MILITARY: Civil War History
 
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SECOND REGIMENT IOWA VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.

	The Second Regiment of Iowa Cavalry was organized under the proclamation of 
President Lincoln, dated July 23, 1861.  The twelve companies composing the regiment 
were ordered into quarters by Governor Kirkwood, between the dates July 20 and Sept. 4, 
1861.  Davenport was the designated rendezvous and there the different companies were 
mustered into the service of the United States by Captain Alexander Chambers, United 
States Army, on dates ranging from August 30 to September 28, 1861.  The total number 
of enlisted men and officer of the regiment at the date of muster in of the last company 
was 1,001, but this number was considerably increased by additional enlistments before 
the regiment left the State.
	The regiment was fortunate in having for its first commander a graduate of West 
Point, who, at the time he received his commission from Governor Kirkwood, was a 
Major in the Third Regiment of United States Cavalry, with a record of fifteen years of 
honorable service in the Regular Army.  While he was a strict disciplinarian, he was also 
just and fair in the enforcement of discipline and in his retirement of the officers and men 
under his command, and thus secured their confidence and respect.  He was a superior 
military instructor, and his regiment rapidly acquired the rudiments of a military education 
so necessary for the work which was before them, and the practical experience which soon 
followed—under the command of this thoroughly trained officer—was of more value than 
a longer period of drill and instruction in camp would have been.  The other field officers 
were very capable men and soon demonstrated their fitness for the discharge of their 
respective duties.  They were without military training and experience, but possessed of 
superior intelligence, and soon became proficient in the knowledge of tactics and the 
handling of men in action.  This was particularly true of Lieutenant Colonel Edward 
Hatch, who was possessed of the true military spirit in such large degree that he was from 
the first conspicuous for his superior ability, and was held in the highest esteem by 
Colonel Elliott and by all the officers and men of the regiment.
	On the 7th of December, 1861, the regiment left Davenport and was conveyed by 
transports to St. Louis, where it went into quarters at Benton Barracks.  During the time it 
remained there Colonel Elliott exerted himself to the utmost in imparting such instruction 
as would secure for the regiment as much knowledge of the theory and art of war as it was 
possible to obtain before it would be called upon to take the field.  While at Benton 
Barracks the regiment suffered greatly from sickness and there were a great many deaths.  
There was probably no period in its subsequent history when disease made such sad havoc 
in its ranks in so short a time.  The men had not yet become used to the great change in 
conditions of living; had not yet learned how to properly prepare their food; and, above 
all, the sanitary conditions of the barracks were bad, the ventilation was poor and their 
quarters were overcrowded.  It was therefore a welcome change when the order came for 
the regiment to take the field.
	On the 17th of  February, 1862, the regiment, with its horses and camp equipage, 
embarked on transports' and was conveyed to Bird's Point, Mo.  Shortly after its arrival 
there, Major Love, with four companies of the regiment, started in pursuit of a band of 
rebels supposed to be encamped near Charleston, Mo., but did not succeed in finding 
them.  On February 28th the remainder of the regiment, under command of Colonel Elliott. 
Proceeded to Charleston where it was joined by the detachment under Major Love and the 
entire command then went in pursuit of the rebel forces under Colonel Jeff Thompson, but 
did not succeed in overtaking them, they having separated into small parties and dispersed 
upon the approach of Colonel Elliott's command.  The capture of a few rebels was the 
total result of this first short expedition into the enemy's territory, but, as the weather and 
roads were bad and Colonel Elliott had yet to learn the methods adopted by the elusive 
enemy, (who had the advantage of a thorough knowledge of the country.)  this initial 
movement served to enlighten the officers and men and gave them an experience by which 
they were benefited in their next expedition, which was productive of excellent results.  
The compiler here avails himself of the information contained in the official record and 
report of the subsequent operations of the regiment in the campaign which followed:
		On February 27th began our active pursuit of Jeff Thompson's army towards 
New Madrid, driving in his scouts and bodies of cavalry, over a  country almost 
impassable, fording, sometimes swimming, swamps scarcely penetrable, in snow and rain, 
capturing prisoners and horses.  This duty occupied the regiment until March 12th, when 
we rejoined Pope's army at New Madrid in time to participate in the attack and 
bombardment of that place; after it was reduced, from March 12th to April 6th, occupied 
continually guarding teams, scouting and picket duty..  April 7th, crossed the Mississippi, 
our advance under Lieutenant Gustavus Schnitger, being the first troops in Island No. 10, 
capturing 200 prisoners.  We pursued the retreating enemy toward Tiptonville.  We were 
then ordered back to Camp New Madrid, being absent five days. 
	On the 12th of April, 1862, the regiment, with the Army of the Mississippi, 
commanded by General Pope, embarked on transports at New Madrid and moved down 
the river toward Fort Pillow, but, by order of General Halleck, the objective point of the 
expedition was changed, and the fleet of transports proceeded to the mouth of the 
Tennessee and thence up that river to Hamburg, where, they landed and the troops 
disembarked.  Here the regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade, Cavalry Division, 
Army of the Mississippi, and, with that organization, at once entered upon an active and 
aggressive campaign.  Colonel Elliott was placed in command of the brigade, and 
Lieutenant Colonel Hatch was left in command of the regiment.  The following extracts 
are made from the official reports of Lieutenant Colonel Hatch, and embrace the principal 
operation of the regiment to the close of the month of August, 1862. 
IV.	April 29th, we attacked and burned the enemy's camp (97wall tents) at 

Monterey, Miss., thoroughly routing them; lost one man killed and  three wounded.
We took eleven prisoners. 

