corporal when Regiment was abanded in Austin, Texas, on 16 Feb. 1866. Both enlistment's were with the 1st. Iowa Cavalry, Co. "A". IOWA 1ST. CAVALRY REGIMENT Was organized at Burlington, Mo., and mustered into the United States Union service on 3 May 1861. FRITZ HENRY WARREN, of Burlington. as Colonel; CHARLES. E. MOSS, of Keokuk, as Lieutenant Colonel; E. W. CHAMBERLAIN, of Burlington as Major; JAMES O. GOWER, of Iowa City, Iowa as Major; and W. M. G. TORRENCE, of Keokuk, as Major. The 1st. Cavlary. Regiment consisted of 12 Companies. A Company - Men from Lee, Van Buren, and Wapello Counties. Colonel A. J. McQUEEN and Captain THOMAS J. O'HENISS B Company - From Clinton County. C Company - From Des Moines and Lee Counties. D Company - From Madison and Warren Counties. E Company - From Henry County. F Company - From Johnson and Linn Counties. G Company - From Dubuque and Black Hawk Counties. H Company - From Lucas and Morrison Counties. I Company - From Wapello and Des Moines Counties. K Company - From Allamakee and Clayton Counties. L Company - From Debuque and other Counties. M Company - From Clinton County. 1st. IOWA CAVLARY SUMMARY OF ENGAGEMENT The Iowa 1st Cavalry Regiment was one of the finest fighting horsemen in the state, the following are a few of their campaigns. The whole Regiment was disbanded on 15 Feb. 1866, and all personnel was mustered out in Austin, Texas. MILFORD, MO. (also called "Shawnee Mound" or "Blackwater" Mo. On 18 Dec. 1861; Along with 27th Ohio; 8th, 18th, 22d and 24th Ind., 31st. Kan., Detached U. S. Cavalry; 2 Batteries of 1st. Mo. Light Artil. Union had 2 killed, 8 wounded. Confed. had 1,300 captured. SILVER CREEK, MO. (also called "Sugar Creek" and "Roan's Tan Road. On 8 Jan. 1862; Along with Detachments of 1st and 2d Mo.; & the 4th Ohio. Union had 5 killed, 6 wounded. Confed. had 80 wounded. LEXINGTON, MO. On 12 March 1862; 1st Iowa Cav. had 1 killed, 1 wounded. Confed. 9 killed, 3 wounded. MONTAVALLO, MO. On 14 April 1862; 1st Iowa Cav. had 2 killed, 6 wounded. Confed. 2 killed, 10 wounded. BUTLER, BATES CO., MO. On 15 May 1862; 1st Iowa Cav. had 3 killed, 1 wounded. Confed. No record. OSCEOLA, MO. On 27 May 1862; 1st Iowa Cav. had 3 killed, 2 wounded. Confed. No record. PLEASANT HILL, MO. On 11 July 1862; Along with the Missouri Militia. Union had 10 killed, 19 wounded. Confed. 6 killed, 5 wounded. CLEAR CREEK, MO. (or Traberville Mo.) On 2 August 1862 1st. Iowa Cav. had 5 killed, 14 wounded. Confed. 11 killed. CHALK BLUFF and ST. FRANCOIS RIVER, MO. On 30 April, and 1 May 1862; Along with the 2d Mo. Militia; 3d Mo. Cav.; Battery "E" 1st Mo. Light Artil. Union had 2 killed, 11 wounded. Confed. No Record. ELKIN'S FORD, ARK. (near Little Rock, Ark) On 4 to 6 April 1864 Along with 43d Ind.; 29th and 36th Iowa; Battery "E" 2d Mo. Light Artil. Union had 5 killed, 33 wounded. Confed. 18 killed, 30 wounded. HURRICANE CREEK, MISS. On 23 Oct. 1864; Along with the 9th Kansas Cav. Union had 1 killed, 2 wounded. Confed. No record. Other location no records. Rolla, Mo.; New Lexington; Bayou Metoe, Mississippi; Warrensburg, Mo.; Big Creek Bluff's; Antwineville; "A" COMPANY 1st. REGIMENT IOWA CAVALRY. VOLUNTEERS: Twenty-two days after ABRAHAM WILSON 20th birthday joined the, 1st. Regiment, Iowa Cavalry Volunteers, in Davenport, Iowa. on 8 Sep. 1862. He was the only soldier from Page Co., that was assigned to Company " A ". 35 days later on Oct. 13, 1862 he was admitted to fort hospital a Benton Barracks, in St. Louis, Mo., for measles, he did not return to "A" Co. until part of Nov. and all of Dec. 1862. He was on a march with "A" Co. up to Mar. 25, 1863. Became sick in Rolla Mo. again was in hospital until May of 1863. Was a Orderly for Capt. R. M. REYNOLDS, The Judge Advocate for 1st. Cav. Regiment until Sep. 1, 1863. Went with "A" Co. who was in Little Rock, Arkansas at the time until Dec. 31, 1863. Then he went on furlough, but not before he re- enlisted as a Corporal in Little Rock, Ark. on 1 Jan. 1864, he returned to active duty with "A" Co., on Jun. 30 1864. ABRAHAM WILSON was a acting Sgt. of Orderlies for General FISH until Nov. 1864. Dec. 1864, April 1865 - for the next 5 months ABRAHAM WILSON went to Jefferson City, Mo. and was part of "A" Company to guard Union Major General WILLIAM STARKE ROSECRANS (1819-1898). ROSECRANS served with McCLELLAN in western Virginia, winning the Battle of Rich Mountain, Va.. Under Gen. U. S. GRANT