Another Hard Fighting Iowa Regiment

My record of posting entries has been pretty poor this month primarily due to a week off for spring break. I was fortunate to be able to go on a road trip to Tucson, Arizona, to visit some family members. While visiting in Arizona, my uncle took me to the site of a skirmish near Picacho Peak between Tucson and Phoenix. This skirmish will be the subject of a future posting. For today, though, here is the next entry in my series on regiments that served in the trans-Mississippi drawn from William Fox’s list of "300 fighting regiments".

Iowa compiled an impressive record of fielding exceptional fighting units with the 2^nd Iowa Infantry being a fine example. Their first commander was Samuel R. Curtis, who went on to render significant service in the trans-Mississippi. As for his regiment, they first saw duty in Missouri and then experienced heavy combat at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and Corinth. The regiment was an “old” one serving from the spring of 1861 until their final service during the battle of Bentonville in the spring of 1865. For more information about these Hawkeyes, see the following websites:

Civil War Index: brief history of the 2^nd Iowa from The Union Army

Iowa in the Civil War: a roster and a short history of the regiment are on this helpful website

“Sweeny’s Brigade — Dodge’s Division--Sixteenth Corps.

（1) Col. Samuel R. Curtis, W. P.; Major-Gen.	（3) Col. James Baker (Killed).
（2) Col. James M. Tuttle; Brig.-Gen.	（4) Col. James B. Weaver; Bvt. Brig.-Gen.
（5) Col. Noel B. Howard.

Companies.		killed and died of wounds.			died of disease, accidents, in Prison, &c.			Total Enrollment.
		Officers.	Men.	Total.	Officers.	Men.	Total.
Field and Staff		2		2				17
Company	A		12	12		11	11	117
	B	1	9	10		14	14	160
	C	3	12	15	1	17	18	115
	D		9	9		12	12	129
	E	1	10	11	1	18	19	127
	F	2	15	17	1	21	22	107
	G		13	13	1	20	21	151
	H	1	7	8		19	19	120
	I	1	10	11		11	11	133
	K	1	11	12		16	16	115
Totals		12	108	120	4	159	163	1,291

Total of killed and wounded, 465; died in Confederate prisons (previously included), 16.

Battles.	K. & M. W.	Battles.	K. & M. W.
Fort Donelson, Tenn.	54	Nickajack, Ga.	1
Shiloh, Tenn.	15	Atlanta, Ga.	17
Corinth, Miss.	25	Jonesboro, Ga.	2
Dallas, Ga.	4	Eden Station, Ga., Dec. 7, 1864	2

Present, also, at Siege of Corinth, Bear Creek, Ala.; Town Creek, Ala.; Resaca, Ga.; Rome Cross Roads, Ga.; Kenesaw Mountain, Ga.; Litttle Ogeeche River, Ga.; Siege of Savannah, Ga.; Columbia, S.C.; Lynch’s Creek, S. C.; Bentonville, N. C.

Notes.--Organized at Davenport, Iowa, in May, 1861. During the first year of its service it was stationed in Missouri, employed on guard duty at various points, and in protecting railroad communications. It left St. Louis February 7, 1862, proceeding by river transports to Fort Donelson, where, under command of Colonel Tuttle, it was engaged in the assault on the enemy's right. It was then in Lauman’s Brigade of General C. F. Smith's Division, and led the attack of the brigade. Its casualties at Fort Donelson were 33 killed and 164 wounded; two color-bearers were killed, and two wounded, while eight of the nine men in the color-guard were killed or wounded. The regiment was engaged a few weeks later at Shiloh; it was then in Tuttle's Brigade of W. H. Wallace's Division; loss, 8 killed, 60 wounded, and 4 missing. Next came the Siege of Corinth, and on October 3, 1862, the battle of Corinth. At that battle the Second fought in Hackleman's Brigade of Davies's Division, its loss there amounting to 12 killed, 84 wounded, and 5 missing. Among the killed were Colonel Baker, Lieutenant-Colonel Noah W. Mills and four line officers; General Hackleman was also killed in this engagement.

The regiment wintered at Corinth, Miss., and in the fall of 1863 moved to Pulaski, Tenn. It reenlisted in the winter of 1863-64, and upon its return from its veteran furlough entered the Atlanta campaign, during which it was in Fuller's (1st) Brigade, Veatch’s (4th) Division, Sixteenth Corps. After the fall of Atlanta it was transferred to Howard’s (1st) Brigade, Rice’s (4th) Division, Fifteenth Corps, with which it marched to the Sea and through the Carolinas. In November, 1864, the veterans and recruits of the Third Iowa remaining in the field were transferred to this regiment. The Second Iowa was mustered out July 12, 1865” (Fox, Regimental Losses In The American Civil War, 1861-1865, p. 403)