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This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Annette Lucas ClintonRoots@aol.com October 2002 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ________________________________________________________ TWENTY-SIXTH REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY The records in the office of the Adjutant General of the State of Iowa show that the ten companies of which the Twenty-sixth Regiment of Infantry was composed were all enrolled in the County of Clinton. A number of other counties in the State were also represented in that organization, as shown by its original roster, but the largest number of enlistments were from Clinton County. The companies were ordered into quarters at Camp Kirkwood, near Clinton, Iowa, by the governor, on dates ranging from July 5 to September 2, 1862. The organization of the regiment was in accordance with the proclamation of President Lincoln, bearing date July 2, 1862. Company A was mustered into the service of the United States August 39, 1862, by Captain H. B. Hendershott of the Regular Army, who also acted as Mustering Officer for all the other companies, eight of which, with the field and staff officers, were mustered into the service on September 30, 1862. Company F was the last company to be mustered, (on October 1, 1862,) when the organization of the regiment was completed. The total number of enlisted men and company officers at the completion of the must was 899. Early additional enlistments of 11 men brought the number up to 910, and, with the addition of the Field and Staff, the aggregate strength of the regiment, at the time it left the State, was 920 enlisted men and officers. Colonel Milo Smith was chosen by Governor Kirkwood as commander of the regiment, and the wisdom of his choice was confirmed by the superior intelligence and energy exhibited by that officer from the day he assumed command. But a short time was given for instruction in drill and discipline before the regiment was ordered to take the field. The brief period was utilized, however, to the utmost advantage, and it may be truthfully said that the Twenty-sixth Iowa entered active service with a fair knowledge of the rudiments of military education , and appreciation of the necessity of strict discipline and obedience to orders. The opportunity to acquire additional instruction in the school of actual warfare, associated with other troops who had been in conflict with the enemy, was not long delayed. The regiment left Camp Kirkwood under orders to report to Major General Curtis, at St. Louis, Mo., and, upon its arrival there, on the 25th of October, 1862, Colonel Smith received orders from General Curtis to proceed with his regiment to Helena, Ark., and report to the commanding officer at that place. The regiment arrived at Helena on October 28, 1862, was assigned to the First Brigade of the Fourth Division, Army of the southwest, and went into its first camp in the enemy's country near Helena. The experience of the regiment while in this camp was the same as that of all the other troops encamped in that vicinity. It suffered much from sickness, the inevitable result of the bad weather conditions which prevailed and the change from the comforts of home life to the hardships and exposure inseparable from the life of the soldier on active duty in the field. This was the common experience of all the Iowa regiments in the early period of their service, but the conditions which the troops encamped near Helena encountered were uncommonly bad. During the month of November, 1862, the regiment participated in two expeditions in which its division was engaged, under the command of General A. P. Hovey. One of these expeditions proceeded up White River to Devall's Bluff, the other to the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi, both intended to divert the attention of the enemy was encountered upon either of these expeditions, the troops were subjected to very great hardships from exposure to the inclement weather, and the sickness which resulted subsequently caused the death of many good and faithful soldiers and left many more in such enfeebled condition as to render them unfit for further service. An examination of the roster shows that the casualties in the regiment during this period, by death from sickness and discharge from same cause, numbered forty-seven. Upon its return from the last of these expeditions, the regiment was attached to the Third Brigade, First Division, Fifteenth Army Corps, and soon afterwards became engaged in the preliminary operations which led up to the beginning of the great campaign which ended with the surrender of Vicksburg and the evacuation of Jackson, Miss. During these operations, which extended over the period from the 20th of December, 1862, to the 10th of August, 1863, the Twenty-sixth Iowa Infantry participated in every march and action in which its brigade and division was engaged. Its first encounter with the enemy was at the battle of Chickasaw Bayou, December 28, 1862. Owing to its position--being held in reserve and protected from the fire of the enemy—the regiment sustained no casualties in that batle, but it was under fire, and was held in readiness to participate in the engagement had the order to move forward and join the troops who led the advance been