in Mississippi, ROSECRANS was successfully able to command troops in 1862, with victories at Iuka and in the subsequent of Corinth. He was promoted to Major General in 1862. He succeeded Union Brigadier General DON CARLOS BUELL (1818-1898) in Kentucky, and fought at Stone's River (located about 30 miles southeast of Nashville, Tenn.), one of the bloodiest battles of the war. He conducted a skillful campaign in the summer of 1863, near Tullahoma, Tenn., and forced Confederate General BRAXTON BRAGG C.S.A. back into Chattanooga, Tenn. He then proceeded to maneuver General BRAGG back out of the city, and took over that area. The Confederates overcame his thinly manned defense line at Chickamauga in September, 1863, and his army was bitterly crushed. Because of this defeat, he was relieved of command and saw and saw very little of active duty thereafter. He remained in the service until the end of the war, but resigned his commission in 1867. In Apr. 1865, the 1st Cav. Iowa Regiment was attached to the youngest Major General in the Union Army, Major General GEORGE ARMSTRONG CUSTER, (1839-1876) who in 1861 had graduated from West Point, (the 34th in a class of 34) CUSTER was born in New Rumley, Ohio, and served at the first battle of Bull Run, and following that battle, became aide to McClellan with the rank of Captain in June, 1862. After charging almost blindly into a mass of Confederate troops at Aldie, Va., CUSTER was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General of Volunteers (June 27, 1863). CUSTER led the charge at Yellow Tavern, Va. under the command of GEN. P. H. SHERIDAN, which the Union was defeated, but the Confederate J.E.B. STUART was mortally wounded. CUSTER was also one of the few commanders whose troops were still standing firm when General P. H. SHERDIAN made his famous ride from Winchester in 1864. CUSTER served through the Gettysburg battle and the Virginia campaign. He was commended for his pursuit of General Robert E. Lee (C.S.A.) from Richmond, Va. Although CUSTER's West Point record had shown demerits for "visiting out of hours", "room unswept", "sitting down on guard duty," and "table-cloth dirty," CUSTER allowed none of his troops to be guilty of these types of infractions. He was a harsh discplinarian. His uniform was one of the most irregular in the entire Union Army -- black velveteen jacket, trousers of the same color and material, scarlet tie, blue shirt, and gold braid at every conceivable point. Yet, at West Point, he had been described as the "most slovenly dressed male at the Point." Because of his harsh methods, he never won the love of his troops, but he did earn their respect by his feats of daring in battle. ROBERT E. LEE surrender to General GRANT, in the Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on the morning of 9 Apr. 1865. CUSTER received General LONGSTREET's (C.A.S.) flag of truce at Appomattox, Va. 9 April 1865 to 15 Feb. 1866, Corporal ABRAHAM WILSON for the next 10 months was a Scout for GENERAL CUSTER which was still chasing QUANTRILL. QUANTRILL'S RAIDERS WILLIAM CLARKE QUANTRILL, was born in Canal Dover, Ohio. He was a former school teacher, and assumed the name "CHARLEY HART" and settled in Lawrence, Kansas, after traveling westward from his home in Ohio, via wagon train. In Lawrence, he became known as a gambler, horse thief and suspected murderer. His connection with the Confederacy was as an irregular, and he was more a "free- lance" guerrilla than a military leader. QUANTRILL organized what has been called the "most virulent brand of partisan warfare" during 1861-1865, in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and surrounding territories. He was declared an outlaw by the Union military leaders in 1862, and joined the regular Confederate service in August of 1862, becoming a Captain. On 21 August 1863, Quantrill and 450 men raided Lawrence, Kansas, butchering 150 men and burning part of the town. The raid served no useful purpose to the Confederacy, and it is doubtful that Quantrill was acting under direct orders from the military when he staged the raid. He committed a similar massacre at Baxter Springs, Kansas, in October of 1863. Quantrill's band broke up in 1864, as a result of dissension among the deserters and outlaws fighting under its banner. Quantrill escaped capture for more than another year but was killed near Taylorsville, Kentucky, in 1865, by Union troops, while on