Polk County IA Archives Obituaries.....WATSON, JOHN H. April 9, 1862
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Kathryn !Gaskill katielouscrafts@mchsi.com January 6, 2006, 12:49 pm

 "AMERICAN PATRIOTISM" OR, MEMOIRS OF 'COMMON MEN.'" by LEONARD BROWN, 1869
LIEUTENANT JOHN H. WATSON,
ONCE City Marshal of Des Moines, an Englishman by birth, came to this country
when quite young, and lived near Cincinnati, Ohio. He had resided in Des Moines
five or six years when he enlisted; was a master bricklayer; built the Sherman
Block; and was foreman in building the Court House. He was never married. He
died at the age of 28, April 9, 1862, from the effects of a wound received in
the battle of Shiloh.
Watson was first a private in Company D; but was promoted to Second Lieutenant
of Company F, 13th Iowa Infantry. He received promotion chiefly through the
influence of Colonel Crocker. While Crocker was connected with the Second Iowa,
Watson nursed him in his sickness with such care that Crocker felt most grateful
to him. Watson was greatly attached to his friends; true to a friend, but he
never forgave an enemy. His dog followed him all through the service. Watson
expressed a wish that, if he should fall, his dog and gun might be sent to Mr.
Alexander Bowers, of Des Moines, his intimate friend; but his request was not
complied with. Crocker contemplated bringing Watson's remains home for burial.
He says in a letter to Mrs. C:
"Poor John! he died the death of a brave man. He was delirious up to the time of
his death, and had no knowledge of his danger. His whole talk was of me; and his
last words were: ‘The old man (as he called me) is coughing.'  I cried bitterly
over him, and I cry now in thinking about him. I feel his loss severely. I had
him carefully buried, and if I live I will move him home, and we will bury him
among our little ones."


Additional Comments:
This is taken from "AMERICAN PATRIOTISM" OR, MEMOIRS OF 'COMMON MEN.'" by
LEONARD BROWN, published by Redhead & Wellslager, 41 Court Ave.Des Moines,IA. 1869.
This book contains remembrances of fallen soldiers from Polk County during the
Civil War. This includes some genealogical material as well.

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