received. The reserve force in every battle is an important factor. Its services may or may not be required at the front, but it is there to take the place of the troops who may be driven back, and, when called into action, often determines the result of the battle. The troops thus held in reserve may sometimes be in position to inflict considerable damage upon the enemy with but little if any loss to themselves. In tits next battle, however, the Twenty-sixth Iowa led the advance and, as will be seen, sustained the greatest loss of any of the regiments engaged, while several other regiments were held in reserve and suffered no loss. It must, therefore, be understood that, where a regiment is reported as having been part of a force engaged in battle in which the report shows that it suffered no loss, such statement does not imply any failure or neglect on the part of its of"a#ers and men to faithfully perform their duty. On the 11th day of January, 1862, the regiment participated in the hard fought battle of Arkansas Post. The brigade to which it was attached was commanded by Brigadier General John M. Thayer, and was composed of the following troops. Fourth, Ninth, Twenty-sixth, Thirtieth and Thirty-fourth Iowa Infantry, and the First Iowa Battery of Light Artillery. The fortune of war—with reference to losses of different regiments in the same brigade or division—is strikingly illustrated by the lost of casualties among the troops composing the brigade with which the Twenty-sixth Iowa fought at Arkansas Post. It will be noted that only Iowa organizations were represented in the brigade, and there could be no question as to the courage or faithfulness to duty of any of them. The Fourth and Ninth Iowa had been through numberous hard-fought battles, and their record for bravery and heroic achievement was unsurpassed, and so remained to the close of the war; yet, in this battle—owing to the position in which they were placed—they suffered the least loss of any of the regiments of the brigade, while the heaviest loss was sustained by the Twenty-sixth Iowa in this the first battle in which it was actively engaged. In his official report, General Thayer thus describes the preliminary movements of his brigade and the positions of the regiments and battery: My command disembarked from transports on the morning of the 10th. At dark, according to orders from General Steele, I moved around through an almost impassable swamp to a position on the right and above the fort, which we reached at 5 o'clock on the morning of the 11th. It was found impossible to get the wagons and artillery through in the night, and I was compelled to leave them. About noon my infantry moved forward into line of battle, the right resting on General Hovey's left. About this time my battery, the First Iowa, which had got through the swamp with great difficulty, came up and was placed in position on the right of my brigade. The action soon became general, the lines advancing. Owing to the thick underbrush and want of space for a front of the brigade, I at first advanced in column of regiments, deploying them into line as fast as we could get a front. The Twenty-sixth Iowa, Colonel Smith, being on the left, gained an advanced position and did good execution. This regiment had two commissioned officers and sixteen men killed, and ninety-nine wounded, including Colonel Smith, who was compelled to leave the field. The Thirtieth Iowa, Lieutenant Colonel Torrence, (Colonel Abbott being sick,) also occupied an advanced position and as warmly engaged, supported by the Thirty-fourth Iowa, Colonel Clark. The Fourth and Ninth Iowa, together with the Thirteenth Illinois and another regiment of General Blair's brigade, were held as a reserve, though exposed to the enemy's fire. The infantry and the battery fought well. Having my horse killed early in the engagement, I requested General Vandever, who had arrived two day previous and took temporary command of his old regiment, the Ninth Iowa, to assist me, and I am pleased to make my acknowledgments to him for very valuable services. The Twenty-sixth Iowa, occupying the most advanced position on the extreme left of the attacking force, was exposed to a terrific fire of artillery and musketry from the enemy's works, but it never faltered, although many of its men and officers were killed and many more were disabled by wounds. It was a terrible first experience for these brave sons of Iowa to be thus placed in the very fore-front of the battle, but they fought with all the steadiness and courage of trained and seasoned veterans. In none of the numerous battles in which they were subsequently engaged did the men and officers show greater fortitude than while advancing against the rebel stronghold of Arkansas Post. It must be said that the rebel troops made a gallant defense and only yielded when it became evident that further resistance would result in their complete destruction. When the white flag was at last displayed above the fort, in token of surrender, the Twenty-sixth Iowa, was among the first to enter and take possession of the works. The casualties in the Third Brigade of the First Division, as shown by the official reports, were as follows: Fourth Iowa Infantry, wounded, 2; Ninth Iowa Infantry, wounded 2; Twenty-sixth Iowa Infantry, killed 18; wounded 99; Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, killed 