  V.  May 3d, received at nine o'clock in the morning an order from Colonel  
Elliott, commanding the Second Brigade, Cavalry Division, to proceed with the 
entire regiment immediately to the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, between Burnsville 
and Glendale, and there to destroy a trestle work and otherwise to render useless. For the 
time being, the railroad at that point.
Without quoting the details of the movements of the regiment which led up to the 
 perfect and complete execution of this order and the capture of several prisoners, besides 
a number of mules and wagons, without, any casualties to his command, suffice it to say 
that Lieutenant Colonel Hatch returned with his regiment to its camp at 8 o'clock in the 
evening of the day he received the order.  The promptness and skill with which the order 
was executed served to increase the confidence of the regiment in its commander: the 
officers and men, having faith in his good judgment and bravery, were ready to follow 
him in any dangerous undertaking and to yield implicit obedience to his orders.  That this 
confidence was fully justified was demonstrated only a few day later, as the following 
extracts from his official report will show:     
VI. May 8th—Skirmish with the enemy near Farmington, lost two men
killed and six wounded.  Lieutenant Washburn cut his way through the enemy after being 
captured, losing his horse by many balls. 
  VII. May 9th—Complying with an order of Colonel Elliott, commanding 
 Second Brigade, Cavalry Division, to report with Second Regiment Iowa Cavalry  to 
General Granger, I did so.  Receiving instructions from General Pope to report to General 
commanding the advance at Farmington, reported at twelve o'clock to General Palmer, 
who ordered me to throw out two companies on left of the main Farmington road, and 
hold the balance of the regiment in reserve under the hill, where the crossing of the swamp 
approaches Farmington.  Our infantry who had held the field above us being driven to the 
brow of the hill, General Paine ordered the regiment to charge the enemy's batteries.  
Moving column to top of hill, I ordered Major Coon, with companies H, G, C and part of 
A, of the Second Battalion, and Major Love's Third Battalion, to charge the battery on our 
left in echelons of squadrons. Deploying the columns to the right and left, when we had 
passed our infantry lines, we attacked the skirmishers and supports of the enemy, driving 
them in and killed and wounded some.  The battery on our left near the Farmington road, 
on account of the ground being impracticable, the battery and supports protected by a 
fence; the fire from this was very severe, and though our men could not reach the guns, 
the enemy's gunners, evidently alarmed at the charge, ceased working their guns.  Major 
Coon's Battalion, led by him, gallantly attacked the battery near the building known as the 
cotton mill (the center battery). Lieutenant Reily, commanding Company F, of Third 
Battalion, attacked and carried two guns in battery on our extreme right.  The center 
battery was fairly carried, the gunners driven from their guns, the, the enemy limbering up 
his guns without taking them off the field.  Finding our horses badly blown, from a long 
charge over rough ground, and the infantry of the enemy in great force, I, under a heavy 
fire, ordered all companies on my right to retreat to the right and rear, forming on the 
swamp road, and those on my left to join the regiment in this road.  I ordered Major 
Hepburn to move to the rear, retaining Major Coon with two companies to pick  up the 
wounded and scattered.  My orders were carried out better than I could have expected.  
My Chief Bugler's bugle was rendered useless in the charge; four of my orderlies having 
had their horses killed, and two being shot out of the saddle when transmitting orders.  
The conduct of officers and men was in every way commendable.  Captains Lundy, 
Egbert, and Lieutenant Owen, wounded near the enemy's guns, Lieutenants Horton, 
Moore and Schnitger all had horses killed under them.  Captain D. J. Crocker and 
Lieutenant Moore of Company K, Captain McConnell and Lieutenant Foster of Company 
L, all of the First Battalion, led in the finest manner by Mahor Hepburn, rode through the 
hottest fire and were rallied by Major Hepburn on the right when retiring, in fine style, 
and formed in good order in the rear of the swamp to await orders.  Major Coon, Captain 
H. Egbert, Captain William Lundy, Lieutenant Owen and Lieutenant Horton of the L 
Battalion, led the charge on the right in the finest matter, riding boldly in advance of their 
commands, and in advance of the entire regiment.  The daring of Lieutenant Queal, 
commanding Company B. was conspicuous, cheering his men to the very muzzles of the 
enemy's guns.  Captain Bishop of Company I, and Captain Graves of Company D, obeyed 
my orders promptly under heavy fire.  Lieutenant Schnitger, Acting Regimental Adjutant, 
and Lieutenant Metcalf, Battalion Adjutant, did their duties to my entire satisfaction.  
Before and at time of charge, Captain Freeman and Lieutenant Eystra, with detachments 
of companies A, G and H, as skirmishers dismounted, did excellent service in the swamps 
on our left, holding the enemy's skirmishers in check.  There were about 400 men in the 
charge.  Our loss will scarcely exceed fifty killed and wounded, fifty horses killed and 
fifty rendered unserviceable from wounds.
	The report of Lieutenant Colonel Hatch(from which the preceding quotations were 
made) describes with great particularity of detail the operations of the regiment during the 
remainder of the campaign.  Limitation of space will preclude further extended quotations 
from the report covering this period of the service of the regiment.  The compiler will, 
however endeavor to cover in a condensed form the most important events (as shown by 
the report) which occurred, from the day following the charge at Farmington up to and 
including August 27, 1862, upon which date the summer campaign may be said to have 
ended and the fall campaign begun.
	On May 13th a portion of the regiment had a skirmish near Farmington, driving the 
enemy;s skirmishers within their lines.  On May 26th, detachments from the Second Iowa 
and Second Michigan Cavalry, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Hatch, left camp 
near Farmington in the evening, under orders to locate and attack a force of the enemy 
supposed to be encamped near Burnsville, or Jacinto, Miss., encountered the enemy's 
pickets near the latter place in considerable force, but the main body had made good their 
retreat, and, in obedience to his orders, Lieutenant Colonel Hatch abandoned the pursuit 
and returned to camp the next morning, having marched thirty-five miles during the night, 
a part of the way through swamps and over difficult roads.  On the 28th, the Second Iowa 
and Second Michigan Cavalry, under command of Colonel Elliott, (the Second Iowa 
under command of Lieutenant Colonel Hatch,) left camp at Farmington and marched 
rapidly by a circuitous route, for the purpose of deceiving the enemy as to the object of the 
expedition, and, on the morning of May 30th, appeared before the town of Booneville, the 
force of the enemy which had been left to guard the town falling back before him with but 
slight resistance.  The capture of Booneville was followed by very important results, as 
the following statement of Lieutenant Colonel Hatch will show:  "I found standing on the 
track an engine disabled, 26 cars loaded with 10,000 stand of arms, 1,000 small and side 
arms, 800,000 rounds of ball cartridge, 100,000 rounds of fixed ammunition for six and 
eight pound guns, three mounted field pieces, one car of horse equipments and team 
harness, haversacks, cross belts, cartridge boxes, canteens and knapsacks for 10,000 men; 
and a large amount of stores.  The railroad depot was filled with commissary stores, 3,000 
stands of arms, shells of a large size, medical stores and 300 kegs and barrels of powder 
marked "Alabama Powder Company.'"
	Upon entering the town the telegraph wire was cut, thus preventing speedy 
communication to the enemy
 And the arrival of a sufficient force to save the immense quantity of supplies which had 
fallen into the hands of the regiments.  The train and buildings were at once set on fire and 
everything destroyed, thus inflicting great damage to the rebel army which had just 
evacuated its stronghold at Corinth and was in full retreat southward.  Shortly after this 
brilliant exploit, in recognition of his valuable service as a brigade commander, Colonel 
Elliott was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and assigned to the position of 
Chief of Staff to Major General Rosecrans, and Lieutenant Hatch was promoted to 
Colonel of the regiment.  The only casualties in the regiment during the expedition to and 
capture of Booneville were one man killed, two wounded and four captured by the enemy 
while scouting.  On May 10th, Captain Kendrick, while on a scout with a detachment of 
the regiment, had an encounter with the enemy, in which he lost one man killed and two 
wounded, and captured fifty prisoners.
	On the 4th of June the regiment and brigade, while in pursuit of the retreating rebel 
army, had a brisk engagement with the rear guard of the enemy, in which the regiment lost 
tow men killed, eight wounded and two missing.  A prisoner, captured in this engagement, 
reported the loss of the enemy to have been thirty men, killed and wounded.  During the 
greater part of the month of June the regiment was almost constantly engaged in watching 
the movements of the enemy in advance of the army, had several skirmishes and captured 
a number of prisoners.  On June 24th, it moved forward, taking the extreme advance of the 
army, the Second Iowa being encamped nearest the enemy, one-half mile in advance of 
the brigade.
	On the morning of July 1, 1862, the enemy was discovered in strong force 
approaching the ramp of the Second Iowa, whose pickets reported the number of rebels in 
sight as greatly superior to the combined strength of the regiment and that of the Second 
Michigan, and those two regiments, constituting as they did the outpost of the Union 
army, would have been justified in retreating until they could have been within supporting 
distance of the infantry.  But the officer who had succeeded General Elliott is command of 
this small cavalry brigade saw his opportunity for a strategic movement that would enable 
him to overcome the superior force to which he was opposed.  The entire strength of his 
command was far less than the maximum number of a single regiment of cavalry, (less 
than 600 men,) but, from this small force he boldly detached four companies, two from 
each regiment, with orders to move rapidly and gain the rear of the approaching force of 
the enemy.  He then posted his remaining force in a strong position and awaited the attack 
of the enemy, whose force in a strong position and awaited the attack of the enemy, whose 
force was estimated to be not less than 4,000.  The two cavalry regiments were splendidly 
armed and mounted, had absolute confidence in their leaders, and the result proved the 
confidence was not misplaced.  Without attempting to give the details of the fighting 
which ensued suffice it to say that the attack of the rebels was met by such a heavy fire 
that they fell back in disorder and were met by a charge of the detachment which had been 
sent to attack them in rear, which resulted in their being driven from the field, but left 17 
killed and 12 wounded, among them two officers, and in addition, 13 men captured.  The 
total loss of the enemy was estimated at over 100, while that of Colonel Sheridan's 
Brigade was but 47 killed, wounded and missing, divided about equally between the 
Second Iowa and Second Michigan Cavalry.  Considering the disparity in numbers, this 
was one of the most notable achievements of cavalry troops that occurred up to that time, 
or, as a matter of fact, that occurred at any time during the war.  The General commanding 
promptly issued a highly commendatory order from which the following extract is taken:

GENERAL ORDERS
	No. 81.
				HEADQUARTERS, ARMY of the MISSISSIPPI, July 2, 1862.
	The General commanding announces to this army that on the 1st instant Colonel P. 
H. Sheridan, Second Michigan Cavalry, with eleven companies of the Second Michigan 
and eleven companies of the Second Iowa Cavlary, was attacked near Booneville by eight 
regiments of rebel cavalry under Chalmers, and after an eight hours' fight defeated and 
drove them back, leaving their dead and wounded on the field.  The coolness, 
determination and fearless gallantry displayed by Colonel Sheridan and the officers and 
men of his command, in this section, deserve the thanks and admiration of the army……
	By order of General Rosecrans, United States Army.
									W. L. ELLIOTT,
							Brigadier General and Chief of Staff.

