A Brief History of the 14th Regiment of Iowa Volunteer Infantry

Part 1

2 November 1861 - 21 January 1863

by John N. Duquette

The 14th Regiment of Iowa Volunteer Infantry organized at Camp McClellan, Davenport, Iowa between 2-6 November 1861. Its first commander was Colonel William Tuckerman Shaw (Post civil war photo on left), a prominent farmer and businessman from Anamosa, Iowa. He was appointed to this position by Iowa Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood. The regiment consisted of 10 companies (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K). However, on 28 October 1861, Companies A, B, and C formed into a battalion under Captain John Pattee and departed Davenport to relieve the regular army troops stationed at Fort Randall, Dakota Territory. Marching cross country, they arrived at Fort Randall on December 5th, 1861. These companies were later permanently detached from the 14th and redesignated the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry. (1) The men in these companies never served with the 14th Regiment in the field.

The seven companies (D, E, F, G, H, I and K) that remained at Camp McClellan had been recruited from various counties in Iowa to include Des Moines, Dubuque, Henry, Jasper, Jones, Johnson, Lee, Linn, Scott, Tama and Van Buren counties. During their stay at Camp McClellan, the men of these companies were mustered into federal service by Captain Alexander Chambers. They were issued uniforms and equipment, and began basic drill instruction. On the 27th of November, 1861, Companies D, 14th Iowa moved by train and the river steamer Jennie Whipple to Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri. Here the regiment was issued rifled-muskets and completed two more months of drill instruction.

On 5 February 1862, the regiment was ordered to join General Ulysses S. Grant's army which was assembling at Cairo, Illinois. Grant's immediate objectives were to seize the Confederate Forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee. The 14th Iowa traveled on the river steamer Empress to Cairo and on arrival learned that Fort Henry had already fallen to Grant. Continuing down river to Fort Henry, they disembarked and were assigned to Colonel Lauman's Brigade of General C.F. Smith's Division. On February 12th, C. F. Smith's division advanced with Grant's army to lay siege to Fort Donelson. The following day, the 14th Iowa participated in a probing attack against the fort's outer entrenchment and was repulsed. In its first engagement, the regiment lost two killed and 14 wounded.

On February 15th, the Confederates stripped their defensive positions of all available troops and attempted to break the siege at Fort Donelson. They launched a vigorous assault on the right wing of the Union forces and despite their initial successes, called off the attack. General Grant immediately ordered General C. F. Smith's Division to attack the outer entrenchment of Fort Donelson. Led by Colonel Lauman's brigade, Smith's division attacked and succeeded in capturing the fort's first line of defense before the Confederates could reoccupy them in strength. The following morning, the Confederate garrison surrendered. In the second engagement at Fort Donelson, the 14th Iowa lost one killed and seven wounded.

The regiment remained at Fort Donelson until March 6th and then moved to Fort Henry. On March 15th they loaded aboard the river steamer Autocrat and proceeded down the Tennessee River to Savannah, Tennessee. They encamped here until March 19th and were then sent to Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. On April 6th 1862, Confederate forces under General Albert S. Johnson launched a surprise attack on the Union encampment at Pittsburg Landing. This was the beginning of the two-day Battle of Shiloh. The 14th Iowa was engaged in battle on the 6th from 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. They were positioned on the right flank of what became known as "The Hornet's Nest". During this eight and a half hour period, the regiment repulsed at least five separate Confederate assaults. Receiving no orders to withdraw, the regiment was eventually surrounded and forced to surrender at approximately 5:30 p.m. to the Confederate 9th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. General Grant counterattacked the next day and drove the Confederates from the field. Official records show that 442 soldiers of the 14th Iowa were present at Pittsburg Landing during the Battle of Shiloh and 273 were killed, wounded or captured; a loss rate of 62%.

After Shiloh, the men of the 14th Iowa who were sick or escaped capture were grouped into a temporary organization called the Union Brigade. They participated in the Battle of Corinth, Mississippi on the 3rd and 4th of October, 1862. The men captured at Shiloh were held in Confederate prisons in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. All were eventually paroled and officially exchanged on 19 November 1862. (2)

Following its exchange, the regiment was sent back to Benton Barracks, St. Louis and then on to Camp Herron, Davenport, to recover, reorganize and receive replacements. Three new companies were raised to replace those that had been sent to Fort Randall. These companies were designated A, B and C. Companies A and B joined the regiment in April 1862. On April 10th 1863, the regiment was sent by river boat to Cairo, Illinois where it engaged in garrison duties for two months. In June, the 14th Iowa was sent to Fort Halleck at Columbus, Kentucky where it performed garrison duties for another seven months (Valentine Spawr Diary). While stationed here, Company C joined the regiment in June 1863.

(to be continued…)

Endnotes:

1. The 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry was later redesignated the 7th Regiment of Iowa Volunteer Cavalry.

2. It was customary up until 1864 to "parole" prisoners. Captured soldiers were released back to their respective governments after they swore an oath not to take up arms or perform any military duties until exchanged. The exchange system allowed the Confederate and Union armies to return soldiers to military duty by "exchanging" prisoners. The system was based on rank, i.e., a private was exchanged for a private; a captain for a captain. A complex set of rules also allowed for the exchange of disparate ranks. As an example, a general could be exchanged for 40 privates.

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