5, wounded 38; Thirty-fourth Iowa Infantry, killed 1, wounded 15; First Iowa Battery, no casualties reported. It will thus be seen that the loss of the Twenty-sixth Iowa was very nearly two-thirds of the total loss of the entire brigade. The tabulated returns of casualties show that the two divisions of the Thirteenth Army Corps sustained a loss of 463, while the two divisions of the Fifteenth Corps lost 598; the aggregate loss of the Union army being 1,061. Of the forty-six regiments of infantry which composed the entire Union force, ten were presumably held in reserve, ad they reported no casualties. There were, therefore, thirty-six regiments actively engaged, in some of which the casualties were small, while in others they were quite heavy. The total loss shows an average of a little less than 30 to each regiment, while the average loss in the Second and Third Brigades of the First Division—commanded by Generals Hovey and Thayer—was 36 to each regiment. Upon this ratio, the Twenty-sixth Iowa sustained a loss at Arkansas Post equivalent to more than three times the average of the combined loss of the Second and third Brigades, and very nearly four times the average of the entire Union force engaged. The regiments nearest approaching the casualties sustained by the Twenty-sixth Iowa (a total of 117 killed and wounded) were the Eighty-third Ohio, 89; the Sixteenth Indiana, 82; the Third Missouri 75; the Sixtieth Indiana, 70; the Seventy-sixth Ohio, 68; The Twenty-fifth Iowa, 55; the Seventy-seventh Illinois, 45, and the Thirtieth Iowa, 43. The total losses of these nine regiments aggregated 644, an average of seventy-one to the regiment, more than double the general average of the thirty-six regiments engaged. The Twenty-sixth Iowa had been in the field of active service less than three months at the time this battle was fought. The war had been in progress for more than eighteen months. Great battles had been fought, and among the troops of both the thirteenth and Fifteenth Army Corps were regiments that had suffered heavy losses at Pea Ridge, Shiloh and on other noted battlefields. Yet the fortune of war gave to the Twenty-sixth Iowa in this conflict a most notable preeminence. Shortly after the battle, in a communication to Governor Kirkwood, General Thayer made the following statement: "No officer or regiment behaved better or did better fighting on that battlefield than Colonel Milo Smith and his regiment. They advanced to the front under a most galling fire, and in the most exposed part of the field, and held it till the action was over. Colonel smith remained at his post till carried wounded from the field." Among the killed were Lieutenants Peter L. Hyde and James S. Patterson, and among the wounded were Colonel Milo Smith, Adjutant Thomas G. Ferreby (very severely), Captain N. A. Merrel (severely), Lieutenants James McDill (mortally), Edward Svendsen (severely), and W. R. Ward (severely). An examination of the roster reveals the fact that many of the wounds received were so severe as to subsequently prove fatal, and many more resulted in permanent disability. Captain N. C. Roe, (who was subsequently for a time in command of the regiment,) in his account of the battle of Arkansas Post states that the Twenty-sixth Iowa went into action with an aggregate strength of 447 enlisted men and officers, lost 119 in killed and wounded, and that its loss was therefore over twenty-five per cent of the number engaged. The slight discrepancy, as to the number of casualties shown by this statement and the tabulated official return of General Sherman, does not change the actual percentage of loss to the number engaged. In either case it would stand at over twenty-five per cent, as stated by Captain Roe. The compiler of this historical sketch, while recognizing the importance and magnitude of the service subsequently rendered by the regiment, is impressed by the fact that, among all the battles in which it afterwards bore so honorable a part, none reflect greater credit upon its record than that of Arkansas Post. Had the history of its service ended with that battle, its fame would have been secure. It was, however, but the beginning of its long lost of splendid achievements. On January 13, 1863, (the works at Arkansas Post having been destroyed after the surrender,) the Twenty-sixth Iowa, with the other troops, embarked on transports and moved down the river to Young's Point four miles above Vicksburg Landing there, the troops went into camp. At and neat this place the regiment remained until the 2d of April. During this period the regiment performed its full share of arduous toil upon the canal, through which General Grant had expected to divert the course of the mighty river, but the great labor expended upon this undertaking did not accomplish the desired result. The sick list of the regiment rapidly increased and the number of officers and men able for duty was less than one-half of the number shown upon the rolls. On April 2, 1863, the regiment, with its brigade and division, commanded by Major General Steele, embarked on transports and proceeded to Greenville, Miss., where the troops landed and marched into the interior. The object of the expedition was mainly for the purpose of diverting the attention of the enemy from the movements of General Grant's main army, but it accomplished