	This order was promulgated to the cavalry division commanded by General Gordon 
Granger, and ordered to be read at the head of each company in his command, together 
with an order of his own, from the concluding part of which the following extract is taken:
			A soldier's dearest need is his consciousness that his duties to his 
country have been well and worthily performed, and next to this is the reflection that his 
conduct is rightfully appreciated by his country and his superiors in command more nobly 
earned or better deserved than by the soldiers of this division, and no greener laurels have 
been won in this great struggle by the hardy some of the West than those of the Cavalry 
Division of the Army of the Mississippi.
	In his dispatch to General Rosecrans—written on the field—Colonel Sheridan said:
	I was attacked this morning by from eight to ten regiments of cavalry, under 
command of General Chalmers, and have driven them back.  They attacked my advanced 
guard about two miles southwest of Booneville, on the Blackland road.  I immediately 
supported it by one battalion of my own regiment, and then sent additional supports.  I 
then directed Captain Alger, with two companies of the Second Iowa and two companies 
of my own regiment, to charge them in the rear—this was handsomely done—and at the 
same time Major Coon of the Second Iowa, with his battalion, to make a dash in front and 
on their left.  This haltered the enemy very much and enabled me to hold them during the 
whole day.  About 3:30 P.M. they commenced retreating.  I regret that I am not able to 
follow them up.  I sent for Mizner's Cavalry to Rienzi; also for artillery support from 
General Asboth.  They have not arrived.  I have just written to General Asboth that I will 
not need infantry support.  You had better be the judge.  The enemy will not again attack 
me today, and probably have retreated finally.  My command behaved handsomely.  I 
regret the loss of some officers and men; I do not as yet know how many.  The enemy 
have been badly injured.  This force came from Tupelo and Saltillo.  I learn this, as well as 
their strength, from prisoners taken.
	In this official report, written the next day, Colonel Sheridan describes in detail the 
different movements of his command and those of the enemy during the engagement.  He 
makes special mention of the gallantry and good conduct of Colonel Hatch, Majors Coon 
and Hepburn and Captains Gilbert and Queal of the Second Iowa.  He also highly 
commends a number of officers of his own regiment, the Second Michigan; and gives 
equal credit to both organizations for the brave and gallant manner in which they obeyed 
his orders and won a glorious victory where defeat seemed inevitable.  In his official 
report, Colonel Hatch, in addition to the names of officers mentioned by Colonel 
Sheridan, includes those of Captain Graves and Lieutenants Foster and Wright.  The 
compiler has devoted a somewhat larger amount of space to this engagement than to those 
which preceded it, or than he will be able to devote to most of those which follow.  He 
considers himself justified in doing so because of the fact that it marked an important 
epoch, not only in the history of the regiment but of the war.  It was the formative period 
in the development of the military genius of the three officers who occupied the most 
conspicuous position and who, at the close of the great War of the Rebellion, and won the 
great distinction,--Grant, Sherman and Sheridan, that great triumvirate of American 
military chieftains, who were not inspired or actuated by the motives of self 
aggrandizement that governed that other great triumvirate in the days of ancient Rome, but 
were animated by one common patriotic purpose and that alone—the salvation of the 
Republic.
	Following closely upon the battle of Booneville came the promotion of Colonel 
Sheridan to the rank of Brigadier General and his transfer to a larger command in the 
Army of the Ohio.  On the 9th of July the camp of the Second Iowa was moved to Rienzi, 
Miss.  There the regiment remained in comparative quiet until the 26th of August, on 
which date a considerable force of rebel cavalry made a sudden dash upon the pickets of 
the regiment and captured six of them.  Colonel Hatch immediately went in pursuit of the 
enemy, following them for twenty miles, and twice brought them to a brief stand, in-
flicting heavy damage upon them, taking eight prisoners and a quantity of arms and 
ammunition, which the enemy abandoned after making their last stand.  The loss of the 
Second Iowa consisted of the six prisoners taken on the picket line, besides six others 
wounded in the subsequent engagements and a number of horses killed and disabled.  The 
pursuit was abandoned late in the evening, the men and horses becoming exhausted on 
account of excessive heat.  Lieutenant Colonel Hatch calls particular attention to the 
operation of a detachment under the command of First Lieutenant Anton Scherer, of 
Company E, which pursued a portion of the enemy on the Ripley road for nine miles, 
keeping up a running fire and sometimes charging with the saber.  Lieutenant Scherer only 
abandoned the pursuit upon being recalled by Colonel Hatch at dark.
	On the 5th of September, 1862, the regiment broke camp at Riensi and, from that 
date, was engaged in the campaign which ensued and lasted until the end of the year.  The 
operations of the regiment in this campaign were so numerous that they cannot be here 
described on account of limitation of space.  Suffice it to say that the duties performed 
were arduous in the extreme.  The officers and men were almost constantly in the saddle 
during the day and often far into the night, operating upon the flanks and in advance of the 
army, coming frequently into contact with small parties of the enemy, giving and 
receiving hard blows now an then killing, wounding and capturing a few of the enemy 
here and there, and suffering like reverses in their turn, in the hard-fought battles of Iuka 
and Corinth the regiment performed important service but did not become closely 
engaged.  They were always ready however, to execute any orders they received, and the 
General commanding was kept advised of the movements of the enemy everywhere upon 
the field by the quickly moving detachment of cavalry, while upon the infantry and 
artillery devolved the heavy, continuous fighting which determined the fortune of battle in 
favor of the one and against the other of the contending armies.  The great battle of 
Corinth, on the 3d and 4th days of October, and that which followed a day or two later on 
the Hatchie River, closed the fall campaign.
	Another great campaign was now undertaken by General Grant, which had for its 
objective point the rebel stronghold at Vicksburg, Miss.  The preliminary movements of 
this campaign, was well as most of the fighting during its progress, devolved upon the 
cavalry, and in these movements and conflicts the Second Iowa bore a conspicuous part.  
At this time Colonel Hatch was in command of the brigade to which his regiment was 
attached, and Lieutenant Colonel Hepburn was serving upon the staff of General 
Rosecrans, the command of the regiment devolving upon Major Datus E. Coon, an officer 
in every way well qualified and worthy of the honor thus bestowed.  The regiment 
advanced from Corinth on November 2, 1862, and joined the cavalry division at Grand 
Junction on the 4th.  On November 12, the army began its march southward, the cavalry 
brigade, commanded by Colonel Hatch, taking the advance, the scouts keeping well out in 
front and on the flanks.  The enemy's cavalry was alert and watchful and skirmishing 
occurred frequently. On several occasions the enemy was encountered in force and the 
loses on both sides were quite heavy.  The most notable of these encounters were at Water 
Valley and Coffeeville.  In the former of these Colonel Hatch was entirely successful, 
defeating the enemy, killing and wounding many and capturing 150, besides a large 
number of horses and mules.  At Coffeeville, however, the rebel General Van Dorn made 
a determined stand with a large force of infantry, artillery and cavalry, and, after a short 
but hard-fought engagement, the Union cavalry found themselves too greatly out-
numbered and were compelled to retreat.  The loss of the Second Iowa in this encounter 
was 22 men, killed and wounded.  In his official report of the operations of his brigade on 
the Mississippi Central Expedition, Colonel Hatch gives the full details of each movement 
and engagement.  His description of the desperate situation in which the Second Iowa 
Cavalry was placed, at the junction of the Water Valley and Panola roads, and the 
splendid manner in which they fought to extricate themselves, the conspicuous gallantry 
of the four rifle companies, who were surrounded but refused to surrender and fought their 
way through the ranks of the enemy and had five out of seven officers wounded, is of 
special interest.  In closing his report he says: "Of the officers and soldiers of my 
command I cannot speak too highly, especially of the officers and soldiers of the Second 
Iowa Cavalry, who, when the enemy was advancing upon them from the front and into the 
advancing columns."  The Colonel makes special mention of the gallantry of Majors Coon 
and Kendrick and Lieutenant Belden.  Van Dorn now concentrated all his available 
cavalry and executed a bold and brilliant movement.  Passing entirely around General 
Grant's army, he suddenly appeared before Holly Springs, where an immense quantity of 
supplies and military stores had been accumulated, guarded by a force of infantry, cavalry 
and artillery, deemed amply sufficient for defense against any ordinary force of the enemy 
that might have been reasonably supposed to be available to be brought against them.  
Even with the superior force with which Van Dorn made the attack, the forces guarding 
the place might have held out until they could have been reinforced, but for the 
incompetency of the officer to command, who was subsequently dismissed from the 
service for having surrendered himself and the greater portion of his command, after 
making but a feeble resistance.  The following extract from  General Grant's order of the 
unfaithful officer shows his appreciation of the gallant conduct of the officers and men 
who refused to surrender and cut their way out through the enemy's lines:
		It is gratifying to notice, in contrast with this, the conduct of a portion of the 
command; conspicuous among whom was the Second Illinois Cavalry, who gallantly and 
successfully resisted being taken prisoners.  Their loss was heavy, but the enemy's was 
much greater.  Such conduct as theirs will always insure success.  Had the commandant of 
the post exercised the usual and ordinary precautions for defense, the garrison was 
sufficiently strong to have repulsed the enemy, saved our stores from destruction and 
themselves from capture.
	The destruction of his supplies compelled General Grant to abandon the expedition, 
which, up to that time, had promised such satisfactory results, and to at once again a 
retreat towards his main base of supplies at Memphis.  This retreat was fraught with great 
suffering, the men and animals being reduced almost to the point of starvation before the 
wagon trains, sent from Memphis and La Grange, under heavy escort, could reach them 
with the much needed supplies.  The compiler has a vivid personal recollection of the 
pangs of hunger which he and his comrades endured on that dreadful march.
	The regiment with its brigade and division had accomplished much, up to the time 
the campaign was brought to such an abrupt termination.  In their many encounters they 
had inflicted heavy damage upon the enemy, not only in killed and wounded, but had 
captured many prisoners, horses and mules, besides destroying much property of great 
value to the enemy.  When the retrograde march began, they constituted the rear guard of 
the army, which was again the post of honor, involving the same constant vigilance and 
arduous service which was required in leading the advance.  In addition to the duty of 
guarding the rear of the army against the near approach of the enemy, the cavalry division 
performed another very important service—that of rendering the railroad useless to the 
enemy after they had regained possession, of it.  At length, on the 28th of December, the 
regiment reached La Grange, Tenn., where it went into camp and enjoyed a season of 
comparative rest for the remainder of the winter. Detachments were occasionally sent out 
in pursuit of roving bands of the enemy, and for the purpose of guarding forage trains, but, 
beyond a few encounters with the enemy by these detachments, the regiment was not 
called upon for any movement in which all its officers and men were to participate until 
the commencement of active operations by the entire army in the early spring of 1863.
	On the 10th of March, 1863, Colonel Hatch, with his regiment, left camp at La 