a robbing and foraging raid with another group of raiders which he had organized. Such unsavory characters as "Wild Bill" ANDERSON, JESSE JAMES, and the YOUNGER Brothers rode with QUANTRILL. He is generally considered to have contributed more outlaws to the cause of western crime than any other leader in history of the country. His efforts towards aiding the Southern cause were minimal, and most Confederate leaders felt that his band only offered a haven for deserters. It is felt that bands like QUANTRILL's had no qualms about attacking Southern sympathizers as well as Union supporters. Corporal ABRAHAM WILSON was mustered out of the 1st. Iowa Cavlary on 15 Feb. 1866, in Austin, Texas, at the age of 26, and returned to Page Co., Iowa. (CUSTER and ABRAHAM, about the same age, became friends see photo plate No. 853112-23 ..prs). At the end of the War GEORGE A. CUSTER was only 25 years old. GEORGE A. CUSTER became a Lieutenant Colonel in the 7th. United States Cavlary, serving under Generals' WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK (1824-1886) and PHILIP HENRY SHERDIAN (1831-1888.) In 1876 GEORGE A. CUSTER led 264 men to their deaths in a rash movement by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians, on the Little Big Horn River, Montana Territory (Now South Dakota.) He became lastingly famous for doing so. He was a hard-hitting cavalryman who had little use for desk work. ABRAHAM WILSON RECEIVES PENSION No. 168182 ABRAHAM WILSON filed for disability pension from a previous application, but no record has been found of his reference to form No. 62 in his Aug. 19, 1879 letter. He was put on the pension roll however, on May of 1880 at $50.00 per month. (The Pension Certificate that he should have received must have been lost or burned in a fire. ..prs) With the Federal Pension Act of May 11, 1912, all pensioners were required to submit another "DECLARATION FOR PENSION" which ABRAHAM at the age of 69, did do so by a Notary Public SAMMUEL C. HEW in Paonia, Delta Co., Colorado, on May 21, 1912. Then again with the Federal Pension Act of May 1, 1920, ABRAHAM filed for a Declaration for Pension Increase, at the age of 82 years he had a Notary Public ALEXANDER A. RUSSELL in Levenworth, Kansas, where he was living in the Old Soldiers Home, on March 16, 1922. ABRAHAM WILSON died 5 years later. (SOURCE: DECLARATION FOR INVALID PENSION, Dated 12 Aug. 1871) ABRAHAM WILSON age 28 appeared before W.W. RUSSELL, Clerk of the District Court, of Page City, Harlan Twp., Page Co., Ia. ...That he was the same person that served in the Iowa Cav. Vol. and was honorably discharge in Austin, Texas, as a Corporal on 15 Feb. 1866... Dec. 1862 he received the following wound or disability, to wit.. "while in hospital at Rolla Mo. was taken with NEUROGLIA which settled in his left leg and disables him from using it and for a long time he was entirely unable to walk on it. That it remains permanently disabled and unfit him for labor to a great extent" ... That since leaving said service he has resided in Page City, Harlan Twp., Page Co., Iowa, and occupation has been farming... ... He makes these declarations for the purpose of being place on the Invalid Pension Rolls of the United States..and ask that a order be issued authorizing his examination with a view to his being placed on the U. S. Pension Rolls... Abraham Wilson Also personally appeared JACOB WOODS and CHANNEY E. CARPENTER residents of Page County, Iowa. Persons whom I certify to be respectable and entitled to credit, and who , being duly sworn, say that they were present and saw ABRAHAM WILSON sign his name to the foregoing declaration. That since leaving the service if the United States as aforesaid, his habits have been uniformly good, and his occupation has been farming. Channey E. Carpenter Jacob Woods Sworn to and subscribed before me this 12th. day of August A.D. 1871; and I hereby certify that I have no interest, direct or indirect, no concerned in the prosecution of this claim. W. W. Russell, Clerk ABRAHAM WILSON ORIGINAL PENSION APPLICATION: The following is a copy of a original hand-written letter of ABRAHAM WILSON Pension application dated 19 Aug. 1879. (The spelling is taken exactly from the original and the blank lines are what I could not make out from the original letter. prs) Snow Hill, Page Co., Iowa August 19, 1879 Department of the Interior Answer to questions in form No. 62. Provided