more than that, in the capture of large quantities of supplies which the rebel troops had accumulated at different points, and which were intended for the use of the rebel troops in garrison at Vicksburg. The expedition penetrated the country to a distance of about forty miles east of Greenville. Brisk skirmishes with the enemy occurred, both upon the advance and return march, but the Twenty-sixth Iowa did not become engaged. On the return march, however, a detachment of the regiment, under command of Captain Charles M. Bye, while engaged in foraging, came in contact with the enemy and had five men captured. These men were subsequently exchanged and returned to the regiment. General Steele, having accomplished the object of his expedition, returned with his division to Young's Point, and, taking on board the camp guards and that portion of the camp equipage which had been left there, proceeded to Milliken's Bend, arriving there on April 27th. On May 1, 1863, General Steele's Division left Milliken's Bend, marched to Grand Gulf and thence to Jackson, Miss., where it arrived on the 14th. On the 16th the march was resumed, and, on the 18th, the command arrived in front of the enemy's lines at Walnut Hills, in the rear of Vicksburg. During the march there had been several delays, and some skirmishes with the enemy had occurred, but the reports do not show that the Twenty-sixth Iowa was engaged with the enemy until May 18th, 19th and 22d, on which dates (particularly the latter) it sustained heavy losses. The fighting began at Walnut Hills late in the afternoon of the 18th and heavy skirmishing was kept up until dark. On the 19th the skirmishing was resumed and an attempt was made to assault the enemy's works, which was unsuccessful. On May 22d the assault was renewed, with the same result. In these preliminary operations the Twenty-sixth Iowa bore a conspicuous part. Adjutant J. D. Fegan states that the regiment had two officers and three privates wounded in the skirmish on May 18th. Colonel smith makes the following statement, with reference to the part taken by the regiment on the 19th and 22d: "My regiment was engaged in the assault of the 19th, 311 officers and men being present and actually engaged, losing 1 man killed, 4 officers and 8 men wounded. Had, on the 22d, 290 officers and men present and actually engaged, losing 5 men killed, 4 officers and 25 men wounded. On account of the favorable formation of the ground my regiment did not suffer so badly as it otherwise would have done in a more exposed position." Among those wounded were Colonel Milo Smith, Captain A. D. Gaston, and Lieutenants John W. Mason, Louis Rider, Noble W. Wood, John Quinn and William M. Magden. The failure to carry the enemy's strong works by direct assault necessitated a series of regular siege operations, which were continued until July 4, 1863, when the rebel stronghold surrendered. The Twenty-sixth Iowa performed its full share of duty during the siege. The regiment had sustained a loss of 6 killed and 46 wounded in its three engagements in the early days of the siege. On June 5th it had one man—Mathew Carraher—severely wounded, and, on June 15th, on man-William H. Wilcox—killed, making the number of casualties during the siege 54, (7 killed and 47 wounded,) seventeen per cent of the maximum number of the regiment present for duty on May 18th, the day upon which the initial engagement of the siege of Vicksburg occurred. Colonel Milo Smith, although suffering from his wounds, remained in command of the regiment and directed its movements during the siege. He was the only field officer on duty until May 24th, upon which date Lieutenant Colonel Ferreby returned and reported for duty. This gallant officer had been severely wounded at Arkansas Post and as a reward for his meritorious conduct in that battle, had been promoted three grades above his former rank. H had only partially recovered from his wounds at the time of his return, but his patriotic devotion to duty and his anxiety to be with his regiment in the great struggle then in progress prevailed over the insistence of the surgeon that he should remain in hospital until he had fully recovered. Captain N. C. Roe had been detailed to act as a field officer to assist Colonel smith, and continued to act in that capacity until relieved on June 2d. Immediately After the surrender of Vicksburg, Colonel Smith was placed in command of the brigade, and Lieutenant Colonel Ferreby assumed command of the regiment. On July 5th, the brigade with its division moved with General Sherman's army against the rebel army commanded by General Johnston. In the operations against the enemy which ensued, ending with the evacuation of Jackson by Johnston's army and the pursuit of that army as far as Brandon, the Twenty-sixth Iowa was actively engaged, but without coming into actual conflict with the enemy. Returning from this short campaign, the regiment reached Black River Bridge on July 27th, and went into camp, where it remained until September 23d. The malarious conditions in the vicinity of this camp caused considerable sickness among the men and officers of the regiment during this period of inactivity and, when the order to break camp was received, indicating another active campaign, it was hailed with satisfaction. On September 23d, the regiment marched to Vicksburg and, embarking