Grange, and by a rapid march proceeded to Waterford, Miss., and, in obedience to orders, 
burned the railroad bridge which spanned the Tallahatchie River near that point, and also 
destroyed a quantity of supplies for the rebel army which he found there.  He then y a 
skillful movement avoided, coming into contact with a superior force which had been sent 
against him, and returned to his camp at La Grange, the men and officers of the regiment 
having been almost constantly in the saddle for three days and two nights. The regiment 
either as a whole or in detachments, was actively engaged during the remainder of March 
and the first, half of April in active operations against the enemy, preventing concentration 
of the rebel forces, and, in the various minor engagements which ensued, capturing a 
considerable number of prisoners, horses and other property; but, while inflicting these 
damages upon the rebels, the regiment sustained—only in less degree-the inevitable 
casualties which such operations involved.
	On the 17th of April, 1863, the Second Iowa Cavalry, then comprising a part of the 
cavalry brigade under the command of the interpid Colonel Grierson, again left its camp at 
La Grange and started upon what proved to be one of the most, remarkable cavalry 
expeditions of the war.  On the second day out, in obedience to orders from Colonel 
Grierson, Colonel Hatch led the Second Iowa against a force of the enemy which 
threatened to delay the advance of the main column.  In his official report of the 
engagement which ensued, Colonel Hatch clearly demonstrates the fact that, by his thus 
having distracted the attention of the enemy and held it for thirty-six hours, he enabled 
Colonel Grierson to get so far beyond the main force of rebels that he could not be 
overtaken, thus enabling that gallant officer to make a complete success of his expedition.
The enemy had mistaken the Second Iowa Cavalry, under Colonel Hatch, for the main 
force, and the skill with which that delusion was effected, together with the tremendous 
risk and hazard to which his relatively small command was exposed, is graphically 
described in the official report of Colonel Hatch, in which he gives the details of his 
encounter with the superior force of the enemy at the town of Palo Alto.  In this desperate 
encounter one company of the Second Cavalry was separated from the regiment, but 
although completely surrounded, refused to surrender and was subsequently released from 
its perilous situation by an impetuous charge, led by Colonel Hatch, in which the ranks of 
the enemy were broken.  After making that gallant charge and rescuing the company, the 
regiment slowly retreated, fighting by the rear, the enemy constantly following, until, four 
days later, the pursuit was abandoned and the regiment joined the other Union troops at its 
old camp near La Grange.  The losses of the enemy greatly exceeded those sustained by 
the regiment on the retreat, Colonel Hatch having availed himself of every advantage of 
position to keep his men as well covered as possible, and, fighting always of position to 
keep his men as well covered as possible, and, fighting always on the defensive, with 
repeating arms, was able to over come the disparity of numbers.  The regiment had, 
however, expended nearly all its ammunition at the time the enemy drew off from the 
pursuit.  The General commanding accorded to Colonel Hatch and his regiment the credit 
of having made possible the success of Colonel Grierson's great cavalry raid, which 
terminated at Baton Rouge on May 2d, with such important results.  The conclusion of his 
official report, written before it was known that Colonel Grierson had safely reached his 
destination, plainly indicates that Colonel Hatch fully appreciated the importance of 
having diverted the attention of the enemy from the main object of the expedition.  He 
says: "The fight at Palo Alto, diverting the enemy from Colonel Grierson, has 
undoubtedly given him thirty-six hours start."
	The compiler is admonished that more than half the space he can devote to this 
historical sketch has already been exhausted, he will, therefore, be compelled to condense 
even more closely the account of the location of the regiment for the remainder of its 
period of service.  Reference to official reports for details must, therefore, be more 
frequently made than in the preceding pages.
	Soon after his return to La Grange, Colonel Hatch was placed in command of a 
brigade, and the command of the regiment again devolved upon Major Coon.  This 
command marched southward to Okolona without meeting with much opposition, the 
object of the expedition being mainly the capture of horses and mules for the use of the 
cavalry and the transportation trains of the army.  In this it was very successful, returning 
on the 5th of May with over 300 animals and, a few days later, making a raid extending 
eighty miles in another direction, with similar results.  On the latter expedition the brigade 
encountered a rebel force under its old antagonist, General Chalmers, who after a brief 
engagement, was defeated with a much greater loss than that sustained by the brigade.  
From about the middle of My until the 23d, of August, 1863, the headquarters of the 
regiment and brigade were at La Grange, but during that time the regiment, either as a 
whole or by detachments, engaged in a number of important operations, which may be 
summarized as follows: The raid southwest from La Grange to Panola, a distance of one 
hundred miles, which was made for the purpose of retaliation for the firing upon and 
destruction of federal transports on the Mississippi river and the killing, in at least one 
instance, of women and children.  The reprisals were heavy.  In the vicinity where the 
depredations had been committed, much property was destroyed, and 1,000 horses and 
mules were captured and brought back to the camp at La Grange.  The next expedition 
was directed against the cavalry command of the rebel General Forrest, which at that time 
occupied the town of Jackson, Tenn.  Colonel Hatch marched with his brigade against this 
force on the 12th of July.  In the engagement which ensued the Second Iowa was 
conspicuous for its gallantry, under its capable leader, Major Coon.  Among the casualties 
in this engagement was Lieutenant John K. Humphrey of the Second Iowa, severely 
wounded.  In his official report of this engagement Colonel Hatch gives the loss of the 
enemy as follows: 4 Captains, 3 Lieutenants and 31 men killed, and not less than 150 
wounded, while the total loss in his own command was but 16.  The superior quality of the 
arms of his men, and the fact that the heavy loss upon the enemy was inflicted while they 
were in full retreat, accounts for the great disparity in the casualties. On the 13th of 
August, Major coon, with two hundred men of the Second Iowa Cavalry and detachments 
from other regiments of the brigade, making in all a force of five hundred men well 
mounted and equipped, started from La Grange under orders from Colonel Hatch to 
proceed south to Grenada, Miss., and destroy a large amount of railroad rolling stock and 
other property which the rebel government had accumulated at that point for the use its 
army.  The object of the expedition was successfully accomplished.  The property 
destroyed consisted of two large depots, sixty locomotives, five hundred cars, machine 
shops and flouring mills, and a large number of army wagons.  This was a serious loss to 
the rebel army and went far toward counteracting the effect of the rebel General Van 
Dorn's raid upon Holly Springs and his destruction of the supplies for the Union army at 
that place.  May Coon returned with his detachment to La Grange August 23d, after an 
absence of eleven days.
	The regiment with its brigade now marched to the city of Memphis, where it went 
into camp August 27, 1863, remaining there until November 1st, on which date under 
command of Lieutenant Colonel Hepburn, it marched to Collierville to reinforce the 
troops at that place.  The rebel General Chalmers was then approaching Collierville with a 
large force, and the regiment was just in time to aid in repelling his attack.  After a hard-
fought engagement the enemy was driven from the field.  They succeeded in carrying off 
most of their wounded, but left their dead, forty-one in number, and fifty captured, among 
whom were one Brigadier General and eight others who were commissioned officers.  The 
loss of the Union side in this engagement was thirty-seven.  Among the wounded was 
Captain Charles C Horton, of the Second Iowa Cavalry.  Upon its return from the pursuit 
of the enemy the regiment went into camp at Collierville, remaining there until November 
26, 1863, on which date it marched to Covington, in West Tennessee, and, upon arriving 
there, went into camp.  From this point scouting parties were sent out to watch the 
movements of a large force of the enemy under the command of the noted rebel General 
S. D. Lee, which was reported to be advancing from Oxford. On the 1st of December 
Colonel Hatch moved from Covington with his brigade and, marching rapidly, reached 
Moscow, on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, just in time to reinforce the small 
garrison at that place to repulse the enemy under General Lee, after a hard-fought 
engagement, in which Colonel Hatch was very severely wounded, the ball passing through 
his right lung and entirely through his body.  He refused to leave the field, however, and 
continued to direct the movements of his troops until the enemy had been defeated, and 
were in full retreat, leaving sixty of their number dead upon the field, but succeeding in 
removing their wounded.  The loss in Colonel Hatch's command was eight-one—killed, 
wounded and missing.  The regiment now returned to its former camp at Collierville.
	On December 22, 1863, the regiment, with Captain Graves in command, (Major 
Coon having succeeded Colonel Hatch is command of the brigade,) left its camp and, with 
all the cavalry which could be hastily concentrated for that purpose went in pursuit of the 
noted rebel General Forrest, who with about 2,000 men, had again boldly invaded 
Tennessee and was engaged in enforcing a merciless conscription of troops for the rebel  
army.  Notwithstanding the activity of the pursuit, the daring rebel leader succeeded in 
safely out of the State with a very large number of unarmed conscripts, who were 
subsequently armed and assigned to the depleted ranks of regiments in the rebel army.  
Returning from the pursuit of Forrest, the regiment reached its encampment at Collierville 
December 31, 1862.
	On January 2, 1864, the regiment left its camp at Collierville and started for 
Memphis, where it arrived on the 4th and went into camp.  The men suffered greatly at this 
time, both upon the march and in camp, the weather being extremely cold for that latitude.  
A large number of recruits joined the regiment and were mustered into the service at 
Memphis, making its aggregate strength greater than it had been at any time since the fall 
of 1862. During the remainder of the month the recruits were drilled and instructed in the 
duties of the cavalry soldier and became quite proficient before the regiment again took 
the field, but they had yet to learn their most important lessons and the stern realities of 
the soldier's life in time of war.  The officers and men of the regiment felt a just pride in 
the splendid record of their gallant Colonel, who was now separated from them on account 
of his severe wound.  They also entertained the highest regard for General Grierson, who 
had demonstrated his great ability as a cavalry leader.  The warmest feeling of personal 
friendship existed between these two officers. It was through the strong personal 
endorsement of General Grierson that the too long delayed promotion of Colonel Hatch 
was finally secured, and it is deemed proper and fitting to here insert the evidence of 
appreciation shown by the General in his letter to the Secretary of War.
		HEADQUARTER CAVALRY DIVISION, SIXTEENTH ARMY CORPS,
								MEMPHIS, TENN., Jan. 14, 1864.
HON. E. M. STANTON,
	Secretary of War,
	Sir:  Permit me most respectfully and earnestly to recommend to your consideration 
Colonel Edward Hatch, of the Second Iowa Cavalry, for promotion to Brigadier General.  
He has been under any command for the part twelve months, and for the last eight months 
has commanded a brigade of cavalry.  He has proved himself to be an efficient and skillful 
officer, and has rendered invaluable services to the country.  I consider his promotion not 
only due to himself but to the best interest of the service.  He is now slowly recovering 
from a wound through his lungs, received in a recent engagement at Moscow, Tenn.
					Most respectfully, your obedient servant.
						 B. H,  GRIERSON, Brigadier General
							Commanding Cavalry Division,
									Sixteenth Army Corps.