to Abraham Wilson claimant for pension No. 168182 I Abraham Wilson whereby say that my place of residence for the five years from December since my enlistment was Page Co. in the state of Iowa and that my occupition was that of a farmer. And since my discharged my occupition and place of residence have been this since with the exception that - I visted the state of Texas for the benifit of my health leaving Page Co Iowa on the 9 day of Janury 1872 and returned on the 20th day of October 1872. Being the time that I was in Texas I attempted to farm but my health was so much impared that I could do but very little. About the last of Octobur or the first of Novmber 1862 While on a march from St. Leous Mo. to Springfield Mo. I became sick and was left at Rolla Mo. under care of me Doctor White Who was ________ __________by Dor Howard Carlotson Who now resides at yansville Ohio I remained under his treatment until I left Rolla which occurred in Aprl or May 1863 when I went to my Reg. where I remained intil about the first of July 1863 then I was placed on inactive duty under Capt R. M. Raynolos Judge Advocate of Courtmartial acting as ordily for him until about the first of Septemum 1863 at which time I returned to my Reg. at LittleRock Arkansas for a short time then I was placed on disabelta duty under Majoir Wisemana to acumpany him as guard across the country to Lewville an White River which acuiped about a month then I returned to my Reg where I remained until I was furlough and return in May 1864 I remained then returned to a detachment of the Reg. at Davenport Iowa then a cairgo traine to St Leouis thence a detachment now orderd to ______________ __________ to ______________ _____________ to St Joshp Mo. here I was disabled from the detachment and placed under Genral Fish and actig as Sargent of ordiles until about the month of Novmber 1864 at this time I was ordered to join this detachment at Collumbia Mo. then the whole detachment was ordered to jiferson City to join Genral Rosincrantz and acted as body guard intil about March or April 1865 when I was ordered to join my Reg. at Little Rock Arkansas then my Reg. was ordered to join Genrel Custer at Alexander Louisana arriving about the first of June 1865 soon after I was detailed to carry his __________ for Genrel Custer where I remained intil I was musterd out service Whil on this active duty I could not do active duty as a ordinary Soldier but managed to perform all that was required of me in order to keep clear of the Invalid Corps Suffering much with Pain and stiffnes in my limbs. Since my discharge I have been troubled much with Pain and Stiffing in my limbs more surly in Spring and Fall and during damp and rainy weather So much so that I cannot at many times do any work out of doors and suffering from loss of sleep though none of the times confined to my bed I have cnsulted the following Physicians Dr. Lymer of College Spring & Dr. A. T. Aier of Tarkio Iowa boath have told that they could do nothing for me but give timporary rilef Since my discharge I have performed some manuel labor on the farm in my ______________ I have been able to do about a tenth amount of an ordinary man. Abraham Wilson Subscribed and Sworn to before me this 1st. day of September 1879 and I Certify that I have no interest in the matter. Joseph E. Hire Clerk Dist Court, Page Co. Iowa Admission Report NATION HOME FOR DISABLED VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS Western Branch National Military Home, Kansas May 10, 1922 I hereby certify that WILSON, ABRAHAM late of A. Co., 1st. Regiment, Ia. Cav., was found to be suffering from the following disabilities at the date of his admission to this Home, March 8, 1922 Old injury left knee, Double Inguinal Hernia, Arterio-sclerosis. Medical History while a member of the Home: Treated at sick call once during the third quarter 1921 for Diarrhea. No hospital record. This man was sent to a duty company which requires him to do certain detail in barracks unless he paid someone for doing it. He was able to go back and forth to his meals and as far as we know did not have the did of attendant when he left here on furlough. Disabilities stated above existed at time of filling this claim. A. W. Bartel, Surgeon End of File! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Paul R. Sarrett, Jr. Feb. 10, 1998 prsjr@aol.com USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------