on transports, was conveyed to Memphis, where it arrived September 28th, and moved thence by rail to Corintha, Miss., where it arrived on the 29th and went into camp, remaining there until October 9th, on which date it marched to Iuka, Miss. From the time of the arrival at Iuka until October 19th the regiment was engaged in guarding the railroad. On the 20th, the regiment marched to Cherokee, Ala., and on the 21st continued the march towards Tuscumbia. Between the 21st and 29th of October the regiment, in skirmishing with the enemy, had one man killed and one severely wounded. On November 4th the regiment again took up the line of march, crossed the Tennessee River at Chickasaw, and marching thence by way of Florence, Pulaski, Stevenson and Bridgeport, arrived at Chattanooga on November 23d. On November 24th the regiment participated in the engagement on Lookout Mountain, on the 25th at Mission Ridge and on the 27th at Ringgold. During these three days of battle it lost four officers wounded and three enlisted men killed and nine wounded. The gallant Lieutenant Colonel Ferreby was again wounded at Lookout Mountain. The brave and intrepid Captain John L. Steele was severely wounded at Ringgold and died a few days later from the effects of the wound. Lieutenants Nathan D. Hubbard and William Nickel were also wounded at Ringgold. The regiment had marched 315 miles since entering upon the campaign, much of the time without tents and over difficult roads across the mountain ranges, and had engaged in several skirmishes and in three battles. Notwithstanding the hardships endured upon the march, the men had improved in health under the more favorable climatic conditions. Shortly after the battle of Ringgold the regiment with its brigade returned to Bridgeport, Ala., where it arrived on December 5th. On December 14th, Colonel Milo Smith was assigned to the command of the First Brigade of the First Division, fifteenth Army Corps, and Senior Captain N. C. Roe was placed in command of the regiment. On December 21st the brigade again took up the line of march and, on the 26th, arrived at Woodville, Ala., where it went into winter quarters. Adjutant J. D. Fegan in his official report states that there were 471 enlisted men and 31 commissioned officers on the rolls of the regiment on the 31st day of December, 1863, making its aggregate strength on that date 502. Under date of January 31, 1864, Captain N. C. Roe, then in command of the regiment, says: "Have just received new U. S. rifled muskets and complete accounterments. Men are well clothed and in fine sprits, ready to fall in at any time, encouraged by success on every field upon which the regiment has met the enemy." On February 6, 1864, Captain John Lubbers, of Company E, was commissioned Major of the Twenty-sixth Iowa and assumed command of the regiment. Major Lubbers resumed the account of the operations of the regiment, from conclusion of the accounts of Captain Roe and Adjutant Fegan down to the 31st of December, 1864, and, from his report and other official data, the compiler has obtained the material for the condensed history, covering that period, which follows. The regiment lay in camp at Woodville during the winter of 1864, engaged in the discharge of regular camp and picket duties. A detachment of one hundred men and four officers of the Twenty-sixth Iowa, with other troops, under the command of Colonel Milo Smith, formed an expedition (date not given) to observe the movements of the enemy, which was successfully accomplished. The troops met and repulsed a force of the enemy while on this expedition, but the report does not show any casualties in the detachment from the Twenty-sixth Iowa, or give any details as to movements of the troops. On March 8, 1864, the regiment was ordered to move to Vienna, fourteen miles southwest from Woodville, and to establish an outpost at that place. The officers and men occupied the abandoned houses for quarters, and, in addition to regular picket duty, patrolled the country for a considerable distance from Vienna, along the Tennessee River. On April 21st, while a detachment from the regiment was engaged upon this duty, eight of its men were captured by the enemy. On April 30th, the regiment rejoined the brigade at Woodville and, on May 1st, commenced the march towards Chattanooga, where it arrived on the 6th, marching thence by way of Gordon Mills and through Snake Creek Gap to Rasaca, Ga., where, on May 13th, it again encountered the enemy and lost one man killed and two wounded. On May 14th, the regiment was ordered to attack a force of the enemy in its front, on the opposite side of a creek. The officers and men of the Twenty-sixth Iowa gallantly advanced, waded the stream under a heavy fire, and drove the enemy from the field. This was the Twenty-sixth Iowa's contribution to the Union victory at Resaca, and was the second of its many conflicts with the enemy during the great Atlanta campaign. The loss sustained by the regiment in this battle was two killed and twenty-one wounded, four of whom died a few days later. The enemy evacuated his works at Resaca during the nights of the 15th and 16th of May, and the Union troops followed in swift pursuit, arriving at Kingston, Ga., on the 19th. On May 20th, the Twenty-sixth Iowa was sent as guard for a railroad train to Rome, Ga., returning to Kingston on the 