	On the 5th of February, 1864, the regiment again broke camp and marched to 
Germantown, where a large force of cavalry, under command of Generals W. S. Smith 
and B. H. Grierson had been concentrated for the purpose of co-operating with General 
William T. Sheridan, who had then just started from Vicksburg on his famous Meridian 
Expedition.  This cavalry force was under orders to join Sherman at Meridian.  The rebel 
General Forrest had again succeeded in getting together a large force of cavalry and by a 
series of skillful manuevers and well-planned attacks, managed to delay the advance of the 
Union cavalry until General Sherman—who had waited for some time at Meridian for this 
cavalry force to join him—had started and was well on his way toward Vicksburg.  This 
enabled Forrest to receive reinforcements from the rebel cavalry, which had ineffectually 
opposed Sherman's advance, and it at once became necessary for smith and Grierson to 
retreat to Germantown or Memphis.  The movements and engagements of this cavalry 
division, both upon the advance and retreat, are well described in the "History of the 
Second Iowa Cavalry," published soon after the close of the war, when all the events, so 
graphically narrated, were fresh in the mind of the writer, and which are found to be in 
substantial accord with the official reports."
	After giving an account of the advance movement and the engagement in which the 
Second Iowa was most conspicuous, and in which Lieutenant H. C. Dwire was killed, and 
Major Coon, Captains Graves, Queal and Horton and Lieutenant Bandy displayed great 
gallantry in directing the charge against the enemy, (the engagement ending with the 
defeat of the rebels and the capture of West Point,) he proceeds to describe the retrograde 
movement.  At the beginning of the retreat, Major Coon was directed to take the Second 
Iowa and a battalion of the Sixth Illinois and hold the enemy in check until the large 
transportation train could get safely under way.  The rebel General Forrest made a 
desperate attack upon this rear guard for the purpose of capturing the train.  Instead of 
falling back before this force, Major Coon requested the brigade commander, Lieutenant 
Colonel Hepburn, of his own regiment, to allow him to make a standing fight and to send 
him reinforcements.  Hepburn's reply to this appeal was that the orders of General Smith 
must be obeyed, and the retreat continued.  There was nothing left but for the rear guard to 
continue to slowly retire, protecting both its front and flanks, as best it could, against the 
persistent attacks of the enemy.  The battalions, under the command of Captains Queal 
and Horton, dismounted and fought under the command of Captains Queal and Horton, 
dismounted and fought from behind trees with their Colt's revolving rifles, which inflicted 
very heavy damage upon the enemy.  Finally the commanding General, realizing the 
desperate situation in which his rear guard was placed, sent back a brigade to their 
support.  While these fresh troops at once engaged the enemy at the support.  While these 
troops at once engaged the enemy at the front, Major Coon's command was temporarily 
held in reserve, but still constituted a portion of the rear guard.  The Second Iowa had left 
fifty of its brave men upon the field, the heaviest loss it had ever sustained in any 
engagement up to that time.  The fight did not terminate until 10 o'clock P.M., and the 
retreat continued until 2 o'clock A.M., when the troops were allowed a brief rest, the 
retreat being resumed at daylight.  General Smith, being very ill, now relinguished the 
command to General Grierson, and that officer, by the exercise of great skill and energy, 
conducted the retreat to Germantown.  The day he assumed command the situation looked 
very desperate.  Forrest repeatedly renewed his attacks on the rear and flanks of the 
retreating army, captured part of its artillery and, at one time, threatened the capture of the 
entire command.  It was only by the most determined bravery and persistent fighting that 
Grierson finally arrived within reach of infantry reinforcements, and the daring rebel 
leader abandoned the pursuit.  The officers and men of the Second Iowa Cavalry were 
almost constantly in the saddle for sixty hours and, for the greater part of that time, 
engaged in action.  Upon reaching Germantown both men and horses had reached the 
point of extreme exhaustion.  The regiment arrived at its camp on the 26th of February, 
having been absent on the expedition sixteen days.
	After resting a short time, the regiment marched to Memphis and went into camp 
there.  Major Coon and General Grierson now made a special effort to induce the men to 
re-enlist for another term of three years, or during the war.  These officers were very 
popular with the regiment, and their efforts resulted in the re-enlistment of a sufficient 
number of men to entitle the regiment to the designation of a veteran organization.  The 
re-enlisted men were again mustered into the service on the 28th of March, 1864, and, 
from that date, the regiment had the new title of Second Iowa Veteran Cavalry Volunteers.  
The aggregate strength of the regiment at this time was 1,088, of which number 45 were 
commissioned officers, 360 re-enlisted veterans, and 683 non-veterans and recruits.  The 
re-enlisted men were granted a furlough of thirty days, to begin from the time they arrived 
at Davenport, Iowa.  They embarked on steamer at Memphis, April 7, 1864.  Upon 
reaching Davenport they were accorded an enthusiastic reception.  They then received 
their furloughs and departed for their respective homes.  On the 15th of May they 
reassembled at Davenport and, on the 17tth, departed for St. Louis.  In the meantime 
Colonel Hatch had been promoted to Brigadier General, Major Coon succeeding him as 
Colonel of the regiment and Captains Horton, Schnitger and Moore had become Battalion 
Majors.  At St. Louis the veterans were supplied with horses and then proceeded to 
Memphis, where they arrived on the 29th of May and rejoined the non-veterans and 
recruits, who had, in the meantime been preforming garrison duty at Fort Pickering, under 
command of Lieutenant Colonel Hepburn.  Here the regiment was supplied with the latest 
improved arms, Spencers' seven-shooting carbines, at that time considered the most 
effective cavalry arm in the service.
	Another active and aggressive campaign was now about to begin.  The rebel 
General Forrest had captured Fort Pillow and won a victory over the troops commanded 
by General Sturgis.  Emboldened by these successes.  Forrest had established his 
headquarters at Tupelo, Miss., where he was daily augmenting his forces and bidding 
defiance to any force that might be sent against him.  General A. J. Smith was ordered to 
Memphis to take command of the Union forces there and to proceed against Forrest.  The 
Second Iowa Cavalry now belonged to the Cavalry division commanded by General B. H. 
Grierson, its own Colonel, D. E. Coon, being in command of the brigade to which his 
regiment was attached, while the regiment was under the command of Major C. C. 
Horton, whose series of admirable official reports describe with great particularity of 
detail all the movements and operations of the regiment from the day he became its 
commander to the close of the year 1864.  Appended to these reports are the lists of 
casualties sustained during the period embraced, showing how the regiment had fought 
and suffered during the campaign.  The principal engagements in which the regiment took 
part, and included in Major Horton's reports, are here given in the order in which they 
occurred: Tupelo, Miss., Ripley, Miss., Pontotoc, Miss., Oxford, Miss., Hurricane Creek, 
Miss., Shoal Creek, Ala., Aberdeen, Ala., Butler Creek, Ala., Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 
campbellville, Tenn., Linville, Tenn., Mount Carmel, Tenn., and near Franklin, Tenn.  In 
addition to these engagements there were many skirmishes by detachments and individual 
encounters with the enemy by the scouts.  During the greater part of this time the former 
Colonel of the regiment—General Hatch—was in command of the cavalry division to 
which the regiment and its brigade belonged.  This was a matter mutual satisfaction to the 
General and to the officers and men of his old regiment.  They were renewing the contest 
with their old enemy, the rebel General Forrest and his forces, with whom they had so 
often met in conflict before.  These two Generals had learned each other's methods of 
attack and defense, and, in the dreadful game of war in which they were engaged, it 
became a question of skill and ability on the part of these great cavalry leaders as to which 
should gain the advantage.  In so far as the element of bravery and daring of the leaders 
and their followers was concerned, it may be said that the one equaled the other.  They 
were all American soldiers, and, as a rule, displayed the same courage on the battlefield.  
Major Horton makes special mention of the following officers of his regiment during the 
campaign—Battalion Majors Schnitger and Moore, Captains Stiles, Bandy, Goodrich and 
Foster, Lieutenants Watson, Rumple, Budd and Griffith.  While the Major especially 
commended these officers for gallantry and coolness in action, he also commends all the 
officers and men of his regiment, and states that he finds it hard to mention the 
conspicuous acts of bravery of some without doing injustice to others.  The distance 
marched on this campaign was nearly 600 miles.  The loss of the regiment, from 
September 30, 1864, to January 1, 1865, was 12 killed, 3 mortally wounded, 44 wounded 
and 8 captured by the enemy.  Two of the men captured were severely wounded before 
they surrendered.  Tow others, who were captured, escaped and returned to the regiment 
on the 28th of December, 1864, leaving the net loss of the regiment 65.  The loss of the 
cavalry division during the same period was 600, that of the Second Iowa being 
considerably above the average.
	On December 2, 1864, the regiment, with the brigade and division, fell back to 
Nashville, crossed the Cumberland River and went into camp at Edgefield, to which place 
the tents and knapsacks had been forwarded.  The men were very glad to again have these 
equipments, having been deprived of them since leaving their camp at White's Station in 
September.  In the meantime they had bivouacked in the open field, with no protection 
save that afforded by the army blanket.  The weather had now become intensely cold and 
the men suffered very greatly.  It was evident that another desperate struggle was now 
impending and could not long be delayed.  The opposing armies of Generals Thomas and 
Hood were constantly employed in fortifying the positions they occupied, that of Thomas 
being along a chain of hills encircling the city of Nashville, and that of Hood along 
another chain of hills from one to four miles distant from that city.  General Thomas, after 
making every preparation to meet the threatened attack, finally determined to assume the 
offensive, and made the necessary disposition of his troops for the purpose of assaulting 
the enemy along the entire line of his works.  The cavalry division. Commanded by 
General Hatch, was ordered to recross the Cumberland River on the 12th of December. and 
was assigned to a position on the right of General A. J. Smith's Corps.  Everything being 
in readiness, the advance was ordered on the morning of December 15, 1864. And the 
result of the tremendous struggle which ensued went fat towards the complete overthrow 
of the so-called Confederate Government and the restoration of peace.  It was the greatest 
battle in which the Second Iowa Cavalry participated and the one in which the regiment 
won its highest honors.  In this battle Colonel Coon commanded the brigade, while 
Lieutenant Colonel Horton (recently promoted from Major) command the regiment, 
assisted by Major Schnitger and Captains Foster and Bandy, his battalion commanders.  
The compiler of this sketch feels that he is justified in trespassing somewhat on the limits 
assigned him, in quoting from the official report of Lieutenant Colonel Horton, to such an 
extent at least as to show the most conspicuous features of the service performed by his 
regiment in this great battle.  It will be noted that the regiment fought mainly dismounted 
on the first day and part of the second day of the battle.

