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Marcellus Monroe Crocker
(1830-1865)
One of Grant's favorite division leaders. The Indiana native attended West Point in 1847-49 but dropped out to take up the practice of law in Des. Moines. When the Civil War began he gave
up his practice.
He served with his regiment in Missouri before being tapped to command a new regiment. At Shiloh he was briefly in command of a brigade and immediately afterwards he was given charge of a
brigade of Iowa troops with which he was long associated. This brigade was made up of the 11th, 13th, 15th, and 16th Iowa. This was on April 27,1862 he was in command of this brigade until May
1863. It was called Crocker's brigade and was one of Iowa's most distinguished. Even after Crocker was promoted to a higher field of duty the men still referred to themselves as Crocker's
brigade. This brigade stayed together through out the war.
Crocker fought at Corinth and was in command of a division during the Vicksburg campaign, particularly distinguishing himself at Champion Hill. From the summer of 1863 to the spring of 1864
his division was engaged operations in Louisiana and Mississippi. During the movements of the corps to join Sherman's army in the Atlanta campaign he was forced to relinquish command due to ill
health. He suffered from tuberculosis. He was then assigned to duty in the department of New Mexico for health reasons but was sufficiently recovered by the end of the year to be ordered to
report to Thomas's army at Nashville, but before he reported, he was ordered to Washington. There was much speculation about Crocker's possibly being assigned to command in West Virginia. By
the time he reached the nations capital the war was nearing its conclusion and his health, having worsened, precluded active field duty. He died in Washington on August 26, 1865.
His military assignments included: captain , 2nd Iowa (May 27 1861); major, 2nd Iowa (May 31, 1861); lieutenant colonel, 2nd Iowa (September 6, 1861); colonel, 13th Iowa (December 30, 1861); commanding 1st brigade, 1st division, Army of the Tennessee (February 23, march 15 and April 6, 1862); commanding 3rd brigade, 6th Division , Army of the Tennessee (April 8-July 24, 1862); commanding 3rd brigade, 6th division, District of Corinth, Army of the Tennessee (July 24-November 1, 1862); commanding 3rd brigade, 6th division, Left Wing, 16th Corps, Army of the Tennessee (December 22, 1862-January 20, 1863); commanding 3rd Brigade, 6th Division, 17th Corps, Army of the Tennessee (May 2-16, 1863); commanding 4th Division, 13th Corps, Army of the Tennessee (August 7, 1863-May 27 1864).
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