21st. On the 23d the regiment with its brigade again advanced and arrived in front of the enemy's works at Dallas, Ga., on the 26th. On the night of May 29th, the regiment lost one man mortally wounded and one missing, supposed to have been killed in repulsing an attack of the enemy. On June 1st the regiment moved to the support of the Second Division to a point near New Hope Church, where it remained until the 5th, when it marched to Ackworth, Ga., reaching that place on the 6th, and marching thence, on the 10th, to Big Shanty, Ga., where it was placed in position in front of the enemy's works and was under fire daily until the 26th, losing one officer, sevrely wounded, one man killed and six wounded. On the night of July 2d, the regiment, with its brigade and division, was relieved by other troops from the Fourteenth Corps, and then marched—during the night—back around Kenesaw Mountain (which had been evacuated by the enemy), and on to Marietta, Ga., arriving there at noon, July 3d. From the 4th to the 23d of July the regiments, following those of the rebel army as it retired from one strong position to another, always moving in the direction of its stronghold at Atlanta. The record does not show that the regiment came directly into conflict with the enemy while it was taking part in these flanking movements of General Sherman's army, between the dates of July 4th and 22d. On the latter date, however, the line of works which had been evacuated by the enemy was occupied by the First Division of the fifteenth Corps, to which the Twenty-sixth Iowa was attached, and, from that date to the close of the campaign, the regiment was actively engaged in all the movements of its brigade and division, except the two days, (August 31st and September 1st,) when it was temporarily detached and rendered important service with the Second Division of the same corps. The itinerary of the operations of the brigade, following the official report of its commander, Colonel Milo Smith of the Twenty-sixth Iowa, gives the dates of every important movement in which it participated, and the report describes each movement with particularity of detail, showing the part taken by each regiment. In this report the Twenty-sixth Iowa is given full credit for prompt and efficient performance of all the duties to which it was assigned. The following named regiments constituted the brigade: Twenty-sixth and Thirtieth Iowa, Twenty-seventh Missouri and Seventy-sixth Ohio Infantry. In the official report of Major General Osterhaus, commanding the First Division, giving the aggregate strength of each of the regiments and brigades of his division, prior to the battle of Resaca, the number in each of the regiments of the first Brigade is given as follows: Seventy-sixth Ohio 526; Twenty-seventh Missouri, 279; Twenty-sixth Iowa, 292; Thirtieth Iowa, 331. Total strength of the brigade, 1, 428. It will thus be seen that, at the time it entered upon this campaign, the Twenty-sixth Iowa had only about one-third the number of men with which it had left the State, in October, 1862. Just Prior to going into the battle of Atlanta, on July 22d, 1864, the effective strength of the Twenty-sixth Iowa was reported as 182, while that of the entire brigade was reported as 1,063. In the engagements before Atlanta, on July 22d, the regiment sustained a loss of five men wounded, and on July 28th its loss was one officer and one man, both severely wounded. These comparatively small losses are accounted for the fact that the regiment was on the reserve line on the 22d, and fought only on the skirmish line on the 28th. Its loss was, however, not far below the average of the brigade, which sustained a total loss of 44 killed and wounded, in the two engagements. On July 30th—the men being greatly exhausted by their incessant work in constructing earthworks and the constant duty of guarding against attacks from the ever active enemy—the regiment was ordered to the reserve line, where it remained until August 9th, when it was again advanced to the firing line at the front and, from that date until August 26th, was engaged in building works and skirmishing, losing one officer and three men killed and nine men severely wounded. During this time several prisoners were captured by the regiment. On August 26th, the regiment with its brigade and division moved, with the Army of the Tennessee, to Fairburn, Ga., and, after destroying several miles of the railroad, marched to Jonesboro, where it again came into conflict with the enemy on August 31st, losing one officer and four men wounded during the engagement. On the 1st of September it was again engaged, and lost one officer and three men severely wounded. The enemy retreated to Lovejoy's Station, where another stand was made, and, on September 3d, the Twenty-sixth Iowa was engaged in another severe skirmish, in which it had four men severely wounded, and, on September 6th, had one man wounded while on the march toward East Point, Ga., where the regiment arrived on the 8th, and where it remained in camp until October 4th. The rebel General Hood had crossed the Chattahoochee River with his army, ad the Army of the Tennessee was ordered to follow and attack him. The pursuit began on October 4th. The rebel General declined to risk a general engagement and began a rapid retreat, which was continued toward the north. The pursuit