	HEADQUARTERS SECOND IOWA CAVALRY, VETERAN VOLUNTEERS,
							        GRAVELLY SPRINGS, Jan. 2, 1865.
GENERAL:  I have the honor to make the following report of the operations of the 
Second Iowa Cavalry since the 15th of December, 1864, embracing the two days' battle 
near Nashville, and the subsequent pursuit of the rebel General Hood.  In obedience to 
orders from brigade headquarters, moved from camp on the morning of the 15th of 
December, 1864, at eight o'clock, men dismounted and horses following in the rear.  After 
marching one mile, our brigade--the Second of the Fifth Division, Cavalry Corps—took 
position on the right of General A. J. Smith's Corps of Infantry, the Sixth and Ninth 
Illinois Cavalry on my left, the Seventh Illinois Cavalry on my right.  Complying with the 
movements of the commands, my left moved forward, swinging the while to the left, the 
enemy's skirmish line falling back steadily before our advance.    Their main line was 
found some four miles from town, occupying formidable works on a commanding hill.  
By continually swinging to the left our brigade struck their left flank.  The division battery 
("T" of the Second Illinois) now galloped into position in an open field and opened on the 
works, evidently much to their annoyance, as the guns of both forts were immediately 
turned upon the battery and my regiment, which had been formed to the left and rear as 
support.  Remained lying in this position, exposed to a galling fire from both forts for 
nearly an hour, losing two men killed and one wounded, when I received orders to move 
forward and join in an assault upon the first fort.  The regiment moved steadily forward 
under a severe fire until within three hundred yards of the works, when the order to 
"Charge and take that fort!" from General Hatch rang along the line.  With a shout the 
men sprang forward, and with a shout the fort was carried.  Company G, Lieutenant Budd 
commanding, having been thrown out as skirmishers, were nearest the works, and 
consequently the first to enter.  On man was knocked down by a blow from a musket just 
as he was scaling the works.  One of General Smith's batteries shelled the fort after it was 
captured, six shells bursting in and over it after we had entered.  Captured here four brass 
Napoleons and sixty prisoners.  Thirty killed and wounded rebels were found lying the 
fort. Leaving a guard with the guns, I pressed forward after the retreating enemy, 
capturing many prisoners.  Orders were now received form Colonel Coon to move by the 
right flank and charge the second fort, situated some seven hundred yards to our right on a 
conical hill.  The men were so eager in the pursuit of the fugitives from the first fort that I 
was able to rally only two hundred of them; with these I joined the brigade in the assault.  
The fort was defended with a stubbornness and gallantry seldom surpassed—the enemy 
only ceasing to use their artillery after the works were scaled.  A short but desperate hand-
to-hand struggle ensued after the works were entered.  My colors, borne by the gallant 
Sergeant Hartman, Company F, were the first to float from the fort.  The Sergeant fell 
mortally wounded while in the act of planting the colors on one of the guns.  Seizing my 
hand as I bent over him, he exclaimed, "Major, tell my friends I died doing my duty."  In 
this fort were captured two guns, with caissons; one battery wagon, and nearly one 
hundred prisoners.  Notwithstanding my colors were the first to enter the works, it would 
be unjust to claim the guns or prisoners as my particular prize. As the different regiments 
of the brigade entered so nearly at the same time.  Lieuutenants Watson and Griffith, 
Companies I and D, who, not having heard the order to rally in time to join in the assault 
on the fort, moved by the right and charged on our left flank, attacking and repulsing a 
force of rebels who were endeavoring to re-enforce the fort, now reported with some sixty 
prisoners each.  Quartermaster Sergeant Beeson, with my bugler, Anderson, and two 
mounted orderlies (Truesdale and Winn) charged with the saber, killing and wounding 
several and taking some seventy prisoners.  Number of prisoners captured during the day, 
two hundred and fifty.  Regiment lost, while supporting the battery and charging the two 
forts, six men killed, and two commissioned officers and eighteen men 
wounded….Moved again at daylight….Found the enemy in strong force, occupying a line 
of hills on "Little Harpeth," four miles south of Franklin.  General Hatch moved his 
division to the front, formed on the right of General Hammond, Second Iowa on the 
extreme right.  The line moved at a walk for some three hundred yards, then the trot, and 
finally the charge was sounded.  At the signal, all sprang forward, but the center found it 
impossible to carry the position on account of the steep and rocky hill-side.  They halted 
here, dismounted, and engaged the enemy on foot.  Not receiving the order to halt, and 
having better ground in front, I pressed forward, charged up the hill and through a thick 
wood, until we reached the enemy's left and rear, who now opened on me with grape and 
canister from the batteries.  Wheeling the regiment to the left, I ordered the charge upon 
the battery to our left, but the horses were poor and so much blown that they could only 
raise a slow trot, perceiving which, the enemy charged us in turn, but were handsomely 
repulsed with the carbines.
	A strong force of rebels were now reported passing through the gap between my 
regiment and the balance of the brigade.  The fact that the day was dark and rainy, and that 
they wore rubber ponchos, and were many of them dressed in blue, had led my men to 
believe them to be our own troops, so they were nearly in the rear of the third Battalion 
before the mistake was discovered.  Company K, Sergeant John Coulter commanding, 
were nearly surrounded, and were compelled to cut their way out with the saber.  Sergeant 
Coulter, with Corporal Heck and privates Black and Anderson (same company), charged 
the rebel color guard, and, after a desperate hand-to-hand struggle, in which Heck and 
Black were killed, and Coulter and Anderson badly wounded, the colors of Rosse's 
Brigade were captured and borne triumphantly off by the Sergeant.  Eight dead rebels, 
lying within the space of a few yards, attest the desperate nature of the conflict.  After a 
few moments' close fighting, in which the saber and butts of guns were freely used, the 
rebels fell back.  The regiment being somewhat disorganized, I withdrew from the range 
of the artillery to reform and communicate with the brigade.  Although I found the enemy 
too strong to drive, I held my ground and finally compelled them to vacate their position 
on the hill.  General Hatch now pressed them on the pike, capturing three pieces of 
artillery.  My loss during the engagement was seven killed, eight wounded and thirteen 
captured.  Several others were captured, but made their escape, to some instances 
returning with their guards as prisoners.  Regiment captured in all some fifty 
prisoners….Of the conduct of the officers and men, I can only speak in terms of highest 
commendation.  Where every soldier (officers and men) deserves special mention, it is 
hard to discriminate.  I will only make special mention of Lieutenant Sydenham, 
Regimental Adjutant, and my battalion commanders.  Major Schnitger and Captains 
Foster and Bandy, to whom I am greatly indebted for the efficient, prompt and gallant 
manner in which all my orders were executed.  Appended is the loss sustained by the 
regiment during the campaign, sixteen killed, four officers and twenty-nine men wounded; 
thirteen prisoners.
	I am, Sir,	
					Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
								CHARLES C. HORTON.
						Lieutenant Colonel Second Iowa Cavalry,
									Commanding Regiment.
To GEN. N. B. BAKER,
	Adjutant General of Iowa.
		That portion of Lieutenant Colonel Horton's report which has been omitted 
describes in detail the operation of the regiment while in pursuit of General Hood's army, 
and embraces the dates from December 17th to 26th, inclusive.
	On December 27th a detachment of five hundred of the most effective men and 
horses in the brigade, of which two hundred were chosen from the Second Iowa, was 
ordered to proceed in advance of the cavalry division and follow Hood's retreating army 
to the Tennessee River.  This detachment pressed so closely upon the enemy's rear guard 
as to compel the abandonment of a large number of ambulances and wagons.  Captain 
Bandy and Lieutenant Hamilton, with fifty men of the Second Iowa, gave the parting 
shots that hastened the retreat of the last of the enemy across the river on the evening of 
December 28, 1864.  The regiment had thus been conspicuous in all the operations against 
Hood's army from the commencement of the battle of Nashville until that army was 
almost destroyed and all that remained of it was in full retreat.  Among all the splendid 
regiments which composed the cavalry division commanded by that prince among leaders, 
General Edward Hatch, there was none which gained greater honor and distinction than 
the Second Iowa Cavalry.  The Second Brigade of the division to which the regiment 
belonged, and which was commanded by its own Colonel during the entire campaign, had 
to its credit the capture of one General, two Majors, two Captains, six Lieutenants and 
1,175 enlisted men of the rebel army, also 4 stand of colors, 1,315 muskets, 15 pieces of 
artillery, 21 wagons and 7 ambulances.
	The regiment, with its brigade and division, upon returning from the pursuit of 
Hood's army, arrived at Eastport, Miss., January 11, 1865, and went into winter quarters 
at that place.
	On the 19th of February, Major Schnitger, with four hundred men from the Second 
Iowa and Ninth Illinois Cavalry, conducted a successful expedition against a force of 
cavalry under command of the rebel General Roddy, returning to camp with a large 
number of prisoners, most of whom were found hiding in the wood. They having deserted 
the rebel commander, who continued to retreat with the remainder of his force and made 
good his escape.  During the remainder of the winter the regiment was not called upon for 
active duty, as the war was practically ended. During the spring and summer of 1865, the 
operation of the regiment extended over a considerable territory in the northern section of 
Alabama and Mississippi, but these operations were more in the nature of a pacific than 
hostile character, the real necessity for the retention of troops in the Southern States 
during this period being for the purpose of maintaining order, and assisting in the 
readjustment of the function of civil government.
	Upon the disbandment of the brigade which he had so long commanded, Colonel 
Coon issued the following order.
    HEADQUARTERS SECOND BRIGADE, FIFTH DIVISION, C. C. M. D. M,
							DECATUR, ALA., July 7, 1865.	
(General Order No. 11.)
	Veteran Companions: This day the identity of the Old Second Brigade, is lost, and 
its unflinching battle line, that covered our retiring forces at West Point and Prairie 
Station, that save a disorganized command at Okolona, that raised the well earned cry of 
victory at Hurricane Creek and Tupelo, that presented it unbroken front to Hood's 
advancing hosts at Shoal Creek, Mt. Carmel, Linville, Lawrenceburg Pike and Franklin, 
and that taught the world a new lesson in cavalry warfare when it waved its victorious 
battle flag on the captured redoubts before Nashville; that unwavering battle scarred line 
has at last by order of your Department Commander been broken, and in parting I feel 
proud in giving expression to the heartfelt God speed and sincere well wishes mutually 
exchanged by the officers and men of the brigade.  You have endured storms, hunger, 
fatigue and disaster and enjoyed sunshine and plenty, and many a victorious march 
together.  Under each other's faithful watch, you have slept without fear in many a 
dangerous bivouac.  Shoulder to shoulder you have stood the battle tide of many a 
sanguinary field, and the greatest good I can wish for you is that your future happiness and 
prosperity may be as great and unremitting as your past patriotism, fidelity and courage, 
while better cause for honest pride I shall never have than this:  I once commanded the 
Second Bridge.
	Officers, Soldiers and Comrades, Farewell.
							By order of
									DATUS E. COON.
								Brevet Brigadier General/
JOHN H. AVERY,
	Capt. and A. A. A. G.
	
