Humboldt County
Historical Association
PO Box 162
Humboldt, Iowa
50548
Humboldt County and the Civil War
One of the tallest and oldest monuments in the county stands in
Union Cemetery. It was erected in the 1880's by John Means, a Civil War
Veteran. It was built to honor the memory of 167 Civil War
veterans who died here in the years following the war.
The monument has four
engravings—Presidents Lincoln and
Washington, General Grant, and a Union veteran. On the top stands a
Union soldier. The names of the 167 veterans are on the lower sections
of the base. Also engraved are the names of four major battles in which
local soldiers took part—Pleasant
Hill, Gettysburg, Nashville, and Shiloh.
Humboldt County was very
loyal to the Union throughout the War. The citizens responded in many
ways, whether through volunteering for military service, growing and
selling needed crops, or donating goods for the soldiers far from home.
Several times the Board
of Supervisors voted to pay bounties to volunteers to encourage
recruitment. In 1862 they offered $100 to each volunteer, $5 per month
to each soldier's wife, and $1.50 for each child with a maximum amount
of $10 per month per family. By 1863 they raised the bounty for soldiers
to $200 and then $400 to encourage recruitment.
Most of the county's
volunteers were organized into either the 32nd Infantry or the 4th Iowa
Cavalry. The 32nd Infantry was recruited during the summer of 1862 and
sworn into service near Dubuque that fall. Because quarters at this camp
were not good, a malignant form of measles broke out which proved fatal
to many soldiers.
In November the Regiment
moved downriver to St. Louis. Two local soldiers, Jaspar and Levi
Scurlock, were members of Company A assigned to Major Eberhart. In
1862-63 Company A saw action in Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi. The
soldiers fought battles at Cape Girardeau and Little Rock. They marched
up the White and Little Red Rivers destroying public property and
capturing prisoners. They earned high praise from their commanding
officers for their courage and determination.
Living conditions
throughout the War were extremely difficult. They slept outdoors on the
ground in all kinds of weather. Three days' rations might have to last
five days or more. Meals often consisted of coffee or water, salt pork,
hardtack or whatever they could find from the surrounding countryside.
Hardtack is a hard, thick cracker made of flour, backing soda, salt and
water. The soldiers made many hard, fast marches covering as much as 20
to 30 miles in one day. Medical care was usually poor. Under these
severe conditions, illness took a tremendous toll.
Company I under Col.
Scott spent much of 1862-63 at regimental headquarters in southern
Missouri. In January 1864 the regiment was reunited and ordered to
Vicksburg, Mississippi to take part in that campaign. The 32nd Infantry
next took part in the Red River campaign. Even though they fought long
and hard in the battle of Pleasant Hill, Lousiana, the Union army was
forced to retreat down river to the Mississippi under constant
harassment by rebel soldiers.
Humboldt County members
of Company I were John Ford, Henry Cusey, George Hanchett, John Means,
John McHenry, Matthias Hutchinson, John Mayberry, George Cass, Francis
Russell, John Mckitrick, Issac McHenry, James Rowley, and Hiram
Hulsizer. Jonathon Hutchinson was a major with the 32nd.
The 4th Iowa Cavalry was
sworn into service in July, 1862, and then moved to St. Louis. After
they took part in the Little Rock campaign, they were ordered to move to
Vicksburg in 1863, fighting in skirmishes along the way. During the
fight at Vicksburg, they were in the saddle for the most part of 54
days.
The Cavalry was also
involved in battles at Meridian, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee.
Their last battle was fought at Columbia, South Carolina. They were
mustered out in August 1865.
Humboldt County members
of the 4th Iowa were Henry Cragg, Valentine Renter, Abner Davis, Lewis
Vought, John Fairman, Casius Snook, James Hinton, John Thomas, and
Charles Jarvis.
Several county citizens
were members of other regiments and states. Albert M. Adams was a part
of the 2nd Iowa Cavalry during the battle at Nashville. After this
battle he was captured and held prisoner at Andersonville.
George Cruikshank, a
longtime Corinth Township resident, fought with the 11th Pennsylvania
Regiment in Virginia and North Carolina. Mr. Cruikshank saw the
beginning of the battle of the Monitor and Merrimac. He later wrote a
book about his experiences.
F. F. French fought with
the 29th Wisconsin Regiment in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. His
company was chosen to guard a boatload of army supplies being shipped up
the Arkansas River to Fort Smith. During the journey the captain
deliberately ran the boat on a snag, causing it to sink. When Union
soldiers downstream spotted wreckage in the river, they gave the company
up for lost. Meanwhile the soldiers unloaded what they needed, built a
fort and lived there for 43 days. When they realized that help was not
coming, two men volunteered to paddle downstream under cover of
darkness. A steamship was sent upriver to rescue them.
Alexander Coffin, an
early settler of Wacousta Township, served in the 16th Iowa Infantry at
the battles of Nashville, Tennessee and Kingston, North Carolina.
These are only a few of
the men from this area who gave their time and some their lives to
defend the Union.