was vigorously kept up. The roads were frequently found obstructed by fallen trees, and the rear guard of the enemy was encountered at several places. When heavy skirmishing occurred. On October 11th, several men of the regiment, who had become exhausted and halted to rest, were captured by a mounted party of the enemy who were hovering in the rear of the army. On October 16th the regiment encountered the rear guard of the enemy at ship's Gap, and lost one man killed and four wounded. During this engagement the regiment captured thirty prisoners. On October 21st, at the crossing of Little Creek, Ala., the pursuit of Hood's army was abandoned. The troops started on the return march on October 29th, halting at different points for rest. On November 21st the regiment with its brigade and division reached Griswoldville, where it again confronted the enemy. On the 22d, the Second Brigade of the division, with part of the First Brigade, participated in another engagement, the rebels suffering heavy loss, wile that of the Union troops was comparatively light. The Twenty-sixth Iowa was on the reserve line during this engagement, and sustained no loss. The great Atlanta campaign had come to an end. The struggle had been tremendous. The glorious victory achieved by the armies commanded by General Sherman and the crushing defeat of the combined rebel armies clearly indicated that the tremendous conflict was nearing its close. The campaign just ended was one of the most remarkable in the military history of the world. While the Union troops had fought with sublime courage and had endured almost incredible hardships no less could be said of those misguided men who had fought against them, and, upon the other, for the establishment of a government which would maintain and seek to perpetuate a system directly in conflict with the true principles of republican institutions. During the campaign the Twenty-sixth Iowa had contributed its full share of fighting and endurance was unshaken. On November 13th, the regiment reached Atlanta and, halting there for a brief rest, again joined, with its brigade and division, in that most wonderful exploit of the war—the march of Sherman's Army to the sea. When the army reached Savannah, the Twenty-sixth Iowa was engaged in a foraging expedition, forty miles in the interior, from which it returned on December 23d and went into camp near Savannah. The regiment subsequently participated in that long and toilsome march through the Carolinas. It assisted in the capture of Columbia and, at Bentonville, had its last encounter with the enemy, losing in that engagement one man killed and eight wounded. On that field the battle record of the regiment was closed. At Helena, Arkansas Post, Vicksburg, around Chattanooga, between Resaca, Atlanta and Lovejoy, and along the line of its march through the Carolinas and Virginia, the dead of the Twenty-sixth Iowa lie buried. Their graves are the silent witnesses of the heroism and devotion of this gallant Iowa regiment. From Bentonville the regiment marched in Washington, and, soon after its arrival there, participated in that greatest military pageant of modern times—the gran review of the victorious armies of the Republic. As the Twenty-sixth Iowa marched down that splendid avenue of the Nation's Capital, following its flag, emblazoned with the long lost of battles in which it had borne so honorable a part, the hearts of its heroic survivors were cheered by the tumultuous applause of the thousands of citizens who had assembled to honor the saviors of their country. The Twenty-sixth Regiment of Iowa Infantry Volunteers was mustered out of the service of the United States at Washington, D C., June 6, 1865. Soon afterwards the regiment was conveyed to Clinton, Iowa, where it was finally disbanded. In concluding this brief and imperfect sketch of its service, the compiler can only say to the survivors of the regiment, that any errors or imperfections discovered in the subjoined revised roster are due to the records from which it has been transcribed. Great care has been taken to make the roster as nearly correct as possible, after the lapse of half a century from the date, when the original roster was compiled. While it is to be greatly regretted that the work was not sooner undertaken, when a larger number of the survivors remained upon earth, the advantage and benefit accruing to posterity—in the preservation of the history of these military organizations and the personal records of the men who belonged to them—will be appreciated by all the loyal sons and daughters of the State of Iowa, and especially by those whi, in the generations to come, can trace their ancestry to the brave men who fought to preserve and transmit to their posterity the best form of government that the wisdom of man had been able to devise. SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES. Total Enrollment 965 Killed 47 Wounded 165 Died of wounds 33 Died of disease 208 Discharged for wounds, disease or other causes 175 Buried in National Cemeteries 113 Captured 27 Transferred 70 TWENTY-SIXTH REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY. Term of service three years. Mustered into service of the United States at Clinton, Iowa, Sept. 30, 1862, by Captain H. B. Hendershott, United States Army. Mustered out of service at Washington, D. C., June 6, 1865.