	It should be here stated that, as their original terms of service had expired, those 
who had not re-enlisted ha been mustered out of the service and returned to their homes.  
Those men had, by virtue of their three years' faithful service, become veterans in fact 
though not in name, the title having been officially bestowed upon their comrades who 
chose to remain until the close of the war.  No criticism could, however, be justly made 
upon the action of those men who had honorably fulfilled the obligation they had taken 
upon themselves at the beginning of the war, and they returned to their homes with the 
highest regard of their comrades who remained.	
	Early in the month of September, the Veteran Second Iowa Cavalry was ordered to 
proceed to Selma, Ala., at which place, on the 19th day of September, 1865, it was 
mustered out of the service of the United States.  It was then provided with transportation 
to Davenport, Iowa, and, upon arriving there, was disbanded, and the officers and men 
returned to their respective homes.
	Major General A. J. Smith, in concluding his farewell address to the troops he had 
so long commanded, used the following words of praise and admonition:

"Your military history is without blot or stain.  With this record of your service you can 
return to your respective homes, with the consciousness that you have performed your full 
duty, won the respect and admiration of your commanders, and well deserved the 
confidence and trust of the country that in her hour of danger placed you in ranks and 
trusted to you her battles.  Still continue to merit that confidence and trust, by becoming as 
good citizens as you have been soldiers.  Remember that for a Republican government the 
main requisite is enlightened, moral and industrious citizens.  Unless you become such the 
results of your entire service are lost to you.  Let the memory of what you have endured 
endear to you every foot of American soil.  Having asserted the supremacy of the General 
Government in arms, assist, now, in creating for it a glorious future among nations."
	The survivors of the Second Iowa Cavalry have, as citizens, as faithfully observed 
this parting injunction of their old commander as they obeyed his orders when fighting for 
the preservation of a united country.  Let those who come after them cherish their memory 
and emulate their patriotic example in time of peace, and, if need be, in war.

SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES.

Total Enrollment						2,053
Killed								     44
Wounded							   173
Died of wounds						     28
Died of disease						   207
Discharge for wounds, disease and other cause	   199
Buried in National Cemeteries				     84
Transferred							     42

	Mustered into service of the United States at Davenport, Iowa, Sept. 28, 1861, by 
Captain Alexander Chambers, United States Army.
	Mustered out of service Sept. 18, 1865, Selma, Alabama.

FIELD AND STAFF.

George H. Noyes.  Age 32.  Residence Clinton, nativity New Hampshire.  Appointed 
Assistant Surgeon from Assistant Surgeon of Eighth Infantry Sept. 10, 1861.  Mustered 
Sept. 19, 1861.  Promoted Surgeon June 9, 1862.  Mustered out Sept. 19, 1865, Selma, 
Ala.

COMPANY "H"

Ambrow, Philip.  Age 27.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Germany.  Enlisted Aug. 
14, 1861.  Mustered Sept. 5, 1861.  Mustered out Oct. 3, 1864, Davenport, Iowa, 
expiration of term of service.

COMPANY "C"

Binford, John D.  Age 20.  Residence Clinton, nativity Iowa.  Enlisted Sept. 3, 1862.  
Mustered Sept. 3, 1862.  Mustered out June 17, 1865, Eastport, Miss.

Bradshaw, Frank M.  Age 18.  Residence  Clinton County, nativity Mexico.  Enlisted Oct. 
6, 1864. Mustered Oct. 7, 1864.  Mustered out Sept. 19, 1865, Selma, Ala.

COMPANY "K"

Edwards, Charles.  Age 21.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Pennsylvania.  Enlisted 
Dec. 19, 1862.  Mustered Dec. 19, 1863.  Mustered out Sept. 19, 1865, Selma, Ala.

COMPANY "L"

Ellithorp, Charles.  Age 23.  Residence Brookfield, nativity New York.  Enlisted Aug. 24, 
1861.  Mustered Sept. 12, 1861.  Wounded April 25, 1863.  Died of wounds April 26, 
1863,near La Grange, Tenn.  Buried in Mississippi River National Cemetery, Memphis, 
Tenn.  Section 1, grave 3.

COMPANY "C"

Frimemood, James.  Age 24.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Canada.  Enlisted Aug. 
14, 1861, as Sixth Corporal.  Mustered Sept. 1, 1861.  Died of disease Jan. 12, 1862, St. 
Louis, Mo.

COMPANY "C"

Kelly, John B.  (Veteran.)  Age 21.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Ohio.  Enlisted 
Aug. 14, 1861, as Second Corporal.  Mustered Sept. 1, 1861.  Promoted First Corporal 
April 1, 1862.  Re-enlisted and re-mustered March 1, 1864.  Mustered out Sept. 19, 1865, 
Selma, Ala.

COMPANY "C"

Loftis, John.  Age 27.  Residence Wheatland, nativity Ireland.  Enlisted Aug. 14, 1861.  
Mustered Sept. 1, 1861.  Mustered out Oct. 3, 1864. Davenport, Iowa., expiration of term 
of service.

COMPANY "L"

MCtHURSTON, James.  Age 22.  Residence Lyons, nativity Maine.  Enlisted Dec. 7, 
1861.  Mustered Dec. 7, 1861.  Promoted Seventh Corporal March 22, 1862; Fifth 
Corporal May 1, 1862; Fourth Corporal Aug 1, 1862; Second Corporal Oct. 15, 1862.  
Mustered out Jan. 13, 1865, expiration of term of service.

COMPANY "C"

Morris, Sterling A.  Age 22.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Ohio.  Enlisted Aug. 14, 
1861, as Second Sergeant.  Mustered Sept. 1, 1861.  Promoted Company Commissary 
Sergeant July 11, 1862.  Wounded Feb. 21, 1864, Prairie Station, Miss.  Mustered out Oct. 
3, 1864, Davenport, Iowa, expiration of term of service.

COMPANY "D"

Morrison, George. Age 36.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Ireland.  Enlisted Feb. 22, 
1864.  Mustered March 4, 1864.  Mustered out Sept. 19, 1865, Selma, Ala.


COMPANY "L"

Mullett, George W.  Age 23.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Ohio.  Enlisted Oct. 15, 
1861.  Mustered Oct. 15, 1861.  Mustered out Oct. 3, 1864, Davenport, Iowa, expiration 
of term of service.

COMPANY " M"

Moore, Jacob I.  Age 20.  Redisence Clinton County, nativity Canada.  Enlisted Feb. 25, 
1864.  Mustered Feb. 25, 1864.  Died of disease Aug. 21, 1864, Memphis Tenn. Buried in 
Mississippi River National Cemetery, Memphis, Tenn. Section 2, grave 462.

COMPANY "C"

Ryan, Charles T.  Age 18.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Indiana.  Enlisted Oct. 6, 
1864.  Mustered out Sept. 19, 1865, Selma, Ala.  See Company I, Forty-fourth Infantry.

COMPANY "L"

Rappen, John.  Age 19.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Germany.  Enlisted Oct. 7, 
1864.  Mustered Oct. 7, 1864.  Mustered out Sept. 19, 1865, Selma, Ala.

Riggs, Charles R.  Age 25.  Residence Clinton County, nativity New York.  Enlisted Aug. 
24, 181, as First Sergeant.  Mustered Sept. 12, 1861.  Taken prisoner Aug. 26, 1862, 
Rienzi, Miss.  Returned to Company Sept. 10, 1862.  Discharged for promotion as Captain 
of Sixty-first Regiment Colored Infantry, Aug. 26, 1863.

Russ, Claus C.  Age 25, Residence Clinton County, nativity Denmark.  Enlisted Aug. 24, 
1861.  Mustered Sept. 12, 1871.  Mustered out Oct. 3, 1864, Davenport, Iowa, expriration 
of term of service.

COMPANY "L"

Scott, Quinton.  Age 30.  Residence Clinton County, nativity England.  Enlisted Aug. 24, 
1861.  Mustered Sept. 12, 1861.  Discharged for disability Aug. 21, 1863, Mound City, Ill.

Spurrell, Walter.  (Veteran.)  Age 20.  Residence Clinton county, nativity England.  
Enlisted Aug. 24, 1861.  Mustered Sept. 12, 1861.  Re-enlisted and re-mustered March 1, 
1864.  Promoted Fifth corporal Nov. 1, 1864; Fourth Corporal Feb. 5, 1865; Third 
Corporal March 1, 1865; First Corporal July 1, 1865; fifth Sergeant Sept. 19, 1865.  
Mustered out Sept. 19, 1865, Selma, Ala.

Strohm, Jacob.  Age 22.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Ohio.  Enlisted Oct. 5, 1861.  
Mustered Oct. 5, 1861.  Promoted Seventh Corporal Nov. 22, 1861; Fifth Corporal March 
22, 1862; Third Corporal May 1, 1862; Second Corporal Aug. 1, 1862.  Taken prisoner 
Aug. 26, 1862.  Re-joined Company Sept. 10, 1862.  Promoted First Corporal Oct. 15, 
1862.  Mustered out Oct. 3, 1864, Davenport, Iowa, expiration of term of service.

COMPANY "M"

Sherwood, Winfield S.  Age 18.  Residence Clinton county, nativity Ohio.  Enlisted Feb. 
23, 1864.  Mustered Feb. 23, 1864.  Died of disease Aug. 27, 1864, Memphis, Tenn.  
Buried in Mississippi River National Cemetery, Memphis, Tenn. Section 2, grave 429.

COMPANY "B"

White, David O.  Age 18.  Residence Bloomfield, nativity Indiana.  Enlisted Oct. 7, 1863.  
Mustered Dec. 11, 1862.  Mustered out Sept. 19. 1865, Selma, Ala.

COMPANY "C"

Wolfe, John A.  Age 19.  Residence Buena Vista, nativity Pennsylvania.  Enlisted Aug. 
14, 1861.  Mustered Sept. 1, 1861.  Died of disease Aug. 6, 1864, Andersonville, Ga.  
Buried in National Cemetery, Andersonville, Ga.  Grave 4916.

WOLFE, Lucian H.  Age 22. Residence Buena Vista, nativity Pennsylvania.  Enlisted 
Aug. 14, 1861.  Mustered Sept. 1, 1861.  Died of disease April 12, 1864, Memphis, Tenn.  
Buried in Mississippi River National Cemetery, Memphis, Tenn. Section 1, grave 43.

COMPANY "L"

Wakeman, Alonzo W.  Age 22.  Residence Clinton County, nativity New York.  Enlisted 
Aug. 24, 1861.  Mustered Sept. 12, 1861.  Discharged -----------, 1862.

Wells, William.  (Veteran.)  Age 21.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Ohio.  Enlisted 
Aug. 24, 1861.  Mustered Sept. 12, 1861.  Re-enlisted and re-mustered March 1, 1864.  
Promoted Fifth Corporal Feb. 5, 1865; Fourth Corporal March 1, 1865; Second Corporal 
July 1, 1865; Sixth Sergeant Sept. 19, 1865.  Mustered out Sept. 19, 1865, Selma, Ala.

Westel, Edward,  (Veteran.)  Age 27.  Residence Welton, nativity England.  Enlisted Aug. 
24, 1861.  Mustered Sept. 12, 1861.  Re-enlisted and re-mustered March 1, 1864.  
Promoted Fifth Corporal March 1, 1865; Third Corporal July 1, 1865; First Corporal Sept. 
19, 1865.  Mustered out Sept. 19, 1865, Selma, Ala.

Wood, Cyrus H.  (Veteran.)  Age 37.  Residence Clinton County, nativity Vermont.  
Enlisted Aug. 24, 1861, as Sixth Corporal.  Mustered Sept. 12, 1861.  Promoted Fourth 
Corporal March 22, 1862; Second Corporal May 1, 1862: First Corporal Aug. 1, 1862; 
Company Commissary Sergeant Oct. 15, 1862.  Re-enlisted and re-mustered March 1, 
1864.  Mustered out Sept. 19, 1865, Selma, Ala.

COMPANY "M"

Williard, John S.  Age 18.  Residence Clinton County, nativity New York.  Enlisted Feb. 
22, 1864.  Mustered March 1, 1864.  Wounded severely; arm amputated Aug. 5, 1864, 
Holly Springs, Miss.  Discharged for wounds Jan. 27, 1865, Memphis, Tenn.